Jonah & The Sailors

Jonah 1:1-16

God asked Jonah to go and share His message with the people of Ninevah. Jonah just turned and ran instead, and hopped on a boat to Tarshish. [Go ahead and say that name a few times, it’s a guaranteed party.] God did not take Jonah’s disobedience lightly, so He created a violent storm strong enough to break ships in half. 

--> God does not take your obedience/disobedience lightly.

In the midst of the violent storm, all the sailors on the ship that Jonah caught “were afraid and each cried out to his own god.” They threw out cargo in the hope that they could lighten the load and feel the storm less. The sailors even tried to row their way out of the storm, which resulted in the storm growing increasingly worse. They turned to their own gods, and they tried to help themselves. Both failed.

They then asked a million questions of Jonah:

“Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

Jonah’s reply:

“I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.”

--> Jonah’s entire identity and answer to all their questions was wrapped up solely in the God that he worshipped. Where's your identity at?

The sailors then prayed to this God, the God of the land and the sea. God in His magnificent power calmed the sea. 

“At this the men greatly feared the LORD, and they offered a sacrifice to the LORD and made vows to him.”

The sailors, who had just cried out to their own gods to no avail, now worshipped the One True God. Their own strength had failed them, but they now stood in awe of the strength of the Almighty God.

Although God despises disobedience, He used that, along with Jonah’s declaration of his faith as an opportunity to display His glory to some sailors who may never have seen Him otherwise. God is bigger than everything, so let Him use every part of you including your moments of disobedience, to bring His redemption to your world.

The best thing is to obey. But when do you run away to your Tarshish instead, remember that God is there too. Repent, before God has to use a storm to rock the boats of everyone around you. Then arise and speak His name. Who knows, in the midst of violent storms you may see redemption come to your ship.

Broken

Hosea 8:6

“This calf--a craftsman has made it; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces, that calf of Samaria.”

In Exodus 32 the Israelites “gathered around Aaron and said, ‘Come, make us gods who will go before us.’” They lost sight of God, the God in whose presence and glory they had trembled not long before. They lost sight of their God, so they became impatient and looked for anything that they could worship and give their lives to.

The Israelites went for a golden calf, something I’m fairly certain you don’t have chilling in your garden. But if you’re anything like me, you do have a few potential non-golden, non-calf idols scattered around your world. Idols came in all shapes and sizes these days: cars, money, jobs, family, friends, dogs, holidays, dreams, hobbies…

All these things require more of us then I think we often realise. But even worse, they take away from the people who love us: “Aaron answered them, ‘Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” We start taking our time, gifts, energy and resources away from the One who deserves it and the ones that need it, and invest them in unworthy idols.

We give our lives, forgetting that “This [idol]; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces.”

This friend, they are not God. Though they love and care for you, they cannot save or satisfy your heart. They will disappoint you; they will be broken in pieces.

This job; it is not God. Though it will allow you to provide for yourself and your family, it is not your ultimate Provider. It will be broken in pieces.

This dream; it is not God. Though it may be from God and of God, the dream in itself is not enough for you. Don’t hold on too tightly, it will be broken into pieces.

This [______]; it is not God. It will be broken in pieces.

Fill in the blank for your own life, and remind yourself often.

God alone can rescue, save, satisfy, provide, fulfil, forgive and never let you down.

Look to Him, worship Him, give your time, gifts, energy and resources to Him. 

He alone is worthy.

This Jesus; He is God. He will never be broken in pieces.

See also: Last God Standing

Armour [Righteousness: 1]

Ephesians 6:14

"Stand firm then...with the breastplate of righteousness in place."

Our heart and lungs are pretty vital to our survival, making the breastplate a necessity in our suit of armour. The material that makes up the breastplate is important. It needs to be light so as not to be a heavy weight to carry yet at the same time impenetrable, solid and lasting in the face of an onslaught.

Going out to battle with a rag over your chest is a certain death sentence.

[Isaiah 64:6 "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags..."]

Yet some people will go out to face their life, with their own righteousness covering them, their own stinking, unclean, filthy attempt at righteousness. But when the bullets start flying, a rag will be pointless.

We need something so much stronger to cover us.

[2 Corinthians 5:21 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."]

Jesus took our rags, and he took our place. In exchange he gave us his perfect, impenetrable righteousness. His righteousness is an easy burden, and it is an everlasting protection. 

But how can we afford this breastplate of the finest material? We can't. It is a beautiful gift from our heavenly Father. He gave us his Son.

[Jeremiah 23:6 "This is the name by which he will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."]

When Jesus lives inside of us, he becomes our perfect righteousness, our everlasting protection.

Armour [Truth]

Ephesians 6:14

"Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist..."

The main purpose of a belt (fashion aside) is to keep the wearer from looking like a fool with their pants on the ground. A belt prevents moments of embarrassment and shame, and gives the wearer the freedom to let go of their pants and move.

The truth of God is like a belt, holding us together and keeping our lives in place. The truth sets us free from the lies of the devil and his conniving plans to embarrass and shame us and helps us be everything we were made to be.

But in order to be effective, the belt must be buckled around your own waist. Your dad/mom/friend/brother/sister wearing a belt won't keep your pants in place, you have to wear the belt! You have to know and believe the truth for yourself, in your own heart and mind. Without it, your life is in constant danger of falling down and falling apart. When the world comes crashing down all around you, God's truth will remain.

The truths of God are beautiful and they are endless, but here are a few basic truths to buckle around your heart that you may stand firm and stand strong til the end:

God is everything he says he is. Nothing less, nothing more.

- Exodus 34:5-7

You are fearfully and wonderfully made.
- Psalm 139:14

There is amazing hope in what God has planned for your future.
- Jeremiah 29:11

Every single time you do something against God's will, ie sin, you deserve to die.
But for each death you deserved to die, Jesus died so that you may live forever.
- Romans 6:23

Jesus will take care of you and supply you with everything you'll ever need.
- Philippians 4:19

We will live with Jesus and and worship and adore him with everyone that believes in him in heaven forever.
- John 14:3

Know the truth. Believe the truth. It will hold you together and it will set you free.

Psalm 51 [Trash]

Psalm 51:11

"Don't throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me.”

I think one of the biggest reasons for suicide, for depression, for broken hearts, is the sense of worthlessness. Worthlessness kills people. It kills joy and hope and life and contentment.

People see themselves as trash, and as a consequence they treat themselves and those around them like trash too. Because if you’re not worth anything to anyone, who cares what the hell you do?

But what people don’t realise is the worth placed upon them by the simple fact that they were created in the image of the majestic Creator. By his breath in us we live. Therein lies worth.

When we give our lives to Jesus, he doesn’t throw us out with the trash, instead he throws the trash out of us. And in its place he breathes his holiness. In Jesus, we not only live by his breath, but by his holiness too.

There is NO condemnation for those inside Christ Jesus [Romans 8:1]. But there is a whole lot of worth. Meaning. Importance. Significance.  

Jesus believes you are worth it; worth putting his holiness inside of you.

How about you believe it too?

Psalm 51 [Mulligan]

 Psalm 51:10

“God, make a fresh start in me, shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.”

There’s a thing in social golf called a Mulligan. If you shank a shot badly, and your fellow players are feeling graceful, they will tell you to take a Mulligan. This means that you do not count that shot, and you get to take the ball back to where you hit it from (or if it is completely lost, take out a new ball). You then carry on as if that previous shot did not even happen.

There are times when I’d do anything for a Mulligan in my life; a chance to take back the words I said, and erase my actions and the chaos they caused.

My wonderful God offers that to me.

He offers me a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26*), and a pure spirit; the chance to start over again. He offers me the opportunity to have all my miss hits erased from my scorecard forever. And boy, do I take it! And though I won’t pretend like that stuff didn’t ever happen, I will repent and I will learn from it; learn how not to take the shot, how not to do life.

I will try again, but this time with God’s Creator hand that makes all things new guiding me and pointing me in the right direction. In his direction.

* “And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.”

Psalm 51 [So Caught Up]

Psalm 51:9

“Don't look too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health."

I think we sometimes get more caught up on our sin than we should. Don’t get me wrong, sin is the most serious, most deadly thing out there. But when you hand your sin over to God, Jesus’ most serious death covers it and he considers it fully dead and gone. Your account is completely paid off; your slate is entirely clean; your bill of health is totally clear.

So stop dwelling on the bad stuff of the past (Philippians 3:12-14). Stop it! God’s made you new. He’s declared you clean. How about you start living that way?

Stop looking for your blemishes and weaknesses and bad things, and start living in what God says you are: a beautiful and pure daughter or a strong and beloved son of the Most High God. That’s what you are! Why live any differently?

Stop getting so caught up on everything that you've done, and start getting caught up on everything that Jesus has done for you.

Psalm 51 [Party Rock]

Psalm 51:8

“Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these once-broken bones to dancing.”

You know that kind of beat that gets your body moving, no matter how tired or lazy you are feeling? You don’t even care what people are thinking. It’s almost as if your body can’t help but move to the vibration of the bass drum.

Tune your life into Jesus; turn him up loud; listen to the beat of his heart for you (Zephaniah 3:17), and everyday you’ll be shuffling! It’ll just be an overflow of the exploding joy inside of you that Jesus brings.

And those things that cause you to limp and hold you back from party rocking? He can take all that junky broken stuff in your life and make you whole again. He’ll heal your broken bones and shattered heart, loosen up your joints and set you free to dance with him forever and always.

Live your life to Jesus’ soundtrack of goodness and grace, and you’ll be dancing for days!

Psalm 51 [Laundry]

Psalm 51:7

“Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean, scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.”

Jesus can make you new again. Let him wash the stains out of you. You don’t even need any special, high-priced coupon for the Holy Heavenly Laundrette (Isaiah 55:1). 

Simply bring your filthy, stained rags to Jesus and soak yourself in his Word and in his presence. It may take a little scrubbing and shaking and feeling raw, as Jesus works on those deep stains, but I guarantee that you’ll come out as good as new. In fact, you’ll be even better than before. 

Bring and come.

Psalm 51 [Give & Take]

Psalm 51:4-6

“You're the One I've violated, and you've seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. 

You have all the facts before you; whatever you decide about me is fair.

I've been out of step with you for a long time; in the wrong since before I was born. 

What you're after is truth from the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.”

When we sin, people get hurt. Relationships are harmed, trust is broken, and someone ends up worse off. However, sin is ultimately against God. All sin is a direct defiance of our Creator and King. He’s the most important one that you need to be right with.

And the scary, yet refreshing truth is that God knows everything (Psalm 139). He has seen your every thought, every message sent, every movie watched, every lie told from the day you were born. Before you speak or act, Jesus knows. When you feel like you don’t even know yourself, Jesus knows. He knows your heart and your motives. Jesus knows! 

But he wants you to be honest with him. So get it all out, give it all over to Jesus. Get all that rubbish out of your heart and mind, and it’ll leave space for Jesus’ new, true life to live in you. Fill every single space in your heart with Jesus. Leave no room for that garbage to come back again!

Give Jesus your sin, and take on his righteousness.

Give Jesus your filth and impurity, and take on his perfect purity.

Give Jesus your death, and live in his new, true life.

Give Jesus everything you are, and become everything he is.

Psalm 51 [Easy Off Bang]

Psalm 51:1-3 MSG

“Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. 

Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your laundry. 

I know how bad I've been; my sins are staring me down.”

This is how King David felt after he slept with one of his soldiers’ wives, and then ordered him killed, while that very soldier was out fighting for him and his kingdom. And this, Psalm 51, is what David writes to his God, asking for forgiveness and mercy. David wrote this believing that his God was entirely capable of all David asked him.

Ever felt like this? Felt full of guilt and shame? Felt weighed down by your bad record and dirty laundry? Felt like your sins are literally staring at you through the eyes of the people you’ve hurt? Felt like there’s no hope, no escape?

Well, let me tell you something. David was right.

God can wipe out your bad record:

"I [God], even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.” (Isaiah 43:25)

“For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sin no more.” (Hebrews 8:12)

God can scrub away and soak out your sins:

“I [God] will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols.” (Ezekiel 36:25)

There is hope, there is an escape. It’s all through the life and death of Jesus Christ.

Ask. Believe. And bang, the dirt is gone!

Inquirer

2 Chronicles 20:3

“…Jehosophat resolved to inquire of the Lord.”

In the good old days before Google, if you wanted a person’s phone number, you’d have a look in the phone book, the source of all phone numbers. If you wanted to know the spelling or definition of a word, you’d pull out the dictionary, the book that contains all words. Nowadays we pose all inquiries, requests and questions to Google, the supposed source of all things.

But there is a true Source of all things. His name is Jesus. If you have an inquiry about love, a request regarding life, a question about your future, a problem with your health, or anything else, I urge you to pose it to Jesus. He knows all things, is before all things and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:15-20).

At every stage of your life say to yourself, “Let me inquire of God here.” He should be your first resort, not your last. He is the answer.

Decide and resolve now to make Jesus your first port of call, your inquirer, your guide.

Friendship 101

1 Samuel 23:16

"Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God."

That is true, pure friendship as God first intended it. Just like that.


.

Stop Hiding

1 Samuel 3:17

“’What was it [the Lord] said to you?’ Eli asked. ‘Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely if you hide from me anything he told you.’”

God has spoken things to you. Don’t hide them. Speak.

God has spoken words over your life. Don’t try to hide from them. Live in them.

John 6:63

“…The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.”

God’s Word is life. Stop hiding it. Stop hiding from it. Speak and live.

Stand Still

1 Samuel 12:16

“Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before you.”

Maybe you feel like God isn’t doing anything with you. Maybe it seems like nothing is happening in your life, other than the mundane routine of school or work.

This is my thought for you today:

Maybe you’re just too busy to see the great things the Lord is doing right in front of you. Your full schedule leaves no space for God. You doing everything leaves no room for God to do anything.

Stop. Stand still. And you will see this great thing the Lord is about to do before you.

Spoiler Alert

I like knowing what is going to happen before it even does. I hate being surprised by a twist in the tale. And for this reason, Google and Wikipedia are my best friends. I’ll read up on a movie before I see it or even while I’m watching it just so I know what the end will be. And the funny thing is, even in knowing I still get engrossed in the story, cry and laugh, and enjoy the movie.

I haven’t been able to watch any movies this past week, but I did watch so much tennis I almost feel like I could now win Wimbledon myself. But I’m a bit behind in the tennis world and there are so many new players (mostly with long Russian surnames). So I spent a whole lot of time Googling and finding out about these people (thank you, Jesus for Blackberries and free internet. Ha!!). Often they show the matches delayed, so in my Googling I would stumble upon the end result of the game I was watching. Bummer!

It really changes things, knowing what is going to happen. If I found out the player I was supporting (usually the underdog) was going to lose, I lost interest in the match and generally ended up on facebook and twitter. No one likes to support a losing cause. But if I saw that my player was going to win, I felt myself rooting for them even more. Suddenly them losing a point, a game or even a set or two seemed less significant, because I knew they would win the match in the end. I knew that no matter what happened in the sets ahead, they were going to win. I could confidently support them and know I’d feel joy in the end.

Just like Google and Wikipedia tell the stories of movies and tennis and pretty much everything else, there is a book where the story of the universe, which includes my life and yours, is told. This book, the Bible, tells the beginning and the end. Wanna know how it will end?

**SPOILER ALERT**

JESUS WINS! #BOOM

Proverbs 21:31

“Victory belongs to the Lord.”

1 Corinthians 15:57

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

1 John 5:4 

“For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”

Like the tennis scores I found out, I have found out that Jesus wins. If he was going to lose, I’d probably give myself to facebook and twitter and boys and sport and just about everything else. But Jesus is not going to lose. He will win! So I give everything I am to support his cause. And I know that he is playing for me. When the tough times come and I start losing points and games and sets, I hold on to the promise that Jesus wins.

And like the movie synopsis that I read, the Bible doesn’t give me the detail of all that will happen in the story of my life. But it does tell me that in the end I will live happily ever after in heaven with all those who love Jesus. It tells me that we’re going to party and praise Jesus in freedom and love forevermore. So when the twists in the tale come and the soundtrack of my life sounds ominous, I hold onto the promise of eternity with Jesus.

By dying on the cross and being raised to life, Jesus has overcome sin and death. He did it for you. Let Jesus’ victory be the foundation you build your life on. Let it be the lighthouse in the midst of the storm. Let it change the way you play and the way you live. Let it be your confidence and your hope.

JESUS WINS.

Last God Standing

1 Samuel 5:1-4

¹“After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

²Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon.

 ³When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place.

⁴But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.”

The ark, the very presence of God, was placed before the false god, Dagon. Before such holiness, glory and power he could not stand. Despite his worshippers’ best efforts to keep him standing, Dagon was completely broken down before the Lord.

 In a similar way, when you invite Jesus into your heart, the fullness of his presence enters your being. And God, in all his glory and holiness, will NOT allow any ‘idol’ of your heart to stay standing in his presence for very long.

The first commandment: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exodus 20:2-3). 

And right after that: “You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God…” (Exodus 20:4-5).

You may think, “Well, I don’t have any statues or figurines lying around my house, so I’m good.” But those ‘other gods’ and ‘idols’ are pretty much anything in heaven or on earth apart from the One True God that you bow down to and worship with your time and resources. If you put a person, a dream, a career, a car, a cat, ANYTHING before God, it becomes an ‘other god’, an ‘idol’.

God wants, and entirely deserves, the number one position in your life. He is the One who saved you and set you free. He is the One who paid your ransom, and he is now living in you. God will ensure that he is the last God standing in your life. If you do not willingly lay down these other things, God will lay them down for you; and they’ll probably smash like Dagon in the process.

If your best friend becomes more important to you than Jesus, the Best Friend ever (John 15:13) and the One who gifted you with the friend in the first place (James 1:17), God will most likely cause that person to draw away, or allow them to disappoint you. If your grades become more important to you than the One who gave you your brains (Psalm 139:13), despite your best efforts, you may fail. God will break down all else you place your trust in, right in front of you, until he is the last God standing.

Lay everything down before the One who deserves it all.

Focus, Dude!

Our eyes are amazing things. They are made to focus on one point, with all points around it fading. We weren't made to see one hundred things all at the same time. Photos where the subject is in focus and both the back and foreground are blurry look so cool and seem so real, because we were made to focus on one thing at a time.

A photo in which the main subject, the most important thing, is not in focus gets deleted. It is of no use. But a photo in which the main subject is crisp and clear will be kept and that memory will last forever, almost like a legacy.

The truth is, the parts of your life that aren't focused on Jesus will one day count for nothing, as if they were deleted. Anything outside of Jesus: the good, the bad, the great, the ugly; it will all be a waste, rubbish, thrown in the dump. 

But where Jesus is the focus of your life there is eternal value and worth. The dreams that are focused on Jesus and through Jesus.. those won't be forgotten in the morning, they'll last forever. Those life photos are the type of photos that are kept forever.

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

Hebrews 12:2

“Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith.”

If your life was a photo album, what would the subject of all the photos be? 

What would people see if they paged through the album?

What are your life and your dreams focusing on?

The Most Gentle Whisper

Psalm 81:5 (MSG)

“I hear this most gentle whisper from One I never guessed would speak to me.”

Maybe you feel like a relationship with the God of the universe is a no go. Maybe you’ve been told that you’re not good enough or that you’re too dirty to even set foot on the doorstep of heaven. Maybe you’re convinced that if there is possibly a God out there, you’ll be last on his list, and that a conversation with him is certainly impossible.

Well, the truth is, there is no such thing as ‘not good enough’. ‘Too dirty’, ‘too impure’ and ‘too broken’ don’t even exist. Open up your life to the God and King of the universe, and you’ll find these words spoken over you:

Psalm 81:6-7 (MSG)

"I took the world off your shoulders, freed you from a life of hard labour.

   You called to me in your pain; I got you out of a bad place.   I answered you from where the thunder hides…”

Jesus can set you free. All your burdens and all your shame, Jesus, your saviour has overcome! It is by grace that you can be set free. No good works necessary, in fact, no works are even allowed (Ephesians 2). Simply by confessing that Jesus is Lord and believing that he died on the cross for you, this freedom will be yours (Romans 10:9). Cast your burdens and your world onto Jesus for he cares for you and he is strong (1 Peter 5:6-7).

God hears your cries, and he will meet you where you are at (More Than Halfway). God sent Jesus to the darkest of places that he may bring you out into the brightest of lights (2 Samuel 22:29). In the midst of the storm and chaos of your life, call out to Jesus and he will answer you. His beautiful, life-giving whisper will drown out the loudest of storms.

Listen.

Your Love Is Strong

Heavenly Father You always amaze me
Let your kingdom come in my world and in my life
You give me the food I need to live through the day
And forgive me as I forgive the people that wronged me
Lead me far from temptation; deliver me from the evil one

I look out the window, the birds are composing
Not a note is out of tune or out of place
I walk at the meadow and stare at the flowers
Better dressed than any girl on her wedding day
So why do I worry?
Why do I freak out?
God knows what I need
You know what I need

Your love is strong

The kingdom of the heavens is now advancing
Invade my heart, invade this broken town
The kingdom of the heavens is buried treasure
Will you sell yourself to buy the one you've found?
Two things you told me
That you are strong
And you love me
Yes, you love me

Your love is strong

Our God in heaven
Hallowed be thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Our God in heaven
Hallowed be thy name above all names
Your kingdom come
Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Give us today our daily bread
Forgive us wicked sinners
Lead us far away from our vices
And deliver us from these prisons

Take Heart

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Fact #1: We will have trouble. It’s guaranteed by the One who sees and knows all things. Stop being surprised when troubles and difficulties come.

Fact #2: Jesus is the Prince of peace and in Jesus we may have peace. That ‘may’ (‘might’ in the KJV) kinda puts the ball in our court. Jesus opens the door for us to his mind-blowing peace. It’s ours to lay hold of through doing those things he told us and getting into him.

Fact #3: Jesus has overcome, and in Jesus we have overcome. Victory can be ours.

Moral of the story? Get your life into Jesus.

……………………………………………………………………

But more than the facts, my favourite thing about this scripture is this:

Jesus has told us that he will give us peace and that he has won the victory. It’s all taken care of. But he does ask one thing of us. He says, “But take heart!” Be brave! Have courage! Be strong! Have confidence! Be of good cheer!

Jesus has overcome the world. Live in that victory. Take heart!

Mind Over Matter

Psalm 13

1 How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

    How long will you hide your face from me?

2 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts

    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?

    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

3 Look on me and answer, Lord my God.

    Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,

4 and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,”

    and my foes will rejoice when I fall.

5 But I trust in your unfailing love;

    my heart rejoices in your salvation.

6 I will sing the Lord’s praise,

    for he has been good to me.

This is contradiction at its best. One moment David is crying out, complaining and whining and seeming to be utterly depressed and hopeless. Yet only two verses later he is writing about trusting, rejoicing and singing. How can this be?

I think it could be this:

Although the circumstances and environment around David left him feeling alone, hopeless and depressed; those dark days could not touch the deeply rooted beliefs inside David’s heart.

FEELING: Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?

BELIEF: I trust in your unfailing love.

FEELING: How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart?

BELIEF: My heart rejoices in your salvation.

FEELING: How long will my enemy triumph over me? My enemy will say, “I have overcome him.”

BELIEF: I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me.

David was open and honest with God about how he felt, yet he made certain that his belief and trust in the King of kings triumphed over his feelings.

Mark 9:22-24

“‘…But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’

‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for one who believes.’

Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’”

Thanks

Psalm 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusts in him, and I am helped.

My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

That verse ends with "in song." That is like the author's means of giving thanks. So what is your method, if you rewrote that for your own life? My words would probably say "in writing", "in studying" or “with my piano and guitar.”

I will give thanks to him in writing. With the words I write on this blog, with the words I write in my letters, with every word I pen, I am going to give thanks to my Lord.

I will give thanks to Jesus by using the brains he has gifted me with to the best of my ability when I study. And when I do well, the glory will go to him.

I will also give thanks to him with my music. I will use chord progressions and crazy riffs to praise and glorify and thank my King.

What are your words?

In maths?

In meetings?

At school?

In sport?

In dancing?

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Party In The Desert

Exodus 5:1

This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Let my people go, so that they may hold a festival to me in the desert.'

God wanted His people to go into the desert to hold a party for Him. The desert isn't usually the number one spot for a festival party. It's boiling and barren. There’s no water or shade or anything good really. It's where people die if they get lost. So what’s with God wanting to party in the desert?

Maybe it's because there are no distractions in the desert. It's quiet, empty. It's the place where you can be still enough to not only hear a pin drop, but also actually hear God.

Sometimes, in our own lives, we find ourselves in the same place. We're all alone and feeling empty and desperate. We're in the desert. And it's tempting to see the desert as a bad place, as a place get out of as fast as we can.

But God brought us to the desert; he wants us there for a reason. Maybe God brought us there for a festival of his goodness and grace.

Burning Bush

Exodus 3:2-5

Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

Have you ever noticed that God doesn't speak to Moses straight away? He waits until Moses moves toward the burning bush before he calls to him?

He took a step toward the bush before God called him. He had to step out before God gave him the big mission. A journey starts with little steps.

Another point to note is that the fire did not burn up the bush, there was no time limit on it. God is patiently calling us, waiting for us to notice him and come to him.

I am often too afraid or just too plain lazy to take the first step. I sometimes think the burning bush must come toward me, that God will give me a journey when I’m ready. But the Lord is waiting for me to come and look, and then, BAM, he will speak big things.

A mission is waiting. The burning bushes are out there. The fire has come. Come to the fire.

That's What Friends Are For

Mark 2: 3-4

"Some men came, bringing to him (Jesus) a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralysed man was lying on. "

The strength and the tenderness of these four men’s love for paralytic on the mat blows my mind and my heart apart. Firstly, they carried their friend to Jesus, hoping he’d be healed. And even when the way was blocked, they didn’t give up. They climbed onto the roof while still carrying the friend, then spent an unknown, but probably huge, amount of time digging through the roof and ceiling. After all this they gently lowered him to Jesus’ feet. The man was healed.

Friendship doesn’t get much better than that! Going wildly out of your way to bring someone into Jesus’ presence. Breaking down walls and ceilings and all things holding them back. Doing anything and everything you can, to connect someone hurting with the love of Christ. Stepping aside and letting Jesus heal and love and forgive more than you ever could. That is friendship. That is love.

Love is patient. Love is kind. Love always hopes. Love always perseveres. Love never gives up.

Whose mat are you carrying? 

Lonely

Genesis 2:18

"The Lord God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.'"

Have you ever seen that the second thing God says to Adam is "It is not good for man to be alone." The very first is a warning about the tree of knowledge of good and evil and death. The next statement God makes is about being alone.

This world is big into the idea of independence. We see "doing it yourself" as a sign of strength and character. You against the world.

But God thought loneliness was so big that he mentioned it second. Maybe eating the apple wasn't the only death. Maybe being alone is a different kind of dying.  I think God always wants us to be in relationship. Whether that's in the context of marriage or a friendship with a neighbour or a brother or sister.

God also says that he will make and provide the helper, the friend. God took the time to go through all the animals with Adam to find him a friend, and when that didn’t work, God created one for him. God cares that much. He does not want us to be alone.

Let his love in, let his love out, and accept the beautiful gift of a friend.