Hours – 24/7 except when asleep you will never be off duty. Tasks – whatever the Master requires of you, but it will be necessary to keep in touch with His wishes. He is a kind task master and will never force you to do things, but as you grow to love and respect Him you will happily obey. Danger – at times there will be great danger even to the point of death. In addition there will always be struggles, disappointments and opposition. Pay – many, many times of great happiness and satisfaction. The final generous reward will stretch into eternity. Only sinner need apply.
Opposition
How do we respond to opposition? It’s something we will come up against, especially if we’re Christians. Does opposition mean we should give up our beliefs? Surely not. We need to decide when we should stand up and fight and when should we keep silent. What compels us to continue in the face of aggression?
A number of questions here, but probably one basic answer. It is our mission towards Jesus which is important, not us. It shouldn’t be a matter of proving we’re right, or beating our accusers into submission. The work of Jesus is all that matters, whether we speak up, keep silent or stand on our rights. Paul always had the interests of his Saviour at heart.
Books of Prayers
When I have my prayer time each morning I don’t pray out loud or say the words in my head. Because I am a writer, I write to God at the start of the day. I pour out my feelings in the written word. I include praise and worship, confession and the need for forgiveness. Then I pray for myself and for others for the coming day. The emphasis for any day one can be praise, contrition or help for a looming problem. I don’t re-read my prayers (as we can’t with the spoken word) And as each book gets full I put it to one side. Eventually they will be thrown away.
My friend came up with a lovely thought. When I get to heaven God will show me the stack of my written booklets, preserved in His eternal heaven.
Cloud and Fire
The Israelites had the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. In spite of this guidance from God they still made many mistakes and were easily led astray. Theirs sins were so bad that with two exceptions they never their Promised Land.
At times I long for pillars of cloud and fire to guide me because like the Israelites I often take the wrong path. Then I realise I am not travelling across a sandy desert where these aids are needed; I’m crossing the desert of life and God has given me my own pillars. I have the whole Bible in my own language; the scriptures which the Israelites had were incomplete. I have the gift of the Holy Spirit for my guidance. Prayer and Christian fellowship are available for me. I can only pray that unlike the Israelites I do indeed reach my Promised Land.
Just in Time
It was just a normal day in the prison. The jailor at Philippi was quite enjoying listening to the prisoners singing and giving praises to their God. He felt his heart strangely warmed.
Suddenly without warning there was a violent earthquake. The earth shook and the prison doors flew open. He realised what this meant. The prisoners would escaped and his life would be forfeited as punishment. In desperation he drew his sword to end his life. Suddenly an authoritative voice said, ‘Don’t harm yourself.’ Falling down on his knees he begged. ‘Sirs , what must I do to be saved.’
If Peter and Silas hadn’t been singing and praising God there would have been no time to witness as the earthquake struck. This conversation couldn’t have taken place. The jailer wouldn’t have had the chance of salvation.
Scouring and Balm
I have recently had two biopsies on my leg. Although the stitches have now been taken out and the places are healing well there is still a slight soreness. By applying a healing ointment the treatment of my leg will soon be just a memory.
It reminds be of the state of my soul. God needs to scour out from my heart the sin that resides there. It is a painful business. Habits have to be changed, certain ways abolished and a fresh start made. But God doesn’t leave me with sore places, He uses His healing balm to heal and restore. The result is that my heart and soul are in a better place, the place that He wants them to be.
The Holy Name
At critical times in our lives it seems that secular words fail us; we need a touch of the divine. In times of national disasters, the country holds services and times of prayer, no doubt attended by many who never darken the doors of a church. But nevertheless it meets a need.
‘Lord, if You act, I promise …..’ No doubt this is a promise which will never be kept but it shows that earthly promises are not sufficient. When one of the Chinese women of Gladys Alyward’s acquaintance was being attacked and abused by Japanese soldiers, she cried out repeatedly, ‘Jesus, Jesus, Jesus,’ Her attacker fled at at the sound of that name.
Sadly, that same name is often used as a swear word. ‘How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear.’
Music and Faith
Following on with the thoughts of the influences of Christianity in our lives today, I turn to music. The tradition of Christian music still has impact on our lives today.
‘Amazing Grace’ is the most recorded song ever (yes, it beats I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas!) I didn’t know but it has featured in the films Star Trek, The Wrath of Khan and the TV Simpsons series. The hymn has been quoted by President Barak Obama and other people of note.
Another well-known and much-sung hymn is ‘Abide with Me.’ Even I have been known to stand at football matches with tears running down my face.(Maybe the tears were for the state of my team rather than my faith!). But I also have used it in time of need and meant every word.
When thinking of Christian music, we mustn’t forget Handel’s ‘Messiah’ which is an example of music and Biblical words merged together. To hear it played and sung at the Royal Albert Hall in London stirs the soul.
Quote, Unquote
It has been researched that there are 257 phrases used today in the English language which have been taken from the King James Version of the Bible. ‘At our wit’s end,’ ‘escape by the skin of your teeth,’ ‘eat, drink and be merry,’ ‘all things to all men,’ .I could go on , 253 still to go. At a recent church quiz each team was given 20 phrases and had to choose whether they came from Shakespeare or the Bible. Oh dear, I’ll only say that our team didn’t come top!
The first written words in the English language were created by the religious orders when the country converted to Christianity in the 6th century. The Bible is still the top of the best-selling list, though sadly some surveys choose not to include it in their lists.
God’s Plan for Humanity
One book, over 1,200 years in the making, many authors, poetry and prose, the best book that this world affords – the Bible, the God-breathed and inspired word of God. Nevertheless we don’t worship the book, we worship the author – God.
Containing 66 books, we read of God’s love, the history of the Israelites as well as the life of Jesus, wisdom literature, prophecies, apocalyptic writings along with psalms, lamentations, poetry of the deep longings of the heart. We learn of the life of Jesus and His disciples and the doings of the early church
It’s amazing how up to date the Bible and Christianity is. Our system of numbering the years is fixed by the date of the birth of Jesus – BC, AD. Many of our modern festivals are rooted in the Christianity. Valentine’s Day is a saint’s day, Pancake Day was a time of using up luxury food before Lent, Halloween had it’s roots in All Hallows Eve and Christmas Eve was All Saint’s Day or Hallowmas.