Useless!

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning till late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.” Psalm 127:1-2 (NLT)

Have you ever worked a whole day – or even longer - to find that all your work was unnecessary or no longer needed? That building permit; that job for a customer; that tidy home… How did you feel? Frustrated? Even angry?

The Latin motto “Nisi Dominus Frusta” …is based on this psalm, “Without the Lord, Frustration”. Wanganui’s own motto, “Sans Dieu Rien” – “Without God, Nothing” is even more accurate. What is your life’s motto? Are you trying to live your life without God?

Just working harder and harder will not give meaning to your life! You will only eat ‘the bread of anxious toil’… Bring on the stomach ulcers, the tension headaches, the handfuls of pills. Yes, you may even get more toys in the short run but even the one with the most toys dies in the end. Then what? Listen to God’s wisdom and allow Him to give your life meaning and eternal purpose.

 ‘Without God, nothing’? Or ‘With God, everything’?

Don’t come to the end of your life and realize you’ve wasted it because God was not the builder of your life…

Reaching for Jewels...

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

“Excavations in Pompeii have revealed the petrified body of a woman with both hands full of jewels. The victim had been overwhelmed by ashes during her flight just outside the city.” The Sydney Morning Herald (Sat 24 Dec 1910)

Previous issueSaturday 24 December 1910

Someone once said, “The trouble is that too many people are spending money they don’t have for things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.”

It’s easy to get caught up with the transitory “jewels” in life at the cost of those things which are of critical importance. We ‘have to have’ certain things; we ‘have to’ impress certain people… and we lose sight of that which continues when those ‘have to have’ things fade away…

What will happen to you the moment your heart stops beating and all your gathered goods lie useless around you or clutched in your hands? Your soul will continue to live. Have you made provision for that eternity? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die…” (John 11:26)

This truth is the only “jewel” worth holding on to… but it needs to become a reality for you before you can “have” it.  Believe in Jesus and live!

You can run but you can't hide...

Watching the developing saga of the Oscar Pistorius trial and seeing Oscar’s struggle to keep the verdict of ‘Guilty’ from being hung around his neck… brings to mind the court scene that will play out with every single one of us when time as we know it, comes to an end.

The Apostle John records this future event in great detail, “I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.” (Revelation 20:12)

There will be no place to hide on that day because the Judge will be able to read your thoughts and your heart. Every action ever made by you will be examined…every thought scrutinised.  How does one keep anything from an ‘all-knowing’ Judge?

There will only be one Defence Attorney able to successfully keep the ‘Guilty’ verdict from being put around your neck – and that is Jesus Christ. If you have asked Him to control your life, He will get an “Innocent” verdict proclaimed over you because the Judge accepts His evidence on your behalf as the Truth.

Until then, you can run… living your life, following your dreams and ambitions but can you dare to do so while not under His protection?  You can only have your name written into His client list, the ‘Book of Life’, while you are alive… After that – no hiding place!

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17)

Charities Commission NZ in 'Upside Down Land'

Open Letter to Charities Commission, New Zealand

Do you live in the same society we do? Your decision to deregister 'Family First New Zealand' as a charity blows the mind. It is seemingly ok to keep gambling and lottery organisations on your books but not an organisation which fights for family rights and values? Which one has the greater good of the community at heart?

 

Your decision makers need to stand in front of the mirror and squarely face what you are doing to our society. Come out of 'Upside Down Land' where bad is good and good is bad. The same society which employs you needs your support, not your undercutting of organisations which do good in our communities.

 

Start by looking up 'Charity' in your dictionary ... it may bring you back to reality!

 

Liquorice Allsorts Living...

I love Liquorice Allsorts – especially the ones with triple layers of liquorice! They get chosen first, above all others! The rest are … ok. Are they good for me or part of the essential food group? No – but I love them anyway!

Many people have this consumer attitude to life in what they choose or don’t choose to do. They choose to do just the things they like – not what is essential for their health or continued existence. This is very evident when it comes to believing in God or rejecting God. He’s just one of the “choices” out there, right? Wrong! God is the “essential food group” you need, to come out of this life intact. In Jesus is “Life” – life that will last past the time you cease to breathe on this earth. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die…” (John 11:25-26)

There is a choice to be made – and that choice has consequences, like any other decision in life. Choosing just the ‘triple-layer-liquorice’ activities now, may mean missing out on the whole packet later!

Jesus promises life – even after death. Why would you settle for anything less? Choose “Life” – and live.

Less is More...

“God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them…” (Matthew 5:3)

A wooden chopping board, an open fire, a concave roasting pan, two large knives, a kettle, a wooden mortar and a pestle (short axle from a Land Rover) for preparing coffee beans. That’s it! A fully equipped kitchen in a village in Ethiopia, Africa…

My host seemed very happy with her life. She even took in orphan girls and taught them how to fend for themselves and then to serve the community around them, in their turn. She introduced me to successful ‘graduates’ from her home who were now emulating her example. What an inspiration! From political activist and outright rebel to a living foundation of her community… and all because of Jesus Christ. Through a travelling evangelist, she realized how far away she was from God and yet Jesus had paid the ultimate price for her guilty life. She had found true happiness and a purpose for her life!

What a pity so many of us get caught up in the clutter of ‘get this…, buy that…, drive this…, be seen with…’ - trying to fill that vacuum inside of us – a ‘God-sized hole’ that only God can fill. Maybe we need to unclutter our daily existence and get back to what is crucial to our future contentedness… - a right relationship with the God of this universe. Simple, but so fundamental. Get that right and you will gain so much more!

Flashlight Apps...

Jesus - “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12)

The ‘flashlight app’ on my cell phone came in very handy recently while on a prolonged stay in a small Ethiopian village called Waka. It seemed like everyone in the village had a cell phone with a light – which became evident at night, when we all stumbled around along the unlit, rocky main ‘road’ - small beams of light dancing everywhere…

One night, my phone battery died on me – along with its light. What a difference it made to my walk – long steps, short steps, ghost steps, stumbling over rocks – ankle twisting territory! How I missed my light…

Life is like that road – rocky in places, smooth in others – but we have to walk along it. Without Jesus Christ, we choose to stumble through the rocky bits as best we can … and it affects our walk. We trip over continually and sometimes even fall – hurting ourselves in the process. Yet, Jesus has promised to be our Light – to help us to get through those same rocky places – but with a much more controlled walk as His light takes away the darkness. Now there is hope as He assists us and guides us over the rough patches, and strengthens us while on the smooth patches. What’s more, He gifts us permanent built-in light as He comes to stay inside us.

Walk your life … in Light … in Jesus.

0800HEAVEN...

“In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And… I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2-3)

After being stonewalled by one bureaucratic department after another while trying to help a needy couple with small children find a home, my mind was vividly taken to Jesus’ words of comfort to all who believe in Him – “In my Father’s house are many rooms…” – and all prepared by Jesus Himself. They will perfectly meet our needs and we will be perfectly content! To be cared for in this way will not take listening to endless electronic music on 0800 numbers or speaking to people who do not really seem to care or want to understand.

However, it will demand everything of us – surrendering ourselves (heart, mind, strength, resources, aspirations, etc.) to Jesus Christ. Complete surrender means asking forgiveness from God for trying to live without Him and stubbornly going our own sinful way. It means being given a new nature by God – a nature which wants to please Him, instead of rebel.

It is only to these individuals that Jesus promises, “I am coming again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also.” Where will that be? In heaven – with Jesus Christ! Perfect contentment and perfect rest!

Where will your home be, for the rest of eternity?

Marriage - A Three-Way Affair...

‘Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”… And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man He made into a woman and brought her to the man… Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.’ (Genesis 2:18,22,24)

Marriage is not about two people only – it’s about two people and God. More precisely - one man, one woman, One God. Vows are made before God and God then marries the man and woman – not the preacher or the celebrant. We are mere witnesses of a much bigger event. ‘Marriage’, therefore, can only be true marriage, if it fulfils God’s definition of ‘marriage’ (man, woman, God). Any other ‘marriage’ is not marriage at all but rather two people making promises to each other – and thus a very cheap imitation of the real thing.

Marriage is on “God’s turf” and by His terms, and therefore the current bill to legalise same sex marriage in New Zealand is an outright infringement of politicians and gay activists into God’s territory. It’s not Christians or Christian tradition they are taking on but God Himself… If it’s the legal status they’re after – they’ve missed the point. Marriage is not theirs to ‘take’ – it is a ‘state before God’ – something way out of their reach which does not need celebrants or legal status or politicians’ approval. Without God and His approval – they have ‘nothing’.

The Return...

Not only am I returning to my blogspot - after being slack for such a long time - but I am also returning with a renewed passion to challenge, to inform, to ask questions and reflect on some of life's most important questions ... and, Yes, some of the lighter observations too...

Having just returned from helping to run the STAND 2012 Conference in Howick, Auckland (www.standforthegospel.org) - I have the main plenary speaker, Conrad Mbewe's words, still ringing in my ears. He spoke from Romans 10:10-17 and pointed to God's message that 1) Jesus Christ has already prepared the only way back to God, ie, through His death and resurrection - and that all mankind can do is to cry out to Him to save them - No more and no less! 2) That we, as Christians and the church are to proclaim the Gospel message FIRST, that Jesus forgives and saves, as the only message to unbelievers - over and above any social action or aid that we may also approach them with (as opposed to the present popular idea that our actions of love and aid can suffice without us having to voice the very specific challenge of God's stated way back to Himself). 3) That we are to actively and deliberately evangelize the lost in our communities - not just as some half-hearted add-on or afterthought but in a well-planned and deliberate effort at obedience to God. 4) That we as Christian churches are to deliberately plant new churches in areas in our communities where no effective evangelical churches exist - so that there may be a broad and growing network of light in the darkness. This, in contrast to just being busy with our own religious activities and programmes or growing bigger and bigger churches - while the community around us remains in spiritual darkness. This may result in additional social outreaches (as in a Zambian example of converting a tip site into an area of sport and recreation with weekly gospel challenges to the participating community).
The challenge? Many churches, in Zambia - but also here in New Zealand, have stepped away from these core mandate missions of the church and have embraced social programmes and "religious practices" which do not have the Gospel at their core or God's-work-done-in-His-way as their foundation.
The result? Weak and enfeebled Christians; an ineffective influence in a local community; the church becoming "voiceless" - not just in the community - but in national concerns which have moral consequences; dying churches - and more coffee shops in their buildings...

No - the task ahead is not easy! We have to approach it with a realism which is biblical (with the example of the opposition to the OT prophets and NT Apostles spelt out)  but also in the knowledge that we have as our strength and at our head, One who is Almighty and who knows the end result for His Church triumphant - Christ Jesus!

STAND for the Gospel Conference: 22-24 July 2011 (Howick, Auckland)

Keynote Speaker - Geoff Thomas (Alfred Place Baptist Church, Aberystwyth, Wales)
Theme: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ
Venue: Howick Baptist Church, c/o Picton & Wellington Street, Howick, Auckland
Cost: FREE entry if registered by 1 July (Freewill Offering will be taken up)

For more info, visit STAND Conference

Christchurch earthquake - Why would a good God "allow" this?

Just before 1 pm on February 22nd, the 6.3 earthquake hit. Many people have been killed or injured and widespread devastation has been caused. As I write, it is not over yet!


So many questions are being asked right now - "Why did this happen? Why did a good God allow this to happen? Did God cause this earthquake?" As human beings, we seem to put God on trial every time disaster happens!

It is important for us as Christians to have a Biblical perspective on the situation - to get our own feet on rock because people all round us will want something solid to hold onto, not mush...  As Christians we cannot allow our experience to warp our theology, ie. what we know about God from the Bible.

Romans 5:12 says that "sin came into the world ... and death through sin ..."  That's the reality - we live in a world tainted by sin and the effects of sin. The earth groans under the effects of sin (Rom 8:22) - earthquakes being one result.

We also need to acknowledge the sovereignty of God over all things - He is in control and nothing happens by accident. Did God know this earthquake was going to happen? Yes! Did God allow it to happen? Yes! Did God make it happen? Yes! (Amos 3:6) "Does disaster come to a city, unless the Lord has done it?" Did God make it happen because the people of Christchurch deserve it? No! No! 
When the tower of Siloam fell, killing 18 people (Matt 13:4-5), Jesus set aside any thoughts that people may have had that the people who were killed were worse people than others around them in Jerusalem. There was another reason for this tragedy and Jesus states it in verse 5 - "Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." This tragedy happened as a warning to people to turn to God in repentance and for forgiveness - while they could! The time for God's mercy was going to come to an end! "The very fact that you weren't killed," says Jesus, "is because God is rich in mercy and wants to give you an opportunity to still turn from your sin."

Through these tragedies, God is calling the world back to Himself - and to repentance. This is a call to the people of Christchurch, the people of New Zealand and all who see / hear of this tragedy in the world to turn from our godlessness - to God and not to presume on His mercy! How often do we stop and thank God for the peace and prosperity we enjoy the majority of the time? "God's mercy is displayed in that His wrath is withheld ... God is not into sparing people from pain but He is into bringing people to Himself." (John Piper - Radio interview Boxing Day tsunami). God mixes mercy and judgement!

Pain and crisis in our lives tends to focus our minds and lives on what is important - A natural disaster should point us to the God who has made the natural elements and should drive us to repent from our self-reliance and "God belittling neglect" (Piper) of worship, obedience and thanklessness.

How do we as Christians respond to this situation?

• "I don't blame God ... At the end of the day, there's trust and faith." (Wally Behan - former vicar at St. John's, Latimer). Wally is so right! We can only have trust and faith - trust in an all-powerful and sovereign God who is good and faith that God does not change and has promised good to all those who love Him and have put their trust in Him. Have Christians died in Christchurch? There may be some - but in God's wisdom, good will still come out of this! We may not see it now - through all the devastation - but we can trust in the God of the unseen! "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul.'" (Horatio Spafford)
• We can thank God for His mercy - that not more people were killed or injured
• We can actively pray for those affected
• We can roll up our sleeves and help in any way we can - monetary donations (automatic $20 donation to Red Cross Canterbury appeal by phoning 0900 33 200), by donating blood, by supporting families round us with relatives who have been affected.
• We can proclaim the Gospel message to those we come into contact with - lest anything catastrophic come our geographic way and people die without Christ. ( Gospel message )
• We can take comfort from Romans 8:35 "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?"

God is good and He is in complete control - He fully knows what He is doing! In His mercy, He is calling all men, women & children to repentance before He brings this whole world and everything on it, to an end - when there will be no more time to turn to Him! He is mixing His judgement with mercy!

The Real you...

“For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)

Since Facebook was started, nearly 450 million people have become members – making it possible that you are one too. There are positives and negatives to Facebook. I find Facebook great for keeping up with friends and generally just knowing how everyone is going. I have to be careful, however, to ‘count my words’ when writing. Generally, it is better not to “post” what I am feeling when grumpy or upset, as words are impossible to take back once made public. There is a danger, however, that I will always appear ‘bright and happy’ to my “friends” on Facebook – when in reality that can be far from the truth. People may build up an entirely untrue image of who I really am and I may even build on that false image and start to believe it myself.  Who is the real me?

The real me is going to be exposed one day when we all stand before Jesus Christ to give an account of not just how we lived while on this earth but also of who we are – ‘in’ Him or ‘outside’ of Him. Then there will be no electronic face we can put on ourselves or Facebook behind which we can hide. We will be utterly exposed – our words, thoughts, deeds and emotions. 

You will be there with me – What will the ‘real you’ of your life show?

As a Christian, I ask myself – Does my everyday walk match my Christian ‘talk’ – on Facebook; before God Himself?

Getting out of 'the pits'...

Every one of us gets into those situations where the whole world seems to have caved in on you –and you find yourself in ‘the pits’. It may be the pit of loneliness, financial insecurity, on-going sickness, destructive habits or personal defeat. There seems to be no way out – and it can be a very lonely place!

I am encouraged every time I read of a ‘super-saint’ like King David, in the Bible – when I see that even he hit ‘the pits’ every now and then.

In Psalm 40, David describes how he gets out of it. He firstly acknowledges that he cannot help himself – In humility he cries out to God. He doesn’t demand from God or moan at God. He cries out in humble dependency. He then waits on God’s help. In our instant age – we find it hard to wait. We want answers NOW! However, God answers us in His time – not ours.

Almighty God  answers Davis’s cry by taking him out of that place of lonely helplessness and ‘setting his feet on a rock’ – from desperation to security! Sometimes God changes our circumstances and at other times we still have to work through difficult times – but throughout - God gives us stability and hope. He is the rock in our storms!

What about you? Do you know God personally, through a relationship with Jesus Christ? If so – His help is always at hand! If not, you’re on your own! The best help you can get is human help – which is so temporary and imperfect.

" O Death, where is your sting? "

As we prepare to bury my dearly loved father-in-law, a man who lived faithfully for God and 'fought the good fight' - there is sadness at his passing on but also great hope! His body may be "deceased" but he is alive in Christ. His suffering is over for all eternity - He will NEVER suffer again! His hope has now also become reality! Death has truly lost its sting! It is not darkness he has entered but glorious light! 

God is so merciful - even in this time. The day after we lay him 'to rest', we celebrate new life as seven people are baptised and give testimony of Jesus Christ's life-giving miracle in their lives! From death to life... the perfect picture of what is illustrated through baptism. 

God is glorified - in death and in life! What a Saviour! What a God!

A Firm Foundation...

In this uncertain time of earthquakes in New Zealand, especially in Christchurch, my thoughts immediately turned to one surety in life - Jesus Christ - a sure foundation. As I saw pictures of people walking around damaged or destroyed homes, my heart cried out for them. And yet, I wonder how many eyes were turned to God - the One who uses nature to proclaim His greatness but to also warn people to turn to Him and not presume on His mercy! He is the one constant when all around us in life is in turmoil. And yet, how easily don't we as people want to look past God to our own resources and efforts...
The other thought that came to mind was the suddenness with which it all happened. Just past 4am, when no one was suspecting anything, the first violent quake hit. There was no warning. No instruments could warn of something that hadn't happened yet. There wasn't even an indication that it could happen where it did. There was peace and then it struck. Reality.
The sad thing is that the Bible has long been warning that Christ is going to come to earth again - suddenly - unexpectedly - while we are still about our everyday business. And yet, knowingly, people turn off the alarm sounded by Scripture and walk straight towards their judgement...
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts..." (Ps 95:7b)

Life and Living... at full tilt or full drag

Quote from Michael Wells' book 'Heavenly Discipleship' - "Is life living you or are you living life?"

So true - we often allow life to get the better of us instead of getting the better of life and living life to the full. This applies especially on Monday mornings and when the sky is grey and it's raining constantly...
How can we live life to the full? God's answer - "The Truth will set you free...". Once you have God's gift of a new nature instilled in you, you can start to really LIVE!! As a friend of mine always says, when asked how he is doing, "I am riding life with loose reins and at full tilt - and loving it!!" I know what he means because he is a Christian who is living his life IN Christ. Christ has lived his old life already and paid the debt oweing on that life 2000 plus years ago and now he can live this life to the full because Christ is living IN him and THROUGH him. Christ now has become his life - his old life has been crucified! There has been a supernatural takeover! Now, instead of going through life like an unwilling dog being taken for a drag by an enthusiastic owner, you and I can be the enthusiastic one - seeing life through new eyes of boundless and exciting opportunities - and life will be the slipstream created and the wake left behind us...

"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly..." (Jesus Christ - John 10 verse 10)

STAND4TG 2010 - Standing Firm! – Conference in Auckland, April 2010 with Conrad Mbewe

STAND4TG 2010 - Standing Firm! – Conference in Auckland, April 2010 with Conrad Mbewe

Prayer - in 'the fear of God'

There is a major difference between 'fearing' something and living 'in the fear' of something. 'Fearing' shows a lack of security or a sense of being unprotected. Living 'in the fear of' something shows a deliberate and conscious respect towards someone or something.

A healthy 'fear of God' is a forgotten truth today. Jesus gets called the 'Big J' and God 'The Big Guy in the Sky'! Us puny little mites on earth forget that we are living before and coming in prayer before the Almighty Creator of the universe! He gives us the very breath in our lungs and then we want to "tell" God what we want and order requests from Him and His celestial e-store?? It is only when we try to understand God's utter holiness and our utter helplessness and sinfulness without His intervening mercy, that we can come in true humility before Him in prayer and leave our requests before His mercy seat and His promise of an eternal love towards us. Prayer can never be flitting and thoughtless!

Prayer - Glorifying God!

"The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."  - I still remember learning this catechism truth as a child and yet, somehow, when I start praying, I quickly fall into rattling off all the needs I might have or others have asked me to pray for. I don't stop and first consider who this is I am praying to. I take God for granted!
The Psalmist says in Psalm 63:3 "Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips shall praise You." I need to start my prayers expressing praise to God for His steadfast, unending and undeserved love to me - a fragile, inconsistent, fallible being. The God of the universe - the awesome, all powerful, all knowing and ever listening God - is the one who hears my words and sees the condition of my heart even as I come before Him.
As I start to praise and glorify God - expressing truth about Him as revealed by God Himself in His Word - my own needs seem to melt away into insignificance and they are replaced with a calm assurance in my spirit that He has heard my heart-needs even though I have not yet expressed them and that He will answer in His own time and manner because He loves me with an unending love!
"To praise God is to prize God" (Eastman). Do I value, esteem and cherish Him enough? Do I 'prize' God? If I do, it will be the first thing that comes out in my prayers because it will flow out of a heart brimming over with thankfulness and love. Soli Deo gloria!