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Daily Bible thoughts 977: Monday 26th October 2015: 1 Timothy 1: 18-20: Shipwrecks.

 1 Timothy 1: 18-20: Shipwrecks. (click here for todays Bible passage)

When a shipwreck occurs valuables are lost or plundered. It is sadly possible to ‘shipwreck’ your faith. You can probably think of those you know who have done just that to themselves. Paul mentions two known to him (20) who were currently on the rocks. (But he still had hopes of their being salvaged, and I will return to the point later.)

However this short passage points out 2 clear ways of remaining on course; staying afloat on the high seas of faith:

  1. Hold on to ‘’faith’’ (19a). Always remember that there is a ‘’thief’’ who ‘’comes only to steal and kill and destroy’’ (John 10:10). He wants to take this precious cargo from out of your ‘hold’;
  2. Hold on to ‘’a good conscience’’ (19a). The ‘thief’ has also set his sights on seizing this oh so valuable commodity.

We need to keep right on trusting in the right Person (Jesus) and believing correct doctrine. (We should also hold on to prophetic ‘words’ which we have good reason to believe are genuine. See 18) Linked to this, we are to go on living the right way. Part of this right living is getting on with what God has called us to do, just like Timothy did, even though it may not necessarily be easy (18a). This is about calling and vocation; not just about moral conduct.

But we do these things with our eyes wide open. We are not naïve (or shouldn’t be) about the true nature of things. We know that we’re in a furious fight. It’s a fight all the way; a battle to the end of our days. But it is ‘’the good fight’’ (18b). It’s in a good cause. It’s a fight for right against wrong. And the God who is good is ‘’for us’’ so ‘’who can be against us?’’ (Romans 8:31).

‘’There are some, you know, who by relaxing their grip and thinking anything goes have made a thorough mess of their faith. Hymenaeus and Alexander are two of them. I let them wander off to Satan to be taught a lesson or two about not blaspheming.’’ The Message.

In the mention of ‘’Hymenaeus and Alexander’’ who shipwrecked their faith, there is an intriguing note about Paul handing them ‘’over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.’’ This is generally taken to refer to excommunication. They were put out of the church into the world, which is Satan’s domain. But there is an implicit note of hope that this disciplinary measure will be corrective; that they will be ‘’taught not to blaspheme’’. Spiritual casualties can be healed and restored; the shipwrecked may one day find the wind of the Spirit in their once again unfurled sails. Me must hope and pray it will be so in a number of cases known to us.

Prayer: Pray today for those you know who have shipwrecked their faith.

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Daily Bible thoughts 996: Friday 23rd October 2015: 1 Timothy 1:12-17: My story

 1 Timothy 1:12-17: My story (Click for todays Bible passage)

Paul wanted to encourage Timothy in his difficult assignment in Ephesus, and he let him know how highly he regarded his own calling to serve. It was an inestimable blessing and privilege (12).

Paul was quick to give his testimony and glorify the ‘’only God’’ who saved him (17). He recognised that he was undeserving and he overflowed with thankfulness. He had no reason to boast. The passage opens with these words, ‘’I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus…’’ The Message. This is where we need to live our lives, in a place of humble, adoring gratitude, low at the feet of Jesus, prostrate before the throne of God. Paul recognised that the very ‘’faith and love’’ he possessed (faith to trust Christ, and love for Him and His church) were sheer gifts (14). He was not a ‘self-made’ Christian. No one is or ever could be. ‘’Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me. And all because of Jesus.’’ The Message.

The central verse in this section, the pivot on which everything turns, is surely (15).’’Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. I’m proof – Public Sinner Number One – of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy.’’ The Message. ’ Paul had come to ‘fully accept’ this ‘’trustworthy’’ truth, as the ‘New International Version’ of the Bible puts it, and it had changed his life. It was the heart of ‘’the glorious gospel of the blessed God’’ (11) which had been entrusted to Paul. This was his message (1 Corinthians 2:2). (By the way, the word ‘’glorious’’ in that verse can refer to the content of the gospel, or to the One who gave it, i.e. God Himself. In the context the second possibility seems to fit better.)

Paul recognised that his rescue by God, through His Son Jesus, was because of ‘’mercy’’ (13, 16) and ‘’grace’’ (14). He was struck by the abundance of God’s provision. It’s been pointed out that God in His grace gives us what we don’t deserve (salvation); and in His mercy He does not give us what we do deserve (punishment and eternal judgment). Twice Paul says, ‘’I was shown mercy…’’ He knew that but for this generosity of God everything would be up for him. But God’s mercy took into account that Paul (then Saul) didn’t fully know what he was doing in his violent and murderous former life (13). ‘’…I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing – didn’t know Who I was doing it against!’’ The Message.

And so Paul became, you might say, ‘Exhibit A’ of the gracious and merciful saving work of God (16). ‘’And now he shows me off – evidence of his endless patience – to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.’’ The Message. If God could save Saul of Tarsus, whose life could He not turn around.

In a sense, Paul’s story is also every Christian’s. The details of our lives may differ, but none of us could be saved apart from the mercy and grace of God. And He does not hold the details of our past lives against us when we are in Christ. Our place is with Paul, on the ground before the shining throne of God. The cross spells the death of all pride. It is not fitting before Calvary love. Paul never forgot the wonder of God’s choice of him. It will do us all good to lie and soak in this ‘bath’ of Paul’s testimony.

Prayer: Lord, may I never lose the wonder of your precious love for me.

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Daily Bible thoughts 995: Thursday 22nd October 2015: 1 Timothy 1:1-11: ‘’Bypath meadow’’

 1 Timothy 1:1-11: ‘’Bypath meadow’’ (please click here for todays Bible passage)

Have you noticed how some Christians always seem to want to pull away from the central core of truth? They are fascinated by what lies at the edges; captivated by what is on the fringe, and beyond. They major on minors. They love speculation. They like to have lengthy conversations about matters about which, frankly, no one can know with certainty this side of heaven. It’s ‘’meaningless talk’’ and ‘’they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm’’ (7). Let it be said that false teaching lies in that direction, and if you get away from the centre you will be in danger of crossing the border into heresy. It is better to keep to the highway of certainty and avoid ‘bypath meadow’. But some believers do love to ‘’wander off into cul-de-sacs…’’ The Message.

Something like this was happening in Ephesus and Paul left Timothy there to sort it out (3). Timothy and Titus have been characterised as ‘’timid Timothy and tough Titus.’’ That might be a slight exaggeration, but reading between the lines it seems Timothy may have been a bit more diffident by nature. Yet he was the one Paul left in Ephesus. Facing the challenge no doubt helped the younger man to grow. Some responsibilities may seem onerous, but remember that responsibility is our response to God’s ability.

In his introduction to the so-called ‘pastoral epistles’ of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, Eugene Peterson writes: ‘’The best leadership in spiritual communities formed in the name of Jesus, the Messiah, is inconspicuous, not calling attention to itself but not sacrificing anything in the way of conviction and firmness either.’’ So Paul said to Timothy, ‘’Stay right there on top of things so that the teaching stays on track. Apparently some people have been introducing fantasy stories and fanciful family trees that digress into silliness instead of pulling people back into the centre, deepening faith and obedience.’’ The Message.

The teaching ministry in the church is so important. Truth is vital. The pulpit must be guarded. A genuine Biblical ministry, sticking to what the Bible says, does not ‘’promote’’ controversy (4). Rather it builds consecration. It constantly calls believers back to the central things.The fruit of an authentic Bible teaching ministry lies in the transformation of character. God ‘works’ through His Word and by His Spirit to change people. Such preaching stimulates:

  • ‘’sincere faith’’ (5; 4b);
  • ‘’love’’ (5);
  • Purity of heart (5);
  • A clean conscience (5);
  • Holiness of life (8-11) – note in these verses that there is a life that is in conformity with ‘’the glorious gospel of the blessed God’’ (11), and Paul saw his ministry of this good news as a sacred trust. It didn’t belong to him, but was placed into his hands by God to steward well.

I knew a man who left one church group in a city for another. The reason he gave for moving on was quite simple. These people, he said, had got ‘’off centre’’. This is tragically possible. Let’s keep the main things the main things! And may God help us to do so.

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Luke 1:26-38: Written into God’s story: Daily Bible thoughts 994: Wednesday 21st October 2015:

 Luke 1:26-38: Written into God’s story (please click here for todays Bible passage)

I want to be part of a story God is writing. I don’t want to be working at some man-made project, however grandiose, and be able to boast about what ‘we’ are doing, and how successful we are. I realise that men can build ‘Babel’s’ that look impressive to other men, and to themselves, but they cut no ice with God (Genesis 11:1-9).

So, no, I don’t want any part in that, but I do so want to have a place in God’s story. It regularly involves ordinary and unlikely people. It often has relatively obscure and hidden beginnings in humble places. But it is always a story of real Holy Spirit power at work to bring Jesus into the world, and to change it by glorifying Him.

This is the story I would like to find myself in. I don’t want to write it myself; my desire is to be written in.

If God can hear from me the same words He heard from Mary, I too can have a role in history’s greatest work of non-fiction: ‘’I belong to the Lord, body and soul, let it happen as you say.’’ (38; see Romans 12:1, 2). ‘’And at this the angel left her’’, it says. No wonder. He had heard what he needed to hear; or rather what the Lord needed to hear. That was the required response.

To my mind, the challenge of this familiar story is about submission. Am I willing to have my plans altered, my life changed, by a Word from God? Am I willing for Jesus to fill me, to grow in me, to dominate my life from this point on (if I haven’t come to that place as yet)?

There are obvious parallels between the first story in (5-25) and this one, but it is important to understand that Mary’s question in (34) was not about unbelief. It was a technicality: ‘’But how? I’ve never slept with a man.’’ The Message. However big the mountains are, they can be moved when the Holy Spirit is on the job (35-37). That is one reason why God’s stories are the best!

Prayer: Lord God, may it be that my life is all about you, and not about me.

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Daily Bible thoughts 993: Tuesday 20th October 2015: Jeremiah 19: The point of no return.

 Jeremiah 19: The point of no return.(please click here for todays Bible passage)

‘’They’re set in their ways and won’t budge. They refuse to do a thing I say.’’ (15b) The Message.

In this tragic chapter, Jeremiah is told to ‘’buy a clay jar from a potter’’ (1) and then break it in the presence of Judah’s leaders (10) as a sign of the coming destruction of Judah and Jerusalem. On this occasion, someone pointed out, he went to the potter’s not as a spectator but as a customer. There is an important difference between the ‘’clay jar’’ of this chapter and the ‘’marred ‘’ pot of the previous chapter (18:4). That was still pliable and could be remoulded; but here the jar was so hardened it could not be remade. There is a time when people can still repent of their sins, but in chapter 19 we have gone beyond that, and we need to remember that in sinning it is possible to reach a point of no return. For Judah it was now too late to be reshaped. The breaking of the clay pot showed that judgment was irrevocable. It was a powerful, ‘shattering’ image, and it spoke volumes. ‘’I’ll smash this people and this city like a man who smashes a clay pot into so many pieces it can never be put together again.’’ The Message. ‘’People with hard hearts and stiff necks (19-15) may be easily broken.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.510.

What was going on here? What had led to such devastation as described in this chapter?

They forsook God (4): That was the root of the problem. They left God behind; or rather they ‘’exchanged’’ Him (Romans 1:23) for other vile gods who demanded despicable things from them (5, 13).

They forsook God’s Word (5): Rejecting God and rejecting His Word are two sides of the same coin. It is tantamount to self-destruction ultimately.

They filled the city with innocent blood (4b): What kind of religion would demand that children be sacrificed in the fire (4, 5)? What sort of gods would desire such a thing? The law absolutely forbade child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21: God foresaw that they would face both the temptation and the opportunity), and King Josiah had tried to put an end to it (2 Kings 23:10; see 21:16 – it was particularly rife in Manasseh’s reign); however the practice started up again after Josiah’s death. We are surely not shocked or surprised that terrible judgment fell on such evil behaviour? So, as a result of all this:

They were going to fall (7; see also 7:30-34): We may make our plans but they are not guaranteed to succeed. Even if they do, we need to realise that the Lord can ‘’ruin’’ them. Any plans we make which are not God-centred are doomed to ultimate failure, and we may find we are the sad recipients of what we did not plan.

‘’We have the spiritual treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor.4:7) so that we might share it with others. A vessel does not manufacture; it only contains and shares. All God asks is that we are clean, empty, and available. He will do the rest.’’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.510.

We need to understand that if we keep resisting God’s Word, and rejecting His Son Jesus, there will come a point where we are unable to turn.

Prayer: O Merciful God, give me grace to repent while there is still time.

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Daily Bible thoughts, Psalm 119: 41:48: Monday October 19th

Psalm 119:41-48: True freedom ( please click here for today’s Bible passage)
‘’Testimony requires the context of an obedient life (44), a life which demonstrates the true freedom which obedience brings (45)’’ J.A. Motyer, ‘The New Bible Commentary’, p.568.
True freedom is not the licence to do anything you want; it is the liberty to become the person God made you to be. It is not about doing what you want to do, but living the way God calls you to (45). People who are committed to knowing and doing the will of God find they have the ‘’freedom’’ to become everything they were meant to be.
The believer is the freest person in the universe. He or she is:
• Free to trust in God’s promises (41b/42b): Sometimes it is hard to live by faith; in fact, it regularly is. But Christians are set free to do this. They carry with them the chequebook of the bank of heaven, and they use it. These cheques do not ‘bounce’!
• Free to answer persecutors (42): They know what to say, when to say it, and they have the courage to do so. There is a time to be silent, but there is very definitely a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:7b)
• Free to witness to all kinds of people without embarrassment (46) – even to those in authority: ‘’Then I’ll tell the world what I find, speak out boldly in public, unembarrassed.’’ The Message. (See also Matthew 10:16-26/32,33; Luke 24:12-19).
• Free to love God’s Word (47, 48): ‘’I cherish your commandments – oh, how I love them! – relishing every fragment of your counsel.’’ The Message. Can you say that you love your Bible? Is it your most treasured possession?’’…the mouth that speaks the word (42, 43) and the life that exemplifies it (44-46) must arise from a heart that loves it.’’J.A. Motyer: ‘The New Bible Commentary, p.568.
Here are just one or two aspects of a Christian’s freedom. It is not as the world knows it. In popular understanding, freedom is being able to do just what you want with your life. In truth that is permission to drive your life recklessly down the highway of life at 180 miles per hour and experience the consequences. They will not be pretty, for you or for others!
Prayer: Thank you Lord for the freedom we find in you.

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Daily Bible thoughts 991: Friday 16th October 2015: Luke 1:1-25: John, a child prayed for.

 Luke 1:1-25: John, a child prayed for.(please click here for today’s Bible passage)
Luke was a gentile doctor, ‘a man with a scientific turn of mind’ as someone put it, and he wrote a two volume history of the beginnings of Christianity that we know as ‘Luke’ and ‘Acts’. It is interesting that these two books, so full of miraculous occurrences, should be written by a ‘scientist’. This opening chapter of the fourth gospel shows continuity with the Jewish Old Testament; we recognise that we are in an unfolding story. But it also emphasises factuality and reliability. I am stirred to think of the effort Luke put in to communicate the truth of Christianity to, it seems, just one man, ‘’Theophilus’’, who, it is thought, was probably a high ranking Roman official, and a ‘seeker’. Bill Hybels has repeatedly said, ‘’Lost people matter to God.’’ They should also matter to us, and they are worth every effort to reach them. (N.B. At one time, it was fashionable amongst scholars to dismiss the historicity of Luke. Then an archaeologist called William Ramsay came along, and he discovered that on point after point Luke was right!)
This opening story is a very human one, full of pathos. Zechariah and Elizabeth were good and godly people, but there was sadness in their lives. (Somebody said that we should be gentle with everyone we meet because all people have some area of pain somewhere.) Being a believer, and faithful to God, is not an inoculation against trouble. Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless, and barrenness, for a woman, was regarded as a great disgrace in that culture (25). But, as someone pointed out to me, you are never too old to be blessed by God. The Lord doesn’t just use young people.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed about their situation. That much is clear (13). How long had they prayed? How desperately and persistently has they prayed? I don’t know. But this much I can see, through their prayers God did far more than they could ask or imagine. In God’s time, not only did they get a baby boy, but they discovered that he was to be the long promised ‘forerunner’ of the Messiah. Wow! ‘’He will be one of God’s great men.’’ (15) J.B. Phillips. Prayer is one of the major themes in Luke/Acts, and as we work our way through the gospel we are going to encounter the teaching of Jesus about persistence in prayer. Zechariah and Elizabeth show that such prayer is powerful.
But, when Zechariah was told that his prayer was answered, he was an unbelieving believer (18-20). However, I find I cannot point the finger for all too often I am just like this. ‘Peter’ is at the door. I have been praying fervently for ‘Peter’, along with others; praying that somehow he will get out of ‘prison’; praying for a miracle. Then when I find him at the door I can’t believe it (Acts 12:12-16).
When Zechariah heard what great blessing was to come to his door, he didn’t get above himself. He wasn’t puffed up with pride. He just humbly carried on his service (23-25), and went home and played his part in the miracle. It was no less a supernatural work of God, but the Lord looks for men and women who will fully cooperate with Him. And so there was great joy and gladness in this prayer-filled home.
Here is one final thought for today: ‘’The crowded congregation outside was praying at the actual time of the incense-burning.’’ (10). J.B. Phillips. It is important that we pray for ‘ministers’ and services, and it’s great if that praying can happen at the time the ministry is being given. Our God answers prayer. Never doubt it. Be encouraged today. And don’t stop praying for your children, even though they may now be fully grown. Let them always be children prayed for.

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Daily Bible thoughts 990: Thursday 15th October 2015: 2 Thessalonians 3: The dignity of work.

 2 Thessalonians 3: The dignity of work.(please click here for todays Bible passage)

There are two outstanding themes in this final chapter of 2 Thessalonians: prayer and work. In truth, these things belong together. Some people are such activists that they have little place for prayer in their frantic schedules; others are great mystics but do little more than contemplate. Remarkable things happen, though, when we wed the two; when we work like it all depends on us, and pray like it all depends on God.

A number of prayers are scattered through the Thessalonian letters. Chapter three opens with a request for prayer from Paul, but moves seamlessly into a prayer from him for his readers. This is such a great prayer request for the triumph of the gospel: ‘’Pray that the Master’s Word will simply take off and race through the country to a groundswell of response, just as it did among you.’’ The Message. The picture painted in (1) is like that of a victorious athlete. Yes, let’s pray indeed for the success of the gospel. At the same time, we understand that the supernatural ‘’love’’ and ‘’perseverance’’ it takes to live the Christian life is given by God alone. We can’t work it up; it comes down as a gift. It must be prayed for (5).

Paul had taught the new Christians in Thessalonica a lot about the second coming of Jesus. Some of them had drawn wrong conclusions from his teaching. They had downed tools, packed their suitcases, and were sat twiddling their thumbs in the departure lounge. But Paul was not having any of that. Such people get into mischief. In Paul’s great words: ‘’They are not busy: they are busybodies’’ (11) For him, idleness was a sin. He and his colleagues had modelled the virtue of labour when they were in Thessalonica. ‘’We showed you how to pull your weight when we were with you…We simply wanted to provide an example of diligence, hoping it would prove contagious.’’ The Message. Although they had the right to support, they waived their rights so as to be examples to the new Christians. Paul took a hard line, and said that lazy Christians should be ostracised (14, 15). But this was not cruelty. It was disciplinary action aimed to bring the wayward children to their senses. ‘’…refuse to have anything to do with those among you who are lazy and refuse to work the way we told you. Don’t permit them to freeload on the rest…refuse to subsidise his freeloading…But don’t treat him as an enemy. Sit down and talk about the problem as someone who cares.’’ The Message.

Too many Christians have made the same mistake through the years. There are those who become highly speculative and mystical when they think about the second advent of Christ, and they withdraw from the world. But a proper view of the future will actually help us to live productive lives in this world in the present. We will roll up our sleeves and make a distinctive contribution to society if we believe Jesus is coming back.

May we who believe in Jesus go into the world each day and work prayerfully, seeking to make it a better place now, whilst knowing that its perfection awaits the return of our Lord.

As we come to the end of Thessalonians, this is my prayer for you: ‘’Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.’’ (16)

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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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