Thought for the Day

Given that my last post was all about pain and suffering and how un-natural it all is, I thought that this was a very fitting quote that I just read from Billy Graham:

‘Sometimes it takes suffering to make us realize the brevity of life, and the importance of living for Christ. Often God uses suffering to accomplish things in our lives that would otherwise never be achieved.’

If you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed.

1 Peter 3:14 (NKJV)

Not our Home…

Just before I began to write this post tonight a thought struck me and has now affected exactly what I shall say now…

The thought was this: How could this fallen world ever be our home when there is so much pain and hurt within it? God made everything so good in the beginning and we have royally screwed everything up and so we now have to face pain, hurt, tragedy, death. I dont know why often I am so attached to this world and what this world offers because it is not my home, nor the home of any believer, Heaven is!

It is amazing that God hasnt just left us in this mess we have made, but has promised that all who look to the son shall have life and be saved from somewhere far worse than any pain that this world can throw at us. I’m convicted that we need to live our life not for things on this earth but for eternal things because this world will never satisfy us, we should be all out for Jesus because He is the only solid base in this painful world.

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.               Colossians 3:1-4

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.          James 4:13-15

As for man, his days are like grass,
he flourishes like a flower of the field;

the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children-

with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.                        Psalm 103:15-18

Wether life lasts 20 years or 100 years, it is still so very short. At the end of time it wont matter what I have achieved in this short mist of a life, but rather who I know and what my Wonderful Saviour has done for me, for you aswell if you should choose to trust Him.

Life…

So I realised that I havent really been blogging much at all recently, I have found that things have been so busy that I havent really had the time.

Work still continues much the same, although I am now just doing 4 days a week as on Thursdays I am doing the South Downs Ministry Training Course which is run by the Sussex Gospel Partnership which has been really great so far. We do a bible overview in the morning followed by an exposition and then have practical groups looking at how to lead bible studies etc. New Testament Greek in the afternoon is a challenge though!

It seems strange that it is already the middle of October! In two months it will be Christmas again!

One thing I have been trying to drill in recently is that it is totally by grace that I am saved, I can do absolutely nothing to contribute to my salvation. In his book, You Can Change, Tim Chester says that thinking we can offer something to our salvation is like saying ‘Jesus, I know you said on the cross it is finished but I dont quite think so yet so I am just going to try and do some good things to finish the job.’ I saw more of how insulting to God it is when I try and earn His love.

The love of God is totally undeserved and totally free and will be sufficient for this life and for the eternity that is to follow, I need to remember this every single day as this is the only solid ground on which to build my life.

Majesty

Every now and again I do like to blog about a great song that has had an impact on me recently. One that I have been listening to alot recently has been Majesty by Delirious.

I just think this song has such great lyrics that are such an encouragement to me.

When things are tough and when sin is right at my door it is so important to remember that it is grace that has saved me, through Jesus, and nothing else!

Majesty, Majesty,

Your grace has found me just as I am,

Empty handed but alive in Your hands.

Wisdom for Suffering

I think often that when you hear things from personal experience or you sing songs about the greatness of God it can often arouse a real passion within you about the nature of God.

I feel this with John Piper’s book Job. His aim is just to try and show people what Job’s vision of God was all throughout the time he went through his horrible trials which left him with nothing but breath in his body, and three miserable comforters who only confounded his misery and tried to condemn.

Here are a few of the phrases Piper uses that I think not only apply to Job but to any suffering. These are very wise sayings.

When God creates a humble hush,

And makes Leviathan His brush,

It wont be long before the rod

Becomes the tender kiss of God.

What we have lost God will restore-

That and Himself, forevermore.

When He is finished with His art,

The silent worship of our Heart.

Beware the thought that all is vain.

In time, God’s wisdom will be plain.

Wenger on Jesus?

Its been a topic of hot debate ever since Saturdays game finished – was it a stamp or an accident?

I am pretty convinced having seen all the replays that it definitely was a deliberate stamp on Van Persie, but obviously the only person who really knows is Adebayor. It all ended pretty badly anyway, not just for Van Persie but for Arsenal much to my disappointment being an avid Gooner!

Anyway I just saw a good quote on BBC Sports ‘Quotes of the Week’ page, this from Arsene Wenger after the incident and the match:

“If somebody stamps on your head in that way, you wouldn’t say, ‘thank you very much’ and turn the other cheek. Only Jesus Christ did that.”

It’s quite funny how someone could be trying to think up a way in to talk about the Gospel with someone for a long time and then Wenger, who to my knowledge is not a Christian, comes out with a great one like that! I wonder if Wenger knows why Jesus did turn the other cheek? If not I really hope someone tells him, imagine how great it would be if the Arsenal manager came to know why Jesus turned the other cheek!