Blog

“Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.” So we can say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”” Hebrews‬ ‭13:5-6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

With a God who never lets us down we can approach any situation in life with boldness. With confidence. Fear of man in this context is irrational and debilitating. So the question I ask of each one of us, including myself, is, “Who or what am I afraid of”? Forty years or so ago, as a young Christian, I kept very quiet in the house groups I attended. My favourite strap line was, “It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than open my mouth and remove all doubts.” Today, I want to proclaim Jesus and His saving grace. I want to speak out and pray. I want to declare what the Bible says about this awesome God we worship. At times it has not gained me popularity, particularly in the workplace. But as the Scripture says, “What can mere people do to me?” And what can they do to you?

“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.” Romans‬ ‭10:9-10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Sometimes we try and over complicate things. We build complex structures, thought patterns. We look for ways to try and please God by what we do. And yet it is so simple. Belief and declaration. One from the heart. One from the mouth. One in our thoughts. One in our speech. A combination guaranteed to succeed, assuring our righteousness in God’s eyes and salvation bringing us one day into His presence. The Gospel really is Good News. Who are you going to share the message of hope with today?

“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure.“
Hebrews‬ ‭6:19‬ 

I once watched as an Atlantic storm from the North West battered a small boat anchored off some rocks on a North facing shore. The anchor was inadequate and slowly but surely, the poor boat ended up being battered to small pieces on the rocks, disappearing from sight. And after the storm, all that could be found were a few metal items on the seabed and a piece of decking caught between two rocks.
Where are we anchored? Can we withstand the storms of life or will we end up shipwrecked on a reef of worldly cares and struggles? Do you remember the old hymn, “Will Your Anchor Hold”. Anthem for the Boys Brigade and, apparently, the Dollar Academy in Clackmannanshire.

The first verse is,
Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife?
When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,
Will your anchor drift, or firm remain?

And the chorus goes like this, 
We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll,
Fastened to the Rock which cannot move,
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love.

It’s where we need to be, Folks. Let’s sing the hymn together; after three now…

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

The sleet-laden gusts were stirring the tree tops, rocking them back and forth, stripping away any dead wood or unwelcome detritus from the branches that were starkly contrasted against the early morning, rain-filled, clouds. The saplings bent flexibly in the breezes, their root systems immovable. And when the storm had passed they were still standing, just as their Creator had intended.

How are we when the storms of life gust their way through the branches of our souls? When all of sudden, the car needs an expensive repair, or a friend passes away. When the boss suddenly announces that our services are no longer required. Do we sink into a pit of misery, shouting out, “Why me, God?” or do we remain strong and resilient, seeing sunshine after the rain? Thanking God for His grace and mercy. Trust and faith in Him firmly rooting our souls. Remembering that He is an ever-present help in times of trouble. Still standing just as our Creator had intended.

The storm we are currently in will pass. Pandemics don’t last forever. Lockdowns will end. And in the meantime the sun is just below the horizon. Don’t forget, God’s mercies are new every morning.

“But if you refuse to serve the LORD, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the LORD.” Joshua 24:15

Remember Bob Dylan? Well, back in 1979 he released a song called “You Gotta Serve Somebody” and the chorus goes,
“But you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Yes indeed, you’re gonna have to serve somebody
Well it may be the devil
Or it may be the Lord
But you’re gonna have to serve somebody.”

As our Western culture becomes increasingly secular – some have even called this age “post-Christian” – it is even more important that we stand up and be counted, living out the counter-cultural teachings of Jesus, opposing the ways of the kingdom of the world, and spreading the good news of His message of hope. In these dark and depressing days of political squabbling and point scoring, of lockdown and depression, of pandemic-induced social instabilities, I’m not going to get sucked into a mindset of serving the wrong “somebody”. As for me and my family – we will serve the Lord! How about you folks?

“For all of God’s promises have been fulfilled in Christ with a resounding “Yes!” And through Christ, our “Amen” (which means “Yes”) ascends to God for his glory.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

So Moses and Aaron stood before Pharaoh but to no avail – he was having none of their demand that the Israelites should be released from their bondage to take a three day trip into the desert to worship God. And at the end of Exodus 5, Moses had a good old moan to God because his countrymen, the Israelites, didn’t much like Pharaoh’s response either. But in the next chapter, God set out seven “I will…” promises, and He honoured and accomplished every one of them. Promises such as, “I will free you…”, I will rescue you…”, I will redeem you…”  

God has made promises to us as well – the Bible is full of them. And He will honour and accomplish every one of them. Here is a couple; Hebrews 13:5b, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Or how about Philippians 4:19, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.” 

Instead of us having a good old moan about the government, or the lockdown, or whatever negative thought takes our fancy, it will be more productive to pick up the Bible, find the promises God has made to us, and then thank Him for them, in faith meditating on them and allowing them to take root in our hearts.  We won’t regret it!

We will not hide them from their descendants;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
Psalm 78:4

A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.
Proverbs 3:22

Earlier this week there was an overnight fall of snow. Not very much – just a centimetre or so. But enough to cover the path to the next village with a pristine layer of white crystals. I joined the path for my early morning walk, to find that some travellers had been there before me. Five footprint trails; three of them heading to the next village, but two of them returning. The shoe size, and stride length probably identified the returning pair as being female, with one of them possibly being taller than the other. And the position of the tracks probably meant they walked together. The other lone set of tracks, probably made by a large pair of Wellies, hadn’t returned. I couldn’t tell much more than that but it was an interesting time of Sherlocking. And a reminder that when we journey through our time here on earth we leave a legacy, an inheritance, a heritage, for our children and grandchildren, for the next generation. A trail of metaphorical footprints in the snows and sands of life.

I always thank my parents and grandparents for the legacies left for me. My upbringing; useful life experiences, and so much more. But what legacy will I leave for my children and their children? What legacy will I leave for the next generation? Will the footprints in my Christian pilgrimage disappear quickly like the shoe marks in the snow, or will they be visible for the next generations to see? I need to ensure that my legacy will not just be a few words on a tombstone or a park bench somewhere.

We need to share our life experiences, our God moments, our answered prayers, Jesus’ message of hope, and much more with those who will carry the Gospel to their generation. I like the quote, “Our children are messengers we send to a time we will not see”. Hmmmm….

Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. Matt 6:26

It seems our community has adopted a pigeon. Not one of your ubiquitous, feral, street-pecking, town-centre pigeons though. This one is much more noble. Almost regal. Every feather in the right place and none missing. Colours all as they should be. A thoroughbred amongst pigeons. And every night it roosts on a bedroom window sill, feathers fluffed up to keep warm, waiting for Bill, a retired miner in his eighties, in the house opposite, to put out some wild bird seed. It must be quite content because it has graced us with its presence for some weeks now. The locals in the community speculate that it must have been a racing pigeon. Or a homing pigeon, its internal GPS system not functioning properly anymore. I don’t know for how long it will be with us.  It has no worries though because God is providing for it, thanks to Bill’s tender heart.

We worry about so much. I know people who seem to spend their lives worrying about something. And if they can’t find an immediate cause to be anxious, they worry because they have nothing to worry about. Their lives seem to be full of worst-case-scenario “what if’s”. But Jesus, full of compassion, went on to say in the next verse, still talking about birds, “And aren’t you far more valuable to Him [God] than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”

If you are a worrier today read Matthew 6:25-34. And read it again tomorrow. And the next day. And feel the love and compassion of Jesus fill your heart, displacing your anxious thoughts.

He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to all creation. (Mark 16:15, NIV)

A foggy start to the day. An ethereal mist hangs around the trees, making ghostlike shapes out of the trees and undergrowth. A plume of steam bursts from a chimney, quickly rising before starting to disperse in the air flow from the West, flowing in a cloud to join the general mistiness pervading the atmosphere. A warmer, moisture-bearing flow of air from the West collides with the ground level colder air, the paths and tracks, glens and greens still containing the residue of the post-Christmas snow and ice. A familiar scenario in a Scottish January.
Into our sinful and selfish world, riven with conflict and Covid, flows the grace and love of God. A warmer flow of hope and kindness, salvation and forgiveness, colliding with the coldness of our increasingly secular culture, bringing a ray of light into the fog of despair and depression afflicting so many.
Folks, there won’t be “a warmer flow of hope” unless we share it. Instead it will stay locked away in the cavities of our minds and souls, unable to flow into the spiritual darkness, unable to disperse the fog that blinds the eyes around us.
Lord, I pray for Your presence to burst into the fog in this culture, empowering Your pilgrims to share their stories with their friends, families, loved ones, communities. Bring Your light to all, I pray. Amen.

And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. (2 Samuel 6:14 NLT)

A fall of snow overnight a week last Thursday. Nor very much where we live, but enough to exacerbate the icy path problems. Our elderly and rather lazy pet Westie comes alive when there’s snow about. He sheds many years and becomes a puppy again. Running up and down snow drifts, tobogganing with his nose. Rolling on his back. Biting at the snow, throwing it up in the air. His sheer exuberance is a joy to watch. David had a similar but much more significant, outburst of excitement, of exuberance when the Ark of God was repatriated after its capture and incarceration in the land of the Philistines. He was so taken with the event that he didn’t care what people thought – he abandoned himself in worship before the Lord. Much to his wife’s chagrin!

O Lord. The British reserve, seemingly inbred from birth in our culture, in so many of us, can be a terrible constraint. The nearest I get to David’s outward expression of worship is in private. In my “inner parts”. Perhaps more visibly in my lonely prayer walks as dawn is breaking. But not on the spiritual Richter scale like David’s. For all of us, I’m sure God understands our reticence but perhaps sometimes He wants us to abandon ourselves in worship to Him. After all, one day when we Christians join Him in Heaven, we won’t be able to hold ourselves back.