Reading the Bible during the Pandemic

             A recent poll has shown that during this pandemic, 74 percent of church going people believe the Bible is important for them to have a personal relationship with God.  According to the poll, 63 percent of church going Christian adults in the UK and Ireland say the Bible has been crucial to helping them deal with life’s challenges since the first lockdown from March.  Simon Lennox said: "The most radical thing we can do for our mental and spiritual health during this season is to be in conversation with God, in prayer and in Scripture. Ultimately, if we are going to face the uncertainties of life - death, disease or famine - we need to start the day with our certainties in Christ."[1]  The other finding from the poll indicated that just over 60 percent of regular churchgoers felt the Bible encouraged and motivated them during the pandemic. 

            I find this encouraging, but also challenging, as we face another lockdown.  That people are turning to God’s word is great news, but what about the other 40 percent who don’t seem to be?  The Bible not only provides the answer to the needs that we have but, as the quote above suggested, for our mental and spiritual health we need to be in conversation with God.  And as people have more time, turning to the Bible for their need is a great place to begin; but more than that, we should be seeking to have a relationship with God.  We may be lonely or anxious about life, worried about how things are going to turn out, but to know that God is there, and that He wants to have a conversation with us, should be and encouragement to us. 

            One approach[2] I was made aware of recently in which a devotional reading of the Scriptures “is meant to help the reader experience communion with God through the text.”[3]  It consists of four parts, in which a short passage of Scripture is read, meditated upon, prayed through, and then the reader thinks about how God may be calling us respond.

            The passage that was given to try out this method was Romans 5:3-5.  Below is my attempt at using this method on the passage and some of my thoughts.

            The passage will be read four times.  The first reading is to seek to understand what the passage is saying, listening to it and consider its meaning. 

            As I thought about the verses, I was struck firstly by the fact that Paul was rejoicing because of his suffering.  The word ‘rejoice’ has the idea of ‘boast’, ‘take pride in’.  Why would Paul take pride in suffering?  Because there are benefits resulting from suffering we go through.  The first is that suffering produces endurance.  If we are going to get through suffering, whatever shape it might take, we will need to be patient, we will need to persevere, to keep going in spite of the difficulties; this requires endurance.  The second thing I noticed was that character produces hope.  Character, in the Biblical sense, points to someone whose faith has been tested and found to be maturing.  Such a person’s faith will be able to trust God more, and as a consequence, hope in God will be strengthened.  Such a person will not easily be shaken because he will have the assurance that he is loved by God, by a love that has been poured into his life because he has received the Holy Spirit.

            The second reading of the passage will be for the purpose of meditation and contemplation.  Notice words, phrases or images that resonate with you. For the sake of space I will highlight my thoughts.

            First why does verse three started with, ‘Not only that’?  We will need to look at the context here. Second, why should I rejoice in suffering, that is, take pride in it?  Also endurance or patience is a quality that doesn’t come easily.  What does it mean for God to ‘pour’ His love into our hearts?  How will the hope spoken of in this passage change the way I view suffering and life?

            The third reading is for the purpose of praying through and responding in prayer to God about the things that God has shown you.

            And finally, reading through again is so that we can respond and act upon the things God has revealed to us.  What kinds of suffering might we be faced with?  I thought of things like how should I respond to criticism, whether justified or not.  Being ignored, or on a more tangible level, being diagnosed with cancer, being made redundant, or some other situation that is difficult to deal with.  What kind of response do we have now?  What will responding to this passage produce in our lives

            As we take time to think and meditate on a passage of Scripture like this, God can speak to us, and we can respond to God in prayer and action.  It will deepen our communion with Him, strengthen our faith in God, and we will see changes that God will be working out in our lives.  Let’s make the most of lockdown to strengthen our relationship with God.

[1] https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/new-study-shows-bible-has-been-a-lifeline-for-christians-during-pandemic?_psrc=personyzeRelated

[2] This is a adapted approach of a method called Lectio Divina a Latin term meaning “Divine Reading.”

[3] The Sanctuary Course, Session 5, p.58

Meditations from 2 Corinthians – Part 3

                In the previous two meditations, we considered the truth that not only is our salvation a work of God, but also that what began in faith — trusting God for new life, the new creation that we have become in Christ — continues in our work and service as well.  Our calling, service and sufficiency are all from God.  We don’t do it in our own strength, but God uses and enables us to do His will. 

                Paul deals with further aspects of the Christian life in this letter which should give us comfort and encouragement.  There is no aspect of life in which God is not involved, and so we can have hope that God will do all He promised until we reach our final destination.

 1. Our share in the victory is of God (2:14)

                 We are in a spiritual battle (10:4).  Man's abilities, wisdom, and strength are of no value in this battle.  We need God's divine power to overcome these spiritual enemies.

We have available a tremendous power if we only knew it.  It’s "Christ...powerful among you” (13:4).  Christ is the one who has defeated death and the devil.  He overcame the final enemy.  It is God who always causes us to triumph in Christ (2:14).  God is its source (Col.2:15).  God now causes us to share in this victory which He has won.  Notice the word ‘always’ in chapter 2:14.  There is never a time when He will let us down.  He is faithful.  How do we view the work we are doing?  Do we see it in the light of a God-given victory, or do we feel defeated in our work?  God always causes us to triumph in Christ.  This is a great truth for us to hold on to.

2. Our fellowship, consecration and sealing is of God (1:21)

                "Now it is God who establishes us with you in Christ (ESV)."  The idea of fellowship is seen in the phrase, “us with you.”  We are not lone rangers.  We are in this together, and together God gives us the ability and stability to stand firm in Christ.  It is in standing firm in Christ, not being shifted from the foundation of our faith, not being tossed to and fro, that God is establishing us together in Christ.  As we look to God for that help to stand firm together with our brothers and sisters, we can have the confidence that He will do it. 

Our consecration, or ‘anointing’ — that is being set apart for God’s work— is here seen as linked to fellowship.  The priests in the OT were set apart by God.  Even Christ did not make Himself a priest, but rather God appointed Him and anointed Him (Hebrews 5:5).  We too do not presume to take upon ourselves particular Christian works; rather it is because God calls us into works of service for Him that we do what we do. 

                Then in the next verse another action on the part of God is seen, that of our sealing by giving us the Holy Spirit.  This guarantee of ownership is God's doing.  We now belong to God and so are assured that He will always be with us.  Do we revel in the fullness of it?

3. Our comfort is of God (7:6)

                In chapter 1, Paul gives one reason for suffering which is so that we can experience the comfort of God, and so help others who need comforting (1:4).  He calls God the God of all comfort, the source of every comfort. God comforts and will continue to comfort.  Paul experienced it in chapter seven when Titus arrived back from Corinth.  God knew what Paul needed just then, and so brought Titus back to him.  God knows how to comfort us when we are downcast. 

                We will meet many problems, trials and difficulties in the course of our activities in His service.  Paul we know went through many.  And just as Paul experienced God’s comfort so too we can have the assurance that God will be with us to meet every need, including comfort when we need it.   

4. Our glory is of God (5:5)

                Paul in the beginning of this chapter realizes that his life isn’t complete here on earth.  He is looking forward to the life that God will give him when this life comes to an end.  He tells us in verse five that it is God who has prepared us for this very thing, and we have the Spirit as the guarantee that it will come to pass. This is what we are looking forward too.  In the meantime, we groan and long for our heavenly dwelling. 

Summary

                We have briefly considered nine areas in these three articles.  The conclusion of the matter is that God is involved in every area of life; from our salvation right through to our glorification in heaven.  Do we appreciate these blessings, and trust God for them, or do we forget sometimes, and try and do things on our own and in our own way, forgetting that “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places” (Eph.1:3)?  It has been encouraging to meditate on these aspects of what God does for us. 

 

Meditations from 2 Corinthians: Part 2

            “God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph.1:3)   In the first part we considered how one of those blessings was seen in God’s work of bringing us into a new relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.  Without God coming towards us, shining His light into our hearts, we would never have come to Him.

            As we think about God’s plan and purpose for our lives, we can see God’s blessings.  God had His plans for us even before we were conceived.   Jeremiah was told that he had been set apart for God’s work before he was conceived (Jer.1:5).  Paul saw God’s purpose for him having been in God’s mind from his birth (Gal.1:15).  God set these men apart for His service before they were even conceived; their call came at an appropriate moment at the right time in God’s plan.

1. Our call and gifting is of God

            God is sovereign, let us never forget that.  He not only is the Lord to whom we owe our allegiance, but also the general who directs the battle.  He sees how the battle is going, He knows where the needs are, and He equips with appropriate gifts for the particular tasks He gives to His servants.

            Paul knew that God had a task for Him to do and a time table for him to do it in.  He was privileged to be given the general plan of God’s work at his conversion, although he had to wait some ten years before he could really set out on the task God had given him.  So in chapter 1 verse 1, Paul could say that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.  This had been God’s plan for Paul right from his birth, but the time came when God was ready to use him.  So it is with us.  God has a plan and a purpose for each of us.  That call will be different for each one of us.  Each of us has received a gift for the work and purpose God has planned for us.  As we respond to the doors of opportunity God opens for us we begin to see the gift/s we have received and more fully can appreciate God purpose for our lives.

            In Paul’s case his gifting was for his life work, but God gave Titus a gift for a particular purpose (8:16). God gave him a heart and a concern for the Corinthians like Paul had, and so he was eager to go and visit them there.   

            The Macedonian Christians also experienced God’s grace, so that “in keeping with God’s will” (8:5) they were able to give themselves to the Lord first, and then to the ministry that Paul was involved in collecting for the saints in Jerusalem.  Because it is the grace of God that enables us to be involved in God’s work, whatever it may be, “God is able to make all grace abound to [us], so that in all things at all times, having all that we need, [we] will abound in every good work” (9:8).

2. Our sufficiency is of God (ch.3:5)

            The word in the NIV is  ‘competent’ or ‘competency’, that is, capable of doing what has been given us to do.  Do we believe that to be true for us as well?  He enables us to carry out the work he has given us to do.  But I like the word ‘sufficiency’ which is used in the ESV.  It gives the idea of not needing anything else.  We have all we need.  We are sufficiently provided for.  That provision for performing the will of God to which we have been called is sufficient, no more is needed.  What an encouragement.  What a blessing.  We don’t need to worry, but only trust in the provision that God has made available to us.

            The next verse tells us that God has made us competent, that is capable, to be ministers of the new covenant.  He has qualified us by making us able to carry the message of the new covenant to others.  We have a great message – the good news about Jesus and the resurrection, and with His sufficiency we are made competent servants, enabled by God through the Holy Spirit to fulfil God’s call on our life.

 3. Our service is of God (ch.4:7)

            As we noted in part one, this message of the new covenant has been entrusted to us who are weak, earthen vessels.  Although we have been made competent to carry it out and we have the sufficiency of an all-powerful God at work in and through us, this message has been given to us who are weak, often fail, and are very dependent upon God.  Why is that?  It is so that the work will be seen to have been God’s doing rather than us.  It is His work, and although we respond to that invitation of being included in His purposes through His calling and enabling He will get the glory.  If we can see this blessing of God that enables us to serve Him in this way, it will take the pressure off us to perform.

            Not only are we the vessels into which this message has been entrusted, but we have also been given the power and strength to carry out all that God has called us to.  Paul felt his weakness as chapter 12 highlights, but Paul can say, “yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you” (13:3-4).  This is the promise that the power of God will be at work in us as He was in Paul because He lives in us as we serve together with Him.

To be concluded. 

Summer Memories from Japan by David Dexter

            The summers in Japan, even if a bit hot and humid, were some of the best months.  School finished in early June and the rainy season shortly followed, lasting about four to six weeks.  Occasionally an early typhoon passed by adding to the humidity as well.  Some of my memories of the summers are swimming in the sea or at the pool; enjoying kouri (flaked ice with flavouring poured of it); water melons, popping big dark blue grapes out of their skins into the mouth (although I would eat the skins afterwards as that is where the goodness is), and also the nashi (a quince/Japanese pear developed in Japan) was such a juicy treat.  There were camps and memories of somen down bamboo pipes, or in ice cubes.  Summer wouldn’t be summer without the many matsuri (festivals) with the roads lined with decorated roten (street stalls) selling to the passing crowds, and the amazing firework displays.

            Summer memories include the contrasting noises of the various insects chirping or singing away.  Of particular note were the koorogi (crickets) heard in the evenings and the kirikiri mushi (katydids) during the day time and often kept as pets in the homes.  Less commonly were the bush crickets which had a very distinctive song.  But the sound that is considered to be synonymous with summer in Japan is the racket made by the semi (cicadas).  They are very much a part of Japanese 

Teleogryllus emma Cricket Enmakoorogi           Tettigonia orientalis Katydid      Large Green Bush Cricket- Aomatsumushi                                       (Bush Cricket) yabukiri                Truljalia hibinonis

 Enmakorogi song also here [1]　　　Yabukiri Katydid song [2]　https://living-creature.com/pine-cricket-raising/#i-3  [3]　　　

culture, often heard singing in the back ground of Japanese TV series.  The noise can be quite deafening and annoying, but over time they become part of the tradition of summer that is accepted.  Summer hasn’t begun, according to folk culture, until the first semi is heard.  Summer wouldn’t be the same without them. 

Although there are some 30 different species of cicada in Japan, depending on where you live there are only about 6 or 7 species likely to be seen or heard.  Below are a recording of six species of the more common ones seen regularly.  Hearing these cicadas singing brings back many poignant memories of summer days in Japan. 

 
Tanna japonensis Higurashi       Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata Abura-zemi   Oncotympana maculaticollis Minmin-zemi

The six cicada songs can be heard here:  https://www.saiteigen.com/voice-of-cicada/ . [4]       

   

  Cryptotympana fascialis Kuma-zemi      Platypleura kaempferi Niinii Zemi       Meimuna opalifera Tsukutsukuboushi

              The ease with which we could see and enjoy the great variety of wildlife in Japan led to many happy days out in the hills and mountains that were all around.  This gave me my love for nature and the photographing of birds and insects in particular.     

            As I think about the variety and the different characteristics and behaviour of the insects and birds, I am amazed every time.  I am convinced that there is a Designer behind it all.  For me that Designer is the God of the Bible who I believe is the Creator of all that we see and enjoy here on our earth.  There are some interesting things said about God’s involvement in nature in the Bible.  In a prophecy of Isaiah’s, talking about the birds that will take up residence in the ruins, he says this:  “Seek and read from the book of the Lord: Not one of these shall be missing; none shall be without her mate.  For the mouth of the Lord has commanded, and his Spirit has gathered them” (Isaiah 34:16 ESV).  Here we see the involvement of the Lord in caring for the birds so that each has been brought together as birds with mates.  If God does that for the birds how much more will he have an interest in our lives as well?  Jesus himself says similar things when talking about two sparrows that are sold for a penny, yet  “…not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it” (Matthew 10:29 NLT).  He goes on to say, “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31).  Then in Matthew chapter 6 Jesus says to look at the birds who neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, yet it is God who feeds them.  He continues by talking about the lilies that only last for a short time, yet are better arrayed than Solomon, one of the greatest kings of Israel.  If this is what happens to the lilies that last only a short while and then thrown into the fire, will God not care for you?  So why do we worry and why are we anxious about daily needs?  Jesus promises us that if we “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).  That is His promise to care for our daily needs.  I can acknowledge that this is true from personal experience over the many years that we have trusted him for our needs.  Even more than this God has proved his care and concern for us by sending Jesus to give us the ultimate gift of His love, the forgiveness of our rebellion and rejection of God, and so bringing those who respond to His love into an intimate relationship with Him.  There is a joy and peace that God’s gives us when we know that we are rightly related to Him.

            As I look back over the many years that we spent in Japan enjoying God’s creation, I am also thankful for the experience of knowing His faithfulness in keeping His promises to care and provide for us.  As we face new challenges in our present circumstances of pandemic restrictions and political unrest and uncertainly, I have learnt to trust God with my life and so experience His peace and rest as my anxieties and worries about the future are given over to Him.   

 [1]https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Teleogryllus+emma+Cricket+Enmakoorogi+song&docid=608038159598485690&mid=821052A66FE0E6FC3E1F821052A66FE0E6FC3E1F&view=detail&FORM=VIRE

[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMzSjrPQrCA

[3] https://living-creature.com/pine-cricket-raising/#i-3

[4] All the cicada songs are from this website:  https://www.saiteigen.com/voice-of-cicada/

Meditations from 2 Corinthians: Part 1 – God shines the light

            We have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in Christ” (Eph 1:3). What does that mean?  Part of the problem is that we don’t know what the blessings are that God has blessed us with.  This verse suggests that they are many.  It may surprise us to see just how much God has done in our lives. Meditating on 2 Corinthians has highlighted this aspect of that blessing for me.

God’s work and blessing begins with Him opening our eyes to the truth of salvation in Jesus Christ.  I am sure that many times we have wondered why people are so blind to the truth of God’s love for us.  But we were there once ourselves before we believed.  2 Corinthians 4 tells us, “The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (v.4).  Our adversary, Satan, keeps people in the dark by blinding their eyes to the truth about God.  His purpose is to keep people from believing in the Lord Jesus.

However, God in His mercy towards us has shone a light into the darkness of our hearts so that we could see and understand the glory of God in Christ Jesus (v.6).  It is the illuminating of the Spirit of God that enables us to appreciate who Jesus is, and so to respond to the love of God that we see demonstrated in Christ on the cross for us.  This is not something that happens by persuasive arguments or clever stories, nor is it dependent upon us.  Paul was quite open about that in verse 2 where he says that he didn’t seek to distort or deceive, but rather “by setting forth the truth plainly” he presented the good news to the people there in Corinth.  But it was God who opened their minds and hearts to see the truth so that they could act upon it.  As Paul goes on to say in verse 7, this treasure of knowing God’s love is in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power will be seen to be from God and not of us.  Paul was just the instrument in God’s hand, just as we may be as well.  Anything that may transpire in the heart of another person is all God’s doing.  No place for any pride on our part.  We cannot save a person but God will use us as His instruments to communicate this saving message to others.  

In chapter 5 Paul describes the end result of what happens to the person in whom God’s light has illuminated his heart.  He becomes a new creation.  “[T]he old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God…” (5:17,18).   It is a gift.  It is a complete change.  It is a transformation, so much so that we now have new desires, a changed purpose in life and we are now facing in a new direction.  With God’s help and the Holy Spirit’s leading we can move forward together now with God.  This is not something that originated with us, but it is all of God.  “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.” (5:21 NLT)   Paul calls this an “indescribable gift” (9:15), and it is certainly that. 

The more we appreciate all that God has done for us in giving us this new life, the more humbled we are that we are the recipients of this tremendous gift. Without God moving towards us, we would never have made a move towards God.  This is God’s grace towards us.  Paul therefore exhorts us not to receive this grace in vain (6:1).  “Now is the time of God's favour, now is the day of salvation” (6:2).  Now is the time to accept what God has done for us and not resist even if we find it difficult to understand.  If we are willing to acknowledge our lack of understanding, or hesitation in accepting all that God has done for us, even in that, God will patiently bring us to a position where we can trust Him fully.  If you would like to talk to someone more fully about these things, please get in touch with someone you can trust.