Know Him

“I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!”Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Paul did indeed come to know Jesus and experience the power that raised Jesus from the dead. Eternally he is alive in Christ. However, whilst on the earth he suffered greatly for his faith: he was stoned, whipped, falsely accused, imprisoned, shipwrecked and more. He identified in Christ’s suffering. The Lord showed him what he would suffer for following Him, yet he proceeded.

Many suffer, have suffered and will suffer. Jesus told us, “take up your cross and follow me!” Each of us has a cross. Each of us must choose to follow! Jesus also said, “he who finds his life will lose his life, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”

The challenge we face is to try and ensure we do not suffer. It is not possible. We will suffer now or in eternity. Taking up our cross can be as simple as denying our fleshly desires. Self loves to exult, strut and preen. Self is drawn to attacking others for displeasing us. Self ha to die and submit to Jesus. Amen!

My rest

“The Lord replied, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”Exodus‬ ‭33‬:‭14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This is an interesting verse. Moses, and God, are having trouble with the Israelites God told Moses to take from Egypt to the Promised Land. God had previously told Moses, “I am not going with you as these people are a stubborn and stiff necked people and if I go ai might just kill them all”. Not a good pronouncement! Moses countered this with, “well if you won’t come with me I’m not going )my paraphrase) these are Your people.” God relents and says he will go and give Moses rest.

We tend to think rest is freedom from agitation, if you follow the story you find Moses had nothing but agitation from the people, and true to His word many people died at the Lord’s hand for their sinful behaviour. Therefore, what did God mean when He said He would give Moses rest?

Perhaps it was rest from God saying He will not go, but perhaps, because Moses was a man of presence, he found rest in the midst of chaos. I choose to believe this.

Last week several things went wrong: my travelling buddy was refused her visa to China and so the whole thing has to be cancelled; I received notice of another storm coming against my previous business and my right arm has been giving me curry from a previous injury. However, my God has been ever present, I can rest in Him.

To my joy I am learning worship songs in Nepali. I am making good headway with my studies and breaking through barriers for my refugees.

My God is my joy and strength. Amen! He is my rest and peace!

The beginning

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We live in an age where, because mankind has rejected this truth, their children now reject who they are. Little boys want to be girls and little girls want to be boys. Things have become so crazy because God has given them up to foolishness of the mind.

Yet, I believe God did indeed create the earth and all that is in it. How glorious the mind that devises such beauty. When Inlook at a baby I wonder. The process of growth in the womb is spectacular. 

We cannot see anything on this earth suddenly evolve from nothing. God created mankind in His image. In His likeness He formed us. We are tripartite beings. We are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. The body will decay but the soul and spirit will live forever.

God gave all things on the earth for us to enjoy. The animals He gave us to rule, the plants to tender. Nothing in all the earth is made like Him but mankind alone. We are His treasure. He made us for a relationship with Him. That relationship is beautiful! 

If you do not know the Lord as I describe, ask Him to come into your heart, to forgive you of all sin and become your Lord and saviour. Watch your life turn around! He is so good!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=wohdq7YCPWk&si=8OHQrt6xhclHxiI1

Everything you do

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31

The verse is plucked out of a passage in which Paul is dealing with meat offered to idols. In a culture where idol worship was prevalent, Christians had to decide where to eat it or not. Paul was addressing the freedom we have to eat but not to offend. He said ‘if someone tells you it was offered to idols, don’t eat it so to not offend.’ 

He goes on to say:

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭ 33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am living in Nepal. I live in a house owned by idol worshippers. When they have their festivals they invite us to eat with them, however, as my flatmates are Nepali Christians and know the food is offered to idols, we do not go. We also do not invite them to our Christmas and Easter celebrations so as not to offend them. However, the girls invite the children to Christmas and Easter programs.

As we ready for Easter we have placed a small tree in a pot in the window of our lounge room. It has red ribbon draped over it and a small lamb at the base. We hope to create questions in their minds. Rather than do Easter eggs that have no meaning to Easter at all we will introduce the true meaning of Easter, Jesus!

As Paul says, ‘in everything you do, give glory to God!’ He is first! Amen!

Love

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We have heard the phrase, ‘love makes the world go round’, and it is right. However, the type of love that ensures the world’s continuity is God’s love. He holds all things together. It is His kind of love that Jesus was speaking about here also, a selfless love that gave up His only Son to die on a cross and free it from sin.

We do not love God to manipulate Him, rather, we respond to His love in gratitude. Manipulative love is the worldly kind of love. It loves to get in return. God’s love loves because it is pure, kind, unprovoked, gentle and good. We are invited to love with this love.

Now, you can say, “I can’t do that, I’m selfish to my core”. You would be right, as we all are. However, when we come to Christ He gives us His Holy Spirit and we are told to live by its goodness and power:

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) praise God!!! I have been set free!!!! Amen!

Praise

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can say psalms without really comprehending them. The first verse exhorts us to not forget all of the Lord’s benefits and then the following lists His benefits.
David had amazing insight for a man who did not live under the outpouring of grace. He lists things that are ours in the New Testament: forgiveness of sin, healing, crowning with love and compassion, and he goes on to say that He satisfies our desires with good things. He understood we have a gracious and loving God.
We need to draw near to our God and not our feelings about the problems in our world. Right now we are seeing earthquakes across the globe in the magnitude of 7.7-7.1 on the Richter scale. We see wars and hear rumours of wars. In Nepal there is political unrest with demonstrations and riots. However, God is still God and we can draw near to Him. Amen!

At Work

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We see in Genesis that God rested on the seventh day after working for 6. This is our first concept of God working. We can imagine He susta around all day watching us. However, He is at work in all of us: bringing us the awareness of our need for salvation; outworking that salvation in our lives through His Holy Spirit. He corrects, challenges, comforts but never controls. 

I can be in a day of fleshly attitudes and His Holy Spirit will usually wake me in the wee hours and show me my sin. As we are not all on the same time scale His work is continual.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and whilst He has finished the work of redemption for us, He intercedes for us, constantly.

The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us. I am so grateful that I have such powerful intercessors, as without them I would not make it complete, to Heaven.

I may be disappointed with my own behaviour, but He, graciously knowing my flesh, does not discard me. He will never discard me. I am His and He is mine. He is forever faithful. 

Thank You Lord!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml0L3uzYtRM&si=7E6LdKEOWtuhpcpd