Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2024]

What I have written, I have written.^[1]

It may be that my poor performance in school exams was partly due to a reluctance to re-read what I had already written. Educators recommend that examinees reserve a little time to review their answers before submitting their answers. On the rare occasion when I actually did this I was able to reconfigure my answer to address the question as actually asked rather than as I thought it had been asked, thus demonstrating that re-reading the question before putting pen to paper has its own benefits.

How often do our initial reactions to what we see or hear change when we take a second look or listen more carefully? One of the apostles offered this advice:

Remember this, my beloved brethren: everyone should be quick to listen but slow to speak and slow to anger James 1 v19 [NCB]

Many of us will have been encouraged to memorise Bible verses during our earlier years and some churches still have a weekly memory verse. Nevertheless, for most of us now, our familiarity with Scripture comes from what we read, either on the printed page or on a screen.

Not everybody has ready access to these written resources but for those of us who do they are a great blessing. However this availability can make us lazy. When Jesus was tempted he responded each time with an answer beginning “It is written …”. He knew that, not because he had his scroll with him but because he had learnt the Scriptures beforehand. We need to ‘be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for the hope that we have’^[2] but rarely will there be time to Google it.

As we read through the historical books of the Old Testament we see time after time that there are records of the activities of the various kings. Here is just one example:

… and his deeds from first to last, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah. 2 Chronicles 35 v7 [NKJV]

In the Old Testament books of Ezra and Esther we read of kings who consulted the records and made major policy decisions. In Exodus we read of a pharaoh was not aware of his nation’s history, with disastrous consequences.^[3]

The distinguished English writer Samuel Johnson is credited with the observation that “What is written without effort is read without pleasure”. It goes without saying that compiling the words of Scripture involved a great deal of effort. The apostle John explained why he wrote the gospel that carries his name:

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20 v31 [NIVUK]

Does your response honour that effort?

Resources:
[1] John 19 v22
[2] 1 Peter 3 v15
[3] Ezra 6 v1, Esther 6 v1, Exodus 1 v8.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during January 2024]

As is the case in society at large, at school there were various rules that we had to follow. There were rules intended to encourage a certain standard of behaviour, some rules to help preserve the sanity of the staff and other rules that seemed to have no logical purpose. There were even some rules intended for our benefit although we did not always see them that way.

Perhaps the most controversial were those rules which applied outside the school premises. These were often resented as we considered them to be outside the school’s remit, both geographically and socially. However, the reasoning was that even outside the school premises our uniform identified us and any misdemeanours would adversely affect the school’s reputation.

King David was aware of the potential effects of his behaviour. He wrote:

Don’t let me bring shame on those who trust in you, Sovereign Lord Almighty! Don’t let me bring disgrace to those who worship you, O God of Israel! Psalm 69 v6 [GNT]

We liked to think that we were free from those rules when we discarded the school uniform and behaved incognito. Can we apply the same logic in our spiritual lives? Most of us do not wear a uniform which proclaims our church affiliation but nevertheless we can often be identified as Christians. Our actions can attract outsiders or bring the church into disrepute and repel those who might otherwise be open to the Gospel. There is a well-known quotation attributed to Mahatma Gandhi:

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

Is there a risk that our ‘out of uniform’ actions might reinforce that opinion? Can our behaviour become a stumbling block to people around us? The apostle Paul set out his own rule:

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities. Colossians 4 v5 [NET]

In practice we are never ‘out of uniform’. We cannot assume that nobody is watching, that nobody will notice. Early Christians were distinguished by their behaviour.^[1] and surely that is something that we should try to emulate. Can you echo David’s prayer?

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! Psalm 139 v23 [ESV]

References:
[1] Tertullian of Carthage, 160-225AD, see also John 13 v5

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.