August 31st 2009
To Speak Or Not To Speak…
“Wise people store up knowledge, but the mouth of the foolish is near destruction.”
Proverbs 10:14 (NKJV)
The apostle James, the brother of Jesus, alerts us to the power of the tongue. He describes it as a fire that sets so many things alight. (James 3:2-10)
How often we just let slip our tongue, our guard is down and we say the very thing that ought not to be said.
Wise old Solomon was all too aware of this human failing, so in his instruction to his son he laboured long on this question of when to and when not to speak. Look at the wisdom of the proverb above. Because we know something does not mean it is right or appropriate to say. It is this unbridled use of the tongue that James is very concerned about.
Information (or knowledge as the bible refers to it) is only part of the picture, we also need understanding. Understanding gives meaning to the information that we obtain. Without understanding, information can be very damaging. Solomon understood this, probably from bitter experience and observation of others, and he imparted wisdom to his son. He instructed him to store up knowledge and not to act upon the bit of knowledge that he had, but to continue to gather information. Isn’t it surprising how the addition of other facts can completely change the conclusions we draw from the information obtained earlier?
If we put this advice into the vernacular we might say that Solomon was teaching his son “to keep his mouth closed” and not to jump to conclusions.
Today we will hear things that can lead us to make the wrong decisions about people and events. Let’s learn from wise old Solomon to keep our peace and not be hasty to speak.
Prayer
Our Father in heaven, help me to consider what I say before I say it. Help me to reflect the love you have for me to all I meet today, in the kind and thoughtful way I use my tongue. Let all that I say bring glory to you.
Amen
Study by David Stirk
August 30th 2009
Spiritual Warfare
“Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”
Ephesians 6:11-16 (NIV UK)
The idea of standing against the devil’s schemes sometimes takes some rather extreme forms. Some proponents of what is often called “spiritual warfare” get people thinking there are demons behind every rock. And some set up teams of prayer warriors to cast out demonic powers they believe to be behind virtually every problem a human being can face, from carburettor trouble to persistent headaches to neighbours’ noisy dogs.
It’s important that we understand what spiritual warfare is, and that we stay away from non-biblical excesses and abuses that sometimes go under the name “spiritual warfare.”
The first thing we should notice is that Paul does not tell us to obsess over demons; he simply tells us to put on the armour of God.
The “armour of God” is pretty straightforward: truth, righteousness, the gospel, faith, salvation, and the word of God.
The main point is that we need spiritual attributes for a spiritual battle. Truth sets us free. Righteousness is not our own, but the righteousness of Jesus which God attributes to us. The gospel reminds us that since God is for us nothing can defeat us. Faith assures us that we have been forgiven our every sin, so there is no need to be burdened by guilt. Salvation is God’s free gift to us in Christ; so nothing can take it away from us. And the Word of God assures us that we belong to our Father, who included us in the relationship he has with Jesus and who will never let us go.
Paul ends his list of spiritual armour by reminding us to pray-”on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests…. Always keep praying for all the saints” (v 18).
Prayer keeps our attention on God, the source of our faith, hope and love.
Spiritual warfare, then, is not about putting our attention on the devil. We don’t need to obsess over what the devil might be doing, as some people seem to want us to do.
No, spiritual warfare is about keeping our attention on God. When our attention is on God, we don’t have to give the devil a second thought.
Prayer
Father, help me to keep my attention focused on you, and not to obsess over what the devil may be doing. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by Joseph Tkach
August 29th 2009
Pick Yourself Up
12 of 12 studies taken from Acts 7 to Acts 14
“Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. But after the disciples had gathered round him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe”.
Acts 14:19-20 (NIV UK)
“Will you remember the famous men,
Who had to fall to rise again?
So take a deep breath, pick yourself up,
Dust yourself off, start all over again” .
Do you know this song? The words are from a film called Swing Time. I think but am not sure that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang it to each other.
In the above passage from Acts Paul gets up and starts all over again. Paul and Barnabas had been hailed as Greek gods in Lystra, a city steeped in superstition. So convinced were the crowds that they decided to offer sacrifices to both of them. The two apostles ran among them and told them not to do this, that they should turn from idolatry to “the Living God” (14:15), but Paul and Barnabas “could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them” (v.18).
Jewish protagonists, “filled with envy” (13:45), opposed all that Paul and Barnabas had been saying, and persuaded those, who had just sought to worship him, to stone Paul. Then they dragged his body outside the city limits and left him for dead.
What would you have done had you been Paul? Sought some time to recover? Find some space to recuperate? Of course, we all need to do such things. Paul, however, encouraged by the believers who gathered around him, rose up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left to preach the gospel elsewhere and later returned to Lystra to strengthen the disciples, telling them that they would have many tribulations as they embrace the Kingdom of God (14:21?22). Paul was speaking from personal experience!
I don’t know what trials you are going through because you adhere to the faith. We all face them. The challenge is to be like Paul, to rise when we fall or are kicked down, and then to get on with the gospel work. It’s not always easy, but we have examples such as Paul to inspire us along the way.
Prayer
Great Almighty God, strengthen me when difficult times come, that, like Paul did, I may get up and continue with the gospel work. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by James Henderson
August 28th 2009
The Good Old Days
“Job continued his discourse: ‘How I long for the months gone by, for the days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone upon my head and by his light I walked through darkness! Oh, for the days when I was in my prime, when God’s intimate friendship blessed my house, when the Almighty was still with me and my children were around me, when my path was drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil.’”
Job 29:1-6 (NIV)
A friend of ours died recently. She was a good age and had lived a long and full life. When friends or relatives die we often think back over their lives and ours, to the events of the past. We remember happy occasions and sad ones, exciting moments and glad ones. Sometimes we wish we could go back and change or relive those days.
Do you long for the ‘good old days’? There’s something about looking back that makes things seem much better than they really were-like Job in the verses above, when his path was ‘drenched with cream and the rock poured out for me streams of olive oil’. The Children of Israel when they were uncomfortable on the way to the Promised Land, remembered the cucumbers, melons and leeks, but forgot about the slavery and deprivation of Egypt.
Nostalgia and remembering good times and happy memories is not wrong, but let’s not get so focused on past pleasures that we forget to rise to the challenges facing us today; that we forget to plan and prepare for the future; that we forget to remember the needs of the present; that we fail to recognize open doors and opportunities until it is too late.
Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”
If we have perhaps ‘sat on our hands’ too long, it is not too late to change. Ephesians 5:15-16 (KJV) says, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
Forgetting the past, press forward as it says in Philippians 3:13-14, then we can look forward in hope as well as back with satisfaction.
Prayer
Dear Father, we thank you for the good things that we have enjoyed in the past, the family occasions, for the pleasures of good fun, food and fellowship, for friends and adventures, holidays and jobs. Help us to use those memories and experiences to improve our characters and benefit those we come into contact with now and in the future.
Amen
Study by Nancy Silcox
August 27th 2009
My Kingdom Is Not Of This World
“My kingdom is not of this world.
If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest.”
John 18:36 (NIV)
“War, huh, yeah – what is it good for? Absolutely nothing, say it again”. Lyrics sang by Edwin Starr and Bruce Springsteen, among many others.
This song came to mind today as I watched yet another armed conflict cause hundreds of dead and thousands of casualties. The world looks on helplessly as two nations determine to wipe each other from the face of the Earth.
Has war ever achieved its aim? What war hasn’t left the desire for revenge in the hearts of the defeated, waiting for the time for when it can be unleashed?
Now I know the world is complicated. As a Christian I believe in justice and protection for the weak and vulnerable. Sometimes that requires force in order to stop tyranny and abuse. However, deep down we all know that violence will never give a lasting solution.
At no point during his ministry on the Earth did Jesus call for a battalion of angels to arrange a world coup. Why? Because it would solve nothing. Instead, He chose sacrifice as the way forward. Through this he opened up salvation: to you, to me, and to the whole world.
I must admit that sacrifice is never the first action on my agenda for sorting things out. Yet, as Jesus showed, it is the only lasting option. Whether we are talking about rivalry between countries, neighbours or work colleagues, sacrifice is the only answer. Without it peace is unachievable.
Desire peace.
Work for peace.
Pray for peace.
Prayer
Father, I confess that I do use hostility in order to solve difficulties in my life. But your kingdom is not of this world. Show me how to live life in your world, where peace is everlasting.
Amen
Study by Ian Woodley