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Daily Bible thoughts 1001: Friday 30th October 2015: Luke 1:39-56: Host to a miracle.

 Luke 1:39-56: Host to a miracle.(please click here for todays Bible passage)

As we read these early chapters of Luke’s gospel it is good to remember that the doctor probably had the opportunity to interview Mary at some point, when he was on his travels with Paul.

Mary and Elizabeth’s lives were intertwined by blood; now they would be knitted even closer together through their sons, and the intersecting missions of these boys. When Mary and Elizabeth met, the older woman surely had prophetic insight (41-45). It must have been a thrilling confirmation for young Mary. This encounter between the two chosen women sort of reminds me of when you meet up with another Christian and your heart just leaps; you’ve got something so special in common.

We see so many wonderful qualities in Mary:

  • Belief in God’s promises (45; compare with 20). This is how we are to live the Christian life; trusting in every promise of His Word.
  • A worshipful spirit (46, 47). The whole song of Mary (46-55) has the focus on ‘’Him’’/ ‘’He’’. This is surely a mark of the Holy Spirit’s fullness. David Pawson told a story about hearing a young ‘Salvation Army’ girl give her testimony in an open air service. He said that she never once spoke about herself; all that she said was about Jesus. He added that he did not believe that this was a conscious decision; she was just so full of the Holy Spirit that she overflowed with Jesus.
  • Humility (48). She knew that she would be famous, but probably had little idea of how well known she would become. However there was nothing boastful about her. I’m grateful to my wife, Jilly, for the insight that Mary was willing to serve. Elizabeth needed Mary. In the last three months of her pregnancy she would benefit from the help of the younger woman. God showed His care for her through Mary. Mary was not full of pride, but full of wonder, love, service and meekness; full of Jesus. True greatness takes the form of a servant (John 13; Philippians 2:1-11). The central verses in this song illustrate the point that God’s Kingdom is the ‘Upside down Kingdom’. Mary and Elizabeth and Zechariah were illustrative of the truth that God reaches down into obscurity to lift up the ‘nobodies’.
  • Knowledge of God’s Word and purposes (54, 55). Again we see continuity with the Old Testament.

Mary knew that she was playing ‘host’ to a miracle. She would not be carrying this baby apart from the mysterious and wonderful work of God within her. Her response was one of humble, adoring thanks for this ‘surprise’. Today I feel the challenge of always thanking God for His surprising blessings; not taking them for granted or thinking I somehow deserve them. It is also important to remember that although God blesses us for our good; it is always for His glory.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for your goodness to me

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Daily Bible thoughts 970: Thursday 17th September 2015: 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10: Pay back.

 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10: Pay back.(please click here for todays message)

‘’God is just…’’ (6a). You may not want to hear that. You may prefer it if I say ‘’God is love’’ (1 John 4:16). Both statements are in fact true of God. His love is seen especially in that He has made a way for us to be forgiven through Jesus. But if we reject His way we will keep our sins and we will experience His justice (8). If we refuse ‘’the gospel’’ – the good news of Jesus, then we will be left facing the bad news of eternal punishment. The offer of the gospel is addressed to the human will and it can be declined (8). There has to be a response of faith (10b).This passage could hardly be clearer in spelling out the results of such rejection.

At least three things stand out here:

  • God will ‘’pay back trouble’’ to the church’s troublers (6). The apparent triumph of the persecutors is but for a season. ‘’You’re suffering now, but justice is on the way. When the Master Jesus comes out of heaven in a blaze of fire with his strong angels, he’ll even up the score by settling accounts with those who gave you such a bad time.’’ The Message. (See also Isaiah 66:15, 16; Matthew 13:40-43; Luke 3:17).
  • God will ‘’give relief’’ to His suffering people, and to all who care about them (7).
  • Those who do not want Him will not have Him: ‘’Those who refuse to know God and refuse to obey the Master will pay for what they’ve done. Eternal exile from the presence of the Master and his splendid power is their sentence.’’ The Message. To my mind (9) expresses the essence of Hell. Those who do not want God’s company/companionship in this life will not have it in the next. As Jim Packer notes in his fine book, ‘Knowing God’, ultimately all that the Lord will do in judgment will be to underline the choices we have already made. Surely no-one can read the words in 2 Thessalonians and not see that there is going to be a day of division, of separation in the universe. Not everyone will get to live with Christ in heaven because many have made it clear they do not want Him. We will not all live ‘’happily ever after.’’

As someone said, ‘’We make our choices, and then our choices turn around and make us.’’

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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 967: Monday 14th September 2015: Jeremiah 16: Some further thoughts.

Jeremiah 16: Some further thoughts.(please click here for todays notes)

Here are some further observations on this chapter:

  • Verse 5 contains a warning for the church today. Think about the letters to the seven churches in the book of ‘Revelation’. ‘Lights’ can go out. ‘Candles’ can be extinguished. God can withdraw His blessing. Someone made the point that the local church is never more than a generation away from extinction. We can’t just live how we please and think that all will be well. God, in His patience, may well give us time to repent, but the time will not be infinite. A day will come when it is too late to change.
  • See once again that a note of hope is embedded within a message of severe judgment (14, 15). Jeremiah was enabled to see that there was going to be a second and greater ‘exodus’. In future days people would see the deliverance from Babylonian as the supreme example of God’s power in Israel’s history – even more than ‘the great escape’ from Egypt. (There is a repeated theme in this book that God will not destroy his people ‘’completely’’ : 4:27; 5:10, 18; 30:11; 46:28; see Psalm 94:14; Romans 11:1-5). When Jeremiah wrote, God’s revelation was not complete. Jesus, God’s final Word to mankind had not yet come. We now know that the supreme demonstration of God’s delivering power in human history was displayed at the cross where Jesus died for our sins.
  • Nothing is hidden from God (16-18; see 17:10). We are well and truly ‘bugged’. Jesus has ‘X-Ray vision (Revelation 1:14b).
  • Essentially, what God does in judgment is to give people what they have chosen (13). They would be where there hearts were – with their gods in the land of their gods. “When you tell this to the people and they ask, ‘Why is God talking this way, threatening us with all these calamities? We’re not criminals, after all. What have we done to our God to be treated like this?’ tell them this: ‘It’s because your ancestors left me, walked off and never looked back. They took up with the no-gods, worshiped and doted on them, and ignored me and wouldn’t do a thing I told them. And you’re even worse! Take a good look in the mirror—each of you doing whatever you want, whenever you want, refusing to pay attention to me. And for this I’m getting rid of you, throwing you out in the cold, into a far and strange country. You can worship your precious no-gods there to your heart’s content. Rest assured, I won’t bother you anymore.’ ’’ The Message.

Beware of what you set your heart on, for it will surely be yours!

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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 965: Thursday 10th September 2015: Psalm 119: 25-32: Watch where you run (Part 2).

 Psalm 119: 25-32: Watch where you run (Part 2).(please click her for todays notes)

Some years ago we had a guest preacher visit our church and in one message he declared, ‘I want to be Bible man!’ I’ve never forgotten those words. That was the determination of the psalmist also. In yesterday’s reading, we considered how this passage shows the renewing power of God’s Word (25), the strengthening power of God’s Word (28) and the keeping power of God’s Word (29). But to experience all of this, there has to be a definite commitment, on our part, to the Bible.

We must:

Choose it (30a): There is a definite choice to be made in order to become ‘Bible man’ or ‘Bible woman’. We must choose to have God’s Word at the very core of our lives; we won’t drift into such a commitment. But it’s one a believer can make because of God’s work in his ‘’heart’’, setting him ‘’free’’ for the life of obedience (32b).

Set our hearts on it (30b; see also Colossians 3:1): Within this there is a recognition that we must look to the Divine Author of Scripture for understanding (26b, 27). ‘’There is a heavenly wisdom, which can only be acquired from the lips of the Greatest of Teachers, at whose feet Mary sat.’’ F.B.Meyer.

Hold fast to it (31a): Meditation (27b) helps us to do just this. ‘’I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me…’’ Meditation helps you to ‘keep’ whatever it is that you are learning in your reading of the Bible. Yesterday we thought a little about George Muller and the place God’s Word had in his life. He saw it as his first duty each morning to ensure that his soul was supremely happy in God. For him, that meant starting the day meditating on the Scriptures, and then he turned those meditations into prayers.

Run in it (32a): Yesterday morning I left my home around 6 a.m. and ran along a clearly marked path by the River Wharfe in Boston Spa. That’s an image I have in my mind as I read (32a) – something of the joy and freedom, as well as the effort and discipline of running. But the run takes place on a path I have not made. I get the sense, in this psalm, of someone who delights to be out on these well-travelled paths. It’s not drudgery to him.

As ever, Alec Motyer has some insightful comments on the passage before us: ‘’Humiliation (25), weariness (28), temptation (29), potential disappointments (31) are all part of life. Things ‘get us down’ (25, ‘My soul cleaves to the dust’), life becomes too much (28, ‘My soul is sleepless with depression’). But more than anything else, the time of trouble is to be a time of prayer. These eight verses contain seven prayers…The time of trouble is also a time of special commitment, to fix the mind on his wonderful word (27), to choose and set the heart on his truth (30), to meet trouble with obedience (31, ‘I cleave to your statutes’), to make the effort, (‘I will run’). But the time of trouble is also a time of rest, for God will always be true to his word (25b, 28b, 29b better ‘in accordance with your law’). ‘New Bible Commentary’, p.567.

Prayer: ‘’My sad life’s dilapidated, a falling-down barn; build me up again by your Word.’’ The Message (Verse 28).

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Daily Bible thoughts 963: Tuesday 8th September 2015: 1 Thessalonians 5: Living in the future tense (Part 2).

1 Thessalonians 5: Living in the future tense (Part 2).(please click here for todays passage)

The film, ‘Marvellous’, captures something of the wonderful story of Neil ‘Nello’ Baldwin, who became kit man at Stoke City in the era when Lou Macari was manager. It’s a drama which truly deserves the epithet ‘heart-warming’. On reading (16) I thought about Neil and a comment his character makes in the film: ‘’I wanted to be ‘appy so I decided I would be!’’

We’re continuing to look at some of Paul’s practical injunctions set in the context of living in the light of Christ’s return. Here are some further points:

Live joyfully (16): Joy is a choice. Neil Baldwin was right. You can’t always choose your circumstances but you can select your attitudes. Living joyfully is very much about being a thankful person (18) – someone who counts their blessings rather than continually obsesses over their burdens. It is also about living to serve others (see 15). If you live for others you will almost certainly run into joy as a by-product. ‘’Get along among yourselves, each of you doing your part…Gently encourage the stragglers, and reach out for the exhausted, pulling them to their feet. Be patient with each person, attentive to individual needs. And be careful that when you get on each other’s nerves you don’t snap at each other. Look for the best in each other, and always do your best to bring it out.’’ (13b-15) The Message. Good, healthy relationships are a key to joy-filled living.

Live prayerfully (17): This is not about always saying prayers, but living in a spirit of prayer. We need to be prayed for (25), and we need to pray for others (23-25). ‘’Friends, keep up your prayers for us.’’ The Message.

Live thankfully (18): As I have already begun to intimate, I see these three exhortations as being interlinked. A prayerful person who is learning to give thanks ‘’in all circumstances’’ will also be coming to understand the secret of joy. In fact, it is no secret. This is out in the open. There is a further dimension to this life of joy and it comes next:

Live with openness to the Holy Spirit (19-22): But do this with discerning wisdom. ‘’Don’t suppress the Spirit, and don’t stifle those who have a word from the Master. On the other hand, don’t be gullible.’’ The Message.

To be able to live out the wonderfully practical instructions in this closing section of 1 Thessalonians, we will need the ‘’grace of our Lord Jesus Christ’’ (28). It is ours in abundance.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you make possible what you insist on.

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Daily Bible thoughts 962: Monday 7th September 2015: 1 Thessalonians 5: Living in the future tense.

1 Thessalonians 5: Living in the future tense.(please click here for todays notes)

Today and tomorrow we will look at some down to earth, practical implications of believing in the second coming of Christ. Many get carried away with speculation. By and large I believe they are missing the point. Belief in the Second Advent should affect our ordinary everyday lives right now. Here are some points to consider:

Be alert (4-9; Luke 9:32): We are to stay spiritually awake. William James said, ‘’Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake.’’ (Think about Jesus’ teaching in the gospels about faithfully carrying on with the work we’ve been given to do. For example see Matthew 24:32-44).

Be people of faith, love and hope (see 1:3): As we saw previously, these are the ‘credentials’ of genuine Christian experience. Keep trusting in Jesus; keep on loving God and others and holding on to the revealed truth about your glorious future prepared by the Lord.

Be good congregational members (12, 13a): As far as it depends on you, make it as easy as you can for your leaders to do their often difficult work. Be a fellowship of encouragement, warning, caring, patience, forgiveness and goodness. There is such a lot encapsulated in a few short lines (14, 15). Each statement in this ‘rapid fire’ series of final exhortations is (and I know I am mixing my metaphors) like a sweet to be sucked and savoured. Every word matters.

Live in harmony with one another (13b): You probably have little idea just how much this will bless your leaders. It’s one way you can help them. I once read an article in ‘Time’ magazine about President Ronald Reagan. It said that he was such an affable guy, he hated it when there was in-fighting and squabbling among his staff. At the time that very much resonated with me because I was aware of the pain of having one or two people in my congregation who struggled to get on with each other – at least some of the time. Church leaders hurt when those they serve hurt each other. Remember this, and aim to live in peace. But do it not primarily for the sake of your leaders, but because God Himself calls you to such a life, and makes it possible.

Prayer: Lord God may my everyday life exhibit the truth that I belong to another Kingdom and that I am awaiting the coming of that Kingdom in all its fullness.

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Daily Bible thoughts 961: Friday 4th September 2015: 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: On tiptoe of expectancy.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-11: On tiptoe of expectancy.(please click here for todays notes)

I heard a preacher tell a story about how he and his wife had been burgled, sadly not for the first time I think. He said, ‘Wouldn’t it have been nice if those thieves had popped round the day before, saying that they’d be calling the next day, and giving some idea of their time of arrival? We’d have been there to welcome them. We’d have had the kettle on…!’ Point taken. Burglars don’t operate in such a convenient manner.

I remember a quiet Wednesday afternoon some years ago. I had only been out of the house for a short time, collecting my daughter from her primary school. On returning home, I discovered that we had been visited by some criminals (or a criminal). Up until then it had been a peaceful day off! Now our quiet day was dramatically disturbed. It was totally unexpected. We were not ready for our uninvited ‘visitors’.

Paul says that the ‘’day of the Lord’’ will come unexpectedly ‘’like a thief in the night’’ (2) as far as unbelievers are concerned. It will take them by surprise. It will be a day of judgment (9).

But this will not be the case for believers. We belong to ‘’the day’’ and to ‘’the light’’ (5). We have the revelation of God’s Word. ‘’We do not belong to the night or to the darkness’’ (5b). So then we should be different to the rest of the people in the world. We’re in the know. We are aware of what is going to happen – at least to some degree (Luke 21:25-28).

The world will be caught by surprise, but believers should be on the tiptoe of expectancy.

(By the way, note that verses 10, 11 sum up 4:13-18).

If we believe that Jesus is going to come back to this world, this conviction will have some extremely practical implications for our lives now. Paul spells some of them out in 1 Thessalonians 5, and we will go on to consider them in the next couple of studies.

Prayer: Lord, help me to live as a ‘son of the day’ and make the most of the light you have given me

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