Encouragement

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The Old Testament is such a source of inspiration which we ignore at our peril. So much of the New Testament can be understood through the eyes of this earlier testament. The Old quotes in the New are many and varied especially those by Jesus used to show that He was the fulfillment of the prophecies about the Messiah.

Yet another source of inspiration are the stories of the warriors of old. There were many battles to be fought and enemies to be overcome. God is for ever sending these heroes words of encouragement, words which still resound for us today. ‘Do not fear, I am with you,’ ‘the Lord goes before you and will never leave you.’

We may not be fighting physical battles today but we are fighting battles of the spirit and mind. We are surrounded by temptations. The devil is not on holiday. These Biblical words of comfort help us today. We can read a psalm each day for three months and be filled with encouragement.

Specific Routes

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I’ve been noting in the gospels that Jesus didn’t wander haphazardly through the countryside. His routes were carefully selected and his journeys through Samaria were particular interesting.

In Luke 17 we read that He traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. It was along that route that He knew He would meet ten lepers needing healing. There was no shortage of lepers in the area but it was these particular ten, nine ungrateful and one extremely grateful who were to be recipients of His grace.

In John 4 we are told that Jesus had to go through Samaria. Why did they have to go that way? The story goes on to show that the well at Sychar was where there would be a heaven-planned meeting. No shortage of wells, even in Samaria but the encounter had to be at that particular one.

In Luke 9 Jesus and the disciples were not welcome and James and John were incensed enough to request Jesus to call down fire from heaven. The Master’s answer was to rebuke them.

I wonder who I will meet in my destined Samaria today, whether at the supermarket checkout, the hospital wards or in the dreary office? May I be open to God’s guiding and may the encounters be God-filled.

Called

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Moses was perfectly happy tending the sheep for his father-in-law in the country of Midian. He had no plans to change his future but God had other ideas. The instruction to lead the people of Israel was not part of Moses’s idea. It was God who did the calling. The fact that he was successful was due to God’s mighty power.

Others in the Bible have also been called. Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine-press when he received the call. Ambition wasn’t on his mind when he heard God telling him he was a ‘mighty warrior.’ In fact he turned on the Lord, ‘If the Lord was with us, why has all this happened.’ Here is a man accusing God, not one looking to lead a nation. Nevertheless with God’s leading he went on to lead the people of God against many nations.

Maybe Joseph was ambition but he was no good on his own, until God had tried him, moulded him and finally called him.God had wanted Joseph to gather His people in Egypt and Moses to lead them out.

Maybe we have great plans for evangelism but we first need to be called by God. ‘Unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain.’ Psalm 127:1

Spring

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For most people this is probably the favourite time of the year. The mornings are lighter and dusk is later each day. Spring flowers are appearing everywhere. In my garden the snowdrops have been out for weeks, the crocuses, yellow and mauve, are well into bloom and daffodils are poking up their heads ready to flower.

In the midst of the struggles of life it is easy to forget God’s many gifts to us. The sound of the dawn chorus can lift our spirits above our worries and burdens. The slight warmth of the sun on our faces can remind us of God and give us hope. The smile or a friend or even a stranger can lessen the load we carry.

I know that not everyone can see hope at this time of years. There are those who mourn, those who are sick or in pain. Others are living in a war zone. God will send His own special gifts to these people, if only they are able to look for them.

Biblical Wisdom

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Sometimes we can read things in the Bible and feel they have no significance to us. We can hear sermons and wonder if we are wasting our time as they don’t apply to us. Many things in the Bible are difficult to understand and without the help of the Holy Spirit they don’t make sense. Reading the Bible from beginning to end is not necessarily helpful.

But our timing it not God’s. Because God knows the end from the beginning, He reveals scripture to us at the time we need it. A sermon which means nothing to us, or a scripture reading which doesn’t make sense, may become very relevant as events play out in our lives.

God’s Sky

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One morning I looked up at the sky which was a pale blue, punctuated with fluffy white clouds. I mused that in the antipodes the sky would likely be a vivid blue, though nightfall would be approaching. The mantle of the sky wraps right around the world, north, south, east and west.

Then I got to thinking about the last day when the trumpet call will sound. If it is midnight in the northern hemisphere, will it be mid day in Australia? What it will be, is the cessation of all time. Time will be no more, but still the one minute before this time will exist. I can’t imagine the how or when this will happen but the most important thing is that this will happen. Christ will return!

Questions

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In our church small group recently we discussed some very interesting questions. We didn’t come up with any consensus of opinion because as always there were differences of opinion.

Do we agree in giving money to our churches? There was a general agreement that the upkeep of our church buildings was expensive. There was also the thought that by selling some of the properties the money could be used for the poor and needy. What do we do about brass candlesticks, ornate lecterns and monuments that have been donated in memory of a deceased relative? Again these hidden assets could be used to help others.

Does the idea of tithing used in the Old Testament still apply today? Should we be tithing on all our income or just what is left when all essential bills have been paid? All our money and everything belongs to God anyway. Should every penny we spent be preceded by prayer?

Salt

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I read in Matthew 5, ‘You are the salt of the earth.’ I also read in a magazine that although we are advised to cut back on salt in food to keep our blood pressure low, we do need to have enough salt. The ideal is 6 g (one teaspoon ) per day. Not quite sure how we measure it as there is salt in much processed food. I never use salt in cooking, maybe I should.

It’s a matter of getting the quantities of salt correct. If we are to be the salt of the earth, can we ever be too much? We need to sprinkle ourselves in all ways under the direction of the Holy Spirit. May we not be salt which has lost its saltiness, but again nurtured by the Holy Spirit, be salt where we can be the most use.

Veiled

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Veils are not just modern inventions used in some religions, we also read about them in the Bible. Moses had spent time with God and when he returned down the mountainside,his face glowed with the glory of God. When Moses was speaking to the congregation because his face was so radiant, he covered his face with a veil.Even though the glory of God was fading the people could not bear to look.

Paul tells us that we are not like Moses who had a cover his face. Because of the sacrifice of Jesus, we have such a hope and can be very bold.

In Our Own Eyes

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Forty unnecessary years in the wilderness because of disobedience and eyes turned away from God. When the twelve members of the advance party returned from spying out the promised land, ten had negative reports. In Numbers 12 and 13 we read they said ‘In our own eyes we seem like grasshoppers’ against the inhabitants. Their mistake was in ‘their own eyes.’ Of course capture of the land seemed impossible but God had promised the land to them. They needed to look to their God and not the problem.

Do these sound familiar words to us today. At times we only see the difficulties ahead; we omit to look towards God, who is all-powerful and only wants the best for us. If He is almighty, as we believe, our tiny problems are not too great for Him.