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. 

One Star Fish at a time

One day, a man observed a boy throwing starfish back into the sea.  He asked him what he was doing.  He replied that he was throwing them back into the sea, because if they were to stay on the beach they would die.  The man replied, “But there are hundreds of starfish on the beach. What will your effort achieve?”  “It will make a difference for this one,” he replied as he threw another one back.

            The man observing what the boy was doing thought it was a waste of time.  What could he achieve?   The boy might not be able to return all of the starfish back into to the sea, but he was thinking about the value of each starfish that he was able to return to the sea.  No matter how little value his effort might appear to others, for the starfish that were returned to the sea there was value. 

            Many of us might be tempted to think like the man observing what was happening on the beach that day.  What is the point of what I do? What can I personally achieve?  This way of thinking is very natural. We often make judgements on how efficient and productive an activity is. But this fails to see the bigger picture of what God might have in mind for us, and to consider the things that He wants us to be doing. The Lord judges the value of any work on its source– is it what we want to do or is it what the Lord wants from us? The Lord is looking at the motives for our actions and not on how much is achieved.

Mark 14 tells the story of Mary anointing the head of the Lord Jesus. Mary was criticised for her actions. To most of the disciples it seemed like a dreadful waste. But notice how the Lord responds to their criticism: “Leave her alone… She has done a beautiful thing to me… She did what she could” (14:6, 8).  Jesus praised her for what she did. Her fragrant ointment was a precious possession, and she was willing to sacrifice it for Jesus. Her love is expressed in the sacrifice and Jesus can see that in her actions.

            If we truly love the Lord, then we will not be concerned about whether the work He gives us is large or small, for it is our heart that the Lord is looking at. But the fact of the matter is that we are often more concerned about what others will think or see. We are seeking the praise of men rather than the Lord. We may feel that what we do doesn’t really seem to accomplish much, so we feel that it is a waste of time.

However, as we think about the boy throwing one starfish at a time, his small effort was vital to those that were returned to the sea.  So too, we should not judge what we do by the standards of what is visible to others.  What God is looking for is not what looks good, but a faithful attitude that does what God gives us to do so that He is glorified.  That is when we will be valuable servants of the Lord.

            Special events may have their place in introducing people to the Lord, but more often than not, it is friendship,  being available for someone, helping them in their times of difficulty that will have the bigger impact for them in seeing what the love of God looks like in daily life.  This will be more meaningful and attractive to a person who has been shown friendship.

            We don’t know how our small effort is influencing others.  It may just be a smile to someone in the street, or stopping to give someone a few moments of our time.  Perhaps not very significant in the great scheme of things, but it might bless that one person more than we can imagine.  There are so many people to be reached in the world with the good news that Jesus loves us, how can my little effort make any difference.  But we need to remember that we are not here to reach millions, but to reach one person at a time.  Be encouraged and let God use you to be a blessing to someone today, and don’t worry about what others might think.        

A Meditation on Psalm 46 – We will trust in You.

            All of us in some way or other have found this lockdown period difficult.   It has been particularly hard for those who have lost loved ones and have not been able to be with them in their last moments and give them a proper send-off afterwards, or to have time to grieve with family, relatives and friends, to comfort, hug, and cry together.  For those who have had their treatments cancelled or postponed, or find that they cannot see someone for a medical issue, it can be an anxious time not knowing how it is all going to work out.  Then there are those who have been on furlough finding that now that the furlough period is coming to an end so are their jobs, or that their place of work is going out of business. There is a degree of stress from home schooling, working at home with the family around, or from feelings of isolation from a long period of not being able to meet people, entertain, visit folk in their homes, go to church normally, sing, or just be free to shop without having to queue or wear a mask when we feel like it; in short, of doing the normal things that we used to do in life.  It can feel quite lonely, particularly if no one ever phones or asks how you are doing. 

This time has made me think again of Psalm 46. Verses 2 and 3 say, “Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.”  These tumultuous times that we are going through can seem a bit like that for us today.  We may not be experiencing the physical events of earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, or tsunamis, like we did in Japan, but we are experiencing them in other ways.  The economy is taking a bashing, there is racial unrest, political uncertainty as major powers face off against each other, and there is no agreement on the Brexit negotiations, on top of the confusion that has been created by the regular changing of pandemic regulations.  It can feel like verse 6.  “Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;…”  Where and when is it all going to end?   

The psalmist has the answer in verse 10.  “Be still and know that I am God.”   I was listening to a song on YouTube recently sung by Geraldine Latty called “Yesterday Today and Forever.”[1]  Each verse finishes with the phrase, “we will trust in You, trust in You.”  The way Geraldine sang the last verse was to repeat this phrase over and over again.  It did seem a bit repetitive and boring initially, but the more I thought about it, how true it is!  We will trust in You, and we will continue to trust in You. Even in the hard times, we will trust in You, no matter what we will trust in You, and keep on trusting in You.

This is what the psalmist means in verse 10.  He is saying that God can be trusted, leave it with Him, He has it all in control.  Be still; wait for God’s timing in things.  He says in the first verse, “… he is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.”  Therefore He is the place to which we can run and hide as we wait for Him.  Another reason is repeated in verse 7 and 11.  He tells us that not only is God our refuge, the place to which we can run for safety, but he is also with us as the “Lord Almighty.”  This title carries the idea of an all-powerful supreme Ruler of the universe.  It was the Lord Almighty who brought the hosts of Israel out of Egypt and carried them through the wilderness.  The fact that it is this one who is named as being with us in all the upheavals and turmoil of life should give us sufficient reassurance that, as we face the uncertainties of life, we can have confidence to trust in Him for all things.  This all-powerful Creator of the universe, the supreme King of everything, will not allow anything to separate us from His presence with us. 

We can therefore take comfort from this short psalm when life around us seems out of control and beyond our understanding.    

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kQjEiY30yI&list=RDEMtnLOAZbkyh32vi_DrgdKVw&index=2

Part 2 – Why Read the Bible?

            Reading the Bible can be enjoyable as well as a challenge.  There are difficult parts, as well as passages that don’t seem to have much relevance to us in our modern world, .e.g., the lists of families and tribes. However, God has given us a message in the Bible, and we should at least make the effort to read it. 

            A number of us have begun to read through the Bible in a year.  However, you may not have the time, or be free at this time to join us, but you can still read through the whole Bible by yourself.  You don’t need a plan or a schedule; just work at it at your own pace.  If you read three chapters every day and five on Sunday, you should be able to complete the whole Bible in a year.  You can begin with the New Testament first if that is more convenient.

            There are blessings too from reading the Bible.  Two stand out from my experience of reading.  The first time I read through the Bible as part of my preparations for missions work, I managed to read it in a little over three months. A month or so after finishing, a person in my church said to me that she thought I had changed!  I can’t remember the details now, but I was reminded of Ephesians 5:26: “cleansing her by the washing with water through the word.”  The word of God has a cleansing effect if we read it and allow it to influence us. 

Another experience was when I was doing a locum physiotherapy job at a rehab centre in Cardiff prior to going out to Japan.  I was having another Bible read through as part of my preparation for going out for our missions work.  I was reading the Bible in the morning, and again in my lunch break in the staff room, and again at night.  A few years later we received a letter from the superintendent physiotherapist to say that she had become a Christian, and one of the key influences had been seeing me read my Bible in the lunch break.  We never know what God may use in a person’s life to bless them. 

            But why else should we read the Bible?  First and foremost, because God has given it to us, and it is one key way that God communicates with us. God is relational and He wants to enjoy our companionship.  For that friendship to continue and grow there needs to be conversation.  God communicates with us through His word, and we communicate with Him in prayer.  However, it can be quite one sided at times.  Think about a good friend of yours.  When you meet you talk and share together.  Analyse it for a moment – how much of that time are you speaking, and how much of the time are you listening?   A good relationship will probably be 50/50.  But in our relationship with God, how much of the time are we doing the talking?  How much of it are we listening? 

            God uses His word to speak to us as the Holy Spirit takes what we read and applies it to our hearts.  Perhaps you are wondering how that works.  An example might help.  My wife and I were prompted to pray about our future in Japan and whether the time had come for us to return to the UK or not.  We had prayed quite a bit about it, seeking God’s leading in the matter.  Then one Sunday morning, when our Japanese brother was speaking from Mark 5, God used a verse in that chapter to touch our hearts.  After the service and when we were together later, I mentioned that Mark 5:19 seemed rather significant in regard to our thoughts about returning to the UK.  Esther then shared that she had felt the same thing from the same verse.  The verse says, ‘Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.’  “Go home to your family” seemed to hit both of us very forcefully.  This was confirmed in other ways as time moved on, but we believe that God had spoken to us through that verse, giving us a greater sense of direction in our thinking about our future. 

There have been many other times when God has used His word to speak into our situations.  And when we have had a word from the Lord this has enabled us to persevere in spite of difficulties, because we have the assurance and confidence that we are where God wants us to be, and we are doing what we believe God wants us to do.  Often God speaks to us by prompting a thought in our minds about something, but more often than not, we will receive confirmation from God’s word that the prompting was from Him. 

If we are not reading the Bible, God cannot use this means to speak to us.  It’s like any relationship, if it is one sided we do not benefit from the relationship as much as if it were two way.  Let’s open our hearts to God’s word and let Him speak to us through it.

Part 1 - Why read the Bible?

            A number of us at church have begun to read through the Bible together in a year.  We follow a five day schedule for each week with two days to do other readings or a chance to catch up.  We meet each week (by Zoom at the moment) and share thoughts or ask questions; it’s a chance to encourage each other to keep at it.

            But why read the Bible?  The first and primary reason is because it is God’s message, His love letter to us.  If we receive a letter from a loved one, we will read it from start to finish, and I am sure that we will read it more than once.  We will want to read the Bible similarly because we are now in a relationship with God, and one key way that we can get to know Him better is through His word.  The more we get to know God the deeper our relationship with Him can grow.  As we spend time with Him, our hearts will become more aligned with His in our thinking and actions. 

            There are a number of different metaphors for the Bible which helps us to appreciate something of its purpose in our life.  For example, in James chapter 1, he talks about looking into a mirror, which some people might do but soon forget what they see.  However, for the one “who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does” (v.25).  The more we look into the Bible, the greater our understanding of what God says about us, and as we let the Holy Spirit use that in our lives, the stronger our relationship to God can become. 

Joshua in the Old Testament was given similar instruction and encouragement from God.  “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful” (Joshua 1:8).  For Joshua to experience God’s blessing and success in the mission he was being given required Him to keep his relationship with the Lord strong by allowing God’s word to have its full influence on his life.  He was to do this by daily meditating upon it, so that he would know God’s heart, His purpose and plan for his life and that of the nation of Israel.  Similarly, it should also be our desire to be in tune with God’s heart and His purpose and plan for our lives, so filling our minds with God’s word, that our heart’s response to God will and purposes are more in tune with Him.   

The psalmist tells us that “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (Psalm 119:105).  In other words, God’s word is the light that lets us see the way ahead, but also the path in front of us so that we will not stumble along the way.  Also in this Psalm, the psalmist gives instruction on how we can live lives that are pure and pleasing to God.  Two things are suggested – one, that we live by God’s commands (v.9); second, that by hiding God’s word in our hearts we might not sin against Him (v.11).  We can hide God’s word in our hearts by memorizing verses that speak to us.  When we have God’s word in our hearts in that way, the Holy Spirit is able to prompt us more readily with the help we need from God’s word when we are being tempted, or are in a situation where we need some guidance from the Lord. 

The clear message from these and other passages is that God is speaking to us and that we need to be careful how we listen.  We are in a relationship with God, and the Bible is one important way that God uses to speak to us.  We need to learn to hear Him speaking to us.  As we allow God’s word to permeate our lives, the more the Holy Spirit can use what we are reading so that we hear His voice. 

Some hints that can help us.  1. Have a notebook with you to note things that God highlights for you, things that jump off the page, or make you think about something.  God may well be seeking to speak to us about something and we can pray about those things.  2. Read with an expectancy that God wants to speak to you through His word.  Obviously, not every passage is going to have something immediately relevant to your life and situation, but as we continue to read regularly, God can begin to speak to us about those things we need to hear about from God. 3. Create a regular place where you will read your Bible, and it is helpful to have a regular time to do it as well.  It might mean getting up a bit earlier, or prioritizing your time to create space to do it.  Let’s give Bible reading a greater place in our lives.

Consider the Creation…!

             The psalmist exhorts us to “consider [God’s] heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars…” (Psalm 8:3).  That means that we need to pay attention, to look into it closely, and carefully reflect on all that God has created, because the immensity of it should lead us to worship.  Paul reinforces that idea when he says, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,… (Romans 1:20).

            The animal world is a fascinating place to begin to “consider” the wonders of God’s creation.  For example the ostrich, a flightless bird, can outrun a horse (Job 39:13).  Then in Jeremiah 8:7 the prophet contrasts the failure of people to know what God wants from them while the birds of the air, such as the stork knows when to migrate and have its young, as do the other birds.         

The Arctic tern holds the record for the longest distance covered by a migrating bird.  It follows a zigzag course back and forth across the Atlantic as it travels from Greenland to the Antarctic and back again.  Researchers have come to the conclusion that these detours of several thousand kilometres make perfect sense.  The birds appear to be following huge spiralling wind patterns in the atmosphere and so avoids flying into the wind.  “Why do they make these long migrations?  It is suggested that it is because of the rich [polar] feeding grounds that they travel so far.” (National Geographic)[1]  These migrating birds also return to the same areas each year, an incredible feat of navigation – an ability that God gave them.           

Arctic Tern

A lot of people are familiar with the migration of the Monarch butterfly, but that isn’t the only one.  The Chestnut Tiger butterfly seen in Japan migrates long distances as well.  The longest recorded migration is from central Japan to Hong Kong.  They travel northwards in the spring, and southwards in the autumn when they lay their eggs. 

Chestnut Tiger Butterfly

            Some other unusual facts about insects are that when cicada eggs hatch in trees the nymph falls to the ground and digs in among the root of the trees and lies there from twelve to sixteen years depending on the species before emerging to sing, mate and die after a few weeks.  We ask ourselves, why?  It is just another clear pointer to the power and creative ability of God Himself.  We will need more faith to believe that there isn’t a Creator to explain the incredible variety that we see around us.

 A cicada has just emerged from a nymph.  Drying its wings

           A few examples of the wonders of God’s creation.  Yet the interesting thing is that, as Job points out, “But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;…. that the hand of the Lord has done this” (Job 12:7-9).  He gives water to all the beasts of the field, the birds of the air nest by the waters, and He sustains man with bread and water (Psalm 104:10-15). 

            Jesus told those who followed Him, “Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father…. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29, 31).  Then again in Matthew 6, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they?” (v.26)  This was what the psalmist was getting at in Psalm 8, when the Creator of the world and all that is in it gave us a special place within his creation, so much so that he says, “…what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?  You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet;” (v.4-6)  So if this is what the Lord has done for us who are of more value than the animals and birds around us, then we can be sure that we too will be cared for under the watchful eye of the Lord.  We can rest assured that God who knows how to care for His creation will also care for us.  We can believe that our Father knows what we need.  So we are exhorted to “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all [the needful] things [for life] will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:32-33).  If God knows how to care for His creation how much more will He care for us who are of more value than the birds of the air and the flowers of the fields? (Matthew 6:28-30).

 Sparrows

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[1] https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2010/1/100111-worlds-longest-migration-arctic-tern-bird/#:~:text=The%20tiny%20arctic%20tern%20makes,thought%2C%20a%20new%20study%20says.&text=Miniature%20new%20transmitters%20recently%20revealed,Greenland%20and%20Antarctica%20each%20year.

Don’t hit the tent pegs in too far!

            The journey through the wilderness for the people of Israel was very much a time of transition from the life of slavery in Egypt to the freedom and blessings of God in the promised land.  However, the journey itself was full of many experiences of God’s leading and provision.

            Very little is said about the actual details of what was involved in their travels.  There are some passages that help us to get a little picture of what it must have been like moving around the desert for forty years.  In Numbers chapter 2 we see how the camp was arranged around the tent of meeting.  Chapter 3 describes the arrangement for the priests and the Levites around the tabernacle.  They were each arranged according to their tribes, and camped under their family banners. 

            When the people of Israel set out on their journey they followed an order described in chapter 10.  Every tribe knew its position and place both in the camp and when they moved.  Because of this order they were able to move efficiently.

            There is one other detail given in chapter 9 which I would like to focus on.  On the day the tabernacle was set up the cloud covered the tabernacle, the tent of the testimony.  There was always a cloud covering the tabernacle during the day time, and at night it had the appearance of fire.

            Whenever the cloud lifted the people set out, and when it came to rest, they camped.  This was the Lord’s way of indicating when they were to move and when they were to stay put.  Sometimes the cloud would stay over the tabernacle for one night and they moved on the next day.  At other times the cloud stayed put for longer, even for as long as a month or more.  They moved when it lifted, and they camped when it rested.  The people didn’t know whether it would be a short camp or a longer camp.  In other words, they needed to be ready to move whenever the cloud lifted. 

            There is a spiritual principle here.  The people of Israel had to be ready to move at a moment’s notice.  They didn’t want to put in the tent pegs too deeply, as it would take more effort to uproot and move on.  This is a challenge to me.  How ready and easily can I move if the Lord wants me to do so?  There are many things that can get in the way of us being ready to follow the Lord when He moves.  We can become so embedded in our present lives that we might not be willing to pay the price to pull up our roots and move with the Lord.  The comfort of a nice home, a secure job, an enjoyable church fellowship, our family and friends, our personal desires and ambitions can all become hindrances to moving with the Lord.  Have we become so encumbered by our lives that we find pulling up our tent pegs hard to do?

            Of course, this may not necessarily mean moving physically to another town, place or country.  It might mean being willing to move with the times as the Lord lead us, in the sense of being willing to make changes in our individual lives so that we have more time for the Lord, or are available for God to use us to bless others.   Work, interests or hobbies, pleasure/leisure can all get in the way, good though they may be.  In other words, we need to think about what is important to us – living and doing what the Lord wants us to do, or allowing our self interests and desires to have the priority.

Another area is for the church to be ready to move as the Lord directs.  If we are not careful, we can get stuck in a rut and be unwilling to move when the Lord wants to move.  We allow our self-interests and preconceived ideas of what we think is right, rather than allowing the Lord to lead us into new avenues of service as the situations around us change.  We can hold on to things tightly so that when the Lord wants us to move, we find it difficult to let go of our cherished ways of doing things.  We might see change as uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Of course, change cannot be forced, but needs to be introduced in such a way that people can see that it is the Lord who is in control of the direction. 

            The people of Israel had to be ready at a moment’s notice to move.  So they no doubt didn’t allow their lives to get settled so that they could move when the time came.  They made sure they could pull up their tent pegs easily.  How willing are we to make the Lord our first priority and be available for the Lord to move the direction of our lives?  That is the question I need to ask myself, and I trust you will ask too.