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In the fourth chapter of the First Epistle General of John, there is a verse that reads (in modern translation): He who does not love does not know God, for God is love. A simple, straightforward phrase, which captures the very essence of Christianity. The last three words, God is love, have become part of our religious register. We take them for granted, yet for logicians they harbour an oxymoron. How can an almighty power rule with love? Power in itself has nothing to do with love. They are, by definition, contradictory notions. When we say that one has power over others, this implies physical superiority and material might. How can one reconcile love with power? Furthermore, atheists and sceptics would add that the fear of God has not deterred the religious wars that ravaged Europe after the Reformation. The Spanish conquistadors committed crimes of genocidal scale in Central and South America, wiping out the Aztec and the Inca empires. The Inquisition sent thousands of so-called heretics to the pyre after summary trials and excruciating torture. The African slave trade was perpetrated by Christian slave masters. Every period in history bears a heavy cross, right down to the twentieth century with its stigma of the Holocaust and its six million dead. Thinking over these abysmal acts of man against man, brings to mind the words of the Psalmist “Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me ― my enemies for no reason.” (Psalm 69:4) When Carl Gustav Jung says that none of us stands outside humanity’s black collective shadow, what he means is that we are all guilty for what happens to our fellow men ― a guilt that we ought to bear more on an individual than on a collective level. We are all to blame for letting evil things happen around us, for not protesting in time. During Aktion T4, Hitler’s odious euthanasia program from 1939 to 1941, some 70,000 mentally and physically handicapped Germans were murdered before Bishop von Galen found out, bravely intervened, and put an end to the executions. Three years later, Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg risked life and limb in order to save tens of thousands of Jews in Nazi-held Budapest. He took initiative against all protocol rather than duck behind his diplomatic immunity. Hungarian survivors remember him as a soft-spoken humble man who did not promise but acted. “Love is the strongest force the world possesses and yet it is the humblest imaginable” says Mahatma Gandhi, a non-Christian martyr, in his lifelong struggle for peace. “Peace on earth and good will toward men” advocates the Evangelist. Out of an infinite love for man, God wants to live in every heart. We want Him there when things take a downward turn and affliction hits those we care for. For God is Love. The shortest prayer offers the deepest solace. Costas Nisiotis
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Desert places10/2/2022 ‘His disciples replied, “How can one feed these people with bread here in the desert?”’ Mark 8: 4 (NRSV) The crowd had not eaten for three days. They had been spiritually fed to capacity but were physically empty. Christ, full of compassion, recognized the need and intervened. After giving thanks to His Father, the crowd ate to their satisfaction and were full. Strengthened by the meal, they returned home. Thankfulness is a vital component of receiving God’s help in our desert times, in our wilderness experiences. Christ knew that well. He thanked His Father for the provision of a small meal and then received abundance to go around, feeding 4,000 people. What is your desert place just now? Where are you hungry for God’s intervention? In Romans 8, Paul reminds us of Christ’s unfailing love that is constantly with us, despite our circumstances. He said that neither hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness nor peril will separate us from the love of Christ. Because of this we can thank Christ that He works in the dry, desert places of our lives. In the places that are full of spiritual barrenness, He is always there. In times of desolation and discouragement, in danger, in weariness, in despondency and confusion, He is not only there but will work miracles that leave us astounded and humbled. Your dry, desert place is an opportunity waiting for Christ to bring miraculous springs of refreshing and provision. Jennifer Woodley
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Your call10/2/2022 ‘He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits.’ Mark 6:7 (NRSV) The disciples were given a clarion call to share about the Kingdom of God and take authority over unclean spirits. As a result, many heard the gospel and were healed of their infirmities. In Jesus name, the disciples were given authority to do good and as they stayed true to their call, good was done. They would have rejoiced seeing the fruit of their work as they remained faithful to their mission. What has the Lord given us authority to do? What has he specifically called us to invest ourselves in? Seeing fruitful results from our appointed mission will mean saying no each day to a lot of other things, perhaps even good and commendable things. In a climate of distractions and diversions, we may be surprised how often we have to say no. Let’s ask ourselves today, In Jesus name, I have been given authority to ……. I have a specific calling to……. The answer will look entirely different for each of us. The challenge is to remain true to that calling and honour the work well, so that God is glorified through it. We are to be faithful stewards of the work God has entrusted to us. Let us approach his throne of grace confident that our Father will reveal what he wants us to do for him and give us the wisdom and strength to do it. And then like the disciples, we will see fruit that nourishes others and honours God when we stay true to our calling Jennifer Woodley
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His supper10/2/2022 Jesus once explained to his disciples, “The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who don’t believe…” (John 63-64a CSB). From this we concur, Jesus gives spiritual life to those who believe on Him through faith in His Word. What preceded these words was a knee-jerk reaction some people had which made them leave Jesus. They left because they were offended by what He had to say. They didn’t grasp or understand the true meaning of His words. Jesus had referred to himself as the “living bread that came down from Heaven” and how “the one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.” (John 6:51, v. 56 CSB). Now, in the Law of Moses God had forbidden the drinking of blood, so it was natural for those who obeyed God to be offended. But here’s the kicker; they didn’t stick around long enough for Jesus to explain what He meant. “The Spirit is the one who gives life. The flesh doesn’t help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life…” Jesus was speaking from the Spirit, not from the realm of the flesh as they had hastily assumed. This discourse took place before Jesus ate with His disciples at His Last Supper. There, Jesus ‘fleshed out’ His words through the elements as a memorial of His death. But no one could say His chosen disciples hadn’t already tasted and seen that the Lord was good (Psalm 34:8 CSB) — or that (aside from Judas Iscariot) they hadn’t already believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. It was always Christ Himself that brought life thorough the Word — nothing had changed. Sometimes we get so hung-up regarding the mysteries surrounding the Lord’s Supper, we separate ourselves over our interpretations and forget how to love and worship the Lord. Toni Babcock
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An invitation10/2/2022 ‘And they went out and proclaimed the good news everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that accompanied them.’ Mark 16:20 (NRSV) Jesus had ascended to Heaven after he completed his physical, earthly ministry. However, the Holy Spirit now begun a wonderful work among the believers. A work that continues over 2,000 years later. The Spirit’s work is ongoing – a labour that never ceases day in, day out. The Spirit confirms the words and work of Jesus. And this is accomplished in as many ways as there are grains of sand on the shore. Our invitation is to respond to the varied ways that the Spirit moves in our lives. We are to welcome, rather than quench this movement. As a result, we become vessels who continue to transport the message of Jesus. Vessels of his power, his love, his life. We are hopeful signs to a loveless, weary world that Christ is alive and very much concerned about humanity. Through the work of the Spirit, we become vessels who allow the light of the Saviour to reach out and touch those in need of him. And that is pretty much everyone. Let’s allow the Spirit to work with us. Respond eagerly to his promptings so that we might be vessels who continue to carry the good news of Jesus wherever and to whomever the Spirit leads us. Lord help me to listen deeply and respond obediently to your Spirit. Lead me to do good wherever, whenever and to whomever I can. Help me to surrender my own agenda so that I have space to eagerly answer your promptings. Thank you Jennifer Woodley
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A flint-like faith10/2/2022 Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the renowned Baptist preacher (1834-1892), once wrote: “We shouldn’t be as moveable as waves, but as fixed as stars. We shouldn’t be like the thistledown, blown away by every wind, but like a distant granite peak, which defies the storms of the ages.” * Such is the fixed character of Christ our Savior, along with everyone who follows in His footsteps in their own “storm of the ages.” We see this played out in the life of Christ in the world. The prophet Isaiah wrote of the flint-like character of our Savior when he prophesied: “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard, I did not hide my face from shame and spitting. For the Lord God will help Me, therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed,” (Isaiah 50:6-7 NKJV). That flint-like character of Christ is a blue-print for all who surrender their life to the power of His resurrection. We too, through the Spirit of Jesus can ‘set our face like a flint’ — whatever that might look like in our lives, for we too have a ‘cross’ to carry. Clearly, the world is not getting safer for believers in Jesus, but increasingly hostile. Even those who enjoy living ‘safe and free’ in places are witnessing their freedoms slowly erode away. Believers here and around the world are increasingly being ridiculed, harassed, mischaracterized, and persecuted for their allegiance to Jesus. Are we prepared to take up our cross and follow Him in flint-like faith? It comes with the cost of self-denial, as Jesus said “…If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me,” (Luke 9:23 CSB). Toni Babcock
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Endless joy10/2/2022 ‘I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.’ John 17:13 (NRSV) The inner joy that bubbles upwards and outwards is experienced only by living each day with a deep dependence and trust in God. Nothing will disrupt our world because we have a bedrock faith in the words spoken by Jesus. We are secure in the Saviour’s love for us, in the assurance that the Holy Spirit lives in us and in the eternal provision of our Heavenly Father. We can let nothing disturb us, let nothing frighten us, for all things are changing, but God does not. The one who trusts in Him alone, the one who is possessed by God, is wanting for nothing. God alone supplies all our needs. Joy is the outward expression of this inner reality. It does not fluctuate according to surrounding circumstances. The economic climate may be volatile, our health may fail at times, or our relationships may be unsteady, however joy remains. It is a joy that comes from knowing and relying on Christ and it is made complete in us. And it is a joy that will sustain our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Dear Lord, help me to keep my heart attentive to you. Help me to trust in you. I desire to be found full of joy that is unshakeable, despite my circumstances. May your joy continue to be my strength. Amen Jennifer Woodley
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'No good thing'9/29/2022 “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not” (Romans 7:18) AV Turning the searchlight, that I so often use to scan the vast outer darkness of a corrupt and perverse world, inwards upon myself; to probe the murky corners of my own corrupt and deceitful heart, I find, as did the apostle, that in me, that is, in my flesh “dwells no good thing” (Rom 7:18). All of the evil that I see in the world around me, I find has its roots here. This, the human heart, is its natural home, its permanent abiding place (Jeremiah 17:9). This indwelling sinful nature is a law unto itself and I am bound to it as I am bound to this fleshly, mortal frame. As the apostle declared: “I am carnal, sold under sin” (v. 14). With my mind, I may strive to serve a far higher and nobler law, but I remain in chains and, for me (that is for my flesh) there is no escape. What hope then? Thank God for the previous understanding that this ‘body of death’ has already been taken away to the cross and nailed there, so that although: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). We may be persuaded, by fine sounding arguments, that we can “become better people” (perhaps even better Christians) if only, and with the help of God’s spirit, we diligently adhere to all the commandments and precepts of the law; but the apostle tells us that this is a complete reversal of the Gospel of Grace and is really no gospel at all (Galatians 1:6-7). Continued focus on the law, which has no jurisdiction beyond the cross, yet which once served to throw a spotlight on the abject wretchedness of my former life in the flesh; now serves only to cast me back upon myself. For the gospel, as T.F. Torrance has stated, is always “Not I, but Christ.” In Jesus, I have a new identity. I may stand before you as a sinner; at one with every sinner in the universe. I may rightly see myself as such. But I stand before God as a new man in Christ, ransomed and redeemed, sinless and spotless, and the life I now live in the flesh, I live in the light of this glorious and wonderfully liberating truth. Richard Dempsey
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The blind surgeon9/27/2022 Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it — putting yourself under the scalpel of a blind surgeon? Jesus certainly thought so. He said “Why do you look at the splinter in your brother’s eye, but don’t notice the beam of wood in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the splinter that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam of wood in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the splinter in your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:41-42 CSB). Jesus is making it plain then, it’s important to clearly see ourselves before we attempt to ‘do eye surgery’ on someone else — especially when it involves helping someone else see the truth as we see it — because a lot of damage can be done (or made far worse) if we approach the matter impaled with the beam of pride, or a judgmental attitude that doesn’t see the whole picture as it really is. Hypocrites make lousy soul surgeons. I’ve heard it explained that truth is truth, no matter who tells it, and it should be listened to – even if it flies from the mouth of a hypocrite. But I say the Holy Spirit is far more likely to convince a person of their spiritual danger, as well as supply a remedy for their spiritual problem, if they hear the truth from a person who is healed from their own. Lord, help us to be very careful in our words and in our judgments, and see and remove our own spiritual maladies first before trying to correct anyone else. Toni Babcock
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Becoming still9/25/2022 ‘Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.’ Luke 10:38a (NRSV) Still is a lonely word in a culture of movement. Most of us are so driven by urges and compulsions, demands and distractions that we are unable to practice stillness. But in order to hear from God, we must relearn the discipline of stillness. For many of us, it will be hard work. It is far easier to remain in a constantly distracted state of perpetual motion. A jar of river water when shaken up is a swirling mass of muddy, sandy particles. Nothing is clear, nothing is distinguishable. This state is not unlike our own lives. There is often so much happening that we can’t make sense of anything. However, given time to settle, the swirling mess is distilled. In stillness, a clearing occurs. The water is made pure as the sand and pebbles separate to the bottom. In His presence, we too can settle, where we are able to sort through the swirl of emotions, urges and demands in order to discern what God says is good and true for us. Becoming still takes time and patience. Yet when we respond to the urges and compulsions in our lives, we become more distracted and shaken up. A muddy, cloudy concoction that is unable to clearly hear God’s voice or discern his working in our lives. Are we ready to be distilled? To find stillness in His presence? Are we willing to respond to his calling that simply says, ‘there is a need of only one thing?’ We must be still to know God. There is no other way. “Be still and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations; I am exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10 (NRSV Jennifer Woodley
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Laugh linesStory Lines |
10/3/2022
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