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Daily Bible thoughts 1020: Thursday 26th November 2015: 1 Timothy 4:6-16: Embody the message.

 1 Timothy 4:6-16: Embody the message.(please click here for todays passage)

‘’Restlessness is discontent, and discontent is the first necessity of progress. Show me a thoroughly satisfied man and I will show you a failure.’’ Thomas Alva Edison.

Timothy was given a tough assignment. He had to work in the same arena where the false teachers were active and stand his ground. Here are some things he was told to do:

  • Teach the truth (6, 11, 13, and 14). Where there is darkness the entrance of light will dispel it. Whereas Timothy was to teach God’s Word verbally, he also was expected to do so visually; to live it out before men. ‘’Teach believers with your life…’’ The Message. He was called to lead by example (12); to embody the message. Indeed, Paul wanted people to be able to see Timothy’s ‘’progress’’ (15), both as a preacher and as a man. Apparently the godly Scottish pastor, Robert Murray McCheyne , said, ‘’What my people need most from me is my personal holiness.’’ It remains the case that leaders/preachers should ‘’Watch’’ their lives and doctrine ‘’closely’’ (and) pursue growth constantly. ‘’Keep a firm grasp on both your character and your teaching. Don’t be diverted. Just keep at it.’’ The Message. Timothy’s teaching was to have at its heart the gospel message of salvation in Jesus (9, 10)
  • Turn away from error (7). We can’t help others reject heresy if we are enamoured by it ourselves. There can be an unhealthy fascination with unimportant speculative material.
  • Train to be godly (7b, 8). The idea of training implies work and effort. You think about an athlete training for a big race, and how he or she is disciplined; how they keep working, working to improve their time, even if only marginally. They are constantly straining to get better, and make numerous sacrifices in the process. They push themselves. They don’t take the easy option. We should all want to become better people, more and more like Jesus. Those of us who lead ought to have a strong desire to get better at what we do. This involves trying alongside trusting. We try even as we trust solely in Christ’s power. ‘’Exercise daily in God – no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. You can count on this.’’ The Message. Timothy had the example of Paul to copy as he read his words, for the great apostle (and his team) certainly put their backs into their ministry (10): ‘’This is why we’ve thrown ourselves into this venture so totally.’’ The Message.

‘’If believers would put as much effort into the spiritual life as they do their recreation and hobbies, what a difference it would make! Physical exercise is important, but spiritual exercise is even more essential. Both discipline and devotion are needed to make a winning athlete and an effective Christian.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.799.

Prayer: May other see Jesus in me more and more.

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Daily Bible thoughts 1002: Monday 2nd November 2015: 1 Timothy 2:1-8: The church’s priority

 1 Timothy 2:1-8: The church’s priority (please click here for todays post)

I imagine most churches in the UK are wide of the mark if they measure their public worship against Paul’s words here. He says clearly that the church’s priority is to pray, and it is an ‘urgent’ requirement. This praying is to be carried out in unity and with purity of heart (8). And it comes ‘’first of all’’ (1). That could mean ‘first in time’, i.e. it’s the first thing you should do in a service; or as a priority, so that it is seen as the most important thing you do. I take it to mean the latter.

Notice a number of interesting and important details:

  • There are different types, or forms, of prayer (1; see Ephesians 6:18);
  • Prayer is to be offered for ‘’everyone’’ ;
  • We are to pray for people in authority (2), and be thankful for them too! We may not approve of them. We may not have voted for them. But we do have a solemn duty to pray for them, and to thank God for them. In His sovereignty He has raised them up for a reason. (Remember Paul and his fellow-Christians lived under Roman rule when he wrote these words and they read them. They didn’t have the opportunity of casting a vote);
  • Our prayers will affect the atmosphere of our society (2; see also Jeremiah 29:7). We can pray that the culture will remain open and free so that we can continue to spread the gospel and live the Christian life;
  • In particular, in praying for our leaders, and for all people, we are to remember that this pleases God because He ‘’wants all men to be saved’’ (4). It may be hard for us to believe at times, but God can save those in high authority in our land. (In fact, we are led to believe that there already are many Christians working in and around Westminster, and they need our prayer support);
  • So at the heart of this passage a classic statement is made about the saving work of Christ through the cross (5, 6). We pray for people knowing how much Jesus loves them, and in the certainty that only He can save them. We pray with the confidence that He is able to save them. This message of salvation through Christ’s death lay at the heart of Paul’s ministry (7). Whenever we come boldly before God in prayer it is because of Jesus’ sacrifice. At the heart of all our praying there must be this evangelistic desire that all people may be brought to know God through Jesus. ‘’Since prayer is at the bottom of all this, what I want mostly is for men to pray – not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God.’’ The Message.

What a privilege we have; what a responsibility. Probably most Christians and churches in Britain today need to take these words more seriously, and get on with obeying them; at least, doing so more consistently. Our land desperately needs the urgent, on-going prayers of God’s people.

‘’The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Saviour God wants us to live.’’ The Message.

Prayer: Lord, teach us to pray.

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Daily Bible thoughts 998: Tuesday 27th October 2015: Psalm 119:49-56: Singing in the rain.

Psalm 119:49-56: Singing in the rain. (please click here for todays Bible passage)

We have a picture in these verses of a man suffering for his faith. He was a persecuted believer. How did he keep going? Well, he found ‘’comfort’’ in God’s Word (50, 52). Here are some of the ways he drew on this:

  • He remembered God’s ‘’promise’’ (50);
  • He remembered His ‘’ancient laws’’ (52). God’s Word might be an old Book, but that does not make it obsolete. To the writer of Psalm 119, the Bible (as he knew it) was always relevant; ‘’old, yet ever new’’. ‘’I watch for your ancient landmark words, and know I’m on the right track.’’ The Message.
  • He remembered God in’ ’the night’’ (55); in the dark hours when, maybe, fear stalked and sleep would not come, he remembered the Lord. When fears could seem greatest, and loom largest, he would not capitulate. He was still determined to be ‘Bible man’. ‘’I meditate on your name all night, GOD, treasuring your revelation, O GOD.’’ The Message.
  • He would not turn from God’s Word (51). Like a man who wraps his cloak more tightly around himself the more the wind blows against him, so this psalmist held God’s truth close to his heart and would not let it be ripped from his grasp. ‘’The insolent ridicule me without mercy, but I don’t budge from your revelation.’’ The Message.
  • He sang Scripturally-based hymns. Wherever he went he worshipped God with sound doctrine set to music. ‘’I set your instructions to music and sing them as I walk the pilgrim way.’’ The Message
  • He established good practices based on obedience to God’s Word (56). Whatever the ‘weather’ it was his intention to obey. ‘’Still, I walk through a rain of derision because I live by your Word and counsel.’’ The Message. Yes, it was ‘raining’ on this man, but he was determined to sing in the rain!

(Note: The more you know and love God’s Word, the more you will hate all evil; every manifestation of badness, see verse 53).

Prayer: Lord, I thank you that you have put a song of joy in my heart which no one can take from me.

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Daily Bible thoughts 989: Wednesday 14th October 2015: Jeremiah 18: 12-23: The last straw

Jeremiah 18: 12-23: The last straw(please click here for todays Bible passage)

I have to agree with you. This does sound terrible. My wife, Jilly, and I said as much to each other when we read it a night or two back (21-23). Jeremiah seems mean, nasty and vindictive. But you have to put some context around this; take a broader view; get a bigger picture.

The prophet had preached to these people (his people) for years and years. He had poured out his heart to them and poured out his life for them. God had spoken through him and warned those in Judah and Jerusalem repeatedly that if they did not repent, this judgment would come. Because of his God-given insight, Jeremiah had clearly spelled out what would happen. He saw it all vividly. But he did not want it to happen. When you read today’s verses remember this. Jeremiah loved these people; he broke his heart over them; wept ‘buckets’ for them. He had prayed faithfully that they would not have to face judgment (20b), that they would be spared. He had stood ‘in the gap’ for them. He had urged them over and over to turn from their cherished idols and get back to the true God. But they were intransigent, as (12) shows, and it is important to see these words as the precursor to what follows. Such stubbornness before God inevitably leads to a ‘’Therefore…’’ (13). Sin has consequences. If we persist in our own way; insist on getting it, then we will have it, and we won’t like it!

It seems to me that after years and years of loving and praying and preaching, and in a time of personal agony because his ‘congregation’ were out to kill him, Jeremiah came to a point where he saw that enough was enough. He recognised that the content of his preaching had to now be fulfilled in the lives of the Judean people. They would not turn, therefore they would have to be ‘’marred’’ in the Potter’s Hands, and made ‘’into another pot’’. Yes, the process would be brutal, but they would still be in God’s Hands (18:1-4). When Jeremiah prayed his prayer, he knew that the judgment would not be the end of this people, but part of God’s great purpose to reform and reshape them. Nevertheless, it would be dreadful in the short term, and we cannot dilute the concentrated truth about divine judgment.

This passage tells us that real ministry is costly. All shepherding service can be painful. Most leaders don’t suffer like Jeremiah did, but God’s people can be cruel and unkind and vicious with their tongues (18b). They can disappoint you and let you down. Our ‘sheep’ have teeth, and some make use of them! They can turn on you and make it clear they prefer other preachers. In Jeremiah’s case, the people were saying, ‘If we get rid of him we’ll still have other leaders to speak to us. ‘(18a). Those of whom they spoke were the ‘safe’ clergy who told them what they wanted to hear. The truth is that what seems safe and palatable is regularly dangerous. In this case, the people in ‘the church’ wanted to kill Jeremiah, but they could not put his message to the sword. The living Word of God, once spoken, would not return empty; it would come to pass (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

But here is a word to all in Christian leadership. Someone said, ‘’Ministry that costs nothing accomplishes nothing’’, and, ‘’There can be no blessing without bleeding.’’ Remember this, and stay faithful.

John Ortberg wrote in a recent edition of ‘Leadership Journal’, ‘’I don’t want to be the kind of person whose heart depends on getting applause from everybody every week. I want to be the kind of person that lives in freedom.’’

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Daily Bible thoughts 975: Thursday 24th September 2015: Psalm 119:35: Direction and Delight.

 Psalm 119:35: Direction and Delight.(please click here for todays Bible Passage)

The prayer requests regarding God’s Word keep coming thick and fast: ‘’Teach me…Give me…Direct me…’’ This third request speaks of God’s authority over our lives. Which way do I need to go? God will tell me, and primarily by means of His Word.

‘’Direct me…’’ This is one thing a person is saying to God when they become a Christian, and they are baptized. They are affirming the ‘Lordship’ of Jesus over their lives. They are handing over the keys to another Driver, saying, ‘’Steer me. Take me where you want me to go.’’

There is a story told about a driver in a Surrey town who wasn’t quite sure if he was where he wanted to be. Winding down his window he asked a passer-by: ‘Leatherhead?’ The suddenly angry looking pedestrian replied: ‘Fish Face!!’ You have no doubt been in a situation where you have similarly needed to ask for help. God’s directions take us down the ‘’path’’ or ‘’road’’ of His Word. It is a ‘delightful’ road. Expect to find direction for your life in the systematic reading of the Scriptures. Also, you can check any so-called guidance with it. Does it line up with God’s Word or somehow contradict it? Keeping on His road is necessary for joy.

Over the last year or two, Jilly and I have been discovering Yorkshire – particularly on days off during the summer months. Again and again we have turned down roads where the views have been simply stunning. We have found ‘delight’ in breath-taking scenery. It is regularly like this as we travel through the Bible; we find a beauty and a wonder and a joy that surpassed our expectations. God’s directions and your delight are inextricably bound up together.

Where will you find ‘’delight’’? God’s answer is not the world’s. Have you yet found ‘’delight’’ in God’s Word? The key to life’s greatest joys and most enduring pleasures is found there. What do you delight in? Job could say: ‘’I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.’’ (Job 23:12).

One final thought: If you are taking a certain ‘’path’’ you are not taking others. You are choosing this pathway over other potential routes. Following God will mean rejecting other possible ways which may, superficially, appear more attractive. But if you let the Lord choose the route, you will go through the most stunning scenery, even if the road is sometimes difficult. Once, on a visit to the Isle of Skye, I turned down a narrow road with passing places. It was just a black line on the map: the road to Kylerhea. I found it a little bit scary. It took me over hills and through a wild, rugged landscape. A sort of nervous, insecure feeling went through my veins. Then suddenly the road fell away before me into a steep descent, and opened up a vista that felt like a foretaste of heaven itself, and moved me in a way that I cannot put into words. On that challenging road I found unexpected delight. It is like this for all serious students of God’s matchless Word.

Prayer: ‘’Guide me down the road of your commandments; I love travelling this freeway?’’ The Message.

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Daily Bible thoughts 969: Wednesday 16th September 2015: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4: The snail and the Ark.

 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4: The snail and the Ark.(please click here for todays passage)

I remember well the May night in 1999 when Manchester United won their first European Championship under the management of Alex Ferguson, in the Nou Camp Stadium, Barcelona. Really and truly, United looked like they had been screwed down by the efficient German team, Bayern Munich, who took a one nil lead in with them at half time. But throughout the second period there was a sense of growing momentum with the Manchester team. They kept trying; coming back at Bayern in wave after wave. With a matter of minutes to spare, Teddy Sheringham scraped an equaliser. Then on came ‘super-sub’, the Norwegian striker Ole Gunner Solskjaer. With almost his first touch of the ball he scored from a corner, and United had won an improbable victory. Interviewed after the match, an elated Alex Ferguson said he was so proud of his team. ‘They never gave in’, he said. It was obvious to everyone watching that this was the case. They refused to be beaten.

However much the odds may seem to be stacked against you, God will help you to keep going if you trust in Him. That was the experience of the Thessalonians. This church was persecuted from the beginning (see 1 Thessalonians 2:17-3:5), but, with Divine help, they never gave up.

In his opening thanksgiving (a thanksgiving that Paul says is right and should be continuous), he expresses appreciation for:

  • Their ever-increasing faith (3a);
  • Their continuously growing love (3b);
  • Their endurance in trials (4).

These things surely link to the triad of graces we saw in the first letter as hallmarks of genuine Christianity: faith, love and hope.

The wind was blowing fiercely against the Thessalonians, but they just kept going.

Perseverance has been called ‘’stick-to-it-iveness.’’

C.H. Spurgeon said, ‘’By perseverance the snail made it to the ark.’’

It is said that Sir Winston Churchill spoke at his old school and delivered the shortest message of his political career: ‘’Never give in; never give in; never give in!’’

There are more serious things at stake than a football result. So, ‘’Never give in.’’

Prayer: Lord, at times life is so hard. You know this for you lived here as a Man, and you experienced the worst that this world had to throw at you. Still, you endured. Please give me the grace to follow your pattern.

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Daily Bible thoughts 966: Friday 11th September 2015: Jeremiah 16: The cost of ministry.

 Jeremiah 16: The cost of ministry.(please click here for todays passage)

In his remarkable book, ‘Intercessor’, Rees Howells says something along these lines: ‘’The Holy Ghost was stricter with me than any schoolmaster.’’ This Welsh man had a remarkable ministry in prayer, but there was a lot of self-denial and self-sacrifice behind the scenes. God will sometimes deny a person certain legitimate things for His own good reasons. He has a particular purpose for each life. We are not to compare ourselves with others, but faithfully do what the Lord asks of us (John 21: 20-23).

There is a price to be paid for an effective ministry. Indeed, there is a price to pay for a high profile ministry. Although, humanly speaking, he was largely unsuccessful in his day, and unpopular, Jeremiah has become one of the most famous names in history. But there was a price tag attached to what he said and did.

It must have been hard for a man ‘’of Jeremiah’s affectionate and sympathetic nature’’ to obey the commands in (2, 5 and 8). But this was part of his message. It gave him a platform to speak (10ff).

‘’When people asked Jeremiah about his strange behaviour, he would have opportunity to declare the Word of God.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe.

His life was his message, in a way. (In a slightly different way, it should be the case for us as well – that the godly way we live backs up what we say, and causes people to ask questions.)

‘’Jeremiah has already used a sign to reinforce his message (13:1-11); now his whole life becomes a sign (1-4). Being unmarried was unusual in ancient Israel, and so his singleness and childlessness stand out as noteworthy. In fact, they are intended by the Lord as a sign that all normal life in Judah will cease…Jeremiah is also forbidden to participate in normal funeral ceremonies, as a sign that death will be so widespread in Judah that such mourning ceremonies will become impossible (5-7). Gordon McConville: ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.686.

Jeremiah was also told that this was no time for feasting (8).

So, he was a lonely man: unmarried, childless, and with few friends. Someone pointed out that what Jeremiah was called to was tantamount to self-imposed excommunication. Perhaps these things were the kind of increased difficulty envisaged in (12:5).

‘’Jeremiah’s apparently anti-social conduct was to be a witness to the devastation that was about to descend upon Judah, when all normal activities of a community would cease.’’ A.E. Cundall.

How unpopular are you prepared to be for the cause of God in this world? As we will go on to see, although Jeremiah trod a lonely path, he was not alone. He had a ‘’refuge’’ (19). So do you and me. He will be our ‘’strength’’ to carry on.

Prayer: I am grateful Lord that when you ask something of us, you also help us to do that thing. Otherwise we would never have the courage or fortitude or ability to get on with the job.

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Daily Bible thoughts 956: Friday 28th August 2015: Jeremiah 14:1-12: When fasting will not do.

 Jeremiah 14:1-12: When fasting will not do.(please click here for todays notes)

Chapters fourteen and fifteen consist of a kind of conversation between Jeremiah and God. Prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue; there are two ends to the telephone line. Are you listening as well as talking?

Jeremiah was driven to prayer by a time of drought (1-6). These verses paint a desperate picture and must be linked to the nation’s breaking of the covenant (Deuteronomy 28:12, 14; Leviticus 26:19, 20). It wasn’t just a natural disaster. In the rainy seasons that normally occurred, the ‘’cisterns’’ (3) would fill up with water as a result of flash flooding. But at this terrible time there was no water. (I couldn’t help but think that some people experience the spiritual equivalent of verse 3 when they attend certain churches!) The ‘’doe’’ is a creature renowned for her care for her young (5) and the ‘’wild donkeys’’ were among the hardiest of animals (6). These, then, were desperate times indeed.

In (7-9) Jeremiah presents the pleas of the people before God:

-Their confession of sin and backsliding (7);

– Their desire for God to do something for the sake of His Name (7; see also 21);

– Their sense that although God was with them, His presence was not being manifested; they were aware of His presence among them, but also conscious of His inactivity. He felt like a ‘’stranger’’ to them; like a ‘’traveller’’ who had moved on (8); like someone who should have been able to help, but couldn’t (9). ‘’Why are you acting like a tourist, taking in the sights, here today and gone tomorrow? Why do you just stand there and stare, like someone who doesn’t know what to do in a crisis? But GOD, you are, in fact, here, here with us! You know who we are – you named us! Don’t leave us in the lurch.’’ The Message. ( ‘’…a large number of inconsistencies and insincerities may make God powerless to help you, or to work mightily through you to the salvation of others…The Lord Jesus could do infinitely more in us, and through us, if we did not hinder. Be sure that the Kingdom of God is within, but you must let it possess you.’’ F.B. Meyer. )

– Their request that God should not forsake them.

God’s answer in (10-12) shows that the people’s confession was but words. Although it sounded sincere enough, God saw right through it. There was no genuine repentance in evidence (10; see 3:10; 15:6, 7; Isaiah 59:1,2). They mourned for their land but not for their sins; they were sorry for their plight but not for their evil. So God told Jeremiah not to pray for them anymore (7:16; 11:14). They had past the point of no return. Not even fasting could help now: ‘’When they skip their meals in order to pray, I won’t listen to a thing they say.’’ The Message. True confession involves forsaking sin (Proverbs 28:13). It is more than just repetitively saying ‘Sorry’ to God. Note the ‘’this people’’ in (10, 11) and compare with the covenantal ‘’my people’’ (9:7).

(The trio of disasters mentioned in verse 12b is intended to cover the full range of human misery. The curses for breaking the covenant, found in Deuteronomy 28:15-68, are basically variations on these themes.)

Prayer: Lord God, may nothing in me prevent the outflowing of your power.

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Daily Bible thoughts 954: Wednesday 26th August 2015: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18: When ignorance is not bliss.

 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18: When ignorance is not bliss.(please click here for todays passage)

In ancient times, when a dignitary went to visit a city, it was a common custom for the populace to go out to meet him on route, and escort him on the rest of his way. This would seem to be the picture Paul draws on in today’s reading. The visit was known as a ‘’Parousia’’ and this is a word Paul frequently uses for the second coming of Christ.

In what ways do these verses ‘’comfort’’ or ‘’encourage’’ (18)?

  • They bring knowledge (13). What we know can significantly affect our emotions. This passage is about certainty: ‘’According to the Lord’s own word…’’ (15). We are building on Rock when we construct our lives on Christ’s Word (Matthew 7:24-27). If we know the truth it will set us free.
  • They remind us that Jesus both died and rose again, and that our future hope is based on this concrete fact (14; 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Colossians 1:18). We can expect to rise again if we are ‘’in’’ This truth is our anchor.
  • There is the inference (14b) that believers who have died are with Jesus, even though their bodies are yet to rise from the grave (Philippians 1:21, 23).
  • They assure us that there will be a physical resurrection for fellow-believers who have died (16).
  • They tell us that both they, and Christians still alive at the time of Christ’s coming, will share the same destiny, which is to ‘’be with the Lord forever.’’ (17b).
  • They speak of a reunion. Although for a time we will be parted by death, one day we will be ‘’together’’ (17) again. The word translated ‘’caught up’’ is a particularly strong one meaning ‘to seize hastily’, ‘to rob with violence’, to draw to oneself by swift, sudden movement (see Acts 23:10 where the same Greek word is used.) A magnet will attract something if it is the right material. There can be no doubting the sheer magnetism of Jesus, and His power to draw to Himself, at His coming, all those who are His.

Reading between the lines, some of the Christians in Thessalonica had already died since Paul and his colleagues left town. The church had somehow got a message to Paul (perhaps they had written to him?) and they wanted to know if those believers who had passed away would suffer any disadvantage over others still alive at the time of the second coming. As someone said, Paul’s reply was, ‘Not at all. Jesus will come down from heaven. There’ll be enough noise to wake the dead!! They will get the front seats, and the rest of us will fill up the rows behind.’ All of these truths taken together mean that we don’t have to ‘’grieve like the rest of men who have no hope’’ (13b). Yes there will be tears and the pain of parting, but we have a bright light shining in our ‘valley of the shadow’ (Isaiah 9:2).

Although we do not have the answer to every question, we do know that one day Jesus will return to planet earth, and it will be the destiny of all true believers to be with Him (and each other) for always. Can you look forward to this? Is your trust in Jesus?

Prayer: Thank you Lord for unveiling enough of the glorious future you are preparing to whet our appetites.

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