Opportunities

Yesterday on my way back from running at Gateway School, I drove past somebody I know from the local neighbourhood watch. For the sake of this account, I will call him Henry. Henry was walking down the road looking disconsolate with his shoulders slumped and head hanging. Then today, I encountered Henry walking with his wife and three kids past the entrance to my driveway.

Why was Henry taking his family for a walk at nine in the morning? Why wasn’t he at work, I wondered? Was all this a coincidence? So I got out of my car for a chat.
Business was not going well. Enterprises that had worked in the past were no longer putting food on the table let alone paying school fees. It seemed that George was on the back foot trying to start a business with good potential but without capital.

“There is a credit shortage,” he explained, rubbing thumb and forefinger together. “No one can give us a loan”.
I empathised, trying to understand his situation. After a while, it became clear that I should offer to pray. At first Henry didn’t understand my offer; then it struck home, and his face was transformed by a broad smile.

“Yes! Yes please. Fiona, this man wants to pray for us. Come! Come over here.”

So we prayed by the side of the road, and when I opened my eyes again, I saw that Fiona was crying. They were very grateful, and I invited them to Harvest this Sunday.

I wonder what God will choose to do with this small act of obedience? Two Sundays ago at Harvest, we prayed that God would give us opportunities to take the gospel to non-believers. We felt that it was time to pray for miracles where they are really needed: in the work place and in our neighbourhoods. Most of the miracles recorded in the NT were used by God to draw non-believers into the Kingdom of God. Yet we seldom pray for non-believers, praying in church for Christians only.

I hope that God will do a miracle for Henry and Fiona. Perhaps a taste of God’s grace in the form of a miraculous loan will point them to the grace that is available for eternal life. Anyway, God knows. He presented me with the opportunity, I was obedient and the rest is up to Him. I wonder what will happen next.

Cheers for now - Ian

Aiming for perfection but expecting growth

Have you ever behaved in a way that leaves an after-taste of embarrassment and shame? I have in mind an incident from last week. On this particular occasion, I was on the offensive over a game of scrabble that I wasn’t even playing...  Can you believe it? The frustrating thing was that the target of my vitriolic attack graciously refused to argue, leaving me to rev in neutral for a few minutes. It was jolly indecent of him!

Jesus said that the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart (Mat 12:34). Why, I wondered, was there so much aggression and frustration in my heart? It’s a good question, and I do have some answers. But knowing the answers is only part of the process of changing. Truth is we all have experiences that remind us we haven’t arrived yet. We aim for the perfection of Christ, but we fall short of it on a daily basis.

Over the years, I have spent time reflecting on how to handle the fallout from such incidents.  To be honest, I provide myself with lots of material to work on! I can tell you right now that self-flagellation (speaking metaphorically of course!) does not work. But there are some things that do work, the foremost of which is asking God for forgiveness. Yet I often punish myself first, turning to grace as a last resort. Why do we believe that a hefty dose of self derision will pay the price for our sins and put things right?

Then there is the matter of apologising to the person I have wronged. But I have discovered that whilst this is often necessary, many incidents of failure are far more obvious to me than others. If my sin against somebody is evident only to me, perhaps it will cause hurt or at the least mild perplexity if I approach that person for forgiveness.

Often, by the time I have decided that an apology is in order, and I have gathered up my courage to give one, the offended person has chosen to overlook the offence and has moved on. I hope that I am learning to extend grace and forgiveness in a similar way. Nevertheless, it is good to apologise as soon as one can. However, all of this assumes that we know when we have hurt someone.  But I wonder how often we wound people without even realising it.

In reality, perfection is impossible. With the best will in the world, we will continue to make mistakes until the day we die. And this brings me to the comforting thought that God does not expect perfection, just growth. Actually, in a legal sense, you have been declared perfect if you are in Christ. And God will forgive you for every sin if you ask him. Yet the fruit of being in Christ is growth. And if you cast your eyes back a year or two, you will realise that you are growing.

So when you fail, ask God for forgiveness, apologise when appropriate and then encourage yourself with the following quote by Joyce Meyers:  “I’m not where I need to be, but thank God I’m not where I used to be. I’m ok and I’m on my way”.

Cheers for now - Ian

Gladness in the shadow of execution

Reading: Philippians 1:18b-20

If you were in prison waiting to see whether your impending trial would result in execution, what would you be obsessing about? Personally, I would be preoccupied with the trial and my defence.  Indeed, thoughts about my defence would be the tip of the ice berg in a very turbulent sea of emotions. And in such circumstances, nobody would be too surprised if one were in turmoil. But if one claimed to be awash with feelings of gladness and delight, the lawyers would be looking no further for a line of defence! “This guy is mad,” they would exclaim, “let’s claim insanity”.

Yet Paul, though facing the very real possibility of an imminent execution, was rejoicing. Why was Paul rejoicing? Well, Paul was preoccupied with something that he gave precedence over his defence: whether he would be able to glorify God right to the end or not. To declare the fame of God was Paul’s “earnest expectation and hope” (v20). Paul did not want to be “put to shame in anything” (v20), for that would have tarnished the reputation of the God he represented. No, Paul wanted Christ be “exalted in [his] body, whether by life or death” (v20)?

Paul’s example reminds us that there is a close link between joy and a passion for God’s glory. If I am consumed by self-interest, I will be miserable. But if I live for the renown of God, my heart will burn with an unquenchable gladness.

Cheers for now - Ian

It's all going to be alright

Reading: Philippians 1:18b-20

“There, there - it’s all going to be alright”. How often have we reassured our children with these words? Perhaps you were soothed by the same words when you were a child. It is a comfort to know that everything is going to turn out alright. Indeed it can even be a source of joy.

Paul wrote: “Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that this (what had happened to Paul) will turn out for my deliverance.” Yet Paul was in prison waiting to hear whether he would be executed or not. Would he live or would he die (v20). And perhaps your current situation holds a large degree of uncertainty too. How will it all turn out?

Paul was convinced that, no matter what the outcome, his situation would turn out for his deliverance. The Greek word translated “deliverance” refers to a state of being safe. How could Paul know that he would end up being safe and even rejoice in the fact when there was a good chance that he might be executed?

The answer has three parts (though this is not as clear in some English translations of the Bible as it is in the Greek). To begin with, Paul’s state of safety would be assured through 1) the prayers of the Philippians, and 2) the help of the Holy Spirit (v19).

God has provided for your safety through the prayers of your church family and the fact that His Spirit is in you. Are you praying for brothers and sisters that are in crisis? Are you firmly plugged into a church family? Have you forgotten that the Holy Spirit is within you? Are you ignoring Him? Do not be like the Galatians who were trying to complete something that the Spirit had started (their salvation) in their own strength (Gal. 3:1-5). God is with you and He is leading you to safety by the Spirit. Further, the Spirit is a guarantee that one day you will make it to heaven, the ultimate place of safety.

Let us turn now to the third aspect of Paul’s safety which is closely linked to Paul’s passion to glorify God. The NASB translates: “I know that this will turn out for my deliverance ... according to my earnest expectation ... that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or death”.  The word translated “exalted” also means to glorify or to highly praise. It was Paul’s hope and earnest expectation that He would make God famous whether imprisoned or free, by living or dying. Paul knew that his desire to live or die in such a way as to show the supreme value of God would keep Him safe.

The safest way for you to live is by seeking to show God as your greatest treasure in life. Then through the provision of the Spirit, whatever has happened and whatever will happen, you will end up being safe. We have an assurance of safety that will prevail in all circumstances, good or bad.  Now that is something to rejoice in!

Cheers for now - Ian

Joy in discomfort

Philippians 2:11-18a

Just to let you know: I am officially fed-up with adjusting the driver’s seat on my new (second-hand) car. Yesterday, after weeks of careful tweaking and experimentation, I happened to compare my ideal settings with the position of the non-adjustable passenger seat ... they were identical. It was a sad moment. And this doesn’t bring me terribly smoothly to the subject of joy. Or perhaps it does.

Fact is we all want some form of joy that will endure. But we often look for joy in the wrong places. We learned last week that Paul derived joy from the fact that he was changing the shape of eternity through a successful gospel partnership with the Philippians. Partnerships created for the purposes of building the Kingdom of God can become a reliable source of enduring joy. Yet how often do we turn to gospel partnerships as a source of joy? How important are they to us?

Let me tell you about something that is important to me: comfort. I don’t do suffering. The less pain, hardship, chaos, or untidiness there is in my life the better. My friends may even be stunned to hear that I HATE bad smells. Surprising? Given my constitution, maybe it is. But seriously, if there are bad smells in heaven, I don’t want to go. Bad smells came after Adam sinned (in my opinion).

But here’s the thing – life is not comfortable. And if I want an easy life, then I will be a rotten Christian and a stranger to joy. Did not Jesus order me to pick up my cross every day? And did not Paul experience joy though in prison for the sake of the gospel? Roman prisons were not designed for comfort. They probably didn’t smell too good either. That prison was Paul’s cross. Yet Paul did not report on his comfort in verses 12-18a (chapter 1). Instead, he reported on the progress of the gospel and delighted in the fact that the gospel was advancing through his suffering rather than in spite of it.

There were soldiers in Caesar’s palace guard that could only be reached through Paul’s imprisonment. I wonder who God wants to reach through your suffering or tough circumstances? How could you respond to your circumstances in a way that will point people to Jesus? When we look for joy in easy circumstances, our gladness shares will soon start devaluing. But when we focus on how God can use our tough circumstances to propel the gospel, we will find true gladness.

Cheers for now - Ian

The fingerprints of joy

Last week, I wrote about my new (second-hand) car and joy, a vivid emotion of pleasure and gladness. And if I remember correctly, I signed off by asking how one could find joy that will endure, providing strength in this life and a reward in the next. Joy, after all, is something of an elusive commodity, especially when it is linked to transient things like possessions, health, pleasant circumstances or the fact that one’s new (second-hand) car allows one to adjust the level of one’s bottom in the driver’s seat ... sorry – I forgot myself for a moment then.

So this week, I would like to explore the subject of enduring joy. One way of doing this is to begin tracing the fingerprints of joy in Paul’s letter to the Philippians.

The Philippians stirred up pleasure and gladness in Paul’s heart. We see evidence of this when Paul claims that, “in all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy” (v4).  The cause of this joy is spelled out in the next verse: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now”.

Therefore, it was a gospel partnership that stoked up the joy in Paul’s heart. A gospel partnership is one that extends the cause of the gospel, holding out eternal life to a dying world. Paul established his partnership with the Philippians when he preached the gospel to them and took a severe beating in the process (Acts 16). Then, the Philippians continued the partnership by supporting Paul financially whether “in chains or defending and confirming the gospel” (v7).

The Philippians supported Paul’s ministry when it was thriving, and when he had freedom to travel and preach (4:15-16). Then when Paul was imprisoned and his ministry appeared to be crumbling, they did not abandon Paul. Instead, they sent Epaphroditus with money to look after him (v18). How could Paul fail to experience joy when he reflected on the wonder of his gospel partnership with these big-hearted and generous people? Further, the fruit of the partnership had eternal value, sparking joy that would endure forever.

I bet that the results are not in on your gospel partnerships. One day, God will let you see how they have shaped eternity. Yet how often do you look to your gospel partnerships as a source of joy? How important are they to you? If you are anything like me, I turn to many other sources of joy that are far less enduring, so please excuse me whilst I go and fiddle with the driver’s seat on my new (second-hand) car.

Cheers for now - Ian

Addicted to Joy

I just got a new (second hand) car. Ah, the joy of it. You know what? This car even has an adjustable driver’s seat. And I’m not just talking about backwards and forwards. By turning two knobs, I can actually raise or lower the level of my bum. How’s that? I know – so what? Nevertheless, I can do it! Woohoo!!

 But ... now that I think about it, I felt the same joy when I got the new (second hand) car that this latest, new (second hand) car is replacing - if you get my meaning. Cars deteriorate. Prince Charming may turn into a flatulent King. Health and wealth come and go. Holidays always come to an end. Clothes go out of fashion. Technology gets superseded. Rugby teams loose (flipping Sharks). The dog pukes on the new carpet.

Joy can seem like an elusive commodity.

In spite of this, I am hoping to turn into a bit of an addict – a joy junkie if you like. My dictionary defines joy as “a vivid emotion of pleasure, gladness”. And the Bible says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10). It also says, "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Mat. 13:44).

Now that sounds like a good thing. In fact, it sounds like THE thing! Joy brings strength. It floods our hearts with pleasure and gladness. It is what we feel when (like the man who found the hidden treasure) we realise we have found SOMETHING more valuable than ANYTHING else. Bring it on!

Question is: where does one find such joy? And that is the question I would like to leave you with today.

Cheers for now - Ian