To be or not to be...rich

 

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“There’s Mr. Smith. I wonder how he made all his money?”

“God alone knows!”

“Ah, that’s why he always looks so worried.”

Business is all about making money, profiting, and increasing one’s wealth. If ever there was anything that evokes un-Christian thoughts about a successful person, it is business. The joke at the start of this article is typical of what people think of successful businesspeople – they must have done something wrong to get where they are, or, nobody can make money doing business without doing something wrong. They must have committed some other sin to get where they are, or as someone once said to me, ‘I must remove my Christian jacket before going to my place of business or people will walk all over me and I won’t make any money’. But it is written:

Thus saith the LORD, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. (Isa 48:17)

A meaningful life

 

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Richard was dead. For forty years I had been planning to look him up and apologize for my reaction to something he had said as a joke. When I did eventually look for him, I discovered that he had died ten years after the incident and that shocked me and had me scratching about in the past: photographs, messages, and school yearbooks. Names and faces had my brain racing. Was I ever that young? Some names made me smile, some I remembered with displeasure, some I did not.

Thirty of us sat in a classroom forty years ago, and I don't recall one of them trying to contact me since then. I don't blame them. I am not an easy person to get along with. I am not one who would be remembered. I would call very few friends even though we spent five years in the same classroom. Still, I wondered what had become of them.

Christian bashing

 

The_Death of Stephen
 by Gustave_Doré

Christians are lambasted these days as idiots and buffoons. They are ridiculed, laughed at, and mocked. In some countries, Christians are persecuted, hunted, imprisoned, and executed for their beliefs. Christian bashing has become vogue among people who fear the truth about God, life, and death and feel the need to protect their own belief system or religion. It is easier to rant and rave and drown out anyone who threatens your religion or lifestyle than it is to admit they’re wrong. But let’s be honest, the unbelieving world is the last that should be throwing stones at Christians because their vitriol is filled with the same arrogance, malice, and lack of knowledge they accuse Christians of.

Christians all over the world bemoan these attacks and claim that it is getting worse. They point to the 'great falling away’ and wonder, like Elijah, if they are the last generation to hold onto the faith. Elijah was to learn that there were still many who believed. When these attacks come we, like Elijah, feel alone and isolated but take heart that we are not.

Heb 13:5b … for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

The oldest profession - politics

 

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           Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For   there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

          Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

     For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. (Rom. 13:1-4)

In its broadest sense politics is the art and science of government (Concise Oxford Dictionary) but, when applied to the individual it encompasses how one governs i.e. sagacious, judicious, expedient, or even craftiness and cunning. The politics of leadership would therefore refer to directing, guiding, and leading using various means, such as wisdom, patience, fairness, or guile to achieve a goal or purpose, in other words, to put it bluntly, politics is the art of persuasion, of convincing people to follow a certain path or direction.

It's not how much we give

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 Giving can be a pain and extremely hard to   do. One Sunday during a service some years   ago, at collection time, I found myself nervously   fingering the money I had brought. How much   should I give? The collection plate was being   passed along the pews and I needed to do my   sums quickly. What did I need to buy at the   shop on the way home? How much could I give and not feel guilty? What about later in the week, would I have enough to get through? I made my calculations and never gave that week or the next. It was only later, a long time later, that I took the time to consider my dilemma in church, and it dawned on me that while considering my own needs, I gave no thought to the needs of the church or congregation. Every Sunday I sit in relative comfort, in a clean building, with electric lights and running water. How many of these things could be maintained with the paltry amount I had held back? It had never occurred to me that the preacher might not have enough to feed his family or service his car. What about the cleaner, the groundsman, the property tax, electricity, and water accounts, all these needed to be paid, and the building needed to be maintained.

Death and life are in your words

 

Start training your brain.

After investigations, which included experimentation on cats, scientists in the 1940s and 50s made the astounding discovery – the human brain can be programmed to be more alert and attentive in certain areas.

There is a part of the brain known as the Reticular Activating System and it has an important role in deciding your success or failure. Lori Rothstein describes it as ‘starting above your spinal cord and it's about two inches long, it's about the width of a pencil, and it's where all your senses come in.’ ⁱ

Stedman’s Medical Dictionary defines the reticular activating system as:

The part of the reticular formation in the brainstem that plays a central role in bodily and behavioral alertness; its ascending connections affect the function of the cerebral cortex and its descending connections affect bodily posture and reflex mechanisms.ⁱⁱ

The Christian Militant

The martyrdom of St. Stephen
 by Juan Correa de Vivar 

...for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Mat 26:52

From the outset, the Christian church has been under attack. Stephen was stoned, James beheaded, and the apostles beaten and imprisoned, yet there was no retaliation, no revenge, and no counterstruggle, at least not a physically violent one. Their methods of combat were prayer, compassion, and preaching because they believed:

2Cor.10:4  For the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, and yet:

Acts 6:7  And the Word of God was increasing. And the number of the disciples in Jerusalem was multiplying exceedingly; even a great crowd of the priests obeyed the faith.

For the next three centuries Christians were persecuted, murdered, used for circus entertainment, set alight as human torches, and fed to wild animals, and yet:

Acts 12:24...the Word of God grew and increased.

Over the years Christians were attacked by Romans, Jews, Persians, Muslims, Vikings, pagans, and even other Christians, and yet:

Acts 19:20  So the Word of God grew mightily and prevailed.

Christianity has been at war since the birth of Jesus when Herod sent his army to kill the babes of Bethlehem. Its weapons of resistance have always been the Word of God and prayer. It was a war won with the blood of martyrs, some of whom gave their lives voluntarily. The endless attacks eventually spilled over into physical retaliation. 

Don't fear the dark

 

The call.

A short while ago I received a desperate and urgent call from a friend who wanted to talk to me. When I arrived at his house, I found him shaken and upset. Taking me by the arm, he led me away from the house so that his wife could not hear what he had to say. Then, in a voice that trembled with worry and fear, he told me of his experiences the night before. At this point, I must add that my friend is a normal, hard-working, practical man who is not spiritual or involved with the supernatural. He attends church every Sunday and does his bit for the congregation when there is a function or event. At that stage in his life, he was having financial and other related problems. He insisted that he was wide awake and did not dream the events he described to me.

Lord, my enemies are not always Your enemies.

 

An interesting thing happened at Sunday morning service – an elderly lady requested prayer for a sore leg. There was nothing unusual about that and I asked a couple of the leaders to petition God for healing. After the prayer, she said she felt much better, but when she turned to go she winced painfully and it was apparent that her leg was still sore. I said nothing as I watched her clinging to the pews for balance. She was back for evening service and I asked how she felt. She smiled and said she felt fine, she knows that God had touched and healed her. The expression in her eyes, however, told a different story, one of defeat and pain. It’s time for Christians to be real.

Commitment...transforms a promise into a reality.

 

The title is an abbreviated version of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. God promised a man a piece of property and he was determined to occupy it. It would be a long, difficult, and sometimes frustrating journey, but his commitment would transform that promise into reality.

A day came when the wandering Israelites were gathered before Joshua. It was the day that the land of Canaan would be divided among the twelve tribes. But a gray-haired, eighty-five-year-old man stole the show. He stepped forward and demanded, “Give me my mountain.”

The certainty of death, taxes and prayer.

 

Is prayer always a good thing? What about prayer without much thought to consequences? What about praying a curse over somebody? What if prayer was a problem and a scourge like death and taxes?

Applied Christianity

Image by popmelon from pixabay

 

Matthew.4:4  But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. 

For a long time, historians have been trying to make history relevant in the modern world. There was a time when the study of history was considered crucial for anyone thinking of a career as a diplomat, politician, or military officer. After World War Two, history lost its relevance for the younger generation, but in recent years, there has been a major effort by historians to make their subject relevant again.

Traitors

The characters in this drama:

Judas Iscariot, self important goes with the flow for his own profit

Peter's loud mouth hid a weak heart and uncertainty

Caiaphas the legalistic senior pastor who refuses to have his traditions challenged

Pontius Pilate the politician who avoids difficult decisions by trying to please everyone

The crowd like all crowds follow and do as others because they can't all be wrong, right?

I am an example of all the above.

Follow me, I'm right behind you.

 

Many people have the potential to be leaders but are afraid they will not make the grade. They’re afraid of failure and are content to follow and stay behind. Many fear they will not live up to expectations or are so scared they will make mistakes. They never reach the heights they were destined for and end their lives with the inevitable last words, “If only…” If only I had stood up. If only I had answered. If only I had not held back.

And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,

And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev.1:5, 6)

The Bickering Church

 

Jesus’ disciples were a varied group about which we know not much. Among them was a tax collector, a zealot, fishermen, and a thief. They all had different backgrounds, upbringing, temperaments, and status in the community.

The majority of the disciples were quiet and unassuming but Peter was the opposite, belligerent and demanding. John was loved and demonstrated his love. Matthew was wealthy. Thomas was a skeptic looking for proof. Simon was the fundamentalist zealot. And Judas, not Iscariot, is unknown except for the one question he asked. I can imagine him asking it while sitting among his companions and listening to their arguments and questions.

I want to be Simon Peter

 

John.1:41- 42(KJV)  He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 

And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone. 

The conversation at a church group meeting turned to characters of the Bible and the question was asked, “Which one is your favorite?” A surprising number immediately responded, “Peter!” I had expected to hear names such as John the Baptist, Paul, Esther, Joshua, Caleb, Elijah, Mary, or Joseph, but the name Peter rang the bell of popularity. He is obviously a favorite amongst believers and with reason; the most common reason given for choosing him was, “I can identify with him.”

Let's get outa here!

 Exo_8:27 We will go three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to the LORD our God, as he shall command us.

Exo 11:1  And the LORD said unto Moses, …

Exo 11:2  Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbor, and every woman of her neighbor, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.

 Exo 12:35  And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses, and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment:

The Israelites let the Egyptians know that they would only travel three days into the wilderness where they would worship their God. God told the Israelites to borrow gold, silver, and clothing from the Egyptians.

Why would He do that knowing they would never return? I can imagine the uproar when after six, eight, or ten days the Israelites never returned. The pressure the Egyptians must have placed on Pharaoh would have been enormous. Was this part of God’s plan?

Was to it force Pharaoh’s hand into chasing after the Israelites so that the Egyptian army could be destroyed in the sea?

If He hadn’t done it the Egyptians would always have been a thorn in the side of the budding nation of Israel.