But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone. For I envied the proud when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness. Psalm 73:2-3
Here was a man confused by something in the world around him; in this particular case he was confused and upset because of the number of people who had apparently rejected God yet still seemed to prosper with healthy bodies and bank accounts. And he, and the people around him, asked the question, “Does the Most High even know what’s happening?”
There are many things people question in the society around us. One such question that seems to be cropping up frequently these days is whether or not we should have the anti-Covid vaccination. Arguments abound about risks. About the shortened length of testing time. Social media is awash with fake news and conspiracy theories, all adding to the general confusion. And then thoughts about the ethics of it all emerge to further muddy the waters of discussion, if that was even possible. Unfortunately a specific answer to this question is not something that we can find in the Bible. And if we turn to the internet to find out the answer, we end up even more confused than before.
Further on in Psalm 73, the psalmist wrote these verses: “Yet I still belong to You; You hold my right hand. You guide me with Your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. Whom have I in heaven but You? I desire You more than anything on earth. My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever.”
In spite of his dilemma, the psalmist was able to put his hand into God’s and, in faith and trust, receive counsel that put his mind at rest. And it is the same for all of us. We have the same opportunity to snuggle into God and feel His heartbeat, and hear the answer to our earthly questions.
God may not give us a specific answer but I’m sure He will help us make the right decision. If we let Him.
What is happening now has happened before, and what will happen in the future has happened before, because God makes the same things happen over and over again.Ecc 3:15
Ecclesiastes is not the “go to” book you pick up when you are looking for encouragement. But it has some real gems within it, as the verse today shows. Who would have thought, this time last year, that the world would be ravaged by a viral pandemic? Of course, we have had pandemics before, even more deadly than Covid, though thankfully not in living memory. So many will ask why God has allowed another one. It is His prerogative, as the verse above records, for God to repeat things again and again. One day perhaps we’ll get the opportunity to ask Him why.
We head into a new year, probably facing into more months of lockdowns, masks, social distancing, economic woes, limited church functions and so on, but it is how we set the angle of our spiritual sails that will determine how we get through it. If we keep our sails down and stay in our metaphorical ports, then 2021 may be a hard year for us, harder than it need be. But as we unfurl our sails, weigh the anchor, and allow the wind of God, His ruach, to blow us into the New Year and beyond, we will find new opportunities waiting for us. We read above that, “God makes the same things happen over and over again“, so why shouldn’t He allow revival, a new awakening, to be repeated in the coming year. Or perhaps healings, miracles, salvations, marriages and families restored, financial stability returned. Perhaps this is the year that you will receive an answer to those prayers for family members. But I’m sure that as we allow His Spirit to blow us into an exciting year of opportunity, then amazing things, “Beyond all we ask or imagine” will happen. The transition from 2020 to 2021 is almost upon us – is that a wind I can hear blowing in the rigging?
Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matt 22:37-40
Jesus was asked for His opinion about the greatest commandment. And what He said was recorded in the verses above. At Christmas time there is a danger that God and neighbours somehow disappear in the excesses of presents and pudding, in the turkey and tinsel. Around where I live there are lonely people. People who, probably for the first time ever, are on their own this Covid-blighted Christmas. No company except perhaps a pet, or the television in the corner. Let us not forget them this Christmas. Whether we are on our own or in company, perhaps there is something we can do to bring a smile to their faces, a memory to sustain them through a lonely day. And, of course, we mustn’t forget our wonderful Father in heaven, and His Son, Jesus, “the reason for the season”. Remember that God is always there for us with His message of hope.
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14a The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. John 14:29. Jesus answered: …..“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father….”
Words. We use them constantly. Written, spoken, in our thoughts. Emailed, texted, whatsApp’d, phone calls, conversations person to person. Different languages, different expressions. There is an almost unlimited number of ways in which we communicate using words. But the problem with words is that they can mean different things to different people. For example, the word ‘Home’ might mean a place of warmth and love for some people, but a place of abuse for others. The word ‘God’ might mean a loving Heavenly Father to some, but is a swear word for others. So how can God communicate with us about who He really is in a way that cannot be misinterpreted? 2000 years ago He came up with a way, a breath taking solution, universal and eternal in its scope and consequences. God wanted to communicate His love for mankind in a way that was unambiguous, that would be so radical that it would put on record forever everything we need to know about Him. And He did it by sending His only Son Jesus, who not only showed how much God loved us, but who ultimately would die for our sins, enabling all those who believe in Him to be with God forever as His children. Jesus is the Way and the Word who is God.
He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.’ Psalm 46:10
Dean Woods
A cold and frosty start to the day. Deep within West Fife’s Dean Woods, the saplings stood stoically, enduring the chill that penetrated through to their core. All was still. Not even a breath of air ruffled the remaining leaves clinging tightly to the branches above. I looked around, surveying the dead and dying vegetation. The quietness was only disturbed by the distant traffic on the A907. A wood pigeon gently cooed nearby. A dog barked in the distance. I paused and waited for God to speak. And He did – He reminded me of the Scripture we read today.
The world around us is frantically trying to find a way through this pandemic fog. Society is riven with worries and anxieties, not knowing what the future holds. And yet our loving Heavenly Father says “Be still and know…”. And I can feel safe and reassured in that. With His arms around me, whispering in my ear, “Be still and know…”. And I was reminded of the old hymn that says, as I look up into His face, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim”. What an amazing God we worship.
If that’s a word for anyone today, please get in touch.
As Christians we must all have our stories ready. You know, just a few words, thoughts, experiences, perhaps ideas, that we have ready, moulded into a story, or testimony should you prefer that word, so that we are ready to share how the grace of God has made a difference in our lives. We may have different stories, one for sharing with our Christian brothers and sisters, and our families, and another for sharing with someone outside of the family of God, someone who He brings into our lives “for just a time as this”. I have several stories in the back of my mind. One describes how I came to have a personal relationship with God in the first place. How I laughably tried to work out how I could be saved by myself before I came to the point where I had to ask God to reveal Himself to me. And graciously that is what He did. But that was over 40 years ago. I have another story of how God healed my daughter, Tricia. She ended up in hospital with a rare form of encephalitis, but in spite of the medics telling us it wouldn’t end well, with a prognosis of death or severe brain damage, God miraculously healed her. And she went on to get married, give us two wonderful grandchildren, go to university as a mature student, gaining an honours degree, and is still with us today, a walking miracle. But that was over 30 years ago. And I have yet another story of how God kept me, my two grandchildren, and two foster children, safe in a small boat, as we made a hazardous sea crossing, in a storm that blew up very quickly. But that was 15 years ago.
Old stories about how wonderful God is are great. Nothing wrong with them. In fact, it is always worth going over these old stories in our minds because they will build up our faith when the Christian journey is hard and heavy going. But it is much better if we also have new and fresh stories. About what God is doing, or has been doing, in our lives this week, yesterday, even today. Over the past few days God has been revealing some stuff to me from the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus in John 3. And some of this revelation I’m weaving into another story. And in my morning prayer walks I keep my spiritual eyes and ears open for something from God. Something that will be the basis for another story. Of course, there will be days when all seems black and the heavens made of brass, but that is when our old stories will help us get through the fog. And the stories shared with us by a Christian brother or sister may just turn out to be a word in season.
I love the story of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5. Remember the one, where Jesus cast out from him a legion of demons and sent them into a herd of pigs, which promptly ran over a cliff into the sea and drowned? Well, the locals couldn’t cope with Jesus, so they asked Him to leave them. But the now-healed man, clothed and in his right mind, begged Jesus to take him with Him. And we pick up the story in verse 19. “But Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’ So, the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” What a story he had to tell! And if you’re feeling sorry for the Jewish owners of the herd, they shouldn’t have been keeping pigs anyway.
But in all this, our biggest and best story or testimony is the way we live our lives. Someone once said, “If you were brought to court charged with being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you.” Ouch! The way we live our lives will impact the friends and neighbours around us. Do they see us as people always moaning, full of negative opinions about anything topical? For example, how are we reacting to the Covid restrictions? Are we full of doom and gloom and anti-government rhetoric? Or are we using this time to show our community that there is a totally different perspective once God is present in the conversation.
Here’s a couple of quotes about our stories, our testimonies.
“What God is bringing you through at this very moment will be the testimony that will bring someone else through. No mess, no message.”
And one from Billy Graham, “The unbelieving world should see our testimony lived out daily because it just may point them to the Saviour.”
In Numbers chapter 21 there is the story about a bronze snake that appeared in the Israelites’ journey from Egypt towards the Promised Land. Just six verses.
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
It’s a sad story in a way. After the Israelite nation, probably numbering about two and a half million people, had left Egypt, God directly fed them with a food they called manna, which contained all the minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins required for life. But here they are in the middle of the desert, having a good old moan because they were fed up with the same food, day in, day out. They had lost sight of the miracle – I calculate that God probably supplied them with over 100 billion meals during their 40 year journey to the promised land. What a miracle! But nevertheless they moaned and had the audacity to focus their lack of gratitude on God. So as we read on, it says the Lord sent poisonous snakes among them. Many Israelites were bitten and died from the snake bites. There was no antidote until the point when they realised that they had sinned by their lack of gratitude to God. Following prayer, Moses made a bronze snake at the Lord’s command and mounted it on a pole. Furthermore, the Lord said that if anyone looked at the bronze snake, in faith for God’s gracious provision, they could then be healed.
But let’s fast forward to the conversation Jesus had with Nicodemus. Remember him? The Pharisee who came to see Jesus by night? Anyway, in the conversation, as recorded in John 3, Jesus made the prophetic statement, “14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.” Jesus was telling Nicodemus that the prophetic event in Numbers 21 was going to be fulfilled. And soon.
The serpent on the pole represented the judgment of God that Jesus took in place of us. To the Israelites, the serpent on the pole was salvation from the snakes on the ground. Gazing on it for them was to believe that this bronze serpent would save them from their sin against God. And God graciously healed all those who came to Him in faith.
In this pandemic season we are not being being plagued by snakes but instead by a particularly nasty virus. Straight away, I should say that I am not advocating that someone should make an image of the Covid virus and stick it on a pole, so that everyone who is sick can be healed by looking at it. Even if that would be nice. I’m also not saying that the virus has been sent by God as a punishment for man’s sin, though, for all I know, that might be the case. But we do know about Jesus. We do know that about 1400 years after the bronze snake in the wilderness event, God decided that He would give His only Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for our sins so that whoever looks at Him believing, and in faith and true repentance will receive forgiveness. This was a one-off, never to be repeated, act of love and grace. We read in the next few verses in John, 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.
In the story about the poisonous snakes in the wilderness, God didn’t answer the Israelite’s prayer to take the snakes away. Instead He gave them a remedy for their sin. I’m sure many prayers have been lifted up to God, to take away this virus, but it’s still here with us. But as we gaze at the Cross, believing in faith and true repentance, we too will receive a remedy for our sin, but, even more, we will receive the right, through God’s grace, to spend eternal life with Jesus. In this Covid season, let’s refocus. Let’s lift our eyes up from the social restraints, lockdowns and restrictions imposed upon us by secular politicians, no matter how unjust we think they are or persecuted we feel, and instead focus on Jesus and His cross. For He has the words of eternal life. Through Jesus lies the remedy for our sin. And, by the way, we will find no traces of a pandemic in Heaven.
We had a walk the other day around Gartmorn Dam in Clackmannanshire, Scotland. A three mile or so walk. A challenge for some but just a stroll for others. Our overweight Westie did some huffing and puffing at times but even he made it, although he made straight for the dog water dish before collapsing for a sleep at the Visitor Centre, when we finally arrived. A cup of tea and a scone were very welcome!
While other communities in our country’s urban sprawls struggle with finding any space without people to relax in, we in rural, and semi-rural, Scotland have had plenty of opportunities to get out in the open air and this has no doubt helped both the Covid infection rates and our mental health.
But one thing touched me during the walk, and that was that there were several family groups out for a walk. Young and old. Large and small. Having fun together, chatting, laughing, enjoying the whole experience of family life in a beautiful setting, the lake on one side and mixed woodland on the other.
God is right into families. He wants a big family, and we, amazingly, have the opportunity to join His. Ephesians 1:5 says, “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” And Jesus is our elder Brother – it says in Hebrews 2:11, “So now Jesus and the ones he makes holy have the same Father. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them his brothers and sisters“.
There’s plenty of room in God’s family for more of us. It doesn’t matter how old we are, or what race we are from. It doesn’t matter what mistakes we have made, or sins we have committed. Through Jesus, God welcomes everyone regardless. If there is anyone reading this today who wants to be part of God’s family, please get in touch and we can help you choose the most important step you will ever take. You’ll never regret it. In this life or the next.
In these times of lockdown and social distancing, there is an unfortunate side effect that is particularly hard on single people. I’m talking about a loving touch or a friendly hug. A handshake or a high-five. A person to person contact that somehow communicates our feelings beyond what can be achieved through words. Sadly, even when we’re out and about, face masks obscure that part of the face that we rely on so much for feedback and spoken words. So the sense of isolation for people who live on their own must be very real and debilitating.
We have a kind and loving God who delights in touching people. Jesus went through the communities in Palestine always willing and ready to touch those people desperate for healing. For example, in Matthew 8 we read of the occasion when Jesus touched a man with leprosy. Jesus was out and about and, “Suddenly, a man with leprosy approached him and knelt before him. “Lord,” the man said, “if you are willing, you can heal me and make me clean.” Jesus reached out and touched him. “I am willing,” he said. “Be healed!” And instantly the leprosy disappeared. Jesus committed a hugely significant act – in those days you kept well away from people with leprosy because it was such a contagious and horrible disease. He could have just said the word, and the man would have been healed. But He touched him, demonstrating love as well as healing. What a loving Saviour!
In these Covid times we may be restricted from touching those around us, but God isn’t. If we know a lonely person today, let’s pick up the phone or pay a socially distanced visit, doing whatever it takes to connect. And if you are a lonely person reading this today please contact us and we’ll introduce you to the wonderful Saviour who delights in touching people. You’ll never regret it.
Can I ask you a personal question this morning? During the lockdown, did you add a few pounds to your weight? Or kilos if you think it sounds better? I must confess to a 3 kilo extra burden, and the despatch of three pairs of jeans to the local recycling point – I just can’t understand why they shrank so much in the wash! I changed the battery in the scales just in case, but to no avail. Someone I know reckons that the average lockdown weight increase has been about a pound per person per lockdown week. Why is it that the pounds go on quickly and easily but take forever to remove?
In the Book of Hebrews, chapter 12 it says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”
Every athlete knows that to win a physical race he has to achieve a peak level of fitness, which includes being just the right weight. And it is the same with our spiritual race. Are we carrying too much baggage? What will weigh us down through our walk with God? What sin is tripping us up? What about all the anxieties and cares that are clamouring for attention from our thoughts? Are we being weighed down by religiosity, denying the freedom of the Holy Spirit in our lives? There are many hindrances and weights that can creep into our lives and any one of them will hold us back in our Christian walk.
One weight that holds back many a Christian is the habit of looking backwards, to the “good old days” when everything seemed to be so much better than today. But the Apostle Paul encourages us in Philippians 4 to, “press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus”. Athletes don’t look back – they fix their eyes on the finishing post. And so must we. So Christian, don’t give up! Start a diet and get rid of those extra pounds.
Being a Pilgrim 