Luke 2:4 - Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David (NIV)
Christmas is on Monday, and New Year follows soon after that. It's a time of reflection, a time to look back at the year. When a project finishes we have a Lessons Learned phase, and we need to have this in life as well. John Lennon asks "So this is Christmas, what have we done?", and Sting says "History will teach us nothing".
When I consider that Jesus was born during a census, and that he was born in Bethlehem because Joseph was from the house of David, I think God wants us to consider that heritage is important. We shouldn't be looking backwards all the time, to wonder how things could be different with a different past, but we should acknowledge what has happened before, and where we come from.
So I want to look back and learn. Learn from the past project, learn from the past year (or month, week, five minutes), learn from my heritage. I want to value the heritage that time gives me, because it's a gift from above.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Romans 4:20-21
Romans 4:20-21 - Abraham never wavered in believing God’s promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and in this he brought glory to God. He was fully convinced that God is able to do whatever he promises. (NLT)
I want to be like Abraham. I want to have complete trust in the fact that God's promises hold true. I do believe in God's faithfulness, but I know that when I look at my life, I don't always act as if they are true. Stepping out is one thing. Stepping out where my only safety net is God's word... well, that's where I want to be. But so often I have doubts about what God is telling me to do. I am fully convinced that God loves me, cares for me, is on my side, all those things... but when it comes to being fully convinced that the direction he wants for my life is one thing or another... that's harder. Lord - help me in this!
I want to be like Abraham. I want to have complete trust in the fact that God's promises hold true. I do believe in God's faithfulness, but I know that when I look at my life, I don't always act as if they are true. Stepping out is one thing. Stepping out where my only safety net is God's word... well, that's where I want to be. But so often I have doubts about what God is telling me to do. I am fully convinced that God loves me, cares for me, is on my side, all those things... but when it comes to being fully convinced that the direction he wants for my life is one thing or another... that's harder. Lord - help me in this!
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
1 John 4:16
1 John 4:16 - And so we know and rely on the love God has for us... (NIV)
I haven't put anything on here for about three weeks. I got sick soon after my last post, and I've come back to work this week to find myself extraordinarily busy in all kinds of ways.
The frustration of being sick is horrible. I know that God heals. I really do. But I also know that I often have a hard time seeing myself get healing. God is good though, and I know for absolute certain that he loves me. The fact that he does means that I can actually be much more effective in prayer too. When I pray for someone, I know that God loves them, and me as well, and that means that I confidently ask for them to receive the healing, or release from a situation, or whatever it is that I'm praying for them about. For some reason though, when I'm in a situation myself, I just don't have the same kind of confidence.
I really do rely on the love that God has for me. Without it, things would be very different. Because I know that God loves me, I have a lot more confidence about all kinds of things. It doesn't necessarily make me brave enough to step out and take some of the risks that I would like to, but it does mean that when things hit the fan, I can always fall back on the fact that I am his.
I haven't put anything on here for about three weeks. I got sick soon after my last post, and I've come back to work this week to find myself extraordinarily busy in all kinds of ways.
The frustration of being sick is horrible. I know that God heals. I really do. But I also know that I often have a hard time seeing myself get healing. God is good though, and I know for absolute certain that he loves me. The fact that he does means that I can actually be much more effective in prayer too. When I pray for someone, I know that God loves them, and me as well, and that means that I confidently ask for them to receive the healing, or release from a situation, or whatever it is that I'm praying for them about. For some reason though, when I'm in a situation myself, I just don't have the same kind of confidence.
I really do rely on the love that God has for me. Without it, things would be very different. Because I know that God loves me, I have a lot more confidence about all kinds of things. It doesn't necessarily make me brave enough to step out and take some of the risks that I would like to, but it does mean that when things hit the fan, I can always fall back on the fact that I am his.
Friday, October 27, 2006
Luke 15:7
Luke 15:7 - "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance." (NASB)
This gets me. Who doesn't need repentance? Presumably he's talking here about people who are already saved, because otherwise surely they're not righteous, and they do need repentance. But perhaps he's talking about people who consider themselves to be in that bracket, where they really are or not. People who aren't saved, and don't even consider they need to be.
I think the thing that makes heaven rejoice is repentance full-stop. We are all sinners, so whenever someone repents (that is, turn from a life without Christ to a life with Christ), that's cause for celebration. And I agree - that's a great thing. I encourage you, if you don't know Christ - get to know him!
This gets me. Who doesn't need repentance? Presumably he's talking here about people who are already saved, because otherwise surely they're not righteous, and they do need repentance. But perhaps he's talking about people who consider themselves to be in that bracket, where they really are or not. People who aren't saved, and don't even consider they need to be.
I think the thing that makes heaven rejoice is repentance full-stop. We are all sinners, so whenever someone repents (that is, turn from a life without Christ to a life with Christ), that's cause for celebration. And I agree - that's a great thing. I encourage you, if you don't know Christ - get to know him!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
1 John 4:16
1 John 4:16 - ...and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (NASB)
I used to have a bit of trouble with this scripture, and the ones just before it, where John writes that if we love each other, we must clearly be Christians, because God is love. I thought "But that can't be right. There are people who love each other who aren't Christians..." But these days I consider that it's so much more involved than that.
I think the question really comes down to "What do you mean by 'abides in love'?". After all, there's a difference between just loving someone who loves you back, and actually abiding in love. Abiding suggests you spend every minute of your day there. It's not just living there, treating the place like a hotel (to quote my mum), but abiding, more like a state of being if you like. And I think if you consider people that abide in love, then you're actually a lot closer to what John means by this.
And of course, whether other people are doing (being?) this or not is their business. There's a nice quote in the Narnia books, where someone asks Aslan about another person, and he says something like "No-one is told any story but their own". The kind of challenge that John gives me here is not about what qualifies someone else, but for me. I need to consider whether I am abiding in love, not whether anyone else is.
I used to have a bit of trouble with this scripture, and the ones just before it, where John writes that if we love each other, we must clearly be Christians, because God is love. I thought "But that can't be right. There are people who love each other who aren't Christians..." But these days I consider that it's so much more involved than that.
I think the question really comes down to "What do you mean by 'abides in love'?". After all, there's a difference between just loving someone who loves you back, and actually abiding in love. Abiding suggests you spend every minute of your day there. It's not just living there, treating the place like a hotel (to quote my mum), but abiding, more like a state of being if you like. And I think if you consider people that abide in love, then you're actually a lot closer to what John means by this.
And of course, whether other people are doing (being?) this or not is their business. There's a nice quote in the Narnia books, where someone asks Aslan about another person, and he says something like "No-one is told any story but their own". The kind of challenge that John gives me here is not about what qualifies someone else, but for me. I need to consider whether I am abiding in love, not whether anyone else is.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Proverbs 2:11
Proverbs 2:11 - Discretion will guard you, understanding will watch over you (NASB).
It's 6:22pm on a Friday night and I'm still at work. I've just reinstalled my PocketPC, because it was refusing to connect to the new Exchange server at work. I wished a friend who has been in Australia for the last fortnight a good trip back to Israel, and I'm keen to go home soon.
Discretion will guard me. Other translations say Wise Choices or Good Sense. I think this comes down to the way we handle ourselves with others. When I get home, I will try to find ways to make sure the house is ready for when my wife gets home at about 9pm (the kids are at a birthday party that finishes late). But I also need to finish off a document or two. I guess this is one of those situations where wise choices can come into play. I can be at work late because I have nothing to pull me home. But I need to make the choice to go home earlier more often. That's the kind of discretion that will help guard my marriage.
It's 6:22pm on a Friday night and I'm still at work. I've just reinstalled my PocketPC, because it was refusing to connect to the new Exchange server at work. I wished a friend who has been in Australia for the last fortnight a good trip back to Israel, and I'm keen to go home soon.
Discretion will guard me. Other translations say Wise Choices or Good Sense. I think this comes down to the way we handle ourselves with others. When I get home, I will try to find ways to make sure the house is ready for when my wife gets home at about 9pm (the kids are at a birthday party that finishes late). But I also need to finish off a document or two. I guess this is one of those situations where wise choices can come into play. I can be at work late because I have nothing to pull me home. But I need to make the choice to go home earlier more often. That's the kind of discretion that will help guard my marriage.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
1 Peter 3:9
1 Peter 3:9 - Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
So when someone throws an insult your way, or treats you badly - don't just turn the other cheek, but go out of your way to do something good for them. And this is something we're called to do. It's not just something that is a good thing to do, we're actually called to it. Like a vocation. Some people are called to being amazingly technical. Some people are called to being amazingly diplomatic, or to sell. But as Christians, we're called to bless those people who treat us badly. Interesting thought, and one that drives me crazy sometimes. Parts of me want to snap back at people, get revenge, that type of thing. But when it comes down to it, I know that on the inside, I do actually want to bless them. I guess that's part of having your mind renewed. The world might look at it as being a sucker, but God can use this trait to bring blessing to us.
So when someone throws an insult your way, or treats you badly - don't just turn the other cheek, but go out of your way to do something good for them. And this is something we're called to do. It's not just something that is a good thing to do, we're actually called to it. Like a vocation. Some people are called to being amazingly technical. Some people are called to being amazingly diplomatic, or to sell. But as Christians, we're called to bless those people who treat us badly. Interesting thought, and one that drives me crazy sometimes. Parts of me want to snap back at people, get revenge, that type of thing. But when it comes down to it, I know that on the inside, I do actually want to bless them. I guess that's part of having your mind renewed. The world might look at it as being a sucker, but God can use this trait to bring blessing to us.
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