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 January Bible ReadingsHow to have a quiet time.
31st January 2009 "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." - Matthew 5:11 I believe that Jesus in this passage is trying to tell us that we need to face up to the fact that if you become a Christian, then inevitably somewhere in your life you will have to face one or more of the following; insults, persecution and false accusations. To anyone thinking about becoming a Christian this certainly will make them think again. You'd expect Jesus to be like some of today's evangelists who do their best to sell the good news and not put people off by the negative side of things. Jesus doesn't want people following him for the wrong reasons or with the wrong motives, so He spells out both the good and the bad. But tied up in this bad side of things is the good. Even in the midst of persecution, false accusations and insults, we are blessed. And blessing brings happiness, I think the Good News Bible translates the word as happy. Even now throughout the world people are being persecuted for believing in Christ. Here in the UK, we get more of the insults and false accusations, so we do not know the full cost of following Jesus as some do. But even at this level, some of us are tempted to give in and give up. For us the worst we get is to be misunderstood, maligned, and ostracized for standing up for Jesus in a day when He and His claims are becoming increasingly unpopular. Are we really blessed; happy; rewarded? None of us feels blessed or rewarded when they are marginalised or even martyred; unless you believe that this is not the only world you have. Temporary trouble here is put into perspective by the assurance that there will be eternal rewards in the world to come. If I think of my choice as between collapsing to the intimidation here and facing Jesus as a traitor to His cause or of being criticised here and welcomed as a loyal disciple in heaven, then I'll be ready to stick up for Jesus every time. (But I do not always think this way.) Lord God help me to remember that this is not the only world and to stand up for my faith and You each day. For one day, "at the name of Jesus every knee (will) bow . . . and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Philippians 2:10-11). Amen. Back to January Calendar 30th January 2009 "As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord" - Joshua 24:15 When we look around at what is happening in the world, the antics of our honourable Members of Parliament acting anything but honourably; the shootings around our cities; the greed that leads to people risking other peoples lives to steal millions of pounds, then we soon realise that we are a fallen world. Perhaps what is more shocking is not so much that people do these things, but that some people look at the antics of our 'celebrities' (the footballers, athletes and pop and film stars who behave badly) and still admire them and follow them. Those of us who are Christians, need to take this verse seriously and see to it that we are not influenced by the attitudes of the people around us. We can be easily led to think that since others are like that, then I will lose out if I do not act similarly. But God calls us to do something different and to stand for His values. That is what Joshua does here. Instead of looking around at the celebrities and famous people that we see in the news to be my example and 'hero', I have found that Jesus is the best hero to have. What he says is still so compelling, challenging, amazing, and worthy of admiration, following this hero is really an adventure. That is why I need to read the Bible regularly, I want to do things my way and mess things up, but when I do things Jesus' way, I may not necessarily be out of a mess, but it is not a mess of my causing, in fact it can be an adventure to see how Jesus gets us out of the 'mess' we are in because of following Him conscientiously. If only some more of these celebrities could come to know Christ like we do! It is so hard for them, because as soon as they do, then all eyes are on them, some hostile hoping that they would fall. On the radio this week someone was saying how they were fascinated by the lives of some of these celebrities and were particularly looking at the life of Britney Spears, noting that people love to see them succeed, but also in a strange way love to see their downfall too. Whether you do things rightly or wrongly, some people will want to see your downfall. If you are in the right, it can show up others as being not quite right and that is uncomfortable, so if you can knock the right person down a little, you do not feel so bad yourself. Maybe that is one of the reasons so many people are hostile to Jesus. Help me Lord to keep Philippians 4:8 in mind everyday. Next time I'm tempted to indulge in the 'toxic stuff' of this world, help me choose instead to feed my mind on things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy! Amen. Back to January Calendar 29th January 2009 " 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say I am?' " - Matthew 16:15 The people of Jesus day were waiting for the Messiah to come and free them from the oppression of living with the shame of being a despised minority under the tyrannical rule of Caesar. Caesar demanded hefty taxes and unflinching allegiance. The once- proud Israel was now a puppet servant state of a brutal and pagan empire. So people were beginning to wonder if Jesus would be the one to free them from this regime. I am not sure how much Peter understood when he answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." But he understood more than others, he realised that Jesus was the Son of God, not just a son as we are, but equal with God. Perhaps he too was still looking to Jesus to free them from the oppression of the Romans. We now know what Peter didn't know; that Jesus would be their victor on a far more significant level than a political one. As Joe Stowell says in his commentary, "Jesus came to overthrow the source of our problems, not the symptoms. Rome was merely the tool of Satan to defeat God's people and tarnish God's glory. Defeating Rome would have been a great accomplishment, but the enemy of our souls would have found another way to wage war against the people of God. So Jesus went head-to-head against Satan, engaged in battle on an old rugged cross, and after a three-day struggle with death rose victoriously from the grave to assure the final victory over the enemy of our souls." Thank you Jesus that since you are already the victor, we can stand. Even if we get knocked down we will not be knocked out as 2 Corinthians 4:9 assures us. Back to January Calendar 28th January 2009 "My son," the father said, "you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead, and is alive again; he was lost and is found" - Luke 15:31-32 For Jesus people were much more important than things or culture. He made the point here as he told this parable and showed that the father cared much more that the son had returned than the cost that he had caused him. The reaction of the older son was, "Why would the father be so happy that the son had come back when he had caused so much distress? The same is with the Pharisees and other religious leaders who were asking why Jesus would spend so much time with the down and outs of society and not spend more time with the so-called respectable people. Jesus replied with three parables highlighting a lost sheep, a lost coin, and then a lost son to show that God cared for the lost. He already had those who were not lost and was caring for them, but he wants all to come to have a restored relationship with him. The question is, "Do I have a heart for the people that God has a heart for, or would I prefer to spend my time with the respectable people who already know God?" Sometimes it is difficult in my situation, when most of my time is meant to be spent helping the believers that I do not have the time to spend to reach out the non-believers. Help me Lord to make time for all people for your sake and theirs, Amen. Back to January Calendar 27th January 2009 Luke 11:14-28 This is a difficult passage to get grips with. It seems to jump very quickly from one topic to another, though somewhat inter-related too. Though it deals with demons, it is really telling us something about the purpose of Jesus' ministry. Different people reacted differently to the exorcism of the demon in the mute man. Some were positive, whereas some were very negative. Exorcism in itself can be seen as an invitation to bring something better into your life. A demon is like a resident of a house who is guarding his possessions, but then someone stronger comes along, Jesus, and defeats the demon and takes the plunder. His success is an indication that he is working with God's power. If he is working with God's power, then you need to be on his side. There is no neutrality here, you are either for or against good; for or against God. Some people were obviously confused. They asked for a sign from heaven, as if driving out an evil spirit from someone was not a sign from heaven! At least the woman who was marvelling at the event and blessed Jesus' mother, realised that this was something from God. But the miracle was not the goal, the goal was to point to who Jesus was. If that person followed Jesus the stronger man, then he would be all right, but if he went on by himself, without establishing a relationship with Jesus, then he was open to having more demons come and spoil his life. We who have put our faith in Jesus, need to be thankful for the deliverance, but we also need to go beyond that. Deliverance is good, we are now made 'normal' and free, but also susceptible to having more 'demons' take over our lives, to avoid that we need to go on walking in a relationship with Christ. He ahs promised that to all who put their faith in Him, he will not forsake or leave. Lord, God, fill me with your Word and your Spirit to help me hear you and obey you everyday, Amen. Back to January Calendar 26th January 2009 Psalm 73 I guess at some time or other we all think about the good life. Maybe a small mansion somewhere with a servant or two to help look after things in a warm climate. Then sometimes when we look around and see the some of the kind of people who has this kind of life, like Asaph, we may start envying them for the material things that they have. Asaph realised that it is not necessarily the pure and good and righteous that get the good things of this material world, and his foot almost slipped into following them. We see this in verse 13. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure; in vain have I washed my hands in innocence. But Asaph had a better dream, a dream of being with God forever and that was much better than material wealth with iniquity. In verse 15, when tempted, Asaph remembered his obligation to the family of God and that to give up would have let them down badly. In verses 17-20, he regained his spiritual balance by visiting the temple, where he came to realise that the prosperity of the wicked was short-lived. Once he regained his spiritual balance, we can see the change it made in him, we just need to compare verses 1-3 with verses 18-20 and the verses 13-14 where he is in self-pity to the praise he experiences in verses 23-26. Lord God, help me, when tempted from time to time to envy the wealth of the wicked to think on your goodness to me, and discover anew how good it is to live near You and know that Your right hand is holding my left hand; Amen. Back to January Calendar 25th January 2009 "How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as He hears, He will answer you" - Isaiah 30:19 I really need this verse today, not because I am in any great trouble or anything, but because I am crying out to God for help just to concentrate. Sometimes I come to work and do the things that are necessary, but find it hard to be focussed and to get much done. Besides the essential things that need to be done today there are other things that really need some work, but I am just not finding it easy to sit down and do it. So Lord, Here I am about to take hold of the promise in the verse. Your word says that you are gracious and that you hear and answer when we cal out to you. And the expectation I get from this verse is that when we rely on you, you will help. This is not the kind of prayer that you say, "No!" to. It says that You will be gracious not might be gracious. But what about me! I am meant to learn how to be like you. There are people everyday all around us crying out for help. How can I help them? How can I be gracious to those who are calling for help? I know I cannot help everyone, but there are people within my spere of influence that I can help. Teach me to know what I can do to help those in need and when to do it. I still remember a time when we were in Taiwan and needed help, I calle don a friend to help out, knowing that if he were in the same situation I would go and help him, but he refused. It was such a disappointment, it made me really sad and I began to feel if this person was really a friend after all. help me Lord to be faithful and gracious, just like you are. Amen. Back to January Calendar 24th January 2009 "This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ" -Philippians 1:9-10 What is best? We need knowledge and depth of insight to be able to know what is best. What are the things that are going to count in this life? It is interesting that Paul writes that he wants our love to abound more in knowledge and depth of insight. Love for God and others is what God calls us to do. But this love has to be love that is pure and blameless. One commentary on this passage made this explanation of love: Thus the primary connotation of love is not "affection," as in the preceding phrase about Christ (Phil 1:8), but rather a sober kind of love that places high value on a person and actively seeks that person's benefit. This is what Paul now prays will abound ( be present in an abundant way) yet more and more among the Philippian believers. The rest of the prayer, after all, emphasizes love not as affection but as behaviour, behaviour that is both pure (stemming from right motives) and blameless (lacking offense). What counts then is what kind of relationships I have nurtured. How good a husband have I been? How good a friend have I been? What kind of neighbour have I been to those around me? What kind of friend have I been to those close to me? When I look back I see myself as having been faithful in most of those areas with most of the situations, but I also look with regret at some relationships that I have not held as dear as I should. Sometimes I make the excuse that those people let me down, so why should I be faithful to them? I let Jesus down, but He is always faithful to me. Lord give me more knowledge and depth of insight, so that I may be able to discern what is best and so that I may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. Back to January Calendar 23rd January 2009 "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 'The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness' " - Exodus 34:6 Many people when they read the Old Testament seem to think of God as somehow different from the New Testament presentation of Him. Here in this verse we see God stating the kind of God He really is, He is compassionate and gracious, He is not an easy person to anger, and he is full of love and faithfulness. God does not change, He always has been like this and always will be like this. It is important that we get our attitudes about God right. After all, it’s really hard to love and follow a God who is ruthless with His power and abusive in His relationships. The real God of the Old Testament by His actions and attitudes consistently exhibits a depth of grace in the face of the many deep offenses against Him and His law. We see this right from the beginning of the Old Testament when God had given Adam and Eve all that they could wish for and only gave them one thing that they should not do, yet they did that one thing. God could have been extremely harsh with them, killing them on the spot, but no, He let them live, but also let them live with the consequences of their sin; death came into this world and our world has been fallen ever since. God, did not leave us in our fallen state though, he stepped into this fallen world and provided a way for us to get a renewed relationship with Him. Jesus suffered for us so that we might not suffer, can you get more gracious than that? We offended God, but He took the punishment for it! Lord, God I want to learn from You. I try to live this principle of grace everyday, but do not always succeed. Help me always to be gracious to those around me, even those who hurt me or those who are Your enemies. Help me to know what is grace and what is standing up for right. When there is wrong help me to stand against it, but be gracious at the same time. Amen. Back to January Calendar 22nd January 2009 "God saw all that he had made, and it was very good." - Genesis 1:31 God's creation always makes me marvel. God saw it and said it was very good. Even in this fallen world we can still see so much of the wonder of God's creation, from the small detail to the vastness of the oceans and the sky. God put into his creation all that was needed. This was His provision for us, and He expects us to take care of this world. In a sense the world is a gift, and in another sense it is still God's and He has given us responsibility to take care of it. God's creation has been around since the beginning of time, and never ceases to make us marvel, which is quite a contrast to the things that we create. Some of the hi-tech inventions of ten years ago are considered outdated or useless today. We possibly marvelled at them when they first came out but now we do not take a second glance at them. Many of them have been thrown out in the bin, or nowadays sent to the recycling centre. This morning I went out early to walk and pray, there was a clear sky and a frost on the ground and cars. It was wonderful just to see God's world light up as the sun rose in the sky. I started my walk in the dark and finished it in the light. Lord, thank you for your creation. Lord God, Thank you for your creation. It makes us realise just how great and awesome you are. Amen. Back to January Calendar 21st January 2009 "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life" - Proverbs 4:23 Who I really am is not determined by the parts of my life that are open to public view. The real me is seen only in waht is inside of me. What have I hidden away in the depths of my heart determines who I really am. I think that is why the writer of this proverb says we should guard our hearts, not guarding in a sense that we do not let people know what we have hidden there, but guard it in the sense that only the things that God wants and only the things we would be happy for others to see is actually there. That is why I love to pray the prayer that David prays in Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart , O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." I need to pray this often, because I regularly allow things to get into my heart that should not be there. Some things, I do not even know why they turn up in my thought life at times, but wherever they come from, they need to be cleared out, so everyday is Spring cleaning day for me! What would happen if I opened up my heart to let anyone see what was there? Well, they would find things that I would prefer them not to see, but they would also find a heart that wanted to keep things in order for God, even though at times it gets a bit messy - a bit like my desk in the office. But most important of all, God knows all that is in my heart, as Psalm 139 lets me know. So nothing is hidden away from Him, and He still loves me. Lord, help me clear out the messy parts of my heart that I am ashamed you have to see all to often. But Lord, help me not just to clear it out now, but to keep it clean. "Create in me a pure heart , O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Back to January Calendar 20th January 2009 Luke 11:1-13 Here in Luke, we get an abbreviated form of the pattern we are to use for prayer that Matthew gives us more fully in his account. Luke, however is also giving us some additional material on the attitude of prayer. The balance is interesting. We have a HOLY God who is there in heaven ruling everything, and yet at the same time he is FATHER and this word is Abba which is not simply a formal name for father, but is the familiar term most people would translate as 'Daddy' in English. God is high and lifted up, but he is also close and caring as a true father ought to be. Thank you God that you are like that. No wonder Paul tells us in Ephesians that when we come to prayer we are seated in the heavens. We are in close communion with our heavenly HOLY Daddy! But also he is not just MY father he is OUR father, Jesus in teaching us to pray, draws us to the communal character of prayer. Yes, we pray alone, we pray as we go about our daily lives, but we meet together to bring our communal concerns and praise to God too. Verse 13 gives us the clue to how to look at the example of how to pray, because when we first look at this it seems that the more we implore God, the more likely He is to answer, but it is the contrast here, we might feel reluctant to help others out, but God is very willing to do what he can for us. So Lord, help me not to be shy in future about telling you what is on my heart. Lord God, forgive me for not praying enough, help me to be ready to forgive others quickly and help me to pray with boldness because you are our Daddy that loves to care for your children, Amen. Back to January Calendar 19th January 2009 Luke 10:38-42 Jesus shocked those around him by stating that a hated Samaritan could be more of a neighbour than some of the respected people in society. The key was not your status or position, but how you treat others and what kind of heart you have. Here Jesus shocks people again by accepting a woman as a pupil. This would have been unheard of in his time. In contrast to the man who was trying to do the minimum to get into heaven, we have here Martha who was working herself into a frenzy to serve Jesus and his companions with food and drink and getting more and more upset that Mary was not helping her. Martha is mad because Mary not helping her is making her more busy about the things that she thinks are important, so she tells Jesus to tell Mary to help her. Mary has not contributed much to the hospitality in serving refreshments, but she has the right attitude to listening to Jesus and paying attention to her guest. The one thing that is needed by the rich man is to focus on following Jesus. The one thing Martha needed to do was focus on following and listening to Jesus. They had to put aside their concerns and look to the concerns of the kingdom. Perhaps last year I was too focussed on trying to work on the distractions. Forgive me Lord and help me this year to focus on serving you as I should. Amen Back to January Calendar 18th January 2009 "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" - Psalm 139:14 Bill Gates, in the book The Road Ahead, stated: uman DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software ever created.?Our DNA has been there since the moment we were conceived, stipulating our hair colour, our heights, and the shape of our noses. God has provided the very building blocks of our genetic material with a level of sophistication and complexity that is infinitely beyond the imaginations of science's best and brightest minds. God's attention to detail and intriguing creativity is so powerful that it can even silence the most sceptical heart. David did not know about DNA, but he did know that God had created us in a marvellous way, and puts it to song in Psalm 139. He does not just praise God for creation, he gets personal, praising God for the way He made him. He says, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Not only does He recognise God in the great vastness of the heavens and the universe, but in the small and personal details too. This psalm is so comforting to those who know God as their personal saviour. We know that He has all our details and yet still He loves and cares for us and that because He knows us "right well," then we know that He will give us what is best for us in each of our circumstances. Those who do not know God as a friend could be intimidated by the fact that he knows every detail about them. It can even be frightening to think that there is someone out there that knows all that you do, have done, will do and why you did it! Think about it! There are 6000 million people here on earth and yet God cares for the individual. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made." He knows about me - every detail, amongst all the other things in the universe, and He cares too, that is wonderful. Lord God I praise You and thank You, because You are always there for me and You care. This is the testimony of my life so far, so I will trust you with the rest of it. Amen Back to January Calendar 17th January 2009 "Love your neighbour as yourself" - Mark 12:31 Jesus wants us to love God with all our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind and with all your strength, which leads us to love our neighbour as ourselves. To love God is to go out of our way for our neighbours. The love of neighbours is the root of the desire to go out and spread the Good News of Christ to others around the world. It is why we open our doors of our home and church to people from all over the world when they come to Liverpool, often to study but also to seek work. But the word neighbours is all inclusive. It does not just refer to people around us, but also to those very close to us; those people in our families and those we live and work with. Sometimes it is easy to show concern for 'neighbours' who are far afield,but harder to be neighbours to those who are close, because we have to live and rub shoulders with them everyday. Lord, thank you for all who give their time and energy to be neighbours to others, for those who go out and serve in difficult conditions to bring Your love to others, and also give me love for all my neighbours, so that I can draw them to know you better, Amen. Back to January Calendar 16th January 2009 "You are the light of the world.?Let your light shine before men" Matthew 5:14-16 Many people profess to be atheists or decide not to become Christians, because of what they see in the lives of those who profess to be Christians. Very many people will not look in the Bible or take the time to find out about certain religions, but they will look at the lives of those who profess to belong to one or another religion. They tell me that if the Christians did not seem to believe in Jesus' teachings, then why should they. They need to realise that not everyone who claims to be a Christian is one, and that the truth of Christ does not rise or fall on the claims of his professed followers, but on Jesus himself. We who call ourselves Christians however need to live out our lives as close as we can to Jesus' teaching. We do this in the strength that He provides us by the Holy Spirit. Whenever we do not live according to Christ's teaching, we possibly turn people away from trusting Christ and gaining eternal life and a reltionship with God, which is what we believe we were made for. Father God, open up my life and test me, show me where there may be any areas where I am not living as you would have me live and give me strength to make those changes; I want to be a light to Your World, Amen Back to January Calendar 15th January 2009 "To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, ‘If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free’ " - John 8:31-32 For many people today, there is the belief that there is no absolute truth; that what is right for me may not necessarily be right for someone else. Now when it comes to everyday choices that might be true. For example, if I am allergic to milk, then it is not going to be a right decision for me to eat cheese, but it may be the3 best thing for someone else. But when it comes to what is right and wrong morally there needs to be a standard, or else there will be problems living together. If it is okay for me to steal from my neighbour but my neighbour has to respect my property, that will lead to many problems. People who argue that there are no absolutes are would not be so happy if our material world did not run on absolute truths. If one day the gas you burnt to do your cooking produced a lot of heat and the next it barely did anything, there would be a lot of miserable people out there. Not knowing what is true and what is not every day that you wake up would be very frustrating. It is the same with the moral law, we have to respect it too. If we ignore the physical laws, like gravity and mathematics, then we very soon get into difficulties. The problem with the moral law is that if we break it, the immediate consequences might even seem to be pleasant. In fact we usually break the moral law of the Bible simply for selfish reasons, to gratify ourselves in some way, so naturally the immediate consequence seem good, but the long-term consequences are disastrous. Perhaps another reason people decide that there is no absolute moral value, is that then they are completely in control of their lives and consequently do not need a saviour, there is no heaven and no hell. The Bible makes it clear that there is a moral law and we have all broken it and need a saviour, because both heaven and hell are realities. Even though I believe in the truth of the Bible, there are times that I do not live according to that truth, and consequently I suffer. Lord help me to be consistent in my life and so bring glory to your name. Back to January Calendar 14th January 2009 "You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" Luke 12:40 Quite often things happen in the political world, that make us wonder about when Christ will return. Every now and then a book will come out and say that the end of the world will be at a a certain time of a certain year. I never pay much attention to such books as Jesus told us that no man knows when the day will be. Actually we should live every day as though this were our last day here. What a day that will be! Jesus will return to take me home, and I will at last see Him face-to-face! If I really lived liked this, then how differently would I treat people; how eager would I be to share the gospel with friends and relatives and even neighbours and people I met in the street? I'd want to clear up past offenses and live to be really pure and ready. As Jesus said in Luke 12, “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home . . . . Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes” (vv.35-37 ESV). Joe Stowell suggests the following four habits of our hearts that keep us fixed on heaven:
If I lived like this, then there would be people I would call and relationships I would work on. I would pray more and be talking to God about the future more. I'd certainly want to tell more people about God and heaven. Lord, help me to live with a heavenly perspective. Back to January Calendar 13th January 2009 Luke 10:25-37 Most people who regularly attend evangelical churches are past the stage where they want to test Jesus, like many of the Pharisees and Sadducees were doing. Though perhaps there was a time when we were just like them, we have passed that stage and perhaps are more like this man who was trying to justify himself. One way of recognising this is when you find yourself saying or thinking, "What is truth?" "Who are the people I am I should think of as neighbours?" "Who should I send Christmas cards too; after all X did not send us one last year?" This man really was not asking Jesus how many people he should love, but how few and still be counted as a follower of Jesus! It is a bit like asking "What is the minimum score I need to pass this exam?" That is the wrong question. We need to ask ourselves, "How best can I glorify God in this exam or work or family or church etcetera?" If we concentrate on trying hard to build up different Christian characteristics, we will most likely fail. We build characteristics like generosity, hospitality and helps, by focusing on others and focusing on Jesus. The difference between the Samaritan in the story and the others, was one of attitude and this influenced his action. Lord, help me to love You, with all my heart and soul and strength and mind; amen. Back to January Calendar 12th January 2009 Luke 10:17-24 This is such an encouraging passage. So often we read of Jesus asking his disciples why they have such little faith or rebuking them in some other way, but here we see joy. We see the joy of the disciples when they know the power of God working through them to bless others. We see Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit and praising God. I wonder if others feel like I do at times. I try to do my best to serve God, and what I actually achieve is so small, at least in my eyes, and sometimes I even feel that the result is the opposite of what I was trying to achieve!! But Jesus joy and love for me is not based on what I do or do not achieve or on my excuses. This passage shows that He is pleased even with the small victories we have for the kingdom of God. Our obedient submission can be enough to make Him glad. I need also to learn to praise God more. We often pray more in times of difficulty, but here they were joyfully praying because of what God has done. Perhaps next time someone tells me something is going right, I should tell them I will pray for them! Back to January Calendar 11th January 2009 "Now Naomi had a relative on her husband's side, from the clan of Elimelech, a man of standing, whose name was Boaz" - Ruth 2:1 Praise God for a good night's sleep, I am not always blessed with this. It has been a strange day today, I worked from home in the morning and then went to church for the lunchtime prayer meeting. While at church I received a phone call from one of the believing asylum seekers who was very concerned for a friend of his who was influenced greatly by the Jehovah's Witnesses. He was also worried that his friend was possessed, because he acted strange at times. He brought him to Liverpool, and I met him in a supermarket! Well, this friend of the asylum seeker did not really want to talk, so I just prayed for him there and he left. Later he telephoned me and talked very fast in Mandarin, confusing me with what he said at times, but his main point was that he did not want to come to church and he was happy to find his own way to God by reading the Bible and going to the Jehovah's Witness's meeting. There was little else I could do but pray for him. I stayed at church and worked there until dinner time. After dinner I worked on my Mandarin sermon for Sunday. Tomorrow I will be away most of the day looking at a campsite for our Easter Conference. In the notes for today, it was brought out that some people seemed to be blessed with all sorts of wealth and talents, but do not use it to help others, rather use it to benefit themselves even more. In contrast Boaz, although he had a lot. he also was willing to give of his wealth. He used what he had to help others and honour God, in a time when many others would not have done so. He was also someone who welcomed foreigners. He welcomed Ruth, even though she was not a Jewish person. Eventually marrying her. How generous am I with the gifts that God has given me? There are people all around who need help. Lord lead me to the ones that you would have me help. Particularly the asylum seekers and students from overseas who I have contact with, help to know how best I can help them. Back to January Calendar 10th January 2009 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him" - Hebrews 11:6 Joe Stowell gives us this example of faith: One of my mental pictures of faith in action is the memory of my two-year-old grandson, Silas, shivering by the side of a swimming pool, looking eagerly at his dad in the water. His dad is calling to him from only about two inches away, "Go ahead, Silas, jump!" In that moment Silas faces a major crisis of faith. Can he trust that his dad is powerful enough to catch him if he jumps in? And does he trust that his dad’s character is good—that he will keep his promise to catch him? After a moment of contemplation, Silas acts on his faith, jumping into his dad’s arms! Giggling, he’s ready to climb back out and do it again . . . and again . . . and again!
That’s what faith is. It’s putting your belief and trust in something or somebody outside of yourself, and then acting on that belief. Think about the examples given in Hebrews 11. Back to January Calendar 9th January 2009 "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body" - Ephesians 4:251:6 The Bible tells us that God is truth and He does not lie. We are told to be imitators of God and so Live our lives as in the same way. How often do we not tell the whole truth or just tell a complete lie to protect ourselves or to protect someone close to us? I know I have done this in the past, and felt so guilty afterwards. My principle in life is to be as open an honest as I can be with all people. This however does not mean that I will betray confidences, at least not on purpose) If I feel I cannot tell someone something that they are asking me, then usually I will tell them that I cannot or that I will not tell them. That way I can keep my integrity. As a pastor I need to be committed to truth, and so in the way I do things and the way I assist the church, I seek to keep that principle too. It can be hard, when what a church has always done is not according to biblical principles, or only partially. Then gently bringing people to see that we need to follow Scripture and not our own way needs a lot of wisdom and tact. Lord, help me to be honest in all my words and ways, so that Your church will be glorified. Back to January Calendar "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it" - 1 Corinthians 10:13 When Matthew and James were small we used to go for walks in the mounts around Hengchun in south Taiwan. There was one hill we used to go on quite regularly, which we named 'goat mountain' as there were several goat farms there. It started with a very steep incline and then levelled off towards the top. Inevitably one of them would get tired. I usually would encourage them to rest a bit before going further, but I knew that it was too much for them so I would pick them up in turns and help them to get to the top, where things were much easier. Just as earthly fathers know just how much their children can take, and will be on hand to help their children out when things are too much for them, our heavenly father knows just how much we can cope with the trials and temptations that come our way. God does not let us be tempted more than we can bear. He will always make a way out for us. Praise God for that. On our walks, I would try to get the boys to walk a bit further each time before they needed me or Sook to give them some help. And so after time they were able to walk all the way up to the top without any help and eventually do the whole walk there and back. I believe that God does similar things with us, and so will stretch us, when we cope with so much, then he takes us a step further, but only for our benefit as we learned when we looked at James 1:4 a few days ago. There were of course times on our walks when one or other of the boys (or both) would complain. And we are like that too. We ask God why He would allow certain things to happen. We tell Him that a loving God would not let us go through such difficulties. Thoughts like this often come when we are drained and tired. But God is NOT like that, He cares for us. In the Old Testament, one of his names in Jehovah Jireh which means Our Provider. God will always provide enough strength for the difficulties that come our way. At the end of last year I was feeling a little like this, so many difficulties, and so many questions as to what God wanted, but He has lifted my spirit up and once again I am living in hope and trust that He will perform yet more miracles and His name will be glorified in my life and in Liverpool Chinese Gospel Church Back to January Calendar 7th January 2009 "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God" - 1 Corinthians 10:31 Visiting Hampton Court, Joe Stowell (in today's Bible notes)marvelled at the beautiful gardens and thought about how the gardener who designed and maintained it under the authority of King Henry did it to bring pleasure to the king and to create beauty that would bring the king honour and glory in the eyes of every guest who was entertained at Hampton Court. The gardener for King Henry and the follower of Christ have something in common, except for the fact that our King is the King of kings! We have been chosen to manage the 'gardens' of our lives in ways that bring pleasure and glory to our King, Jesus. Imagine the shame that would be brought to the King and to the gardeners, if that garden was left to allow all sorts of weeds to infest and overgrow it. If certain plants were not kept in order and in their allocated places. As Christians we need to guard and tend the gardens of our lives, so that when people look on us they would see the beauty of a Christ-led life and smell the fragrance of the flowers that bring in time the fruit of the spirit. Lord God, You know that there are a few weeds in my garden that need pulling out and that my life does not always bring glory to you. I want to put these things right, give me the strength and determination to pull out the leads and nurture plants that will bring fruit that will glorify you every day of my life. Amen. Back to January Calendar 6th January 2009 Luke 10:1-16 Here Jesus sends out the disciples again, but this time with 72 others. Here though they are not going to places in Jesus stead; they are going to places that Jesus was about to visit personally. Quite possibly they were to identify which places would be hospitable to his coming, and inhospitable places would probably not receive a visit from the Lord. (10-12, 16). The kingdom of God was drawing near. Yesterday's passage showed them ready to call down fire from heaven, but in today's passage they are just told to wipe off the dust from their feet, as a testimony against inhospitable people and as a sign of coming judgement. Inflicting judgement and announcing judgement are from a different spirit as Jonah's ministry to Nineveh shows us. Our job as we go about today is to concentrate on the mercy and grace that God offers, not like Job wishing to call down the judgement reserved for those who will not repent. Some people are not ready to hear the gospel when we try to give it, but still we should say to those who disagree with us that the kingdom of God is near. Help us in our church to bring the message of Good News to those around us, help us to know just how to win a hearing ear from the people we have contact with and the people you have put living around our church, because it is GOOD News. I guess there will still be a sort of shaking off the dust from our shoes as we do this, in that we should concentrate on those who are receptive and wait for another day when perhaps the unreceptive become receptive. Help us Lord to know which is which! Amen Back to January Calendar 5th January 2009 “As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, "Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went to another village. As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head." He said to another man, "Follow me." But the man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God." Still another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-bye to my family." Jesus replied, "No-one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God." - Luke 9:51-62. This passage challenges us with where our loyalties lie. Are we more loyal to Christ and our Christian beliefs or to our family or friends or our culture with its values and priorities? The obligation of a son to bury his father was an important part of honouring one's parents. To say goodbye to your family doesn't seem unreasonable. Even Elijah reluctantly allowed Elisha to say good bye to his people. Jesus demands that we do not compromise our loyalty. He is not just another prophet, He is the one who brought in a new era; an era with a new set of priorities and demands. The time was not right for Him to bring judgment on this world; that will come later. Our actions in this new era are connected with what will happen at the judgment. How loyal am I to Christ? If I had to make a choice in serving Christ, or honouring my family, which would come first. Or what about my loyalties to my friends, would I put aside commitment to Christ to be accepted by them, or would I stand up for my beliefs and be committed to Christ? Without a concrete example it is hard to know. I like to think that I would stand with Christ, but when the situation arose, would I? Lord help me to follow you above all things and above all other relationships. Amen. Back to January Calendar 4th January 2009 "Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" - James 1:4 Joe Stowell commenting on this verse gave this illustration that I think is both interesting and helpful: "In Cornwall, England, you can visit a place called The Eden Project. The Eden Project attempted to build the perfect environment in which plants and trees could flourish. Obviously named for the Garden of Eden, this collection of “biomes,” huge domes, provide a tightly monitored atmosphere with a perfect temperature range and humidity. There are no insects and there is no pollution. What more could a tree want? But there was a problem. After this wonder of science was built, the scientists on the project noticed something strange. The leaves on the big trees were beginning to wilt and the branches were starting to droop. Puzzled, they consulted a tree expert. After studying the situation, he reported, “Your problem is that there is no wind in the environment. It’s the wind that pushes and moves the tree fibres forcing the nutrients and moisture to be drawn up from the ground. Trees need the stress of the wind or they won’t thrive!” How much is that like our lives? A lot! James tells us that we should rejoice when trials and temptations come our way. This seems ludicrous to us at first, because the last thing that we would like to have in our lives are these things. But just like the trees need the wind to help them grow and mature, we too need the stresses of everyday life to help us grow too. Jesus also promises us that he will not put us in any situation where we will not have the resources to stay firm, because he is always with us. Too often we want to have an easy life, none of these trials and temptations and problems that seem to come on a regular basis, and we try to shield ourselves from them. I am not saying that we should go around looking for problems, and less still saying that we should put ourselves in problem situations in order to grow, but I'm saying that we (I) should look at the positive side of these things much more than we (I) normally do. We cannot take ourselves out of the trials that come to us in life, we cannot make our own little cocoon to shelter us from all that would try to influence and we shouldn't. James says when trials come our way, not if trials should come our way. It is all part of God's plan to make us grow more like him and be reliant on his provision rather than our own resources. So what trials am I going through at the moment? A year ago it was getting used to a new co-worker who thinks quite differently from me and may have a different theological stance from me, but then I guess I am his trial in this matter too  . Lord, build your church, despite the workers! Praise God that I have a good team of lay workers to support and pray for me and to share with. Help me to value them, they are as precious as the wisdom we talked about on 2 January. 3rd January 2009 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” - 2 Corinthians 5:17
What a great promise this is! Anyone can be in Christ, if they repent of their sins and believe in Him. If we accept Him to be our Lord and Saviour, he will free us from the grip of all the wrong things that controlled us in our lives before, things like lying and deceit and immorality. The old has passed away. The new has come, we are a new creation. Some might ask, then why is it that since I became a Christian, I still find that I do things that I am ashamed of or if not ashamed of, things that I know are contrary to God's will? At that time, I would say it is because we have not let Christ control us. We are 'works in progress,' So as a new creation, what are the things that Christ has already made new in my life? My values have changed, things that I would not have considered wrong or unhelpful, are being eliminated from my life. My desire to please Him, more than please myself has grown. Christians do not belong to this world, but every day we come across situations, the media, films, television, papers and magazines, all openly or subtly trying to change our values to worldly values rather than Godly ones. Help us to know Lord, what is your view on each matter that affects our lives today, and so live accordingly this new life You have given us. Back to January Calendar 2nd January 2009 “For wisdom is more precious than rubies, and nothing you desire can compare with her” Proverbs 8:11 Yeah, okay, I read my Bible each day and that tells me that wisdom is found in God's word, but how much do I desire it, over say perhaps wealth? Wisdom is much more precious than wealth. For one thing, other people can take your wealth away from you, but they can never take your wisdom away from you. Even if you pass wisdom onto someone else, you still retain it yourself. Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on this says, "The will of God is made known by the works of creation, and by the consciences of men, but more clearly by Moses and the prophets. The chief difficulty is to get men to attend to instruction. Yet attention to the words of Christ, will guide the most ignorant into saving knowledge of the truth. Where there is an understanding heart, and willingness to receive the truth in love, wisdom is valued above silver and gold." So each day as I read the words of Christ, please guide me as I feel at times I am among the most ignorant . Also give me an understanding heart and a willingness to receive truth in love. "A life lived to reveal the brilliance of His glory happens one choice at a time. And you’ll know that you are on the right track when at the verge of every choice, you check in with God to get His perspective and then proceed to chisel away the rough edges according to what is truly wise ... When you start living by the precious wisdom of God, there is indeed nothing that can compare! His wisdom will chip away the grit and grime from your life and begin the process of changing you into a priceless gem that radiates His spectacular glory—which, by the way, is your brilliance factor." More precious than rubies; rubies do not come out of the ground with all their beauty and radiance, they need working on to bring out their glory. Heavenly Father, wisdom, like the radiance of rubies, is not gained overnight, it needs to be mined from Your Word Lord God, so help me to mine it well and then may my life bring glory and radiance for you and to those around. Amen. Back to January Calendar 1st January 2009 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” 2 Timothy 4:7 I try to read a portion of the Bible and meditate on it every day. This year I have decided to follow some readings by Joe Stowell and this is the verse for today. In his comments he asks, "Do you ever wonder what kind of legacy you’ll leave behind?" I have to confess that I very rarely think about his question. I often think about how I can serve better, how I can help the church improve, but I do not think so often about the legacy I am leaving. It takes me back to January 2006, when our elder, Lord Michael Chan died. So many people spoke of how his life had influenced them and left a lasting impression. Will my life leave a good and lasting impression on my family members, such that they will be encouraged to serve God and the community He puts them in such a way that they too will leave a postive legacy, preferably even better than the one I leave?
As Paul thinks over his life, he says that he fought the good fight. Living the Christian life here on earth is not all plain sailing. There are often battles to be fought and difficult situations to be dealt with and Paul knew them all. Am I ready to fight those good battles when they come or will I want to retreat into my own comfortable lifestyle instead? I am determined to follow Christ (and Paul) in this, but I can only do it in the strength that God provides, just as Paul did. So each morning I need to put on the spiritual armour that Paul tells us about in Ephesians. I need to be running the race to win, putting off all that hinders and the sins that entangle (Hebrews 12:1). And, it means that in every situation I want my attitudes, my words, and my actions to be loyal and true to Jesus. Paul told the Philippians, “Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14), so help me to do the same, Lord. The great thing is that each day we can start with a clean slate, our past sins can be forgiven and we can get grace from Him to face what lies ahead. Thank you Lord. "In 1722, Jonathan Edwards drew up a list of 70 resolutions, dedicating himself to live in harmony with God and others. The following resolutions give a picture of the serious purpose with which Edwards approached his relationship with God. He resolved: • To do whatever is most to God’s glory. • To do my duty, for the good of mankind in general. • Never to do anything, which I should be afraid to do, if it were the last hour of my life. • To study the Scriptures steadily, constantly, and frequently. • To ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year if I could possibly have done better. • Until I die, not to act as if I were my own, but entirely and altogether God’s." Help me Lord to live by such principles, so that I might leave a lasting positive legacy, Amen. Back to January Calendar
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