A lesson learnt

The brain is like a sponge they both absorb whatever they encounter. A simple task like cleaning my stove top after a messy cook illustrates my point rather nicely.

Every morning I habitually make espresso and the pot I use has seen better days and because the seals are not what they once were, the overflow can be rather messy; black coffee spill out on a chrome oven top. If I then decide to instantly wipe it down, it is a simple task, but if I leave it to dry then more effort is require to remove the spillage. Similarly our brains are like sponges, the newer the turpitude, the easier it is to clean it out. However ignore sin like coffee on an oven top and before long steel wool is needed to work it free.

When the disciples and the Lord Jesus travelled the countryside their feet gathered dust and therefore needed cleaning, traditionally on arrival their host would present them with a bowl filled with water to remove the dust and the grime they had gathered on their journey. No water no relief!

Please don’t miss the lesson, God first and then appropriate action can be applied. Even the Lord Jesus washed his disciple’s feet, the danger we often face within ourselves because of our makeups is this; “Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”” Therapy outside of prayer or contact with the Lord Jesus is not the answer; that will only ever continue to mislead an individual away from God and not toward him. It is obvious that we cannot converse with Jesus the way Peter did on a physical level that sense is unavailable to us and yet my relationship on a spiritual level with my Saviour at times feels complete, as if all my senses have been engaged at once, such peace! Without that kind of relationship, we are no more that banging cymbals that clatter without any rhythmic beat. When that penny drops, when God opens our eyes to this particular truth, it is marvellously refreshing and this will be our response; “Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!”” (John 13:9) – At salvation we, or at least I was filled with zeal without a great amount of knowledge, but through the trial of life comes awareness and many scars, which sadly at times attacks our zeal. All that is needed is a slight tweak to our understanding and we will by God’s grace find ourselves with washed feet or a clean oven top. No repentance no relief! Ignore the lessons of life no matter how mundane they may appear at your own peril, God speaks to us in the details with the WORD (Bible) as the anchor to it all. This is where I have been afforded a glance into His brilliance. God’s genius blows my mind.

How serious are we? Will we wrestle with sin so that our relationship with God may flourish or will we turn a blind eye to the detail that is obviously before us, whatever that may be?

I thank God for his answers to prayer, sin continuous looks to trip up the Christian, the battle may be fierce, but must never be ignore. It is rather daunting how far apart we are from who God is and obviously without His intervention I (we) would never give these types of thoughts much attention.           

The Bible and its authors have great insight not only for the scholar but for all and they often pose questions that need to be answered by all; here is such a question; The Apostle Paul concludes in this statement that he has learn through the trial of his life to be content with his current predicament; "I have learned, in whatever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11) – The obvious retort should be, “and so have I.” But how often can we truly say amen to similar lessons throughout scripture? This is a typical principle that can be applied to life, although this particular point is mainly about money, it’s the thrust behind it that I seek out, contentment with God and who He is and where I find myself within that equation, continuing to grow in the good graces and knowledge of the only true God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is the ultimate lesson for all to work out.

Paul categorically states that he has learnt to be content, complete peace with no hidden agenda, devoid of pride and yet a simple statement pointing the Christian toward the road of peace. I want that type of harmony, complete trust in God my Father as I absolutely relinquish all that keeps me from that type of application in my life. 

I pray for fortitude in these areas of our lives Father God, help us all be more like our great Redeemer, your beloved Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.

Signing off

Tyrone

Hope

Hope has the potential to drive an individual to heights beyond belief. It when hope nose-dives that an individual begins to wither away with the depletion of his motivation disdainfully diminishing. When hope is alive and thriving it allows us to find the fortitude to press on, through the trial of life, come what may, why? Because the hope we have far outweighs whatever struggle we face. Heaven is my home, I believe it and therefore press toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus my Lord and therefore find myself calling out to my Saviour when the pressure is on.

How should we nurture the hope we have be afforded. The measure will vary for all, no differently to the measure of faith we receive, but the application is the same for all and sadly as the rule of thumb we have got this so wrong. The world and our lives is all about control, we plan every aspect of our lives as if we own the destiny to our own futures. However when a curve ball is introduced into the mix, the loss of a child, loss of our job, terminal illness and the like, what then? How do we handle the initial intrusion? Anger, self-pity, resentment to mention but a few emotion that would rage. We are easily derailed, even if only for a time. HOPE gives us the wherewithal to push through any given circumstance, as long as the hope we cherish outweighs the affliction we face.

How do we stay above the curve of the trial of life, ONE DAY AT A TIME!

This is key to our struggle if we want to please our heavenly Father and keep fueling our hope; “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34) – We obviously cannot insert any verse into our lives out of context, this is where so many professing Christians err. However here the Lord Jesus has already addressed the masses and concludes by singling out their worries. This chapter starts by addressing the need to have a giving heart, to help the needy. It then goes into the Lord’s Prayer, it addresses fasting and how we should go about applying ourselves correctly to that discipline. It then moves onto our drive which feeds our hope, money or heaven, is singled out and we are called to choose one or the other, but never both or we will become lopsided. Then finally once we have got to grips with the Lords teachings on this chapter, we are told not to be anxious because God is in our corner and it concludes with facing one day at a time.

It only when we handle chunks of our lives at a time that it then become unbearable. Small portions is the key, one day at a time and as the song goes;

”one day at a time sweet Jesus. is all

I’m asking of you, show

me the way just for today,

One day at a time.”

This is how we will keep our hope alive and it gives us the best chance to remain focused on that which truly counts, God’s will for our lives without having to endure too much unnecessary pain along the way. Obviously we need God’s grace to get through each day and therefore we need to daily dress for battle. Whatever the concern for the day, cry out to Jesus, He is in the Christians corner. Praise God now and forever more, Amen! Even so come quickly Lord Jesus and take us home.

Signing

Tyrone

Words come easily

Words come so easily, it rolls off the tongue without any conscious thought and it’s only when we challenge ourselves that we are taken deeper. “Sincerely” is word I often use but questionable when the layers of my actions are stripped away. Our prayers all filled with intent and yet how often are they supported by our actions?

I believe we need compassion. It must be a priority, however this does not imply that we glibly pass our sin by as acceptable, it does not give us license to accept blatant sin as conventional due to our differing makeups, we are all sinners and we all need to find repentance and there is no exception to that rule, save the Lord Jesus Christ. Society would love us to believe that we should be less ridged in our thinking, which must never take root as okay, nevertheless we must learn to be as gentle as doves and as wise as serpents; “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) 

The Apostle James seemed to be a harsh man, but I see him as a man of action and nothing more, he proved his words by his actions. He directed his council to professing Christians, he was on their side and wanted to correct their error. Never forget the purpose of God’s Word, it provides light to a dark and rebellious world, it gives the Christian direction and always points to true north. Are we men of action? We all apply ourselves to our own level of comfort as we see fit and it is often conditional. James obviously learnt to channel his considerations when it opposed the will of God, so that his thoughts would not be acted upon when they tested God’s will. We have been instructed to follow his example; to walk in the spirit so that we will put to death the deeds of the flesh and there is no exception to that truth, no sin that will get a pass. 

Now this is a topic that has been so badly tainted in our day and age; in the mind’s eye of many professing Christians, as long as it walks and looks like a duck it must then be a duck type of mentality can often be more damaging than obvious sin. How do I know this to be true? Jesus himself proves it by singling out the religion leaders of the times, those leading the flock, whom he calls workers of the devil. It is far more dangerous to see yourselves as a righteous person than allowing the word of God to expose your sin so that repentance may follow. I am convinced that God seeks out those who have heart conversations with Him. A private unspoken conversation that is constantly ongoing, a reverent banter between God and ourselves with no hidden agenda. We are human and therefore tainted by sin so we will always to some degree be looking out for ourselves, however as we grow in grace and the longer we sit at the feet of Jesus the better off we will become in so many area of our lives.

I heard someone say that our eventful lives leads us towards defining moments. The struggle, failure and heartache is all intertwined to get us to a point where we have the ability to act in accordance with the will of God. It mind blowing, the brilliance of God! He has the aptitude to take a disastrous situation and turn it into absolute beauty. However it’s about getting us to a place where we will be a blessing to others. It’s like a polished arrow of the archer, in his quiver he hides it away, until that moment arrives.  

The Lord Jesus found himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, an event pre-orchestrated from before the foundation of the world by God. It was a trial of mammoth proportion and it had obviously been discussed, nevertheless because of the Lord Jesus’ humanity he found himself looking for an alternative. This was his prayer, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39). Without this event happening, we would all be doomed for hell, wow! That is hard to swallow and yet accurate. We must understand this!

How blind is blind, I find myself pondering, it is a thought that nags away at me. The deception of today’s day and age is cloaked with such refinements that all, male and female alike are gobbling it up. It is a topic that we dare not uncover less we be tarred with the brush of bigotry and for the Christian to expose their views on it would be like casting pearls before swine. All I will say on the matter is trust the WORD OF GOD and do not be swayed by the voices of today. God is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow and no opinionated ideas will sway who He is and what he stands for. Boycotts and the like against the Word of God ultimately will never. He is Righteous and will never bend to any whim contrary to His character. GOD is the creator of all things and every knee will bend to the Lord Jesus Christ and confess Him as Lord. Whether that be willingly or with a rod of iron, and again I will remind all that day will arrive.

Signing off

Tyrone

Dear Father

Time to regroup and focus on what really counts…

Seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, forgive me Father for the muddy waters in my life around this truth. The cares of this life are real and it would be dishonest of me if I did not confess that at times they wear me down. Faith demands loyalty, help me with my unbelief and forgive me for my sin.

We are all driven, dissect it and it will soon be obvious to all that we are determined individuals, even the sloth is driven to be lazy. Although some drives are detrimental to the end game, this does not equate to us being driver-less. In fact the opposite must be concluded, we are driven in another or opposite direction. The Christian has a new goal, “the kingdom of God and His righteousness”, period! We have been called "to put on the mind of Christ".

A beggar will do whatever he must to fill his stomach, but once it is full, no more need to rummage through the trash and such is the cycle of life irrespective of our differing arenas. This is my point as Christians we can no longer hang onto the trivia of this life and yet we find ourselves captivated by it. It’s for this type of mind-set that I pray for forgiveness. To be driven by complacency is unacceptable, especially when the majority of world is doomed for hell. Reignite a zeal that the canker-worm has feasted upon. I pray for even just a slither of the zeal that captivated my soul way back in 1987, be merciful Father, not because I deserve it but rather because you have it in your power to be merciful.

The more I analyse my predicament, the heavier I become, the cares of this life are real and yet they gain momentum outside the realm of faith. Unbelief is their playground. One of the greatest examples of faith playing out would have been Moses and the Red Sea. The enemy was bearing down with one thought in mind, to slaughter and yet Moses looked up towards the heavens and cried out to His God and the sea parted, walls of water defining the laws of gravity. Who would have believed it, Moses did! He understood and then he cried out to his God who intervened, praise God! This is the mentality we have been called to implement into our lives, anything short of it, is unbelief. Father God, Please forgive me for my unbelief!

God does not need our help in that sense but we must certainly learn to depend upon His. "Obedience is better than sacrifice". This is the objective of our existence. This is the lesson every Christian must learn if it is to be well with our souls.

Signing off

Tyrone