John Sparkes

Tendencies

2011-12-07T08:12:00.000Z

Tim and I were biking to a leaders meeting last Monday night and on the way Tim said he had been thinking about the word ‘tendencies’. Somehow that word enables us to get to the heart of how we operate. If we know our ‘tendencies’ we know our hearts well. To me, they refer to the natural inclinations of our hearts to feel and respond in a particular way. Those tendencies will be the result of nature, nurture, and choices over the years. If we understand them and can be honest with ourselves about them, recognising them will help us understand ourselves well.

Tendencies take us beyond the front we put up. They even take us beyond what we thought we did or said or meant. Understanding our tendencies could save many an argument because we would recognise that the person we are arguing with did pick up how we really felt – however good an angle we put on it – and however much we don’t want to acknowledge it.

Changing those tendencies is another story. It takes us deep down into our perspectives and attitudes. It goes to the heart of what love is and how we hold each other in our hearts. There is nothing superficial here. Our tendencies expose how we really feel about each other – and about ourselves. At the core of the good news about Jesus is the promise of a ‘heart of flesh’ – a sensitive, feeling heart that is influenced by the Spirit of God and is responsive to the heart of God. What an amazing thought that our hearts can have the same tendencies as the heart of God.

God is kind

2011-10-07T09:01:00.003+01:00

As I have read through Chronicles I have been struck by how kind God is. Some of the kings of Judah were good kings and God blessed them - but some of them 'did evil in the eyes of the Lord.' God was patient and sent his prophets again and again to try and turn them away from paths that would be destructive. Most of them didn't listen but carried on recklessly. Things went disastrously wrong - and then some of them changed their minds and turned back to the Lord. And what did the Lord do - he forgave them! Again and again!

I realised how true those words are, 'But you are a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.' Nehemiah 9:17

And what about, 'But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil' (Luke 6:35). That is patience. God is kind to the 'ungrateful and evil.'

How sad it is that so many people have the view of an angry, vengeful God. That is so far from the truth. God is patient, he is kind - and yes he does get angry because he cares. What sort of father would stand by and see his child getting harmed and not get angry? He only gets angry because he loves. God doesn't have a problem with anger! He is kind.

Godly influences

2011-09-13T12:56:00.002+01:00

Ahaziah reigned in Jerusalem - for one year! He had a wicked mother who persuaded him to do evil. Ahaziah was killed and Athaliah, his mother, then tried to wipe out the whole royal family of the house of Judah so she could have complete control. Fortunately, one of the royal babies was rescued by an aunt and hidden for six years while this evil woman reigned. Now this aunt was married to a priest named Jehoiada who took it upon himself to establish Joash as king - you can read the exciting story in 2 Chronicles 23.

Joash became king at seven years old and he reigned in Jerusalem for forty years - but we read this interesting statement about him: 'Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoida the priest' (2 Chron 24:2). Joash was a great king and God blessed him but when Jehoida died at age 130 he listened to his other court officials who gave him poor advice and they abandoned the Lord. The priest Jehoiada had a son named Zechariah and the Spirit of the Lord came on him and he rebuked the king - but the king had him put to death. In the end, his own officials killed him for his murdering the son of Jehoiada the priest.

How quickly Joash forsook the Godly influence of Jehoiada! He hadn't the depth of character to make that Godly influence his own. The convictions that drove the priest were not shared by the King. It is too easy to simply do the things that we have been taught by others. How much of what we do is driven by our own deep convictions?

Some years later, Uzziah was made king at sixteen years old - and he was influenced for good by another man called Zechariah. God prospered the king and made him strong and powerful - but then pride got the better of him and he ended his days in isolation under the judgement of God. Again, those truths that he knew, and lived by, as a young man, didn't go deep enough to sustain him to the end.

As the nation of Judah drifted further away from God, a number of good kings came along and tried to bring reform - but this was often short-lived because the hearts of the people had become cold and removed from true devotion to God. How important it is to allow God's truths to go deep into that introvert part of us so that we are motivated and rooted in those truths. Thank God for people who influence us for good but we must make what they teach us our own - then we can not only live out that truth but effectively pass it on to others.

What matters most?

2011-08-18T12:07:00.000+01:00

I was reading this morning about Rehoboam. He was a strange mix of good and bad. He had some of his father Solomon’s qualities but he trusted the poor advice of his young friends instead of listening to the wisdom of the elders. Israel was divided into two because of his folly and Rehoboam established himself in Judah. We read in 2 Chronicles 12:1, ‘After Rehoboam’s position as king was established and he had become strong, he and all Israel with him abandoned the law of the Lord.’ Shishak, king of Egypt came to attack Judah and Rehoboam and the leaders of Israel humbled themselves and so Judah was spared total devastation.

His life was summarised in the words, ‘He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord’ (2 Chron 12:14).

That statement set me thinking about the difference between success and failure. Rehoboam could have benefitted from the amazing legacy that his father left him if had he listened to the advice of those who had served his father. Had he set his heart on seeking the Lord, he would have taken a different path.

‘Seeking the Lord’ implies an ongoing searching out of that relationship with the Lord. Isn’t that the ingredient that lies at the heart of every successful relationship? By definition, life moves. That is what it means to be alive – you move, you go forward. So, relationships die if we stand still. There has to be that constant exploring and developing of what matters most to us – and life works best when our relationship with the Lord matters most to us.

It isn’t about having all the answers – in fact, we don’t need to know all the answers. We will know what we need to know when we need to know it, when we walk with the One who does know all the answers!

We all know that it is easier to relate to, and work with, someone who is inexperienced, even naïve, if they have a humble and open heart, rather that the person who thinks they know everything.

God did not allow Rehoboam to be totally destroyed because he did humble his heart when he was under pressure. It wasn’t that Rehoboam was all bad but how much better it would have been if Rehoboam had ‘set his heart on seeking the Lord.’ Is that our aim in today – and for the rest of our lives?

Sparrows and Eagles

2011-08-10T20:35:00.001+01:00

A friend who is going through difficult times, sent in these thoughts a few days ago:

Earlier this week I was sitting on the cliffs at Marske in North Yorkshire looking out to sea and thanking the Lord for his care and provision for me and for my family. It was a beautiful sunny day and it’s one of my favourite places to sit and reflect. A flock of sparrows landed in the bushes and on the ground around me and started picking for food. They made me think of the words in Matthew 10:29-31 “Are not 2 sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” It reminded me that God knows everything, my thoughts and the difficulties I face at the moment and he cares enough to provide our needs.

As I sat watching the sparrows the Lord brought a picture to my mind, a picture of an eagle that swooped down, picked up one of the sparrows and soared high into the sky carrying the sparrow on its back. Isaiah 39:31 says “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint”. Yes, the Lord knows the hairs of our heads and provides for us in whatever circumstances or situations we may face but also, through his Holy Spirit, he enables us to soar on wings like eagles and not only cope with our circumstances but have the strength to live well and soar above them.

Change?

2011-07-15T09:38:00.006+01:00

Am I changing? Do I see the need to change? Is it only my husband or wife or work colleague who thinks I need to change? Why can't people accept me as I am?

We can see change as a negative thing - someone's saying I'm not good enough! Or as an exciting adventure in which we discover the incredible potential locked up in a human being. How do you see it?

When we put our trust in Jesus and follow him it is exactly that kind of adventure that we embark on. It is not that we drag ourselves through each day, rather like a complaining child who is forced to go on a walk with the adults, but it is a walk of relationship with none other than the Creator of the world himself! On this walk he will introduce us to the wonder of what is around us - the physical and spiritual world - other human beings - and the joy of who we are. Change is a joy because it sets us free to be who God intended us to be. It dismantles defences we put up to keep us safe - but that kept us prisoner. The narrow views that were part of those defences give way to God's perspectives. We see things as they really are and we know we are safe and that God loves us.

Do you want that kind of change? Am I secure enough to be honest about how I act and react so that when I behave badly I can take the opportunity to understand what it is in my attitude that I need to correct - and then have the moral strength to make that change?

We all from time to time meet up with people we knew many years age. For me, meeting some of them is like going back into a time warp because, although they love the Lord and have served him, the fundamental way that they operate in life hasn't changed. Recently I visited a couple who we first met about two years ago. They have changed beyond recognition, their marriage is transformed and they are excited about the journey they are on. Do we embrace change?

Finding a Place of Peace

2011-07-11T12:36:00.002+01:00

I said to a friend today, 'You need to find a place of peace from which you can live the rest of your life.' When we face circumstances that are different from what we wanted we have to stand back and take an objective view. When we walk with God he enables us to see things as he sees them, and although we won't necessarily have all the answers, we know we can trust him.

A father says to his little boy, 'I am going to take you to London today - we will go together in the car.' The boy then says, 'Which way will we turn? Dad says, 'We turn to the right when we go out of the drive.' What if the boy then asked in his anxiety, 'And where do we go next?' If he did, the father would realise there was a problem in their relationship. We don't need to keep asking about the details of the journey because we trust the One who travels with us.

'Show yourself a man'

2011-03-07T23:51:00.004Z

I was intrigued to read some of David's final words to his son Solomon who was about to take over the throne. 'Be strong, show yourself a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in his ways' (1 Kings 2:2,3). How does being strong show itself? By walking with God and doing what he asks. So often strength is equated with doing what we want and pushing ourselves forward but David knew from a lifetime of walking with God that being faithful to God was a demonstration of real strength.

Man was made in the image of God. This is his essential characteristic. The more he reflects this image, the more truly manly he is. The same is true for ladies - the more they walk with God the more the beauty of their womanhood shines through.

How is manliness best expressed? By being a man - or woman - of God. How is strength best demonstrated? By an ability to do what God asks. Simple.

The Truth Within

2011-02-18T23:11:00.002Z

We can feel dreadful - rubbish. But does that mean we are rubbish? And why are these feelings so strong if they are not true?

Imagine three concentric circles. The inner one represents our spirit, the next one our soul (mind, will, intellect and emotions) and the outer one our body. When we become Christians, God's Spirit enters and lives in our spirit. He is the Spirit of Truth so truth lives deep within us.

However, within our soul there may be the tangle of years of confused emotions, unresolved conflicts and emotional patterns that are so distorted that the truth within our spirit cannot break into our mind and will. This accumulation can be the result of natural negativity towards ourselves, often reinforced by voices around.

Imagine you own a mining company and you have discovered a rich vein of diamonds. You want to drill down to it but on the way down you come across the old town rubbish tip. You could conclude that your search has ended with rubbish - but you must go deeper. Keep drilling and you will reach your diamonds. If we are still, and honest with ourselves, we know that we are not rubbish within. We might feel like it - for all the reasons we have already stated - but that is only what we feel in our soul. Go beyond that until you sense, and then live in, the truth that God's Spirit brings us in our spirit. Get used to living there - and in so doing you will begin to discover what it means to walk with God.

Trust

2011-02-01T10:54:00.000Z

For a relationship to work there has to be an awareness in the two people involved that the other person is really 'for' you - not merely out of self-interest but is fundamentally committed to you. There has to be that belief deep in the heart that the other person wants the best for you, believes in you, doesn't want to be disappointed.

If you lose that, the foundation goes, the moderating influence goes - and you end up fighting over every detail. When we cease to believe that the other person really cares about us then the connection has gone - you will drift apart.

Get back to what you know to be true in your heart - you are loved. Live loved!

Poor - but rich

2010-12-03T06:47:00.003Z

I love the simple statement in Jesus' letter to the church in Smyrna - 'I know your afflictions and your poverty - but you are rich!'

You might have lost all your material possessions and each day might seem a struggle - but do you know what - you have got what really matters in life. My youngest daughter is a maths whizz but even I know the formula:

Everything - Jesus = nothing
Nothing plus Jesus = everything

Jesus' words to the Christians in Laodicea demonstrate this - 'You say, "I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing." But you do not realise that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.'

To have a friendship with God, to walk with him each day - whatever the circumstances - and to have eternal life and all the riches in Christ - there is nothing to compare. Let's live in the good of our inheritance today.

Easily broken

2010-11-19T14:33:00.007Z

Relationships can be so fragile! You can be sailing along quite happily and something comes up - normally so trivial - and within seconds you are blown apart! Have you experienced that?

Why does it happen? Paradoxically, it is more likely to happen in your closest relationships. The reason is positive - the relationship matters so much to you. It seems as if the slightest thing can blow you off course - because you matter so much to each other and what you think matters so much. It is there that our deepest feelings are stirred, our self-image most ruthlessly exposed, our vulnerability most keenly felt.

So, how can we stop seemingly minor irritations from turning into relationship-threatening crises? In the midst of the 'discussion' ask yourself what you really feel about the other person - rather than focussing on what you feel they have done to you. You love them, you value them, you think highly of them. They might make their mistakes - just as you do - they might be in the middle of making a mistake - but you love them and you want the best for them. Let that attitude permeate your heart - and mind - rather than your own hurt feelings. In that way, it is far more likely that you will make the first move to rebuild. When the feeling of wanting to hurt back is replaced by appreciation, it is hard to keep the negatives going.

Try it for yourself. It really does work.

Practice it

First Love

2010-11-19T07:53:00.003Z

The phrase that is often associated with the church at Ephesus (Rev 2:1-7) is 'you have forsaken your first love.' Jesus commends them for so many good things - but this one deficiency is enough for him to say, 'If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.'

What does it mean to forsake your first love? This letter was written towards the end of the first century AD. All the apostles had already died - with the obvious exception of John - so we are looking at a church in which there would be several 'second generation' Christians. Many of them were not there when the bonfire was lit with all the occultist paraphernalia (Acts 19). They didn't see the 'extraordinary miracles' that God did through Paul.

We can get to a point at which we do things because we know it is right to do them - but that is not enough. At the heart of our Christian faith is a moment by moment connection with the Risen Lord Jesus Christ made possible by the Spirit of Christ within us. Anything less than that is to 'forsake our first love.' It is not about perfection, it is not that there won't be struggles - but it is that we haven't simply slipped into routine, going through the motions, forgetting why we do what we do.

When we keep to our first love, we do things from our hearts, from depth. We live at depth. We don't live for our work, or even for those we love - we live for Jesus - and the rest falls into place. The leaders of our church met a week or so ago and we discussed the many opportunities that were opening up before us for courses to be run and people to be helped. As we prayed at the end of the discussion the Lord impressed upon us the importance of always keeping close to him - sticking with first principles - and the Lord would take care of the rest.

Judson Cornwall, a preacher I appreciated, wrote on the subject of leaders getting 'burnt out' - 'we need an infusion of Christ's life more than we need a vacation from His work.' Are we doing 'Christian things' because that is what we like doing or because we love Jesus?

Alive for ever!

2010-11-11T08:03:00.002Z

Today I will be conducting a funeral. As we stand at the graveside I will be able to read Jesus' wonderful words of assurance, 'Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever.'

What hope, what peace, what comfort and security comes from those words! God's people were going through severe trials - with many losing their lives. How these words would have shone into the darkness for those left behind. Jesus has conquered death itself.

A funeral is a sad occasion - but it allows us to 'stand on the edge of eternity' and to see that Jesus has gone before. No wonder he said, 'Do not be afraid.'

Who are we trying to please?

2010-11-09T07:50:00.002Z

The church was under pressure. If you didn't conform and burn your pinch of incense and say 'Caesar is Lord' then you could lose your life. In the mix of emotions as first this one was taken and then another - perhaps a family member or a close friend - it could be tempting to ask, 'Is it worth it?' Does it really matter if I just mutter 'Caesar is Lord' and go on my way? Does anyone really notice?' In the face of the might of Rome do these groups of Christians meeting in their homes and hired rooms really have any significance?

In John's vision the voice has caught his attention and he turned round. What did he see? Seven golden lampstands. Yes, those small churches are important. But who stands among them? And then unfolds the most glorious vision of the risen, glorified Son of God - the Lord Jesus Christ - so powerful that John falls at his feet as though dead.

It isn't what your neighbours think of you, or what the government thinks - or even your family or colleagues - it is what how Jesus sees you that matters. I love this story:

In a far country lived a band of minstrels who travelled from town to town presenting music to make a living. They had not been doing well. Times were hard; there was little money for common folk to come to hear the minstrels, even though their fee was small. Attendance had been falling off, so early one evening the group met to discuss their plight. "I see no reason for opening tonight," one said. "To make things even worse than they may have been, it is starting to snow. Who will venture out on a night like this?" "I agree," another disheartened singer said. "Last night we performed for just a handful. Fewer will come tonight. Why not give back their meager fees and cancel the concert? No one can expect us to go on when just a few are in the audience." "How can anyone do his best for so few?" a third inquired. Then he turned to another sitting beside him. "What do you think?" The man appealed to was older than the others. He looked straight at his troupe. "I know you are discouraged. I am too. But we have a responsibility to those who might come. We will go on. And we will do the best job of which we are capable. It is not the fault of those who come that others do not. They should not be punished with less than the best we can give." Heartened by his words, the minstrels went ahead with their show. They never performed better. When the show was over and the small audience gone, the old man called his troupe to him. In his hand was a note, handed to him by one of the audience just before the doors closed behind him. "Listen to this, my friends!" Something electrifying in his tone of voice made them turn to him in anticipation. Slowly the old man read: "Thank you for a beautiful performance." It was signed very simply--"Your King."

It is who is watching us that makes the difference. Do we compare ourselves with neighbours or friends - or even other family members? Who do we allow to 'judge our performance?' The right question at the end of the day is 'What does Jesus think?' What does he think about what I just said - or did? If he is satisfied, we can rest.

Paul wrote, 'If we live, it's to honour the Lord. And if we die, it's to honour the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord' (Romans 14:8 NLT).

Turning around

2010-11-05T00:15:00.004Z

John writes, 'I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.' What a sound that must have been! Enough to grab anyone's attention. No wonder John turned around 'to see the voice.'

There was John in the gray of Patmos, looking in one direction. The 'loud voice like a trumpet' jolted him and he turned - turned from the dreariness and monotony to 'see the voice.' We can become so absorbed by what is in front of our noses that we think that is all there is to it. Somehow God gets our attention so we can turn and see things from his perspective. And what a contrast! What a scene unfolds before John's eyes: the churches with Jesus in the midst - 'the First and the Last' - the risen, glorified, triumphant Christ - Lord over all. The sheer power and glory of it all caused John to fall 'at his feet as though dead.'

Which way are you looking? Who would have thought a 'different reality' could be so close at hand? Let's make sure we see things as they really are!

'In the Spirit'

2010-11-01T07:03:00.002Z

John was exiled to the prison-island of Patmos under the emperor Domitian because he wouldn't renounce Jesus and say that 'Caesar is Lord.' With its mountains and mines, Patmos was a dreary, depressing place. I like what Michael Wilcock writes, 'though John was physically 'in Patmos', on this particular Lord's day he was also 'in the Spirit,' and as for Jacob long before, the stony wilderness of exile proved for him the very gate of heaven.'

Wherever we are, whatever our circumstances, God's presence can be so very real that the most difficult situation becomes a meeting place with God. While the stones rained down on Stephen he saw the glory of the risen Christ. What is it that is difficult in your life today? Turn it into a meeting place with God.

Grace and peace - and love!

2010-10-30T13:49:00.003+01:00

Continuing our thoughts from yesterday on grace and peace: if we live in grace there is no place for self-pity. Feeling sorry for ourselves makes it all about me. Grace reminds us of how blessed we are. When we live in grace there is no place for unjustified anger. I say unjustified because the issue that made Jesus the most angry was lack of grace (e.g. Mk 3:1-6).

What a wonderful description of Jesus - 'to him who loves us'. It is a fact that one of the major influences that forms our attitudes and affects our actions is how we feel about ourselves. If we are fundamentally negative about ourselves - as many people are - then we will be more likely to be defensive, subject to false guilt, anxiety and even depression. If only we could let that truth about the love of Jesus really register to the point where it replaces the negative view of ourselves. That is what God's Spirit works to achieve within us as we walk with God. That is why God sets up situations to expose how we feel about ourselves so that we can replace it with the knowledge that we are loved.

Let us go into the rest of this day - and the rest of our lives - knowing Jesus as 'him who loves us.'

More on grace and peace

2010-10-29T23:54:00.003+01:00

I'm still thinking about this grace and peace. This was the common greeting to the churches. Many of those Christians were living under real pressure - and this is especially true of the churches to whom Revelation was written.

How are they to cope with this pressure and how can they keep their thinking straight? Answer: by living in God's grace. Grace is the perfect antidote to the bitterness of spirit that can arise when we are in circumstances that we feel are unfair, that we 'don't deserve', because when we understand grace we realise that all that we have and are is a gift from God anyway. The fact that we are here is only by God's grace. That he has given us himself and his great love, his forgiveness and eternal life - is surely reason for a praising heart - even in the midst of the darkest adversity.

Peace is a result of living in grace. It is tempting to pursue inner peace for its own sake but it only comes as a result of first receiving and living in grace, and then having an attitude of grace to others.

Do we live in grace and peace?

Revelation

2010-10-25T06:46:00.003+01:00

Over the next weeks we will studying the book of Revelation in church. At present we are up to 1:5 in our notes. You can see them under the website study section. My intention in this study is to prepare in-depth notes that will be the basis of a fortnightly Bible study within the church.

I will select two or three main points from those notes as the basis of our Sunday morning talks in church.

I plan to post a small section of those more detailed notes, hopefully daily, on this blog so you can follow in your own study. Keep coming back because even in the course of the day the notes can change and fresh material might well be added.

You can make your own comments in response and post them - you never know, you might just hear them coming out in the talks!

Now for today's thoughts:

If you read the notes to date you will discover that Revelation is a letter written to a church under pressure. It is God's response to the plight of his people. How does he go about strengthening them and putting their hearts at rest? As yesterday's notes will remind us, he starts by reminding his people of who he is and now he tells them who they are:

1. Recipients of grace and peace - 1:4

What a wonderful way to greet one another in a letter! Grace and peace! This is the way that most of the letters in the NT begin. Why? Because grace and peace are at the heart of the Christian message. Do we live in grace and peace?

Grace is God giving us something we don't deserve. Our sins are pardoned and we have eternal life - not because we could do anything to make these things happen but because God decided he wanted us to have those things - just because he loves us! How amazing!

We are to be a people characterised by grace - that capacity to totally and completely accept one another. We might hurt each other, get it wrong, get in a muddle, but if we live in grace we will always forgive - either ourselves or the other person - and move on. We will love each other - and hate what we do to harm ourselves or each other - even more so because we love one another. Grace isn't cheap, soft or sentimental. It took Jesus to the cross and is robust and life-changing. No wonder Paul often wrote, 'the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you' (e.g. 1 Thes 5:28; 2 Thes 3:18; Rom 16:20). It is a powerful agent for change - it is what makes us salt and light.

I love Hendriksen's definition of peace - 'the reflection of the smile of God in the heart of the believer who has been reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.'

Let's live today in God's grace and peace.

Take a rest

2010-08-21T07:53:00.003+01:00

Sometimes we have to take control - of our souls. David said, '...I have stilled and quietened my soul.' That's encouraging because it tells us we can do something about what we feel.

When we feel turbulence, unrest, lack of peace, uncertainty - we can take time out to settle our souls. And because we know the Lord, we are settling into him - into his love, his faithfulness. That takes us beyond the source of our disturbance. We might have been hurt, the future may hold forebodings, but settling our souls into him gives us a different reference point. We are drawn into his faithfulness, his love, his perspective - and we feel better.

Another Psalmist - Asaph - puts it well in Psalm 73. He struggles with the apparent injustice of life, knows that if he puts what he really feels into words he will harm God's people - so he writes, 'When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God.' It is only as we go down into that place of connection and communion with God that life begins to make sense.

And when we do go to that sanctuary - we will find God. He is faithful - he does not change. When we draw near to him he does draw near to us. I love the words of the Brian Doersksen song - 'I can rest in your faithfulness.' Do that - now!

Lyrics | Brian Doerksen lyrics - Your Faithfulness lyrics

Use what you've got!

2010-08-11T08:40:00.003+01:00

When I write invites to weekends I will often send them to my daughter Ruth for checking as she has had extensive experience in journalism. Sometimes she will suggest altering a sentence around or reconstructing a paragraph. I was working on one such document late one night with Ruth's recommendations in front of me. I tried to get my head round how a particular paragraph would look if I made the changes she was suggesting. I couldn't see it - it was late and I was tired. So I decided to follow the instructions and insert the changes one at a time; and as soon as I typed in the first suggestion, it all made sense.

I thought then, that is how the Lord wants us to trust him. Do the thing that we do know how to do - and, when it needs to, the rest will make sense.

Today I read how the Lord met with Gideon and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, mighty warrior' (Judges 6:12). At that point in time, Gideon felt anything but a 'mighty warrior.' But what did the Lord say? 'Go in the strength that you have...' In other words, start where you are. You cannot work it all out but make a start with what you do know.'

It may well be true that the Midianites were strong. It was equally true, as Gideon said, 'My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family'- but that did not matter to God. Start where you are with what you have got - even though you cannot see how it will all work out - and above all, 'I will be with you.'

That is enough - pick yourself up and 'go in the strength you have.'

The Tragedy of Achan

2010-07-22T07:33:00.003+01:00

The story of Achan's disobedience (Joshua 6 and 7) was not simply that he disobeyed God and brought disaster on his family and fellow-Israelites but that what he wanted was only just around the corner!

All the bounty of Jericho was 'devoted' to God - it had to be destroyed. Achan saw what he wanted and went for it. What he didn't realise was that the next city that God would give into their hands was Ai - and from that city they could take what they wanted.

How often is that the case. There is something we want God to do - a relationship, a job - it could be anything. We know what the goal is; we know the prize we are after - and that might be entirely honourable and worth pursuing - but the danger is that we lose patience and go about getting it in our own way. So often I have seen people who love the Lord who want to short-circuit that final, vital step - and in so doing fall flat on their faces. If only Achan had waited - but then, he didn't know - but he could trust in the goodness of God to only ever do what is best!

It is the process that matters. That patient waiting that builds character and trust and depth. Someone said, 'God is more interested in his workers than his work.' He will not short-change us but will bring his work to completion - if we let him.

Holy Ground

2010-07-15T07:20:00.002+01:00

When Joshua encountered the 'commander of the army of the Lord' (Joshua 5:14) and asked him, 'What message does my Lord have for his servant' he got the reply, 'Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.' This is precisely what the Lord said to Moses (Exodus 3:5) when he was being called to do exploits on God's behalf.

The lesson is simple. If we are going to be effective in serving the Lord we need to know who he is - we need to know he is holy - that is, he is different, set apart, trustworthy - and all the other wonderful things that he has shown to be part of his character. If our trust is in him and who he is then there is no limit to what he can do through us.

Any mighty work of God begins with a revelation of the nature of God. Are we so walking with him that we are open to that daily revelation of who he is? Do our hearts thrill as we discover something more about the wonder of his character? Are we so taken up with him that he can use us to reveal that character in a needy world?

The heart of church

2010-07-06T15:33:00.004+01:00

A family visited our church a few Sundays ago and after the service the lady commented on the warm welcome she had received and how friendly everyone had been towards her. My response must have included an element of, 'well why shouldn't it be that way?' because the lady went on to explain that it wasn't always that way. They had visited churches as a missionary family and were sometimes left standing with no-one making them feel comfortable.

In my OT readings, the message comes through clearly that the community of God's people is to be distinct by virtue of its care and love for each other. There was to be an open, welcoming, inclusive attitude that gave value to each individual. It is 'nice' to meet together, to chat over coffee before or after the service - but do we really touch each other's hearts - and do we reach out to every visitor to let them know that they have value in our sight?

On Sunday we will be commencing a study on the disciples of Jesus. I like to think of that little group as 'embryonic church.' We will discover that Jesus had his 'church programme.' And what was that programme? It was to teach each member of that little group how to mature in love. It was personal, it met each one where they were at and it was practical. Jesus explained that this personal care for each other was to be their badge of identity. And if we learn to love each other like that then that love spills out into a damaged, 'love-starved' world - and offers life and hope.

Does it work like that in your church? If not, what are you going to do about it?

Trust and Responsibility

2010-06-26T07:27:00.002+01:00

I read these words last night from Deuteronomy 29:29.

'The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever, that we may follow all the words of this law'

There are certain things that are not ours to know - because we don't need to know them. We are not God and we learn to leave to Him what we don't know. Trusting wasn't enough for Adam and Eve and we have lived with the consequences. Job's friends tried to apply logic to his predicament and it took the Lord to convince Job that all that he needed to do was to trust even when life didn't make sense. And he could trust - because of who God is.

Let us learn to let God be God - and then we can concentrate on fulfilling our responsibility. When we trust him with what we don't know we can act fully on what we do.

Mercy

2010-06-11T08:10:00.002+01:00

I was struck today by the fact that the Israelites were to live life against the backdrop of God's great love and mercy towards them. This was not simply an intellectual position - it was to be an attitude of heart that affected the way they viewed, and treated, the powerless and unfortunate among them.

'Do not deprive the alien or the fatherless of justice, or take the cloak of the widow as a pledge. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord you God redeemed you from there. That is why I command you to do this.' (Deut 24:17-18).

That is what makes the parable of the unmerciful servant so powerful (Mt 18:21-35). The fact that God has 'rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins' (Col 1:13), should remind us constantly that we have been shown the most incredible mercy - and it is entirely fitting that we should be characterized by the ability to show mercy. And it is not just about the poor and downtrodden - it is about the people we lose patience with, who are rude to us or irritate us. Yes, we are to be real and to be strong - we have not been called to be doormats - but it is that reality and strength that gives us the ability to show mercy.

Remembering where we have come from - that we needed rescuing - keeps us in that place of humility and dependence that enables us to walk with God and to genuinely show his love to the people we meet.

Conditional promise

2010-06-04T07:24:00.001+01:00

In Deut 19:8 we read, ‘If the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as he promised on oath to your forefathers, and gives you the whole land he promised them, because you carefully follow all these laws I command you today – to love the Lord your God and to walk always in his ways then……’

So, God promised on oath to give the Israelites certain territory – but it is important to note that God would deliver on that promise as and when they walk in a relationship of trust and obedience with him.

That is how it is with us. When we become Christians, the land stretches before us. How much of it we actually possess in practice depends on how we walk with him. In those areas in which we want our own way, in which we cling to old attitudes that belong to
‘Egypt’, we do not take possession. God cannot ‘enlarge our borders.’ We cannot have it both ways.

We are not always what we should be as Christians – but that is not because God is not faithful or that he has not provided all we need – it is because we have not exercised the God-given faith that we do have to take full possession of what has been promised.

Being happy!

2010-05-25T07:55:00.002+01:00

Three times in Deuteronomy 12 we read something like this, 'There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.'(vs7,12,18).

Oswald Chambers wrote,'Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.' Now we understand the point that was being made but we must not overlook the fact that God is interested in our happiness. What parent doesn't look on with pleasure at their child playing happily?

It is easy to get heavy about God - but the truth is he really does want us to be happy. Some folks get the impression that if you want to be holy you have to be miserable. That is a far cry from the abundant life that Jesus came to bring.

Attitude - the key to success

2010-05-19T07:19:00.002+01:00

'Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands' (Deut 8:2). As you read through chapter 8 and are reminded that 'man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord' the theme of our complete dependency on the Lord comes through unmistakably. Life is about attitude. If we know ourselves and have a humble, listening heart we will hear the Lord - because we will trust him.

As we move into chapter 9 we find Moses preparing the Israelites to go into the Promised Land and reminding them of how tall the Anakites were. Their parents' generation had assembled at the border of the Promised Land forty years ago - and wouldn't go in - not least because of the Anakites. What has changed? The Anakites haven't shrunk - it must be that the faith of the Israelites had grown! It is all about how we look at things - perspective! And if we have a humble, trusting, dependent heart, then the things that loom so large in our lives, that seem to threaten to overwhelm us, don't seem so daunting after all. With God all things are possible!

Praise and Scorpions

2010-05-12T07:40:00.002+01:00

I was struck today by the simple command that God gave the Israelites for the time they would enter the Promised Land: 'When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you' (Deuteronomy 8:10).

I have a friend who, in passing, shared a clever concept with a large company. Later he discovered that they were basing a major advertising campaign on that concept. He received no credit or acknowledgment.

It isn't that God is an egotist who cannot cope if he is not at the centre - it is more that we cannot cope if he is not at the centre! Life only works properly if we acknowledge who he is and ensure that we constantly give him the credit.

Praise not only gives the credit where it belongs - and if we love the Lord we will want to do that - but it keeps us focused - it keeps our perspective right.

I was also impressed by the fact that God says he took them through 'the vast and dreadful desert, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions.....to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you' (Deuteronomy 8:16). Whatever the Lord does, he does so that 'it might go well with you.' It may not have felt like that to the Israelites when they were struggling in the desert but we can rest assured that God is always working so that 'it might go well with you.' He always has our best interests at heart. He truly does work 'for the good of those who love him' (Rom 8:28). We can go into the day confident in that knowledge.

A heart of love

2010-05-08T11:09:00.000+01:00

Before the Israelites entered the Promised Land, Moses recounts all that the Lord had said to him. The Israelites had brought pleasure to the Lord by saying, '...tell us whatever the Lord our God tells you. We will listen and obey' (Deut 5:27). And out of that heart-warming encounter with his people, the Lord exclaims, 'Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever! (5:29).

What a heart cry! The Hebrew conveys the idea of, 'Oh I wish, if only...' This is a heart that wells up with emotion as the Lord sees how good it could be.

The Lord really does want the best for us. He longs for that because he loves us so much. He can see how we miss it, how we don't live in the good of all he has for us, and like the loving Father that he is, his heart goes out to us and yearns that we live in the fullness of all he has provided.

God's ways are not some cold religious laws but the expression of deep heart of love that only wants the best. We can trust that love.

2010-04-27T06:51:00.000+01:00

Deuteronomy 4:15-20 is an awesome passage that contains a vital truth. Moses has reminded the Israelites of their experience of God's power and glory at Sinai and reminds them that they, 'saw no form of any kind.' He goes on to say that they must not allow themselves to become corrupt by reducing God to something they can manage - an idol or an image of any shape - nor to worship anything God has created.

We must avoid the desire to make God manageable. When we do that he is no longer God - we are - and people see us and not God. Are our church activities organised in a way that allows God to be God? It is too tempting to package God and present him to the world rather than becoming a disciple, walking into the unknown and encouraging others to walk with us.

Don't let them slip!

2010-04-26T07:31:00.000+01:00

When Moses was preparing the Israelites for going into the Promised Land he said, 'Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live' (Deut 4:9).

'Watch yourselves closely' - what a telling phrase! Think of it rather like an 'out of body' experience in which you are lifted above yourself and looking down at yourself. That is objectivity. Get out of yourself and see yourself without all the emotional distortions that we experience when we think about what we are like. That is the value of a good church - one in which others will love us enough to be honest with us. We don't have to be anxious because if we are missing something others are there for us - and if they are not saying anything we can be at peace anyway!

'So that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen...' Remember those experiences that you knew had to be God? When the reality of his presence pressed in on you? It is no bad thing to remind ourselves of those times when God showed himself so clearly, and in so doing, renew and rekindle our faith.

'Or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.' True experiences of God do something in our hearts. The wear and tear of life can slowly erode and replace the perspective and joy that those experiences brought. 'Don't let them slip' Moses said. It is a gradual, often undetected erosion that we only notice when we think back to the joy we once had.

When David was downcast he wrote, 'These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng' (Ps 42:4). Was there a time when we loved the Lord more than we do now? If so, we know what we must do.

Wise and understanding?

2010-04-23T07:01:00.000+01:00

I was fascinated to read this morning in Deuteronomy 4:1-8 of how Moses told the Israelites to put into practice what God had taught them, 'for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, 'Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.'

Are we known for being 'a wise and understanding people?' When it comes to relationships do our neighbours know they can talk to us because we are at least getting some things right? Do our colleagues listen when we talk about family life or share our struggles with life's challenges? Do we blast them with the 'letter of the law' or can they sense that we have really grasped the heart of God and worked it out in our lives in a way that makes sense and demonstrates real love?

What is a father?

2010-04-17T18:25:00.000+01:00

We have been thinking about this recently in church because Paul wrote to the new Christians in Thessalonica and said that he had 'dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children...'. So we asked the question, how does a father deal with his children? To answer that we asked first, what does it mean to be a man?

Here is an excerpt from last week's talk:

When we think of ‘a man’ what characteristic comes to mind? 1 Cor 16:13 gives a real insight here. Paul writes, ‘Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong’ (ESV). The word translated ‘act like men’ (andrizomai) – actually means ‘be courageous’. This verb is not used elsewhere in the New Testament but is common in the Greek Old Testament, almost always with other verbs meaning ‘be strong’ (e.g. Deut 31:6, 7, 23).

In Corinthians the word is again linked with ‘be strong’ so we have a good picture of how men are to act. They are to be courageous and strong. The two go together. That is what leadership is about. ‘Courage’ means a man is a risk taker and ‘strength’ means he holds in there – he is consistent. Ladies want men to be courageous and strong – that is the essence of leadership.

The greatest leaders the world has ever known and all effective leaders are risk takers because they exhibit strength and courage. And if a man doesn't have strength and courage, he's not a leader. Tribal people would always choose the man with the greatest courage and strength to be their leader. That's maleness at its epitome.

A real man wants to face life with courage. He believes certain things and he's going to stand on his belief. He has been called by God to achieve certain things and he's going to achieve those things. He's going to be courageous whatever the opposition and he's going to make his move. He's going to do what he believes is right and he's going to pay the price. He's going to make the hard decisions and if he makes a bad first one, he'll make a quick better second one and he'll adjust. That's a man...that's a manly man.

For the rest of the talk click here.

This week we will look at a little more of what a father does with his children so watch this space. In the meantime, add your comments here about your ideal picture of a father.

Slow you down!

2010-04-12T15:10:00.000+01:00

The title of this post can be found on a road sign to the village of Wiveton in Norfolk but it is also an apt title for this article by Harold Taylor that I will share with you:

'The hectic, fast-paced life that most of us lead makes life seem to zoom by. Everything we do seems to be punctuated by speed. We work faster, talk faster, walk faster and eat faster. Speed, combined with our tendency to multitask in an effort to get more done, robs us of our memories. When we are older, life in retrospect seems to have passed so quickly that we don’t recall being there. Here are five things you can do to regain control of your life.

1. Plan more and do less. Rather than do more things, choose to do more significant things.

2. Don’t multitask. It deceives us into thinking we’re getting more done, while in fact, it decreases both efficiency and effectiveness.

3. Savour the moment. Do what you enjoy and take time to enjoy what you do.

4. Take over the controls. Don’t be swept along by other people’s sense of urgency and their need for speed. Live out your own agenda.

5. Don’t focus all your attention on the future. Anticipate the future, review the past, but live in the present. Life is a process not a product.'

Good advice - let's take it to heart

Thoughts on what Church is about

2010-02-26T13:36:00.000Z

One of the simplest and yet most profound pictures that I can think of to illustrate what is at the heart of church is as follows:

The church is a circle of people with Jesus at the centre. If that circle of people wants to get closer to Jesus, each individual will automatically get closer to each other. We could look at it the other way round and say that, if we genuinely want to get closer to each other, then we will automatically get nearer to Jesus.

The point is that, as we get closer to each other, things will be thrown up within us that we would rather not look at. In fact, we might have spent our lives developing techniques to help us not to look at what really goes on inside - so we face a choice.

The question then becomes, do I love the Lord more than my need to hide what I feel about myself? If the answer is yes then we will deal with those things within us that divide us from each other - and in dealing with those things we are made whole. So becoming whole is the natural outcome of choosing to be church - if we rightly understand church.

When Jesus called his original twelve disciples, movement and growth was implied in the call. Any 'disciple' in those days would have understood that they were apprentices - learning, growing, practicing and developing as they went along - with all eyes on the Rabbi. In our picture of the circle, growth is implied. We do not stand rooted to the spot - that is not church - we move - that is the nature of relationships - and so we grow. Our attitudes change, our perspective becomes clearer, we feel better, we stand tall, we love better and we are stronger - because we are gathered together around the Lord, moving ever closer to him.

what is church for?

2010-02-16T09:39:00.000Z

I was thinking today how important it is that we really understand what church is about. We know it is a community of people who know God through faith in Jesus Christ. We know we are there to worship and so on but what is the nature of church?

I am not going to take this post any further today but would be interested in your answer to this question. What is your philosophy of church?

Losing perspective

2010-02-11T07:32:00.000Z

God had said that he would give the Promised Land to his people. It was a promise made first to Abraham and surely would have been part of their 'collective awareness'. However, faced with the difficulties of taking the land, suddenly, all that filled their 'awareness' was the size of the occupants of the land - 'we seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'

Things got so distorted that they said it would have been better to have died in Egypt or in the desert. Better to be dead! At least they had a chance while they were still alive. What kind of thinking is that?

How accurate is our perspective? How much are our attitudes and outlook based on how we feel about ourselves - rather than on who God is? Let us lift our eyes to the Lord today and gain his perspective. Let us be a trusting people knowing that he always shows us the way through.

Playing our part

2010-02-10T07:51:00.000Z

I read today the statement, 'The Lord said to Moses, 'Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites (Number 13:1).

It is interesting that God was going to give them the land but they still had to go through the practicalities of exploration and preparation. Just because we know God is going to do something does not mean we sit back and do nothing. The knowledge if his will spurs us to action. Faith translates into determination. That is how we grow.

The whole of who we are!

2010-02-02T00:38:00.000Z

For those of you who appreciate the understanding of temperaments - imagine your particular temperaments are laid before you - e.g. if you are Choleric Phlegmatic - your Choleric, with all its various qualities and 'ingredients' stretches out before you - and then joined up to it is the Phlegmatic - with all its own qualities. God wants you to be master of all that - not subject to it but you making the choices that determine exactly how all those wonderful God-given ingredients will be used.

Be specific

2010-02-01T12:09:00.000Z

Generally speaking, it is no good saying to someone - 'do call in and see me sometime' because you know they won't. We can even narrow it down and say, 'Call in this week' - and 'this week' comes and goes and it doesn't happen. It is only when we say, '2pm on Friday afternoon' that it is likely to happen.

We do better if we learn to be specific in life - whether it is in our expectations of ourselves or of others. We might think it is a good idea to exercise - but if we don't make an appointment with ourselves to do it then it won't happen. Studying the Bible is a good idea but setting time to do it is the only way it turns into reality.

Self-worth

2010-01-31T20:27:00.000Z

If we were not properly disciplined as a child we will probably struggle with issues of self-worth. Disciplining a child sends a signal that says to that child, 'You are better than the way that you are behaving at this point in time'. Not disciplining says, 'You are not worth bothering with.'

A person growing up in that situation is more likely to feel bad about themselves when they do get things wrong as adults because they will equate 'bad behaviour' with being a 'bad person.' A properly disciplined person will know that they might have behaved badly but that is not who they really are - they are better than that.

Temperaments

2010-01-29T21:02:00.000Z

This might only make sense if you are familiar with an understanding of the temperaments. If you are not, do contact me via our website.

A Phlegmatic quickly allows pain to turn into guilt - but they must be kept separate - they are two entirely different commodities! Allow yourself to feel the pain without turning it into guilt as part of a subconscious attempt to alleviate the pain.

It struck me again recently how everything a Melancholic feels, if it sits under a Sanguine, can so quickly be expressed physically. For example, a young child might feel a particular emotion, say anger, and this may well come out as a real tantrum with arms and legs flailing. What a Melancholic feels often has to find physical expression when linked with a Sanguine. If a Choleric sits on top then those emotions will go up into the Choleric mind and can lead to a variety of muddles.