Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, October 2017]

Tensions in Spain, turmoil in Syria, unrest in lots of places around the world. Perhaps it’s the same for you at work, at school, at home? It’s no secret that people find it hard to get along with each other. We seem to major on the things that lead to discord and disharmony, rather than on things which should unite us.

An excerpt from the UCB Word for today devotional for the 28th of October is as follows:

“One day a man was getting his windscreen washed at a petrol station. When the attendant finished, the man said, ‘That’s a terrible job. Re-do my windscreen – it’s as dirty as when you started.’ So, the attendant wiped it again. The man looked it over and in frustration said, ‘That window hasn’t changed a bit.’
The man’s wife was sitting next to him in the car fuming. She reached over, pulled off his glasses, wiped them, and gave them back to him. The attendant had been doing his job correctly. The man himself was the problem all along.”

The devotional went on to explain about how what we look through affects what we actually see.

I am all too aware of how even with my glasses on, I have often not seen clearly and jumped to wrong conclusions about people and how thankful I am to God that they couldn’t read my thoughts!

If you are anything like me, you will have certain people that are a joy to be with and some who seem to have a talent for winding you up. Jesus knew about this (even his disciples jostled for position. Luke 9:46 states that an argument started amongst the disciples as to which of them would be the greatest). Jesus, however, didn’t allow that it was any excuse for us not to get on with each other. He commanded us to love our enemies; we are told in His word not to forsake the assembly of one another. It is clear that we cannot do this in our own strength. We need His Spirit in us to help us.

There is no doubt that when you are in the midst of people where Jesus’ love is manifest, it is a wonderful experience. This is probably why Jesus said: ‘by this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love, one for another’ (John 13 v35). When people see this love manifest amongst Jesus’ followers, they are almost certain to ask: ‘How do they do it?’

That’ll be your cue for telling them about Christ and all he has done for you.

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 09/Oct/2017]

In the amusing trilogy in four parts (!), The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, the story is told of some philosophers on a distant planet who wanted to know the answer to life, the universe and everything. They decided to build a powerful computer called “Deep Thought” to find the answer, but it would take millions of years to run the program. When it was completed the descendants of the philosophers gathered to hear the computer’s decision. They were stunned when they heard it say, “You are not going to like this. The answer to life, the universe and everything is … 42.”

I often think of this story when I hear astronomers and scientists talk about the results from a space probe or a telescope orbiting the earth, that the data would help them understand the origins of the universe and of life on earth. I must admit that I smile at this the same as I do about the story of the philosophers, because we as Christians already know the answer. This is clearly found many times in the Bible such as in Colossians 1:15 – 20.

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see – such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him. He existed before anything else and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything. For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.” (NLT)

We don’t need a computer, it’s all in God’s Word. The answer to the question is not 42, but the real answer is Jesus the Lord who created life, the universe and everything. He lived, died and rose from the dead to bring us forgiveness for our sins, and if you believe in Him as your Saviour and Lord, then together let’s praise and worship Him today and every day forever.

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[This Reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 10/Sep/2017]

Some of you may recall that I used to work in traffic management in central London, first in the design and implementation of the Primary Red Routes and subsequently as one of the team developing procedures for bus lane enforcement. I am sure that did not endear my team to many drivers in London, who have a mass of rules and regulations to contend with, many of them apparently contradictory. Nevertheless, the overall achievement was in improvement in the common good, albeit at the expense of denying some individuals the liberty to do what they wanted.

Is this how you picture the Christian life? Do you see a list of commandments and expectations that are impossible to satisfy in their entirety, designed by a God who delights in making life difficult?

Recently I heard someone explaining the Ten Commandments somewhat differently. Instead of “Thou shalt not …” being a negative prohibition it can be read as a positive prediction – “You won’t …” because your devotion to God makes that particular action unnecessary. Today, instead of roasting the preacher over lunch, why not try a simple Bible meditation? Here are ten responses from Scripture; the list is not exhaustive and you will surely come up with your own suggestions.

The Ten Encouragements:

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, August 2017]

I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold
He said, “Put all your sorrows in the black,
And all your joys in the gold.”
I heeded his words, and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I store,
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity, I opened the black
I wanted to find out why
And I saw, in the base of the box, a hole
Which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God, and mused aloud,
“I wonder where my sorrows could be.”
He smiled a gentle smile at me.
“My child, they’re all here with me.”

I asked, “God, why give me the boxes,
“Why the gold, and the black with the hole?”
“My child, the gold is for you to count your blessings,
The black is for you to let go.”

–Author Unknown–

Helen’s article in ‘Yours’ a couple of weeks ago reminded us about Romans 15:7, which asks us to accept one another just as Christ accepted us. You could say Paul is asking us to put what others have done to offend us into the black box. Michael also wrote in ‘Yours’ about how God often shows us new things from the storehouse of His word and these are definitely things worth storing in the gold box.

As you go into the week ahead, think of these boxes. For those things that annoy you, or hurt you, place them in the black box and allow them to slip away. Those things which bring a smile to your face, which bless you, place in the gold box.

One other thing; remember to dip into the gold box often, to bring out things to share with others. God’s laws of mathematics ensure us that as you give of your good things to share with others, you’ll end up with more, not less.

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Aug/2017]

It is in your word that I place my complete hope. (Psalm 119:147)

Last Sunday Lesley bravely shared her disappointments about the proposed sale of her house and her anxieties for her health and future tests. Yet she was able to witness how promises from God’s word gave her trust in Him and amazing peace.

Some years ago I was sitting in a church where the minister was holding up his wife’s engagement ring as an illustration of what he was saying. He joked that we would be unable to see the diamond as it was so small, but at that moment I was able to see it very clearly. A ray of sunshine from a window caught a facet of the stone and bounced from facet to facet, put there by the diamond cutter, until the light flashed to me near the back of the church.

That experience has always spoken to me about how God’s word is multi-faceted and speaks to us in different ways at different times according to our needs at that time. Sometimes I read a verse I have read many times before and yet it seems to be saying something different. When this happens I believe that God is showing us something new from the storehouse of His word that is right for us at that moment even by using a different translation.

I could give a number of examples of this in my own life but here are two. On one occasion at work I had a problem with a colleague. At lunchtime I took my lunch to a local park and read these words at random from a pocket Good News Bible in Psalm 55. “If it were an enemy that mocked me, I could endure it … but it is you my companion, my colleague and close friend.” By using the word “colleague” in that Bible version God was telling me that He understood how I felt in that situation and gave me strength.

Also, when I first started having problems with my back and legs four years ago I kept falling to the ground. At the same time I read these words from Habakkuk 3:16 in the New Living Translation. “My legs gave way beneath me.” How specific God is at the time He speaks to us. My legs really did give way and when I looked at other versions they only spoke of trembling knees. A few verses later He promised to be my strength.

As we read the Bible may we see flashes of light as He speaks to us in our needs. May we trust Him for the future and find, as Lesley has, the amazing peace that comes from God our Father.

“Your word is a lamp to guide me and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105)

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 13/Aug/2017]

A few weeks ago, Neil Robinson spoke about tearing up the rule book, and one of his comments reminded me about an illustration that Nicky Gumbel used in one of his daily on-line meditations. He described a Thomas the Tank Engine cartoon that pictures Thomas on his side, having fallen off the train tracks. He is shouting, ‘I’m free! I’m free at last. I’ve escaped from the rails and I’m free!’ However, as we all know, a train that has gone off the rails has a somewhat limited future.

Near to my house is a footpath that I used on a daily basis to access Gatwick station. The footpath is narrow and winding; you cannot see one end from the other, and for a time it was unlit. It passes under the M23 Spur, between an access road to a staff car park and the London to Brighton railway which at that point is four tracks wide. Both the car park and railway have security fences – for the car park user the only way out is the way they came in, whilst Thomas’s successors are constrained by the rigours of rails, signals and timetables.

By contrast, the only fences that the footpath has are those inherited from the adjacent land uses. It is open at both ends; at the northern end the user may choose to go towards the west, north or east whilst to the south the footpath continues towards Crawley, passing through a surprisingly idyllic area with a babbling brook and frolicking fish just yards from the end of the runway.

At 5:45 on a winter morning, setting out on that path felt depressing, confined by fences not of my making, but as I approached the overpass I could recognise that only my narrow path offered liberty. I could join those commuters in their temporary warmth, or keep on walking. Remember the words of Jesus – “ small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” and “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to.”; (Matthew ch7 v13-14, Luke ch13 v24) – and be encouraged.
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