Author: Carol Purves

Altered Trousers

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I found that the trousers I had bought were not quite right for me, so I took them to a skilled seamstress that I knew. I had the waistband made larger (I’d obviously put on weight) two pockets were inserted on each side and I had the length shortened. I hoped that then the trousers would be more comfortable.

It is the same with my spiritual life and no doubt yours. When God comes into our lives and we become Christians there is much that needs to be changed. In my case, God had to make me less selfish and self-centred. I needed to become kinder to others and less out-spoken. I had to have more compassion for the lost. Television time and social media scrolling time needed to be reduced. I had to intentionally spend more time in prayer and reading the Word of God. More of my time needed to be spent in Christian fellowship. There were many changes that God needed to make in my life.

This was necessary for me to become the person that God intended me to be. He had a mission that only I could do. Not because I was very talented but that it was His plan for my life. The nearer I was to God, the happier I would be and more fulfilled.

You are a new creation, there is now no condemnation.

Turn the Page

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When I was very young I remember visiting my great-grandmother. I was an inquisitive little girl and thought her house was dull and old fashioned. Everything was dark and musty, while my own home was light, airy and modern. One of my abiding memories was the large open Bible placed on the sideboard. This gave me the impression that she was very religious. I loved God in my simple, childlike way so I was interested in the Bible.

I had learned to read and could pick out a few words ‘The Lord is my shepherd,’ and further down the page ‘thou preparest a table before me.’ Strange words, not like the ones I was used to at school.

On my next visit I was anxious to read the next page, but that time and on every future visit, the Bible was open at the same page. When I ran my finger down the page it felt very dusty. Obviously the Bible was there for show and not for use.

When I tried to turn the page, my great grandmother shouted at me. ‘Leave that alone. That is the Holy Word of God.’ How sad! A Bible revered but never read. God’s word is a living word with many gems inside for the discerning reader. An unread Bible with never bring salvation.

Three Times a Year

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Does the world think that we have a religion that we practice only three times a year, at Christmas with Christmas cards, presents and tinsel and again at Easter with Easter eggs , chicks and chocolate.. And then again at Lent when we ‘give things up’. What a limited idea this is of our faith.

Christianity is continuous contact with our wonderful God. What do they know of redemption, forgiveness and sacrifice? Do they know about the contents of the Bible. It isn’t just the twenty-third psalm and the ten commandments. The history of the Old Testament is so exciting and vital to our faith. Nor is the Bible a sanitized book, some of the things we read are shocking.

What do they know about the life of Christ, His miracles, His parables. Do they know of the sequence of His last days, His death, His resurrection, things which are so central to our faith? If they don’t know, how much is it our fault? Have we tried when they are interested, even more if they aren’t interested? Do they think it is all about getting money for the new church roof? So sad, if they do. It is not the roof that matters, but our souls.

It is not always easy to talk about spiritual things. We need to start on our first meeting with a person. It will be become even more difficult later. We need to understand how tremendous is our news. Your neighbours, colleague, relative needs to know. Start right now.

Does

Re-Instated

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My name is Mephibosheth. I’m reclining on a damask covered couch, selecting food from the generous array of sweetmeats before me. My servant, Ziba, has just come to report on the good harvest. I am content.

But it was not always like this. Most of my life I have been hiding and fearing for my life. When I was a baby my nurse dropped me, causing me to be crippled in both feet. Jonathan, my father, died when I was only five years old, a life of hiding followed. When David became king, I expected he would kill all the relative of my father but I managed to escape detection.

Then one day the king discovered where I was hiding and summoned me to appear before him. That was when I felt real fear. I tried to kneel before him to pay homage and acknowledge that I was his servant. His words astonished me.

‘Mephibosheth, do not be afraid, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father, Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather, Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’ 2 Samuel 9:7

As I said, my lands are well managed by Ziba, his fifteen sons and twenty servants. I want for nothing. I am able to be taken to the temple to give thanks to the one true God who encouraged David to have mercy on me.

Everlasting

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‘The eternal God is your refuge. Underneath are the everlasting arms’ Deut 33:27

Robin had led a full life of service for the Lord. He and his wife were now retired missionaries. His service continued into his retirement until he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. He knew he would not be here for long.

He continued to witness through hospital treatment, spells at home and finally his last few weeks in the hospice. Throughout it all he was still quoting his favourite scripture ‘Underneath are the everlasting arms.’ In his final days he very much needed these words and was being upheld by those everlasting arms.

As he became weaker it was more difficult to speak and it was just possible for him to say ‘everlasting.’ And finally he cold only say ‘ever.’ The Lord heard Robin’s prayers and he is now resting the those everlasting arms, everlastingly.

The message isn’t just for Robin, it is for everyone who calls on the Lord and is willing to trust. It is for the dying, the living, the successful, the failures. God’s supporting arms are also for those who don’t believe in Him and for those who feel they don’t need Him, whether they heed them or not. May we all know God’s supporting arms.

A Million Birds

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‘Do not be afraid, you are worth more than many sparrows.’ Luke 12:7.

The little girl with her mother on the bus was about three years old. Her continuous lively chatter put a smile on everyone’s face. It was as if she was seeing everything for the first time and loving everything she saw.

Suddenly she looked up to the cloudless sky where a group of starlings were twisting and turning in their beautiful murmuration formation. The little girl pointed up excitedly. ‘Look Mum, there are a million birds up there and they’re making patterns in the sky.’

A million might have been an exaggeration but we all looked up and joined in her amazement as the birds swooped and spiralled upwards. We had seen the sight before but our adult eyes can lose the wonder of childhood. Many sights of nature can become ordinary because we have seen them all before. God has given us so many blessings in nature, birdsong, spring flowers or the first cry of a new born baby.

At creation God said that it was good, very good. May we have the eyes of the three year old and really see and rejoice. As Jesus said ‘Unless we become as little children ….’

Two are Better

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I’ve just re-read the life story of Richard Wurmbrand. The torture he and his wife received in Romania is almost unimaginable. They suffered terrible physical torture as well as months and years of solitary confinement; they had long periods completely on their own.

We were made to be in community; we were not programmed to be alone. I often visit those who are nearly housebound. Where it is possible I encourage them to seek company. When we meet with others we can forget out our own aches, pains and problems. Our attention will be drawn to others. We can remember great times of past happiness. Together we can even make plans for the future.

Community is also a Biblical concept. God provided Adam with a soul-mate, Eve, (Genesis 2:18) so he wouldn’t be alone. Jesus chose twelve companions because even as the Son of God He didn’t want to live life alone. God established and loves the church, so we can have a church community and live a life of give and take.

We read in Ecclesaiastes 4:9 ‘Two are better than one.’ I love conversations I have with many people, they give me ideas and might even give me the solution to a problem I have. I had visited various shops looking for a certain item, my neighbour suggested yet anothershop, where I was successful.

Verse 12 of this chapter ‘a chord of three strands is not easily broken.’ When God is in the mix it is even better.

It’s Not About Us

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‘May the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wondrous compassion and purity.’

Albert N T Orsborn

I worry that the beauty of Jesus might not be seen in me .At the end of the day I reflect on what I’ve said and what I’ve done. I remember the things I’ve not said or not done. They are fruitless lines of thought and all self-centred.

We need a complete reversal of thinking. Our thoughts should not be about us at all. It is God alone who matters. Our thoughts and actions need to be about Him. Then we need to think about the person or persons we are interacting with.

Imagine a desperately thirsty person having a drink of water. They might then say ‘that was a very refreshing drink of water.’ They are unlikely to say ‘The beautiful shape of the glass made that a refreshing drink.’ The glass is unimportant

We are only channels of God’s blessing, not the blessing itself. We are merely the tool God uses. It is the water that refreshes, not the glass.

‘Channels only, blessed Saviour.’ Mary E Maxwell.

A Tiny Puddle

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Jason sat on the beach at the edge of a tiny puddle, trying in vain to scoop up enough water to fill his pail. Close by was the vast ocean with enough water to full a million pails. We might smile at the scene but is our Christian life like that, small, safe and shallow.?

Do we want a small faith, our own church, our own seat? Everything as it always has been and not too demanding.

Do we want safe? If we don’t talk to our neighbours and friends about God, on-one will disagree with us. At least in our own safe church, we all believe the same thing.

Do we want shallow? The sermons are very good but we don’t need to dig deeper into the Bible, we might not like what we read. Best to keep it all to a Sunday, that will top us up enough.

Don’t let us keep our faith small, safe and shallow. May our faith be large, dangerous and deep. May it be large, spilling out to the whole world. May our faith be dangerous; many will disagree with us. Our Christians martyrs certainly didn’t do safe Christianity. May our faith be deep. We can never have too much Christian fellowship or reading of the Bible. Christianity is a life waiting to be shared and enjoyed.

Something Good

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‘Somewhere in my youth or childhood, I must have done something good.’ So sang Maria in The Sound of Music on falling in love.

We have all done something good during our lifetime, as well as doing bad things. But God isn’t a god sitting up in heaven with a pair of scales. He isn’t balancing the good against the bad as a judge. We can never win His approval by our good deeds, they just wouldn’t be enough. Although good works, pilgrimages and penances have their place, they can never be enough to tip the balance in our favour. Our good will never be good enough.

We are inherently sinful and God hates sin. He can never look at it. It took the death of His Son to pay the debt but only because He was sinless. The other religions of the world depend on worshippers doing something to reach God. With Christianity, it is God who reaches towards His people. God has made the move towards us, we only have to listen, obey and follow with gratitude.

When we approach the gates of heaven we won’t be asked, ‘How many good works have you done?’ but ‘Have you accepted the sacrifice of Jesus for your sins?’