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July 2016

Daily Bible thoughts 1186: Monday 18th July 2016: John 4:31-42: Real satisfaction.

John 4:31-42: Real satisfaction.(please click for todays passage)

You may remember from verse 8 that ‘His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.’ When they returned, they naturally wanted Jesus to ‘eat something’ (31). I’m sure they knew that he was ‘tired…from the journey’ (6). They were being kind and caring. But Jesus sized the moment for a teaching opportunity (32). He wanted to convey the deep inner satisfaction He felt from doing the will of God (34). The disciples were confused because they took His words in a materialistic fashion (33) – much as the Samaritan woman had done previously (11-15).

Someone preaching on this passage said something like this: ‘Imagine an artist at work in his studio. At lunch time his wife brings him a drink and some sandwiches. When she returns to collect the empty’s a little while later, it’s barely been touched. Her husband is so absorbed in his work.’ That’s a good illustration. Obviously, it has stayed with me. Jesus found unparalleled satisfaction in doing ‘the will’ of the Father. That particular day it involved a ‘witnessing conversation’ with a deeply dissatisfied woman. And what a chain reaction it set off (39-42) It’s been suggested that when Jesus said, ‘I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields!’ (35), He was pointing to the Samaritans streaming across the fields towards them (40). There was a contrast to be drawn between the natural harvest, still four months away, and the spiritual one right before their eyes (35).

‘These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!…Without lifting a finger, you have walked in on a field worked long and hard by others.’ The Message.

There is nothing more satisfying for a Christ-follower than to point people to Jesus. And if you see success in some form; if people respond positively, better still. But all evangelism is team work, whether we are sowing or reaping (and in a lifetime you’ll probably do a bit of both.) The bottom line truth, of course, is that God gives the growth (1 Corinthians 3:7). So to Him belongs all the glory.

‘No single individual can claim credit for the success of any spiritual mission. The harvest belongs to the sower as much as to the reaper. It is possible that the others referred to the long line of prophets who had prepared the way, of whom John the Baptist was the last.’ Donald Guthrie: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.1035.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, may I not fail to play my full part in your harvest.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1185: Friday 15th July 2016: John 4:27-30: Evangelistic musings.

John 4:27-30: Evangelistic musings.(please click for todays passage)

Here are a couple of thoughts about evangelism that have occurred to me whilst reading today’s passage:

  1. Sometimes effective evangelism takes place where someone is prepared to break the mould and part from convention. They may take flak for it. They run the risk of being misunderstood and misrepresented. But they go for it, believing it to be the right thing to do. The disciples were ‘surprised to find him talking with a woman’ (27). That reflects the general Jewish prejudice at the time. Rabbis were not permitted to speak to women in the street (not even their own wives!) and they considered any conversation with a woman to be a hindrance to the study of the law. The disciples, as men of their time, were embarrassed by Jesus’ actions. But His going out on a limb led to a huge spiritual breakthrough. So all our human traditions need to be tested at the bar of truth. Our customs – general ways of doing things and culturally accepted norms – must not be allowed to rule; we cannot afford to permit them to choke off our witness. In short, I’m saying that there are ways of doing evangelism that may earn you the disapproval of others. Someone said to D.L. Moody: ‘I don’t like the way you do evangelism.’ His reply: ‘And I don’t like the way you don’t do it!!’
  2. Might we not consider more fully the place of questions in our witness? (29). The Samaritan woman aroused curiosity in others by her question. She herself was not fully convinced that Jesus was the Messiah (in spite of His declaration in verse 26), but she knew He was special and very much hoped that He was. Nevertheless, her question got others searching out the truth for themselves. I’ve been thinking a lot of late about the importance for leaders of asking good questions. Often, it is more effective to lead by asking than telling. I’m not saying that there isn’t a gospel to tell and explain. There most certainly is. But might we not also make good use of some well thought through questions (as well as those that may occur in the inspiration of the moment?)

Prayer: Lord God, please give me Paul’s willingness to ‘by all means’ win some. May I not be afraid to pioneer new approaches as your Spirit leads.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1184: Thursday 14th July 2016: John 4:15-26: Acceptable worship.

 John 4:15-26: Acceptable worship.(*please click for todays passage)

Augustine was right when he observed that God made us for Himself, and our hearts find no rest until they rest in Him.

This Samaritan woman wanted what Jesus was offering (15). True, she interpreted His words in a materialistic way, but Jesus could see the deeper thirst in her heart.

However, before anyone can have their spiritual desires satisfied, they must first repent of the sins standing between them and God. So Jesus brought up a touchy subject, but it had to be addressed (16-18). Someone said, ‘She had lived with a passing parade of men.’  This is the story of ‘the bad Samaritan’! Jesus’ words precipitated a crisis in the conversation and brought things to a head. He showed that He knew the hidden depths of her life. He knew about her desperate attempts to find meaning and satisfaction in (I imagine) successive disappointing relationships. It was this supernatural knowledge of her that so deeply impressed her (29), even if there was a certain hyperbole in her comments. No doubt this was not her only sin. She may have had far worse sins tarring her soul. But this was certainly her idol (whereas in the case of the rich young ruler it was wealth.) So Jesus pointed out the idolatry that had to be banished, if she was really to be satisfied with her Messiah (25, 26).

Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, she got twitchy. She tried changing the subject (19,20), with a dash of flattery thrown in for flavouring. In effect, it’s been suggested, she said, ‘What about all these denominations?’ (Roger Fredericksen suggests that in dealing with people’s questions, we have to reckon with ‘the RH factor.’ Is it a ‘red herring’ or ‘a real hindrance’? When you start to talk seriously about stuff that needs cleaning out of a person’s life, don’t be surprised if a few red herrings get tossed in to the conversation.)

There was an ancient dispute between Jews and Samaritans about WHERE to worship. Jesus said it’s not about the WHERE but the HOW (21-24). True worship acknowledges that ‘God is spirit’, and it is offered ‘in spirit’ (or ‘in the Spirit) ‘and in truth.’ In order to worship God, the adoration must flow from human spirits led, inspired, acted upon by the Holy Spirit, and it must all be in accordance with revealed truth.

Prayer: Lord God, may I worship you in just the way you want me to. And thank you that someone like me – a sinner by nature and practice – can worship you.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1183: Wednesday 13th July 2016: John 4:1-14: Futility.

John 4:1-14: Futility.(please click for todays passage)

Wilfred Owen wrote a beautiful little war poem, full of pathos, and called it ‘futility’. It’s one of his shorter works, but it says so much. Reading Jesus’ words in (13), I call to mind the Old Testament book of ‘Ecclesiastes’. It too speaks of ‘futility’: the ‘vanity’, the emptiness, of everything we pursue in this life (‘under the sun’) in order to find meaning. King Solomon had everything you could want in this world. He had money, sex (oodles of it!!) and power. He found by personal experience that apart from God it was all ‘meaningless’. F.B. Meyer has said that you could write the words of verse 13 over all worldly amusements: ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again’ (13).

Jesus did not ‘have’ to go through Samaria as a geographical necessity. He could have taken another route. But there was a divine necessity about this trip. The Father had scheduled an appointment with a deeply ‘thirsty’ woman. She had found that this world does not satisfy, and she was ready to ‘drink’ what Jesus offered her.

Notice the simple relevance of Jesus’ approach. It starts with a shared understanding and need for water (7). But skilfully, carefully, Jesus went gradually deeper in the conversation, arousing her curiosity, drawing her in, whetting her appetite. Michael Green once said that in personal evangelism we have to row our gospel boat around the island of a person’s life, and determine which is the best place to ‘put in’. When you read the gospels you see that Jesus had no pre-packaged, pre-programmed approach. He was led by the Father.

By the way, can you see the irony in (12)? We know the answer, even if she doesn’t – yet!!

Prayer: Father God, please organise my schedule for today – and every other day. And help me to never make tiredness an excuse for avoiding people, and failure to serve.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1182: Tuesday 12th July 2016: John 3:22-36: God gives the growth.

 John 3:22-36: God gives the growth.(please click here to see todays passage)

Never forget the principle enunciated clearly in (27) – a man can have only what is given him from heaven. God gives the growth, so why do we act like He doesn’t? Why do we place so much store by people who seem to be experts at producing growth and telling ‘how it’s done!’?

We need to remember this especially when other churches and leaders SEEM to succeed more than we do. How we handle the success of others is a real test of character. Dallas Willard makes the point that one practical out working of the doctrine of the Trinity will mean that pray for other church leaders and root for them. We will want their success.

John’s disciples seemed to complain about the growth of Jesus’ ‘church’, but John himself was delighted with the news. He recognised the total superiority of Jesus to himself (31-36). He realised that more and more he would have to retreat into the shadows, whereas Jesus’ place was in the spotlight (30). He likened his role to that of the ‘best man’ at a wedding (28, 29).The best man needs to be efficient (and John was very good at what he did), but he must not steal the show. He cannot court the limelight. He wants to see the bride and the groom come together. It would be terrible if he were to run off with the bride. John was watching the ‘bride’ run to her Beloved, and nothing could give him more pleasure. This was what he lived for. The bride and Groom were coming to centre-stage, and he would be able to slip out through the back door.

‘What a blessing it would be if we could enshrine in our hearts this immortal maxim: ”A man can receive nothing except it be given him from heaven!” What we have is God’s gift; let us hold it reverently. What another person has is God’s gift to him; we have no right to find fault with his dealings with another of his servants. Our orbits are distinct; all we have to do is shine our brightest where he has placed us, confident that he knows best.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, p.459.

Prayer: Help me Lord to see your glory in the gifts you share with others. Let me feel neither jealous or discouraged. Let me be content to be the best version of me that I can be. It will be because of you, and to you be all the glory.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1181: Monday 11th July 2016: John 3:9-21: Darkness to light.

John 3:9-21: Darkness to light.(please click to see todays passage)

‘This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil’ (19).

There are people in the world who, although yet in darkness, like Nicodemus (9 – 12)they are making honest movement toward the Light (20, 21). They are prepared for the exposure the Light brings, and at some point (probably soon) they will be willing to repent of their wickedness and trust in Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf.

But the natural state of man is anti-God/anti-Christ (19).The natural person hates God. It is a sin against love (16), we know,but there it is. He/she rejects Christ, and therefore they are in condemnation (17). Such a person will never turn from darkness to Light without a regenerating work of the Holy Spirit. They ‘must’ be born again (7). Thank God that, by His Sovereign grace, such a miracle is possible.  Think about Saul of Tarsus for example (Acts 9). A man or a woman, a boy or a girl, can ‘believe in’ Jesus (16) and receive this gift of ‘eternal life’ (16). This faith in Christ crucified brings a person ‘out of darkness’ and into ‘marvellous light’ (1 Peter 2:9). 

It seems to me that there are two important ‘must’s’ in John 3 – two compelling necessities:

  1. The necessity of the new birth (7);
  2. The necessity of the cross (14).

These two necessities are linked, and through the life-giving work of the Spirit we are enabled to trust in Christ for our salvation.

I heard a preacher say something like this: ‘We talk about wearing the heart on the sleeve; God wore His heart on a cross.’

W.E. Songster said in a sermon that God knows ‘the pain of unrequited love.’ He ‘so’ loves even those who hate Him. 

‘My Lord, what love is this…?

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Daily Bible thoughts 1180: Friday 8th July 2016: John 3:1-8: ‘Blowin’ in the Wind.

John 3:1-8: ‘Blowin’ in the Wind.(please click for todays passage)

Nicodemus was a ‘seeker’. It would appear that he was not the only one among the group of ‘Pharisees’. They were exceptionally devout men, and there were certainly those who recognised that there was something special about Jesus (2). They were not yet converts. Clearly, they were still in spiritual ignorance (10) and should have known better. But there were promising indications of eyes starting to open; the first glimmerings of a spiritual dawn.

Nicodemus may have come to Jesus ‘at night’ because he was embarrassed to be seen with him during the day. He was, after all, a man of great status, and we know how pride can affect us all. But maybe at this stage, he just wanted a private, unhurried and uninterrupted conversation with Jesus. Whatever, although the man was religious – a ‘man of the cloth’ you might say – Jesus wasted no time in letting him know that religiosity was not enough. In one statement Jesus swept away much of what Nicodemus stood for (3) and demanded that he should be remade on the inside by the power of God. Jesus said it is not possible to ‘see’ the kingdom of God (3), let alone ‘enter’ it (5) without a second and spiritual birth. (There is in the Greek language the idea of being ‘born from above’ as well as being ‘born again’. Just as a person is born physically, so there must be another,a second birth, which is the work of the Holy Spirit.) This should not have come as a surprise to Nicodemus (7). He was well versed in the Old Testament, and there are intimations there of the need for, and possibility of regeneration (e.g. Ezekiel 36:24-27).

There is a mystery about the work of the Holy Spirit, and about those in whom He is at work (8). Spirit-led people will often leave worldly people scratching their heads. (Sometimes they will even baffle fellow-believers!!). The Spirit of God is like the wind. (It’s interesting that in the original language, the same word is used for ‘breath’, ‘wind’ and ‘spirit’).We can’t see Him, but we can see what He does. And we certainly can’t control Him. One of the problems we can have in church life is when ‘the Wind changes direction’ and we don’t realise it. May we remain sensitive to God’s mighty Spirit, and seek to always keep in step with Him.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you recreate – that you make brand new people by your Holy Spirit. Thank you for your work in me. I pray that I will never resist your Holy Spirit, but move wherever He ‘blows’ me.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1179: Thursday 7th July 2016: John 2: 12-25: ‘Get these out of here.’

John 2: 12-25: ‘Get these out of here.'(please click for passage)

There was quite a lucrative business going on in the Temple precincts. If you wanted to buy an animal for sacrifice it would cost you ‘an arm and a leg’. (Let’s face it, people travelling great distances to worship at the temple might not be able to bring one with them. They needed the opportunity to purchase a beast on site. But they got ripped off). Also, only Temple currency could be used there, and the exchange rate was exorbitant. 

Jesus came to the Temple in the spirit of Malachi 3:1ff. He acted like the Temple was HIS. It was. He assumed the right to act in this way. This was not lost on the Jews. Only God had the ‘authority’ (18) to clean up the Temple. Jesus was (and is) God, and His resurrection demonstrates the fact (19). The Jews in this story totally misunderstood what He was saying (20). At His trial, these words were aggressively thrown back at Him. But Jesus did not say that He was going to destroy the Temple. He did know, however, that they were going to ‘destroy’ His body (which He refers to as ‘this temple’). Yet they would find Him to be indestructible.

What does Jesus ‘find’ today in His temple?

My body is His temple (1 Corinthians 6:19);

The local church is His temple (1 Corinthians 3:16, 17).

What does He find there that needs to change? He has the right to challenge and to change it.

He is Lord.

What needs to go?

‘Get these out of here.’

‘When he comes to dwell within us, he finds our hearts desecrated by unholy things which he quickly casts out. He sits as a refiner of silver; his fan is in his hand, and he thoroughly purges his floor.’ F.B. Meyer: Devotional Commentary,’ p.459.

Prayer: Lord show me what needs to go from my life. Help me to throw it out, in your strength.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1178: Wednesday 6th July 2016: John 2:1-11: The difference Jesus makes.

John 2:1-11: The difference Jesus makes.(please click for todays Bible passage)

A former drunkard said, ‘I have no problem believing Jesus turned water into wine, for He turned beer into furniture in my house!’

You have the potential for miracles when Jesus is invited into a marriage (1,2) – and every marriage will need them. There can come a time in a marriage when ‘the wine runs out’. But Jesus can turn the ‘water’ of ordinary, everyday married life into the ‘wine’ of something rather special, when He is at the centre. We ‘involve’ Him (4) because we recognise we need Him so much.

The essential thing is: ‘Do whatever he tells you’ (5). Not everyone reading these notes will be married, but for those who are I have a question: Is your marriage centred in the Lordship of Christ? Is it built on the rock of Scripture? Is the desire to obey your Lord at the heart of everything? Do you pray together? Do you read God’s Word together? (Okay, I know Jesus can be Lord of your marriage even where you don’t have joint quiet times, as well as individual ones; but I highly recommend the practice of sharing the deepest and most meaningful things in life in this way. It is a wonderfully bonding/unifying practice.) But the bigger question is, ‘Do you obey Jesus, both in your life together and personally?’ If you ask Him to – if you involve Him – Jesus can and will reveal His glory right in the middle of your marriage, and grow your faith (11b).

Jesus blesses abundantly (6-10). A huge amount of wine was supplied and it was of the finest quality. (What happened ran contrary to the custom of the times. A wedding feast could last for days. Normally, the best wine was given first. Then later on, when the guests were ‘past their sell-by date’, they brought out the inferior stuff. But here it was acknowledged that the best was kept until the end.)

Well, whether you are single or married, the message is: ‘Do whatever he tells you’.

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