Friday has come and gone… But it’s Sunday tomorrow

Saturday, the day after Good Friday, the day after the disciple’s hope had been completely dashed, and it felt even worse than it had the previous day. They had had so many hopes, they had followed Him for three years and they “were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:21). Now he was dead, and so were all their dreams. How many of us have been there, or are there now, a lost marriage, dashed hope of a decent job, hope of promotion passed and gone, a friend of mine in jail his hope of parole unrealized? It’s Friday, Jesus is dead, our dreams are dead, …. we had hoped. It’s Friday, but Sunday is coming!

There is a line from a song we sing “Into the darkness You shine, out of the ashes we rise, there is no one like You, none like You (Our God is greater). You see for the Christian there is light, there is hope, when for the rest of the World there is no hope. The point is that we believe in the God of Resurrection, and He can and does restore what the enemy has stolen (John 10:10a). Well, He may or may not restore a broken marriage, we may not get the job back that we lost, but He has promised that He is actively at work for the good of those who love Him and have responded, or are choosing to respond in the midst of the trial, to His call (Romans 8:28). And as we were saying the other day, even when we have totally blown it He, the Potter, will restore us to a useful and fulfilling life as we submit to Him. Yes it is Friday, but Sunday is acoming!

And there is something that is encouraging to me, and I was talking about it the other day - the deeper the pit, the more tragic the form of our “death,” the more spectacular the resurrection, the more fulfillment we have in the subsequent ministry, and the greater the Glory He receives.

Father, no wonder we call You redeemer, no wonder we call You friend, no wonder we call You Lord for so You are. Lord for many of us it is Saturday, the day in between the promise that followed the death of all our hopes, and the fulfillment of the said promise. Lord You have promised that in You we can rise out of the ashes of the mess. We need your help Lord we cannot do it without You. We were not intended to! Help us Lord to wait on You for we know it will be worth it. And we give You all the honour and the Glory and the Praise in Jesus Name Amen

Why is it called “Good” Friday?

I tend to forget that those outside of my own little bubble do not know what I have taken for granted for many, many years. I don’t even know why I asked the person the above question the other day, but the occasion was that this week it was TG IT rather than TGIF (thank you Lord it’s Thursday :) ).

She was puzzled. “How can it be good when Jesus was crucified on that day, it doesn’t make sense?” So I was able to share the good news that Jesus died for my sins, and that when I put my trust in Him there is no longer any condemnation (Romans 8:1), and I bear the guilt of my sin and shame no more.

But I do need to put my trust in Him. Jesus first recorded words in Mark are “repent ([have a change of mind which issues in regret for past sins and in change of conduct for the better) and believe (trust in, rely on, and adhere to) the good news (the Gospel)” ( Mark 1:15 AMP). This is how I receive his forgiveness and eternal life. There is no forgiveness, if I reject forgiveness! Scary!

Father, thank You that You loved us so much that You sent Your beloved Son Jesus so that You could be just and the justifier of those of us who put our faith in You (Romans 3:26), and You could begin the long process of changing us and making us fit to spend eternity with You. It is so scary to me father that You will grant the wish of those who wish nothing to do with You, the fountain of all goodness. Help me to live a life father that shows that You are real. Your word tells me that I am a fragrance of life unto those who are being saved, but a fragrance of death unto those who are perishing. And I am so insufficient for these things (2 Corinthians 2:16). Have mercy on us Lord, in Jesus Name Amen.

The vessel was marred in the Potter’s hand

Have you ever came for the place in your life when you suddenly realized, that you had totally and absolutely blown it, and it was all your fault? Perhaps it was a job gone wrong, a marriage on the rocks, all your hopes and dreams totally and utterly smashed. It can be a very good place to be! I say “can be,” because actually it is a crossroads.

A friend of mine, and I have permission to relate this, tells of a time standing on a bridge ready to jump, when the Lord whispered to her that there is a better way, and that she should follow Him. And she did and she does, and she does it for His glory! In this morning’s quote from Jeremiah 18:4, the Lord had sent Jeremiah down to the potter to watch him. Elsewhere we are told that He is the Potter and we are the clay (Isaiah 64:8). But sometimes the clay is unworkable, resistant, stubborn, determined to have its own way. And we reap the consequences (Galatians 6:7), and this, many times brings us to our personal crossroads.

The quote from Jeremiah goes on to say that the Potter made it again into another vessel, as it seemed good to Him. In this season of death and resurrection, it is good to be reminded that God never throws us away, that it is never too late to turn to Him, that He will redeem even our mistakes, and “restore the years that the locusts have eaten” (Joel 2:25). So the question is ”Will we let him?”

Father, there’s a song we used to sing “He made something beautiful of my life.” And I’m thanking You this morning Lord, that You are in the process of doing just that in my life, not in spite of what I have done, but because of what I have done, warts and all. It’s not in my strength that You receive the honour and the glory and praise, but rather in and through my weakness. In particular, if You can do what You have done for me, then You can do it for anyone. I bless You again this morning Lord in Jesus Name Amen

Conflict avoidance robs us of win - win solutions

In my first marriage I fought too much, in my second too little. Don’t get me wrong, when I imply that we need to fight, I mean that we need to fight fair, no insults, no blame, no dragging up the past. We need to attack the issues, not the person! And we have to learn to do this! Our first fights will likely include all of the above and more. And we likely will need help! Perhaps the main job of marriage counselors is to get us past attacking each other, and to start to actually with the issues, such as unreasonable expectations, ignorance etc., etc.

It’s much easier to fight fair, if you are mature, gentle, humble, have learned to listen, are willing to admit it when you are wrong, have learned to give a sincere apology and become willing to make amends where appropriate. I have found it to be easy to be humble with those who are humble, but those who are not? Well that’s another story!

But actually, the above mentioned qualities are the very qualities that will be formed in us if we engage in the process the right way. In fact, the process will also show us how very deficient we are in these qualities. So the process it is important, because without this insight, the verse “he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins” (1 Peter 1:9) is truly applicable to us!

Father, my problem during the long period of my conflict avoidance, was that I was still licking the wounds I received from engaging in conflict in the wrong way. I had not yet experienced the substantial healing of the extravagant unconditional love of your embrace. And I had to learn the hard way, that pushing problems under the rug does not work, but rather leads to lose - lose explosive scenarios. But I also understand that if we learn to engage with each other in the “iron sharpening iron” way you prescribe (Proverbs 27:17), then the win - win scenario of developing love, intimacy and mutual respect is bound to follow. We need your help Lord, I do! Thank You Lord that it is so readily available when we ask. And I give You thanks and praise for this and many other things this morning in Jesus Name Amen

We have this treasure in jars of clay

The treasure that Paul is talking about in this quote from in 2nd Corinthians 4:7, is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Elsewhere we are told that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). So that God is not only with us (Emanuel), but God is also in us. The problem is that we are jars clay, and that clay is opaque, you can’t see through it.

There is an illustration of what needs to happen in Judges 7. The Lord had instructed Gideon to take 100 men to take trumpets and torches inside jars of clay. The battle was won, when the jars of clay were broken allowing the torches to give light, and the trumpets was sounded. The point is that the good news can only be truly heard when the jars of clay are broken.

And what this means is perhaps best summed up in what David said when, after being confronted with his sin, he repented. And what he said was “A broken and contrite heart of God you will not despise” (Psalm 51:17). In other words the light shines in the darkness when we come to Him in repentance and humility. It is only then that our lives will teach transgresses His way (Psalm 51:13).

Father, I not only give you permission to do what needs to be done in order that the treasure that is You in me, will shine out to this wicked and hurting world. I not only give You permission, I even ask You to do whatever is necessary, whatever it takes. I used to ask You to break me, now I simply ask You to do whatever it takes. Lord, I so want to do my part in what You call me to in bringing many to see and fear and to put their trust in You. Whatever it takes Lord, whatever it takes in Jesus Name Amen

This one thing I do, forgetting what is behind … I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

There are three things we may need to forget as Christians that can hinder our pressing towards the prize. Firstly there is the guilt and shame we so often carry for things done in the past. These things can so easily cripple us. The second thing, the thing that Paul was talking about in this quote from Philippians 3: 13, 14, is our pride in our self accomplishment, our self-righteousness. We may not quickly see that this hinders our progress towards the prize. The third thing that may hinder, is the trauma of past events, abuse, betrayal, hurts etc. caused by others.

Before I say more, let me say first, that we need to understand “forget” as meaning that with His help we will no longer allow these things either to define us, or to affect our future. This is how God forgives us (Hebrews 10:17). And if this is to happen, it will not happened by suppressing the memory of the past. In each case there is work to be done, it’s called recovery and there are many Biblical and secular helps available. I have come to realize that the real task of sanctification is dealing with these things, the things in our lives that need to be dealt with!

When we have lived with guilt and shame for years, then embracing the reality that our sin is completely and totally covered by the blood of Jesus Christ can be a process, and sometimes forgiving ourself it is the hardest thing to do (Mark 12:31). Likewise coming to the place where we realize that all our righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) can lead us to despair rather than salvation, but like Paul, we need to exchange our self-righteousness for His righteousness (verse 9). In the third case the road to healing is often long, but if it is not going to affect our future, then the healing that is promised will definitely need to be pursued. In particular, for our own sakes, we will need to begin or continue the process (self forgiveness included) of forgiving from the heart (Matthew 18:35).

Father, I have needed much help in this ongoing process of neither letting the past defined me, nor letting it cripple me. The verse that comes to mind speaks about our looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our salvation (Hebrews 12:2). Thank You Lord for the realizations that all I am talking about this morning only happens in relationship with You, and so we all - I do- need to draw closer to You and to stay close to You. I thank You again this morning Lord that all these things are possible in You. In Jesus Name Amen

The Word of God is living, effective, sharp, piercing and discerning

it would be hard to overvalue the Word of God, to overvalue its beauty, its living nature and its effectiveness in our lives. In this quote from Hebrews 4:12 we are told that it is sharper than a two-edged sword and it is piercing and it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. in particular when we immerse ourselves in His Word, we can be sure that God will use it to expose the lies we tell ourselves as well as false and or selfish motives. And I take great comfort in this, this morning, since I know how easily my wicked heart can lead me astray. Actually, I have seen but a glimpse of this wickedness, since “Who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

When I am feeding daily on His Word, He uses it to show me the way I should go, it convicts me of sin when I have strayed from His ways, shows me how to get back on track, and finally it shows me how to stay on track (2 Timothy 3:16). This morning the Lord used His word to help me overcome deep defilement from something I inadvertently heard yesterday. This is called a trigger in recovery, and I found myself wrestling with deep disgust and temptation over which with His help I have been walking in victory for years and years.

But His Word had prepared me for such times “Let he who thinks he stand take care lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). And through His word I have come to know my heart well enough to know something of what I am capable of, and to know that it it is in His strength and not my own, that I walk in victory. Next His Word assured me that with His help I could overcome this temptation and defilement (1 Corinthians 10:13; 1 John 1:9). Finally His Word reminded me that He had already provided me with the weapon I needed to overcome. In particular it tells me that I have the authority to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Father, thank You that when I seek to walk in humility, knowing that it is You who saved me and that it is You who keeps me, then I have access to all of the tools I need to walk in victory, and so bring honour and glory and praise to Your name. I pray for those this morning Lord who like me know they are constantly in need of Your help and grace and mercy. And I thank You Lord that when we fully put our trust and hope in You, then You so freely give us these things. In Jesus Name Amen

Inasmuch as you did it unto the least of My brethren, you did it unto Me

Have you been tempted to give up on to somebody. I mean people can be so … well words escape me, acceptable words anyway :-). Am talking about children, spouses, friends, coworkers etc., etc. who let you down, who frustrate you, who deliberately provoke you or are just generally mean.

I’m sure you don’t have anybody in your life like that! But what I find, is that whenever I’m tempted to give up on somebody, the Lord always reminds me of His patience with me. And if He is so patient with me should I not be patient with others? And as this quote from Matthew 25:40 implies, He wants us to think of, and treat others as someone made in His image, and so of infinite value.

I’m not suggesting here, that we should put up with verbal or other abuse. That would be codependency. We do need to have healthy boundaries! But for the Christian, there are tools that are available to help us in the frustrations of life. In particular Jesus tells us to pray for our enemies, and to do good to those who despitefully use us (Matthew 5:44). It’s amazing how much this changes me! It also helps me to remember that He knows my frame, that I am but dust (Psalm 103:14), in this way I don’t get too big for my britches!

Father, the virtues that you call me to, compassion, loving kindness, patience, endurance and the like, they do not come naturally. Thank You for Your patience with us, with me. Lord keep me closed day by day, so that as I drink deeply from the wells of salvation, I may increasingly bear the fruit of Your Spirit, love joy peace etc., etc. And I will give You all the honour and the glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

… in His law he meditates day and night, He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water

Like most of us, I have struggled from time to time with having a consistent quiet time with the Lord. I knew that I needed to meditate on His Word, but very often the discipline was missing, and I have found that unless I write something down I am not really absorbing it. So in fact this recent habit of writing a blog every morning has been helpful in keeping me consistent. In particular I find, throughout the day that I am asking the Lord for something for me to meditate upon and to blog about. I am also asking that it be relevant to my life!

And I have found that this consistency, this discipline, has made a big change in my life. It has strengthened me, given me more backbone, and I more easily return to peace when things that would formally have stressed me come across my path. And as I was thinking about this this morning, the above quote from Psalm 1:2, 3 came to mind.

The picture makes sense to me, the tree drinking deeply with its tap roots deep into the soil kept moist by the river, remains healthy. Likewise as we drink deeply from the living waters of His Word we remain spiritually healthy. But more, in a parallel passage (in Jeremiah 17:8) we read “…. and will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.” In other words the consistency of meditating “day and night,” fortifies us to overcome in the more difficult trials of life.

Father, I want to thank You again this morning for Your Word. Truly it is living and powerful, and as I feed upon it morning by morning, it not only strengthens me, it draws me ever closer to You the fountain of living water, the God of all peace and hope and joy and love. And I want to thank and praise and worship You this morning for You are worthy, and You do all things well. I pray these things in Jesus Name Amen

The deeper the pit the greater His glory!

It seems to be a common experience that many of us have, of coming to the end of ourselves, coming to the end of our rope! The psalmist describes this as a desolate pit (Psalm 40:2). The image seems to be of the predicament Jeremiah found himself in when he was literally dropped into a pit which was waist high in miry clay. At such times we cry out to the Lord, and may even make promises to Him. And some of us follow through, and some do not.

I’ve been in a number of desolate pits over the years. The first lead to my conversion. I found myself an ocean away from my little daughter with nothing I can do about it, and it sucked the life out of me. More recently I was hearing many stories in a recovery group, of a number of different scenarios where people came to the end of themselves. We had been responding to an exceptional testimony of a man who had got life because of a murder he committed. At the end of his rope, he found Christ, and became part of a revival inside the pen. Lifers are not easily paroled, but such was the change in this man’s life, that it was eventually granted. And now he is a recovery leader on the outside.

Corrie ten-Boom is one of my heroines. Together with her sister she was imprisoned in Ravensbrück concentration camp during the war, for hiding Jews from the Nazis. Before she died, the sister told Corey to take this message to the world. “There is no pit so deep, that God is not deeper still. They will believe us,” she said “because of where we have been!” And emerging from this deep pit, the Lord did indeed use Corrie to travel the world bringing honour and praise and glory to His wonderful Name.

Lord, these desolate pits are crossroads. When we cry out to You in our helplessness, You lift us up out of the pit. You put our feet on a rock, You establish our steps and put a song in our mouths, a song of praise unto our God. And the result is that many shall see and fear and put their trust in You (Psalm 40:1 – 3). This is my testimony, and Lord I hold You to Your promise that many shall see and fear and put their trust in You. And I will indeed give You all the honour and all the glory, and all the praise in Jesus Name Amen

I know the plans I have for you says the Lord … good plans … to give you a future and a hope

Though I have known this verse from Jeremiah 29:11 for many years even memorized it, it was only last night that the Lord illuminated it for me. I was sharing how to contend for our promises, and for our destiny. It is a battle, because the thief wants to seal this and more from us (John 10:10a). After waiting for over 20 years for a promise given to me by the Lord, it was suggested at the meeting, that this might only be fulfilled in heaven. Since this compromise would undermined the very “here and now” nature of my promise (Psalm 27:8?), I resist it with every fibre of my being, and I responded with a resounding “NO!”

The context of this quote from Jeremiah, is of Israel in exile in Babylon, and the Lord instructing them to be productive during the long duration of their captivity (verses 5-7). The default, when the Lord gives us a promise, is often to wait passively for its fulfillment. Our focus tends to be on the end result, but for the Lord it is the journey that is important, and in what He can accomplish through it when we fully cooperate with Him. Waiting has been described as a fire, and indeed it is. Indeed waiting is perhaps the most difficult lesson of all. But the harder the lesson, the more the Lord can accomplish through it. In particular in His hands waiting is a major tool to burn the character defects out of us. The defects that He knows are detrimental to the ministry, to the plans He has for us.

The Lord, in His Word, has given us many examples and encouragements to wait. I think of David in his cave hiding from Saul who wanted to murder him. I remember Joseph sold into slavery, falsely accused and thrown into jail before the prophecy of his brothers bowing before him came to pass. In each of these examples, the man that emerged at the end, was not the same man he was before the Lord started working on him. I’m not saying I have done this perfectly, but I do know in my own life, that I am not the same man that God started with over 20 years ago now.

Father, as You know I have wanted to give up many times. But You have always done something to encourage me to continue to believe and to trust that You will do what You told me You will do. You are not a man that you should lie. I could not have waited this long Father without great grace from Your throne of grace. But with You, I can run through a troop and leap over a wall (Psalm 18:29). In other words I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me (Philippians 4:13). And the glory is Yours Lord, all of it, not unto us but unto Your name be all the honour, glory and praise for ever, and ever, and ever in Jesus Name Amen

Are summer funding and charitable tax receipts in danger of becoming an idol?

As most of you know, the liberal government has outrageously tied summer funding for students to the requirement that you agree with their policy on abortion. It is totally against the charter of rights and freedoms the senior Trudeau introduced way back when. He must be turning in his grave for what his son is doing! From our side, it has grieved me to hear that some local Evangelical Churches have simply ticked the box indicating their agreement. I don’t have a problem with them ticking the box if they really do agree, but it’s not my understanding that they do, and the passage comes to mind that tells of Esau selling his birth right for a mess of pottage (Genesis 25:29ff).

I am guessing that the summer funding goes somewhere, and it is my hope and prayer that faith based students do not suffer. In any case, God is the great provider, and has told us that if we trust Him and do things His way, He will provide all of our needs according to his riches in glory (Philippians 4:19). In another place, after telling us to bring the full tithe into the storehouse He says “Try Me now in this … If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10). Nobody is saying that this will not stretch us! But all this raises the question as to how far we willing to go before we make a stand and/or start to push back. I think sometimes, that we Christians have confused timidity and humility!

On the other hand it is very clear to me, that if things keep going the way they are, that Bible believing churches are going to lose tax exempt status on our tithes and offerings. But there was no tax relief on the tithes the Bible talks about. So if we loose tax exemption are we going to keep on giving? If not has all this become an idol? I think that we need to start to face such possibilities and questions now.

Father, I remember someone remarking that a man’s faith can be seen in what he does with his pocketbook. It’s easy to get caught up in worry about money, and indeed many other things. Lord you have promised to provide for Your children. And Lord I ask especially for those who will not get summer jobs this year because of the hypocrisy of this edict. Have mercy on them and us Lord in Jesus Name Amen

The heart is deceitful above all and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9)

Let me start by saying that there is absolutely no self-righteousness in me in this post. In fact close to a half century ago, at the breakup of my first marriage, being fully convinced that she was 100% responsible for what went wrong, I had murder in my heart. This self righteous 100% blaming it is apparently very common. The scary thing for me, is that I’m not at all sure that if I thought I could've gotten away with it, that I would not have gone through with it. So when the Holy Spirit convicted me of sin and righteousness and judgement (John 16:8) I was devastated, and I threw myself on the Lord’s mercy (see also the prayer at the end of the post). Please feel free to share this post (or not).

I was blind to my side of the equation, and had jaundiced eyes for the other side. This also is very common. Bernard Nathanson, M.D., practising in the mid-to late 20th-century, was a product of his “enlightened age,” and became a leader in the Pro-Choice ranks. Nathanson was responsible for some 75,000 abortions. But with the advent of fetology and the then newest EKG and ultrasound imagery he could see what he was doing. And what he saw was the silent scream of the unborn as he was tearing children with fully functioning nervous systems apart, limb from limb, crushing their heads etc., etc., and all this without anesthetic. Not that anesthetic would have made it right! Because of what he saw, he changed his beliefs and his ways -- and sides. He produced a video we all should see “The silent scream.” It can be seen on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gON-8PP6zgQ). Actually we need an update!

Nathanson saw as I did, his ability to call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Here in Canada, in order to qualify for Summer funding for students you have to agree with the government position on abortion which allows abortion up to and including the day before birth. It is hard for me to describe what I feel about about this evil and the blindness of it all! Jordan Peterson, a man who is on the left but who is rapidly becoming a hero of mine, says in effect that if you don’t know that you are capable of the most heinous and dastardly crime, then you know nothing about yourself! Sadly I find that many Christians, who should know better, are in this camp!

Father, I thank You that there nothing we have done that is outside of Your mercy and forgiveness. I have seen Lord, that there is such a need for people to be able to mourn for what they have done, and for what they and I are capable of. One of the beautiful things about the word image of the new birth, is that in Your eyes we can start over brand-new! Thank You for forgiveness, thank You for healing, thank You that when we turn to You in repentance, You take our sins and cast them into the deepest sea (Micah 7:19) and post a “no fishing” notice. I thank You Lord, that Jesus bore my guilt at incredible cost on the cross, and now I bear it no more. Hallelujah Amen

Grace builders are everywhere

As a young Christian I committed to memory the following verse given here in Philip’s translation (mine) from 1 Corinthians 10:13. There is no trial that you will encounter that others have not also encountered. But God is faithful and will not allow you to be tested above your ability to endure, but will in the midst of the trial provide the means by which you will be able to stand up under it.

The first thing to notice here, is that God is in control in what He allows (see also Job chapter 1). He has a purpose in allowing what He allows, and ultimately that is to make us more like Jesus, and thus to be more fruitful in Him (Romans 8:29). One of the more common ways that He does this, is to allow annoying people into our lives. There is a particular kind of Englishman that really gets under my skin. I was thrown together with such a man in seminary years ago. In midst of my ongoing irritation with him, he said to me one day “You know when I don’t remember somebody’s name, I call them brother, brother.” Rightly or wrongly I received this as his way of saying "I don't remember your name, and I have no intention of trying to remember it!"

I call such people “grace builders.” These are the people God allows in our lives in order to build grace (His power to overcome) in us. In particular in such circumstances, the way of escape that God in His faithfulness provides, is for us to throw ourselves on Him. The point is that when we do so, His promise kicks in to give us grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). There are many things I cannot do without His help, loving my enemies for one, or dealing graciously with my grace builders! But I have also come to realize, that I am a grace builder in the lives of those He sends to build grace in me!

Father, there seems to be an unusual number of grace builds in my life at this point in time. In a way I’m encouraged, it means I am growing because I know there was a time this would have swamped me, grace or no grace! I thank you Lord that one of Your primary goals is to make me more like the Lord Jesus. And I so want to cooperate with You in this, so that my life may bring honour and glory and praise to Your lovely Name Amen

….. the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort

Our God is the father, the source, the initiator of many good things. He is a source of love, mercy and grace. In this quote from 2 Corinthians 1:3, we are being told that He is the source of compassion and comfort. The word translated here as compassion, is the same word used for one of the descriptions of the Holy Spirit, namely the One called alongside to comfort and equip.

Paul makes it clear in the verses that follow, that it is the Lord’s intention that we receive these gifts, and that having received them, we should be a channel of the same to this wicked and hurting world.

I am very aware this morning of my need for my Father’s compassion, and of my need to be compassionate with others. In the midst of conflict, it is not my default position! And so again and again, especially at such times, I need to drink in His comfort and compassion. I mean I cannot pass on what I am not receiving!

Father, as I meditate upon these things this morning, I am very aware of my need to be vitally connected to You moment by moment. Your mercy comfort and compassion cannot flow through me unless I am connected in this way to You, the very source of these things. Forgive me Father for the times but I have let anger, pride and other things disconnects me from You. Cleanse me again this morning Lord and continue to work Your compassion and comfort in and through me. And I give You all the honour and glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Be diligent to add to your faith goodness and to goodness knowledge…

It is my observation that the connection between knowing the truth and living the truth it is not well understood. In this quote from 2 Peter 1:5, we are not told to add goodness to knowledge, but rather to add knowledge to goodness. In particular knowing truth follows doing truth, not vice versa. Paul speaks about this in Romans 1:18, where he says that truth is suppressed in unrighteousness.

For example if we want to commit adultery, then we are likely to rationalize or at the very least minimize the effects of our behaviour. But it’s not just head knowledge that is compromised, it is our experiential knowledge of being close to the Lord. In describing the process of yielding to temptation, James (chapter 1, in verse 13) informs us that it starts with being drawn away. And what we are drawn away from, is both the truth in our head and the experience of Him who is truth incarnate (John 14:6).

In the context of our quote from 2 Peter 1, Peter tells us that if among other things we lack goodness followed by knowledge, then we are not only blind (verse 9), but we will also fail to enter into the divine nature (verse 4). In other words there will be no difference between us and the world, and we will fail to bring honour and glory and praise to the one who at incredible cost to Himself secured our salvation.

Father, Peter also tells us that when a we lack these things, we have forgotten that we were cleansed our sins (verse 9). So in essence we have forgotten what is perhaps the main difference between us as believers, and the rest of the world. In other words we have forgotten that as believers we are forgiven and cleansed, but unbelievers are not. So I ask You this morning Lord to assist me in being diligent to add to my faith the things You called me to add. I so want to glorify You Lord, and this is the only way it will happen. Thank You again for Your truth this morning in Jesus Name Amen

Sticks and stones, and broken bones and hearts

The title is of course referring to the old saying “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!” But it’s not true, it’s really not. Words spoken in haste or in anger can go deep, especially in what were once loving relationships, or in what should have been loving relationships. In these scenarios, where we know each other well, we also know what will hurt the most, and words once spoken can never be fully retracted.

I am thinking of wives or husbands, parents, siblings and the like, and in the recovery circles in which I move, I see the devastation that cruel words have caused over and over. In particular there is so much damage done to self-worth, and this can go down through the generations. The saying, that people who are hurt in turn hurt others, is very true, as we all tend to act out of our inner wounds.

And the anger this causes, can turn either outward or inward. Some of us say things to ourselves, that we would never say to someone else. For example people tell themselves that they are losers, and that they will never amount to anything. Others are only too willing to turn their tongue loose on others (James 3:6). In my own case for many many years, I tended internalize the hurt, and this resulted in obsessive thinking and being many times, unavailable to the world. There is however, a cure for all of this, but it’s not being told “Get over it!” This when spoken to someone who is traumatized by the past, will likely be perceived as total lack of compassion and understanding, and can be the cruelest jibe of all! How very different from our instructions (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 4:6).

Father, though I had to learn this lesson, and though it took a long time, I did learn it in the end. Or perhaps I should say I am learning it! And what I am learning, is to embrace Your opinion of meover what others think and say about me. In particular I am learning to rest in the fact that I am a deeply love favourite son of Yours. We all are (or daughter)! I pray this morning Father, for those who have not yet entered, or fully entered into Your extravagant healing love, that they would increasingly find hope and peace and joy in Your embrace as You heal their broken and wounded hearts. In Jesus Name Amen

We are in a war for the hearts and minds of our children

Have you ever been engaged in a debate/argument, but only thought of what you should have said after it was long over? Well we all have. And have you ever wondered why some of your favourite speakers are able to defend questions so well? And you have thought to yourself “I could never be like that?” But let’s stop for a moment and think how these speakers got there.

I want to suggest, that they learned to do this the same way that we learn anything else, by trial and error, by failing miserably, and then instead of licking their wounds, they think and pray and try, try, try again. It starts simply by talking, noticing what works and what does not, noticing what gets through and learning from that. I want to say that this works whether you’re right or wrong. But why do I say that?

Jordan Peterson suggests that Hitler learned this way, tapping into the chaos, and rage at the punitive injustice perpetrated by the Allies after the first world war. And I want to suggest that the extreme left is doing the very same thing, quite successfully I might add, with the injustices perpetrated on marginalized groups. Please note I am not saying that the injustices do not need to be addressed. But the way that the left is seeking to address this is not right (pun intended!). In particular part of their multi million dollar funded strategy is called "jamming." And it is working. You may have noticed that the Church has been intimidated into silence! Now the Scripture says “The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him” (Proverbs 18:17). But what if we are not allowed to cross-examine? What I am saying is that the truth will only prevail if we are prepared to fight for it! And if we are to be successful we need to go through the process described above (see also last day's post).

And the church really does need to wake up, because this battle for free speech is not only a battle for the truth, it is a battle for the hearts and minds of our children! In particular the propaganda coming out of the left is affecting our children in a very negative way. Consider the warped and twisted radical sex ed that is being fostered earlier and earlier on our children in the schools. Our children are being encouraged to experiment with all forms of sexuality and to regard gender as a social construct. We need to see where this is going, because there is a lot of evidence that it is leading to pathological confusion. On top of this we knew over half a century ago by Masters and Johnson, that our first sexual experience strongly determines the defining norm of our sexuality.

Father, it seems to me that we in the church have confused timidity with humility. I mean our hero overturned the tables of the money changes in the temple. And so I pray this morning Lord that you will wake up your church and give it the courage to speak the truth in love, the wisdom to do it in a way that brings honour and glory to You, so that many are brought to experience Your extravagant healing love. I will give You all the glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Iron sharpens iron revisited

Jordan Peterson, in his defence of free speech which is under heavy attack from the extreme left, tells why we need it, by describing a typical conversation with a dear friend. He says “When you talk it doesn't mean you are right. It means you are trying to articulate and formulate your thoughts like the boneheaded moron that you are. And you are going to stumble around idiotically because what do you know? You are full of biases and ignorance and you can't speak very well, and you're overemotional, and you know you just got problems that you can hardly imagine that are interfering with your ability to state something clearly.

Peterson (who by the way he describes himself as centre-left) does not add as he might, that this process is also hindered by pride, stubbornness, self righteousness and the absolute certainty you are right and your friend is wrong. And it’s worth remarking I think, that this scenario is only likely to take place within your own little bubble of relatively like-minded people! Now it’s very easy for me to see all this in you, in fact I can see this in the whole of the rest of the world. And of course they don’t see it! And when I looked at me, the default is for me is to not see it either! But many years ago I learned to ask myself in this and similar scenarios “What is the probability of me being the only one without these faults?” I answer “Zero,” I mean it, I do! Denial is strong in all of us!

Peterson goes on to say “And so what you do is to do your best to say what you mean, then you listen, other people tell you why you're a blithering idiot and hopefully you can correct yourself to some degree as a consequence of listening to them.” When this process works, it is describing Proverbs 27:17 which says “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” The problem is that we tend to not have very good listening skills, since we are quick to speak and slow to hear (James 1:19). In fact I blew it already this morning and it's only 9:00! And this does not even take into account our (my) propensity to anger.

Father, I want to thank You this morning that You are slow to wrath. Thank You that You are a lot more gentle than Peterson! This stuff is hard to hear! Thank You for your patience and long-suffering with me, and for reminding me of this again this morning. Lord as Your ambassador I want to be patient and long-suffering with others. This is part of the fruit of your Spirit, and is only produced in me, as I centre myself in You day by day. I certainly have not arrived, but I thank You for Your promise that You who have begun a good work in me will bring it to fullness (Philippians 1: 6) in Jesus Name Amen

Tough love

In the context of recovery, an enabler is one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior. For example the spouse of an alcoholic may provide excuses and/or cover for the spouse’s behaviour. Such enabling may be thought to be loving, but it is at least partially responsible for the destruction, so it is definitely not love! Since people who are abused tend to abuse, the leader of a recovery group can be an enabler by not dealing with abuse within the group, be it verbal or otherwise, or sexual harassment and the like. Such behaviour is highly destructive since many times it re-traumatizes people who have already bean traumatized.

There are Biblical ways to deal with this sort of thing, and the goal is always reconciliation where possible. But there are times when it is not, and there are Biblical warrants to know when to put a person out of fellowship. In particular, if the person will not “listen” by which we understand repenting and turning from the behaviour, then the person should be put out (Matthew 18:17; 1 Corinthians 5:5).

In the context of the second reference, Paul tells us why. It is because a little leaven leavens the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:7). In other words such behaviour is infectious and results in the group being dysfunctional and unsafe. As I say, the goal is reconciliation, and in 2 Corinthians 2:7 we read of Paul instructing the Corinthians to forgive and comfort the now repentant man, so that “he would not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” It is clear that the consequence, the pain of being put out, was the very thing that brought the man to his senses.

Father, there are times when our acting in love may seem like lack of love to others. At such times in my own life Lord, I am grateful that You have been teaching me that what You think about me, is far more important than what others think about me. Still these times of showing “tough love,” are difficult, and I need Your help to be and to act as the man You want me to be. Thank You Lord that I do not have to do it alone, for You have promised wisdom when I ask, and Your assurance that You are with me in Jesus Name Amen

The foolishness of God is wiser than men (2)

I was discussing last day that there are problems with defining good and bad as "Good is helping other people. Bad is harming other people.” I suggested that in famine flooding the market with food too easily bankrupts local farmers, and leads to long-term dependency. I also suggested that the left's political response in trying to help marginalized groups tends to take away responsibility for individual growth. So what are the solutions?

Well for the first case, at least part of the solution is put in a nutshell in the saying “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time.” So how do we do that? Well one of the charities that I regularly support, is called Opportunity International (OI). It is a micro-financing charity, that has impressed me with the way it goes about things. In particular not only are small loans extended to those showing initiative, but do not qualify for loans from the bank, but OI also brings together like-minded people within a community, trains and follows them up, requiring them to be responsible not only for themselves, but for each other. It works very well, produces jobs and fosters true community. Repayment rates are surprisingly high, which then frees up capital to do it over and over!

In another direction, for $39 Canadian Blind Mission Canada, will restore the sight of a care giver with cataracts in a developing country. And there are many other ways of giving that are not toxic. On the other hand the toxic enablement of the left of oppressed and marginalized groups, is not so easily remedied. It takes one on one costly long term tough love. Sounds like a topic for tomorrow!

Father, thank You for showing me that we need to be responsible for checking out the effects of our attempts of helping others. Thank You too Lord, that You give wisdom liberally when we lack it and ask for it (James 1:5). Continue to open my eyes Lord so that my helping may be helpful and not harmful in Jesus Name Amen

The foolishness of God is wiser than the wisdom of men I (1 Corinthians 1:25)

I’m engaged in an an ongoing conversation about good and evil with an old friend who makes no profession of faith. In this context, an appeal to the Scripture does not work, and when pushed he gave me the following preliminary definition. "Good is helping other people. Bad is harming other people." Who could argue with that? Well, the definition can take us so far, but only so far! To be fair to my friend, I should emphasize that it was preliminary.

I have had a book in my hand for several years entitled “Toxic Charity.” it is aimed mainly at the political right, since research has shown that the lion’s share of financial charity is given by people of faith. And the problem is that with the best intentions in the world, our "good deeds" can have unintended consequences. In response to famine for example, it has happened over and over that flooding the market with free food has resulted in the bankruptcy of local farmers. And this results in long-term dependency of those we are trying to help. Some solutions tomorrow.

But unintended consequences when attempting to help happens, not only on the political right, it also happens on the political left. For example consider what the left correctly sees as grave injustices, inequalities and abuse perpetrated on certain marginalized groups. In order to push through political reform to benefit them, the left’s preferred way of helping, more and more of these groups are accorded victim status. And the unintended consequence here, is to legitimize bitterness, and essentially to take away individual responsibility. In other words it’s the blame game all over again! I mean if it’s somebody else's fault, there’s nothing I can do about it right? The truth is never quite that simple! More tomorrow!

Father, this is a really difficult conversation, because both sides regard the other as uncaring. And while this is certainly the case on both sides at times, what is often missing, again on both sides, is wisdom to know how to help and not to harm. And so I pray this morning for wisdom for us all in Jesus Name Amen.

Together house to house… And in the temple

It’s easy to underestimate the need and the power of fellowship. Indeed we are commanded not to neglect meeting together (Hebrews 10:24). But in this age where so many of our Judeo-Christian values are under attack, it’s important to have the right kind of fellowship. In particular, the Scripture also admonishes us that we not be squeezed into world’s mould (Romans 12:2). And it’s clear to me, that a large part of the church in order to be thought to be relevant and loving, has lost the balance between love and truth. Love without truth is toxic. On the other hand, another part of the church has become rigid and defensive, holding to truth with not a lot of love. Truth without love is toxic!

This morning’s quote from Acts 2:46, talks about being in accord in small groups (in houses), and in larger groups in the temple. Of course there were no denominations in those days, but it is clear from the teaching on unity, that we need to deal with denominational barriers. At the same time however, there were those in the temple, for example the Pharisees, with whom it was not possible to have fellowship. So they had to be criteria, that formed the basis of the fellowship that were talking about here.

And the context of this morning’s verse gives us these criteria. In particular in verse 42 we are told that they “devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” I’m not trying to say that this makes everything black and white, but it’s clear to me that there was great love, and an adherence to the truth as laid out by the apostolic teaching. And one of the things that I have noticed, in trying to interpret exactly what this all means, is the substantial agreement in the faith statements of parachurch organizations (Inter-varsity, OMF etc.). And it seems to me, that in accordance with the principle of iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17), that this substantial agreement came about through the furnace of interdenominational dialogue.

Father, part of the apostolic teaching, is that there should be an openness and vulnerability in church (James 5:26). Without this even church is not safe, and it needs to be if it is to be a hospital for the sin sick. We need your help Father, to come out of our defensiveness, and to be the church militant. Only you can do this Lord, and I cry out to you this morning for you to move your church to be what you call us to be. And I’ll give you all the honour and glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Is man good?

It’s a discussion I'm having with a dear old friend, who is very firmly on the left. We are having a civil conversation, and its iron sharpening iron (Proverbs 27:17), as we learn from each other’s perspective. I mean we tend to know who’s bad (it’s the other side), and we tend to know who’s good (it’s us)! Notwithstanding this tendency, I observe another tendency, that is that we tend to polarize on the above question dividing into two camps, the yes camp and the no camp!

Now not everyone will agree with me (surprise), but I think to have the correct theological perspective on this question requires us to hold two things tension. The first (a) is that man is made in the image of God, so there is something intrinsically noble about him (choose your hero), the second (b) is is that mankind is fallen, and the default is for him to act out of his fallen sinful nature (choose your villain). What I am saying is that neither those who say that man is basically good, nor those who believe in the total depravity of man, are holding a balanced Biblical view.

Holding these things together in tension, gives us an advantage when it comes to engaging in meaningful dialogue. I mean if we want the other side to hear us, this will not happen if our attitudes, words and actions reflect a (b) sided view, so that the other side is the enemy! In other words, we can afford dignity to the other person, even if we radically disagree with their views. To say it in yet another way, we need to fight ideas, not people.

Father, it’s so easy to get stirred up by the ideas of the other side which we “know” are wrong. And we need to remember first and foremost that You love the other person, and that that person has value even if his or her ideas, in our opinion, do not. This does not mean to say that we cannot criticize behaviour, Jesus did (Mathew 23:14). But it’s interesting to note that the lion’s share of His criticism was directed at the religious hypocrites. So Lord please burn away any remaining self-righteousness in me, and help my speech to be full of grace and seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6), and I’ll give You all the honour, glory and praise in Jesus Name Amen

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works

The good old King James version of this verse from Hebrews 10:24 talks about provoking one another to love and good works. I see a lot of provocation, but it’s not always the right kind! I have been stirred up, even thrilled this morning however, by hearing some of the things that the church is doing on the west coast of Newfoundland.

In particular, a friend of mine has been telling me of a full weekend of activities the local church put on to show appreciation for, and to honour the first responders in the local community. We are talking about the fireman, the paramedics and the RNC and RCMP. Many times these are thankless jobs, and to say that the job is not easy, is a massive understatement. For example, being the first to arrive at the scene of an accident can be extremely traumatic, and can result in burnout and even PTSD.

I am grateful therefore, for this example of the church in action, doing what it is supposed to do, being salt and light in the community. We need to do more of this sort of thing, but we need His help and His wisdom to know what to do and to know how to do it the right way. And then we need to get up off our rear ends and do it!

Father, I thank You this morning for this initiative of the of the church on the West Coast. Thank You Lord for the love and good works being displayed here. And I pray this morning, that this example may indeed provoke us here in the “big” city, to bring us out of our defensive postures, and to start to show love and appreciation where, as with the first responders, it is so richly deserved. In Jesus name Amen

The LORD is with you, mighty warrior

The context of this quote from Judges 6:12, is of the angel of the Lord coming to Gideon while he was thrashing wheat in the winepress. The Midianites had wrought havoc with Israel, destroying the wheat, and slaughtering the livestock etc., etc. And here was Gideon threshing wheat in the winepress for fear of the Midianites. Now the point of threshing wheat, it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, so that the wind can blow it away. And that does not work in a winepress!

The angel of the Lord tells Gideon that The Lord is with him, calls him “mighty warrior,” and tells him that he will save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Gideon’s response is essentially the claim that he is unqualified, that his clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and that he the least in his father’s house. In other words find somebody else!

Many people I know fear that the Lord is all about calling us out, you know pointing out our faults and condemning us. The truth however, is that the Lord wants to call us up. He sees Gideon’s potential, and He calls him with His help and strength to fulfill it. In the same way, He calls Christians "His saints." This is not necessarily because we are saint like, but He calls us up into our calling, part of which is to be saintly.

Father, thank You that You give us salvation as a gift, and after we have received it You call us saints. And then, having given us the assurance of your acceptance, You call us up into the high calling with which You have called us. We need Your help, but with Your help we like Gideon, can rise to the fullness of our potential. And I know that this is what will give life meaning, and bring satisfaction and fullness of life. Help us Lord to respond to Your amazing call. And we will give You all the honour, all the glory and all the praise in Jesus Name Amen

For me to live is Christ to die is gain

I seem to have to assure people whenever I talk about this verse from Philippians 1:21, that I am not suicidal. The point though, is that I have caught enough glimpses of heaven, that at some level, I am homesick to go to my eternal home. When I was going through treatment for the aggressive prostrate cancer I was diagnosed with, a friend of mine said to me “You’re not afraid to die are you!” And I’m not! I don’t want it to be painful though, and I have put in my request accordingly.

But I feel very much like Paul (the author of Philippians) on two accounts. First of all for me life is all about living for Him. I’m not saying I do this perfectly, and I’m not saying that I don’t find life hard at times, because I do. But I have walked with Him for well over 40 years, and I know that life in Him works, whereas at least for me, fullness of life is found only in Hm (John 10:10b).

The second area where I feel like Paul, concerns his telling us that he did not feel that his ministry to others was done (verses 25 and 26). There there are two things here, the first concerns the needs of others for ministry. The second, at least for me, is that there is great satisfaction and joy in helping others come into their full potential. I am not saying I have fully achieved this myself (Philippians 3:13,14), but this is my calling, and I find it both exciting and frustrating.

Father, I thank You for the joy and peace you give me as I choose to trust You on a daily basis. Life is not without pain, but life is good. There are times though that I long for You to take me home, there are so many things that grieve me down here. But like Paul back then, I am not sensing that the work that You have for me to do (Ephesians 2:10) is done. And I know that You will continue to give me all that I need to be able to say “For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” In Jesus Name Amen

Be angry and sin not

I was feeling bad yesterday, because I got very loud in seeking to mediate between two people who had no intention of being reconciled. I mean I am well aware, that the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God (James 1:20). On the other hand, the Scripture it tells us to be angry and sin not (Ephesians 4:26). Well I was angry, and in the past I belonged to the type of fellowship that equates being loud with sin. So it took me some time to work through my issue of getting very loud, and to decide if I needed to confess, or to rest in peace.

I am well aware, of the propensity in all of us to rationalize our behaviour. Not only this, but I am also aware of the tendency to think we are 100% right, and the other person 100% wrong. That was certainly happening with the other two people, but I also needed to admit my own tendencies in this regard. So I took it to the Lord.

And I needed to ask myself, at what point did I get loud. Well, this was not the only time I was loud, but the point that immediately came to mind, was the time the two of them were shouting at each other, and I shouted even louder for them to shut up. Based only on these facts, which may not be all the facts, what do you think? In other words, treat the question as hypothetical.

Father, thank You for the balance of Your Word. Thank You that it shows us clearly that it is possible to be angry and not to sin, but also that it can be wrong. In fact Jesus was angry on a number of occasions (i.e. John 2:15; Mark 3:5). Thank You too Lord, that when we need to sort issues like this through, You can be relied upon to show us the truth (James 1:5). And even if we sin, then after we have confessed and made restitution where necessary, then we can also rest in peace. And I pray this morning Lord, that this post will help others to work through their own issues with anger in Jesus Name Amen

Don't worry about tomorrow … Each day has enough trouble of its own

Nobody had to teach me how to worry, it came very, very naturally! I mean there’s so much to worry about, the kids, the house, relationships, finance, about the future, about the state of the world, about terrorism, about where it’s all going to end etc., etc. But Worry is destructive. We can’t be at peace if we are worrying. We can’t have joy if we are worrying, and we are likely to be irritable and short tempered. And most of us have been there! I certainly have!

So no, nobody had to teach me how to worry, and in fact worry seems to be the default! But worry is faith in a negative future, and in this message from Matthew 6:34, Jesus is teaching us to put our faith in God. In verse 26 he tells us to look at the birds of the air, which neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns yet are fed by our heavenly Father. Then He asks “Are you not of more value than they?” Clearly we are (John 3:16)!

If you have watched little children in loving families, you will notice that there are joyful, and worry free. In fact they are free period. And we are called to be little children of our heavenly Father, and we need to choose to trust in Him. And what helps me this morning to do just that, is to remember His faithfulness in the past, His faithfulness, as I chose to trust Him. Certainly there are things yet to be resolved, but knowing that He has already helped me to resolved many things, helps me to trust Him today. And I know by faith, that on that day I will be able to say to Him “You have done all things well” (Mark 7:37).

Father, forgive me for the times I have allowed worry to rob me of my peace and joy. I choose to come to You again this morning trusting that You are in control, and that You will give me what I need to say or do at the time things need to be dealt with, but not before (Luke 12:11)! Thank you Lord that as I continue to remember Your faithfulness, and to choose to trust You in these ways, You are strengthening my faith, and this helps me to trust You for the next time, even for what I know is coming today! I give You praise and glory again this morning Lord, in Jesus Name Amen

No trial, no test, no temptation … God unable to deliver

Stuff happens! In 1 Corinthians 10:13, of which the above it is a partial Phil paraphrase, Paul talks about what God allows. And if I were God, then I would not have allowed what happened to a number of people I love, but then I’m not God. You may have noticed :-). So one of the questions I will ask Him when I get to heaven is why He has allowed some of the things that He has allowed. In the meantime I once again choose to trust Him.

Some of the translations of this verse talk about temptation, others about testing. This is because the Greek word thus translated, includes both temptation and testing. And the verse promises that God will not allow us to be tempted or tested above our ability to endure, but will with the trial or temptation, provide the way out, that we may be able to bear or endure it. And sometimes the provision for the way out, is the grace He gives in order to push through to victory! After all, this is what our forerunner did for us (Hebrews 12:2).

And I want to tell you this morning, of the joy and pride I feel when I see the determination in His saints to push through and obtain the grace He gives to stand. You see though I do not fully understand, I do know that God uses what He allows. In particular He uses the attacks of the enemy to take us higher, and deeper and further into his extravagant healing love and embrace.

Father, Your Word tells us to provoke one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24). And I thank You this morning for those of Your saints who challenge my life in this way. Father, thank You that You Yourself provoke such love and determination by Your own amazing example of extravagant sacrificial love. I ask You this morning Lord to lift us out of the ash heap, to establish our steps, to put a song of praise in our mouths, so that many may see and fear and put their trust in You (Psalm 40:1–3). In Jesus Name Amen

Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires

I am being convicted this morning of overreacting to what in the broader view of things, are small irritations. And as I took this to the Lord He was showing me that what lies behind this, is that I am still acting out of childhood woundings. I have come to realize, that we all operate out of our woundedness. If we don’t feel safe for example, then we may feel the need to control our environment, which of course includes trying to control others.

But if we are operating in this way, we likely cannot tell ourselves that we are controlling. So what tends to happen is that we blame others for how we are feeling. And if there is nothing significant to blame them for, then we will likely blow up some small thing out of all proportion to the “sin.” What I am trying to say is that there are times when we are likely to find ourselves being picked at, over things that in the normal course of events would simply be overlooked.

And what I felt the Lord was showing me this morning, was that I I have this tendency to overreact to being picked at. And this is a problem, since it tends to happen all the time! In addition, I realized this morning that I am still irritated at something that took place over Christmas. Now I know that the way to deal with this, is to be calm, forgiving, loving, understanding and to overlook the offence. So why am I finding it so hard? Well the Lord is using these things to show me that what underlies this difficulty is that I am still acting out of the wounding I received from constantly being picked at in childhood. There are three things need to happen here, the first is that I need to forgive again the perpetrators of this childhood wounding. The second is that I need to confess my faults, and the third is that I need to ask the Lord to crucify, to put to death, my overreactions.

Father, after all that You have forgiven me for, how can I not forgive others? So I choose again this morning to forgive those who have wounded me. I claim the promise that when I confess my faults I will be healed (James 5:16), and I ask You to put to death my overreactive responses which is in essence are responses of the flesh, of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:24)! I want them gone Lord,because I know that they interferes with my ability to minister effectively to others. Thank you Lord for Your ongoing forgiveness, cleansing and healing in Jesus Name Amen