It's raining again today. Although I can't see the sun or feel its warmth, I know it's there: doing its job. There is light. It is not dark. It is day time. I am alive and today will be a good day. A productive day. I don't need to see to believe. Jesus said those who believed without having seen, would be blessed. This is my hope.
The sun just broke through the clouds and rain to justify my faith.
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Friday, December 23, 2011
Deliciously Ugly
Many years ago. there was an ad for Cadbury Picnic, a chocolate, caramel and peanut bar. The unusual but effective epithet was "deliciously ugly". Picnics do look a bit rough and lumpy when you take off the wrapper but after the first bite, you forget what the thing looks like, and only remember the great taste.
The ad played with the well known adage "you can't judge a book by its cover". This saying warns that very little of what can be known about a person can be ascertained from observing their cover, that is their outward appearance. Most of what a person is lies hidden from others, beneath the surface, behind the physical curtain of flesh. To judge a person solely on what you see, in other words, what they look like or what they do, is foolish and unfair to the person.
Obviously people make superficial judgments about other people all the time. We can't help ourselves. Perhaps the maxim should be changed to say, "Don't judge a book by its cover". You can judge a book by its cover but you shouldn't because you might be wrong. Just as God told Samuel when he went to see the sons of Jesse to anoint from among them a successor for Saul to the throne of Israel. (1 Samuel 17:7)Jesus said, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." (John 7:24)
It's Christmas, and I'm reminded of how the baby Jesus was wrongly judged by some, and again later as he grew to boyhood and then into a man. God incarnate, deity in human flesh. He was subjected to the folly, the bigotry and the cruelty of men who did not know, who could not see, who he really was. Those who saw just another man, were very much mistaken. Some still are.
Returning to the deliciously ugly Picnic. One day, I grabbed one for morning tea and was of course keenly anticipating the joy of eating it. I'm not put off by appearance, and I know they taste great. However, when I opened the brightly coloured wrapper there was nothing inside. True story. The message is clear. Looks can be deceiving so it's wise to take time to get to know the real person inside the mortal wrapper. Look inside, because that's where God is always looking... into the heart.
The ad played with the well known adage "you can't judge a book by its cover". This saying warns that very little of what can be known about a person can be ascertained from observing their cover, that is their outward appearance. Most of what a person is lies hidden from others, beneath the surface, behind the physical curtain of flesh. To judge a person solely on what you see, in other words, what they look like or what they do, is foolish and unfair to the person.
Obviously people make superficial judgments about other people all the time. We can't help ourselves. Perhaps the maxim should be changed to say, "Don't judge a book by its cover". You can judge a book by its cover but you shouldn't because you might be wrong. Just as God told Samuel when he went to see the sons of Jesse to anoint from among them a successor for Saul to the throne of Israel. (1 Samuel 17:7)Jesus said, "Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgement." (John 7:24)
It's Christmas, and I'm reminded of how the baby Jesus was wrongly judged by some, and again later as he grew to boyhood and then into a man. God incarnate, deity in human flesh. He was subjected to the folly, the bigotry and the cruelty of men who did not know, who could not see, who he really was. Those who saw just another man, were very much mistaken. Some still are.
Returning to the deliciously ugly Picnic. One day, I grabbed one for morning tea and was of course keenly anticipating the joy of eating it. I'm not put off by appearance, and I know they taste great. However, when I opened the brightly coloured wrapper there was nothing inside. True story. The message is clear. Looks can be deceiving so it's wise to take time to get to know the real person inside the mortal wrapper. Look inside, because that's where God is always looking... into the heart.
Friday, May 7, 2010
The End of the World
I have received some very disturbing news about the fate of our planet. We are doomed. This world will be destroyed. Life as we know it, will cease. There is no escape from the bitter reality of this truth. You can run from the past. You can run from your troubles. You can run from your enemies. But you can't run from the future.
One day it will all be over. I don't know how. It could be an unpronounceable Icelandic volcano or a nuclear war instigated by Iran or North Korea, or even India because we know what a war mongering nation they are. I don't know. Nobody knows.
I don't know when. I can't give you a date but it's probably not going to be in May 2012. Nobody knows the day or the hour. Nobody except the one who created it. The world will definitely end and no one can stop it.
Have you booked your ticket to the next world? There is only one way to guarantee your future. Surrender to the Lord of all eternity, the timeless King of Kings: Jesus Christ.
One day it will all be over. I don't know how. It could be an unpronounceable Icelandic volcano or a nuclear war instigated by Iran or North Korea, or even India because we know what a war mongering nation they are. I don't know. Nobody knows.
I don't know when. I can't give you a date but it's probably not going to be in May 2012. Nobody knows the day or the hour. Nobody except the one who created it. The world will definitely end and no one can stop it.
Have you booked your ticket to the next world? There is only one way to guarantee your future. Surrender to the Lord of all eternity, the timeless King of Kings: Jesus Christ.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
I am Right
Nobody wants to be wrong. When my children challenge me on something they believe to be fact, they don't always accept that I know more than they do and that I am more than likely right. We have 5 cent bets. That's how we settle the debate. We bet 5 cents and then we Google the facts. They don't usually pay, but that's bedside the point.
We like to think we know things and that we have answers to questions, and solutions to problems. Being right proves our worth. It makes us better than someone else. Smarter. More resourceful. The spirit of competition boils beneath the surface of many of our actions and relationships. Yes, it is stronger in some than others, but at a deep level, I believe everyone wants to be right. We want to know our actions are justified, our decisions are wise, and our answers are correct. We need to know that we are living right and travelling down the right path.We do whatever we can to make things right in our lives. To fix what is broken.
This hunger stems from basic needs which all people possess. The need to be loved, the need to feel useful, and the need to belong. These are universal needs. What many fail to see is that our longing to be right is actually a desire to be right with God. The problem is that we can't do anything to make ourselves right with God. That relationship which He intended all of us to prosper in is damaged because we think we are already right. We can't admit that we are wrong, that we have done wrong, that our need to be right is a manifestation of our pride. We don't have all the answers, we don't know everything (in fact most of us hardly know anything)This conceit rears its ugly head in our relationships where we actually work against ourselves and our real desires because we are broken. We hurt ourselves and others despite our best efforts not to. We are messed up.
Jesus Christ is the only remedy. The only solution. Easter is all about God fixing the problem by sending his Son to die for us. This is right and true. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. The only way to be right with God is to accept what Christ did for you, believe it and believe in Him.
When I consider what Jesus has done for me, my need to be right seems childish and pathetic. I only need to be right with God.
We like to think we know things and that we have answers to questions, and solutions to problems. Being right proves our worth. It makes us better than someone else. Smarter. More resourceful. The spirit of competition boils beneath the surface of many of our actions and relationships. Yes, it is stronger in some than others, but at a deep level, I believe everyone wants to be right. We want to know our actions are justified, our decisions are wise, and our answers are correct. We need to know that we are living right and travelling down the right path.We do whatever we can to make things right in our lives. To fix what is broken.
This hunger stems from basic needs which all people possess. The need to be loved, the need to feel useful, and the need to belong. These are universal needs. What many fail to see is that our longing to be right is actually a desire to be right with God. The problem is that we can't do anything to make ourselves right with God. That relationship which He intended all of us to prosper in is damaged because we think we are already right. We can't admit that we are wrong, that we have done wrong, that our need to be right is a manifestation of our pride. We don't have all the answers, we don't know everything (in fact most of us hardly know anything)This conceit rears its ugly head in our relationships where we actually work against ourselves and our real desires because we are broken. We hurt ourselves and others despite our best efforts not to. We are messed up.
Jesus Christ is the only remedy. The only solution. Easter is all about God fixing the problem by sending his Son to die for us. This is right and true. Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for a friend. The only way to be right with God is to accept what Christ did for you, believe it and believe in Him.
When I consider what Jesus has done for me, my need to be right seems childish and pathetic. I only need to be right with God.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Christ Almighty
Jesus! Jesus Christ! Christ Almighty! Have you ever uttered these words? Felt frustrated? Blurted them out. Angry? Spat them out. Or simply desperate for an adjective which you could use in mixed company? Maybe they are words you use automatically. Just a part of the way you express yourself. Throwaway words without any meaning.
We recently celebrated Christmas. Strangely, Jesus gets mentioned quite a bit at Christmas. Many people from the church of C & E, attend Christmas services even when they would never ordinarily think of entering a church other than by invitation for a wedding, or a funeral or a christening. Songs are played and sung which are about Jesus. They are called carols but they are actually songs of worship. Consider "Come All Ye Faithful": O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. The story of Christ's birth (the Nativity)is told, and re enacted.
Jesus gets more attention and respect during the Christmas period, otherwise known innocuously as the festive season. For this reason alone I wish it was Christmas all year.
However, even at Christmas, there are some who continue to use the name of Jesus Christ as a swear word, as a cheap combination of sounds stripped of true meaning. A more acceptable curse. Mere words on par with other expletives, except these don't need to be deleted. No one really minds a few "Goddammits" or "Christ Almightys".
In old speak, they call it blasphemy but really it is simply disrespectful, both to Christians and to Jesus Christ himself. It is offensive.
Jesus Christ is a real person. His life, death and resurrection are historical facts. For Christians, Christ is Almighty and his name is special. It is powerful. It is not just a name. It represents hope and love and salvation. In fact, the Bible says it is the only name by which men can be saved. It is a name worthy of respect and honour, a name to be used with reverence, a name to speak with deep affection and gratitude. Try using it that way some time and see how your life will turn around.
We recently celebrated Christmas. Strangely, Jesus gets mentioned quite a bit at Christmas. Many people from the church of C & E, attend Christmas services even when they would never ordinarily think of entering a church other than by invitation for a wedding, or a funeral or a christening. Songs are played and sung which are about Jesus. They are called carols but they are actually songs of worship. Consider "Come All Ye Faithful": O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord. The story of Christ's birth (the Nativity)is told, and re enacted.
Jesus gets more attention and respect during the Christmas period, otherwise known innocuously as the festive season. For this reason alone I wish it was Christmas all year.
However, even at Christmas, there are some who continue to use the name of Jesus Christ as a swear word, as a cheap combination of sounds stripped of true meaning. A more acceptable curse. Mere words on par with other expletives, except these don't need to be deleted. No one really minds a few "Goddammits" or "Christ Almightys".
In old speak, they call it blasphemy but really it is simply disrespectful, both to Christians and to Jesus Christ himself. It is offensive.
Jesus Christ is a real person. His life, death and resurrection are historical facts. For Christians, Christ is Almighty and his name is special. It is powerful. It is not just a name. It represents hope and love and salvation. In fact, the Bible says it is the only name by which men can be saved. It is a name worthy of respect and honour, a name to be used with reverence, a name to speak with deep affection and gratitude. Try using it that way some time and see how your life will turn around.
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