Give us this day our daily bread

Beth - blogger, coach, consultant1 Comment

If you haven’t read Emmet Fox‘s book “The Lord’s Prayer“, I definitely recommend it.  This is the part about “Give us this day our daily bread”.  I particularly love his explanation of the thought:

“we have to recognize God and God alone as the Source and fountainhead of all our good. Lack… is always traceable to the fact that we have been seeking our supply from some secondary source, instead of from God Himself, the Author and Giver of life.”

Of course, that’s not necessarily “prosperity” or abundance, but it certainly is seeing God as our source of sustenance, our daily bread. If our reliance is upon God, we are indifferent to HOW we are provided for – the “channel”.  We train ourselves to look to God for all we need, knowing that the channel will take care of itself.

Matthew 6:33 (The Message)

“Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

The Lord’s Prayer

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread

Because we are the children of a loving Father, we are entitled to expect that God will provide us fully with everything we need. Children naturally and spontaneously look to their human parents to supply all their wants, and in the same way we should look to God to supply ours. If we do so, in faith and understanding, we shall never look in vain.

It is the Will of God that we should all lead healthy, happy lives, full of joyous experience; that we should develop freely and steadily, day by day and week by week, as our pathways unfold more and more unto the perfect day. To this end we require such things as food, clothing, shelter, means of travel, books, and so on; above all, we require freedom; and in the Prayer all these things are included under the heading of bread.

Bread, that is to say, means not merely food in general, but all things that man requires for a healthy, happy, free, and harmonious life. But in order to obtain these things, we have to claim them, not necessarily in detail, but we have to claim them, and, we have to recognize God and God alone as the Source and fountainhead of all our good. Lack of any kind is always traceable to the fact that we have been seeking our supply from some secondary source, instead of from God Himself, the Author and Giver of life.

People think of their supply as coming from certain investments, or from a business, or from an employer, perhaps; whereas these are merely the channels through which it comes, God being the Source.

The number of possible channels is infinite, the Source is One. The particular channel through which you are getting your supply is quite likely to change, because change is the Cosmic Law for manifestation. Stagnation is really death; but as long as you realize that the Source of your supply is the one unchangeable Spirit, all is well. The fading out of one channel will be but the signal for the opening of another. If, on the other hand, like most people, you regard the particular channel as being the source, then when that channel fails, as it is very likely to do, you are left stranded, because you believe that the source has dried up – and for practical purposes, on the physical plane, things are as we believe them to be.

A man, for instance, thinks of his employment as the source of his income, and for some reason he loses it. His employer goes out of business, or cuts down the staff, or they have a falling out. Now, because he believes that his position is the source of his income, the loss of the position naturally means the loss of the income, and so he has to start looking about for another job, and perhaps has to look a long time, meanwhile finding himself without apparent supply. If such a man had realized, through regular daily Treatment, that God was his supply, and his job only the particular channel through which it came, then upon the closing of that channel, he would have found another, and probably a better one, opening immediately. If his belief had been in God as his supply, then since God cannot change or fail, or fade out, his supply would have come from somewhere, and would have formed its own channel in whatever was the easiest way.

In precisely the same way the proprietor of a business may find himself obliged to close down for some cause outside of his control; or one whose income is dependent upon stocks or bond may suddenly find that source dried up, owing to unexpected happenings on the stock market, or to some catastrophe to a factory or mine. If he regards the business or the investment as his source of supply, he will believe his source to have collapsed, and will in consequence be left stranded; whereas, if his reliance is upon God, he will be comparatively indifferent to the channel and so that channel will be easily supplanted by a new one. In short, we have to train ourselves to look to God, Cause, for all that we need, and then the channel, which is entirely a secondary matter, will take care of itself.

In its inner and most important meaning, our daily bread signifies the realization of the Presence of God – an actual sense that God exists not merely in a nominal way, but as the great reality; the sense that He is present with us; and the feeling that because He is God, all-good, all-powerful, all-wise, and all-loving, we have nothing to fear; that we can rely upon Him to take every care of use; that He will supply all that we need to have; teach us all that we need to know; and guide our steps so that we shall not make mistakes.

This is Emanuel, or God with us; and remember that it absolutely means some degree of actual realization, that is to say, some experience in consciousness, and not just a theoretical recognition of the fact; not simply talking about God, however beautifully one may talk, or thinking about Him; but some degree of actual experience. We must begin by thinking about God, but this should lead to the realization which is the daily bread or manna. That is the gist of the whole matter. Realization, which is experience, is the thing that counts. It is realization which marks the progress of the soul. It is realization which guarantees the demonstration. It is realization, as distinct from mere theorizing and fine words, which is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

This is the Bread of Life, the hidden manna, and when one has that, he has all things in deed and in truth. Jesus several times refers to this experience as bread because it is the nourishment of the soul, just as physical food is the nourishment of the physical body. Supplied with this food, the soul grows and waxes strong, gradually developing to adult stature. Without it, she, being deprived of her essential nourishment, is naturally stunted and crippled.

The common mistake, of course, is to suppose that a formal recognition of God is sufficient, or that talking about Divine things, perhaps talking very poetically, is the same as possessing them; but this is exactly on a par with supposing that looking at a tray of food, or discussing the chemical composition of sundry foodstuffs, is the same things as actually eating a meal. It is this mistake which is responsible for the fact that people sometimes pray for a thing for years without any tangible result. If prayer is a force at all, it cannot be possible to pray without something happening.

A realization cannot be obtained to order; it must come spontaneously as the result of regular daily prayer. To seek realization by will power is the surest way to miss it. Pray regularly and quietly – remember that in all mental work, effort or strain defeats itself – then presently, perhaps when you least expect it, like a thief in the night, the realization will come. Meanwhile it is well to know that all sorts of practical difficulties can be overcome by sincere prayer, without any realization at all. Good workers have said that they have had some of their best demonstrations without any realization worth speaking about; but while it is, of course, a wonderful boon to surmount such particular difficulties, we do not achieve the sense of security and well-being to which we are entitled until we have experienced realization.

Another reason why the food or bread symbol for the experience of the Presence of God is such a telling one is that the act of eating food is essentially a thing that must be done for oneself. No one can assimilate food for another. One may hire servants to do all sorts of other things for him; but there is one thing that one must positively do for himself, and that is to eat his own food. In the same way, the realization of the Presence of God is a thing that no one else can have for us. We can and should help one another in the overcoming of specific difficulties – “Bear ye one another’s burdens” – but the realization (or making real) of the Presence of God, the “substance” and “evidence,” can, in the nature of things, be had only at firsthand.

In speaking of the “bread of life, Emanuel,” Jesus call it our daily bread. The reason for this is very fundamental – our contact with God must be a living one. It is our momentary attitude to God which governs our being. “Behold now is the accepted time; behold now is the day of salvation.” The most futile thing in the world is to seek to live upon a past realization. The thing that means spiritual life to you is your realization of God here and now.

Today’s realization, no matter how feeble and poor it may seem, has a million times more power to help you than the most vivid realization of yesterday. Be thankful for yesterday’s experience, knowing that it is with you forever in the change of consciousness which it brought about, but do not lean upon it for a single moment for the need of today. Divine Spirit is, and changes not with the ebb and flow of human apprehension. The manna, in the desert is the Old Testament prototype of this. The people wandering in the wilderness were told that they would be supplied with manna from heaven every day, each one always receiving abundant for his needs, but they were on no account to try to save it up for the morrow.

They were on no account to endeavor to live upon yesterday’s food, and when, notwithstanding the rule, some of them did try to do so, the result was pestilence or death.

So it is with us. When we seek to live upon yesterday’s realization, we are actually seeking to live in the past, and to live in the past is death. The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself. The best way to prepare for tomorrow is to make today all that it should be.

If you haven’t read this commentary on the Lord’s Prayer, I definitely recommend it.

Rising up on wings like eagles

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Readings: 

  • Isaiah 40: 21- 31
  • Mark 1: 29-39

Isaiah 40:21-31 (NRSV)

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
    Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers;
who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
    and spreads them like a tent to live in;
23 who brings princes to naught,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

24 Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown,
    scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth,
when he blows upon them, and they wither,
    and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

25 To whom then will you compare me,
    or who is my equal? says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high and see:
    Who created these?
He who brings out their host and numbers them,
    calling them all by name;
because he is great in strength,
    mighty in power,
    not one is missing.

27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
    and speak, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
    and my right is disregarded by my God”?
28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
    and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint.

If you’ve experienced a storm in your life, you know being patient and waiting for a resolution can be so hard. If right now you are passing through a hard time, “waiting on the Lord” can seem like a tall order. Like the Israelites, you may be feeling and saying:

“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?

The Jewish people that had been taken into exile in Babylon were in a precarious position. Nebuchadnezzar had long since passed, and he had been replaced by Nabonidus. Now Nabonidus had left the city of Babylon to live in the Arabian desert and worship the moon god, leaving his young son Belshazzar (Belsharusur) as regent king in his place. And this young regent was all about partying and having fun with his friends. You may remember in Daniel 5, with the hand writing on the wall, when the young king is partying with all his friends, drinking wine from the sacred temple goblets.  Belshazzar was far from a good king.

Those who were taken into captivity were the old Judean aristrocracy. In Jerusalem, they had held positions of power, status and wealth. This was not the case in Babylon.  They were forced to live in ethnic enclaves, something like our 20th-Century concentration or force-labor camps.  Such a change would have created doubts in their mind as to whether they were truly the elected people of God on earth.

While the aristocracy was held in Babylon, society in Judah had disintegrated after the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. The population was reduced by 90%, meaning only 10% of the population was left: death, exile and destruction of the temple gutted all the institutions that held the society together.  There was no hope in the past, there seemed to be no future and way forward.

And so, in 550 B.C., Cyrus the Persian captured Ecbatana, the capital of the Median Empire. After this victory, he began to look south toward Babylon. Because of the way that Nabonidus and his son Belshazzar had been ruling, Cyrus  was very welcome in Babylon. When Cyrus finally arrived, in 539 BC, he was greeted with shouts of joy from the conquered.

Isaiah chapter 40 starts with “Comfort my people”, and it is the beginning of the second Isaiah (as it is believed that chapters 1 to 39 were written by Isaiah, and the second half were written by a disciple of Isaiah). Regardless of who wrote chapters 40 to 55, there is a distinct change of tone: chapters 1 to 39 speak of judgement and disaster. Chapters 40 to 55 speak to salvation, hope and restoration.  For 50 years, they have been “hidden from the Lord”, and so in chapter 40 we read “Comfort my people… Speak comfort to Jerusalem… her warfare is ended… her iniquity is pardoned”.

We find words of hope, “wait on the Lord”.

21 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
    Has it not been told you from the beginning?
22 It is he who sits above the circle of the earth,
    23 who brings princes to naught,
    and makes the rulers of the earth as nothing.

25 To whom then will you compare me,
or who is my equal? says the Holy One.

What’s bigger? Your problem? or God? How often do we become so embroiled and caught up with our problems, that we make them into mountains? And even so, what is bigger: your mountain of problems, or God?  When you go through something awful or unexpected, you get the chance to see whether or not your faith in God is real. Do you really wait upon the Lord when you are faced with challenges?

Some key questions we might ask are:

  • What does it mean to wait? What’s involved?
  • How are we to wait?
  • Who and what are we waiting for?
  • Why should we wait?
  • How long do we wait?

Habakkuk 2:1 says,

I will stand at my watchpost,
    and station myself on the rampart;
I will keep watch to see what he will say to me,
    and what he will answer concerning my complaint.

Are you keeping watch, at your watchpost? Are you continuing at your station or on the rampart, to see what God has to say about your complaints?  I read somewhere:

“Hurry is the death of prayer. The reason why you don’t hear God is because you’re in too much of a hurry. ‘God, I want to hear from you. But hurry up! I’ve got to make it to my next appointment.’”

“Psalm 130:5-6: “I wait for the LORD, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord More than the watchmen for the morning; Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning,” he was comparing waiting expectantly on the Lord to the night guards of the city who watched the passage of time in anticipation of the coming dawn when they would be released from duty. The coming of the dawn was certain, but not without the passage of time.”

Psalm 46:10 reminds us:

Be still and know that I am God.

There is a moment to simply wait on the Lord, in order to renew your strength.  Be still.

Psalm 62:5  (NRSV)

5 For God alone my soul waits in silence,
    for my hope is from him.

Are you waiting in silence?

Psalm 27:14 (NRSV)

14 Wait for the Lord;
    be strong, and let your heart take courage;
    wait for the Lord!

There are at least 29 verses in the Bible that speak of “wait on the Lord”. Psalm 23 speaks of waiting in rest: lie down in green pastures, restoring our souls.  Ours is a society that has grown accustomed to immediate gratification. Due to modern technology and all our conveniences—telephones, refrigerators, freezers, microwaves, fast foods, airplanes, etc.—we have many things immediately at our fingertips. But yet we find a growing group of people that are learning mindfulness, breathing (“Just breathe”) and sitting quietly in silence. And we, as Christians, need to learn to wait upon the Lord.

But like the Jewish exiles, we are impatient for salvation. How long? How much longer? Are we nearly there yet?

In Mark 1, we read:

35 Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer.

We also read in Matthew 14: 23:

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Mark 6:46

After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

Luke 5: 16 

But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.

Luke 6: 12 

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Luke 9: 18 

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him,

Matthew 26 & Mark 14, in Gethsemane:  “Sit here while I go over there and pray. “And he went a little beyond them and fell on his face and prayed.” “He went away a second time and prayed.” “and he left them again, and went away and prayed a third time”

We are reminded in the Bible repeatedly to “wait on the Lord”, and we see the best example in the life of Jesus. Pulling away from the crowds, pulling away from the hustle and bustle of life, pulling away into the wilderness, or onto a hill, or up a mountain, to pray.  Before and after teaching and preaching, before and after healing the sick and throwing out demons – Jesus went aside to pray.  He knew where his strength and stamina truly came from.

28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
    his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
    and strengthens the powerless.
30 Even youths will faint and be weary,
    and the young will fall exhausted;
31 but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
    they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary,
    they shall walk and not faint.

 

The kingdom of heaven has come

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Reading:

  • Mark 1: 14-20 

…after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

In the first three Sundays of 2018, we have studied two events of Jesus’ early ministry:

  1. his baptism by John;
  2. the calling of Philip & Nathanael/Bartholomew of “Follow me”

Today we read of John’s arrest, of the calling of Simon (who we know as Peter) and his brother Andrew, fishermen of Galilee, and also of the brothers James and John, but most importantly we read that Jesus continues to preach “the kingdom of God has come near, repent and believe in the good news”.

I’m not going to go back into discussing this morning repentance, because I hope that you have already understood the concept of change of lifestyle that is required with repentance.  It’s not just a simple “I’m sorry”, but rather a fundamental change in the way we think, speak and act.  Repentance is not “going on a diet”: repentance is choosing to live a new healthy lifestyle in which you are active, exercising and eating healthy as a way of life, for the rest of your life.

So, today, I ask what does this mean “the kingdom of God has come near”? Broadly speaking, the kingdom of God is the rule of the eternal, sovereign God over all the universe. But that’s not all that it is. One writer says that God’s kingdom is simply this: Jesus present among us.  Jesus came and preached this good news:  ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’ (Lk 10:9). ‘ The kingdom of God has come to you’; ‘the kingdom of God is among you’ (Lk 17:21).

God himself (not the throne room with the angels and cherubim and their harps and songs, but God) has come into the midst of God’s people.  ‘The kingdom of God’ was the Jewish people’s way of saying that God acted for their sake, on their behalf, freeing the people from every form of slavery and evil, guiding them to justice and peace, flooding them with joy and good things. And so, Jesus came, healing the sick, making the lame to walk again, causing the blind to see, preaching a repentance and “go and sin no more”.

If we look at the world around us, just at Panama City, do we feel like it is dominated by corruption, evil and that the violence is a normal way of life.  Do we feel at the mercy of gangs, corrupt police, corrupt government officials, wondering when justice will be done and flood down on this country like rivers of living water?  Do we feel like there is even impotence to change matters personally when others have personal agendas and plans that are not Godly?  Jesus responds: “the kingdom of God has come near“.  These verses invite us to believe that God, right now, is conquering these evil actions and intentions and is establishing a peace that surpasses all human understanding.

Colossians 1: 27 reminds us:

the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 

Christ is in you! This is the hope of glory: God is with us. That God’s kingdom is “at hand”, it has already “come”. This Good News is not that we, as Christians, will have eternal life and go to heaven, although there is that too!  This Good News has everything to do with this life. God was beginning to reign on earth in a new way, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. This new way is Christ in you!

But, what do we have to do? Live our lives Act in such a way as to have him always in our midst. And how do we do that? Well, as Jesus said in Mark 1: we repent and believe the good news. Then we go forth, and “sin no more”. But, in what practical ways can you experience God’s reign in your life? What would it mean for you to recognize God’s purpose and plan for you, living your very best life and best self, when you’re at work? at school? at church? at a family reunion?

I think this starts with humility: accepting the sanctuary and purpose of God requires humility. It means accepting that we don’t know it all. It means that we accept God’s purpose and plan for our lives, which may be different from the purpose and plan we had.  The “Supreme Being” of God is all knowledge, all wisdom, all seeing, everywhere, at all times, and yet, each of us is called to an innate relationship. In order to regain our lost relationship with God, our approach must come with humility, because we were the ones who decided to separate ourselves from God.

Many see this as the “original sin” – a decision to separate from our Oneness with God, and now we each have a constant struggle to rebuild, each day by every choice we make, living with the kingdom of God in our hearts.  We no longer live in the garden of Eden, where we walk and talk with God constantly and easily, but rather living separately and alone.  But Jesus came to preach the Good News: the kingdom of heaven is at hand, it has come!

This week I read:

The true meaning of “for the kingdom of heaven is near” is that each of us can gain the sanctuary of God – the refuge of God – immediately by simply turning to the Supreme Being – by worshiping Him and relying upon Him – and dismissing ourselves (“repenting”) from our search for happiness in a materialistic world of emptiness and physical gratification.

But many of us struggle to live with this mystery, Christ in you, the hope of glory.  We live under a false sense of entrapment, focused only on the material world, controlled by our fears, rather than seeing the presence of God in our lives.  How much time do we spend caught up in fear and worry? And rather than living a powerful life, in which we have clear priorities, motivation and actions, we live timidly.  The kingdom of heaven has come: Has it come in your life? Is it reflected in the decisions you make? Have you let go of fear, blame and guilt – to live in the freedom of Christ in you, the hope of glory?

“The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’
For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21 NKJV)

The call from Jesus and John for repentance was a call to take off the old and put on the new. And part of that is a call to take off our ego and replace it with a humble, pure heart.  When our ego is out of control, we are trapped by it. Our ego insists that we are “right”, that our way of viewing the situation is the only way and that every other way is therefore “wrong”. Our ego leads us to believe we are superior to others: better educated, more prepared, more deserving. Our ego leads us to be greedy – we never have enough. Our ego leads us to be envious: instead of being happy and grateful when another succeeds, we are resentful and want to pull them back down to our own level.  Our ego tells us that everything is about me: it becomes obnoxious, rude and annoying.

The ego gives a grandiose sense of self-importance and expects others to see this at all times. Our ego exaggerates talents and achievements: constantly comparing ourselves to others, craving respect and recognition. And from here, our ego takes us to being self-serving and self-centered. Favours that we do for others are all transactional: what is in this for me? This, in turn, becomes manipulation and pulling strings.

But Jesus calls us: repent, take off that mask so that you can see life through a crystal clear lens, and allow God to live within you. Take out the ego, and make room for Divine Purpose in your life.  Jesus calls each of us “follow me“, and to each of us Jesus says: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

As we leave church today, what practical ways can you experience Divine Purpose leading your life? What would it mean for you to recognize God’s purpose and plan for you, living your very best life and best self, when you’re at work? at school? at church? at a family reunion? That is a question each one of us has to respond, because our hope of glory is that Christ is in each one us.

bodies, members, Lord, spirit, Holy Spirit, follow me, Divine Purpose, purpose, passion, calling, practicing Presence, Shekinah, follow, Samuel, Corinthians, Paul, John, leave, release, let go, Philip, leave behind,

Follow me!

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Readings:

  • 1 Samuel 3: 1-20
  • 1 Corinthians 6: 12-20
  • John 1: 43-51

Follow Me! Leave everything that you have and that you are doing, and follow me.

I want you to imagine, for just a minute, that instead of Philip & Nathanael, that Jesus had called you that day in Galilee.
What would you be leaving behind today?

  • Your house?
  • Your car?
  • Your job?
  • Your pension plan?
  • Your security?
  • Your family?
  • Your spouse?
  • Your children?
  • Your pets?

If Jesus came to Panama City today, would you say yes like Philip & Nathanael?  What scares you the most about this imaginary call this morning?

Follow me!

But you have been called and chosen. Each of us has, with a purpose and a part to play, a job to do.  1 Corinthians 6: 15 says:

6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?

Every one of us here today is a member of this calling. And in verses 17 and 19 we read:

6:17 But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Jesus calls to us: “Follow me”, the very same way that God called Samuel (by name), and Samuel responded “Here I am”.

We are already two weeks into 2018, and I would ask this morning: what have you been called to do or become this year? What is Divine Purpose pushing you towards?  Most people are more driven by purpose or passion than they actually are by money: how does your calling or purpose define the way you are living your life in 2018? How much time have you spent in these weeks asking yourself: What does “Thy Will be done” mean in my life for 2018? What does “Thy will be done” mean spiritually in your life – what are you called to improve, what are you called to change, what are you called to release and let go of? What does “Thy will be done” mean professionally in your life? What does it mean in your family life?  What does “Thy will be done” mean with respect to your health and fitness? When you look at your Vision Board, what stands out as needing you to change or sacrifice? What are you doing with your time that is important?

Prior to His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to His Father about the great trial He would face. Knowing the pain He would soon experience,

“He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done” (Matthew 26:42, KJV).

In this case, even though Jesus would have preferred not to have suffered as He did, we see him submitting to this purpose in spite of the personal cost. He accepted that his calling involved a pain that perhaps he could not and should not avoid.

But for most of us, the pain of “Thy will be done” is much less and more mundane.  Following Jesus, accepting our calling, and carrying our cross means that we leave aside things we enjoy because we know that they are not helping us grow and become more like Christ. We leave aside ways of life that restrict our spiritual consciousness, and we practice new habits that draw us closer to knowing the Kingdom of God. But I discovered something last year: Purpose (knowing what you are meant to do on this earth) PLUS daily action = Purposeful life! Yes, they are small steps taken each day. Sometimes mundane, like playing scales when you are learning to play a new musical instrument. But because we have the passion of knowing where this is leading, we say “this is the Way“.

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How are you investing your time to become more like Christ each day? Are you spending more time in prayer, meditation, learning, or simply just sitting in God’s presence in silence listening to that still small voice? Are you pausing before you walk into each room or your office, allowing God to go before you? Are you pausing when you need to have a difficult conversation and allowing Spirit to guide your words?

“Thy will be done” means that we ask God to handle each situation as God sees best: but it means more than that! I means I am willing to be transformed, by the renewing of my mind, to become the person that is the best version of me that God envisioned.  “Thy will be done” means that  we are aligning our will with God’s will, we are submitting ourselves to this Divine Will and Purpose; it is a request to God that we might do what is pleasing to God, a request for the grace that we need and the insight to know what that will is, and an obedient heart to actually do it.

Follow me.

Have you ever thought, as we pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,”

“What might happen if I really prayed and meant it, ‘Thy will be done’”

When we pray, “Thy will be done,” it implies that we’re asking God to overrule our will if it’s not the same as His, and that’s tough. That’s tough to pray because we’re born wanting our way, wanting our will.  (https://www.reviveourhearts.com/radio/revive-our-hearts/thy-will-1/)

But Jesus calls us: “Follow me.”  This is a call to change your way of life, not just a call to come to church on Sundays. We are all born with a deep and meaningful purpose that we have to discover. Your purpose is not something you need to makeup; it’s already there. You know – either consciously or subconsciously – what you are meant to do on this earth.

Thy will be done is a conscious decision to fight for what is right, to not only submit passively to God’s will, but to rise to the challenge of doing what is right and good. It’s the challenge to be in the right place, at the right time, and do what we are asked to do by the Spirit.

In Acts 8, verses 26 to 40, we find Philip speaking with the Ethiopian eunuch. We are told that this eunuch was very important: “a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure.” An angel told Philip which road to go to, and when he got there the spirit of God told him “that person” and Philip risked himself to go and join the eunuch in his chariot.  “And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing.” Jesus called Philip “Follow me.” and in the same way, you are called “Follow me”.

When we are following Jesus, and we assert “Thy will be done” – this may be a request for discernment, for guidance, for insight.  It may be looking at a financial decision or how to act in a relationship, and knowing that the right and correct thing to do is difficult, saying “Thy will be done” and taking the high road. Doing what is hard and difficult in spite of the emotional cost.  Taking courage in the knowledge that this is right.

Jesus calls us “follow me” and we have to count the cost of doing this.  We read in Luke 14, verses 26 to 33:

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. 33 So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.

I started this sermon this morning asking:

I want you to imagine, for just a minute, that instead of Philip & Nathanael, that Jesus had called you that day in Galilee.
What would you be leaving behind today?

  • Your house?
  • Your car?
  • Your job?
  • Your pension plan?
  • Your security?
  • Your family?
  • Your spouse?
  • Your children?
  • Your pets?

If Jesus came to Panama City today, would you say yes like Philip & Nathanael?  What scares you the most about this imaginary call this morning?

In 2018, what does “follow me” mean for your life? As you work on your goals and purpose, what areas of your life need to reflect growth and maturity? What changes do you foresee and what habits do you leave behind in the past because they no longer serve you or your life purpose? Jesus calls in 2018: Follow me.

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Let there be Light!

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Readings:

  • Genesis 1: 2-3

…And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

  • Mark 1:4-11

4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  … 8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9  In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.

Another version that I read of Mark 1, verse 4 says:

“So, John the Baptizer appeared in the wilderness, calling for baptism and a change of heart that lead to forgiveness of sins.”

  • Acts 19:1-7

And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them

Without the power of the Spirit, there is no light! And without repentance – in other words, “a change of heart”, there is no filling by the Spirit!

I want us to consider two definitions for repentance: first the definition provided by Marcus Borg:  repentance is not how we understand the word now (repentance from sins), but rather a “return from exile”.  To repent is to enter the kingdom of God: we die to the old way of being and we are “born again” into a new way of being.  Matthew uses this same opening: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” So once again, we have this message that our relationship with God is changing: God is near to us (not far away) and that we simply have to turn around and return from exile (separation). But this goes hand in hand with the idea of repentance from sins, if we look at it in the following sense.

Repentance is more than simply asking for forgiveness or confessing that we have done something wrong and saying sorry. I read this morning

Saying “I’m sorry” is something anyone can do. Sorry doesn’t require change, only an acknowledgement that you messed up. Sorry is a way out of a problem, not the beginning of a new path.  …Simply saying “I’m sorry” allows that a problem exists, but does nothing to bring about a genuine change of heart.

The idea of metanoia, which has been translated as repentance, is one of admission to God of our deep sorrow for the pain and hurt caused by our actions and sins, and a resolve to change our way of being and life to act correctly in the future.  It is adopting a new way of life, a new way of being.

A little bit like trying to lose weight and get fit, as many of us do at the beginning of every year: but the reality is that it isn’t enough to go on a diet. We need to change our lifestyle and adopt a new lifestyle that allows us to be healthy and fit. It is a complete changing of our ways: adopting new eating habits, adopting a new morning routine, perhaps starting each morning with warm lemon water.  And the first weeks and months of this new way of life are a struggle: you feel like you are on a diet, rather than adopting a new lifestyle.  But you also are aware that if you go back to your “normal habits” you will go back to that weight and that body that you were trying to improve.

David admits: He  struggles with addiction. He is determined to beat his habit but gives in, feels bad, intends to make a change, but ends up slipping time and again. When he does, it deeply hurts his wife and children. He sees the pain in their faces and feels bad that he has hurt them. David is remorseful but not repentant.

Regret and remorse have consequences, but do not necessarily address the wrong-doing of those consequences. People get caught and can feel remorse because there are consequences to their actions. For example, you can speed down the highway, get caught and feel remorse. But you may not feel repentant over the speeding. You have remorse because you received a ticket. The ticket temporarily slows you down, but eventually you creep back up to that speeding level.

Repentance would be sticking to the speed limit, rather than speeding. Repentance for alcoholism is getting into rehab, and then once out changing the lifestyle he has so that he has more human connection and less need to give into the addiction. Repentance would be living a new way of life, in spite of his weakness and addiction.

The same is true spiritually for us. It is not enough for us to be sorry or feel guilty for our sins. This feeling of guilt or remorse achieves nothing for us! Being sorry or feeling remorse is not enough either. To repent is not simply an emotional act, but rather requires a change of moral purpose, and requires regret of the past and pursuit of a new direction.

2 Corinthians 7:10 explains this as follows:

For godly sorrow produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly sorrow produces death.

The Message explains this a little better:

Distress that drives us to God does that. It turns us around. It gets us back in the way of salvation. We never regret that kind of pain. But those who let distress drive them away from God are full of regrets, end up on a deathbed of regrets.

It’s not enough to regret what you did. Repentance is about turning things around and living life a completely new way! Repentance is adopting a new way of thinking, it is a change of mind, transformation of your mind and thoughts, deciding to live your life with a new purpose.  It is interesting that baptism is an immersion to complete saturation: it can just as well be immersion in a transformed mind and way of thinking, and not simply immersion in water.  Water is simply symbolic of this immersion to change.  The purpose of baptism by John was repentance: to bring about a change of mind, a change of way of being.  The water baptism symbolizes a cleansing process, the letting go of the old way of being.

The fundamental idea with this repentance is not sorrow or remorse: it is change. But profound and deep change: not just a change superficially of our actions to follow the rules, but rather as Jesus taught us, a profound change of being.  There’s a reason that Jesus spoke of forgiveness being not 7 times, but rather 7 times 70 (7X70) times (490) – because you need to be sorry and forgive yourself this many times in order to truly change your way of thinking and being regarding a certain situation or action.  This repentance is the first step in the realization of Truth and knowing God. The Word (Jesus) dissolves, breaks up and washes away all thoughts of the material world.  And it leaves us as spiritual beings that need and hunger to be connected with Spirit.

We all want light in our lives, we all know that Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Light. We all know that after the baptism of repentance, we make room for the baptism of Spirit. But are you willing to pay the cost for this power and light – filling of the Spirit?

What am I talking about? Why am I talking about paying the cost? Isn’t this a free gift? Yes, the indwelling Spirit of God is a gift: but throughout the Gospels, Jesus would say to the sick or the blind or the lepers that he healed: “Go and sin no more.” The healing that took place was a physical and spiritual healing: and this required a new way of life and being! And you: have you had this transformation? Are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling?

… for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13)

And so, we are told as children of God to do everything without grumbling, murmuring, complaining, arguing, hesitation or disputing. (Philippians 2:14) Everything. What does this “everything” refer to? God’s will and God’s work for God’s good pleasure: because it is God who works in you to will and to work.  THEN you will shine like stars, a bright light in this world, full of Spirit, and showing to all the fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, humility and self-control.

Every Christian is indwelt by the Spirit, but every Christian does not heed the direction and instruction of the Spirit in their lives. Some Christians are still caught up listening to their material needs, their fears, their ego, their selfish ways. But those guided by the Spirit can rest in the assurance that God’s good will be done. Those who are spiritual “live by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:16), that is, they walk, or live their life, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

God says in Genesis 1 –  “Let there be light” – and Jesus says to us in Matthew 5: 14

You are the light of the world.

Not Jesus – YOU! A city on a hill cannot be hidden. And if the Spirit fills you, that light cannot be hidden!  So – let your light, of a changed way of being, of thinking, of speaking, of acting be the beacon of light that draws others to God.

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Do not be afraid!

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

‘For I am the Lord, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.  Do not be afraid, for I myself will help you,’ declares the Lord, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.” Isaiah 41:13-14

Psalm 97

Luke 2: 8-20

2:8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
2:9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see–I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people:
2:11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.

Now, I have a dog that was rescued from the streets, and she is generally fearful and anxious.  If the angels had appeared with her around, I’m not sure whether she would have frozen, fled before they gave the message, or lashed out and tried to bite an angel! Because that is how she responds in fear: flight, fight or freeze!

There’s a meme going around the internet that there are 365 verses in the Bible of “don’t be afraid” or “fear not”. Unfortunately, there are only about 119 such verses, but there are more than 300 more that speak about “when I am afraid” and the ways that we can respond when we are afraid.  For me, it is really important to know how to manage fear and anxiety, because otherwise I spiral downwards into anxiety attacks. Anxiety is simply generalized fear: people living with constant fear.  When most people think of anxiety, the image that comes to mind is generally of someone biting their nails, obsessing, and tossing and turning wide-eyed in bed, unable to sleep. For me, that’s not anxiety. I don’t turn into a helpless mess on the floor. I get irritable and angry!

Someone else described their anxiety as:

Rage seems to feel safer than anxiousness and masks the true emotion. It’s easier for me to direct the emotion outwards at someone else, something else or some situation than it is to face the inner facing anxiety.

Another person described this as:

Having anxiety doesn’t just mean being nervous or worrying. When my mind starts racing and I can’t decide which thing to think about, that’s anxiety. When my chest feels like it’s going to explode from pressure, that’s anxiety. When I snap at a co-worker for no reason at all, or I am inexplicably moody, that’s anxiety. When I spend the entire weekend wondering if I’ll be fired for something I said on Friday, that’s anxiety. When I randomly start crying, or laughing, or jumping up and down, that’s anxiety. When I flake on plans at the last minute, you can bet it’s because of anxiety.

And the result of all of this?

“Anxiety leaves you feeling out of control and vulnerable. Anger makes you feel powerful,” he wrote in 2014. “Compared to each other, anger can appear the clear winner.”

But, there is something more interesting about anxiety:

Anxiety is NOT a random, unknown, or uncontrollable disease or illness that you develop, inherit, or contract. Anxiety results from a certain style of behavior. …we create the physiological, psychological, and emotional state of being anxious when we behave in an apprehensive manner, such as being worried, fretful, and/or concerned.

… The problem is that overly anxious personalities perceive danger more often and to higher degrees than those who aren’t as anxious. It’s this overly anxious behavior that causes problems with anxiety in our lives.

So, there is a very good reason why FEAR is spoken about so much in the Bible!  Even today, this is very relevant.  So much crazy going on around us today – wars, conflicts, persecution, violence, crime, natural disasters, terrorism, economic uncertainty, unemployment, divisions, disease, death. We fear for our children’s future, we fear for our families, we fear for our financial future, we fear for our safety. The list goes on…long. There actually is a lot we could potentially worry about. And yet Jesus says to us:

“Do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear.  Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes.  Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!  Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?  Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?” Luke 12:22-26

Psalm 56: 3

When I am afraid,
I will trust in you.

Psalm 23: 4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Deuteronomy 31:6

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

And Jesus reminds us in John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

And finally, Isaiah 26: 3

You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

So, we see in the Christmas story a overwhelming situation: the suddenness of the appearance of the angels, the brightness of the light, the sound that must have accompanied their appearance: it must have been how movies envision an alien invasion! Do you run, fight or simply freeze? And so the angels begin their message with “Do not be afraid”.  They tell the shepherds the good news, and then they give them the instructions: what to do with this information!

Luke 2:12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.

And after the angels left, and everything was once more quiet, and dark, the shepherds decide to go and see the baby.

But every Christmas story has a lesson for us. It was not just for the shepherds on that day in Bethlehem.  We are called:

Do not be afraid.
I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: the anointed one, the Messiah, was born over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem.
And we have seen the signs and know of the wonder.

But have you gone personally to see Jesus? Have you taken the time to actually meet Jesus? How does Christ call you to live? What does Christ call you to do?

 

As we enjoy this Christmas day, let us remember to live without fear, to keep our minds stayed on God in perfect peace, trusting in the perfect plan for our lives. And let us share the good news with others: “Do not be afraid. There is good news of great joy for all the people!”

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

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The trees of the forest sing for joy

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

This morning, we lit the candle of Joy in our Advent Wreath. And we read part of the Nativity story and Cynthia read for us

Psalm 96:  11-12

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy

What is Joy? “a feeling of great pleasure and happiness”  and also “delight, jubilation, triumph, exultation, rejoicing, gladness, glee, exhilaration, exuberance, elation, euphoria, bliss, ecstasy, rapture“

Nehemiah 8:10 says

And Nehemiah continued, “Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the Lord is your strength!”

And another Psalm reminds us: Psalm 28:7

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

But what does that mean for us as Christians at this time of year? For starters we are celebrating and remembering Christ’s birth. But his birth and his life and Christ’s death is nothing without victory over death. This is true joy! While we celebrate and remember that Oneness with God is possible because Christ came to show us the way, through that small child in a manger, what we are truly celebrating is the light that has come into the world through victory over death.

This is the time of year for joy!

It’s also a time of year when here in Panama we spend time outdoors: at the beach, in the sun, hiking, exploring, swimming, paddle boarding. And so this Christmas Eve, I want to invite you to use those moments in nature to remember that all of earth is simply a reflection of the greatness of God and that the mountains, valleys and even the ocean remind us of the joy that we have through Oneness with our Creator.

Job 12, verses 7 through 10 remind us:

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.  Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

In a similar way, Psalm 19, verse 1 says:

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

And Psalm 33:5

… the earth is full of his unfailing love.

And the prophet Isaiah in chapter 43, verse 20

The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen.

And then later in Isaiah 55:12

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

As you spend time at the beach over the coming weeks and months, or go boating or water-skiing, meditate on the greatness and awe of the creation of the Earth.  Think about how nature reflects the creative nature of God and the creation story.  And consider for a moment, as you contemplate the vastness of the ocean, or the stillness of the tropical jungle, the intricacies of the perfect balance of life.  Take a moment to watch an ant work – carrying its load back to the colony, or contemplate the lessons that you can find in the variety of plant life that covers the floor of the tropical forest.  A close look at the millions of animal life types that we have in Panama should be enough to humble you before our awesome God and Creator: to realize how truly ignorant we are.

 

But the reality is that we need to do more than just appreciate God in creation.  It’s not enough just to learn from the jackals and owls, to enjoy how the sky proclaims the glory of God. You also have an important role to play. The same way that nature speaks of God, and of the celebration of life, death and victory over death: you should also be this witness.

Nature doesn’t speak using words: it is silent. It just is – and by its  being it demonstrates the joy and the peace of complete communion with God. Even in the majesty of an angry ocean, we can appreciate the power of God.

So even if you don’t speak, does the way you live reflect your relationship with God? If you could never speak a word, could people see from the way that you live your life that you are a child of God? Does your life reflect the joy of the Lord?

Spiritually, I’m not talking about cheeriness or bubbly, feel good.  I’m talking about the settled assurance that God controls all the details of life: where you live in a quiet confidence that all things work together for good of those who love God and are called according to God’s purpose.  I am talking about choosing to thank God and practice gratitude in spite of the situation.  Joy is not about feeling good all the time; it’s not about living as a person who is naturally upbeat and optimistic: being that bubbly, peppy person that the melancholy look at with envy.  No – I’m talking about a deep inner peace that shows itself as joy in your life.

 

Earlier we read Job 12, verses 7 through 10:

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth and it will teach you, or let the fish of the sea inform you.  Which of these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

Would someone come to ask you to teach them about God because of the way that you are living your life? Can they see God through you? This Christmas season are you the reason for the season? Does your life reflect the hand of God?

I want to close this morning with a reminder of our first reading:

Psalm 96:  11-12

Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
let the field exult, and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

In this same way, our lives should reflect the glory of God: be glad, rejoice, exult with everything that in you. And sing for joy!

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Who are you?

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Readings:

  • John 1: 6-8; 19-28

6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.

19 This was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Temple assistants from Jerusalem to ask John, “Who are you?” 20 He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
21 “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?”
“No,” he replied.
“Are you the Prophet we are expecting?”
“No.”
22 “Then who are you? We need an answer for those who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?”
23 John replied in the words of the prophet Isaiah:
     “I am a voice shouting in the wilderness,
    ‘Clear the way for the Lord’s coming!’”
24 Then the Pharisees who had been sent 25 asked him, “If you aren’t the Messiah or Elijah or the Prophet, what right do you have to baptize?”
26 John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. 27 Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.”
28 This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.

So, I would ask each one of you this morning: who are you?

John the Baptist, knew clearly, who he was. Do you know who you are?  Are you living the life that God intended for you to live, being who God made you to be? Have you reached a place of maturity where you know and accept what God says about you, agree with Spirit that this is true of you, and become the best version of you that exists?

Let’s do a small exercise, and review different areas of our lives: starting with our bodies.  I want you to close your eyes for a moment, and just be present in your body. Be aware of your head, of your neck, your shoulders, your left arm, your hand, your right arm, your right hand… and now let’s move down to your legs. And now let’s move back to your head. And now, I want to ask you: are you your body? Or is your body simply the vessel that carries you?

If you are not your body, then who are you?

What about your possessions? Do those define who you are? Your home, your car, your bank account? Is that who you are?

How about your job, profession and career? Does that define who you are? How many people do you know that have changed careers? How many times in your life has your career and profession changed? How many people do you know that have been laid off or fired, that have quit, that have moved to another country and had to start over in another field? Is a person truly defined by their career or profession? Who are you?

What about your family? Are you mum, dad, the black sheep, the only single one left, the life of the party, the grandmother? Is that who you are? How many people do you know who have lost members of their family? And yet they still continue to live and find new identities and purposes.  Who are you?

How about your emotions? Are you happy, sad, angry, fearful, ashamed, tired? But is that who you are? Or is that simply a state of feeling and emotion that comes and passes?

John responds rather cryptically to the Pharisees and scribes: “I am a voice…” The first verses of John tell us a little more about John the Baptist’s identity:

“God sent a man, John the Baptist, to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light.”

And you, who are you? What were you sent for? God sent you… Have you discovered yet what for? Are you living out that purpose? Are you being everything that you could possibly be?

Your identity doesn’t depend on something you do or have done. Most of us confuse doing, having and feeling with being.  Instead of saying I feel sad, we identify with the sadness and say “I am sad”. Instead of saying that I work as a lawyer, we say “I am a lawyer”. Instead of saying I have a family, we lose our identity within that family.  But is that truly who you are?

John knew who he was. And Jesus certainly knew who he was.  Jesus said:

  • I am the bread of life.
  • I am the light of the world.
  • I am the door.
  • I am the good shepherd.
  • I am the resurrection and the life.
  • I am the way, the truth and the life.
  • I am the vine.
  • “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!

And who are you?

Now, I don’t care much for Joel Osteen, but I quite like part of his start to Sunday services and his declaration about the Bible:

This is my Bible.
I am what it says I am.
I can do what it says I can do.
…

Who are you?

Who does God, through the Bible, say that you are? Let me give you some ideas:

  • You ARE a child of God, complete in Christ – John 1: 12; Colossians 2:10
  • You ARE loved, accepted, redeemed, holy, forgiven, free from condemnation, chosen, established, anointed and sealed by God. 1 John 3: 3; Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:14; Romans 8:1; 2 Corinthians 1:21; Colossians 3:12
  • You ARE a joint heir with Jesus, united with God and one spirit with God Spirit. Romans 8: 17; 1 Corinthians 6:17
  • You ARE a temple of God: his Spirit and life lives in you. 1 Corinthians 6:19
  • You are God’s co-worker; a living stone on which the spiritual house is being built. 2 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Peter 2:5

So, if that’s who you are: what are you doing that lives up to this description of you? Does your life reflect who you are?

If you embodied this description of you: what would be different to how you are living your life at the moment? What needs to change in your life, for this to really be you? What would new things would appear in your life if this was you?

What scares you the most about this description of you?

  • Being a child of God? a joint heir with Jesus?
  • Being united with God – complete Oneness?
  • being complete?
  • being loved, accepted, redeemed, holy, forgiven, free from condemnation, chosen, established, anointed and sealed by God?
  • being God’s temple?
  • being God’s co-worker and co-creator?

What obstacles or idols in your life keep you from living this out? What habits or practices do you need to incorporate into your life to live this more fully?

What’s keeping you from living this life today? From walking out of the Church today and being You, the best You that there is, the You that God created you to be in all your fullness and glory, so that others might see Christ in you?

Because today, YOU are the hope of the world. You are the voice in the wilderness. You are the light in the darkness. God sent you!

So, who are you?

justice, Shekinah, practicing presence, glory of the Lord, glory of God, light, shining

A river of justice

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

Readings:

  • Joshua 24: 1-3; 14-25
  • Amos 5: 18-24

5:24 But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream.

As you walk out of Church today, what will have changed? What difference will it have made to come to church this morning and worshiped God?  What does choosing God, rather other gods, mean today? How does worshiping God change our lives?

Noris read for us this morning Amos, chapter 5, verses 18 to 24. I want to re-read those to you now, from the version “The Message”:

18-20 Woe to all of you who want God’s Judgment Day!
    Why would you want to see God, want him to come?
When God comes, it will be bad news before it’s good news,
    the worst of times, not the best of times.
Here’s what it’s like: A man runs from a lion
    right into the jaws of a bear. …
At God’s coming we face hard reality, not fantasy—
    a black cloud with no silver lining.

21-24 “I can’t stand your religious meetings.
    I’m fed up with your conferences and conventions.
I want nothing to do with your religion projects,
    your pretentious slogans and goals.
I’m sick of your fund-raising schemes,
    your public relations and image making.
I’ve had all I can take of your noisy ego-music.
    When was the last time you sang to me?
Do you know what I want?
    I want justice—oceans of it.
I want fairness—rivers of it.
    That’s what I want.
That’s. All. I. Want.

God’s anger in Amos was because the religious festivals were not followed up by just actions. God gave the means to reverse the people’s systems of injustice, to end inequity and oppression. But the river of people who were supposed to flow out of the temple (like when we all leave this Church this morning) to fulfill God’s promises walked out of the temple and did nothing.

You were given arms that can reach out to those who suffer: who are those arms wrapped around? Yourself? You were given feet to take the first steps towards those who feel alone, afraid, oppressed: where are your feet planted? In your comfortable life? You were given ears to hear the stories of justice denied: are you listening? You were given a mouth to speak Truth: but words are used to harm and tear down, rather than to build, and certainly not to speak Truth!**

Thursday, November 9th many Panamanians waited expectantly for a reveal of names and details regarding the Obredecht corruption cases. A nation waiting and hoping for justice to prevail and corruption to set a food on the proverbial banana skin and the other foot in the grave. It wasn’t enough.

This brings to mind, for me, Proverbs 24: 24

Whoever says to the guilty “You are innocent” will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.

All I read on Twitter & Facebook is frustrations and cursing of the lack of action and lack of justice. What more can and should be done? Panama needs to restart and rethink fighting corruption from a grassroots level. It needs to start in the home. Social justice and righteousness are needed from each person and member of society. And for us, it starts as we walk out of Church today. Worshiping God is not just about what we do for one hour on Sunday morning. Worshiping God is in each thought, each word & each deed.

1 John 4: 20 through 5:3  remind us:

20 Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. 21 And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister.

5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. …

How do we love our brother and sister? Well, let me warn you, it’s not sentimental. It’s not that “feeling” of love. It’s about your actions -and they speak much louder than any words. John warns us about this: “we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fat, this is love for God: to keep his commands.”

Let’s take a quick walk through the Bible and discover the ways we show love to our neighbours – children of God – all created, like you and me, in the image and likeness of God:

Leviticus 19: 9-18 

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the LORD your God.
You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. …
… The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. …
… You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people. …
You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor… ou shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD”

Proverbs 29: 7 

The righteous care about justice for the poor…

Isaiah 1: 17 

Learn to do right; seek justice.
    Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
    plead the case of the widow.

Isaiah 58: 6-7 

… this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people.  Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

Jeremiah 22: 3 

… Do justice and righteousness, and deliver from the hand of the oppressor him who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the resident alien, the fatherless, and the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place.

Matthew 6: 14-15 

For if you forgive others when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 25: 35-36

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

Romans 14: 13

Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister.

Galatians 6:2 

Carry each other’s burdens…

1 Thessalonians 5: 11

… encourage one another and build each other up…

1 Peter 3: 8

be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble.

I want us to imagine, just for a moment, a world in which all Christians lived according to all these rules and fulfilled these commands. In Joshua 24 we read how the people of Israel chose to follow God and follow his commandments. What would this look like for Christians? Let’s take a moment, just to imagine this:

  • no sexual harassment
  • no hunger
  • everyone paid a fair wage
  • no slander
  • no hate, no vengeance, no grudges
  • justice for the poor
  • oppressed people who are defended vigorously, fatherless children who are protected, widows who have someone standing up for them
  • no one wrongly imprisoned
  • no human trafficking or slavery
  • the homeless living in proper shelters, the hungry given food
  • relatives receiving hep from their families
  • no wrong or violence against the immigrant
  • no innocent blood shed
  • forgiving others graciously when they make mistakes, even if they intentionally act wrongly
  • strangers invited in
  • sick cared for
  • those in prison visited and encouraged
  • no one passing judgement on you

This is justice rolling down like waters. This is an ever-flowing stream of righteousness! This is loving your neighbor and loving God.

As we go out today, let us remember this promise from Psalm 106: 3

Blessed are those who act justly, who always do what is right.

Always. It’s such a big word.

So, as we leave this Church this morning, may we be a small stream of water, a trickle in the giant ocean of injustice… going against the tide and shining our light in this world of darkness.

 

 

 

 

 

**https://www.reformedworship.org/article/june-2014/just-amos

 

Personal Covenant to live by

Beth - blogger, coach, consultantLeave a comment

One of my homework assignments this week was to write a personal covenant with God.

A covenant is a two-way promise. God promises us certain blessings in return for our keeping the terms we accepted when making the covenant.

In considering my covenant with God, I looked at the following to draw inspiration:

In reading all of these, I came to the realization that our covenants with God actually start on God’s side and promises made, and on our side is our acceptance and fulfillment.  So, I chose 5 verses on which to base my personal covenant:

1- Jeremiah 29: 11 – I have had this on my vision board all year (2017), as part of my vision of who/what I am and the life I am building:

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

2- Psalm 46: 10

Be still & know that I AM

I got this tattooed on my back at the beginning of the year to remind myself of where my strength comes from!  With a phoenix rising out of the fire, and a reminder that out of the burning bush, God speaks to us with a small, still voice.

BeStill&KnowThatIAm

3- Jeremiah 31: 33-34

I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.

4- Joshua 1:9

 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

5- Philippians 4: 6-7, 9, 13, 19

6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
9 The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
13 I can do all things through Christ[a] who strengthens me.
19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

And so, based on all of this, I decided to try to put into words my Covenant:

I am a strong woman, blessed with everything I need and having everything to give! I take to heart the promises of Divine Supply: I know that my every need is already taken care of and that God’s purposes in my life are to prosper me, plans for hope and a future. I release all anxiousness & worry, knowing that my prayers and gratitude have power on earth and in heaven.  My God will take care of my needs.
I promise to be still: I will allow the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, to guard my heart and mind through Christ in me, the hope of glory.
I promise to learn and receive and do, to allow God’s law to be in my mind and written on my heart: to be a shining child of God, knowing God from the inside out! I accept that I have been chosen and called, and I respond, saying “yes”.
I am strong and courageous, things of this world do not frighten or dismay me, because God is in me, with me and for me, and God is with me wherever I may go.