Author: Carol Purves

On His Shoulders

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It must be wonderful to be a small child and be lifted up on your father’s shoulders. Instead of being only knee-high to everyone else , suddenly you can see over everyone’s heads. You can see even more than your dad. I always have my heart in my mouth when I see this but obviously the child is very safe as the dad holds on tight and so does the child. I’ve never done it so I wouldn’t know and I don’t remember my father doing it.

It reminds me of a young lad carrying his injured brother. When someone asked if his load was heavy, he replied, ‘He ‘ain’t heavy, he’s my brother.’

God is our Father and Brother, with Him we are completely safe. We are not a heavy load to Him. With Him there is no fear of falling. Not only are we safe with Him, He will also guide us and direct us. On His shoulders we will be able to see the world more clearly and know how to act. To us He is closer then a brother.

I Can’t Stay There

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As we know keeping sheep in Biblical times was very different from how we do shepherding in our own country. In Palestine the shepherd would live with his sheep. By day he would lead them out, go out before them and then find good pasture land for them. By night he would gather them into the sheepfold and actually lay in front of the gate to keep out the many predators.

Although the sheep were safe in the sheepfold they couldn’t stay there for ever. There would not have been enough food there for every sheep. Their legs would become weak through lack of exercise. Their four little legs needed to be used. It was necessary for the dangers of the outside world to be experienced for their own mental health.

We are like those sheep with those same needs to go out and face the dangers of the world We cannot stay in our churches, monasteries or places of safety. Although some of us are called to a cloistered existence, most of us need to be out in the hurly burly of the world. To be effective we need to rub shoulders with the world. We need to be aware of wickedness, wars and waywardness. By the strength given to us by the Lord we can resist evil . How can we be a light to the world unless we see the darkness? At the right time may we leave the sheepfold and be led and guided by our Shepherd.

The Right Hands

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‘I will uphold you with My righteous hand.’ Isaiah 41:10

‘For I am the Lord, your God who takes of your right hand.’ Isaiah 41:13

We often read in the Bible of God being beside us and urging us not to fear. There are pictures and paintings of God walking beside us, protecting us and keeping our enemies from us. Here in Isaiah we notice two images of God’s presence. In verse 10 we read that God is using His right hand to hold us and then in verse 13 we see that God will take told of Our right hand.

As I picture this scene I realise that with our right hands together God must be facing us and looking into our faces. What an extremely strong image, God is looking at me and you face to face. What does He see? Does He see my fear an indecision, does He see my cowardice and faltering ways?

His look into my face can transform me. Instead of fear, indecision and faltering there can be boldness and determination. I can even dare to ask that something of this radience can be transferred on to my face. that I may shine for Him.

‘May the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,

All His compassion and purity.’

Darkness versus Light

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‘Even the darkness will not be darkness to You.’ Psalm 139:13.

There is no hiding from God, even those who don’t believe in Him are fully exposed to His light. He throws a spotlight on our lives and nothing is hidden. Yet what a blessing it is from God that He allows a period of darkness. Our human state couldn’t cope with light all the time. Even those who have to work during the night are allowed a period of rest. But there is no darkness with God. To God darkness is light. He has night vision, with nothing hidden from Him. This also a warning to us that He sees right into our souls.

I have read that the people of North Korea are taught that Kim Jon-un can read their minds, so they mustn’t even think badly about him and his government. Kim Jong-un is actually powerless compared with our God, who does know our thoughts and everything about us. God sees the injustices of the world, He sees the broken-hearted, nothing is hidden from Him. ‘Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I hide from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there, if I make my bed in the depths, You are there.’ Psalm 139:7-8

An Extraordinary Day

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The day started like any other, after a fruitless night fishing Simon Peter was sitting by the seashore mending his nets. Although the catch had been minimal the nets had become snagged and needing mending. His mates, James and John were in the next boat doing the same thing. Gradually they noticed the seashore becoming busier. Crowds were gathering to hear the new young teacher that everyone was talking about, Jesus.

This Jesus then got into Simon’s boat and asked him to pull out a little from the shore. His boat bobbing out on the water made a great pulpit. Everyone could see and hear Him as His voice floated over the waves.

Simon was impressed by what he heard but was surprised when Jesus said, ‘Pull out into the deep water and let down the nets for a catch.’ Simon had to put Him straight. ‘We’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything, but because you say so, I will.’ They then caught so many fish that the nets began to break (more net-mending!) Overcome Simon cried out ‘Away from me Lord, for I am a sinful man.’ Jesus replied ‘Don’t be afraid, from now on you will become fishers of men.’

The day which had started in a normal way became life-changing by the evening.

Parties

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The love of parties is pretty universal, whether its a rowdy one with flashing lights or a more sedate one. I imagine the Israelites enjoyed their parties with their sacrificing and praising God. We know that David did, though his exuberance raised some eyebrows. Jesus also like parties. He was happy to be at the wedding celebration at Cana with his family and disciples.

Jesus told a story about a party, one that was being held to celebrate the return of a lost son. Having spent his father’s inheritance and lived a wayward life, the lad didn’t deserve anything but his father forgave him, welcomed him back and threw a party. Sadly his older brother didn’t want to join in and missed out on all the fun. There are people today who don’t want to join God’s party. They just don’t want to know. Their eyes are shut, their minds closed. Have they not been told, don’t they know?

There will be one final party, one that will not have a closing time. It will last through eternity. Everyone is invited, sadly not everyone will come. They will be like the invited in another story Jesus told. There will be many excuses, the invitation will be ignored.

A Sabbath Attitude

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In Exodus God gave very strict instructions about the keeping of the Sabbath; failure to do so involved death. Today that sounds very harsh. At that time the Israelites were travelling in the desert and were free from the restraints of the Egyptians. It is probable that in Egypt they would have had to work seven days a week. Now they had freedom to obey the new laws.

Jesus found that the Pharisees took the instructions to an extreme level and condemned Jesus for healing on the Sabbath. Don’t you want to shout, ‘Hey, look, the man has been healed, does it matter what day of the week it is. It’s a miracle.’

When I was growing up I lived near a synagogue and had many Jewish neighbours. Some of them kept the Sabbath very strictly and even called on their neighbours to help them with a few tasks on their Sabbath.

Today God asks us to keep our Sundays holy and different. In our culture many of us have to work on Sundays and I was once accused of being wrong because I read a Monday paper which had been printed on a Sunday. We need to guard against being legalist. What we need is an attitude of the Sabbath. It has been proved that working without breaks is counter-productive. It does not cause more work being done. God gave us the Sabbath or our Sunday because it is good for us. Let us guard it.

Light

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‘I am the light of the world.’ John 8:12

When we read the story of creation, what is the first thing God does? Genesis 1:3 tells us. God says ‘Let there be light and there was light.’ Without light the other element s of creation couldn’t even be seen. and right up to this day ‘man fears darkness rather than light.’ When I was a youngster my younger brother used to have night terrors. I would often wake in the night to hear my parents comforting him. The darkness had brought a terror on him.

Darkness is associated with robbers and thieves doing their robbing and thieving. Our cities are illuminated in artificial light so that travellers can find their way and the countryside is a place to be lost without the light of the moon.

But it is not just physical darkness that we need to fear; there is also darkness of the soul. We need the light of Christ to shine in our hearts. This is a light that will be displayed by our our living. God’s light will give us a better judgment in life, we will be living under His wisdom and not our own. It is God’s light in people that shines on everyone. It is that light that introduced hospitals, hospices and all manner of good works.

Jesus said that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. May we pray that our light will ‘shine brightly before men!