Ecclesiastes 3:1

There is an occasion for everything,

and a time for every activity

under heaven

 

Thought for the day

The blogger Jill Printzenhoff writes about a time how she went fishing and caught nothing and yet the fisherman next to her managed to pull out seven. They were using different bait and she describes it as not her day. She finishes her blog post with these words: ‘You keep striving, you keep working, and you keep on keeping on. Because some day when you cast your line . . . you will be at the right spot at the right time . . . and that day will be your day . . . the day you catch that all elusive fish!’

I believe that there is a time for everything under heaven and earth and sometimes, well actually, all the time we need to be patient and wait because the reality of the situation is we are working to God’s time. The writer of Ecclesiastes also says this about God’s timing: ‘He has made everything appropriate[b] in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts,[c] but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.’

There is a mystery to God’s timing that we cannot fathom because we do not have the full picture and so to paraphrase Jill: ‘we keep striving, we keep working, and we keep on keeping on. Because some day we’ll cast our line . . .we will be at the right spot at the right time . . . and that day will be our day.’

Trust God. His timing is perfect.

Jill’s blogpost can be found here:

https://jillprintzenhoff.com/2017/06/13/not-my-day/

 

Consumers?

Ever heard of the phrase ‘too much of a good thing?’ How much is too much for you? And how much of a good thing is too much? At what point do we say enough is enough?

I’ve been thinking about this recently. A lot. I believe God has been challenging me to think about how much I consume. I feel like this one of those moments when I stand up in a support group and say ‘my name is Ray and I am a consumer.’

I’m not being flippant here either. I think we need to confess that we are consumers. God has given us an amazingly wild, diverse beautiful place to live. Our consumption is destroying it. And it’s because we have believed in the lie that more is better. The latest phone, the newest car, the most up to date fashion. The must have toy. More is better is what the world tells us.

The Gospel is that we find our value, our purpose, and our satisfaction in Christ alone. Paul writes in Philippians 4:19 ‘And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.’ It seem hard when everything is telling us that more is better. But if we take God seriously, we will look at the things we do and say and spend our money on and ask the question ‘Is God enough?’ If the answer to that question is no, then we need to come to God and repent and ask to be shown a better way.

Revenge?

We’ve talked about not seeking revenge because revenge is only God’s to give here on Walking the Way, but I’ve never thought about how I would feel if the revenge I so desperately wanted was to be inflicted on someone. How would I react if the person who has done me harm came to what I think of as their just reward? Would I be happy and gloat? Well the Bible makes it clear that rejoicing over the downfall of your enemies is a no-no.

And actually that’s quite hard because  think our natural inclination is to maybe not rejoice but certainly take a certain amount of satisfaction when those who have hurt us get their just rewards. And then I think about the grace and forgiveness of God and how God has extended that grace and forgiveness to me. And how God expects me to do the same to those I class as enemies. We were God’s enemies, but he chased us down and saved us. Think of the witness if we do that to those who hurt us and are now being hurt. ‘No, “if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.”’

 

Poverty

Proverbs 10:15

Wealth protects the rich; 

poverty destroys the poor.

 

Thought for the day

The author Terry Pratchett once wrote that the difference between rich and poor people was their boots. Rich people can afford to buy boots that last a lifetime, poor people end up spending what little they have, on constantly replacing the cheap boots they have to buy because they can’t afford better boots. And it’s an interesting take on today’s verse about wealth and poverty. But the question of wealth and poverty is a difficult one for Christians. Growing up in Southern Africa I was very aware of vast differences in wealth distribution. Even here in the UK, the differences between the wealthy and the poor are everywhere if you know where to look.

In the Scriptures wealth is a blessing but it is a blessing that can and will for many people become an idol. Go read the account of the rich young man (Matthew 19:16-30). But like many of God’s gifts they are given out as he chooses. There will be believers that have to struggle for every penny, relying on God for everything. Jesus reminds us that poor are blessed because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to them. What we need richer believers to do is support those poorer believers. This is a biblical model that we see in the book of Acts where the early church sold their possessions and gave the proceeds to the Church. Because they recognised that poverty can and does rob, steal and destroy the poor. James writes in James 2: ‘If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?

God gives us talents, gifts and blessings so we can share them with others. But we are called to support those who have little but maybe dealing with poverty begins with buying someone a better pair of boots.

 Holiness

What does holiness look like to you? Or when you hear the word holy what comes to mind. The reason I’m asking is because for a while now I have been thinking about holiness. What does it mean to be holy and whether or not we can truly be holy? We are commanded to be holy both in the Old Testament and by Jesus who said be holy as your Father in heaven is holy (Matthew 5:48). 

John Wesley taught that genuine faith produces inward and outward holiness. He consistently argued that salvation must produce holiness of heart and life, but he never viewed the process as something that would be completed. He taught that despite the inner assurance and regeneration of character that results from knowing that you have been saved, it is never too long before we discover that there is still a root of sin within.

However, there is never an occasion or state of true Christian discipleship that does not lead to a deepening of our love for God and for our neighbour and we become more like Christ walking the paths of good and justice every day. That is true holiness.

Mad Wisdom              

When I first arrived in the UK I was sat at a bus stop with 2 other people, A young lady and an older gentleman. The older gentleman was impeccably dressed and was very charming, that is right up to the point when he got up, walked out into the street ad started howling at the moon. He then sat down as if nothing happened and explained he was of lycanthropic descent. He was descended from werewolves apparently. Needless to say, he was less charming after this and, if not already, most likely should have been under the care of mental health professionals.

Solomon describes wisdom as someone who cries out in the streets, who raises their voices in the square. I wonder if we as a society haven’t begin to see wisdom, particularly Godly wisdom, in the same way we might see someone, like my gentleman with mental health problems. It’s all a bit odd and possibly dangerous, best not spoken about or considered and probably best locked away for everyone’s safety.

The trouble is that is that people with mental health problems very often are capable of teaching us profound things. I have a friend who is bipolar. He has a Christian faith and spirituality that amazes me every time. He drew a book called Kanook the bipolar bear about his experiences and the conversations we have had about God have been thought provoking and challenging. Most people wouldn’t give him the time of day I wager. God’s wisdom is radical and challenging and if it seems  challenging, that’s because it is. It

 is the path to  knowledge and righteousness that

 comes from  God who is the most rational mind in

 the universe.  Maybe we need to be listening to

 the shouting in  the square a bit more.

 Attitude of praise 

Psalms is after all the Bible’s hymnbook and prayer book and as we look back over the psalms even those that are cries of lament or anger ultimately bring their thoughts back to praising God. ‘Bring me out of prison, so that I may give thanks to your name’, cries David in 142. ‘How could we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land’ lament the exiles in 137.

And it got me wondering about the way we live our lives, Are we as the people of God, living lives that give glory to God? Are we a thankful people for all that God has done for us? Is worshipping God consuming us? I wager that the answer is no. And we can make all sorts of excuses for it. It’s unrealistic, we’re too busy, I have kids etc. etc. etc. And yet the imperative in today’s Psalm is ‘Let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!’

And it’s more than an imperative, it’s the reason for our being. We were created, the universe was created to praise God and bring him glory. So for today at least let’s make sure we do what we created to do and praise God and give him all the glory due his name.

 Plans?

How many of us have sat with an elderly person and they’ve told us not to waste any opportunities? I think there’s something about recognising that time is short that puts our life choices into perspective and makes us question those choices. It’s a challenge for us because so many of us are simply trying to live life in a way that enables us to survive never mind thrive.

 

In context today’s verse is about not putting our trust in the world or any one person because in the end they to will die, whereas God is eternal and so we should trust him. But as I sat and pondered that particular verse, I found myself asking myself about the plans I had for my life and what would happen when I died. So, what about you?

What are the plans you have? Do they match God’s plans for you? Jeremiah 29 tells us that God knows the plans He has for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. I believe that God’s plan for us includes thriving, not merely surviving. That may seem hard to hear and believe but today listen to the advise of the elderly person (Not me) talking you to take the opportunities that God presents us with.

 

Glory revealed? 

A lady approached a minister and asked the minister to baptise her child. They discussed what infant baptism was, and when he asked her when she wanted her child to be baptised, she told him that she didn’t want the baptism to be done as part of the Sunday worship service. When he asked why, she said to him that those attending didn’t want to sit through a boring sermon.

I don’t know how you felt when you heard the account I’ve just given. I have no doubt there will be some that will be nodding thinking about the last time you had a particularly bad sermon. There will be some that are thinking about the theological debate about infant vs believer baptism. There will be some that may be outraged that people see the church merely as a vehicle to get things done. And there may be some that are thinking what our current worship says about the way we make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.

This is the question I want us to focus on as we go through the day. For many churches, the main point of outreach is their Sunday worship. It’s not ideal but it’s what they have. Does your Sunday service make known to people His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom? It’s a challenge to myself, as a preacher and worship leader, as much as it is to you listening. And as with most of these things there are no easy answers so today please think about your Church services and if need be make some changes and have a conversation with some to make changes so that God may be shown in all his glory and wonder.

Habits

 

Psalm 135:18

Those who make them become like them,

so do all who trust in them.

Thought for the day

What’s your worst habit? What’s your best habit? It’s a strange direction to go in with today’s verse because in context, today’s verse is about idolatry. Idols are dead so those who make them become like them as do those who worship them. They die.

 

But maybe it’s not such a strange direction to go in. After all the habits we have are very often as a result of what we hold dearest. A morning quiet time can be a habit because of our desire to spend quality time with God. Watching porn can become a habit because of our desire to satisfy our own needs, often at the cost of our meaningful relationships. Our habits in many ways reflect our priorities.

 

So what are your habits? Good and bad. What do your habits tell you about yourself? I think we can learn a lot about ourselves when we think about our habits and question them. So today as you go through your day ask God to reveal to you what your priorities are as reflected in your habits. If you have a habit of being late for everything, ask God to show why that is. It may be as simple as getting a diary. If you have good habits still ask God to check your motivations because even good habits can be motivated by the wrong reasons, just go read Jesus’ parable about the two men praying in the synagogue.

 

Our habits will either make us or break us. Lets check them with God today shall we?

 Psalm 130:6

I wait for the Lord

 

Thought for the day

There used to be a car advert in South Africa for a small car from a well-known German car manufacturer. The advert song had the lines ‘waiting, waiting, waiting for the bus. Where’s the bus?’ The advert was a person standing at a bus stop in the rain as this little car drove past. Cut to the people in the car nice and dry and warm and unbelievably happy. It wasn’t a particularly original advert that’s for sure.

Two things come to mind when I read today’s verse. The first is the iine from the advert about waiting (as if waiting is such a bad thing) and the second thing is how we have become so accustomed to things happening immediately that we are no longer able to wait for things. And that’s a big challenge for disciples of Jesus because as I’m sure we’ve experienced God’s timing is very rarely our timing.

How many of us can honestly say with the Psalmist ‘I wait for the Lord’? The reality is that the vast majority of believers cannot say they wait for the Lord, because they are time poor and if we’re honest God is not always our top priority.

We need to take time and wait for God sometimes. We need to take time and be still and listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. We need to take time and just enjoy being with God. We need to stop and wait, even if it’s a bus stop in the rain because fast and convenient is not always the best way.

Message for someone

 

Psalm 107:6

Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,

and he delivered them from their distress

Thought for the day

Someone asked me how the could know if if God was speaking to them. It’s a good question. How can we know if God is speaking to us? There are a whole number of ways. Circumstances can be an indication that God is trying to tell you something. Dreams and visions are another way. People can say things to you and then there is Scripture. But often the most common way God speaks to us is through repetition. He will say something to us again and again until we get the message. He’s patient and let’s face we aren’t the brightest when it comes to hearing from God. And the repetition bit is important because today’s verse gets repeated 4 times in today’s psalm and there’s a message there for someone who needs to hear it.

I don’t know who today’s message is meant for but someone out there is struggling at the moment and God wants you to know that you can call out to him. I’m not even sure this message is meant for someone today; the joy of a podcast is that someone can listen to it 2 years from now and someone can hear this message, but God is telling you to call out to him and he will rescue you. Take a step of faith God is waiting.

Organic Scripture

 

Psalm 106:4

Remember me, O Lord,

when you show favor to your people;

help me when you deliver them;

Thought for the day

Have you ever read a passage of Scripture and felt that you’ve heard that before? It may not be a direct reference, there are literally hundreds of those and a good Bible should give you those references in the foot notes. But those times when you read a passage and it’s more like an echo. (I’m sure there’s a theological or literary term for it, but I can’t remember it.) Today’s verse is the same. As I was reading the Psalm, I heard an echo of a another verse. I’ll give you a second to see if you can think what it was… My echo was when the thief on the cross with Jesus turns to Jesus as says: ‘Jesus remember me when you come into your Kingdom.’ Luke 23:42

 

This is one of the joys of Scripture. We read portions of Scripture and it makes connections with other sections of Scripture. Maybe not directly, but certainly organically. There almost a neuroplasticity to the Bible that forms new connections as we read it. Those echoes we read and hear become new pathways for us to learn about the Bible and about God himself. So, in today’s verse and it’s echo, both the psalmist and the thief are asking God to remember them and wipe away their sin. They recognise their need for God and so they ask knowing that God will hear them.

 

Think about those times when you have heard an echo in Scripture. When you’ve thought about it what does tell you about God?