Willie Burp Dog's Life  at Bingham Park

Death is not the grand finale!
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 NLT

Then, when our dying bodies have been transformed into bodies that will never die, this Scripture will be fulfilled: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ” For sin is the sting that results in death, and the law gives sin its power. But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

It's so easy to think of death as the end. And as it is a formidable enemy we may find death the winner in our epic struggle to live. But the Apostle Paul uses all of Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians to assure us that death is not the end. And in fact death is not the winner. Jesus is the winner. Life and it's author triumph over death. And so can we. We may still feel the slap in the face but we will not be taken down forever by death. Death is defeated. Death will lose and has lost.

We look at life and fear the worst. We fear the finality of death. We talk about a life or death situation and raise death as the ultimate spector and unavoidable grand champion. But death is down for the count and life triumphs. In the end life wins. Jesus has been resurrected and so will all those who are in him. So you can be confident. You can be enthusiastic. You can look death in the eye and smile because for you and those you know in Christ death doesn't have a chance. So go to the bookie of life's race and put all your money down on life. Bet it all. Because in the two horse race of life and death, life wins ever time if the rider of life's white horse is Jesus.

Death Is Not The Grand Finale!  at Bingham Park

Friday, August 23, 2013

Another Take
Philippians 2:3-4 NLT

Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Another Take

When people get seriously difficult news from the doctor often friends will encourage them to "get another opinion."  In life we all recognise the value of a "fresh set of eyes." So when someone comes along and offers a new perspective based on some lateral thinking we're inclined to take notice. That's what I think Paul is offering the people of Philippi.

In most cultures of the world things haven't changed much, in fact even in the animal kingdom the tenancy is to look out for number one. It's a "dog eat dog" kind of a world. In fact just yesterday a quite selfless colleague of mine repeated that very motto. "You've got to look out for yourself because no one else is going to do it."

Self promotion is the heart of competition, grades, ranking, management levels, pay scales and dibs on "riding shotgun".

Here in Britain the culture highly values the "no queue jumping" sentiment but it is not humility that protects your position in the queue, its self preservation. We don't want some one at the front to begin letting a long string of late-comers into the queue ahead of them because that will put them all ahead of us.

So Paul's perspective is fresh because it counts on God's justice. The person who subscribes to the point of view found in today's verse-of-the-day can let everyone take his place because they are confident of God's advocacy on thier behalf.

Do you trust God to have your back? Can you prefer others over yourself? Are you willing to humble yourself and prefer others because God will promote you if you need to be promoted.

God will feed you, clothe you, save you, give you a home and a place at his table. Jesus humbled himself and his Father exalted him to position number one. Satan will tempt you to grasp it. Look where that got him. Jesus didn't travel the easy path of queue jumping when Satan tempted him to, instead Jesus trusted his Father's plan.

The way up is down

Another Take  at Bingham Park

Sunday, August 25, 2013

How far will it take you?
We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. 2 Corinthians 1.8.NLT (Paul the Apostle)

http://bible.com/116/2CO1.8.NLT Bible.com/app

There's a lot of people handing out 'encouragement' and advice that don't know what they are talking about. Some people are being told that God won't let them suffer.

1 Corinthians 10:13 NASB

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

But its obvious enough if you read what the Bible says that people who suffer (that's supposed to be everyone who follows Jesus) will sometimes feel like its too much. They'll think that the suffering is going to kill them. They're not immediately, easily, or peacefully finding 'the way of escape.'

The Apostle Paul is not some kind of sissy drama queen. He's seen his share of tough situations.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 NASB

... in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

That's a list that puts Jason Bourne to shame. 

Paul's story is real life and far more exciting than anything Hollywood can dream up. But all that adventure doesn't make you into a rock. Paul wasn't transformed into a fearless, emotionless, 'never cry'- kind-of-action-hero. 

Paul thought sometimes it was too much. He thought it was going to kill him.

Go back to the top and read what super Apostle was saying.

CRUSHED    
OVERWHELMED 
BEYOND our ability to endure 
Thought we'd NEVER LIVE THROUGH IT

Today I'm writing to give you permission to feel crushed. Don't let your brother's and sisters tell you you are wrong for feeling crushed. I can already hear the hard nosed super Christians with the stiff upper lip and the faith to move mountains start to object and say this is Paul and it isn't an example. And in fact Paul's 'lack of faith' may have been sin!

I don't buy that.  

Let's look at Jesus. Jesus never sinned. So this account in Mark must not be sinful.

Mark 14:33-36 NLT

He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he became deeply troubled and distressed. He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” He went on a little farther and fell to the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. “Abba, Father,” he cried out, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”

Faith has a long view. The view of faith extends beyond the grave. The view of faith trusts the plan of God. The view of faith says this life is only a short time at best. Faith can wait till thier wife is 99 before she has her first baby. Faith can willingly sacrifice thier son, because it believes in the resurrection of the dead. Faith feels pain but believes in heaven. Faith thinks things may be unbearable but believes God will make it come good even after death. 


2CO 1:8-11 NLT

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us. And you are helping us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because God has graciously answered so many prayers for our safety.

 

How Far Will It Take You  at Bingham Park

Monday, August 26, 2013

When do plan to be free of all your stuff?
Ecclesiastes 5:15New Living Translation (NLT)15 We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us.
_____________________

I'm moving from one country to another. Moving house with a very limited removals vehicle has forced some hard decisions. Do you keep the children's school art (they've all grown up). You read that book years ago, why do you need to keep carrying it? Possessions own us! We desire them. They weigh us down. Quite literally they weigh a lot! I was looking on web sites that estimate the weight of a person's household to make sure the hired 3.5 ton Luton van with 15.5 cubic meters can safely carry the sum of my worldly possessions.

My mind is loaded with thoughts on this subject.

A few years ago I decided I need a new rucksack (sm day backpack) to carry my stuff for work, as well as the all important pack up (lunch), and maybe a laptop too. I decided a large-ish one made by Victorinox (the Swiss Army Knife People) weighed in as the winner. Firstly, it seems other middle aged guys had the same idea, since I started seeing them around town. Second, I noticed they were really too big, unfortunately after I bought it (You look like a pregnant mule is strapped to your back). Third, I should have known the first rule of bags (and life for that matter), You tend to fill all the space available. 

The bigger your bag the more you carry. Just in case! The bag owns you, you are just the willing pack horse for stuff that wants to move around!

The Daughter of Davis are an inspirational band made up of two sisters (Fern and Adrienne) who sold everything they had to buy a camper van to tour for two years around the United Kingdom. In a real sort of way, they lightened their load so they could follow their dreams. Well they sing a song called Butterfly. I must confess even when I am an ardent fan, I struggle to catch and sing along with all the lyrics. This leads to alternate lyrics. 

So when I heard the line, 'I could get into this living life ' I was sure they were singing, 'I could get into this living light' and further it made perfect sense to me as they sold everything and a butterfly is so light. The point is living light feels so good. We love to travel light but we don't. We clutter our life all up with junk. And if it is not actual physical junk it is emotional 'baggage'.


Bethany, my daughter did her gold Duke of Edinburgh award this year. One of the requirements is a group orienteering camping exercise for six days in the countryside. One of the binding principles is that you can only use what you can carry! No stopping off at the corner store or some outdoor shop along the way to get supplies. So the common schoolgirl error is to carry too much stuff, just in case. So the trick is to carry just the right amount of stuff. Enough to survive but not so much as to be burdened down.



I'm sure that's why the author of Hebrews encourages his readers to strip off the weight that slows us down.
Hebrews 12:1-2New Living Translation (NLT)12 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. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.[a] Because of the joy[b] awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne.

(I can't find the original artist to give credit or ask permission.)

Pictured above is a classic woodcut rendering of the character, Christian in John Bunyan's epic tale Pilgrim's Progress. In the following passage Christian is freed from the burden that weighs him down.
Now I saw in my dream, that the highway up which Christian was to go, was fenced on either side with a wall, and that wall was called Salvation. Isaiah 26:1. Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back.He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from off his shoulders, and fell from off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more.Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, “He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by his death.” Then he stood still a while, to look and wonder; for it was very surprising to him that the sight of the cross should thus ease him of his burden. He looked, therefore, and looked again, even till the springs that were in his head sent the waters down his cheeks. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/bunyan/pilgrim.iv.iii.html

Sooner or later you will lose all the stuff you are carrying. The choice is up to you whether you loose it like Christian at the foot of the cross or if you'll lose it when you get to your grave. Did you know if it isn't in Christ it isn't going to make it to the otherside. Some good things, even gifts from God, are for this life only and many only for a time. All things should be held with lose hands. For naked and alone you came into the world with nothing and naked and alone you shall leave.



Mark 8:36 (KJ21)36 For what shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?


"Loosen your grip," I heard one night in a prayerful vision more than 13 years ago. For some reason I find this a hard thing to do. But by degrees God is graciously prying my stone cold grip off the weights and encumbrances.


Jesus has more than filled my hands with blessings. But there is no blessing greater than the blessing giver himself. I can embrace him best if my hands aren't full.

 

When Do You Plan To Be Free Of All Your Stuff?  at Bingham Park


Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Shiny Happy People
2 Corinthians 3:3-18 NLT
Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts. We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life. The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever! Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand. But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.
---------------
The REM song Shiny Happy People is meant to be an ironic take on Chinese propaganda following Tiananmen Square uprising. The uprising happened when the Chinese government clamped down on student demonstrators, killing hundreds of them. The government attempted to tell the world and maybe it's own people that it was not a repressive and cruel regime with posters declaring the Chinese are shiny happy people. But possibly it was true that China was indeed peopled with 'shiny happy people.' The irony is that although we in the West have freedom and democracy we are not shiny or happy. We are some of the most depressed, cynical, malcontented dependants bent on pessimism inhabiting the planet. Now the biting irony comes when you look at the church in the West. They genuinely have every reason to be shiny happy people. If you read the passage above from 2 Corinthians chapter 3 and know a little bit about your Bible, you'd recognise that people following Jesus should shine more than Moses did after being in the very physical presence of God.
One of the ironies is that in the hotbed of communist persecution it is reported that the church in China has grown from 14 million official followers of Jesus to 70 million in unofficial underground house churches. Possibly the real Shiny Happy People are the Chinese after all, for in the face of great difficult they had sought freedom within by letting the Spirit of God set them free. Unfortunately, the oppression of the past had not been the enemy of faith as much as the economic freedom of the current China. For whether you are in the East or the West the real oppressive force is not the government. What dulls the soul is rather the greed and materialism that lulls the soul into falsely thinking they are free.  For it is not religion that is the opium of the people. It is unbridled power and unchecked greed. It is true violence to continue ignoring poverty, to look the other way while we are amusing ourselves with films like the Hunger Games when in fact we are as those entertained by the wars of this world. We are even entertained by watch the news and seeing the man in front of the tank. Because it makes us feel superior!
Karl Marx was quoting a much older similar saying when he said, "Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people".
But he didn't say this because of real Christianity or the real Jesus. He saw all to often the leaders of privilege and money, who are equally found in churches and governments both oppressive and democratic, telling the people to fall in line and quietly look the other way when they see the poor. They don't want us to be like the rebel lowlife upstart, the good Samaritan. The platform plank of the capitalist and the communist alike is to deny the fallen, hurting and damaged. Both show by their lies and denials that their ideologies don't have room for the needy. This is a façade of fake shiny happy people, which is why they end up so easily becoming dull, grumpy people attempting to be what they are not.
But true followers of Jesus, according to Paul, will have a glow. They will have a longer view. Unlike Marx they see that salvation from oppressive regimes, capitalist or communist, is of greater importance than freedom now. Our oppression does not actually come from the system, it comes from our rejection of Jesus. But in trusting him, we have a greater more hopeful perspective. In him, that is Jesus, we are set free. We are the most soulful and we who follow Jesus are the most heartful. For our champion didn't stand in front of a tank. Our champion didn't simply die for us. He rose to give light, and love  and life.
So be free and be the Shiny Happy People God has made you to be. But realise it only comes from Jesus. It does not come from your ideology  your system or explanations. It comes from having the veil of unbelief removed by God's Spirit.
(to be continued,  in your face, no really the real story will be seen in your face. )

Shiny Happy People  at Bingham Park

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

A New Goal for a New Person
2 Corinthians 5:1-21 NLT

For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.  While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

--------------

Here is your chance for a clean slate. Time for a reality check.

What are you living for? What is your goal? What is your purpose?

Why are you living, breathing, and getting up each day?

Paul recognises the wearisome need of a new body. And as each and every one of us age, suffer with sickness, battle brokenness or deformities we long for new bodies. And a new body you shall receive if you are in Christ. So what to do with this news, what is the proper response to being given a new body? It is to use the one we got in faith to proclaim our hope. We don't have to hold back, we don't have to be miserly with our energy. We've got a job to do and a promise to sustain us. So life is for living! We can swallow the weary pain of dying bodies by living up life as we live toward our new bodies. We can begin to erase the brokenness and sorrow of death, disease and destruction by living for life, by living for Christ.

We can choose to believe our future is secure and our purpose is clear. This will fill us with the life giving Spirit of God.

We can reject the shortsighted living for now earth perspective and choose to believe the life giving God's new home, new body point of view.

So your new goal is to please God. Live for Jesus. 
Live to persuade others.

Who are you telling? Come on. Answer that question. Who have you told? How is your life persuading people to trust Jesus?

There is a clear task here in this passage. 
Are you a secretary in an office? Well then you are the office ambassador for Jesus. 
Are you a factory worker on an assembly line? Then you are the factories representative for Jesus.

What do you stand for?

You stand for life! You stand for the promises of God. You stand for judgement on sin. But you stand for grace, the gift of life, the promise of a new body, the purpose of God's glory, and the message of Jesus' glory.

Sounds like you've got your hands full, but it sounds like you've got all the resources you'll every need and instead of dying you are actually getting closer and closer to life. Real life is inching its way towards you and is taking over this dying life. A lasting and solid life is hurtling into your wearisome decent towards death and atom by atom replacing every bit of you with a new, improved living breathing, loving gracious representative of Life, the  life giver and an eternal life.

 

A New Goal For A New Person  at Bingham Park

Saturday, August 31, 2013

When little is a lot.
2 Corinthians 8:1-5 NLT
Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.  They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
------

Albanian Abundance
"Help if you can," is a common refrain you hear from people raising funds. But maybe it should be rephrased, "help if you want joy."
It's obvious from Paul's description of the Macedonians that they had a full plate. He says they are being tested by many troubles. Turning to Jesus had a huge impact on people then, it effected their employment, their relationship to the city leaders, their relationships with their families, and if the new anti-Christian witchhunters (like Paul himself had been) were in town then life could be very difficult indeed. Presumably the Macedonians were being stonewalled, hunted and taken advantage of. Imagine not being able to get work and the local real estate agents all colluding to keep you from getting a fair price for your property. Increasingly your whole church community is needy, jobless  ostracised, and afraid. 
Into this pitiful situation the news that others you've never met are suffering  moves your church to have a whip around. They are poor, and their immediate future prospects are grim and yet they find joy in giving. And although the needy in question are in a very tight spot they in fact may have actually been people who had previously been well off. The Macedonians probably had been poor at best all along and before they became followers of Jesus, where as the Jewish Christians now suffering in Jerusalem by in large could most likely have been comfortable or better off back before the persecution and the huge influx of new believers.
The Macedonians in spite of their circumstances are filled with joy. And this joy manifested itself in generous giving. I've always thought (maybe influenced by loony toons) that if we only had one bean between the members of our family we'd make the bean slices a little smaller so we could get one more person at the table. The slice might be smaller but the joy would be greater. It is obvious that generosity is a by-product of joy. Joy was a by-product of faith. It is true that this new faith had landed them all in rather troubling a spot of bother. But that was only temporary (even if it lasted for years). The Macedonian believers were so confident that God would care for them that their problems didn't dash their absolute confidence in God's wonderful gift of salvation. Having received this ultimate gift they felt rich. So they had plenty to share. The giving was cathartic and addictive and spread like a virus until the whole church was giving spontaneously and sacrificially.
We live now in time where every one wants to get not give. Today the answer of the educated powerful is to throw money at poverty. The failure of every project is lack of funds. The solution of every need is better funding. But  the Macedonians should have been the recipients not the funders. And today most people would say that it was 'foolish' to endanger the church, and the family by short-changing yourself to help others. Paul commends them. He recognises that their generosity with stuff and money was not really the root of their generosity. Rather they had already given themselves to the Lord and to Paul. The Macedonians didn't own themselves so they didn't have to worry about taking care of themselves. They were God's. It was God's responsibility to take care of them. And they knew in Jesus they were secure so they are free to give everything away. 
Wouldn't you like to be so free?

When Little Is A Lot  at Bingham Park

Wednesday, September 04, 2013

The gift of Satan
2CO 12:7-10 NLT

even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

------------

We've all heard it before but why didn't we recognise it for what it says.

God gave Paul an extraordinary vision of heaven. It was so miraculous he's not even allowed to talk about it.

2CO 12:4 NLT

that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.

Seems that Paul has had an off the chart, earth shattering spiritual experience. This is so special that apparently it doesn't put you into a humble contemplative nigh onto vegetative state of near nirvana but rather being given a glimpse into heaven could make you a bit sinful. In fact the whole experience might lead to pride the ole chestnut that kicked it all off I the garden with Eve and her hubby Adam. So here Paul is again a bit like Adam in Paradise and the upshot is that he might get a big head (again). 
So what do you do to deal with that? 
Send in Satan. Well maybe not actually Satan, but a messenger for him. And what is the role of this gift of Satan's messenger? Torment. And the purpose of the torment is to keep Paul humble to sort of counteract the trip to heaven.

Now this torment thing is no cake walk. It must hurt, for it has been a topic of conversation on a few occasions between God and Paul. And what's the answer? God says,

2CO 12:9 NLT

Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.

So let me sum up so far.

God gives Paul the opportunity to see paradise and some things that are unspeakable. 
This experience makes Paul more prone to pride (sin). 
God gives Paul a tormenting messenger from Satan to keep him humble. 
Paul finds this rather difficult and repeatedly requests that the torment stop.
God says, his grace is all Paul needs and God's power works best in weakness.

Now we all want God's power to work real good now. So weaknesses should be the order of the day. 
God's power doesn't work in your strength. 
When was the last time you prayed for torment, torment from Satan no less? 
When was the last time you prayed for weakness?

Do you want God's power? Do you want God's power to work real good?

Well.

How about a bit of weakness anyone?

You not only should want the grace of God, but in fact you desperately need the grace of God.

To get more grace, to get  God's power you need weakness.

Hope this made you rethink, visions, grace, suffering, power and strength.

It did me.

Now then, I thought I was done but this little revelation about Paul's torment made me ask a few fundamental questions.

Snakes in the garden kind of questions. And for that matter Satan in the wilderness tempting Jesus because God led him there questions. And lest we forget, Jesus praying three times for the cup of torment on the cross to be removed too might fit into this group of questions.

See God, from Adam to Jesus and even through to Paul (possibly aka us), put people in a position to really really need him. Knock out all the props so that there is no where else to turn seems to be the plan. This isn't an oddity, an aberration, or a one off.

And we are talking God here, so it's not like it's negotiable, or even up for discussion. I mean, like Jesus and Paul, you can raise your concern, but in the end it is going to be there staring you in the face day after day. You can protest, fight, ignore or give in. But in the end you only have one option to submit now, or submit later.

So what's it going to be?

Gift Of Satan: Consider the Following

Lorries Loading Ferry  at Dover Ferry Terminal

Friday, September 27, 2013

Fatalism Revised
1JN 2:1 NLT
My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous.
-------

Jesus advocacy warms our hearts!
The person who knows Jesus can make real choices. Before we are received into God's family by grace through faith we are slaves to sin, Paul says. We have no choice. Everyone who isn't a believer in Jesus can't help but sin. Sin is their master and they are not free agents. If sin says jump, they must jump. And the deception of sin is powerful. We know nothing else. What is sin? Sin is disobedience to God. Sin is disbelief in his promises. Sin is an inextricable headlong run toward death. Sin is self destruction. Sin is selfishness. Sin is loveless. Sin takes and destroys. Sin murders when it cannot have what it wants. Sin leads to death.
So sin requires judgement. God is just. He will not allow sin to ruin everything. God will save some from sin. He has set some free. He has released some from the slavery of sin and the fear of death.
But we who are free to choose life, the ones able to obey, may still fall prey to sin. Although we are free from the hideous, cruel master that wants our  destruction and uses us to lash out in rebellion against God, we sometimes still sin. We should hate sin. We should find sin repulsive. We should see past the moment of selfish pleasure and we should loathe the harmful, hateful former master of our torture and destruction. We should feel the sting of being a pawn in the full on assault against life. We should feel the shame of being a treacherous traitor who has deceived the vulnerable and harmed the neediest of this world.
We don't have to sin, but we do. We sin against God. Even more, we sin against Jesus who died for our sin. We add to his suffering.
And what does he do?
He defends us. The Father and the Son must execute justice against our sin. This sin we cling to in many ways is a greater offence, for it is the sin we chose. We were washed, we were saved. We had a choice. We knew better.
And the one we keep hurting the most is the one who defends us.
Jesus stands up for us. He says, I died for them. Jesus is the only one who is right. We are wrong. And yet he makes us right even when we are a traitor.

Choose not to sin! You can. You are not a slave. You are free.

But if you do sin, Jesus defends you, Jesus protects you, Jesus is your advocate. Jesus loves you. He has chosen you to be his. Jesus knows you are a sinner. Jesus knows your heart, your motives, your fears and he knows your selfish heart. Jesus knows your disbelief and your stubborn selfish pride. 
And still he defends you, still he protects you from his coming wrath. Jesus sees you sin and try to hide it and, even so, he will treat you as righteous because of his own righteousness.
So stop sinning. You don't have to; you are free. 
But if you do sin, repent without fear. Return with no reservation. You are safe. 
Oh sinner, you are safe

Fatalism Revised

Eating With Your Enemies  at bushalte G4

Tuesday, October 01, 2013

Mind the Gap
So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1
Daarom moeten wij al onze aandacht richten op wat we gehoord hebben, dan zullen we niet uit de koers raken. (Hebrews 2:1)


Every single day we have to believe the truth again. This is not to earn favour with God. Nor is it because God isn't capable of saving us. Jesus' work on the cross is enough. The gift is complete. Nothing needs to be added or topped up. Yet we stray. We forget. 

We jump to attention when sin calls us to action as if we are still under Sin's command. We are free, but we have developed a habit of obeying sin rather than God. We are easily deceived and we need to regularly remind our hearts of the truth. Jesus must be our focus. Jesus must captivate our hearts. 

Do you have a daily spiritual check list? When life gets difficult do you have a truth list you tell yourself?
Here are some of the items on my check list:

God is good!
God loves me.
God is in control.
Nothing happens by chance and nothing is out of God's control.
God knows best. ( God knows better than me!)
Jesus died for me.
Jesus loves my enemies. 
Jesus forgives all my sin, past present and future.
I need to do nothing to earn God's favour.
I am not a slave to sin; Jesus has set me free.
Jesus rose from the dead to give me an abundant life. 
An abundant life does not consist of things!
Jesus will meet my needs, not leave me alone, cares for my soul and has shown me the way in his Word and will guide me through the church and the Holy Spirit speaking truth from His Word.
To follow Jesus requires suffering and persecution.
(and more depending on what my heart must hear.)
What is your list?

Can you find some of the truths I tell my self in Hebrews Chapter 2?

Why not have a look for yourself.
http://bible.com/116/heb.2.1.nlt


Mind The Gap at bushalte G4

Message on Psalm 23 translated live while spoken at Vrije Evangelische Gemeente Paulus Genk 29th September

Psalm23

12 Year Old Girl  at Zaal 'de Ontdekking', Bibliotheek Stad Genk

Hanna Duts at Stadsbibliotheek Genk

Meditation  at Driehoeven

Sunday, November 10, 2013

Meditation doesn't have to be taught.
The art of slow thinking is natural. I can remember each of my children at some point in their very early life 'coming out with something unexpected'. These statements or questions could arise in any situation or at anytime. These gems of cognitive connection may bear no discernable link to the current circumstances but they always evidence meditation. 
It very likely that meditation performed properly, slowly and naturally will produce a crystal clear concise and relevant question. This question will reveal more about the heart and motive than the casual inattentive listener might ever realise. 
Suppose your child overhears a conversation about whether or not grandparents will be able to come for the child's birthday party. It seems grandma and grandpa may not make it because thier car had to go into the shop to have the transmission replaced and so they would not have a car for a week. The plan couldn't be changed because the garage was very busy and they were doing the job for grandpa for half price. Grandma and grandpa live three hours away so it was unlikely they'd make it to the party in two weeks. 
Days later you are in the check out line at the store buying wiper blades for your car. And your child blurts out, 'Couldn't they barrow aunt Sharon's car?'

Now here is the unknown chain of thought behind the statement. The news of grandpa's absence from the birthday party means your child thinks they won't get the money grandpa always gives at birthdays. This is a real disappointment to the child. A few days later your car's wipers cause a lot of stress on a trip home from school  Now it is raining hard again so you borrow the neighbour's car to quickly get some wiper blades. You need to do this before you drive to get the older kids from camp. It's pretty urgent since the weather forecast is for heavy rain. 
While waiting for the checkout your youngest child sees a snickers and remembered that aunt Sharon bought a snickers for grandma last time we visited. 'Then the light comes on', aunt Sharon lives near grandma and grandpa's house, aunt Sharon has a car, we just borrowed the neighbour's car......

... 'Couldn't they barrow aunt Sharon's car?'

One form of meditation is driven by the recognition of a need and the patient search for a solution to your dilemma. A lot of good meditation happens because of an acute awareness of need or desire.

The child's active but relaxed mind accepts they can't solve the issues that are out of thier league. But they looking for an answer. They are listening to all the new information and sifting through the old information. Snickers, the lack of money, grandpa's gift, aunt Sharon's proximity, wiper blades, and borrowing the neighbour's car all converged on a solution.

As you consider meditation and the reading of God's word this week, let me encourage you to identify your needs or the needs of the world.

I've often noticed in my children a period of relative quiet during the mediation process. It is easy to miss this because you are busy and the quiet is a welcome break from nonstop requests and questions. But this quiet is the evidence of mediation. It doesn't mean that all of life stops, it does mean at times we need to concentrate. But we can concentrate in chunks while doing the washing up or standing in a queue.

Meditation sees the complexity of life and draws on it all no matter how seemingly unrelated to find formerly unrecognised connections. I say unrecognised but often meditation isn't comparative between people. It is usually a personal journey. It is possible Grandpa would send the money, it's reasonable to think that grandpa had already considered Aunt Sharon's car and probably no one except the child realised the severity of the need. But meditation isn't about what others may have already considered, often it is highly personal and so it takes responsibility to weigh all the data themselves. Some where in the arena of family, cars, needs, and the wonderful world of possibilities there lies a solution and the ever attentive mind of the child is trying each block in every shaped hole until they find a match.

Will you meditate on God's word? Will you find the solutions you seek for your most pressing needs?

Further Teachings of Rancid Crabtree at Genk

Bode Christmas Bible Reading  at Driehoeven

The Modified Stationary Panic  at Driehoeven

Christina Buckinx at Genk

Merry Christmas

Bumpus Jumpus Dinasaurumpus

Bumpus Jumpus Rumpus

The Book With No Pictures

How to babysit a grandpa

The Angry Dragon

Consider the following.
  http://williambode.blogspot.com/
Daily thoughts on the world's most profound insights of the human condition as discovered in the Bible by William Bode. The Bible is about Jesus from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between. When I read the Bible I see the most honest view of my heart and human condition. Be careful--after you get past the poor grammar, bad spelling and punctuation there is some life changing truth I'm uncovering every day! 'the following' are people of The Way, those who claim to be following Jesus.

William Bode

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