Sunday, August 4, 2024

Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links)

Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon


 Making All Things New, 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live
PHOTO: Making All Things New, 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live
Life is a journey. Life is short. In our more reflective moments, we remember these truths. And yet, our lives are often lived in a distracted, fragmented, and unexamined way.

How have you been faring in your inner life lately? Have you given thought to your walk with God and with fellow believers? And how should our faith influence us as we live in the world? This book is a collection of 52 short reflections, curated to help you follow Christ in a more authentic and faithful way. Read, recharge, and be made new as you reflect on what in life truly matters.
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Preface
This is a book for busy people who need some time for reading and deep reflection. The 52 chapters are grouped into seven sections, each following a major theme. The first section addresses the direction of our lives and our calling to embark on a journey with God. Next, we focus on our relationship with God, which lies at the heart of our journey on earth. We then explore our relationship and identification with Christ, which make the journey and relationship with God possible.

The fourth section deals with how we live out and nurture our relationship with God in the different but related spheres of our lives. As we grow, we will have to deal with sin and idolatry in our souls, unmasking the false and finding the true. We nurture the inner life through practising spiritual disciplines which cause the beauty of Christian character to shine through.

Our spiritual lives are experienced communally, in the church.The set of essays in the fifth section deals with the common life and the many challenges we face in an imperfect church. Next, though we are not of the world, we also live in the world. The essays deal with the difficulties Christian face in a rapidly changing world, and how we need to remain faithful to our calling and reach out to others prophetically and pastorally.

The final section seeks to remind us of the task of disciple-making. All that we understand of God and ourselves, of our relationship with Him in Christ, of our common life in the church, of the needs of the world - all these should form us into better and more passionate disciple-makers.

These are the themes that this book explores. I trust that it will, in its own small way, help Christians to be followers of Christ in a more authentic and faithful way. If that is the case, I would be more than happy.

Robert M. Solomon


Hopefully some of the information, reflection and discussion obtained from the internet and the book by Robert M. Solomon "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, can be useful. Chapter 1 - 28 (the first four sections) are listed in the following.

Called to Journey
Life is a journey. Life is short. In our more reflective moments, we remember these truths. And yet, our lives are often lived in a distracted, fragmented, and unexamined way. If life is a journey, shouldn't we think about the destination of this journey? Shouldn't we seek to discover meaning and purpose in our lives? Shouldn't we embark on a real journey rather than wander about aimlessly in the wastelands of this world?

To know that we are called by God to embark on a journey is to be saved from squandering away our lives. If we care to look more closely, or listen more carefully to life's "background noise", we will notice that God is trying to make contact with us. We will see evidence of His hand, saving us from calamity and showing us His higher purposes for our lives.

But it is easy to neglect the direction of our lives. In the hustle and bustle of everyday living, in the adrenaline-rushing thrill of worldly success, we can lose our way. The end of a wasted life would be utter disillusionment. It is therefore important to keep the end in mind. For life is short. Death is certain, and judgment will follow. We should remember this if we are to get on the journey and stay on it.

For some, the thought of death makes them leave the track to embrace some foolish survival scheme. Wisdom, on the other hand, leads us to find the redemption that God offers. With it, we will find freedom and joy on the journey. We will have discovered what it means to die well, and therefore, what is means to live well.


Chapter 1 - Reflection - Questions for Life's Quest, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-questions.html [1]

Chapter 2 - Reflection - A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-gullible.html [3]

Chapter 4 - Reflection - The Ant and the Grasshopper,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/12/reflection-called-to-journey-dangers-of.html [5]

Chapter 6 - Reflection - All the Way, All the Time,  
Relating With God
Life's journey has to do primarily with our relationship with God. We are made for this very purpose. While we experience deep alienation from God because of our sinfulness, God has already forgiven us through Christ and His cross. When we repent, we find the ready hands of God, embracing us with His eternal love and bringing us close to His heart.

We then learn what it means to have a shepherd, how to listen to God, and how to worship God ad honour His name every day. A growing relationship with God will bring us the daily joy of pleasing God, when we experience God watching over us and becoming he chief presence in our lives.

As we get to know God more intimately, our lives will become more settled into His loving purposes. We will find a restfulness, within which we can grow into the likeness of Christ. This reality of God would become more real to us as the days go by, as we experience ultimate security in God's hands. It is important that we understand the Christian life in such relational terms. Otherwise we would approach God as religious consumers seeking to use God for our own purposes rather than as lovers of God filled with the simple and single-minded pursuit of loving God with all our hearts.


Chapter 7 - Reflection - The Joy of Being Forgiven, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/02/reflection-relating-with-god-hallowed.html [10]

Chapter 11 - Reflection - Worship as Praise and Thanksgiving, 
Walking With Christ
Our relationship with God was made possible only through the work of Christ, God's Son. The church calendar, followed in many denominations, outlines the life of Christ and helps us to find our identity in Him. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith and life. He is our Lord and Master, the great shepherd of our souls.

His birth into this world and His taking on of human flesh is an affirmation of our God-given human dignity. In His identification with us, we find a heavenly Brother who understands us profoundly. His death on the cross is the deepest mystery of all - that through His painful death we find new life.

Christ's resurrection blazes into the darkness of our world, bringing unprecedented hope to every human life. New life is ours when we place our hands in the hand of this Christ and walk with Him into eternal life.We need to welcome Him into our hearts and let Him reign in us as King.

Our baptism signifies, among other things, our union and identification with Christ. We buried with Him into death and raised with Him to new life. Hence, to be a Christian is to be related with Christ and identified with Him. It is to live life in Christ even as He lives within us.


Chapter 14 - Reflection - A Place for God,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/03/reflection-walking-with-christ-marys.html [15]

Chapter 16 - Reflection - The Boys of Bethlehem,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-boys-of.html [16]

Chapter 17 - Reflection - The Mystery of God Dying, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-mystery.html [17]

Chapter 18 - Reflection - If Christ Had Not Died . . .,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-if.html [18]

Chapter 19 - Reflection - The Cross and the Empty Tomb,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/05/reflection-walking-with-christ-cross.html [19]

Chapter 20 - Reflection - The Final Hour Is Ours, 
Nurturing The Inner Life
The Christian journey, expressed primarily in our relationship with God and identification with Christ, is experienced firstly in the interior reality of our souls. The Holy Spirit creates faith, hope, and love within us, anchoring our souls and producing holiness.

In this inner life, we confront our stubborn sinful nature. As we experience God's forgiving love and sin-breaking power, we will discover a growing freedom from the power of sin. We will also have to deal with inner idolatry - our worship of things we put in God's place and inner voices hat lead us astray.

In order to overcome, we need intimacy with God, so that we would know His real voice from the counterfeits, which are often couched in piety. To know God more deeply, we need the time-tested spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, silence, and meditation on Scripture. There are no shortcuts to Christian maturity and godliness.

As our inner life is enriched by God's beauty. we will demonstrate His presence in us by how we live and the way we love others. As we receive God's grace, we will become more gracious, kind, and loving. Those who nurture the inner life will be rewarded with Christian character, which is both attractive and godly.


Chapter 21 - Reflection - What Is So Deadly About Sin?, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-gift-of.html [22]

Chapter 23 - Reflection - The Shadow and the Reality,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-shadow.html [23]

Chapter 24 - Reflection - Steering Wheel or Spare Tyre?, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life.html [24]

Chapter 25 - Reflection - Can You Trust Your Impressions?,  
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-feast.html [26]

Chapter 27 - Reflection - A Time to Be Silent, 2024,  
 

Called to Journey
Life is a journey. Life is short. In our more reflective moments, we remember these truths. And yet, our lives are often lived in a distracted, fragmented, and unexamined way. If life is a journey, shouldn't we think about the destination of this journey? Shouldn't we seek to discover meaning and purpose in our lives? Shouldn't we embark on a real journey rather than wander about aimlessly in the wastelands of this world?

To know that we are called by God to embark on a journey is to be saved from squandering away our lives. If we care to look more closely, or listen more carefully to life's "background noise", we will notice that God is trying to make contact with us. We will see evidence of His hand, saving us from calamity and showing us His higher purposes for our lives.

But it is easy to neglect the direction of our lives. In the hustle and bustle of everyday living, in the adrenaline-rushing thrill of worldly success, we can lose our way. The end of a wasted life would be utter disillusionment. It is therefore important to keep the end in mind. For life is short. Death is certain, and judgment will follow. We should remember this if we are to get on the journey and stay on it.

For some, the thought of death makes them leave the track to embrace some foolish survival scheme. Wisdom, on the other hand, leads us to find the redemption that God offers. With it, we will find freedom and joy on the journey. We will have discovered what it means to die well, and therefore, what is means to live well.


Chapter 1 - Reflection - Questions for Life's Quest,  

 Many students get very busy at the end of the year.
PHOTO: Many students get very busy at the end of the year. It is time for exams that they are told will determine the course of their lives. These important exams are often drenched (soaked) with the perspiration of anxiety, both of the students and their nervous parents.

Many students, trying to predict the questions in their forthcoming exams, pore (look and study very carefully) through books containing exam questions from past years with model answers. If they had predicted them correctly and prepared themselves adequately, things would be smooth sailing. If not, it would be nail-biting despair.

Life is like this in many ways, is it not? The important questions we face can determine our well-being and even our destiny. But truth be told, the preaching in church about these matters can be rather thin. Or sometimes, like badly or hastily written model answers, they are grossly off the mark.

Scripture teaches that "we will all stand before God's judgement seat" and that "each of us will give an account of ourselves to God" (Romans 14:10, 12). There will be some form of assessment of our lives on earth - an exam, if you like. In their busy lives, people often forget this truth. I have noticed that often, people begin to seriously think about the approaching "mother of all exams" only when they hear the bell indicating the final lap of their race. Some try to cram (study intensively) for it. Even there, huge mistakes can be made.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus talks about the "final exam" in two places - chapters 7 and 25. In the first text, He describes people who had read the wrong books. They gave correct answers to the questions they had prepared for, but alas, they were the wrong questions. These questions were not asked. Nevertheless, like anxious students they answered the questions that were never asked, hoping perhaps to impress God with their answers.

Jesus declared that "not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21). Some of His keen listeners (and readers down the ages) may have quickly concluded (correctly to a point) that getting into heaven has less to do with how you talk, and more to do with how you walk. Not what you have learned to say but what you have learned to do. In their mind they would have quickly drawn up a list of actions that would look good on their CV. Now that they had a hint, they would have gleefully predicted the questions that would be asked in heaven.

Jesus quickly shook them out of their imaginary exams. He said, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?" (Matthew 7:22). Those listeners may have started congratulating themselves for predicting the question correctly. But notice that these questions were never asked. They offered answers to questions that did not actually appear in the script. They thought that Jesus would commend these answers. But what Jesus said would have shocked them. "Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" (Matthew 7:23). They had obviously prepared for the wrong kind of exam.

The other text in Matthew 25 reveals what the "final exam" might be like. If Jesus does ask a question, it might be something along the lines of: "What did you do for the least of these brothers of mine?" He would point to those who had been in great need and often neglected in the world - the hungry, thirsty, sick, lonely, imprisoned, poor, and marginalised. In fact, in the text, no questions are asked. Instead, Jesus makes statements that sound like verdicts. You gave me food and drink, you invited me in, you looked after me . . . Come, you who are blessed. Where is the exam then?

The truth in these texts that should disturb us are these. First, the exam would have already ended the moment you stepped into the exam hall. An employer who wanted to hire honest employees planted some "lost" money in the waiting room and watched, through a closed-circuit TV, what each applicant did. All, except one, helped themselves to the money. Only the honest man got the job. There was no interview. Those who had dressed up and were all prepared to impress the employer were surprised to be told that they didn't get the job.

Second, even if it is not your talk but your walk that counts, you may still get it all wrong. Sometimes, what is celebrated as spiritual may not impress God. What is sensational in church may not impress heaven. In fact, in Matthew 25, those who were commended were not even aware that their simple acts of compassion had pleased Christ.

Which brings me to the third point: the heart of the matter is not what you say or even what you do, but how you relate with Christ. "I do not know you," Jesus said to those who thought they knew Him. As for those who were commended, however, their response showed that their attention was on their relationship with Christ, so much so that their lives showed the difference. They were not performing but enjoying their relationship with Christ. Their primary concern was in the right place.

The "final exam" is not in the future. It is now. Christ's questions will not be asked then, but they are being asked now. Often, we live our lives in response to the questions that are being asked by the world. What is your job? How much do you earn? Where do you live? What car do you drive? What do your children do? The questions are different in the exam that ultimately matters. They are not asked by earth, but by heaven. Beware wrong and seductive questions (see Genesis 3:1). Rather, let your life's quest be guided by the questions that will not be asked in some distant future, but are being asked daily - by God. In the innermost recesses (small spaces) of your heart.
 

 The 'final exam' is not in the future.
PHOTO: The "final exam" is not in the future. It is now. Christ's questions will not be asked then, but they are being asked now. Often, we live our lives in response to the questions that are being asked by the world. The questions are different in the exam that ultimately matters. They are not asked by earth, but by heaven.
Picture posted by The Temple Church Of All Nations
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/50665564552092180/
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, we pray that we understand that it is not what we say or even what we do, but how we relate with Christ that matters.
May we know that the 'final exam' is not in the future. It is now. Christ's questions will not be asked then, but they are being asked now. The questions are different in the exam that ultimately matters. They are not asked by earth, but by heaven.
May our life's quest be guided by the questions that will not be asked in some distant future, but are being asked daily - by God. In the innermost recesses of our heart.
Picture posted by Jesus is King 👑
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Chapter 2 - Reflection - A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning, 

 The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home.
PHOTO: The 6-year-old boy was asleep with his young siblings on the second storey of their family home. It was a quiet night in the English village of Epworth. But the peaceful night unravelled into a noisy and traumatic nightmare. The people of the village were rudely awakened by urgent shouts of "fire! fire!".

The house was on fire. When the blaze started on the roof, it startled one of the children awake. The frightened child rushed to his parents. The father, who was the pastor in the village, woke his wife and children, and hurried them out of the burning house. He went to he room where the younger children were sleeping and gave quick instructions to the maid to get the children safely out of the inferno.

Soon the whole family was out in the street helplessly watching their house burn in the cold night air. Then the parents noticed to their horror that their 6-year-old son was still in the house. He was trapped in the upper floor as the hungry flames engulfed the whole house. The father's heart was broken as he gave up hope  and committed his little boy to the Lord. But some men acted swiftly and with a few nimble (agile) acrobatic actions plucked the boy out of the jaw of death. They said it was a miracle. That boy was John Wesley who grew up and lived till he was 88. He considered himself to be a "brand plucked out of the burning", a phrase that stuck with him throughout life. Those words can be found on his tombstone.

John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 into a godly home, the fifteenth of 19 children. He was born at a time when the world of factories, commerce, transportation, and social relationships. It was the dawn of the Enlightenment and a new confidence in human powers. Memories of the divine were dimming in many places, including the church. The Church of England was suffering from spiritual lethargy (inactivity) and was losing sight of Christ, its Lord and Master. Christianity was a convenient social experience more than a life-changing spiritual journey. The fabric of English society was also tearing up in many places. Social ills were on the rise. Poverty, alcoholism, child labour, slavery, the erosion of values, and many other forms of social pathology (the study of disease) made life miserable for the majority.

It was into this kind of world that Wesley was born. Throughout his long and illustrious (extremely well known) life, he was convince that God had a purpose in saving him from the fire. From a young age, he had a strong sense of mission. When he was a student at Oxford University, he got together with a few fellow students to form a "Holy Club". They earnestly sought to live holy lives and practised a Christian discipline that was intense and focused, almost to the point of obsession. Wesley was a natural and highly spiritual leader in the group, who led by example. He was intensely introspective (spends considerable time examining his own thoughts and feelings), examining his thoughts, words, and actions several times daily, and driving himself to be a disciple of Christ. There was a deep hunger in his heart to be holy.

So serious and disciplined were Wesley and his friends that others made fun of them, calling them "Methodists", because of their methodical way of practising the disciplines of the Christian life. The young Wesley was not deterred. He and his younger brother Charles were ordained as clergy in the Church of England and went to America as missionaries. There, Wesley realised that his faith was deficient and longed for a deep experience of holiness. It was on May 24, 1738 that God, who saved Wesley from the fire that kills, answered his prayer by sending into the man's heart the fire that purifies. Wesley had a deep experience of God's saving presence and assurance.

After this, Wesley sought to bring renewal in the church and began preaching everywhere. He laboured to form Methodist societies, not to form a new denomination but to strengthen the church. He appointed preachers to take care of the growing movement. He also sent preachers to America where the Methodist church expanded rapidly.

Wesley was a tireless and authoritarian leader. He preached 40,000 sermons and travelled a quarter of a million miles on horseback as an itinerant (travelling) preacher and overseer of the Methodist movement. In addition to the thousands of hymns written by his brother Charles, he wrote books and tracts to teach, instruct, and preserve the fruits of the movement. He organised the Methodists into small groups to ensure discipline and to promote Christian growth and mission. He saw holiness as both personal and social and therefore began significant ministries among the needy and disadvantaged in society. He started schools, ran clinics, organised prison ministries, and fought against social evils such as slavery and alcoholism.

He read his Bible as a scholar and devotee of Christ. He led a very disciplined life, waking up every day at 4:00 a.m, to read and to pray. A holistic view of life shaped his thinking and writing. He wrote a book on medical cures and experimented on the therapeutic uses of electricity. He kept himself fit and even had an "exercise machine" that simulated horseback riding - as if he did not have enough of that!

By the time Wesley died in 1791, there were about 70,000 Methodists in Britain and 45,000 more in the United States, and about 500 preachers in the movement. The man who intensely sought holiness discovered a loving God who was always before him. Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself. This scriptural holiness is rooted in a holy and loving God who has revealed himself through Jesus Christ. Wesley's hunger for perfection and holiness brought him into the loving arms of God and he discovered the perfection of divine love. He became a lover of God and found himself to be one beloved of God.

What can God accomplish through one man? The history of God's people is full of examples who prove that we worship an incredible God who blesses and uses individual like Wesley to leave lasting legacies. God plucked the brand from the fire and turned him truly into a firebrand of the Lord. That same God is at work in us today.
Picture posted by Abebooks - Plucked From The Fire
 

 Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself.
PHOTO: Wesley defined a Methodist as one who loved God with all his heart and one who loved his neighbour as himself. Wesley's hunger for perfection and holiness brought him into the loving arms of God and he discovered the perfection of divine love. He became a lover of God and found himself to be one beloved of God.
Picture posted by christian hall of fame - John Wesley (1703 – 1791)
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, we pray that we may learn from Wesley who intensely sought holiness discovered a loving God who was always before him.
May we too, hunger for perfection and holiness that bring us into the loving arms of God and discover the perfection of divine love.
We pray that God continue to work in us today, to become a certain brand plucked out of the uncertain world.
May we become lover of God and find ourselves to be those beloved of God.
Through Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
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Chapter 3 - Reflection - Gullible Travels,  

 The fear of death is currently having a field day (an opportunity for action or success, especially at the expense of others).
PHOTO: The fear of death is currently having a field day (an opportunity for action or success, especially at the expense of others). Not that it is a new phenomenon. The Bible describes people "who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:15). This is an all-inclusive phrase that describes everyone. Everyone has to deal with the fear of death.

Most people do not want to think about death. It is not a pleasant subject. In face, according to American cultural anthropologist Ernest Becker, many cultures are the result of a deliberate human attempt to deny the reality of death. In his book, The Denial of Death, he notes that such denial takes many forms, including the ambition to achieve and to own. If Becker is right, then much of human activity is powered, ironically, by the innate fear of death in every human heart.

The fear of death works secretly, unrecognised or disowned by people. But every now and then, its face materialises in people's thoughts and feelings. The Covid-19 pandemic, which is still gripping the world, is one such time. For many, death is no longer deniable or a remote reality. It is no longer a topic that one can talk about in a calm and leisurely manner, especially in badly affected areas. Instead, it has become a daily obsession, with people starting to hear death's knock on their neighbour's doors.

Death does not produce much terror until we think about our own death. The fear becomes palpable (noticeable) when the possibility of death becomes real, when death turns into a terrorist who can strike at any time. It can be paralysing when one comes to realise that one's own death is certain.

What can we do about the fear of death?

Many years ago, I drew a line down a page in my journal and created two columns. One column was entitled "Survival Mode" and the other "Redemption Mode". I tried to describe these two ways of approaching life and death.

People on survival mode see death as the end, and therefore spend their lives fighting death with all their wits and weapons. To survive is their number one goal. The survival of the fittest is their chief doctrine and so they exhibit a competitive lifestyle. They tend to focus on the self instead of others.

The survivalist therefore tends to hoard rather than share resources. Since to him, there is no other real world, he aims to survive in this world for as long as possible. Sometimes, because of the rush of adrenaline produced by the survival game he plays, he forget that his battle is against his own inevitable death. The tragedy is that after a lifetime of fleeing from death and fighting against it, he finally loses the battle. His fellow survivalists become nervous when that happens. But they go on surviving. They know of no other way to live.

Those on redemption mode, on the other hand, do not fight death blindly and in desperation, but face it and overcome. They see death as something that can be transformed - that good can come out of it. They focus not on their own strength but on God's grace. Through eyes of resurrection faith, they can see redemption beyond death. They go through life not believing in the survival of the fittest, but in the redemption of the faithful. The slogan "I must take care of myself" is overshadowed by the truth "God takes care of me". Because their own survival is not their primary goal in life, they have time for redemptive relationships. They have time for others, and for acts of compassion and sharing. They know that life must go through the valley of the shadow of death and take this fact in their stride.

The reason for their poise and peace is their faith in the living Christ. In Valladolid, Spain, is a monument commemorating the famous explorer Christopher Columbus, who died there in 1506. The most striking feature of the monument is the statue of a lion destroying the word non (meaning "no") in the old Spanish motto Non plus ultra (meaning "no more beyond" in Latin). The Spanish people thought that they had reached the ends of the earth, hence their motto. Columbus proved them wrong through his travels and showed that there was indeed more beyond.

How true it is that in the spiritual realm, Jesus, the Lion of Judah, has likewise destroyed the word "no" through His death and resurrection. He has transformed us from a fearful "no more beyond" people to a "more beyond" people of hope. If this is our perspective and experience, it will change the way we live and how we respond to the fear of death. It will also affect the way we journey in this life.

The contemporary writer John Dunne wrote many books, such as The Way of All the Earth, which explore the human journey as portrayed in ancient stories. A common theme is the search for immortality - a futile journey in the end, for human beings are mortal and must die. But such a realisation does not come easily, and people continue to embark on gullible journeys based on the faulty compass of survivalism, buying up whatever promises false and temporary hope.

A better way to travel is the journey allegorised (interpreted) by 17th century Puritan writer John Bunyan's classic The Pilgrim's Progress, This is the story of Christian, who leaves the City of Destruction to find the Heavenly Jerusalem. The journey of Christian is filled with peril and temptation in the form of characters such as Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, Sloth, Formalist, and Mistrust, and places such as the Slough of Despond, Vanity Fair, and Doubting Castle. There are characters who help him on the way, such as Prudence, Charity, Faithful, and Hopeful. Bunyan's allegory expresses the Puritan emphasis on salvation. The goal of the Christian life is the heavenly city, which is reached by overcoming temptation and deception through faithful attention to Scripture and the Spirit, and the cultivation of Christian virtues. For Bunyan, life was a sacred (holy) journey from darkness to light. It included death but there was redemption beyond that.

This journey is travelled with Christ. It involves carrying the cross, a symbol of death and self-denial (Mark 8:34). In such a traveller, there is no more fear of death, for death, the last enemy, has been "destroyed" (1 Corinthians 15:26). This traveller has rejected survivalism as a futile way of life, and embraced with gratitude the redemption that Christ freely offers. And when he hears the sound of death's knock on his neighbours' doors, he does not lock his own door in self-centred fear, but opens it and goes out to love his neighbours.
 

 Death does bot produce much terror until we think about our own death.
PHOTO: Death does not produce much terror until we think about our own death. The fear becomes palpable (noticeable) when the possibility of death becomes real, when death turns into a terrorist who can strike at any time. It can be paralysing when one comes to realise that one's own death is certain.
Picture posted by Sadhguru on 15 March 2020 at 1:41 am ISThttps://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-gullible.html
 

 Dear Lord,
PHOTO: Dear Lord, we pray that we learn to travel with Christ. It involves carrying the cross, a symbol of death and self-denial. But for such a traveller, there is no more fear of death, for death, the last enemy, has been "destroyed".
May we reject survivalism as it is a futile way of life. May we embraced with gratitude the redemption that Christ freely offers.
Then when we hears the sound of death's knock on our neighbours' doors, we do not lock our door in self-centred fear, but opens it and goes out to love our neighbours.
Through Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen.
Picture posted by HeavenGalleria, Redbubble
 
 

Chapter 4 - Reflection - The Ant and the Grasshopper,  

 In a field one summer's day, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content.
PHOTO: In a field one summer's day, a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart's content. An Ant passed by, bearing with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling (work hard) in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" asked the Grasshopper, "We have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came, the Grasshopper had no food. It found itself dying of hunger while watching the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.

I remember reading this well-known Aesop's fable as a child. The moral of the story is stated clearly at the end. One must postpone present gratification (indulgence in luxury), work hard, and make provision for the future. A useful story, indeed, for any parent trying to impress on her child the importance of hard work.

The ant and the grasshopper are contrasted in the story. The ant is hardworking, diligent, and to be commended for thinking about the future. It is a picture of responsibility. One is reminded of what the wise man who wrote the book of Proverbs advises: "Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest" (Proverbs 6:6-8). Likewise in Proverbs 30:24-28, four creatures are commended as extremely wise even though they are small; the ant is one of them. "Ants are creatures of little strength, yet they store up their food in the summer" (Proverbs 30:25).

The grasshopper, on the other hand, is a model of irresponsibility. It is only interested in present enjoyment and does not think of the future. When its summer song is ended and winter woes begin, it is totally unprepared, and its folly is clearly revealed.

Such a story resonates with our society, where hard work and diligence - the values shown by the ant, are still celebrated and highly cherished. However, in a fast-paced society where one's performance and efficiency are constantly under scrutiny, it is easy to carry the lessons of the ant and the grasshopper to the extreme.

For the stressed-out people, the grasshopper may look like the wiser one. Shouldn't one take it easy, relax, live for the moment, and have a life? It is important to have periods of rest and recreation, to take time to relax with family and friends, to stop regularly to smell the flowers along the way, and to savour each passing moment. Nevertheless, that is not what the grasshopper portrays. The problem with the grasshopper is that it has a one-track mind. It is permanently set on play mode. It is short-sighted, lazy, and driven by impulses and present enjoyment, like the biblical Esau who sold his birthright for a hot bowl of soup.

It is better and wiser to follow the way of the ant. The book of Proverbs and Aesop's story belong to the same millennium, and both promote the values of diligence, foresight, and hard work. However, because of social and cultural difference between our time and theirs, it is easy for us to misunderstand the way of the ant, especially in two unfortunate ways.

First, we can misunderstand the ant as a creature permanently set on work mode. Science tells us otherwise. The research of American zoologist Joan Herbers shows that creatures known for constant busyness such as the ant and the bee do in fact spend a lot of time doing nothing. [1a] This may be an eye-opener for ant-followers. It is easy for us to distort the virtues of hard work and diligence into the neurosis (mental disorders) of perfectionism and the tragedy of overwork and burnouts.

The book of Ecclesiastes, which like the book of Proverbs belongs to the genre of wisdom literature in the Bible, declares wisely that there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). These books were written in an agricultural setting, where the rhythms of nature and life were better understood and appreciated. The biblical sage's (wise) ant is to be understood only in the context of such rhythms. To a generation which has lost these rhythms, or in which these rhythms have become distorted by modern life and work, the biblical lesson may be lost, or worse - used to justify a sinful, neurotic (unstable), and driven lifestyle.

Second, the ant's labours must be understood in the setting of a more communal society. In other words, it worked for the good of others. Zoology confirms this. The food is gathered in the colony to be used by all. This lesson again may be poorly appreciated in modern society, where work and life have become more individualistic and private. The danger is that we may try to mimic the ant's actions, working hard and hoarding goodies, but all for our own benefit, without realising our fatal error.

John Wesley worried about this when he noticed that Methodists worked hard, were frugal (thrifty), and were becoming wealthy. His fear was that such wealth that remained unshared with others would lead to arrogance and spiritual decay. That is why his motto, Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can, can help us to learn the biblical lesson of he ant correctly. We are to work hard, for the good of others.

In the marketplace today, there are busy selfish ants, living driven lives and hoarding things for their own use. There are also lazy grasshoppers who spare no thought for tomorrow, squandering their opportunities. There are also ants who are really grasshoppers. They work hard like ants, hoping to retire early so that they can live like grasshoppers using the wealth they amassed for themselves.

If we want to follow biblical teaching, we have to see the ant the way the ancients saw it. We have to work hard within the rhythms of life and for the good of others. Herein lies ancient wisdom for modern people.
Picture posted by Vedantu - Aesop's fable, The Ant and The Grasshopper
 

 The book of Ecclesiastes, which like the book of Proverbs belongs to the genre of wisdom literature in the Bible, declares wisely that there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
PHOTO: The book of Ecclesiastes, which like the book of Proverbs belongs to the genre of wisdom literature in the Bible, declares wisely that there is time for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8). These books were written in an agricultural setting, where the rhythms of nature and life were better understood and appreciated.
We can misunderstand the ant as a creature permanently set on work mode. Science tells us otherwise. The research of American zoologist Joan Herbers shows that creatures known for constant busyness such as the ant and the bee do in fact spend a lot of time doing nothing. [1a]
Picture posted by Jan Thompson
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7B14jL3YSnSVBzmTlqEBHktJdllrYgIlRirukZEiOgzoymzH5Z-FBuqSrP7ujV8-1UMTqHz-iuhGjlvdnCQBsLHX5TJPLVEC6bAlHqKd8VE7hclXkyE-MjpOdQWFM1JLMAZWmt-zGZ6LpvUKQzBdUGLGMPy65Z0G-YcCMFScj8cpzGjVb9cQBCoWdldc/s1536/Ecclesiastes31-cormorant-2022-04-29-1536x1536.jpg
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https://www.janthompson.com/posts/a-time-for-everything-ecclesiastes-318/
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, we pray that we follow biblical teaching by seeing the ant the way the ancients saw it. We have to work hard within the rhythms of life and for the good of others. May we have the ancient wisdom for modern people.
Let us not be busy selfish ants, living driven lives and hoarding things for our own use. May we be not like the lazy grasshoppers who spare no thought for tomorrow, squandering their opportunities.
There are also ants who are really grasshoppers. They work hard like ants, hoping to retire early so that they can live like grasshoppers using the wealth they amassed for themselves. May we 'Earn all we can, save all we can, give all we can.'
May we be able to work hard, for the good of others.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Picture posted by Hany Rady
 
 

Chapter 5 - Reflection - The Dangers of Success,   

 There is a deep hunger in human beings to succeed.
PHOTO: There is a deep hunger in human beings to succeed. The hunger inside and the marketplace outside work together to determine the way we live and spend our days. And yet many people who "succeed" and are the envy of others find that their deep hunger remains.

Why is this so? Perhaps it is because we have a very limited view of what success is. Our culture takes our need to succeed and gives it a narrow vision of success. Singaporeans, for instance, talk about cash, car, career, condominium, and cultural proficiency gained through travelling. This idea is a grossly limited and materialistic notion of success. The thirst for fame and fortune distracts us from the real thirst that lies deep within our human hearts. We need God. We need to relate to God, and to experience this relation by being reconciled to Him. We need to discover that God is love and order our lives on that basis. We need to discover our true worth and dignity, and our authentic (genuine) identity and calling. We need to discover others as fellow human beings and treat them as such.

Perhaps we all know this instinctively, as our thirst for authentic living emerges once in a while, in unguarded and lonely moments. But the influence of the world is too strong. We take the easy way out and march to the tune of the marketplace (which cares not for us), instead of listening to the depths of our hearts, where God often speaks and leads us on His path. We become distracted by what Christian thinker Brian Mahan calls "the social scripts of mere success" [1a], and fail to find true success here on earth.

Children are trained from a young age to be ambitious, to be thirsty for success. And this ambition is defined in very materialistic terms - houses, cars, luxurious living, wealth, and the like. Education then becomes a servant of this ambition. People use education to seek fame and fortune. The phenomenon of the proliferation (growth) of people seeking doctorates (however they are obtained) is a sign of this distorted vision of success. People continue to seek this form of success even when their hearts quietly warn them of their folly. Even in old age, people persist in this futile trip to transient success. What can one do with the wealth he has spent a lifetime to gather?

Christians must be careful not to be distracted by such limited and distorted notions of success. It is easy for Christians to defer (carry over) to ambitions imbibed (absorbed) from the world and fail to nurture their true vocation of discipleship and obeying Christ, which they receive at their baptism (Matthew 28:19-20).

The apostle Paul wrote to young Timothy towards the end of his life. Imprisoned and facing an uncertain future, he declared: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). One who pursues a worldly form of success must be challenged by these words. Remember the rich young man who came to Jesus and asked Him about eternal life? Jesus told him to sell all his possessions, give the proceeds to the poor, and then come follow Him (Matthew 19:16-24). The young man was too steeped (filled with) in the social scripts of his world to be willing to give up the signs of his "success". When approaching death in his old age, he would not have been able to echo Paul's glorious words. He would have been a stranger to the real fight, the real race, and the real faith, and so much the poorer for it.

Perhaps we might say that we are different. But Christians who are active in church and try their best to live pious (God-fearing) lives may also have to be challenged by Paul's words, simply because the world's notions of success are deeply ingrained in us and can easily be dressed in Christian costume. Take, for instance, how a pastor's ambition to grow his church may merely disguise entrepreneurial ambitions originally rooted in the corporate world. Or how numerous Christians link God's blessing and favour with earthly wealth and fame. For these Christians, earthly success is identified with spiritual vigour and vitality. They want to be successful on earth and have heaven bless them with fortune and renown (famous).

But God may have other plans. In his poem entitled "Prayer answered by crosses", the 18-century Anglican hymnwriter John Newton expressed this so well. [2] The poet complains to God that his prayers for happiness and well-being were not being answered. Instead, he suffers and struggles intensely. God answers that His plans are different. Instead, He intends to:

. . . break thy schemes of earthly joy
that thou mayst seek thy all in me.

Imagine God breaking our schemes of earthly success! A man who thinks that earthly success and heavenly vocation are one and the same will have great difficulty understanding this. God's ultimate aim is to redeem us completely for himself. His plan to succeed is often pitted against our plans to succeed. If He wins, we win. If we win, we lose. Didn't the Lord say: "Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25)? George MacDonald, the 19th-century Scottish novelist, poet, and Congregationalist pastor, told the same truth in another way: "In whatever man does without God, he must either fail miserably, or succeed more miserably." [3]

The greatest danger is when someone imposes the template of earthly success on his religion. He would be greatly deceived into thinking that all is well, that he was fighting the right battle, running the right race, holding to the true faith. Paul was such a person in his youthful days, until the risen Christ encountered him on the road to Damascus. His religious passion had been mixed with personal pride. After his conversion, he gave up the signs of his earthly success for something far superior. We should do well to consider this carefully. The relentless pursuit of fame and fortune, even in church, must be challenged by God's truth. That is to say, the pursuit of earthly fame and fortune should not be the primary concern of our lives. Even if fame and fortune fall on our laps, we should hold them loosely. We must remember that they have no value in heaven and that true success is often clothed in suffering, deprivation, simplicity, and love. True success is measured not by how much we own but by how much of us God owns. And may we all be blessed as we discover this more deeply in our lives.
Picture posted by Spencer Sherman on 04 March 2021
 

 There is a deep hunger in human beings to succeed.
PHOTO: There is a deep hunger in human beings to succeed. The hunger inside and the marketplace outside work together to determine the way we live and spend our days. And yet many people who "succeed" and are the envy of others find that their deep hunger remains.
Picture posted by حكاية من ورق
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/169236898491318728/


Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, make us realise that we may be like Paul in his youthful days, imposed the template of earthly success on his religion. He was greatly deceived into thinking that all is well, that he was fighting the right battle, running the right race, holding to the true faith,  until the risen Christ encountered him on the road to Damascus.

May we too go through the conversion, and gave up the signs of our earthly success for something far superior. May our relentless pursuit of fame and fortune, even in church, be challenged by God's truth. May the pursuit of earthly fame and fortune are not be the primary concern of our lives.

May we remember that earthly fame and fortune have no value in heaven and that true success is often clothed in suffering, deprivation, simplicity, and love. True success is measured not by how much we own but by how much of us God owns. And may we all be blessed as we discover this more deeply in our lives.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Picture posted in Pinterest
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1337074886495293/
 


Chapter 6 - Reflection - All the Way, All the Time, 

 Every newborn baby observed a wise man, is a sign that God has not given up on us.
PHOTO: Every newborn baby observed a wise man, is a sign that God has not given up on us. I suppose the same is true with every new year we enter. God has not given up on us.

Some churches observe what has become known as a "covenant service" on New Year's Eve, New Year's Day, or the first Sunday in January. One primary theme in the traditional covenant service is the renewal of one's commitment to serve God. In the Wesleyan and some other traditions, the service often includes the following prayer:

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to what you will, rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing, put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you;
let me be full, let me be empty,
let me have all things, let me have nothing;
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit, you are mine and I am yours.
So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified (confirmed) in heaven. [1a]

These are great words describing the highest forms of discipleship. If only we could live them out in our daily lives. But alas - all too often, our resolve to follow Christ, no matter what, flounders (experience great difficulties) in the face of distraction and difficulties along the way.

Hence, the covenant service may also emphasise repentance and confession. Even the best of us is tainted by a thousand imperfections. The covenant service at the beginning of the year offers us an opportunity to realise where we have failed God, where our love for God has grown cold, and where we have forgotten what we had promised.

In this respect, we can learn a lesson or two from Gideon, an Old Testament character. He was one of the judges who led Israel in the days when the people had no king (Judges 6-8), The Israelites were living in disobedience to the Lord. As a result, God allowed the Midianites to oppress them. When they cried out to God for help, God called Gideon to act for Him and His people. Gideon was a man who obeyed God in faith, but also someone so very careful about saying "yes" to God that he had to be assured by God through various signs. God was very patient with him.

Despite his hesitancy, Gideon was used by God to secure a great victory against the Midianites. The people of Israel were so impressed that they came to Gideon and told him, "Rule over us - you, your son and your grandson - because you have saved us from the hand of Midian" (Judges 8:22) Gideon gave them a great and commendable answer: "I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you." (Judges 8:23), Gideon reminded his follow Israelites that in the theocracy (priests rule in the name of God), God was to be their ruler and king.

All this is wonderful - except that the story does not end there. We are later told that Gideon went on to have 70 sons and many wives (Judges 8:30), a social arrangement that only kings could afford in those days. The man who refused to be king, declaring that only God was to be king, unfortunately began to live like a king. Worse, he had a son whom he named Abimelech. The name literally means "my father is king". Evidently, Gideon's earlier conviction that God alone should be king had been eroded by years of negligence. Gideon, who was greatly used by God in his younger years, appears to have backslide and gone back on the statement he made in the presence of God and His people.

The same thing happened to Simon Peter. When Jesus predicted that His disciples would flee when He was arrested, Peter was the one who said with over-inflated confidence that he would not flee. like the other disciples and that Jesus could rely on him (Mark 14:29). He broke his proud promise when put to the test. In fact, he denied that he had anything to do with Jesus not just once, but three times, just as Christ had predicted.

He felt so terrible after this that he wept. Later, when he met the risen Christ face to face, he was given a new chance to commit himself to the Lord, but only after carefully considering his calling (John 21). When Jesus asked Peter to love Him, serve Him, and follow Him, the apostle responded with faith and obedience and never looked back.

In every New Year season, God gives us a new chance to examine how we are following Christ and to renew our commitment to Him. We have an opportunity to renew our covenant with Jesus. In the words of the covenant service, may our prayer be: "I come, Lord. I believe, Lord. I throw myself upon Your grace and mercy. I trust your saving death alone to save me. Do not refuse me. I have nowhere else to go. Here I will stay. I will trust You, and rest in You, and risk myself for You. On You I lay my hope for pardon, for life, for salvation. If I perish, I perish on Your shoulders. If I sink, I sink in Your ship. If I die, I die at Your door. Do not bid me to go away for I will not go."

Let us each resolve to love God with all our hearts, follow Christ all the way, and obey the Spirit all our days. For who knows how many more new years we will get to see.
Picture posted by Amazon.com - Paolo Veronese God The Father Picture
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: Dear Lord, thank You for giving us a new chance to examine how we are following Christ and to renew our commitment to Him every year.  We have an opportunity to renew our covenant with Jesus.

In the words of the covenant service, may our prayer be: "I come, Lord. I believe, Lord. I throw myself upon Your grace and mercy. I trust your saving death alone to save me. Do not refuse me. I have nowhere else to go. Here I will stay. I will trust You, and rest in You, and risk myself for You. On You I lay my hope for pardon, for life, for salvation. If I perish, I perish on Your shoulders. If I sink, I sink in Your ship. If I die, I die at Your door. Do not bid me to go away for I will not go."

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.
Picture posted by God Bless You My Son
 
 

Relating With God
Life's journey has to do primarily with our relationship with God. We are made for this very purpose. While we experience deep alienation from God because of our sinfulness, God has already forgiven us through Christ and His cross. When we repent, we find the ready hands of God, embracing us with His eternal love and bringing us close to His heart.

We then learn what it means to have a shepherd, how to listen to God, and how to worship God ad honour His name every day. A growing relationship with God will bring us the daily joy of pleasing God, when we experience God watching over us and becoming he chief presence in our lives.

As we get to know God more intimately, our lives will become more settled into His loving purposes. We will find a restfulness, within which we can grow into the likeness of Christ. This reality of God would become more real to us as the days go by, as we experience ultimate security in God's hands. It is important that we understand the Christian life in such relational terms. Otherwise we would approach God as religious consumers seeking to use God for our own purposes rather than as lovers of God filled with the simple and single-minded pursuit of loving God with all our hearts.


Chapter 7 - Reflection - The Joy of Being Forgiven, 

 American psychiatrist Karl Menninger once remarked that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent of them could walk out the next day! [1a]
PHOTO: American psychiatrist Karl Menninger once remarked that if he could convince the patients in psychiatric hospitals that their sins were forgiven, 75 percent of them could walk out the next day! [1a] Sadly, the psychiatric hospitals are still filled with people whose hearts and souls are tormented by guilt.

People plagued with guilt are not only found in hospitals; they are found everywhere, even in church. At some churches, prior to the celebration of the Lord's Supper, the people confess their sins together, following which the pastor pronounces the words: "In the name of Jesus Christ, you are forgiven", which the people repeat to the pastor. These precious, life-giving words echo the words of the One who alone can forgive our sins - when Jesus met the paralysed man who was tied by invisible ropes of guilt, He healed him and declared: "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven" (Matthew 9:2).

But why is it that even after hearing Jesus' words multitudes of guilty people are still immobilised in their spiritual journeys, unable to move towards true life and its joy? To understand this, we need to further reflect on the underlying purpose of God's forgiveness.

God forgives us so that we can be reconciled with Him. Because of our sins, we were alienated from God, but our merciful and gracious God opened the door for us to be reconciled with Him. The reconciliation is achieved when divine forgiveness meets human repentance. When the risen Christ met His fearful disciples, He "opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures". Then He told them that "the Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations" (Luke 24:45-47).

Christ died on the cross to declare that all are forgiven. And yet, not all are reconciled with God. Why? Because while all have been forgiven, not all have repented. For true reconciliation between God and human beings to take place, divine forgiveness must, like a life-giving seed, fall into the soil of human repentance. Then the fruits of reconciliation will burst forth with joyous vigour.

For this to happen, we must deal with at least two obstacles. The first is pride. The problem is not that God has not forgiven us, for His love reaches out to the worst of sinners. The problem is that people have not repented. And this is often due to pride. To repent, one must acknowledge one's true condition. This calls for humility, which is made available to us by God's grace. Whether we truly repent or not depends on how we respond to God's grace and humility and faith.

It is clear that even in church there are people who find it difficult to humbly accept God's forgiveness. Instead, they are busy trying to show, through their good work, that they are not so bad after all. Pride blinds them from realising or accepting that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). They live frenzied lives, performing a religion that is rooted in pride rather than humility. In reality they have failed to repent, and therefore have not experienced God's forgiveness and the reconciliation with Him that follows. As Anabaptist pastoral theologist David Augsburger has wisely noted, "Since nothing we intend is ever faultless, and nothing we attempt ever without error, and nothing we achieve without some measure of finitude (end) and fallibility (the tendency to make mistakes or be wrong) we call humanness, we are saved by forgiveness." [2]

The second obstacle is a self-centred, non-relational view of forgiveness. It is a common mistake to think that our sins are forgiven by God simply to make us look good again. We might be like the man in court who hears the judge declare that he is not guilty. He heaves a sigh of relief, lifts his head high and walks away feeling vindicated.

When God forgives us, it is not quite like this. It is more like the story of the prodigal son told by Jesus (Luke 15:11-32). The wayward son comes to his senses and decided to return to his father's house. He rehearses what he would say - "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants." When he reaches his waiting father, he blurts out what he had carefully rehearsed on the road of repentance. But his father did not allow him to complete his speech, especially the part about becoming a hired man. Perhaps the son thought that his repentance would make him look a little better in his father's eyes - enough to hire him as one of the servants.

But the father demonstrated what God does each time someone turns to Him in repentance. God's forgiveness has so much to do with making us look good, but with bringing us to a deep and loving relationship with Him.

When we crawl up to God's throne with repentance, we will find Him waiting for us, having already forgiven us. When we appear bankrupt before the divine Judge in our torn rags, smelling of the stench of sin, covered in the grime (dirt) of inner corruption fully exposed, and drooling helplessly with sin's foolishness, we hear God declare that our sins are forgiven. Then the unimaginable happens. Instead of giving us a lecture or mocking us, the Judge rises up from His throne, comes to us, and embraces us. As He does so, we realise that in embracing us, He has been hurt . . . His blood washes us clean. We discover that forgiveness, as Mark Twain wrote, "is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it".

More than self-centred relief for being forgiven, we discover the joy of being reconciled, of finding the depths of a profound love that invites us to an eternal relationship. We break free from our self-imposed prison and find ourselves at a feast.

After years of searching for inner peace and divine forgiveness, the German Augustinian monk Martin Luther was still plagued by gnawing guilt and the realisation that he did not measure up to God's righteousness. It was when he reflected on Romans 1:17 when he realised that God had already forgiven us in Christ and made us righteous. Luther felt that he "was altogether born again and had entered paradise itself". [3] His soul was flooded with the joy of forgiveness.

Likewise, on May 24, 1738, John Wesley found this joy. He wrote: "I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ . . . and an assurance was given me that He had takes away my sins, even mine . . ." [4]

Luther and Wesley discovered the freedom of being forgiven and the joy of being reconciled with God. How about you?
 

 The underlying purpose of God's forgiveness
PHOTO: The underlying purpose of God's forgiveness
God forgives us so that we can be reconciled with Him. Because of our sins, we were alienated from God, but our merciful and gracious God opened the door for us to be reconciled with Him. The reconciliation is achieved when divine forgiveness meets human repentance.
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 Dear Lord,
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, help us to overcome our pride, repent, and humbly accept God's forgiveness. May our pride does not blind us from realising or accepting that 'all our righteous acts are like filthy rags'.

Help us to overcome being self-centred and refuse to being forgiven. May we  break free from our self-imposed prison, and discover the joy of being reconciled, of finding the depths of a profound love that invites us to an eternal relationship.

May we be like Luther and Wesley, discover the freedom of being forgiven and the joy of being reconciled with God. May we have the feeling of being born again and had entered paradise itself.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
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Chapter 8 - Reflection - The Great Shepherd, 

 The market was noisy and dusty.
PHOTO: The market was noisy and dusty. Just a while earlier, the place had been quiet and cool in the early morning. Then one by one they came, and soon the narrow streets were seething (moving in a rapid or hectic way) with humanity. The farmers were there, with shining faces, anticipating the speedy sale of their crops. The cobblers, carpenters, and peddlers were there too, hoping to make their living off whatever they could offer. The rich were surveying the goods on sale, with more money than they could comfortably carry. The poor were there as well, tired and worn out, struggling to survive in a world that did not care for them. Beggars, widows, and orphans walked about, reduced to an existence beneath the dignity of a human being, yet hoping for a few morsels (bits) of human kindness.

Jesus watched the crowd and saw their individual faces, some lined with despair, others the perfect portrait of sadness, and yet others cast in anxiety. Confusion was etched on some faces, while others reflected the boredom of mindless routine. Jesus saw the crowd and saw that they were "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd" (Matthew 9:36).

"Sheep without a shepherd". To us, that phrase may not resonate as powerfully as it did in the first century, when Jesus uttered those words. After all, we don't often see sheep and shepherds. We may not fully appreciate the relationship that sheep have with their shepherds. But the first-century people who heard Jesus knew what He meant.

Life was tough then. Just imagine life without the modern medicines we are so used to. Imagine a world without anaesthesia. What would life be like in a society where lifespans were generally short? For the Jews, their land was under the rule of a foreign power - the Roman Empire. God seemed to have gone silent for 400 years. The people at least had some assurance that God had not forgotten them when He still spoke to them by the prophets (though their messages were often not pleasing to the ear). But for so long mow, heaven had shut its doors and earth had become a living hell for so many - "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd".

THE SHEPHERD
It was to this kind of world that Jesus came, proclaiming himself as the good shepherd of Israel (John 10:11). It took time for people to understand this and to grasp the great truth that He was in fact the shepherd of all peoples. This idea came from the Old Testament, where God called himself the shepherd of His people (Ezekiel 34:11-14). He promised to find the lost and those who strayed, to rescue the perishing, to nurse the wounded, and to feed the hungry. This shepherding God can best be understood as the God who makes a covenant with His people. He cares for His people and loves them.

God is shepherd not only to a community, but also to individuals. Hence, the psalmist could confidently declare: "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalm 23:1). God is the shepherd of our souls. He feeds, protects, guides, and bless us on our journey in life.

THE SHEPHERD LOVES
Jesus brought this rich Old Testament understanding into His proclamation of hiimself as shepherd of God's people. In fact, by proclaiming himself as shepherd, He revealed that He was God. As shepherd, He knew His sheep and recognised them (John 10:3, 14). By elaborating on the bond between shepherd and sheep, Jesus brings our attention to the shepherd's love for his sheep, which is the heart of their relationship.

In His parable of the lost sheep, Jesus paints a dynamic and poignant (piercing) picture of the shepherd's love (Luke 15:3-7). He leaves the 99 other sheep in safety, and, as the sky darkens rapidly and the temperature drops steeply, sets out to find the lost sheep, loss probably because it had wondered away, either through distraction or plain wilfulness. The shepherd could have written off that one sheep. Why take the trouble to rescue a silly animal? And yet, off he went in search. This story is a window into the heavenly shepherd's love for us.

This love is perfectly manifested when the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). Can you see how much the shepherd loves you? Could you doubt His tender mercy? Don't you realise that even when you wander away, having forgotten Him, He chases after you? The English poet Francis Thompson put it so well in his poem, "The Hound of Heaven". [1a]

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat—and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet . . .

Jesus the shepherd of our souls who gave His life for us, wants to care for us and bring us home. He finds, heals, feeds, and protects us, as shepherds protect their sheep from predators. No wonder Paul declares: "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31). Knowing who his shepherd is, he can confidently say that nothing can separate him from his shepherd's love (Romans 8:37-39).

THE SHEPHERD LOVES YOU
How terrible and tragic to wander the earth without a shepherd. When a man is lost and all alone, he is acutely aware of his condition. But in a crowd of lost people, he can easily miss the truth. The people in those ancient Galilean streets were lost and Jesus had compassion on them. In our modern world, the streets and the scene may be different, but the human conditions is the same. The good shepherd, the great shepherd of our souls (Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25) is still gathering His sheep. Do you know Him as your shepherd? Do you recognise His voice? Do you allow Him to lead you? Do you know His presence? Have you experienced the joy of letting His shadow fall on you? What a joy to be guided and daily fed by the great shepherd, whose voice is rich with wisdom and whose heart is full of love.
 

 This love is perfectly manifested when the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11).
PHOTO: This love is perfectly manifested when the shepherd lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11). Can you see how much the shepherd loves you? Could you doubt His tender mercy? Don't you realise that even when you wander away, having forgotten Him, He chases after you?
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we need not experience how terrible and tragic to wander the earth without a shepherd. We want Jesus as the shepherd of our souls. He has given His life for us, wants to care for us and bring us home. He can finds, heals, feeds, and protects us, as shepherds protect their sheep from predators.

May we be able to declare like Paul: 'If God is for us, who can be against us?' May we confidently say that nothing can separate us from our Jesus' love.

Please gather us as Your sheep, and be our good and great shepherd of our souls.
May we know Jesus as our shepherd.
May we recognise His voice.
May we allow Him to lead us.
May we know His presence.
May we experience the joy of letting His shadow fall on us.
May we experience the joy of being guided and daily fed by the great shepherd, whose voice is rich with wisdom and whose heart is full of love.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen"
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Chapter 9 - Reflection - A New Ear,  

 The story of time begins with a speaking God.
PHOTO: The story of time begins with a speaking God. "In the beginning was the Word . . ." (John 1:1); "In the beginning . . . God said . . ." (Genesis 1:1, 3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28-29).

When God spoke at the dawn of time, the universe appeared and began flexing its cosmic muscles. The earth was shaped and sprang to life. God's voice was intimately connected with creation. Likewise, at the end of time, the same divine voice will be heard from the heavenly throne declaring: "I am making everything new!" (Revelation 21:5). God's voice creates and re-creates. Without His voice, there would be no world and no redemption.

If God's voice is central to how we understand life, then it follows that the spiritual discipline of hearing is of utmost importance. In fact, biblical religion can be describe as the religion of the ear.

One has only to read the book of Psalms, the prayer and song book of ancient Israel, to realise that much of it involves pleading with God to turn His ear to the people's cries (Psalm 77:2; 88:2). God assures us that He is indeed the one divine reality who has ears open to our cries. Idols, on the other hand, are lifeless. Though they may be depicted with ears, they cannot hear us because they are not real.

God reveals not only that He can hear us, but also that He desires to have conversations with us, which means that we need to hear Him too. God issue an invitation to us: "Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live" (Isaiah 55:3). Just as we want Him to turn His ear to hear us, He also wants us to turn our ears to hear Him.

But why do so many people not hear Him? In Jeremiah 5:21, God describes people "who have ears but do not hear". He explains: "Their ears are closed so that they cannot hear" (Jeremiah 6:10). Jesus sheds more light on the matter years later when He tells the Jews: "Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you don not hear is that you do not belong to God" (John 8:47), His listeners had wrongly assumed that they had special spiritual rights and abilities because they were Abraham's descendants. Not so, says Jesus. In order to hear God, one needs to have a personal relationship with God. One needs to be born again. The man who is not born again can pray in dire circumstances and God can hear him, but he would not actually be having conversation with God. He must first repent, believe in Jesus, and commit his life to the Lord.

But what about those who have been born again and yet do not seem to hear God?

The problem here is not being unable to hear but being unwilling. In a world of many voices and noises, a Christian might still choose to listen to every other voice except for the still small voice of God. Perhaps he does not want to know the truth. Or he may be unwilling to leave his comfort zone. He may fear that listening to God would require personal discomfort and sacrifice, and thus may choose not to hear God.

Habitual disobedience to God also leads to growing spiritual deafness. Turning a deaf ear to God's commandments, shutting one's ears to the cry of the poor (Proverbs 21:13) - such actions affect one's conversation with God. Repentance and recommitment would help to restore the conversation. In the words of Gregory the Great, one "must hasten to put into practice what he has heard". [1a]

There are yet others who, though born again and sincere in their desire to hear God, find it difficult to converse with God. How does one recognise the voice of God against so much "background nose"? Using the metaphor of the shepherd and his sheep, Jesus taught that His sheep listen to His voice (John 10:27). They do this because they know Him (John 10:14). What we must note here is that they also know His voice (John 10:4).

How can one come to know God's voice? This is an especially important question because people often think that their own inner voice is the voice of God. Their imagined conversation with God is in fact a conversation with themselves. God does not normally speak to us in an audible voice. He speaks to us in our inner being. And that is where the challenge lies. How do we know when He is speaking and when we are thinking our own thoughts?

I believe that two further question will help us to answer this important question.

First, why do we want to hear God?

In his book, Hearing God, Dallas Willard fears that "many people seek to hear God solely as a device for securing their own safety, comfort, and righteousness". [2] Such a purpose-driven spirituality that is centred on the self will not help us to recognise God's voice amid the noisy conversations that take place within us.

The Song of Solomon in the Bible is a delightful record of a lovely conversation between two lovers. The lover expresses his longing by pleading with his beloved: "Let me hear your voice!" (Song of Solomon 8:13). He pines: "Show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely (Song of Solomon 2:14). While this may be love poetry, it shows that depth of love that should characterise our conversational relationship with God. It is only possible if the motive for wanting to hear God is not self-interest but true love for God.

Second, what has God's Word to do with His voice?

Plenty, God speaks primarily through His Word. The more we know God's word, the more we will learn to recognise His voice. In a particularly insightful way, Billy Graham once said: "The word of God hidden in the heart is a stubborn voice to suppress." [3] God often speaks in our hearts through His Word. That is His preferred method. Therefore, the more one keeps the Word in his heart, the more easily he can know the difference between self-talk and a holy conversation with God. He will know when God is speaking.

Do you have a good conversational relationship with God? Whatever your answer, you can do a few things. Find assurance that you are born again. Make it a habit to obey God. Check that you want to hear God's voice for the right reason - because you love Him. And fill your heart with God's Word. Have a new ear for God! May God awaken your ear and bless you (Isaiah 50:4).
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we have a good conversational relationship with God.

We pray that we have the assurance that we are born again. Help us to repent, believe in Jesus, and commit our life to the Lord so that we can actually be having conversation with God.

Help us to make it a habit to obey God. We want You as our shepherd, and we are Your sheep, because Your sheep know and listen to Your voice.

Help us to hear God's voice for the right reason. May we have the delightful, lovely conversation between two lovers with God.

We pray that we fill our hearts with God's Word so that we can know the difference between self-talk and a holy conversation with God. May we successfully know when God is speaking.

We pray for a new ear for God. May God awaken our ear and bless us.

Through Lord Jesus Christ, we pray. Amen."
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Chapter 10 - Reflection - Hallowed Be Thy Name, 

 A young boy was taught the Lord's Prayer.
PHOTO: A young boy was taught the Lord's Prayer. It was amazing how quickly he memorised the prayer after learning it by rote (mechanically). He was too young to understand what he was saying. For there were too many big words, but he impressed his proud parents with his recitation. When their pastor visited them, they need to show off their son's abilities by asking him to recite the prayer. The pastor noticed that the boy did very well except that he said "hollowed be Thy name". He pointed this out to the parents and they had a good laugh.

This mistake caused by childhood innocence and ignorance points us to realities about which we cannot afford to laugh. In real life, there is often a hollowing out of God's name in so many different ways. Sometimes, it is very deliberate. For instance, the German mental band Mob Rules is known for its song "Hollowed be Thy Name", a parody (a humorous or mocking imitation) of the Lord's Prayer. Alas, many Christians are guilty of the same. They may not do it deliberately, in open defiance of God, but they make God's name hollow through spiritual neglect and ignorance.

To hollow out God's name is to drain the life-giving content out of God's name. It is to end up with a form of godliness without the power (2 Timothy 3:5). It results in a wasteland of lifeless idols, made to serve eager consumers thirsting for security and happiness, pleasure and plenty. We cannot fault God even if He had left us to our fate and condemned us to perish with our distorted and anaemic (weak) notions of Him. But He acted otherwise. It is to this world of hollowed out images that Christ came to show us who our Creator God is. Jesus brought back the content into our depleted ideas of God.

When we believe in Christ, we are baptised in the name of the triune God and are called to live and thrive in that name. Alas, for many Christians, God's name is hollowed out in no time. A faith that is sustained only by emotions, neglect of careful Bible study and Christian doctrine, and a self-centred approach to Christian living are some reasons for this.

Some people think that Christian doctrine and truth are not important as long as one gets some kind of memorable spiritual experience. This is one way to hollow out God's name. After all, didn't Jesus teach that God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth (John 4:24)? It can be argued that the whole purpose of the Christian life is to cure us of our idolatries, to remove the bankrupt images and empty names of God that fill our hearts and minds.

Paul's prayer for his fellow Christians was that they would grow into maturity until Christ was formed in them (Galatians 4:19). He envisioned Christians carrying in their hearts a full and rich image and name of God.

The ancient Israelites, or at least those among them who were godly, treated the name of the Lord with great reverence. The third commandment forbade the careless and irreverence use of God's name. The scribes who copied the Scriptures by hand (and that was the only way they could produce new copies) trembled whenever they came across the name of God - YHWH (Yahweh). Readers who read the Scriptures aloud used the substitute word adonai (Lord) to avoid using God's name. Perhaps this reluctance to use God's name came from the fear of abusing that name. In ancient worlds, it was also believed that pronouncing someone's name placed that person under your control and authority.

In family life, we still avoid addressing our parents by name. We are horrified if a child addresses his parents the way he does his friends. It appears that we have some innate (inborn) sense of reverence in our cultures.

To hallow God's name is to have reverence for Him. The word "hallow" means "to set apart". To hallow God's name is therefore to treat it as very special. We are not to trivialise (make light of) God. We are indeed guilty if we use God's name flippantly (disrespectfully) and worship God superficially (on the surface).

Consider a series of advertisements which featured messages purportedly from God. While it might have seemed like a clever way to evangelise, such practices can trivialise God by giving license to people to put forward their own thoughts and sign off as God.

Or take the practice of giving a round of applause to God, a practice that has spread to many parts of the world, including very remote regions. Is this a movement of the Holy Spirit? Or could it be the result of the global marketing of Christian music and certain worship leading styles? I believe that many who applaud God in public worship are sincere Christians wanting to glorify God. But we need to think more deeply about such things.

We applaud whenever we appreciate someone or something. It has become so common in everyday secular life that now, when people want to show hearty appreciation, they stand to clap. But that is the problem. Applause is an indication of appreciation. The audience appreciates the performer. The one who claps is the patron. However, in God's presence, we are called to do far more than merely appreciate Him. We are to worship and revere God, fall at His feet, and tremble in His presence. When I pointed this out to a group of Indian believers, I reminded them of a better way from their own culture. When they stand in front of deity, they bring their hands together silently. A more excellent way of showing humanility and reverence in God's presence, if you ask me.

We can develop attitudes of humility and reverence before God by resisting tendencies to domesticate (tame) Him, trying to shape Him to fit our superficial, triumphalist (delighted), and self-glorifying agendas. Rather, we must allow Him to shape us to fit His agenda, which often involves suffering and sacrifice on our part. We must realise that we cannot control God, that He is a God of mystery, vaster and holier than we can imagine. Job, in his suffering, realised this and ended up hallowing God's name (Job 42:1-6).

To trivialise God's name is to serve a weightless god. Such a pet god produces petty people. The God of the Bible is different. He is truly set apart. He is a class of His own. Let us live in his presence with awe, reverence, humility, and love. May we hallow His name and follow His path. May others who observe us realise that we worship one whose name is a deep ocean of holy truth and love.
 

 To trivialise God's name is to serve a weightless god.
PHOTO: To trivialise God's name is to serve a weightless god. Such a pet god produces petty people. The God of the Bible is different. He is truly set apart. He is a class of His own. Let us live in his presence with awe, reverence, humility, and love. May we hallow His name and follow His path. May others who observe us realise that we worship one whose name is a deep ocean of holy truth and love.
Picture posted by Vecteezy
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 Dear Lord,
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we do not develop attitudes of humility and reverence before God by resisting tendencies to domesticate Him, trying to shape Him to fit our superficial, triumphalist, and self-glorifying agendas. Rather, may we allow Him to shape us to fit His agenda, which often involves suffering and sacrifice on our part. May we realise that we cannot control God, that He is a God of mystery, vaster and holier than we can imagine.
Let us live in his presence with awe, reverence, humility, and love. May we hallow His name and follow His path. May others who observe us realise that we worship one whose name is a deep ocean of holy truth and love.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Joanne My Lord and my God 🙏🙏🙏🙏
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Chapter 11 - Reflection - Worship as Praise and Thanksgiving, 

 Worship, declared the late Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor A. W. Rozer
PHOTO: Worship, declared the late Christian and Missionary Alliance pastor A. W. Rozer, is the "missing jewel" in the church. [1a] According to Tozer, worship is central to the purpose and mission of the church. It reminds us of who we are and what we have been created for. The church has held that the purpose of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him for ever. [2] In worshipping God we become who we are meant to be and find true satisfaction and fulfilment. It is for this reason, Jesus said, that our heavenly Father is seeking worshippers, the kind who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).

All that we do in church can in fact be understood in terms of worship. Christian education seeks to teach us how to worship God more deeply. Our Bible studies should aim to make us better worshippers. Our discipleship is but an outcome of authentic worship because liturgy (worship) should form and inform our daily lives. Our evangelism and mission should flow out of our worship. We long to see God worshipped by more people, which is what He deserves. So we go out to bring in more worshippers and to plant more worshipping communities.

Worship more than other activities in church, turns our attention to God. If done correctly, it is the single and most clearly expressed God-centred activity in church. In worship, we affirm (declare) that God is the centre of our thoughts, affections, and lives. This is much needed in our modern human-centred and money-centred world. In worshipping God, we renounce the idols in our lives and turn our allegiance (loyalty) to God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.

If worship is central in the life of the church, then acts of praise and thanksgiving are central in worship. In these acts, our thoughts and attention are most clearly directed towards God. The centre of attention in praise and thanksgiving is God himself. In fact, the primary reason we should come to worship God in church is to praise and thank Him. All other reasons to come should flow from this fundamental purpose. The liturgy is replete (filled) with praise and thanksgiving.

The singing of hymns and spiritual songs is one obvious way in which we praise God. The apostle Paul, in his instructions on worship given to the Corinthian church, mentions the singing of hymns as a regular part of Christian worship, in addition to other acts of edification (instruction) (1 Corinthians 14:26; see also Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). The church has always been a singing church. Hymns are an essential part of the worship service. Many hymns enable us to lift our voices and hearts in praise of God. They are effective means for praise and thanksgiving.

We can also thank and praise God through prayer (Philippians 4:5-6). This can be done through prayers that have been written down and prayed for centuries, or those written more recently. There is also a place for extemporaneous (impromptu) or more spontaneous prayers during the worship service. In all prayer, we seek to honour God, praise Him, and give Him thanks for all that He has done.

There are other ways in which we can give God thanks and praise. One is to bring our tithes and offerings as an expression of gratitude to God. Of course, giving our money to God is not a substitute for giving ourselves to Him, but rather and expression of self-giving. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: "What I want is not your possessions but you" (2 Corinthians 12:14). The same applies to God and us. Nevertheless, if we give with the right spirit, giving ourselves first and then our possessions (as an expression of our self-giving), God will accept us and or offering, because it is given in true gratitude. This is the reason why God looked with favour on Abel and his offering, but not so with Cain and his offering (Genesis 4:3-5). Cain gave to God as a duty and because it was expected of him; his attitude was wrong. On the other hand, Abel gave as an act of praise and thanksgiving and so God accepted his worship and offering.

Another important way in which we praise and thank God in worship is through the Lord's Supper, also known as the Eucharist, a term which means "the giving of thanks". In the Holy Communion, we remember what God has done for us through Christ and give Him thanks, joining the heavenly hymn of praise: "Holy, holy, holy . . ." (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8).

Yet another way to praise and thank God in the liturgy is to adorn the sanctuary with flowers, banners, and other decorations - showing our gratitude to God through our handiwork. In short we can praise and thank God through the words of our lips, the thoughts and attitudes of our hearts, and the works of our hands.

HOW TO PRAISE AND THANK GOD
I want to close by briefly discussing why we should praise and thank God in worship, and what the contents of our thanks and praise should be. It is quite natural for us to praise God for who He is to us, And so on a Sunday morning, we might have a worshipful spirit because everything is going our way and life is good and we are relatively free from major problems or pain in our lives. But what if life is not going well for us? What about the Christian who seems always to be plagued with insurmountable problems? Can he or she still praise God and thank Him?

It is important to note that our praise of God cannot be limited to our experience of God, for God is bigger than our experience. And that is why the Bible always preserves a certain sense of mystery about God which we human beings cannot fathom. We must therefore praise God both for what we know about Him and for what remains hidden. In other words, I should praise God not primarily because of what I experience but because of who God is. For example, God is loving, even if I do not feel the fullness of God's love at the moment. I praise God based on what His Word says (that He is love) rather than my current experience or emotions. This is why connecting praise and thanksgiving solely to one's feelings is unhelpful in properly understanding worship.

Paul and Silas were thrown into prison at Philippi after unjust arrest and assault. Yet, at midnight, they prayed and sang hymns in praise and thanksgiving (Acts 16:25)! They demonstrate what praise and thanksgiving should be based on - not on what happens to us or how we feel, but on who God, the unchanging one, is. The textbook which helps us to praise God is not our experience, but the Word of God, which tells us who God is. We must read the Bible well in order to praise God well.

And what should we thank God for? Only for the good things that happen to us? No, rather, thank God for what happens in other people's lives too. The point I want to make is that we are, unfortunately, capable of giving God thanks and praise in a self-centred way. But truly thanking and praising God means going beyond ourselves. Worship is not merely private or subjective. It goes beyond one's personal experience and reaches up to praise a God who is infinitely greater than us. It transcends (go beyond) the concerns of the self and reaches out in love to our neighbours, in thanksgiving to a God who is love and has compassion for all.
 

 We can also thank and praise God through prayer (Philippians 4:5-6).
PHOTO: We can also thank and praise God through prayer (Philippians 4:5-6). This can be done through prayers that have been written down and prayed for centuries, or those written more recently. There is also a place for extemporaneous (impromptu) or more spontaneous prayers during the worship service. In all prayer, we seek to honour God, praise Him, and give Him thanks for all that He has done.
Picture posted by ✞Hỳn⁰⁹⁰⁹²⁰⁰¹ᵉᵈⁱᵗᵒʳ design
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, help us to learn to thank God not only for the good things that happen to us but rather, thank God for what happens in other people's lives too.
We are, unfortunately, capable of giving God thanks and praise in a self-centred way. May we be able to truly thanking and praising God by going beyond ourselves.
May our worship is not merely private or subjective. But to go beyond one's personal experience and reaches up to praise a God who is infinitely greater than us.
May this transcends the concerns of the self and reaches out in love to our neighbours, in thanksgiving to a God who is love and has compassion for all.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted in Pinterest
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Chapter 12 - Reflection - The Audience of One,  

 Try this thought experiment.
PHOTO: Try this thought experiment.

You wake up one morning and prepare to go to work. You walk to the kitchen and greet your wife but she does not return your greeting. Is she angry with me? you wonder. You face her and ask her what is wrong. She ignores you and does not answer your question. In fact, she seems to stare straight through you. You are deeply puzzled and troubled by this unusual experience.

Deep in thought, you arrive at the office and greet your colleagues. But no one greets you, nobody talks to you. To catch their attention, you belt out a song in your best voice, hoping that they would pause their conversations or business and notice that you had arrived. But no one acknowledges your presence.

Then the terrifying realisation dawns on you - you have become invisible and inaudible! No one can see you or hear you. You can't converse with anyone. You can't catch anyone's attention. You are all alone. You are as good as dead.

A voice breaks through your muddle. "Good morning, my child," the voice says. "Lord, is it you?" you ask. "Yes, it is me," says the loving voice. The following conversation ensures.

You: Lord, what's happening? Why does no one hear me or see me?

God: Oh, I can see you and I can hear you, my child.

You: But the others - they can't! Why?

God: Do you remember, my dear child, that when you first noticed me in your life and responded to me years ago, you wanted to live just for me?

You: Yes Lord, I remember that. I resolved that I would live my life not for the applause of the world, but to please You.

God: You have forgotten that over the years, my child. Your world became crowded with people and their expectations. You waned to please everyone and your life became an unending performance to win the world's approval, You even forgot that I was around. Your eyes were so fixed on the world that you forgot to look up. I know how it feels not to be seen or heard; I often tried to catch your attention but you did not notice.

You: I . . . I an sorry, Lord. I have been living a distracted life. I have been so foolish.

God: Cheer up, child! Today I am giving you a gift. You don't need to perform for anyone else, I want you to discover the joy of living just for me. I am your audience of one for today. You are free from all feedback, except for mine. I want you to know your great worth to me, and how much I love you, child. Come enjoy this day in my presence!

We live in a crowded world and often play different roles, wearing different masks to please the many people in our lives. As Shakespeare wrote, "all the world's a stage" - it often feels that way, doesn't it? You end up performing most of your life. You try to look good to please the crowd. Winning applause on every stage becomes key in life. In the process, you lose yourself. Your inner life remains unattended to. Somewhere you sense your emptiness and bankruptcy.

It is little wonder then that Paul, when assessing his life and ministry, wrote: "I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me" (1 Corinthians 4:3-4). These are not words of self-defiant and self-indulgent individualism. Rather, they deeply reflect the fact that our lives are lived before the highest audience and court of all. Ultimately, it is God's approval and judgement that matters, far more than society's approval or self-approval. Only a person who lives in this way can be true to self and compassionate to others.

The trouble is that many Christians spend much of their energies trying to please themselves or others, rather than trying to please God. Whatever others say becomes more important than what God whispers in their hearts. They waste away before an audience that is often demanding, unforgiving, and uncaring. What a great difference it makes when we discover the audience of one - the God who made us and loves us.

To live in front of this divine audience of one means that we need to keep our eyes on God. The writer to the Hebrews urges us to run the race with perseverance by fixing our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). That is how one is to live in the presence of the divine audience. I suppose it is like when a runner in a race notices only his father in the cheering crowd. He keeps his eyes on his father's smiling face and lets his legs and arms spell out the message "This one's for you, dad!" Or like a child performing in a kindergarten song item fixing her gaze on her mother's face, filled with teary pride. Nothing else matters to the little girl.

Oh, to learn to live in this way! How pleased our Father in heaven would be if we all lived for Him, if our lives on earth sent a message to heaven: "This one's for you, Father."

But how do we keep living in the presence of the audience of one? It is meant to be a gift not just for a day, but for a whole lifetime. How do we keep our eyes on Jesus, with so many distractions around us? The secret is love. When you are so enthralled (fascinated) by the Lord, when you are in awe of His glory, when you see His love and goodness, it will no longer be a struggle. You will find that you can't take your eyes off Him. You will have found the joy and freedom of life lived before the audience of one.
Artwork by Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) - An Audience of One
Picture posted by The Illustrated Gallery
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https://www.illustratedgallery.com/artwork/original/4314/by-norman-rockwell/
 
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, May the secret of love keep us living in the presence of the audience of one. It is meant to be a gift not just for a day, but for a whole lifetime. May this love keep our eyes on Jesus, despite so many distractions around us.
May when we are so enthralled by the Lord, when we are in awe of His glory, when we see His love and goodness, it will no longer be a struggle.
May we  find that we can't take our eyes off Him and have found the joy and freedom of life lived before the audience of one.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Photo by AlicePopkorn on flickr (CC, Creative Commons) - New Dawn
Picture posted by Cornelia Kopp, flickr
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/alicepopkorn/8600286149/sizes/o/
 
 

Chapter 13 - Reflection - The Spirit's Lullaby,  

 A child's scream shatters the silence of the night. But soon emerges a loving mother's reassuring lullaby (soothing song).
PHOTO: A child's scream shatters the silence of the night. But soon emerges a loving mother's reassuring lullaby (soothing song). Fear and love then have a strange conversation, and fear begins to listen to love. The frightened child is soothed by his mother's nearness and her familiar voice in the dark. He soon becomes calm enough to fall asleep. All is still again. Wonderful indeed is the calming power of a mother's lullaby.

John Wesley was like a troubled child that day. He was 32 years old, an Anglican clergyman and missionary, and travelling on a 225 ton ship to America. On the way, a fierce storm broke out. The ship was helplessly tossed about and on the verge of surrender to the tempest (violent windy storm). Wesley and his fellow passengers realised that death was very near. He was afraid and greatly troubled by the sound of furious winds, the sight of monstrous waves, and the prospect of imminent death. He was further troubled that he was troubled.

This sense was intensified by the behaviour of a group of fellow Christians on the ship - German Moravians - who kept on singing serenely while the storm did its deadliest worst to strike fear. Their faces were wonderful portraits of peace. Wesley realised that he did not have what they had - a childlike trust in God, a sense of God's calming presence, and a peace that storms could not erase. Wesley longed for this peace.

Jesus and His disciples were also caught in a deadly storm once (Mark 4:35-41). It surrounded them suddenly. The waves towered above the boat, threatening to swallow them. It looked as if the sea would pitilessly transform itself into their watery grave. The disciples were afraid. What they could not understand was the sight of Jesus sleeping in the perfect storm. They woke him and demanded: "Teacher, don't you care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38). In their hearts, they probably asked: "Why is it that you are not afraid like us?"

Jesus did not reply but got up rebuked the wind, and told the raging sea to be quiet. The wind breathed its last and all was calm. Then Jesus asked His disciples: "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" (Mark 4:40).

Wesley found that faith on May 24, 1738. Back in England, a defeated missionary, he attended a prayer meeting that evening at Aldersgate Street in London. In his own words from his journal:
In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.

Wesley heard the Holy Spirit's voice that night, telling him that his sins were forgiven, and that in Christ he was saved. Without having to try hard, he received God's gift of the ability to trust in Christ. He finally found peace.

Wesley was a changed man. He became a travelling preacher for Christ, preaching the gospel and establishing Methodist societies in many parts of Britain. In his long ministry, he encountered many dangers and threats. Instead of a raging sea, he came across rowdy crowds threatening to drown him and his preaching with their violence. But now, Wesley was a different man. He encountered such storms with a godly calm. He was nourished by the Spirit's lullaby. He had found rest amid restlessness.

An interesting fact about Wesley is that he slept well and had the ability to fall asleep "on command". On July 5, 1773 (when he was 70), he wrote in his journal: "This was the first night I ever lay awake in my life, though I was at ease in body and mind." On August 15 that year, he wrote "I could not sleep (an uncommon thing with me) till nearly two in the morning, my companion was afraid I should not be able to go through the labour of the day."

What is remarkable is not Wesley's problem with illness and occasional bouts of insomnia in the latter half of 1773, but the fact that this was so out of character for him. On his 80th birthday (June 28, 1783), he noted in his journal that he was in good health. He offered five reasons, one of which was "my sleeping, night or day, whenever I want it".

Like Christ, his master, who could sleep peacefully in a raging storm, Wesley had the peace and trust that enabled him to sleep well even when life was difficult. This is a blessing every Christian can have. Even Old Testament believers knew of it. David, while fleeing from the sword of his own son, Absalom, wrote: "I lie down and sleep . . . I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side" (Psalm 3:5-6). On another occasion, he wrote, "In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety" (Psalm 4:8). David was living proof that true security has to do not with the absence of danger, but with the presence of God.

How wonderful to hear the Spirit's reassuring voice in the darkest of nights, bringing our anxious hearts into the ultimate growing relationship with God. Then we will not be surprised that we can sleep well and rest in God's love, even in the dark and stormy nights of life.
Picture posted by Tidal
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 Wesley found that faith on May 24, 1738. Back in England, a defeated missionary, he attended a prayer meeting that evening at Aldersgate Street in London. In his own words from his journal:
PHOTO: Wesley found that faith on May 24, 1738. Back in England, a defeated missionary, he attended a prayer meeting that evening at Aldersgate Street in London. In his own words from his journal:
In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.
Picture posted by PicMix
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we are able to hear the Spirit's reassuring voice in the darkest of nights, bringing our anxious hearts into the ultimate growing relationship with God. Then we will not be surprised that we can sleep well and rest in God's love, even in the dark and stormy nights of life.
Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Sampul Kristen
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Walking With Christ
Our relationship with God was made possible only through the work of Christ, God's Son. The church calendar, followed in many denominations, outlines the life of Christ and helps us to find our identity in Him. Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of our faith and life. He is our Lord and Master, the great shepherd of our souls.

His birth into this world and His taking on of human flesh is an affirmation of our God-given human dignity. In His identification with us, we find a heavenly Brother who understands us profoundly. His death on the cross is the deepest mystery of all - that through His painful death we find new life.

Christ's resurrection blazes into the darkness of our world, bringing unprecedented hope to every human life. New life is ours when we place our hands in the hand of this Christ and walk with Him into eternal life.We need to welcome Him into our hearts and let Him reign in us as King.

Our baptism signifies, among other things, our union and identification with Christ. We buried with Him into death and raised with Him to new life. Hence, to be a Christian is to be related with Christ and identified with Him. It is to live life in Christ even as He lives within us.


Chapter 14 - Reflection - A Place for God, 

 There was no room at the inn (Luke 2:7).
PHOTO: There was no room at the inn (Luke 2:7). Joseph prayed a silent prayer, wondering what to do. The sun was setting and darkness came quickly. The small town of Bethlehem was bursting at its seams with long-lost sons and daughters. Augustus Caesar, the Roman emperor, had decreed that a census be taken and hundreds of thousands were affected. They had to return to their hometowns to register their names.

When Joseph first heard about the decree, he started to worry. Mary was expecting. Yes, he had come to realise that this was not an ordinary child. The angels had appeared to him and told him about it. He did not understand it fully, but he realised that he was dealing with heavenly mystery here. Still, they had to travel about a hundred miles from familiar Nazareth, where he had friends and relatives, to Bethlehem, where he knew no one. How would he and Mary cope, especially at this crucial time?

Mary groaned, quiet but sounding in pain, jolting Joseph from his thoughts. He went about searching for a place where Mary could deliver the child safely. But all the inns were full. They were turned away at every place. Joseph increased his pace as he realised the urgency of the situation. He had to do something about it. If he were a rich man, he could have easily found a place. Innkeepers would have readily made space for them, even if it meant throwing out other guests. Joseph did not know powerful people who could have helped him. For a nobody, life could be tough.

Finally, Mary and Joseph had no choice. They found a stable and had to settle for it. In that place crowded with animals and filled with their sounds and smell, the Son of God was born. A very unusual place to choose to be born. In his best selling book, The Jesus I Never Knew, Philip Yancey describes the way rulers in our world stride about with pomp (ceremony and splendid display). He observes: "Queen Elizabeth II had recently visited the United States, and reporters delighted in spelling out the logistics involved: her four thousand pounds of luggage included two outfits for every occasion, a mourning outfit in case someone died, forty pints of plasma, and . . . She brought along her own hairdresser, tow valets (servants performing personal services), and a host of other attendants. A brief visit of royalty to a foreign country can easily cost twenty million dollars." [1a]

What a great difference the visit of our Lord was. He was born in very humble circumstances. His immediate witnesses were dumb animals and poor people. Which parent would understand why God would send His Son to be born in a place like this? Paul describes Jesus as emptying himself when He left the throne room of heaven for a humble stable in an obscure (unknown) town. He could have chosen to be born in a place, in the corridors of power, in the laps of luxury, wealth, and privilege. But on that night, God stood with the poor and downtrodden, the simple and ordinary people. It was a sign that His kingdom, power, and glory were of a different kind.

Christ was born in a stable not only because of His humility, character, mission, and message, but also because there was no room for Him at the inn. If the innkeeper had known, would that have made a difference? Could he have found some room for Jesus?

The picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking is familiar to most Christians. Many of us become Christians by asking Jesus to enter our hearts as Lord and Saviour. And what a joy it is when Christ enters a human heart and makes it His dwelling place.

But all too often, our initial joy and fervour erode with time. Like the church in Ephesus, many Christians forsake their first love (Revelation 2:4). Their lives become crowded with things - ambitions, distractions, and relationships that draw them away from Jesus, Their minds become cluttered with unimportant things. The marketplace concerns of their daily lives crowd out the Master's concerns for them. If they are not careful, their preoccupations become their idols. Such idols are like cancers, pushing out that which is life-giving. The result is spiritual malaise (discomfort) and the inner life wasting away.

Let us not be like old Bethlehem, which failed to recognise the King and give Him His proper place. Let us recognise that He came to a place which had no room for Him so that we could each have a place prepared for us in the Father's house (John 14:2). He entered the humble stable so that we could enter the throne room of heaven. He was placed in a manger (the animals' feeding box) so that we could be placed on His firm and sturdy shoulders. Though the world had no room for Jesus, God has much room for each of us in His heart. Such is His persistent and enduring love for us. His Son's birth into this sad and lonely world could not be stopped by anything - certainly not by a "no vacancy" sign at an inn.

Christmas is a good time to clear out all that prevents us from loving God with all our hearts. It is a wonderful opportunity to make space for God in our lives. In his classic booklet, My Hearts - Christ's Home, Presbyterian pastor Robert Boyd Munger describes the turning point when one's heart is handed over to Jesus. [2] The Lord is no longer the guest but the owner and master of the heart. We too can give Jesus room in our hearts and invite Him in, not as a guest but as owner and master. We must invite Him not into the a guest room of our heart, but into the throne room.

Why not clear your heart of all those unwelcome guests who keep Jesus from having His rightful place? Is there room for Him? Let us honour Jesus by giving Him His rightful place in our hearts.
 

 The Lord is no longer the guest but the owner and master of the heart.
PHOTO: The Lord is no longer the guest but the owner and master of the heart. We too can give Jesus room in our hearts and invite Him in, not as a guest but as owner and master. We must invite Him not into the a guest room of our heart, but into the throne room.
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we clear our heart of all those unwelcome guests who keep Jesus from having His rightful place. May there be room for Him.

May we give Jesus room in our hearts and invite Him in, not as a guest but as owner and master. We must invite Him not into the a guest room of our heart, but into the throne room.

May we honour Jesus by giving Him His rightful place in our hearts.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Radio Maria Tanzania on Tuesday, 17 December 2019 at 01:09 pm
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Chapter 15 - Reflection - Mary's Little Lamb,  

Jesus was born among the lambs.
PHOTO: Jesus was born among the lambs.

His birth itself was clearly a miracle. His mother was a virgin. We profess this in the Apostles' Creed when we declare that Jesus "was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary". Another unique aspect of Jesus' birth is that He was born in a lowly stable because there was no room at the inn in Bethlehem, swollen with crowds participating in the Roman census (Luke 2:1-7).

But was the setting of Jesus' birth merely the result of circumstances? I do not think so. We can strongly sense that God the Son chose where He wanted to be born on earth. Instead of choosing some plush royal venue, He chose a humble stable. We know from Scripture that this choice was made partially to demonstrate Jesus' remarkable humility. Truly, "he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant . . . he humbled himself" (Philippians 2:7-8).

But there is another reason why Jesus was born in a humble stable. Certain animals were important in the worship of Israel. Among them, the lamb stands out as of prime importance. Every Jew who lived in Jesus' day would immediately know the significance of lambs in Israel's worship. Every day, morning and afternoon, two lambs were slaughtered as a general offering for the sins of the people.

Israel's law stipulated that lambs were to be sacrificed as sin offerings (Leviticus 4:32), guilt (Leviticus 14:12), and other kinds of offerings. The liturgical tradition of Israel was bathed in the blood of sacrificial lambs. But why is this so? The origin of such practices can be traced to the first Passover, when God freed the Israelites from their miserable lives as slaves in Egypt (Exodus 12).

As a result of Pharaoh's stubborn refusal to release the Israelite slaves, God gave a rescue plan through Moses. Every family was to slaughter a lamb and apply its blood on their doorposts. God would visit Egypt in judgment that night and pass over each house with lamb's blood on its doorpost. In this way, the Israelites were saved from death and led into freedom. The lamb thus became a symbol of redemption and freedom. But all the sacrificial lambs of Israel were only symbols in anticipation of the one Lamb who would bring salvation to Israel and the nations. The prophet Isaiah saw that when he wrote about the suffering servant to come. Seeing far into the future, Isaiah said: "He was led like a lamb to the slaughter" (Isaiah 53:7).

In the New Testament, John the Baptist, knowing Jesus' significance, proclaimed who He was and why He had come to earth. "Look the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). The Baptist declaration set ablaze the whole of Israel's historical and liturgical tradition with the glory of God's saving truth. It answered the longing of every heartfelt prayer and explained the motive of every divine act. Little wonder then that in his mother's womb, John had "leaped for joy" when his mother met the mother of the Lamb (Luke 1:30-44).

The theme of Jesus as the Lamb of God, through whom all sins are decisively dealt with, finds rich expression in the New Testament. Alluding (referring) to Jewish religious requirements, Peter writes about "the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Peter 1:19). Likewise, Paul describes Christ as "our Passover lamb" (1 Corinthians 5:7). That this was the way Jesus understood himself can be seen in the way the Gospel narrate the Last Supper. On the day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus had a meal with His disciples. Offering broken bread and the juice of crushed grapes. He made it clear that He was the Passover lamb who was being offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the world (Luke 22:7-20).

The importance of the truth that Jesus is the Lamb of God is demonstrated in the book of Revelation, where Jesus is repeatedly described as the Lamb. The apostle John saw a vision of the Lamb that had been slain standing at the centre of the heavenly throne (Revelation 5:6). Then the four living creatures and the 24 elders fall down in worship before the Lamb (Revelation 5:8). The grand angelic choir then sings: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!" (Revelation 5:11-12). Then the glorious scene of a great multitude from every tribe and nation standing before the Lamb (Revelation 7:9), who as their shepherd, would wipe away every tear and quench every thirst of the soul (Revelation 7:15-17).

History will end with the Lamb on the throne bringing salvation and final peace.

This Lamb was born that night in a humble stable in an obscure (unknown) town in Palestine. After Joseph and Mary, the first people to hear of this momentous event were some poor shepherds keeping watch over their sheep. Angels appeared to them to announce the birth of the Lamb.

The herds of these shepherds would have included lambs, some of which would become temple sacrifices. These were to be not only food for the living, but also medicine for guilty souls. But centuries of sacrifices had not blotted out the deeply engraved guilt in human hearts. It was time for the birth of the Lamb of God, who would finally take away the guilt of the human race.

The shepherds hurried to find the Lamb. Some may have carried little lambs on their shoulders (as the painting of the scene by Renaissance artist Raphael shows). Then they found the Lamb and praised God. The little lambs may have bleated, none the wiser that the Lamb had come, so that their kind would no longer need to be sacrificed. The little Lamb in the manger was the decisive turning point of human history. The angels in heaven must have held their breath witnessing the birth of the Lamb. Not only was the history of slain lambs coming to an unexpected climax, but this Lamb's story would also redeem history and all of humanity's tragic stories. Hope had arrived in a dark world. It was finally time for joyful songs and dreams of a glorious new day.
 

Jesus was born among the lambs.
PHOTO: Jesus was born among the lambs.
His birth itself was clearly a miracle. His mother was a virgin. We profess this in the Apostles' Creed when we declare that Jesus "was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary". Another unique aspect of Jesus' birth is that He was born in a lowly stable because there was no room at the inn in Bethlehem, swollen with crowds participating in the Roman census (Luke 2:1-7).
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, thank You that the shepherds hurried to find the Lamb, and then they found the Lamb and praised God. The little lambs may have bleated, none the wiser that the Lamb had come, so that their kind would no longer need to be sacrificed. The little Lamb in the manger was the decisive turning point of human history. The angels in heaven must have held their breath witnessing the birth of the Lamb. Not only was the history of slain lambs coming to an unexpected climax, but this Lamb's story would also redeem history and all of humanity's tragic stories. Hope had arrived in a dark world. It was finally time for joyful songs and dreams of a glorious new day.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Javier Valero@celebriTOONS on 25 December 2018
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Chapter 16 - Reflection - The Boys of Bethlehem,  

 At the end of every year, the story of Christmas is told countless times in nativity plays, sermons, and magazine articles.
PHOTO: At the end of every year, the story of Christmas is told countless times in nativity plays, sermons, and magazine articles. The story of Jesus' birth brings joy to our hearts and smiles to our faces. Familiar carols ring out in churches and shopping centres, on our car radios and in town centres. Where Santa Claus is thankfully absent, we get to see in his place shepherds and sheep, angels and wise men, and are reminded of the biblical account.

One important part of the story is, however, often forgotten or left untold, probably because of its darkness, violence, and pain. Who wants to be reminded of such things while celebrating Christmas? But the details are there in the Bible and form an integral part of the Christmas story.

The wise men from the east lost their way as they followed the star to greet the newborn king. It took them some time to find the baby. Who could blame them for thinking that the child born to be king would not be found anywhere other than the palace? Their logic brought them to the palace of King Herod, who, having heard their story, found out that the Messiah King would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:1-6). Herod's jealousy and insecurity joined forces with his shrewdness. He tried to fool the wise men with false piety, ordering them to return to him once they had found the child. His actual purpose was to pinpoint the child's exact location and identity, to get rid of this new competitor for the throne, but he pretended that he too wanted to worship this newborn king.

So the angels got to work. They warned the wise men of Herod's evil plans and they avoided Jerusalem on their way back, so that Herod did not get the information he wanted so badly. When Herod realised that he had been outsmarted, the dam burst and the evil in his heart spilled out into the open. He sent his soldiers to Bethlehem, and because he did not know where (or who) the newborn king was, with cruel calculation he ordered the soldiers to kill all the boys in Bethlehem 2 years old and under.

It was a tragic sight. The little boys of Bethlehem were slaughtered that day. Their infant cries were silenced by the swords of violent men executing the heartless command of a wicked ruler. Their mother wept and wailed as all hell broke loose in the city. Their hearts were pierced and shattered. And their fathers stood helplessly by, unable to stop the rampaging evil.

The boy that wicked Herod wanted to kill was not there in Bethlehem that fateful day. An angel had warned Joseph of Herod's despicable intentions and instructed him to bring mother and child to Egypt, far away from the reach of Herod's sword. Soon after this Herod, the man who tried to secure his throne with violence, lost his grip on life and died. It was as if heaven had pronounced judgment. Only then was Jesus brought back from Egypt.

The world into which Jesus was born was ugly with human sin and wickedness. It still is. Every now and then Herods emerge, tainting history with their gross violence. Massacres of innocent souls continue to stain the sad pages of history with blood. The voices of victims cry out asking if this will ever end. The spilled blood of the slain cries out to heaven for justice and redemption (Genesis 4:10).

The birth of Jesus was the long-awaited answer from heaven. God the Son emptied himself for our sake and became a man (Philippians 2:6-8). He stepped into the swirling mud of a world gone mad with sin. He left the sweet fragrance of heaven for the stench of a world of human depravity. Yes, if you think seriously about it, everyone has a bit of Herod in him, One might not be a desperately wicked as Herod, but the same depravity dwells in every human heart.

It was to save the human race from sin that Jesus was born. He made himself so vulnerable that He, through whom the world was made, had to be brought to the safety of Egypt, away from the violent swings of Herod's sword. He was kept from harm, only to be violently killed by crucifixion at the young age of 33. But this was necessary, for without the shedding of His blood there would be no salvation for the world (Hebrews 9:14).

Christmas, then, is the story of a God who loved the world so much that He acted in the most amazing way. The Christmas story is indeed good news because the Saviour of the world was born that day. It is good news the way an oasis is good news in a vast and arid (dried up) desert. The good news of Christmas is all the more vivid against the backdrop of the world in its suffering and sin.

It is too bad that we often sanitise the manger scene, making Christmas all fluffy and nice, white and squeaky clean, minus the stench of beasts of burden and the gut-wrenching hunger pangs of poverty, all very much part of the Christmas story too. We turn down the wailing of heart-torn mothers, weeping for their massacred infants sons. But that was the real world into which Jesus was born. And it is in such a world that the birth of Jesus, the Saviour and light of the world, becomes truly good news. Indeed, light is good news in darkness. A cup of water is good news in the desert. So is Jesus good news in a world trapped in sin.

The boy of Bethlehem were mercilessly killed that awful day. One might say that they died so that the Boy of Bethlehem could be saved. Years later, however, this Boy of Bethlehem showed that it was in fact He who came to earth to die, so that the boys of Bethlehem could ultimately be saved. For while the heavenly Father received the slained boys into His arms, never to be troubled again, He left His Son on earth to finish His painful work. It was the Boy who died in place of the boys, just as He was sacrificed for you and for me.

Jesus was born as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the world (John 1:29). That is the good news of Christmas. Mary, who bore Jesus, saw all that was happening and "treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart" (Luke 2:19, 51).

On every Christmas, we can do the same. In the midst of the frantic celebrations, where Christmas is often emptied of its true context (tragic world) and significance (good news), let us remember the real world into which Jesus was born, praising God that Jesus truly is good news for a dying world. Let us, like Mary, find time to treasure these truths and ponder them in our hearts.
 

 It is too bad that we often sanitise the manger scene, making Christmas all fluffy and nice, white and squeaky clean, minus the stench of beasts of burden and the gut-wrenching hunger pangs of poverty, all very much part of the Christmas story too.
PHOTO: It is too bad that we often sanitise the manger scene, making Christmas all fluffy and nice, white and squeaky clean, minus the stench of beasts of burden and the gut-wrenching hunger pangs of poverty, all very much part of the Christmas story too. We turn down the wailing of heart-torn mothers, weeping for their massacred infants sons. But that was the real world into which Jesus was born. And it is in such a world that the birth of Jesus, the Saviour and light of the world, becomes truly good news. Indeed, light is good news in darkness. A cup of water is good news in the desert. So is Jesus good news in a world trapped in sin.
Picture posted by Depositphotos
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that on every Christmas, we remember the real world into which Jesus was born, praising God that Jesus truly is good news for a dying world..

God left His Son on earth to finish His painful work. It was the Boy who died in place of the boys, just as He was sacrificed for you and for me.

Indeed, light is good news in darkness. A cup of water is good news in the desert. So is Jesus good news in a world trapped in sin.

In the midst of the frantic celebrations, where Christmas is often emptied of its true context (tragic world) and significance (good news). Let us, like Mary, find time to treasure these truths and ponder them in our hearts.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by thecandidcatholic on 17 July 2024
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Chapter 17 - Reflection - The Mystery of God Dying,  

 I was once invited to watch the film The Passion of the Christ by the Board of Censors before it was released for public screening.
PHOTO: I was once invited to watch the film The Passion of the Christ by the Board of Censors before it was released for public screening.

On the one hand, there was much excitement about the film's positive impact. Many Christians, including pastors and evangelical leaders, had praised the film - for its realistic portrayal of Christ's suffering, for how it would help us see how it must have been, and for its evangelistic potential. The dialogue in the film was in Aramaic and Latin, languages that were spoken then, which made the film all the more realistic (albeit with English subtitles).

On the other hand, critics have accused the film of excessive violence, and anti-Semitism in its unflattering portrayal of the Jewish religious leaders. Some also found fault with the film's reliance on extrabiblical inspiration, such as the writings of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a 19th-century Catholic nun. Director and producer Mel Gibson, an avowed (declared) Roman Catholic, also infused (filled) the film with a distinctly Catholic flavour, with elements such as the stations of the cross, the origin of the Turin shroud, the prominent role of Mary, and scenes reminiscent of Michelangelo's Pieta (a picture or sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ on her lap or in her arms).

We cannot expect a two-hour film depicting Christ's passion to limit itself to biblical material alone. A scriptwriter who used only the biblical text for setting and dialogue would run out of material in less than an hour. It is therefore given that the material for such a film would come not only from biblical texts, but also from tradition and artistic imagination. If we accept this, then we need not expect anything less from the film or dismiss it too readily.

It is clear, nonetheless, that the film's extrabiblical sources and some of its artistic licence constitute weakness. Its failure to show more of Jesus, what He taught and did, and its all too brief portrayal of Christ's resurrection may also be seen as weakness. But the film is resolute in focusing on the passion of Christ. No doubt, as a medium, the film has limits. Whether such films exist or not, the gospel of Christ mut be preached, and preached clearly, for faith comes from hearing (Romans 10:14-15, 17).

The key question is whether the film helps us to encounter Christ or forms a barrier to that encounter.

Do we really need to focus on Christ's physical suffering? Isn't it enough to know that He died on the cross to save us from our sins? Is giving too much attention to the physical aspects of the passion, like in the annual re-enactments of the crucifixion in the Philippines by some, a distraction from the truth of Christ's death for us?

That Jesus suffered physically for us is a truth recorded in Scripture. He was bound (Mark 15:1), spat on, blindfolded, punched (Mark 14:65), beaten (Luke 22:63), and flogged (Mark 15:15). He had a crown of thorns pressed on His head, was then beaten on the head with a staff (Mark 15:17-19), and finally suffered an unimaginably painful and agonising death by crucifixion (John 19:18). As if all that was not enough, Jesus was mocked, insulted, and publicly humiliated. These biblical passages were given flesh and blood by the film. The graphic nature of the scene made it difficult to watch what Jesus must have gone through, but they put to rest the familiar images of a crucified but serene Lord, who seemed as though the cross was no big deal for Him.

The biblical depiction of Christ's suffering is reflected in our ancient creeds. In the Apostles' Creed, we confess that Jesus "suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried . . . The third day He rose again from the dead". Jesus suffered greatly for us. We cannot treat His sufferings lightly or dismiss them as unimportant. Didn't the prophet Isaiah declare that "by His wounds we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5)?

While few people have physically suffered the same way Jesus did, those sufferings were not unique; in Christ;s day, the Roman empire used crucifixion to punish criminals and insurgents. Today's examples of physical torture may not be far removed from what we see in the film. Therefore, what relevance does Jesus' suffering have for us? First, it shows the extent to which He went to save us. It brings us to the depths of His love. For those who suffer physical pain and torture, as with Christians in similar circumstances throughout the ages, Christ's suffering become a source of comfort - He personally knows their experience.

If it is true that some suffered like Christ did, it is equally true that no one died like He did. His death was unique. His was the death of the God-Man, the Son of God, the one whose death on the cross put to death all other deaths. Through His death, we are saved from our sins. He bore the burden of the world's sins and suffered utter loneliness when the Father turned His face away from the sins of the world placed on His Son. He fully suffered the penalty of sin on our behalf. No one could die like Him. The men in the Good Friday pageants in the Philippines may be flogged and have their hands pierced by nails and be crucified on crosses. They can mimic the physical sufferings of Christ but cannot mimic His death. His death is unique because He is unique.

The Passion, despite its imperfections, somehow does what Paul said: "Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified" (Galatians 3:1). Our response is crucial. I have heard some, Christians and non-Christians alike, say how moved they were by the film. But to be moved emotionally is one thing, and to realise that Christ's sufferings and death were for them is another. In the film, the hand that drove a nail into Christ's palm belonged to Gibson himself, the point being that each of us is responsible for Christ's suffering. This truth may allay (reduce) the fears of those who think the film is anti-Semitic. The film, in fact, points its finger squarely in the direction of the watcher. We must realise that Christ died for you and for me.

The film graphically depicts how Jesus was tortured and humiliated for us. Is it violent? Yes, it shows how the victim, the Lamb of God, was brutally beaten, tortured, and crucified. Does it glorify violence through senseless brutality? No, since the film's hero suffers spine-chilling violence but responds non-violently. He loves those who beat Him and dies for them. He glorifies love and sacrifice, not violence. No matter what they did to Him, only love was found in His heart. He gives a lesson that must be learned by all. Jesus on the cross is not only our sacrificial lamb, but also our model. To follow Him will not be easy. We squirm in our seats as we watch the film, not only because of what Jesus suffered but also because we wonder whether we would have the faith, courage, and love to follow His footsteps if we were similarly tortured. Our Lord is the one who invites us to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).

This film, like all films, can be seen as entertainment or a work of art. But because it depicts the passion of Christ, we Christians are especially interested. It is not Scripture and therefore has many imperfections; it should not be made a fifth gospel. But it carries a true story larger than itself or its director. It is the story of Jesus of Nazareth, and the film is dominated by Him crucified. If it ceases to be mere entertainment, if it makes people ask who this Jesus is, if the cinema screen fades to become a window to the greatest mystery on earth: that God would lay down His life for our sins, if it draws us closer to the Christ who loves us without limits, if it produces not applause but worship of the shepherd of our souls who sacrificed himself for us, if it produces not fans but disciples of Christ, if it makes viewers say, "Lord, You went through all that for me; help me to follow You and Your way." - then this film is indeed a blessing. Whenever we deal with the story of Christ, we deal with holy mystery. He is larger than art forms and films. He invites us to encounter Him and respond to Him - as He takes us to the cross, to the empty tomb, and to the right hand of the Father in heaven.

"Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!" May the truths of Good Friday and Easter, as we mark them in church, draws us closer to the one who will return in glory.
Picture posted by Jack Shepherd, Independent on Wednesday 31 January 2018 at 13:32 GMT
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 On the other hand, critics have accused the film of excessive violence, and anti-Semitism in its unflattering portrayal of the Jewish religious leaders.
PHOTO: On the other hand, critics have accused the film of excessive violence, and anti-Semitism in its unflattering portrayal of the Jewish religious leaders. Some also found fault with the film's reliance on extrabiblical inspiration, such as the writings of Anne Catherine Emmerich, a 19th-century Catholic nun. Director and producer Mel Gibson, an avowed (declared) Roman Catholic, also infused (filled) the film with a distinctly Catholic flavour, with elements such as the stations of the cross, the origin of the Turin shroud, the prominent role of Mary, and scenes reminiscent of Michelangelo's Pieta (a picture or sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding the dead body of Christ on her lap or in her arms).
Picture posted by His Pierced Hands - Stations of the Cross
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that the film The Passion of the Christ makes us say, 'Lord, You went through all that for me; help me to follow You and Your way.'

Lord, whenever we deal with the story of Christ, we deal with holy mystery. He is larger than art forms and films. He invites us to encounter Him and respind to Him - as He takes us to the cross, to the empty tomb, and to the right hand of the Father in heaven.

'Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again!' May the truths of Good Friday and Easter, as we mark them in church, draws us closer to the one who will return in glory.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Christianity
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKpwinKwjE4eXGmDfJi7Thw_W-qqF7rjKuyc_SxrooLPXTn91lJAI_LKxamCuGxJJLnjzlgaiDNKMGYejwjAjYxmqYzca61LvQpP8zvXnxCB51OEzcyhu5GSRmqXpVE2brKS3SrqvdLmS1Sb1LCw1Ft1omFx5O62uLyHGvKJlrRSsRWzlCEjShXusBOI/s1920/47893edcff8bb7f21424c120439fc41b.jpg
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Chapter 18 - Reflection - If Christ Had Not Died . . .,  

 A group of eminent (famous and respected) historians got together to imagine what would have happened if certain well-established historical events had turned out differently.
PHOTO: A group of eminent (famous and respected) historians got together to imagine what would have happened if certain well-established historical events had turned out differently. In their book What If and its sequel What If 2, they use their creativity and expertise to entertain history buffs.

What if Socrates had died in a battle he fought in 424 BC, before he met his student Plato? What if Napoleon had invaded North America? What if Martin Luther had been burned at the stake in 1521? Such were the questions asked by the historians. One of them, Yale University Christian historian Carlos Eire, explores how things might have turned out if Pontius Pilate had spared Jesus and not sent Him to the cross. [1a]

In his imaginary narrative, Eire presents successive scenes: the trial of Jesus, one year, 30 years, and 60 years after the trial, and finally 230 years later, when Constantine was Roman emperor. He paints the picture of an aging Jesus and the emergence of a form of Judaism, a "Christianity without the crucifixion". But we all know that history did not turn out that way. Thank God!

As Good Friday and Easter, the church observes the historical events that occurred 2,000 years ago when Jesus died on the cross and rose victoriously from the dead on the third day.

It is possible, however, that this yearly season might degenerate into empty ritual. Or superficial experience when we, with preoccupied minds and distracted hearts, walk past the cross and empty tomb with practised habit, with little or no wonder and awe. The annual observance of Good Friday and Easter is not meant to lull us to false familiarity with the greatest mystery of human history. Rather, it should jolt us back to reality, to the most important facts about God and ourselves.

One way we can conserve the wonder and depth of this holy season is to ask ourselves the "what if" questions. In fact, Scripture does the same thing.

What if Christ had not died on the cross? The writers of the New Testament respond by stating clearly why Jesus had to die on the cross. Yes, it is true that Pontius Pilate sent Jesus to the cross to be crucified. But that is only part of the answer. Scripture says that all of us sent Him to the cross. He died because of us.

The apostle Peter declared that Christ "suffered once for sins" (1 Peter 3:18). The fact that Jesus died for our sins is further reiterated by Paul: "Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3). But what do Peter and Paul mean? Why did Jesus have to die for our sins? Here again, Scripture is clear. We all have sinned (Romans 3:23). The consequence of sin is death (Romans 6:23). We were all headed for judgement, condemnation, and eternal death, unless God himself intervened. And, God did intervene - that is how we are to understand the coming of Jesus into this world and His death on the cross.

The author of Hebrews explained to his Jewish readers that Jesus made a "sacrifice of himself" (Hebrews 9:26). The Jewish readers, with their Jewish background, would have understood the author's point. Centuries of animal sacrifices, performed to atone for the sins of the people, all pointed to the one sacrifice that really mattered, the once-for-all sacrifice of Jesus when He died on the cross to atone for our sins. No wonder that John Wesley testified that the blood of Christ is the remedy for the sickness in our souls. [2] Or as P.T. Forsyth summed up, the death of Christ is "the one final treatment of sin, the one compendious (short and to the point) work of grace, and the one hinge of human destiny." [3]

The crucifixion of Jesus was not a historical accident. It was a carefully planned event, as indicated by Paul when he pointed out that Christ's death was "according to Scriptures" (1 Corinthians 15:3). God had already revealed to His prophets how and why the Sons of God would die. Before the thought of Jesus dying on a cross occurred in Pilate's mind, it had already occurred in God's. God was not surprised by this turn of events.

Neither was Jesus the unwilling victim of Pilate's command. Scripture makes it clear that in the surreal scene when the Lord was judged by Pilate and sentenced to death, it was Pilate who was, like all of us, the condemned prisoner. He thought he was the judge. He had no idea that Jesus, whom he thought was the condemned prisoner, was in fact the one who would come to judge the living and the dead. At the trial, Jesus was the one in control, for He voluntarily went to the cross (John 19:10-11). John says as much when he wrote that "Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). Jesus died willingly because He loved us, even "while we were still sinners" (Romans 5:8).

What if Christ had not died on the cross? There would be no atonement for our sins. We would still be headed for eternal damnation. All pleasures on earth would only be a momentary distraction from the certain and ultimate doom of every member of the human race.

Christ died on the cross for our sins. But what if He had not risen from the dead? Paul answers this question well when he writes: "And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith . . . your faith is futile: you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:14,17). While the cross atones for sins, the resurrection points to the divine power that gives new life, and to our future in eternity. Without Easter, Good Friday would neither be "good" nor complete. Our hope would be "only for this life" (1 Corinthians 15:19).

If Christ had not risen from the dead, we would have nothing to look forward to beyond this life, beyond our deaths, beyond the injustices of this world, and beyond our present comforts and discomforts.

You have probably experienced waking up from a nightmare disturbed, sweating profusely, pulse racing in terror. The events and emotions in the nightmares had seemed so real. Perhaps you dreamed of a loved one dying or dead. Then you wake up. For a brief moment you are confused. Then it dawns on you. It was only a nightmare. It did not happen.

All is well. Your mind is eased and you are grateful that it was only a bad dream.

What if Jesus did not die on the cross? What if He had not risen from the dead? Eire's imaginary narrative was only a bad dream. Thank God it did not happen that way! Christ did die on the cross. He did rise from the dead. And He is coming again. Sometimes, nightmares help us to appreciate what we have been given. May we be filled with gratitude and awe as we behold the cross and empty tomb once again.
Picture posted by Miracle14!
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 We were all headed for judgement, condemnation, and eternal death, unless God himself intervened.
PHOTO: We were all headed for judgement, condemnation, and eternal death, unless God himself intervened. And, God did intervene - that is how we are to understand the coming of Jesus into this world and His death on the cross.
Picture posted by Andy Pereira@gudmorder on 12 February 2024 at 10:09 am
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, thank You that Christ did die on the cross. He did rise from the dead. And He is coming again. May we appreciate what we have been given.

May we be filled with gratitude and awe as we behold the cross and empty tomb once again.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by 💫♡Star Mother♡💫
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx9r_5J_wmABi0Q9DrVVG4jYhsk4MB7ygI-D3CqZvGptsM2kd8SAHuiGv8CcSK2uiJjJ3dn5uFXdDh6dChsYjDC2fD8F8TAjg0NjUdHaItNbh24u3TGPcezGNxOzgxhaMu7-2rQ3ypRTBEjgGWziL5C7kcQB1hzOQTnfL02zzEK_jYgewp88G9uclZ-RU/s1024/bbc52c5c567f1433a6666c07cb767b4f_1.png
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Chapter 19 - Reflection - The Cross and the Empty Tomb,  

 magine our world, without the cross and empty tomb. What sort of world would that be?
PHOTO: Imagine our world, without the cross and empty tomb. What sort of world would that be?

The idea of parallel universes has been explored by  writers such as the Australian theoretical physicist Paul Davies. In his book Other Worlds, Davies argues for the possible existence of countless parallel universes besides our own. The popular television series Sliders is based on such ideas. Characters travel not only through time, but also through parallel universes. Every possible world exists, in different permutations and combinations.

Can one, therefore, imagine a world without the cross and empty tomb? Only if one also imagine a world without sin and death.

We know from the Bible that in the early days of human history, sin and death entered human experience. The third chapter of Genesis tells us how this came about. Tempted by the serpent in the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating forbidden fruit. It was not as if they did not know what they were biting into. God had earlier warned them: "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die" (Genesis 2:16-17).

Unfortunately, Adam and Eve fell prey to the deceptions of the evil one and their own ungodly desires. When they ate the fruit, they swallowed the curses of sin and death, which have plagued the human race ever since. Adam and Eve stood guilty before God. They were alienated from Him and from each other. They were driven from the garden and the other tree at the centre of the Garden - the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). Sin's guilt and death's anxiety had become integral parts of the human condition.

No matter how much we try to deny it or explain it away, we know deep down that we are guilty of sin. Even the best of us is not free of sin. The prophet Isaiah declared that "all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). Sin is not only about breaking God's laws, and cannot be simply quantified in terms of specific deeds. Our dilemma is that sin is a condition suffered by all human beings - by nature we are "dead in (our) transgressions and sins" and children of wrath (Ephesians 2:1-3). In other words, sin is like an incurable terminal illness we all suffer from. Or sin is like the death sentence, for "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23).

On our own we are helpless. We cannot heal or save ourselves. The prophet asked the depressing rhetorical question: "Can . . . the leopard (change) its spots?" (Jeremiah 13:23). The history of the world shows this question to be as relevant today as it was 2.600 years ago. Both public news headlines as well as private diary entries are proof that our fundamental problem is sinfulness and our inability to find a cure. Good governance, education, and science have failed to eradicate sin from our hearts.

The same can be said about the reality of death. At some point in our life, we all discover the painful truth that we will die. The death of people close to us, or people from our own generations, delivers this message with greater force. No amount of sanitising death can expunge its tragic nature. Everyone dies.

The good news it that God did not abandon the human race after the tragedy in Eden. God sent His Son, Jesus, to help us in our helplessness and deal decisively with the curse of sin and death. In fact, the gospel of Christ deals essentially with these two problems. All other matters are secondary.

The cross and the empty tomb were the powerful and effective ways in which God dealt with sin and death. In the cross, Jesus bore our sins and died for us. The entire weight of human sin was placed on Him. He shed His blood so we could be cleansed of sin. He died a lonely death so we would enjoy the presence of God. He was humiliated so our shame could be removed.

Jesus' story did not end at the cross. The empty tomb demonstrates His victory over death. The cross and the empty tomb are connected logically and theologically. Having dealt decisively with sin, Christ also dealt decisively with death. When He conquered sin, He also conquered sin's consequence - death. Sin and death go hand in hand. Hence Paul's argument: "if Christ has not been raised . . . you are still in your sins" (1 Corinthians 15:17).

Death's sting has been torn out. It is now a fangless serpent coiled impotently around us.

In His short earthly life, Jesus did what no one else could. He assuaged (ease) the guilt of sin and the anxiety that comes from death. If we believe, we can experience the deep relief that Jesus brings through His cross and empty tomb.

If there was no cross, we are lost. We would drown in guilt, suffocated by our sin. Our triumphs would be hollow and our songs empty. Our best efforts to reach heaven would fall to the earth in shattered pieces.

If the tomb was not empty and Christ had not been raised, our hopes of the future, in this world and the next, would be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:14). There would be nothing to rejoice about, nothing significant to look forward to.

A world with no cross and empty tomb? Who would want to live in that sort of world? Thank God for Jesus, for His cross and empty tomb. They make all the difference in the real world that we know.Picture posted in Pinterest
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/928304541931941903/
 

 Unfortunately, Adam and Eve fell prey to the deceptions of the evil one and their own ungodly desires.
PHOTO: Unfortunately, Adam and Eve fell prey to the deceptions of the evil one and their own ungodly desires. When they ate the fruit, they swallowed the curses of sin and death, which have plagued the human race ever since. Adam and Eve stood guilty before God. They were alienated from Him and from each other. They were driven from the garden and the other tree at the centre of the Garden - the tree of life (Genesis 2:9). Sin's guilt and death's anxiety had become integral parts of the human condition.
Picture posted by Bible Art
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https://bible.art/p/oQ8o3J4clmrL0UNbg7nA/genesis-3:4-and-the-serpent-said-unto
 

 Dear Lord,
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, thank You for sending Jesus Christ to died for us on the cross, and then raised to live again. Our sins can be forgiven, and we can have joy and real rest for eternity in heaven together with You.

If there was no cross, we are lost. We would drown in guilt, suffocated by our sin. Our triumphs would be hollow and our songs empty. Our best efforts to reach heaven would fall to the earth in shattered pieces.

If the tomb was not empty and Christ had not been raised, our hopes of the future, in this world and the next, would be in vain. There would be nothing to rejoice about, nothing significant to look forward to.

Thank You for Jesus, for His cross and empty tomb. They make all the difference in the real world that we know.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Robin the Heart Whisperer on Monday, 01 April 2024 at 05:11 am
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Chapter 20 - Reflection - The Final Hour Is Ours, 

 If someone is reading a mystery novel you have already read, you are not supposed to tell him how the story ends.PHOTO: If someone is reading a mystery novel you have already read, you are not supposed to tell him how the story ends. Rather, you are expected to let him enjoy every twist and turn of the story. As far as literary enjoyment goes, that is fine.

In real life, however, things can feel quite different when you are personally involved in such a story. There is a human desire to know the future and how the story ends, hence the demand for fortune tellers and their like. Underlying this is not merely human curiosity but also human anxiety. It is difficult living with the prospect of a bleak future.

Towards the end of His earthly ministry, Jesus showed His disciples the immediate future, revealing with increasing clarity that He would soon be killed. He also predicted that His disciples would betray and deny Him and be scattered. If His disciples had only listened carefully, they would have apprehended the nightmare about to begin. Perhaps they sensed it somehow. Without fully understanding what Jesus meant, their more perceptive visceral alarm (the ways people feel sensations in their bodies) went off. They must have felt a vague discomfort at what they heard. Their racing pulses, sweaty palms, pale-faces - on these were written their inner anxiety about the future.

Seeing this, Jesus reassured them, "Do not let your hearts be troubled," He said. "You believe in God; believe also in me" (John 14:1). Jesus explained that while He would leave them, He would not abandon them. He promised to send the Holy Spirit to live in them. While life would be difficult - "the prince of this world is coming" (John 14:30), they were to be calm: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you . . . Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid" (John 14:27).

After Jesus was crucified, dead, and entombed, the anxiety of the disciples must have skyrocketed. Their future had crumbled in the sinful hands of an angry crowd. They had come to the end of the book, a promising story that ended tragically - or so it seemed.

Then Jesus, risen from the dead, appeared to them. The book that had been shut was opened again with new joy. The story had not ended after all. The cross was not the final full stop but only a comma. Jesus greeted then: "Peace be with you." They were, unsurprisingly, startled. So Jesus asked: "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?" (Luke 24:36-38). Somehow, this conversation seems to pick up where John 14 left off, before Jesus was crucified. Clearly, the disciples had not fully understood what the Lord had been trying to tell them.

But this time was different. The disciples had encountered the risen Christ. It was the dawn of a new day, a decisive twist in their stories. As they remembered all that Jesus had taught - divine forgiveness, new birth, eternal life, God's kingdom - they began to see trace of a larger story. Their own stories were woven and stitched into that story. They began to understand how that story began and how it would end. They realised that they were part of a story larger than themselves, and this changed them. They marched into the dark night, certain that their journey would end with a new dawn. As changed men, they changed the world.

Two thousand years have come and gone. History has run and stumbled, twisted and turned. Billions of personal stories ripple in the winds of time, each encompassing untold joys, dreams, and pain. Each of us has a story to tell. We greet each new day wondering how our story would change and how it would end. How long more before our story becomes a fleeting grain in the sands of time?

It is one thing to follow a story in a book. It is another thing to exist within an unfolding story. Who knows where the story would lead?

The Bible tells us how history will end. Jesus is coming again, and with Him a new heaven and new earth. There will be no more death, no more tears, no more pain. The old order would be no more (Revelation 21-22).

If you belong to Jesus Christ, His story becomes the vehicle for your story. The uncertainty of your fragile story can ride on the certainty of His story. His story gives our stories stability and hope. The final hour of history will be the Lord's. He has the final say. If we belong to Him, that final hour belongs to us also.

At the beginning of every new year, who can tell what the immediate future holds? What "breaking news" will break our hearts? What will the headlines say this year? What will make us laugh or cry, or angry or sad? What will tomorrow bring? Each new day is full of uncertainty. And that can make one anxious.

The uncertain immediate future must be lived in light of the certain final hour. For the follower of Christ, the promise of glory marks the story's end. Christ invites us into His life, gathering our little stories into His glorious story. When we do so, we can turn every corner of time with peace and graceful poise (composed and self-assured manner).

To be baptised, to be united with Christ and made a part of His body, is to share in His destiny, is to be part of His story. Let us live our uncertain days in the story of our shepherd. In Him, the final hour is ours.

And, paraphrasing German Lutheran pastor Helmut Thielicke [1a], if the final hour is ours, why be anxious over the next minute?
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 In real life, however, things can feel quite different when you are personally involved in such a story.PHOTO: In real life, however, things can feel quite different when you are personally involved in such a story. There is a human desire to know the future and how the story ends, hence the demand for fortune tellers and their like. Underlying this is not merely human curiosity but also human anxiety. It is difficult living with the prospect of a bleak future.
Picture posted by Aof Acoustic on Thursday, 09 May 2024 at 05:50 pm - Suicide Mission 🗡
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Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that the uncertain immediate future be lived in light of the certain final hour. For the follower of Christ, the promise of glory marks the story's end. Christ invites us into His life, gathering our little stories into His glorious story. May we do so and turn every corner of time with peace and graceful poise.

May we be baptised, to be united with Christ and made a part of His body, to share in His destiny, to be part of His story. Let us live our uncertain days in the story of our shepherd. As in Him, the final hour is ours.

And, if the final hour is ours, we need not be anxious over the next minute.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Dylanmross
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Nurturing The Inner Life
The Christian journey, expressed primarily in our relationship with God and identification with Christ, is experienced firstly in the interior reality of our souls. The Holy Spirit creates faith, hope, and love within us, anchoring our souls and producing holiness.

In this inner life, we confront our stubborn sinful nature. As we experience God's forgiving love and sin-breaking power, we will discover a growing freedom from the power of sin. We will also have to deal with inner idolatry - our worship of things we put in God's place and inner voices hat lead us astray.

In order to overcome, we need intimacy with God, so that we would know His real voice from the counterfeits, which are often couched in piety. To know God more deeply, we need the time-tested spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, silence, and meditation on Scripture. There are no shortcuts to Christian maturity and godliness.

As our inner life is enriched by God's beauty. we will demonstrate His presence in us by how we live and the way we love others. As we receive God's grace, we will become more gracious, kind, and loving. Those who nurture the inner life will be rewarded with Christian character, which is both attractive and godly.


Chapter 21 - Reflection - What Is So Deadly About Sin?,  

 American Psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled Whatever Became of Sin?
PHOTO: American Psychiatrist Karl Menninger wrote a book entitled Whatever Became of Sin? [1a] He observed that modern society had abandoned the word "sin" from its common vocabulary. Behaviour once attributed to human sinfulness was now seen as the result of physical or psychological illness. Even as a secular psychiatrist, Menninger was alarmed that pastors were doing the same thing, hence the book.

Perhaps we think that in the church we still talk about sin. That is good. But how seriously do we take sin? I once watched a newsclip of New Year's celebrations in Singapore. Among the showbiz personalities on stage was a man wearing a T-shirt that read "I (LOVE) SIN". While I assume that "SIN" was short for "Singapore", I suspect that a sly pun was intended. A hedonistic (devoted to the pursuit of pleasure) message was hidden behind a show of national pride. Has "sin" returned to our vocabulary, but now as a cool word we celebrate?

Such secular trends can influence the church. Do we truly take sin seriously? When cancer is diagnosed, for instance, it is dealt with immediately, aggressively, and urgently. We take cancer very seriously because it is a deadly disease, and if not dealt with decisively, it will destroy us. But our respond to sin often lacks the same urgency. While cancer can destroy the body, sin can destroy our whole being. It is like a cancer of the soul, far more dangerous than other kinds of cancer. Shouldn't we be deadly serious about sin?

The early church took sin very seriously indeed. The fact that they developed a list of deadly sins speaks volumes of how well they understood the devastating effects of sin. The Geek monastic theologian Evagrius of Pontus is said to have listed eight deadly sins in the fourth century. In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great reduced the list to seven deadly sins, possibly for pastoral reasons - helping Christians to use each day of the week to reflect on one deadly sin.

This list is in follows: pride (Sunday), envy (Monday), anger (Tuesday), apathy (Wednesday)(lack of feeling or emotion), greed (Thursday), gluttony (Friday, hence the tradition of fasting or abstinence on Friday), and lust (Saturday). Through the centuries, the church has accumulated much wisdom regarding these sins - what they are, how they infect the soul, what forms they take, how they mask themselves as false piety, how they are related to one another, and how they are to be dealt with. This includes the practice of the opposite virtues - humility, kindness, patience, diligence, generosity, abstinence, and chastity.

Unfortunately, much of the church's wisdom remains untapped by modern-day Christians. Part of the reason may be a lack of seriousness with regard to sin. There may be other reasons too. Prosperity theology is one. If people enter the church in pursuit of the good life, comfortable and pain free, if they participate in the Christian life as self-centred consumers, seeking material blessing instead of a cure for their sin, it is unsurprising that they would not take sin seriously. Given that the biblical gospel addresses the key human problems of sin and death, why does so much of today's audience-driven preaching talk about everything else other than these?

If there is one thing God hates, it is sin. He takes sin very seriously because it goes against all that He is. Sin separates people from God and from one another. It is for our sins that Christ died on the cross (1 Corinthians 15:3). Every time we look at the cross, we must be reminded of the deadliness of sin.

The season of Lent is a good time for an extensive spiritual check-up. We must find out how far we have been infected with the deadly disease of sin. Self-flattery must go, for it prevents us from noticing and getting rid of our sin (Psalm 36:2). How much pride is still intact in our lives? Do traces of it remain in the best of our plans, words, and actions? How about the other deadly sins? Perhaps we could use Lent to find fault - not with others, as we often do, but with ourselves. As the Lord said: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?" (Matthew 7:3). If we do notice the plank in our eye, then by God's grace, we must remove it (Matthew 7:5).

There is much to learn from classic Christian literature on dealing with sin, especially the deadly sins. But to do this well, we must first have the right attitude: we must be serious about our sinfulness.

When a patient is being treated for cancer, it is often obvious to others. Aggressive surgery is common place. If chemotherapy is employed, the patient usually loses hair. These signs tell us that cancer is deadly, a serious matter to patients and their doctors, since drastic actions are being taken to deal with the disease.

Could the same thing be said of sin, the cancer of the soul? Have we been taking this deadly condition seriously? Are there signs that we are "under treatment" - that drastic measures are under way to deal with it? Let us get serious about sin.
 

 In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great reduced the list to seven deadly sins, possibly for pastoral reasons - helping Christians to use each day of the week to reflect on one deadly sin.
PHOTO: In the sixth century, Pope Gregory the Great reduced the list to seven deadly sins, possibly for pastoral reasons - helping Christians to use each day of the week to reflect on one deadly sin.
This list is in follows: pride (Sunday), envy (Monday), anger (Tuesday), apathy (Wednesday)(lack of feeling or emotion), greed (Thursday), gluttony (Friday, hence the tradition of fasting or abstinence on Friday), and lust (Saturday). Through the centuries, the church has accumulated much wisdom regarding these sins - what they are, how they infect the soul, what forms they take, how they mask themselves as false piety, how they are related to one another, and how they are to be dealt with. This includes the practice of the opposite virtues - humility, kindness, patience, diligence, generosity, abstinence, and chastity.
Picture posted by Alamy - The seven deadly sins
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we are taking sin, the cancer of the soul seriously. May we have the right attitude by being serious about our sinfulness.

 It is for our sins that Christ died on the cross. Every time we look at the cross, may we be reminded of the deadliness of sin.

May we dealt with sin immediately, aggressively, and urgently. It is like a cancer of the soul, far more dangerous than other kinds of cancer. Sin can destroy our whole being.

We pray for Your help that drastic measures are under way to deal with the deadly sins.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Adobe Stock
 


Chapter 22 - Reflection - The Gift of Tears,  

 Christians of earlier generations may have found some modern worship services strange.
PHOTO: Christians of earlier generations may have found some modern worship services strange. One oddity to them would have been the absence of the prayer of confession, which they would have considered an essential part of the service. Could it be that it is no longer fashionable to talk about sin, human depravity, and our need for repentance in God's presence? Or perhaps well-intentioned but inadequately trained worship leaders lack an understanding of the biblical and liturgical underpinnings of worship.

Jesus begun His public ministry with a clear and profoundly simple message: "Repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). The sermon that Peter preached when the church was constituted at Pentecost can be summarised as "repent and be baptised" (Acts 2:38). We must not fail to notice the emphasis that both our Lord and His apostles placed on repentance. Repentance was central to their message.

Some may think that the message of Jesus and Peter were their first sermons, and therefore intended mainly for those who needed to be envangelised and converted. But is that true? Is repentance only required of those who are about to become Christians? What about long-standing Christians? Do they ever graduate from the need to repent? On the contrary: Scripture tells us that repentance is required all our lives. Our experience supports this.

Peter, writing to Christians, frequently emphasised the importance of repentance. He writes: "Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind" (1 Peter 2:1). As long as one has not gotten rid of these sins completely, he continues to be in need of repentance. In addition, Peter points out that some in the church had "left the straight way" and "never stop sinning", leading others astray in their folly. Their condition was worse than it was before they became Christians (2 Peter 2:14-22). Explaining why Christ had yet to return, Peter declares that the Lord was patient with them, "not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

It is clear that repentance is an essential part of our Christian lives. We enter the Christian life through repentance and grow and mature in it through repentance (or, as Eastern Orthodox writer Frederica Mathewes-Green put it in The Illumined Heart, repentance is both the door and path of the Christian life). [1a]. Repentance must therefore be taken seriously. The early Christian writer Tertullian (155-225), in his On Repentance, argues that Christians must address post-batismal sin with great severity. In his day, the process of repentance, restoration, and reconciliation was a very long one. [2]

Need I say more? It is vital that services include a time for worshippers to confess their sins to God, to repent, and experience God's forgiveness. This time of confession would ideally be personal to each worshipper, and I make this point in two parts.

First, even in congregations which include a corporate prayer of confession, the text used is often too general and impersonal. Worshippers tend to read the prayer without their personal sins in mind and thus without a broken and contrite (remorseful) heart. There is, in such a situation, no personal exchange between a sinful soul and a holy God. This could be rectified in part by a biblically informed and Spirit-led worship leader (ideally the pastor), who would help worshippers to pray the corporate confession with understanding and heartfelt repentance.

Second, repentance must be understood in the context of relationship. It is true that sin is transgression, or the breaking of the moral law. When we realise that we have transgressed the moral law, we often feel guilty. But our understanding of sin and repentance must go deeper than our own guilt. We need to realise that when we sin, we break not only the law, but also the lawgiver's heart. When we realise that we have broken our heavenly Father's heart, our experience of repentance will change profoundly.

A common thread running through Scripture is the God whose heart is broken by human sin, or, as the German Reformed theologian Jurgen Moltmann put it, "the Crucified God". We read in Scripture that Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are each grieved by human sin (Genesis 6:6; Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:30). Whenever we understand this, we would take lightly neither sin nor our need for repentance. Rather, we would also experience godly sorrow for breaking God's heart. When I was a youth, I was taught that every time we sinned, it was like crucifying Jesus afresh. While we know that Jesus died only once, perhaps there was pastoral value in that sentiment - insofar as it painted sin and repentance in such personal terms.

When repentance is experienced in the context of our relationship with God, there is often the outpouring of tears (or, as Martin Luther described it, "heartwater"). [3] It is a sign that God is dealing with the spiritual abscesses deeply embedded in our soul. Healing, relief, and spiritual growth follow. In the early church, tears were seen as a spiritual gift and an important part of the Christian life. Tears were closely connected to deep repentance, which, according to Tertullian, was the work of God in our lives. Such repentance tears are born of our relationship with God.

Repentance leads us to recognise God's deep pain caused by our sin. Our recognition of God's deep sorrow leads to deep sorrow in our own heart. When the divine pain of a holy and loving God meets the pain of a repentant human heart, a deep transformation is brought about. In this way our repentance becomes fertile soil for growth of the soul. When we repent, we discover the depths of God's grace and the beauty of His love.

May each Lenten season, therefore, be a season for us to rediscover repentance. Sin is not a harmless toy but a deadly weapon in our hands. When we abuse the freedom and power that the Sovereign God gave is in love, we can terribly hurt Him (just think of the cross). For this reason we must come to hate sin: because it hurts God. And it destroys us too. If only we all could see how dangerously sick we are with sin.
 

 Jesus begun His public ministry with a clear and profoundly simple message: 'Repent and believe' (Mark 1:15).
PHOTO: Jesus begun His public ministry with a clear and profoundly simple message: "Repent and believe" (Mark 1:15). The sermon that Peter preached when the church was constituted at Pentecost can be summarised as "repent and be baptised" (Acts 2:38). We must not fail to notice the emphasis that both our Lord and His apostles placed on repentance. Repentance was central to their message.
Picture posted by Cinderella Tran
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, May each Lenten season be a season for us to rediscover repentance. Sin is not a harmless toy but a deadly weapon in our hands. When we abuse the freedom and power that the Sovereign God gave is in love, we can terribly hurt Him.

May we come to hate sin: because it hurts God. And it destroys us too. May we all could see how dangerously sick we are with sin.

May our repentance becomes fertile soil for growth of the soul. May we repent and discover the depths of God's grace and the beauty of His love. May healing, relief, and spiritual growth follow.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Hany Rady
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Chapter 23 - Reflection - The Shadow and the Reality,  

 I once attended a military ceremony that included a video show and a talk built on a PowerPoint presentation.
PHOTO: I once attended a military ceremony that included a video show and a talk built on a PowerPoint presentation. At the end of the ceremony, a picture of the state flag was shown on the screen while the national anthem was played. The officer on stage turned to face the screen and gave a smart salute. While taking all this in, I noticed that the officer had been standing next to a physical state flag. Wouldn’t it have been better if he had salute the real flag instead of its flickering image on the screen?

That incident made me conscious of how far we have changed into a TV and movie generation. Reality has to be represented to us through screens, even when we are surrounded by real things. This happens in church too. I have noticed, in churches that broadcast their sermons on screens, that some would rather look at the screen than the preacher. In many churches, the congregation sits in front of a giant screen, beholden to the potpourri (collection) of images variously displayed.

Likewise, we often embrace the shadow in place of the substance. This is not only unhelpful, but also harmful, for in its very essence, it is idolatry. God is completely against  idolatry because it misrepresents reality and, even worse, robs from us the true experience of God. Idols are both "detestable" and “worthless” (Deuteronomy 32:16, 21). They are hated in heaven and useless on earth. Hence, idolatry is forbidden in Scripture (Exodus 20:4).

Those who had encountered the true God were deeply disturbed by idolatry and warned people of its dangers. The ancient prophets of Israel spoke against the rampant idolatry of their day. The apostle Paul, having encountered the living Christ, “was greatly distressed to see that the city [of Athens] was full of idols” (Acts 17:16). Christ’s disciple, John, who meditated deeply on God’s love, pleaded with his fellow Christians: “Dear children, keep yourselves from idols” (1 John 5:21).

Perhaps many of us would say that thankfully we are free from such idolatry. But we should be aware that idolatry takes subtler (nicer) forms. Sometimes, the idol is not something opposed to God, but something that can legitimately lead us to God. The religion of the Pharisees is an example of such idolatry.

The problem with the Pharisees was that they were worshippers of shadows. They took the Old Testament laws, which were meant to point to the divine lawgiver, and made them an end in themselves. They also created a complex system of additional laws, missing the point of God’s law altogether. They held on to their distorted interpretation of religious forms that belonged to the Old Testament They clung to the shadow so tightly that when the one who cast the shadow appeared, they failed to recognise and worship Him.

The apostle John described this tragedy with these poignant (touching) words: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Perhaps we could excuse the other nations for not recognising Christ - after all, they were worshipping idols that did not even resemble God. The shadows they clung to would not have helped them to recognise Christ. But Israel was different. God had constantly and consistently revealed himself to them throughout history. He had spoken to them by His Word. He had given them His law. He had shown them His shadow so that they would recognise His Son. But they did not! That was the troubling thing.

Why did Israel fail to recognise Jesus as the God who had revealed himself? Had they become far too used to the shadow, so much so that they would not look up to see who cast the shadow? Was this why Paul pleaded with Christians from a Jewish background to cling to the reality and not its shadow? Referring to Old Testament dietary laws and festivals, Paul writes: “These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ” (Colossians 2:17). Meanwhile, the writer to the Hebrews explains: “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves” (Hebrews 10:1).

It is very easy to cling to shadows that tell of God while ignoring God altogether. Christians have all too often run after the gifts of God while ignoring the gift giver. It is common for Christians to cling to spiritual experience, worshipping them instead of God. We can be so enthralled (captivated) by spiritual songs that our hearts do not rise beyond them to the subject of our praise. Could we, like the Pharisees, end up idolising shadows so much that we fail to recognise God when He comes?

But there may have been another reason why the Jews, and especially the Pharisees, failed to recognise Jesus as God. The parable Jesus told about two men praying at the temple hints at it (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee’s prayer was an account of how well he had kept the law. But was it God he was addressing? Verse 11 could be translated to read: “The pharisee . . . prayed to himself.“ How telling! The shadow this Pharisee was looking at was not even God’s. It was his own! When he prayed, he was really addressing himself. He sat on the throne of his own heart, pretending to be God.

Little wonder then that the Pharisees failed to acknowledge Jesus as the God of Israel. They fail not only because they clung to the shadows more than the substance, but also because those shadows did not even resemble God. They were, tragically, worshippers of their own shadows.
Picture posted by Very Revd Andrew Nunn on 01 April 2022
 

 The apostle John described this tragedy with these poignant (touching) words
PHOTO: The apostle John described this tragedy with these poignant (touching) words: “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Perhaps we could excuse the other nations for not recognising Christ - after all, they were worshipping idols that did not even resemble God. The shadows they clung to would not have helped them to recognise Christ. But Israel was different. God had constantly and consistently revealed himself to them throughout history. He had spoken to them by His Word. He had given them His law. He had shown them His shadow so that they would recognise His Son. But they did not! That was the troubling thing.
Picture posted by Rosalinda Alcantara
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we do not failed to acknowledge Jesus as the God of Israel. May we not clung to the shadows more than the substance, and those shadows did not even resemble God.

We prayed that we are not  tragically, worshippers of our own shadows. May we do not sat on the throne of our own heart, pretending to be God, by addressing ourselves. May we do not prayed to ourselves.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Pinterest
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Chapter 24 - Reflection - Steering Wheel or Spare Tyre?,  

 There are no atheists in the frontline trench. How true, for under fire, even the man who had habitually denied God's existence desperately begin to pray.
PHOTO: There are no atheists in the frontline trench. How true, for under fire, even the man who had habitually denied God's existence desperately begin to pray. Personal danger can turn the cynical atheist under fair weather into a fervent theist who would shake the doors of heaven with supplication (plea).

Anything that brings us to God in prayer is good and salutary. But surely, praying only when we want God's help is not what God expects of us. Many Christians use prayer as an emergency button - to be pressed when needed. But prayer was not meant to be so.

Dutch concentration camp survivor and writer Corrie Ten Boom asks whether our prayer life is a steering wheel or a spare tyre. [1a] The driver's hand are always on the steering wheel, paying attention to it and using it all the time. The spare tyre, on the other hand, is largely forgotten until a punctured tyre is discovered. Then it takes centre stage, but only for a while - after the problem is solved, the spare tyre is forgotten again. Too many drivers, however, have discovered on lonely roads or busy highways that their spare tyres were too soft to be used - the price of constant neglect and lack of maintenance.

If our prayer life has become an emergency button or a neglected spare tyre, we have missed the essence of prayer. Prayer has to do with developing intimacy with God. If our prayer fixate on asking God for things we desire, we have certainly missed the point. Prayer is really about desiring God, more than anything else. As Sadhu Sundar Singh wrote, prayer is not asking God for the things we want, but rather the desire for God himself, the only giver of life. [2] Alas, our prayers often reveal misplaced or misdirected desires.

When we are converted from self-centredness to God-centredness, we discover true prayer. Self-centred prayers can be common among Christians, even when we pray for the church, as the great Baptist preacher Charles Spurgeon points out:

Moreover, if our praying, however earnest and believing it may be, is a mere asking that our church may prosper because we want to glory in its prosperity . . . then our desires are nothing but lusting after all. Can it be that the children of God manifest the same emulations, jealousies, and ambitions as men of the world? Shall religious work be a matter of rivalry and contest? Ah, then, the prayers which seek success will have no acceptance at the mercy-seat. God will not hear us, but bid us begone, for he careth not for the petitions of which self is the object. "Ye have not, because ye ask not, or because ye ask amiss." (James 4:3) [3]

Self-centred prayer pours loving attention on the self. It attempts to recruit God and His help to fulfil the self's desire and carry out the self's plans. Self-promotion and self-fulfilment are its primary goals. The purpose of such prayer resembles the "spare tyre" approach we looked at earlier.

True prayer, however, develops our intimacy with God. It pays unhurried attention to Him, cherishing and enjoying His presence. The purpose of such prayer is to know God, not to use Him. In a world where increasingly, people are used and not loved, it is easy for Christians to follow suit and bring a utilitarian (practical) attitude into prayer. They may wheel and deal with God, as they do in the world. In their conversations (or monologues) with God, they try to sell Him their agenda or manipulate Him to serve their goals.

However, our life is not ultimately about us, but about God. The many prayers that rise from the wretched prison of the self must, I am sure, bemuse (puzzled) and amuse the angels in heaven who hear them. How strange that people hanker after gifts from the one who is himself the greatest gift of all (2 Corinthians 9:15). How sad when our prayers show that we don't really believe that God has already written the final sentence in history. Instead, our prayers bulge with anxious requests, leaving no time or space for us to savour His wonderful presence. Our lack of faith makes us restless. We miss out on the joy and peace of quiet rest in His presence, of unhurried attention to Him, of receiving His life-giving love.

The solution is God-centred prayer. Let us recognise that God is at the centre of our lives and that our highest joy is to know Him intimately. Let is build our lives around prayer, and not prayer around our lives. Our Lord himself had regular times of prayer, regardless of how busy He was (Mark 1:35). His prayer was characterised by the way He always addressed the Father - "Abba", an intimate term that showed how prayer was essentially a relationship of profound love.

It is a rich and regular prayer life like our Lord's that would safeguard our poise and peace through life's challenges and dangers. Consider the prophet Daniel. When he was thrown into the lion's den, he was calm and undisturbed. Prayer was never a spare tyre for him. In fact, he was in the lion's den because prayer was his steering wheel. He had kept up regular rhythms of prayer despite opposition. With such a prayer life, he would surely have known God intimately. This gave him deep confidence in God, whose presence in the lion's den steeled him with faith, even in the ominous (menacing) air of hungry beasts breathing on his face.

How about you? Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tyre?
Picture posted by Our thoughts to GOD on Saturday, 28 March 2020 at 07:43 pm
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 True prayer, however, develops our intimacy with God.
PHOTO: True prayer, however, develops our intimacy with God. It pays unhurried attention to Him, cherishing and enjoying His presence. The purpose of such prayer is to know God, not to use Him. In a world where increasingly, people are used and not loved, it is easy for Christians to follow suit and bring a utilitarian (practical) attitude into prayer. They may wheel and deal with God, as they do in the world. In their conversations (or monologues) with God, they try to sell Him their agenda or manipulate Him to serve their goals.
Picture posted by WiseTalks
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/26529085298562937/
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we have a rich and regular prayer life like our Lord's that would safeguard our poise and peace through life's challenges and dangers. May we keep up our regular rhythms of prayer despite opposition. With such a prayer life, may we know God intimately, giving us deep confidence in God, whose presence steeled us with faith, even in the ominous air of danger breathing on our face.

May this short prayer be our steering wheel, as a relationship of profound love with God. May we do not miss out on the joy and peace of quiet rest in His presence, of unhurried attention to Him, of receiving His life-giving love.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by 🩷 Brittany 🩷
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Chapter 25 - Reflection - Can You Trust Your Impressions?,  

 Years ago, a reader wrote to a columnist with a puzzle
PHOTO: Years ago, a reader wrote to a columnist with a puzzle: Suppose you're on a game show, and you're given the choice of three doors. Behind one door is a car, and behind the others, goats. You pick door number 1, and the host, who knows what's behind the doors, opens door number 3, revealing a goat. He says: "Do you want to pick door number 2 instead?" Would it be to your advantage to switch your choice?

The columnist, Marilyn vos Savant, who was said to have the world's highest IQ then (228), advised the reader to switch as there was a higher chance (two-thirds vs. one-third) that the car was behind door number 2. This provoked much criticism, especially from many maths professors in America. But the columnist stuck to her position. Experiments later showed that she was right. The logic in this puzzle is counter-intuitive. We might intuitively say that switching doors would make no difference, but cold mathematical logic says otherwise. How much should we trust our gut feelings?

A tragic mid-air collision between a chartered plane and a cargo plane occurred on July 1, 2002 in southern Germany. Seventy-one people died, including 45 Russian children. How did this tragedy take place? Each plane had a device called a TCAS (Traffic Control Avoidance System). Each plane's device gave warnings. The cargo plane's device instructed the pilot to dive, while the other plane's device told the pilot to climb. Unfortunately, the traffic controller on the ground insisted, repeatedly, that the chartered plane should dive. The pilot trusted the human voice instead of the machine's warning, resulting in disaster. Was the controller relying on gut feelings too? How did the pilot work out his decision?

How does God speak to us? We have the Bible, the Word of God. Every time we read it, we hear God speaking, like a person hears from a loved one in a letter from far away. But experience tells us that reading Scripture is also a dynamic experience. God is transcendent (beyond grasp), yet is very near us. Most of us can testify to times when our Bible reading spoke with relevance to the questions we were asking. Indeed, reading the Bible can, at times, feel more like a dynamic online chat with God than the static reading of a letter for Him.

When we have a decision to make, we can either look at established principles from the Bible to work out our decision, or wait for some direct impression from God to give us specific guidance. We can also rely on a combination of both. In reality, most Christians who are serious about obeying God rely on biblical principles worked out over the years. If you consider all your decisions, big and small, over the past week, the odds are that you would have relied more on objective biblical principles, as "do not lie", "do good", "have a servant's heart", or "deny yourself".

But what about those times when we have experienced strong gut feelings that seem to be spiritual impressions? These experiences have their value, for instance, when intuition compels us to rush to the hospital just in time to pray for a brother before  an emergency operation. Or when we are led to send financial aid to a friend, finding out only later that our gift was an answer to a specific and urgent prayer.

However, such impressions can also let us down. In more extreme cases, people may show signs of mental instability, like a young man who carved a cross on his forehead because he sensed an inner voice instructing him to do so. Thankfully, for most people, they merely experience the embarrassment of finding out that their gut feelings had misled them. Do you remember schoolboy games at bus stops, when boys would test their intuitive powers by trying to predict when the bus would appear at the street corner? Often, they would fail and just laugh it off. Nevertheless, strong impressions can, at times, be no laughing matter but a serious challenge. How can we find out if it is God who is speaking within?

Should you board a plane when you had a strong impression that something bad was about to happen? When hiring, how much should you rely on gut feelings? This was the problem the prophet Samuel faced when he was looking for someone to anoint as king (1 Samuel 16:1-13). When  Jesse's eldest son stood before him, Samuel's gut feeling was that he was the man, but God told him that he was wrong, speaking to him in an audible voice, something more tangible than intuition. After that, Samuel ruled out all the others and seemed to sense that there was another son of Jesse whom he had not seen. And God confirmed that he was to anoint David.

What lesson can we learn? Completely ignoring our gut feelings or intuition can shut out important things God may be saying. However, God speaks to us both subjectively and objectively, and it is necessary that we test our subjective impressions with objective criteria, simply because we are often misled by our intuitions. Remember also that Satan can plant thoughts and ideas in our minds. Or, as is often the case, we suppose our own thoughts and ideas to be God's. Thus, we must test every spirit and every intuition (1 John 4:1). Scripture assures us that even if our hearts (intuitively) condemn us, we, who believe in Christ, can rest in His truth (1 John 3:19-20). Objective criteria overrides subjective intuition.

Objective criteria includes Scripture and the tradition of God's people. If you have a strong intuition telling you to do something that Scripture prohibits, the objective criteria would immediately inform you that the intuition is neither from God nor acceptable to Him. Reason and common experience are further criteria we can use. It is always good to check our intuitions with Scripture and mature, Spirit-filled Christians. We may also confuse intuition with mathematical logic or rational thought, as the anecdote (a short amusing or interesting story) at the beginning of this chapter showed us.

At certain levels of reality, mechanical and mathematical logic are more reliable than our intuition. At other levels, intuition becomes more significant, such as in art, philosophy, or human relationships. Applying mathematical logic to relationships would be disastrous, as would be flying an airplane or treating illnesses based on gut feelings. Remember that our intuition can be wrong, and God gives us objective criteria to test our gut feelings. We can be open to impressions, so as not to miss what God may be dynamically communicating, but there are God-given ways to avoid being misled by them when they are wrong.
 

 Objective criteria includes Scripture and the tradition of God's people.
PHOTO: Objective criteria includes Scripture and the tradition of God's people. If you have a strong intuition telling you to do something that Scripture prohibits, the objective criteria would immediately inform you that the intuition is neither from God nor acceptable to Him. Reason and common experience are further criteria we can use. It is always good to check our intuitions with Scripture and mature, Spirit-filled Christians. We may also confuse intuition with mathematical logic or rational thought, as the anecdote (a short amusing or interesting story) at the beginning of this chapter showed us.
Picture posted by Adelson Gomes
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 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we understand that at certain levels of reality, mechanical and mathematical logic are more reliable than our intuition. At other levels, intuition becomes more significant, such as in art, philosophy, or human relationships. Applying mathematical logic to relationships would be disastrous, as would be flying an airplane or treating illnesses based on gut feelings.

Objective criteria includes Scripture and the tradition of God's people. If we have a strong intuition telling us to do something that Scripture prohibits, the objective criteria would immediately inform us that the intuition is neither from God nor acceptable to Him.

Reason and common experience are further criteria we can use. It is always good to check our intuitions with Scripture and mature, Spirit-filled Christians. We may also confuse intuition with mathematical logic or rational thought - like the pilot trusted the human voice instead of the machine's warning.

May we be open to impressions, so as not to miss what God may be dynamically communicating. Let us have the God-given ways to avoid being misled by them when they are wrong.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Lulu Anggoman
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Chapter 26 - Reflection - A Feast for the Soul,  

 The idea of 40-day events or programmes has become increasingly popular in churches.
PHOTO: The idea of 40-day events or programmes has become increasingly popular in churches. Forty-day period of prayer and activity are being used in various ways, such as setting aside a time of prayer for the nation, or "40 days of purpose" to bring about church growth. Christians who are being introduced to various 40-day programmes would do well to be aware of the season of Lent, the original 40-day period. Lent, which has ancient roots, has long been an important part of the church's liturgical calendar. As early as the second century, the church father Irenaeus referred to a season similar to Lent that was observed in the church, though it lasted fewer than 40 days. By the time the Council of Nicaea met in 325, the church knew of a 40-day Lenten period of fasting, culminating (reach a finale) with Easter.

Since then, Lent has become a significant season in the life of the universal church, though in more recent times, fewer Christians have understood its origins, purpose, and value. That is a great pity, for observing the season of Lent can greatly benefit the spiritual life of churches and individuals alike. It is thus important, amid the many kinds of 40-day initiatives in the church, to rediscover the original 40-day season observed by the church for centuries.

While other 40-day periods may focus on themes such as the national good or church growth, Lent focuses especially on Christ, hence its immense value. The historical church calendar was designed to help us to build our lives on the life of Christ. Whether it is Advent, Christmas, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, or Ascension, the annual liturgical journey of the church is a journey embarked with Christ, as we fix our gaze on Him, the great shepherd of our souls.

Lent is connected to an important period in the life of Christ - His 40 days of fasting in the wilderness following His baptism. During this time, He was tempted by the devil but proved himself to be faithful to His father. Lent is therefore an invitation for us to follow Jesus into the wilderness of our life, to search our heart deeply, to repent, and to seek after purity and single-minded holiness.

Notice that Jesus' wilderness retreat took place between His baptism and the start of His public ministry. It testifies of the danger faced by everyone who wishes to serve God. The devil can use the assurance and confidence we receive at our baptism to seduce us into unholy motives for service. The devil is a master of cosmetic art, enabling Christians to look good on the outside while destroying them from the inside. He tried this vile skill on Jesus but was soundly defeated. As the writer to the Hebrews said, our Lord was "tempted in every way, just as we are - yet he did not sin" (Hebrews 4:15).

The season of Lent is an opportunity to journey with Jesus into our own wilderness - to face our own weaknesses and expose the devil's voice, which we so often entertain in the secret places of our hearts, blindly and foolishly obeying it in life's daily choices. When we are disappointed at our own spiritual weakness and lethargy (sluggishness), we can depend on Jesus. He could not be tempted away from the cross by the devil's tricks in the dry desert air. The silky voice of our enemy did not impress the Lord.

Each Lent is a time to repent, to receive God's forgiveness, to discover the joy of self-denial, to imitate our Lord in His holiness and self-giving love; all this as we gaze at the holy and loving face of Jesus. Each Lent is a time to shed our pretences, to approach God just as we are, and to face the wild animals that roam in the wilderness of our hearts (Mark 1:13).

As Christians, we are called to identify ourselves with Christ. We are baptised into Christ and into His death; therefore, we carry our cross and walk with Him, we die with Him and are raised into new life with Him (Romans 6:3-10; Luke 9:23; Matthew 10:38). Observing Lent helps us to deepen this identification with our Lord, and to return to our first love.

Some practices associated with Lent can help us to this process. Fasting, a key Lenten discipline, can help us come to terms with the forces that drive us from within and without. It fosters deeper prayer and greater reflection on our sinful desires, obsessions, addictions, and ambitions that hinder our spiritual growth and well-being. In this regard, we may fast not only from food, but also from other means of comfort or indulgence.

In the end, Lent does not primarily address the questions of "how" or "what". It is a programme tied to a penultimate (second last) goal, however worthy that goal may be. Instead, Lent addresses the question, "who". It leads us to Jesus, our Saviour and example. It is about our relationship with Christ and goes beyond purposes and goals to the person of our Lord. It informs us of who we are before Christ, as individuals and as a community.

Let us rediscover Jesus as we journey with Him into the wilderness and wastelands of our frenzied and distracted lives. Referring to the discipline of fasting on Friday, Hannah Ball, an early Methodist, declared it to be "a fast-day to my body, but a feast day to my soul". [1a] Lent, indeed, can be a "fastival" (a typing error I once picked up in a church report) of fasting from sin and feasting on Christ. Let us meet Christ afresh, and thus experience the fullness of freedom in our souls. For Christ, the victorious King, the crucified Saviour, and the risen Lord, has shown the way.
Picture posted by Deivid.Aguiar_ - Jesus being tempted in the desert
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 Let us rediscover Jesus as we journey with Him into the wilderness and wastelands of our frenzied and distracted lives.
PHOTO: Let us rediscover Jesus as we journey with Him into the wilderness and wastelands of our frenzied and distracted lives. Referring to the discipline of fasting on Friday, Hannah Ball, an early Methodist, declared it to be "a fast-day to my body, but a feast day to my soul". [1a] Lent, indeed, can be a "fastival" (a typing error I once picked up in a church report) of fasting from sin and feasting on Christ. Let us meet Christ afresh, and thus experience the fullness of freedom in our souls. For Christ, the victorious King, the crucified Saviour, and the risen Lord, has shown the way.
Picture posted by Lulu Anggomanhttps://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-feast.html
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray we rediscover Jesus as we journey with Him into the wilderness and wastelands of our frenzied and distracted lives.

May we follow the way of our Lord Jesus Christ, the victorious King, the crucified Saviour, and the risen Lord, who shown us the way.

Let Lent, be the fasting from sin and feasting on Christ. May we accept the invitation to follow Jesus into the wilderness of our life, to search our heart deeply, to repent, and to seek after purity and single-minded holiness. It fosters deeper prayer and greater reflection on our sinful desires, obsessions, addictions, and ambitions that hinder our spiritual growth and well-being.

Help us to shed our pretences, to approach God just as we are, and to face the wild animals that roam in the wilderness of our hearts. May Lent helps us to deepen this identification with our Lord, and to return to our first love.

May we meet Christ afresh, and thus experience the fullness of freedom in our souls. May we have our relationship with Christ that goes beyond purposes and goals to the person of our Lord.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Eraldo Costa
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https://www.pinterest.com/pin/150448443796526099/
 
 

Chapter 27 - Reflection - A Time to Be Silent, 
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-time-to.html [27]
 I once saw a picture of some dead fish in the newspaper.
PHOTO: I once saw a picture of some dead fish in the newspaper. Someone had cruelly taken them out of the water and left them to die. The fish had died gasping for air. How uncanny (mysterious) that fish should die for lack of air in an atmosphere of air.

Our days are spent in a noisy world. In this age of information, we are bombarded daily with an endless flow of words clamouring (screaming) for our attention. Words arrive by mail, email, billboards, social media, and a host of other channels, demanding "eye-time" and "ear-time" from us. Even as their claims on our time and attention increase, pushing up our stress levels, we are forced to keep on chatting - hearing words and speaking them.

We need to rediscover our need for silence, lest we drown in words and chatter. The wise man in the Bible wrote that there is "a time to be silent and a time to speak" (Ecclesiastes 3:7). Regular periods of silence are essential in Christian lives that are healthy and holy. But why is this so?

At some time or another, we may have enjoyed the silence of a remote place, such as a mountain peak or a desert. These moments of silent contemplation (examination) can bring us face to face with eternity, helping us to think about God, as well as the meaning and mystery of life. When we have experienced the refreshing potential of silence, we will realise that silence yields our most profound experience. Seeing something beautiful can cause us to break into words describing our delight at the splendour before our eyes. But some things are so breathtakingly beautiful that they literally take our breath away. Awe floods our souls, rendering us lost for words. This can happen, for instance, when we are deeply touched, having witnessed an act of love or kindness. The supremely beautiful is experienced in silence.

Likewise, the supremely painful is experienced in silence. When we are in pain, we cry aloud. However, when pain is the greatest, we suffer it in silence. The heart cracks noisily but breaks silently. The deepest suffering is wrapped in silence and offers an opening for the discovery of profound meaning and life-changing love. Notice how people going through great suffering become less talkative.

Silence helps us through some of the deepest of human experiences. A life without silence would likely be a superficial (apparent) one.

When Christians share their experiences, they sometimes talk about God's silence. Our God is not a noisy God. In fact, He sometimes seems too silent. The psalmist cried out to God: "O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof (distant)" (Psalm 83:1). Obviously, God was too silent for the troubled psalmist, who fretted (worried) about the enemies of God's people. But was God silent because He had nothing to say? No - in fact, He was silent because He had something to say. And we can only hear what He has to say if we join Him in His silence. This may be because God, when He speaks, is often heard in a gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). If the noise level around and within us is not turned down, if we don't stop talking, we may miss what God is saying to us. Too many words can stifle (suppress) the word from God.

Silence enables us to face God, ourselves, and reality. It also helps us to face others, creating and nurturing authentic relationships. It is striking that people often talk not for communication but to mask their true selves or what lies deep within. We talk much because we are nervous. The American theologian Richard Foster wisely pointed out that we often talk to defend ourselves. [1a] And when we are silent, we feel vulnerable and fear being misunderstood and maligned. It takes guts to be silent.

Jesus is our great example. Though He spoke at considerable length, frequently preaching and teaching, He also practised silence, both during His regular times of prayer and on other occasions. When a crowd of accusers who were themselves sinful brought Him a woman caught in sin, His prophetic silence penetrated the depths of their guilty hearts (John 8:1-11). When He was himself unjustly accused at the trial before His crucifixion, He remained silent (Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61). Jesus' silence showed His deep trust in the Father.

Does this mean that we are to be silent all the time, as much as possible? It is clear that that is not to be so. At His trial, Christ did speak up too (John 18:19-37). Nevertheless, what He spoke had power and meaning because of the moments when He kept silent. For Christ, silence and speech nurtured each other.

One of Christ's followers, Mary of Bethany, displayed this characteristic of her Lord. When He visited her home, she sat at His feet, listening in silence to all that He said. Her sister Martha was too distracted by her tasks to enjoy the redeeming silence and refreshing stillness that would bring new and abundant life (Luke 10:38-42). When their brother Lazarus died, Martha met Jesus with a flood of words, while Mary said little. What Mary said, however, was bathed in a silence that moved Christ deeply (John 11:20-35).

Our spiritual lives must be nourished by moments of silence - not accidental brushes with silence but the disciplined practice of silence. We live in a noisy world. We must make our hearts, homes, and churches into places where silence is appreciated, nurtured, and experienced. Even our joyful praises must contain room for silence. Now that the psalms (the ancient hymns of Israel) are punctuated by the term selah, a reminder for the people to reflect in silence even in the midst of their joyful singing (e.g. Psalm 66, 67). It is no surprise, therefore, that the prophet Habakkuk wrote: "The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him" (Habakkuk 2:20). Perhaps he knew that often, when the mouth shuts, the heart opens.Picture posted by R.Z
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxshL2RK6jptY4zZjHT2QfUmFuRVFEgJy-pj4yzB_-oLONL2pb44EioVPyUMFB-I93EUsbaQRO7UJQk8iJc5DOcp2AbIqpETcmvqST9l-lVYckY6byoZUrMQvCNcZgTbIXqyWmVH20Ivx-FiPQjYHPLkA-fa5JVgljwgTtPhLt2vCAlHs0lbpGZRnzOSc/s1178/cf08b542d5a26ed04030b5b1d89a85b4.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/08/b5/cf08b542d5a26ed04030b5b1d89a85b4.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/21532904461698428/
 

 Silence enables us to face God, ourselves, and reality.
PHOTO: Silence enables us to face God, ourselves, and reality. It also helps us to face others, creating and nurturing authentic relationships. It is striking that people often talk not for communication but to mask their true selves or what lies deep within. We talk much because we are nervous. The American theologian Richard Foster wisely pointed out that we often talk to defend ourselves. [1a] And when we are silent, we feel vulnerable and fear being misunderstood and maligned. It takes guts to be silent.
Picture posted by Katelan
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that our spiritual lives be nourished by moments of silence - not accidental brushes with silence but the disciplined practice of silence.

May we make our hearts, homes, and churches into places where silence is appreciated, nurtured, and experienced. And even our joyful praises contain room for silence. May we reflect in silence even in the midst of our joyful singing.

Help us to have silence and speech that nurtured each other. May we at times have the guts to be silent to show our deep trust in You.

May awe floods our souls, rendering us lost for words, when we are deeply touched, having witnessed an act of love or kindness..May we experience the supremely beautiful in silence.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by 💞Anime house 💞
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sUa12R3xTVC2zOh8m5MXBubpc3GHDdqeNsOgnQrs86VsNZP3Knh-pKHFo-yYRy-ZX5XBZdSG3NNeLWR0DNyjw-6iMYKwdp9ocanBPncZ0p-z1aTQUkZvFBZjcZ5-OgoTyBi8WAfp8N7-ptOaJ8HmI8IFg7eLH6C5SPA9dHYyGrNORkqfcoNzrtYS2uc/s1848/e137598ff394177221e1b258594459b1.jpg
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e1/37/59/e137598ff394177221e1b258594459b1.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/38421403066479671/

 
 
Chapter 28 - Reflection - Grace and Graciousness, 

 The skinny schoolboy labours through his homework at midnight, dark rings around his eyes.
PHOTO: The skinny schoolboy labours through his homework at midnight, dark rings around his eyes. He cannot understand many things but his parents are too busy to help him. Why does his teacher demand so much?

The busy executive winces as a sharp pain slices through his abdomen, not for the first time that day. He cannot do much about it. It is very tense at the office. No allowance is made for an mistake, even if one is unwell. Why is this so?

The beleaguered pastor steps into the meeting with trepidation. He knows it will be a difficult one. So do a few other attendees, who share the pastor's sentiments. The meeting drags on, draining the energies of all present. Much unhappiness sits around the table. What is missing?

GRACE LEADS TO GRACIOUSNESS
Many societies long to be gracious. Terrified by increasing youth delinquency and violence at the turn of the millennium, the British government called for a return to traditional values and better manners. In Singapore, there was a campaign for people to smile more.

Graciousness, however, is not an invention of the secular world. It is a very biblical concept. Graciousness has to do with grace. We can be gracious because we have received grace ourselves. That was the point of the parable of the unmerciful servant, which Jesus told His disciples (Matthew 18:21-35). The servant had not apprehended the gravity of the forgiveness the king had graciously granted him. Because he did not truly understand grace, the servant could not be gracious to his fellow servant. What a shame!

We can be gracious to others because God is gracious to us. And may I venture to add that whether God's grace continues to transform us depends to a very large extent on whether we ourselves are gracious to others. Our lack of graciousness can cripple the movement of divine grace in our hearts.

GRACIOUSNESS IN THE MARKETPLACE
So, are we gracious? Am I? Are you? We live in an age when graciousness is increasingly in short supply. Our schedules are bursting at the seams and our spaces bulging with possessions, the latest knick-knacks from the marketplace. Many of us have moved dangerously close to the crowd of consumers jostling for the goodies of this world. It is difficult to be gracious when on a shopping spree. When our eyes are glued on things, it is easy to ignore people. When we don't notice people, we cannot be gracious, for graciousness is all about people.

WHEN GOD BECAME "LESS OFFICIAL"
Have you noticed how we can become less gracious when we become too formal and "official", clinging to our man-made rules? The Pharisees are a case in point. They made a big show of defending the Sabbath, to the point of neglecting the urgent needs of the suffering (Matthew 12:1-14). There is nothing wrong with rules and regulations. Order is necessary for us to function as a community. But sometimes, out of fear or laziness, we hide behind our official masks to avoid practising graciousness. For us, it is too much trouble.

Not so with God. He could have been very "official" dealing with us. That way, we would all have remained condemned sinners headed to hell. But God removed His royal robes and came to be with us and save us (Philippians 2:6-8), Such is grace. If we want to be a gracious people, we must pray fervently and meditate on the example Christ gave us.

PERFECTIONISM AND GRACIOUSNESS
People with perfectionistic tendencies may find it much harder to be gracious. They can be very demanding and less inclined to suffer fools. Shouldn't we be perfectionists, however, since God himself is perfect? True - God is perfect, but I do not think He is perfectionistic. He allows us to make mistakes. The fact that He forgives our mistakes shows that He is prepared to live with imperfect beings. If God who is perfect is not perfectionistic, why should we who are imperfect try to be perfectionists? Expecting perfection from others makes for mutual misery.

Society demands perfection. We are to produce perfect outcomes. Schools push for perfection. Churches push for perfection. There is nothing wrong with such aspirations, provided we do not forget who we really are. We are but forgiven sinners who still sin to varying degrees. Unfortunately, we live in an age which has taught us to market ourselves. Our public images have become very important. We try to look good, even at the expense of others. This is the origin of many ungracious acts.

A life of repentance and frequent confession of our sins would remind us who we really are. Being conscious of our sinfulness and God's forgiving grace would prepare us to tolerate others and be more patient with them, thus making us kinder and gentler people.

BECOMING MORE GRACIOUS
Still, being gracious in our fast-paced and demanding world can be a tall order. We are dealing with and overarching worldview and a common way of life around us. What can we little Davids do to tackle the Goliaths in our world - the things which make us snap and be unkind to others? Well, we have our sling and also our little stones. Here are a few:

1. Let us make confession to God a habit. Regular self-examination in the light of God's Word and the Spirit's promptings will keep us humble. Humility restrains grumbling at imperfections. We live in a messy world, and should remember that we ourselves are messy. Confession to God reminds us that we are sinners, preventing us from deluding ourselves that we are little gods.

2. Let us confess our sins to one another (James 5:16). John Wesley, the Methodist founder, designed a model for accountability known as the class meeting. The genius of his class meetings was the time given for group members to mutually confess their sins. The more we hide behind our masks, the less gracious we will be. But if we confess who we really are, including our fears and failures, we would be set free to be gracious to one another.

3. Let us become part of small groups in our churches. One purpose of Christian community is to build one another up. However, we often hear of Christians, including pastors, feeling burnt out. Instead of building up one another, we burn out one another! Why is this happening? Perhaps we lack graciousness, even among ourselves. We demand from others what is unreasonable. As the Catholic writer Henri Nouwen puts it, we need to relearn how to practise Christian hospitality even as we give up habits of hostility. [1a] We need to graciously give one another space. It is in this space, I believe, that God will transform us and make us into one redeemed people.

4. Let us set aside space and time in our lives to focus on people and their needs. It is easy to get caught up with endless tasks and projects, even ones that have to do with helping people - but only impersonally so. Instead, let us find moments to directly touch an individual person's life. Learning to be gracious to people around us, one by one, can be very redemptive, making us more human. Let us becomes pockets of graciousness in a world that is rapidly losing its memory of grace and graciousness.
Picture posted by Chu Chup Hinh, Pexels - Two Woman Hugging Eachother
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSDXV4RavXj0OkqT1BXU5-YCSNbYKVEWgkZubRO_ylXTZU6xgjxjg7pWcf9E0Nmg010tEqZexruG4DFu097nQDJNIaP599neoHIWtErPoQWw2EeWi58m6hKJRyiaILvUWIUPIxRkhdmyalG0QyLljGMHNziw-AoVdl63vpB68bXgNRKItn2qYaYEpLfqU/s5472/pexels-photo-1139647.jpeg
https://images.pexels.com/photos/1139647/pexels-photo-1139647.jpeg
https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-woman-hugging-eachother-1139647/
 

 GRACE LEADS TO GRACIOUSNESS
PHOTO: GRACE LEADS TO GRACIOUSNESS
Many societies long to be gracious. Terrified by increasing youth delinquency and violence at the turn of the millennium, the British government called for a return to traditional values and better manners. In Singapore, there was a campaign for people to smile more.
Picture posted by Nguyen Hung, Pexels - Portrait of Woman on Meadow
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMBRrfPchUbUOcNcBaaUalTjaVJZZN9OLT1B33ss1abRTWafgKjeCshwqo41uhLFdxZiNkUamT4i-E-QTRPz2UdNe7Qp2GLe43_59J04QZqja5MRNwMssquPvrrXKCmwbrOjVV6tm4Q9Jg_QwL9cJ6JmyNQudcWKWzwNeidDtHzDIbI6V_lF5RCz9kkw/s5054/pexels-photo-5459257.jpeg
https://images.pexels.com/photos/5459257/pexels-photo-5459257.jpeg
https://www.pexels.com/photo/portrait-of-woman-on-meadow-5459257/
 

 Dear Lord
PHOTO: "Dear Lord, we pray that we make confession to God a habit. Confession to God reminds us that we are sinners, preventing us from deluding ourselves that we are little gods.

Help us to us confess our sins to one another. The more we hide behind our masks, the less gracious we will be. May we confess who we really are, including our fears and failures, so that we would be set free to be gracious to one another.

May we become part of small groups in our churches. We need to relearn how to practise Christian hospitality even as we give up habits of hostility. May we graciously give one another space. In this space, may God transform us and make us into one redeemed people.

Help us to set aside space and time in our lives to focus on people and their needs. May we become pockets of graciousness in a world that is rapidly losing its memory of grace and graciousness.

Through Lord Jesus Christ we pray. Amen."
Picture posted by Sabina 🙏❤🕯
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOe35xAW2ShdvB_fp4zbWW2LgchuTVUNybHT8dBbTsFMBV6Rwv2YpTGB10MZuiPy7CJOQ3_yx4GCa7yfdTbI8LvsDYx_IGt64hyphenhyphen0qiz-BO8wo-e5eZ_EkFXQDk13rqj3rXvjrUsqm_4mbqhirmnGWoxW-xAIURPUqDuw_-TAxnjlYs7_hzfd5lQSyjbGg/s1919/f340a8717d377c27c8d91b2a7cdad0c9_1.png
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/f3/40/a8/f340a8717d377c27c8d91b2a7cdad0c9.jpg
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284289795222923813/



Note from Publisher
 "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon. All rights reserved.

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Reflection - Making All Things New, Chapter 1 - 28 (Links)
Source (book): "Making All Things New", 52 Reflections to Challenge the Way You Live, Copyright @ 2022 by Robert M. Solomon
 

"Faithful to the end", A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon

'Faithful to the end', A Preacher's Exposition of 2 Timothy, @ 2014 by Robert M. Solomon<br>
Reflection - Faithful to the end (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2017/06/reflection-faithful-to-end-links.html


"Finding rest for the soul" Responding to Jesus' Invitation in Matthew 11:28-29, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
Reflection - Finding rest for the soul (Links)
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2018/10/reflection-finding-rest-for-soul-links.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART I-III, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-i.html


"God in Pursuit" Lessons from the Book of Jonah, © 2016 by Robert M. Solomon

'Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
Reflection - God in Pursuit (Links) - PART IV, posted on Saturday, 10 August 2019
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2019/08/reflection-god-in-pursuit-links-part-iv.html 


"Songs of Christmas", The Stories and Significance of 20 Well-Loved Carols, © 2018 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
Reflection - Songs of Christmas (Links), posted on Friday, 24 April 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/04/reflection-songs-of-christmas-links.html
 

"Growing Old Gracefully", Following Jesus to the End, © 2019 by Robert M. Solomon

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part I - III (Links), posted on Wednesday, 09 December 2020
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part.html
 

Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
Reflection - Growing Old Gracefully, Part IV - V (Links), posted on Thursday, 22 April 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2020/12/reflection-growing-old-gracefully-part_9.html
 

"Teach Us to Number Our Days", © 2008 by David Roper

Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 1 - 40 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 November 2021
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-1-40.html
 
 
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
Reflection - Number Our Days, Chapter 41 - 64 (Links), posted on Wednesday, 16 March 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/03/reflection-number-our-days-chapter-41.html
 
 
"He Walks with Me - Devotions for Your Caregiving Journey with God",  © 2018 by Our Daily Bread Ministries, Shelly Beach

 Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022Reflection - He Walks with Me (Links), posted on Tuesday, 16 August 2022
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2022/08/reflection-he-walks-with-me-links.html
 

"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 1 - 45 (Links), posted on 03 April 2023
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"Classic Gem: Timeless Devotions from Our Daily Bread Authors", Copyright © 2021 by Our Daily Bread Ministries

Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on
Reflection - Classic Gem, Chapter 46 - 90 (Links), posted on Tuesday, 24 October 2023
https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/10/reflection-classic-gem-chapter-46-90.html



Reference
[1] Called to Journey, Chapter 1 - Reflection - Questions for Life's Quest, posted on Saturday, 04 November 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-questions.html

[2] Called to Journey, Chapter 2 - Reflection - A Brand Plucked Out of the Burning, posted on Tuesday, 07 November 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-brand.html

[3] Called to Journey, Chapter 3 - Reflection - Gullible Travels, posted on Friday, 24 November 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/11/reflection-called-to-journey-gullible.html

[4] Called to Journey, Chapter 4 - Reflection - The Ant and the Grasshopper, posted on Sunday, 03 December 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/12/reflection-called-to-journey-ant-and.html

[5] Called to Journey, Chapter 5 - Reflection - The Dangers of Success, posted on Wednesday, 06 December 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/12/reflection-called-to-journey-dangers-of.html

[6] Called to Journey, Chapter 6 - Reflection - All the Way, All the Time, posted on Saturday, 09 December 2023, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2023/12/reflection-called-to-journey-all-way.html

[7] Relating With God, Chapter 7 - Reflection - The Joy of Being Forgiven, posted on Wednesday, 03 January 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/01/reflection-relating-with-god-joy-of.html

[8] Relating With God, Chapter 8 - Reflection - The Great Shepherd, posted on Saturday, 06 January 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/01/reflection-relating-with-god-great.html

[9] Relating With God, Chapter 9 - Reflection - A New Ear, posted on Tuesday, 09 January 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/01/reflection-relating-with-god-new-ear.html

[10] Relating With God, Chapter 10 - Reflection - Hallowed Be Thy Name, posted on Saturday, 03 February 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/02/reflection-relating-with-god-hallowed.html

[11] Relating With God, Chapter 11 - Reflection - Worship as Praise and Thanksgiving, posted on Tuesday, 13 February 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/02/reflection-relating-with-god-worship-as.html

[12] Relating With God, Chapter 12 - Reflection - The Audience of One, posted on Thursday, 15 February 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/02/reflection-relating-with-god-audience.html

[13] Relating With God, Chapter 13 - Reflection - The Spirit's Lullaby, posted on Sunday, 03 March 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/03/reflection-relating-with-god-spirits.html

[14] Walking With Christ, Chapter 14 - Reflection - A Place for God, posted on Wednesday, 13 March 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/03/reflection-walking-with-christ-place.html

[15] Walking With Christ, Chapter 15 - Reflection - Mary's Little Lamb, posted on Friday, 22 March 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/03/reflection-walking-with-christ-marys.html

[16] Walking With Christ, Chapter 16 - Reflection - The Boys of Bethlehem, posted on Wednesday, 03 April 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-boys-of.html

[17] Walking With Christ, Chapter 17 - Reflection - The Mystery of God Dying, posted on Sunday, 14 April 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-mystery.html

[18] Walking With Christ, Chapter 18 - Reflection - If Christ Had Not Died . . ., posted on Tuesday,23 April 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/04/reflection-walking-with-christ-if.html

[19] Walking With Christ, Chapter 19 - Reflection - The Cross and the Empty Tomb, posted on Friday, 03 May 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/05/reflection-walking-with-christ-cross.html

[20] Walking With Christ, Chapter 20 - Reflection - The Final Hour Is Ours, posted on Monday, 13 May 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/05/reflection-walking-with-christ-final.html

[21] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 21 - Reflection - What Is So Deadly About Sin?, posted on Thursday, 23 May 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/05/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-what-is.html

[22] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 22 - Reflection - The Gift of Tears, posted on Tuesday, 04 June 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-gift-of.html

[23] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 23 - Reflection - The Shadow and the Reality, posted on Wednesday, 12 June 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-shadow.html

[24] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 24 - Reflection - Steering Wheel or Spare Tyre?, posted on Sunday, 23 June 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/06/reflection-nurturing-inner-life.html

[25] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 25 - Reflection - Can You Trust Your Impressions?, posted on Tuesday, 02 July 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-can-you.html

[26] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 26 - Reflection - A Feast for the Soul, posted on Tuesday, 02 July 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-feast.html

[27] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 27 - Reflection - A Time to Be Silent, posted on Tuesday, 23 July 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/07/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-time-to.html

[28] Nurturing The Inner Life, Chapter 28 - Reflection - Grace and Graciousness, posted on Saturday, 03 August 2024, https://veryfatoldman.blogspot.com/2024/08/reflection-nurturing-inner-life-grace.html


Links


New International Version (NIV), Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.


1 Peter 1:19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+1%3A19&version=NIV

1 Peter 2:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Peter+2%3A1&version=NIV

1 Samuel 16:1-13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Samuel+16%3A1-13&version=NIV

2 Corinthians 9:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+9%3A15&version=NIV

2 Corinthians 12:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Corinthians+12%3A14&version=NIV

2 Peter 2:14-22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+2%3A14-22&version=NIV

2 Peter 3:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Peter+3%3A9&version=NIV

2 Timothy 3:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+3%3A5&version=NIV

2 Timothy 4:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Timothy+4%3A7&version=NIV

Colossians 2:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Colossians+2%3A17&version=NIV

Deuteronomy 32:16, 21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+32%3A16%2C+21&version=NIV

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A1-8&version=NIV

Ecclesiastes 3:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+3%3A7&version=NIV

Ephesians 2:1-3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ephesians+2%3A1-3&version=NIV

Exodus 12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+12&version=NIV

Exodus 20:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+20%3A4&version=NIV

Ezekiel 34:11-14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel+34%3A11-14&version=NIV

Galatians 3:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+3%3A1&version=NIV

Galatians 4:19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Galatians+4%3A19&version=NIV

Genesis 1:1, 3, 6, 9, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28-29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+1%3A1%2C+3%2C+6%2C+9%2C+14%2C+20%2C+24%2C+26%2C+28-29&version=NIV

Genesis 2:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%3A9&version=NIV

Genesis 2:16-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+2%3A16-17&version=NIV


Genesis 4:3-5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A3-5&version=NIV

Genesis 4:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+4%3A10&version=NIV

Genesis 6:6; Mark 3:5; Ephesians 4:30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+6%3A6%3B+Mark+3%3A5%3B+Ephesians+4%3A30&version=NIV

Habakkuk 2:20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Habakkuk+2%3A20&version=NIV

Hebrews 2:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+2%3A15&version=NIV

Hebrews 4:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+4%3A15&version=NIV

Hebrews 9:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+9%3A14&version=NIV

Hebrews 10:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+10%3A1&version=NIV

Hebrews 12:1-2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+12%3A1-2&version=NIV

Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 2:25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews+13%3A20%3B+1+Peter+2%3A25&version=NIV

Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+6%3A3%3B+Revelation+4%3A8&version=NIV

Isaiah 50:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+50%3A4&version=NIV

Isaiah 53:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+53%3A5&version=NIV

Isaiah 53:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+53%3A7&version=NIV

Isaiah 53:7; Mark 14:61 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+53%3A7%3B+Mark+14%3A61&version=NIV

Isaiah 55:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55%3A3&version=NIV

Isaiah 64:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+64%3A6&version=NIV

James 4:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+4%3A3&version=NIV

James 5:16 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James+5%3A16&version=NIV

Jeremiah 5:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+5%3A21&version=NIV

Jeremiah 6:10 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+6%3A10&version=NIV

Jeremiah 13:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+13%3A23&version=NIV

Job 42:1-6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+42%3A1-6&version=NIV

John 1:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A1&version=NIV

John 1:11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A11&version=NIV

John 1:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+1%3A29&version=NIV

John 4:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A23&version=NIV

John 4:24 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+4%3A24&version=NIV

John 8:1-11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A1-11&version=NIV

John 8:47 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8%3A47&version=NIV

John 10:3, 14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A3%2C+14&version=NIV

John 10:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A4&version=NIV

John 10:11 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A11&version=NIV

John 10:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A14&version=NIV

John 10:27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+10%3A27&version=NIV

John 11:20-35 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+11%3A20-35&version=NIV

John 12:25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+12%3A25&version=NIV

John 14:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A1&version=NIV

John 14:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A2&version=NIV

John 14:27 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A27&version=NIV

John 14:30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+14%3A30&version=NIV

John 18:19-37 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+18%3A19-37&version=NIV

John 19:18 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+19%3A18&version=NIV

John 21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+21&version=NIV

Judges 6-8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+6-8&version=NIV

Judges 8:22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+8%3A22&version=NIV

Judges 8:23 - hthttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+8%3A23&version=NIV

Judges 8:30 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Judges+8%3A30&version=NIV

Leviticus 4:32 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+4%3A32&version=NIV

Leviticus 14:12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Leviticus+14%3A12&version=NIV

Luke 1:30-44 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1%3A30-44&version=NIV

Luke 2:1-7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A1-7&version=NIV

Luke 2:7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A7&version=NIV

Luke 2:19, 51 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2%3A19%2C+51&version=NIV

Luke 4:1-13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+4%3A1-13&version=NIV

Luke 9:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9%3A23&version=NIV

Luke 10:38-42 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A38-42&version=NIV

Luke 15:3-7 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A3-7&version=NIV

Luke 15:11-32 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+15%3A11-32&version=NIV

Luke 18:9-14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+18%3A9-14&version=NIV

Luke 22:7-20 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A7-20&version=NIV

Luke 22:63 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+22%3A63&version=NIV

Luke 24:36-38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A36-38&version=NIV

Luke 24:45-47 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+24%3A45-47&version=NIV

Mark 1:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1%3A13&version=NIV

Mark 1:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1%3A15&version=NIV

Mark 1:35 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1%3A35&version=NIV

Mark 4:35-41 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+4%3A35-41&version=NIV

Mark 4:38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+4%3A38&version=NIV

Mark 4:40 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+4%3A40&version=NIV

Mark 8:34 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+8%3A34&version=NIV

Mark 14:29 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+14%3A29&version=NIV
 
Mark 14:65 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+14%3A65&version=NIV

Mark 15:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+15%3A1&version=NIV

Mark 15:15 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+15%3A15&version=NIV

Mark 15:17-19 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+15%3A17-19&version=NIV

Matthew 2:1-6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+2%3A1-6&version=NIV

Matthew 7:3 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A3&version=NIV

Matthew 7:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A5&version=NIV

Matthew 7:21 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A21&version=NIV

Matthew 7:22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A22&version=NIV

Matthew 7:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+7%3A23&version=NIV

Proverbs 21:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+21%3A13&version=NIV

Proverbs 30:24-28 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+30%3A24-28&version=NIV

Proverbs 30:25 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+30%3A25&version=NIV

Psalm 3:5-6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+3%3A5-6&version=NIV

Psalm 4:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+4%3A8&version=NIV

Psalm 23:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+23%3A1&version=NIV

Psalm 36:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+36%3A2&version=NIV

Psalm 66, 67 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+66%2C+67&version=NIV

Psalm 77:2; 88:2 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+77%3A2%3B+88%3A2&version=NIV

Psalm 83:1 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+83%3A1&version=NIV

Revelation 2:4 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+2%3A4&version=NIV

Revelation 5:6 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+5%3A6&version=NIV

Revelation 5:8 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+5%3A8&version=NIV

Revelation 5:11-12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+5%3A11-12&version=NIV

Revelation 7:9 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+7%3A9&version=NIV

Revelation 7:15-17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+7%3A15-17&version=NIV

Revelation 21-22 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21-22&version=NIV

Revelation 21:5 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+21%3A5&version=NIV

Romans 1:17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+1%3A17&version=NIV

Romans 6:3-10; Luke 9:23; Matthew 10:38 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A3-10%3B+Luke+9%3A23%3B+Matthew+10%3A38&version=NIV

Romans 6:23 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+6%3A23&version=NIV

Romans 8:31 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A31&version=NIV

Romans 8:37-39 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+8%3A37-39&version=NIV

Romans 10:14-15, 17 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+10%3A14-15%2C+17&version=NIV

Romans 14:10, 12 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+14%3A10%2C+12&version=NIV

Song of Solomon 2:14 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song+of+Solomon+2%3A14&version=NIV

Song of Solomon 8:13 - https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Song+of+Solomon+8%3A13&version=NIV


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