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Colossians 1:23
if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
NKJV
NKJV
Paul had a real heart to encourage us to ‘continue in the faith’. It is understandable because Paul, just one among so many men, suffered persecution for his faith and yet persevered and persisted. The lesson for us is that we also may have that degree of commitment that we too may persist and ‘continue in the faith’
The word is clear — it is about carrying on, persisting, not failing or faltering. It is often standing as the lone tree in the gale — the last man standing. Steadfast is the ‘now’ word, particularly in uncertain times, like ‘now’ and every now.
In what way do we persevere? It is easy to say that things do not work out as we want them to. They never will because the world does not revolve around you and me. I still find that difficult after nearly 70 years on this earth, and as Gill pointed out to me today, we pass on our attitudes — good and bad — to our children and grandchildren, to our wider family and friends, to our work colleagues and neighbours. We owe it to these wonderful people to radiate Christ, by persevering in our faith.
Without a doubt it is a tough call, but today tomorrow and every day let us awake and be not moved away from the Hope of the gospel which we have heard.
A dear lady of great faith declared that she awakened and before doing anything else praised The Lord in what she called ‘the heavenly language’ — speaking in tongues. This can also mean just singing a hymn or praise song to yourself or aloud; even just humming the tune. The Lord works in you through these things. I have found it to be true and I confess that I have let that practise slip away of late. This message is for myself as much as anyone else, but I know in my heart that persevering, continuing faithfully is something we dare not ignore or let fall. Where our faith is concerned, our actions bring eternal consequences.
The word is clear — it is about carrying on, persisting, not failing or faltering. It is often standing as the lone tree in the gale — the last man standing. Steadfast is the ‘now’ word, particularly in uncertain times, like ‘now’ and every now.
In what way do we persevere? It is easy to say that things do not work out as we want them to. They never will because the world does not revolve around you and me. I still find that difficult after nearly 70 years on this earth, and as Gill pointed out to me today, we pass on our attitudes — good and bad — to our children and grandchildren, to our wider family and friends, to our work colleagues and neighbours. We owe it to these wonderful people to radiate Christ, by persevering in our faith.
Without a doubt it is a tough call, but today tomorrow and every day let us awake and be not moved away from the Hope of the gospel which we have heard.
A dear lady of great faith declared that she awakened and before doing anything else praised The Lord in what she called ‘the heavenly language’ — speaking in tongues. This can also mean just singing a hymn or praise song to yourself or aloud; even just humming the tune. The Lord works in you through these things. I have found it to be true and I confess that I have let that practise slip away of late. This message is for myself as much as anyone else, but I know in my heart that persevering, continuing faithfully is something we dare not ignore or let fall. Where our faith is concerned, our actions bring eternal consequences.
‘Meditate On These Things’
2 PETER 3:17-18 NKJV
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.
“Perseverance” — Tommy Walker Ministries
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers On Love
— Love with all your Strength --
The saint has one striking characteristic, and that is in loving with a Divine love. It’s thirst is not so much to be loved as to be lovable. The characteristics in the life of a saint are the characteristics of our Lord’s life. The saint bears a strong family likeness to Jesus Christ.
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volumes I and II’)
[from ‘Christian Discipline Volumes I and II’)
Listen to this MEDITATION by Clicking Below …
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John 14:25-31
"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.
"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”
[NKJV]
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
You have heard Me say to you, 'I am going away and coming back to you.' If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, I am going to the Father,' for My Father is greater than I.
"And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe.
I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.
But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.”
[NKJV]
From John 14 to the end of John 17, the words we read are exclusively John quoting Jesus in a long farewell speech to His disciples giving counsel and guidance, but also reassurance for the times ahead, but most of all strengthening their faith. This is the detail of ‘The Last Supper’. Jesus concludes with the words “Arise, let us go from here.” Where was Jesus going?
In 18:1 we read that “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.” This is three chapters away in John’s narrative, so maybe we should conclude that the arising and the going is not a physical movement — at least not yet — but a spiritual one. Perhaps Jesus if urging His disciples — and that includes us — to arise from the concerns of this world and go to a new place, a place where the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit dwells.
He stresses that He gives His peace to us. Once we know Him, that essential peace is ever-present within. This is not a gift that we can handle and look at, it is intangible but palpable at the same time — but we must hold on to the gift — “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” It requires action and application on our part, remembering that it is always a joint effort, with Jesus taking the strain.
But now He tell His disciples “I am going away and coming back to you.” And He asks us to rejoice. He follows the Father’s commandment and He says “Arise, let us go from here.”
In 18:1 we read that “When Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples over the Brook Kidron, where there was a garden, which He and His disciples entered.” This is three chapters away in John’s narrative, so maybe we should conclude that the arising and the going is not a physical movement — at least not yet — but a spiritual one. Perhaps Jesus if urging His disciples — and that includes us — to arise from the concerns of this world and go to a new place, a place where the Helper, the Comforter, the Holy Spirit dwells.
He stresses that He gives His peace to us. Once we know Him, that essential peace is ever-present within. This is not a gift that we can handle and look at, it is intangible but palpable at the same time — but we must hold on to the gift — “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” It requires action and application on our part, remembering that it is always a joint effort, with Jesus taking the strain.
But now He tell His disciples “I am going away and coming back to you.” And He asks us to rejoice. He follows the Father’s commandment and He says “Arise, let us go from here.”
‘Meditate on these things’
EPHESIANS 5:13-14 NKJV
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light. Therefore He says:
"Awake, you who sleep,
Arise from the dead,
And Christ will give you light."
“Arise Shine” — featuring Kathryn Marquis
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love with all your STRENGTH --
The natural life in a sanctified man or woman is neither moral or immoral; it is the gift God has given to be sacrificed on the altar of love to God.
Jesus Christ had a natural body, it was not a sin for Him to be hungry, but it would have been a sin for Him to satisfy that hunger when God had told Him not to. The body we have is not sinful in itself; if it were, it would be untrue to say that Jesus Christ was sinless. After we are sanctified we have the same body, but it is ruled by a new disposition, and we have to sacrifice our natural life to God even as Jesus did, so that we make the natural life spiritual by a series of direct moral choices.
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
Jesus Christ had a natural body, it was not a sin for Him to be hungry, but it would have been a sin for Him to satisfy that hunger when God had told Him not to. The body we have is not sinful in itself; if it were, it would be untrue to say that Jesus Christ was sinless. After we are sanctified we have the same body, but it is ruled by a new disposition, and we have to sacrifice our natural life to God even as Jesus did, so that we make the natural life spiritual by a series of direct moral choices.
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking below …
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John 14:19-24
"A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
[NKJV]
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"
Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father's who sent Me.
[NKJV]
I recall being told as a student, that when studying a text, an image, a presentation, to ask yourself questions to get to the heart of what is before you. Do not accept your own preconceptions, but cultivate an enquiring mind. Do not be afraid to ask ‘a stupid question’. Judas (the brother of James) asks — to those already gifted in Bible study — what can seem like one of those ‘what is not to understand?’ questions. He says to Jesus “I don’t understand, Lord.” In so doing he elicits a response from Jesus which helps all of us ‘see’ the spiritual reality of our faith.
In verse 18 Jesus says “I will come to you”, now He says “but you will see Me.” We learn in The Book of Revelation that Jesus is “…the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Jesus is all encompassing, and in the words He speaks He covers the beginning and the end. So when He says He will come to us, it will not pass unnoticed by His people. No, we will see Him, and not just ‘see’ as in notice or observe, but ‘see’ as in know, understand and have an almighty revelation of the Son of God.
Jesus is expanding on what He means by the Spirit of Truth in what is an essential time of teaching His disciples. We are being led through a time of preparation in our walk when we will feel that He has left us; that we are alone. He reassures us of His eternal presence for those who love Him. He is revealing to us how the Holy Spirit works and lays before us the ‘terms and conditions’, as well as the guarantee.
In verse 18 Jesus says “I will come to you”, now He says “but you will see Me.” We learn in The Book of Revelation that Jesus is “…the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End," says the Lord, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." Jesus is all encompassing, and in the words He speaks He covers the beginning and the end. So when He says He will come to us, it will not pass unnoticed by His people. No, we will see Him, and not just ‘see’ as in notice or observe, but ‘see’ as in know, understand and have an almighty revelation of the Son of God.
Jesus is expanding on what He means by the Spirit of Truth in what is an essential time of teaching His disciples. We are being led through a time of preparation in our walk when we will feel that He has left us; that we are alone. He reassures us of His eternal presence for those who love Him. He is revealing to us how the Holy Spirit works and lays before us the ‘terms and conditions’, as well as the guarantee.
‘MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS’
1 JOHN 3:2 NKJV
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
“See Him Face To Face” — First Baptist Dallas Choir & Orchestra
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love with all your STRENGTH --
The gods of other religions are unmoved by men’s troubles simply because they do not care; but our God in His love and compassion imposes on Himself our weakness and pain, while yet He is unmoved from the well-centred strength of His mighty purposes.
[from ‘Christian Discipline, Volumes I and II’]
[from ‘Christian Discipline, Volumes I and II’]
Listen to this meditation by clicking below …
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This meditation was previously published in July 2020 under the title ‘Abide With Me’. This version has been edited and updated.
John 14:15-18
If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
[NKJV]
[NKJV]
Jesus promised that He would send a helper, a ‘comforter’, the Holy Spirit of Truth, who would abide with us ... and will be in us!
‘Abide’ is an amazing word with an amazing number of synonyms*. It describes a state of being with The Lord which none of these other words begin to express adequately. It is inclusive and intimate, and transcends time and place. It is an unconditionally unlimited way to live.
One of the greatest of the Psalms, Psalm 91 is a favourite for many and beautifully and poetically captures what it means to ‘be one with Christ’.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, not of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
[Psalm 91:1-6 NKJV]
Our Father gives and gives and gives selflessly and we are deeply comforted; but behind the words is the father’s heart, which gently reminds us that ‘abiding’ is not just about us. The focus of our abiding is Him; the selflessness is a two-presence relationship. Unless we concern ourselves fully on Him, we are not “he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High”
*Abide is menō (μένω; a primary verb) and means to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): — abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), to remain.
Abide in reference to place: to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue, to be present, to be held, kept, continually.
Abide in reference to time: to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure of persons, to survive, live.
Abide in reference to state or condition: to remain as one, not to become another or different, to wait for, await one
‘Abide’ is an amazing word with an amazing number of synonyms*. It describes a state of being with The Lord which none of these other words begin to express adequately. It is inclusive and intimate, and transcends time and place. It is an unconditionally unlimited way to live.
One of the greatest of the Psalms, Psalm 91 is a favourite for many and beautifully and poetically captures what it means to ‘be one with Christ’.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, not of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
[Psalm 91:1-6 NKJV]
Our Father gives and gives and gives selflessly and we are deeply comforted; but behind the words is the father’s heart, which gently reminds us that ‘abiding’ is not just about us. The focus of our abiding is Him; the selflessness is a two-presence relationship. Unless we concern ourselves fully on Him, we are not “he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High”
*Abide is menō (μένω; a primary verb) and means to stay (in a given place, state, relation or expectancy): — abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for), to remain.
Abide in reference to place: to sojourn, tarry, not to depart, to continue, to be present, to be held, kept, continually.
Abide in reference to time: to continue to be, not to perish, to last, endure of persons, to survive, live.
Abide in reference to state or condition: to remain as one, not to become another or different, to wait for, await one
‘Meditate on these things’
1 CORINTHIANS 4:18-21 NKJV
Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord wills, and I will know, not the word of those who are puffed up, but the power. For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?
“Come Unto Me” — Booth Brothers
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on LOVE
— Love with all your STRENGTH --
The realisation that my strength is always a hindrance to God’s supply of life is a great eye-opener. A man who has genius is apt to rely on his genius rather than on God. A man who has money is apt to rely on money instead of God. So many of us trust in what we have got in the way of possessions instead of entirely in God.
All these sources of strength are sources of double weakness. But when we realise that our true life is “hid with Christ in God,” that we are “complete in Him,” then His strength is radiantly manifested in our mortal flesh, and His light and life and love shine more and more unto the perfect day.
[from ‘God’s Workmanship’]
All these sources of strength are sources of double weakness. But when we realise that our true life is “hid with Christ in God,” that we are “complete in Him,” then His strength is radiantly manifested in our mortal flesh, and His light and life and love shine more and more unto the perfect day.
[from ‘God’s Workmanship’]
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John 14:12-14
Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
[NKJV]
And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
[NKJV]
One of the first lessons I learned when baptised in The Holy Spirit was that the names of people in Scripture describes the nature of that person. ‘The name is the nature’. When studying the rebuilding of the gates of Jerusalem to get an idea of the spiritual picture being portrayed, I discovered that translating the names into English gave a key to understanding.
Jesus tells us that “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Thus, whatever we ask of Him while ‘in the Spirit’ — in His Holy Spirit — we have a direct line to His nature abiding in us, because we are abiding in Him. This passage in John 14 is a wonderful expression of Jesus’ nature, and an amazing and glorious promise to those who believe in Him. You will notice that many prayers that we read, conclude with “in Jesus name”, stating that the prayer is claiming this promise that Jesus made to His people.
The name of Jesus Christ reveals His nature as ‘God is salvation, the anointed one’, or we might say that He is chosen and consecrated by God to be salvation, and salvation encompasses deliverance, welfare, prosperity, healing and victory among its many implications. “Most assuredly.”
Jesus tells us that “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” Thus, whatever we ask of Him while ‘in the Spirit’ — in His Holy Spirit — we have a direct line to His nature abiding in us, because we are abiding in Him. This passage in John 14 is a wonderful expression of Jesus’ nature, and an amazing and glorious promise to those who believe in Him. You will notice that many prayers that we read, conclude with “in Jesus name”, stating that the prayer is claiming this promise that Jesus made to His people.
The name of Jesus Christ reveals His nature as ‘God is salvation, the anointed one’, or we might say that He is chosen and consecrated by God to be salvation, and salvation encompasses deliverance, welfare, prosperity, healing and victory among its many implications. “Most assuredly.”
‘MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS’
LUKE 2:21 NKJV
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called JESUS, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
“My Prayer For You” — Alisa Turner
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love with all your MIND --
When we are tied up with other people’s notions of what we should be, the only way to get rid of it all is to take this plunge into the love of God. We have to form the mind of Christ until we are absorbed in Him and take no account of the evil done to us. No love on earth can do this but the love of God.
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
[from ‘If Thou Wilt Be Perfect’]
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THE LIGHT IS SHINING FORTH
This is the 401st post on the website and the first of 2022. New Year is always an appropriate time to look back at the old year, either with nostalgia or regret, or maybe a mixture of both; but also — and more importantly — to look forward to the New; our hearts filled with hope.
I am in danger of beginning to sound like Rikki Fulton’s ‘Reverend I M Jolly’, or my erstwhile alter ego the ‘Reverend E S Smiley’, now sadly no longer with us, both of whom used to love a ‘Guid New Year’ message. My own year has been mixed with sadness, but also much delight, and I am sure many will feel overwhelmed by the menace of the pandemic and the loss of dear ones. Will 2022 break the mould that has been our lives for nigh on 2 years now? Naturally, none of us can answer that, but I was much encouraged by today’s reading in David Wilkerson’s devotional ‘God Is Faithful’ — my chosen Devotional for 2022.
I am in danger of beginning to sound like Rikki Fulton’s ‘Reverend I M Jolly’, or my erstwhile alter ego the ‘Reverend E S Smiley’, now sadly no longer with us, both of whom used to love a ‘Guid New Year’ message. My own year has been mixed with sadness, but also much delight, and I am sure many will feel overwhelmed by the menace of the pandemic and the loss of dear ones. Will 2022 break the mould that has been our lives for nigh on 2 years now? Naturally, none of us can answer that, but I was much encouraged by today’s reading in David Wilkerson’s devotional ‘God Is Faithful’ — my chosen Devotional for 2022.
GOD’S DELIGHT
God not only loves His children, He takes great pleasure in us. I see this kind of parental pleasure in my wife, Gwen, whenever one of our grandchildren calls. Gwen lights up like a Christmas tree when she has one of our dear little ones on the line. Nothing can get her off the ‘phone. Even if I told her the President was at the door, she would shoo me away and keep talking.
How could I ever accuse my heavenly Father of delighting in me less than I do in my own offspring? At times my children have failed me, doing things contrary to what I taught them. But never once have I stopped loving or delighting in them. If I possess that kind of enduring love as an imperfect father, how much more does our heavenly Father care for us, His children?
Joshua and Caleb stood up in the midst of Israel and cried, “If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us” [Numbers 14:8]. What a simple yet powerful declaration. They were saying,”Because our Lord delights in us, He will vanquish every giant. Therefore, we must not look at our obstacles, but keep our eyes on our Lord’s great love for us.”
All through Scripture we read that God delights in us: “But the blameless in their ways are His delight” [Proverbs 11:20], “The prayer of the upright is His delight [Proverbs 15:8], “My strong enemy [was] … too strong for me … But the Lord … delivered me because He delighted in me” [Psalm 18:17-19].
It is absolutely imperative that we believe God delights in us. Then we will be able to accept that every circumstance in our lives will eventually prove to be our Father’s loving will for us. And He will bring joy out of our struggle.
DAVID WILKERSON
Speaking for myself, these are words I need, not only to hear, but to engrain in my very being. It is so easy for the world to draw us away from the right path, so that we forget whose we are.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to accept Your deep and abiding love for us; make that love an essential part of who we are. Abide in us that we may abide in You. We delight in You, Heavenly Father.
PRAYER: Lord, help us to accept Your deep and abiding love for us; make that love an essential part of who we are. Abide in us that we may abide in You. We delight in You, Heavenly Father.
“MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS”
ESTHER 6:11 NKJV
So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour!"
So Haman took the robe and the horse, arrayed Mordecai and led him on horseback through the city square, and proclaimed before him, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honour!"
“New Day Dawning” — Celtic Thunder
(A spirited song of thanksgiving, even if a little like it came out of ‘Brigadoon’)
(A spirited song of thanksgiving, even if a little like it came out of ‘Brigadoon’)
“A Guid New Year Tae Ane An’ A’” — Kenneth McKellar
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love With All Your Mind --
The characteristics of man’s union with God are faith in God and love for Him. This union was the first thing Satan aimed at in Adam and Eve, and he did it by perverting what God had said.
In the case of Job, Satan goes the length of trying to pervert God’s idea of man. That is an amazing revelation of the power of Satan! He is represented as presenting himself with the sons of God in the very presence of God and trying to pervert God’s mind about Job.
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
In the case of Job, Satan goes the length of trying to pervert God’s idea of man. That is an amazing revelation of the power of Satan! He is represented as presenting himself with the sons of God in the very presence of God and trying to pervert God’s mind about Job.
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
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An Entertainment for Christmas and to mark our 400th post
I saw this article in the October 2021 edition of 'The Oldie’ magazine — a publication of which I have grown rather fond. This story, reveals a rather delightful side to Sister Teresa.
Occasionally, I would drive Mother Teresa when she came to London.
The Missionaries of Charity had a minibus. I was a volunteer driver for their errands and night run, offering food and help to homeless people.
On one occasion, some of the nuns asked me to ask Mother to tell the story about the donkey. There was a pecking order and they couldn’t ask her over the head of a superior.
When we had finished the rosary and we’re heading for the Southall convent, I said, ‘Mother, what is the story you tell about the donkey?’
At this she became animated and began, ‘There was this businessman and he was out in the country going to an important meeting when his car began giving him trouble.’
‘Oh,’ I thought, surprised, ‘this is a joke rather than a holy story.’
Mother continued, ‘The car wouldn’t go any further and so he went to the nearest village and explained, “I have to get to an important meeting. Have you got a vehicle — any kind of vehicle — that will get me there?”
‘The villagers said all they could offer him was a donkey, but it was contrary. It would answer to only two commands: “Thank God” for “Go”, and “Alleluia” for “Stop”.
‘In desperation, he accepted the donkey and rode it out of the village, only for the donkey to pick up speed. They were heading for a cliff and the businessman was terrified.’
At this point, we had arrived at the convent in Southall and the superior was standing on the kerb, waiting to greet Mother.
But Mother hadn’t finished the joke. She carried on, ‘They came to the edge of the cliff and the man was trying to remember the villager’s instructions.
‘“Alleluia,” he shouted, and the donkey stopped. He was so relieved he said, ‘“Thank God.”’
Mother turned, smiling, indicating with her hand the man’s fall — and the Nuns loved it.
Veronica Whitty
Click here to listen to The Donkey Story
“Little Donkey”
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love With All Your Mind --
We have to get rid of the idea that we are going to get vindicated down here; Jesus was not.
The triumphant thing for a saint is to stand true to God in spite of all the odds the world, the flesh and the devil can bring. God’s Spirit will lead us away from our limitations and teach us to think the thoughts of God behind the things that contradict them.
At the back of all is the love of God which will not let a soul go. If you are a servant of God, He will put you through desert experiences without asking your permission.
[from ‘Notes On Isaiah’]
The triumphant thing for a saint is to stand true to God in spite of all the odds the world, the flesh and the devil can bring. God’s Spirit will lead us away from our limitations and teach us to think the thoughts of God behind the things that contradict them.
At the back of all is the love of God which will not let a soul go. If you are a servant of God, He will put you through desert experiences without asking your permission.
[from ‘Notes On Isaiah’]
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THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL — 5
Matthew 2:19-23
Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child's life are dead." Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
[NKJV]
But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
[NKJV]
Now we have the fourth and fifth of Joseph’s ‘dreams’, where the Angel of The Lord appeared to him, with each one, directly or indirectly related to Old Testament prophecy. The fifth dream of six mentioned in Matthew (the sixth was to Pontius Pilate) directs the Holy Family to Nazareth in Galilee.
Galilee (meaning ‘to roll’) represents ‘trusting in God’ as we have already seen, and a Nazarene, someone from Nazareth means ‘the separated one.’ Separated unto God is the state of being we aspire to, and even as an infant, Jesus is showing us the way. We hope to live in spiritual Nazareth in spiritual Galilee — separated to God in a place of trusting in Him.
May your Christmas be filled with joy in The Lord, whether with family or alone, nearby or far from home, we can rest, assured that God is with us. Have a Happy Christmas.
Galilee (meaning ‘to roll’) represents ‘trusting in God’ as we have already seen, and a Nazarene, someone from Nazareth means ‘the separated one.’ Separated unto God is the state of being we aspire to, and even as an infant, Jesus is showing us the way. We hope to live in spiritual Nazareth in spiritual Galilee — separated to God in a place of trusting in Him.
May your Christmas be filled with joy in The Lord, whether with family or alone, nearby or far from home, we can rest, assured that God is with us. Have a Happy Christmas.
“O Come All Ye Faithful”
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love With All Your Mind --
Never let anything push you to your wit’s end, because you will worry, and worry makes you self-interested and disturbs the nourishment of the life of God.
Give thanks to God that He is there, no matter what is happening.
The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget. Then worry becomes an impossibility.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’)
Give thanks to God that He is there, no matter what is happening.
The secret of Christian quietness is not indifference, but the knowledge that God is my Father, He loves me, I shall never think of anything He will forget. Then worry becomes an impossibility.
[from ‘If Ye Shall Ask’)
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THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL — 4
Matthew 2:16-18
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more."
[NKJV]
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more."
[NKJV]
Whether this story was historically true or not, it seems to relate to what we know of the later character of Herod, who went from being known as Herod the Great to Herod the Wicked, even having some of his own children murdered. It is therefore completely believable that Herod would want to have the infant Jesus killed, seeing Him as a threat to his power. A number of aspects of Matthew’s Gospel mirror what the Old Testament tells us about the life of Moses, and it could appear that Matthew is conducting a public relations exercise to show Jesus’ story in the same light as the revered figure of Moses.
I believe that this is a spiritual picture f the pursuit of the Evil One, who will spot at nothing — destroy, infect and dissemble; bring despair, anxiety and delusions to kill the Christ in us before that seed of everlasting life gets a hold and builds holy ground.
Aristotle said “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”, although presumably he did not say or write it in English, and there is an essential truth in that. A good deal of who we each will become is formed in our early years, and those early influences undoubtedly predispose us to faith or not. Our Lord knows this and — as those that are His are chosen from before the beginning of time — ensures that we flee into Egypt, out of harm’s way, until we have His seed growing in us. I know from my own experience that the faithful influence of my mother in early years particularly, shielded me from a lot of Satan’s snares.
I had it easy compared to some, but we can be thankful that the Lord loves a challenge and brings many to faith whom Satan had thought his own. The road may be long and tortuous — with much lamentation weeping and great mourning, but The Lord will have His way.
I believe that this is a spiritual picture f the pursuit of the Evil One, who will spot at nothing — destroy, infect and dissemble; bring despair, anxiety and delusions to kill the Christ in us before that seed of everlasting life gets a hold and builds holy ground.
Aristotle said “Give me a child until he is 7 and I will show you the man”, although presumably he did not say or write it in English, and there is an essential truth in that. A good deal of who we each will become is formed in our early years, and those early influences undoubtedly predispose us to faith or not. Our Lord knows this and — as those that are His are chosen from before the beginning of time — ensures that we flee into Egypt, out of harm’s way, until we have His seed growing in us. I know from my own experience that the faithful influence of my mother in early years particularly, shielded me from a lot of Satan’s snares.
I had it easy compared to some, but we can be thankful that the Lord loves a challenge and brings many to faith whom Satan had thought his own. The road may be long and tortuous — with much lamentation weeping and great mourning, but The Lord will have His way.
“MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS”
JEREMIAH 31:15-17 NKJV
Thus says the LORD:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more."
Thus says the LORD:
"Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border.
Thus says the LORD:
"A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more."
Thus says the LORD:
"Refrain your voice from weeping,
And your eyes from tears;
For your work shall be rewarded, says the LORD,
And they shall come back from the land of the enemy.
There is hope in your future, says the LORD,
That your children shall come back to their own border.
“The Coventry Carol” — Anúna
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love With All Your Soul --
The centre of my self should be God and love for Him.
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
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THE CHRISTMAS STORY IN MATTHEW’S GOSPEL — 3
Matthew 2:13-15
Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him."
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
[NKJV]
When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, "Out of Egypt I called My Son."
[NKJV]
There are times when the best place to hide from your enemy is in plain sight. Egypt is often used to represent the world we are to be separated from and yet also to live in. As children we need our parents protection until we begin a readiness to face the challenges of life. Mary and Joseph were guided by The Lord to flee to Egypt to protect God’s son. We can only imagine the hardships and difficulties they experienced on that journey, but this would prove to be an essential part of God’s plan.
This passage shows the necessity of hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice to us and faithfully following His direction — we do not know what lies ahead, but He does. Notice too that the angel speaks again to Joseph in a dream, not to Mary. This shows us that the Holy Spirit speaks to ‘the man’ — the Holy Spirit — within us. Effectively, the Holy Spirit communicates with Himself, and we can only ‘hear’ if we have that baptism in the Spirit.
The night here is the darkness before the dawn’s light, when the evil one has passed by and been revealed as the Spirit who brings only death in his wake. It must also be remembered that in the time of Moses, the Egyptians persecuted the Hebrews — the Jews — and of course, the time would come when The Jews would also persecute their ‘Anointed One’. Jesus had to be seen as one who came out of Egypt, just as they had done so many years before. And we too must come out of Egypt before we can have the Christlife. Sometimes the lessons we need to learn would be impossible to bear without our Lord’s saving and forgiving heart.
This passage shows the necessity of hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice to us and faithfully following His direction — we do not know what lies ahead, but He does. Notice too that the angel speaks again to Joseph in a dream, not to Mary. This shows us that the Holy Spirit speaks to ‘the man’ — the Holy Spirit — within us. Effectively, the Holy Spirit communicates with Himself, and we can only ‘hear’ if we have that baptism in the Spirit.
The night here is the darkness before the dawn’s light, when the evil one has passed by and been revealed as the Spirit who brings only death in his wake. It must also be remembered that in the time of Moses, the Egyptians persecuted the Hebrews — the Jews — and of course, the time would come when The Jews would also persecute their ‘Anointed One’. Jesus had to be seen as one who came out of Egypt, just as they had done so many years before. And we too must come out of Egypt before we can have the Christlife. Sometimes the lessons we need to learn would be impossible to bear without our Lord’s saving and forgiving heart.
‘MEDITATE ON THESE THINGS’
HOSEA 11:1-2 NKJV
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
As they called them,
So they went from them;
They sacrificed to the Baals,
And burned incense to carved images.
When Israel was a child, I loved him,
And out of Egypt I called My son.
As they called them,
So they went from them;
They sacrificed to the Baals,
And burned incense to carved images.
“Immanuel” — Songs of Praise
A HOLY COMMAND: Oswald Chambers on Love
— Love With All Your Soul --
When Adam’s spirit, soul and body were united in perfect faith and love to God, his soul was the medium through which the marvellous life of the Spirit of God was brought down. The very image of God was brought down into his material body and it was clothed in an inconceivable splendour of light until the whole man was in the likeness of God.
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]
[from ‘Biblical Psychology’]