[Monday's Devotional] - Don't take advantage of the poor

Don’t take advantage of poor people just because they are poor.

Don’t treat badly those who are in need by taking them to court. Proverbs 22:22 [NIRV]

 

The Bible is quite clear about the fact that God doesn’t like the poor to be taken advantage of.  In 21^st Century Britain, things are no better than they were when Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers.  Recently I received a flyer through the door from a company called Buy As You View – like Bright House (which has a store in the Rugby Clock Towers shopping centre), this outfit aims to make domestic appliances (TVs, cookers, furniture etc.) accessible to those who can’t afford to buy outright.  With an APR of 68% you can buy what you like over a 3-year period and you will find that the total payments are almost exactly twice the cost of the item if purchased outright.  All this when we have the lowest interest rates in banking history.

 

It seems that the payday loan companies (like Wonga) are not the only ones who are getting rich at the expense of those who can least afford to be their customers.  And what if you fail to keep up with the payments?  You might find yourself treated badly and taken to court.

 

What would Jesus say?  What do you think about these business models?  What can we do to improve the outlook of the poor, the disadvantaged and those who are baffled by the numbers presented to them?

 

Lord, help us to seek justice and mercy for the poor.  In Jesus name, Amen

 

Dave MacLellan

[Friday's Devotional] - T is for Tired

In this final part of our five part series exploring the HALT principle (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired), we will look at how tiredness can make us vulnerable to sin.

 

Tiredness (like Hunger) can easily make us bad tempered.  In my family, arguments can easily start and become irrational when people are tired and things are said that should not have been said.  In fact, we have recognised this and we have a rule that can be invoked to stop the arguments late at night. “I invoke the 10 o’clock rule!” means it is time to stop arguing and make plans to continue the discussion the following day when we are less tired.

 

The Bible has plenty of examples of where tiredness can lead to vulnerability to sin.  For example Saul’s men “exhausted” after a battle could not be bothered to prepare their dinner properly and sinned against the Lord by eating meat full of blood (1 Samuel 31-35), both tiredness and hunger working together and leading to sin.

 

Jesus found the disciples “exhausted from sorrow” and told them to “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation”.   Peter then goes on to lie and disown Jesus in the early hours of morning (Luke 22: 45-46, 57-62).  As mentioned in the first part of this series, Samson could not keep his God-given secret and told everything to Delilah when he was “tired to death” (Judges 16:15-16).

 

We also see from the bible some important lessons in dealing with tiredness.   Moses, for example, found the Israelites were winning a battle as long as he kept his hands raised, when Moses hands grew tired his friends got a stone for him to sit on and they held his hands up for him (Exodus 17:10-13).  This was God’s way of showing Moses he could not do everything on his own.

 

In the following Chapter (Exodus 18) we see how God sends Jethro to advise Moses to appoint some Judges to help manage the situation (Exodus 18:17-24).  We need to recognise there are times when we need support others in their “tiredness” and times we need to ask for support ourselves.  Do you need to offer support to someone today?  Or do you need to “swallow your pride” and ask for support today?  Or perhaps instead of watching TV late into the night you need to go to bed early?

 

In conclusion, over the past five days we have explored the HALT Principle and how being Hungry, Angry, Lonely and/or Tired can make us vulnerable to sin.  The roots of this principle come from good advice about times when not to drink alcohol.  But as we go through each day we must “STOP and think HALT”, we should ask “Are we making ourselves or others vulnerable to sin?”  So as Jesus said “Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:46), only through prayer we can ask the “(Holy) Spirit to help us in our weakness” (Romans 8:26).

 

Richard Wilding
(originally published in 2007)

[Thursday's Devotional] - L is for Lonely

The third area to explore from the HALT principle (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) is Lonely.  Loneliness if we are not careful can make us vulnerable.

 

The story of David and Bathsheba is an example of how loneliness can lead to sin (2 Samuel 11: 1-5).  David was lonely, it was the time when kings went off to war, he was the king and a warrior but he stayed at home on his own.  Bathsheba was lonely, she was at home looking after the house; her husband was away on the king’s business.  This was a recipe for disaster, two lonely people.  David sent the invitation and “She came to him and he slept with her” (2 Samuel 11:4).  It would seem both parties were willing.

 

Paul also provides insights of how loneliness can lead to sin in his advice to young widows (1 Timothy 5:11-15) advising them they may “become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to”.

 

Simon and Garfunkels hit song “The Boxer” also recognizes loneliness as a source of temptation.  The lyrics say “Just a come-on from the whores on Seventh avenue.  I do declare, there were times when I was so lonesome, I took some comfort there”

 

The issue is we can be surrounded by people and still be lonely.  For example, the mother looking after young children all day needing adult company.  The man in the office working hard, but focused on the job and not relating to anyone.

 

In my work, where I travel extensively, there can be times when I can feel lonely.  I recognize this can be a time of vulnerability.  I have to make practical steps to protect myself including regular telephone calls to home, turning off the television if things are getting risqué or inappropriate and spending time praying and reading my bible.

 

We not only need to protect ourselves but we also need to protect others.  Is there someone you should call who may be lonely?  Help protect them from being vulnerable by remembering them in your prayers.

 

Richard Wilding
(originally published in 2007)

[Wednesday's Devotional] - A is for Angry

The second area to explore from the HALT principle (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) is Angry. 

 

The bible is full of examples of anger leading to sin.  Cain became “angry” with God and decided to take it out on his brother Abel by killing him (Genesis 4:5-8); Jacob became “angry” with Rachel and ended up committing adultery with her maid servant in order to start a family (Genesis 30:1-4).

 

Jonah (or should we call him Mr Angry!) became so angry he said “I am angry enough to die”! (Jonah 4:1-9).   Paul in his anger said something he should not have said to the High Priest and spent time apologising for this (Acts 23:3-5, Acts 24:21).   These are just a few examples of many where Anger leads to sin.

 

The bible tells us that “Anger resides in the lap of fools” Ecclesiastes 7:9 [NIV] and “the quick tempered display folly”  Proverbs 14:20 [NIV]. 

 

Jesus then tells us “Anyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgement” Matthew 5:22 [NIV].  It is worth reminding ourselves of these verses next time we feel anger building up.   But the most important strategy is outlined by Paul in Ephesians, it simply states:

 

"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.  Ephesians 4:26-27 [NIV]

 

I have always tried to keep the rule of never going to bed angry with my family, this often means apologising late at night.  The times I have not done this I have come under “judgement”, this generally is in the form of a very sleepless night and the difficult day that follows.  By developing patience and managing our Anger we can stop the link between Anger and Tiredness which then creates a ‘foothold’ for more sin!

 

Richard Wilding
(originally published in 2007)

[Tuesday's Devotional] - H is for Hungry

The first area to explore from the HALT principle (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) is the Hungry element.  

 

From an early age a child will scream and become bad-tempered when Hungry.  As adults we have more control than this, but does this feeling ever really leave us?   In my family there are times when arguments develop and can escalate out of control, and it is not uncommon for this to be before lunch time or tea time.   Hungry can lead to Angry and then to sin. 

 

When we are hungry we are more vulnerable.   Even the devil recognises this, he knew Jesus was Hungry after 40 days of fasting, so he came and tempted him at this point, with his first temptation being to turn a stone to bread. (Luke 4:1-4).   The Israelites during the Exodus moaned and wished they had died in Egypt and accused Moses of taking them into the desert to “starve them to death”. (Exodus 16:2-3).

 

It is important to recognise that in times of Hunger we are vulnerable to sin.   However, this does not give us permission to become gluttons by over eating and keeping our stomach’s full.   Proverbs 23:21 warns us this can lead us to poverty (both physically and spiritually).   However, through fasting and prayer we can gain control over our Hunger and reduce our vulnerability to sin.

 

We may also need to recognise our diet habits can make us vulnerable to sin.   Perhaps eating breakfast (rather than missing it), planning to eat some fruit mid-morning and having a healthy snack in the afternoon may make us all a little more saintly and even able to lose some weight by stopping us over-eating when it comes to dinner!

 

Richard Wilding
(originally published in 2007)

[Monday's Devotional] - The HALT Principle

Many years ago I was talking with a Christian friend at work.   We were discussing drinking, (as some may know I enjoy my real ale!).   I cannot remember the full context of our discussion.   He told me about a principle that I have now used for many years.  He said “Always think “HALT”, I asked “What do you mean by “HALT”!” (I was expecting him to give me a good lecture on saying ‘no’ to real ale, ‘no’ malt whisky and ‘no’ to all my other favourite tipples).

 

He said “The HALT principle is simple; it is dangerous to drink alcohol when you are Hungry, Angry, Lonely and/or Tired.   If you drink at these times you are likely to say something stupid or do something stupid”, in other words if you drink at these times you are more likely to fall into sin.

 

However, since learning of the HALT principle I realise that I regularly fall into sin without a drop of alcohol!  And the times when I am at my most vulnerable are when I am Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.  Often the four elements of the HALT principle will work together creating a downward spiral. 

 

 For example, Hunger leads to Tiredness which can lead to Anger resulting in you being withdrawn and Lonely.   When reflecting on the HALT principle I discovered that many of my Bible heroes were tempted or fell into sin when they were Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired.

 

The devil knows we are weak at these times.  For example:

Esau sells his birth-right for a bowl of soup because of this Hunger (Genesis 25:29-35)

Saul throws a spear at David in his Anger (1 Samuel 18:6-11)

David, bored and Lonely falls for Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11: 1-4)

Samson could not keep his God-given secret and told everything to Delilah when he was “Tired to death” (Judges 16:15-16).

 

Over the next four days we will explore each element of “The HALT Principle” reflecting on how we can identify those dangerous times and avoid falling into sin. 

 

Do you need to think HALT today?

 

Richard Wilding
(originally published in 2007)

[Friday's Devotional] - Walking the Line

I have a book entitled “52 men of the Bible” written by Carl Beech, one of the leaders of Christian Vision for Men.  It takes a look at these men, starting with Adam and finishing, of course, with Jesus.  Towards the end of the book comes the look at the disciples and other men of the New Testament.  Having read about these men again I have to say I take my hat off to them.  Once Jesus had been crucified, raised from the dead, and ascended into Heaven they could well have felt lost.  Their leader had gone, and although they had seen him, spoken with him, and received the Holy Spirit, the three years they had been with him, learning and preparing for this time must have seemed all too short.  Now they would be labelled as being one of ‘his’ friends, perhaps considered outcasts, troublemakers, men to be avoided.  Maybe it would be better to go back to being fishermen, a taxman, or anything rather than drawing attention to themselves.  Who would blame them?

 

Of course, that’s exactly what they didn’t do. They did as Jesus had taught them and went forth spreading the word of God and creating more disciples.  And it cost all but one of them their lives eventually and most by crucifixion.  But they did it anyway, regardless of what it might cost them, and with such enthusiasm that Christianity became a reality and spread throughout most of the world.

 

And then there was Paul.  He hunted down those who became followers, and turned them over to the Pharisees if he caught any of them.  That is until Jesus spoke to him on the road to Damascus.  Then he became possibly the biggest disciple of that time and walked across the kingdoms of the known world spreading the word of God with no thought for himself.  He certainly walked the line.

 

So, are we walking the line?  Or are we just content in our own comfortable life, cared for by God, but not really standing up for Jesus?  I’m sure you can find “I walk the line” by Johnny Cash, it’s been used before.  We need to start walking, me included.

 

Jim Finch

[Thursday's Devotional] - Top Dog

Sometimes we have to deal with a difficult problem and we may not always handle things in the best way.  This can be for a number of reasons.  Because we think we know best, even when  the signs are against us.  Stubbornness.  Not thinking about it.  Believing it will sort itself out.  Or because we are the one who will decide what happens and nobody is going to tell us what to do.

 

In the Old Testament there is one such person that stands out.  No matter what happens he is not going to give way to anything because he is The Man, Top Dog.  Oops!                       Of course eventually he has to give in, and it would have been so much easier if he had listened to what was being said, and where it came from.  With a bit of apparent graciousness he could have made himself look even bigger than he already thought he was. Sorry Pharaoh but you really blew it, didn’t you. Top Dog?  Right letters, wrong spelling.             When God said, “Let my people go!” he was not going to take no for an answer. Unfortunately Pharaoh’s reluctance to accept the inevitable was to cost him very dear indeed, and his people and his country suffered badly too.

 

Very recently I was told that I had to change something that had been in place for fifteen years.  My initial feeling was that this was unnecessary and that someone with a bit of authority was just being petty to make themselves seem important.  Others who had to make the same change grumbled but grudgingly did as they were told right away.  But I would refuse.  I would make a stand.  I would challenge the person’s authority to make it happen. Fortunately I thought about it over the next 24 hours, and realised that it really was quite a small thing that would hardly make any difference to me.  And that I would almost certainly have to accept it in the long run, so to make a fuss would make me look silly anyway.  I have complied with the order.

 

Naturally, if the order had come from God I hope I would have realised and acted accordingly right away. Wouldn’t want to be another Pharaoh, that’s for sure.

 

Jim Finch

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Sometimes you win...

Occasionally, well quite often actually, I like to play Pinball on the computer.  I always enjoyed playing Pinball, they used to have the games in pubs when I was a younger.  You needed to use a bit of skill, and luck, to get a good score.  I was not too bad really, though often someone would do better than me.  Now I play by myself – against the computer.   You get three balls and see what you can score.  It often seems that the computer is playing the game and the ball is not going where I expect it too.  Then just when I think this might be a good one the ball doesn’t go where it should and next second it’s gone.  There seem to be quite a number of poor games before I get a good one.  I know with the first ball when it’s going to be a poor game, so I cancel and start again.  Sometimes there are 7 or 8 rubbish games before a reasonable or good one.

 

Life can be like that, can’t it?  Some days nothing seems to go the way you want or need it to.  You get interruptions at a vital moment, or are wanted to do something else NOW!  You just can’t get the job done as you know it needs to be done, try as you may.  So frustrating!  It’s like a slap in the face with a wet fish, you feel like screaming.  Finally you get it done, it’s taken much of the day.  Then you are told they want it done a bit differently, a change of style or something needs adding or removing.  I know just how you feel, believe me.

 

Moses must have felt like that quite often when the Israelites were on their way from Egypt to the Promised Land.  He got nothing but moaning and complaining about one thing after another.  Then they wanted a god they could see and worship rather than the real God they couldn’t see.  I wonder how often he felt like saying, “Here you take the staff, you lead us where You think we should go, and you can be the one everyone moans at because things aren’t the way they want them to be!”  But he didn’t, but he did get frustrated and lose his temper now and then.  Ultimately he didn’t get to lead them into the Promised Land, but maybe he had done the job he was asked to do and it was time to rest.

 

I remember the MD of a company I worked for asking me how things were going in my department.  I told him, “We’re doing alright, but we’re really overloaded and we’re struggling a bit.”  He replied with a smile, “Keep struggling!”

 

I say the same to you, “Keep struggling.” God is with you all the way.

 

Jim Finch

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Decided Already!

I watched a programme on television recently about ‘Did Richard the Third really kill the Princes in the Tower?.’  I thought this might throw some new light on the subject.  Instead, from the opening few sentences it was obvious that the answer was YES!  It only got worse as it went on, and Richard was painted as the most devious and evil person since The Wicked Witch of the West!  There was nothing new except the way in which the ‘facts’ were bent to fit the way they were presented.  So did he?  We will never know, although it is one of the possibilities that would explain their disappearance.

 

We meet with that type of person whenever Christianity, or any other religion, is mentioned. To some it is all ‘mumbo jumbo’ and they don’t want to know – or they’ve heard it all before – or it’s all a load of rubbish.  They believe what they want to believe because it allows them to be what they are.  In reality most of them believe that accepting Jesus as the Son of God, and God as the creator of this world we live in (or on if you prefer) will spoil their way of life because they will have to give up things that they do now.  And in truth it may, or may not.

 

Fortunately actions can speak louder than words, so we can show them by our actions and the way we live, that their fears are ill-founded.  A kind word, a smile, a helping hand here and there, an ability to cope with things that trouble us.  How do we do it?  Let them know we are not infallible, WE have a helping hand too when we need it.  God, through his son Jesus, is there for us when times are hard or problems beset us.  Of course He doesn’t simply change things to how we would like them with a wave his hand, or a magic wand.  But He helps us to cope, or overcome, or simply to live through times of trouble.

 

So perhaps we can give them a smile, suggest they think about it, perhaps speak to us when they wish.  Or better still speak to God.  He listens and gives answers in his own way.

 

Be a modern disciple.

 

Jim Finch

[Monday's Devotional] - Angry Young Man...

Sometimes God uses a person who we would not have considered suitable to do something that needs doing.  A shake of the head, raised eyebrows, sharply indrawn breath from the people of the time.  I wonder how often we have thought something similar when a person has been given a position or a task to do.  I know I have at times, but thought “Oh well, good luck, you’re going to need it!”  Occasionally I’ve joined the ‘told you so’ brigade when it’s not worked out, but there have also been times when I’ve been pleasantly surprised and pleased for the person who has proved me wrong.

 

In the Old Testament there was a young man due to become a leader of the Jewish nation. But he had a bad temper when things did not go his way.  He was an early edition of the “Angry Young Man”.  He was not only strong, but strong willed too.  Against his father’s wishes he went courting a young Philistine woman and married her.  At the wedding feast he set a riddle for a bet and when it was answered because his wife betrayed him, he went to another Philistine village and killed enough men and took their clothes to pay the debt.  Then he went back to his family and sulked for a while.  When he went back for his wife he found she had been given to another man because her father decided the young man didn’t want her. So he went into the fields and burned all their crops in retaliation. It was probably only because of his great strength that he could get away with it. He became a strong warrior and leader. Eventually he fell in love with another Philistine woman and, after much begging and cajoling on her part, he told her the secret of his strength. Of course, she told her people and they were able to take him and imprison him. They blinded him and made fun of him. Then finally, as his strength returned, he was able with God’s help to take thousands of Philistines with him when he died. You knew it was Samson from the start, but had you ever thought of him this way?

 

It is another example of how God can use whoever He chooses, to do what needs to be done. So remember that whatever sort of person, with whatever talents you may or may not have, you are welcomed by God and can be of service to Him as He pleases.

 

Perhaps He doesn’t need another Angry Young Man at present, but how would I know? I do know He wants each of us and maybe you are one of those that He needs too.

 

Jim Finch

[Friday's Devotional] - Cleaning up in Lent

I remember my kids loving Helen Oxenbury’s book – “We’re all going on a Bear hunt”:

 

“We're going on a bear hunt.  We're going to catch a big one. What a beautiful day! We’re not scared.

Uh-uh! Mud!  Thick oozy mud. We can’t go over it, We can’t go under it. 
Oh no! We’ve got to go through it!

Squelch, Squelch, Squelch, Squelch”

 

In this country Lent falls in Spring; a season of mixed up weather, from sunshine to rain in minutes.  If you go for a country walk you are almost certainly going to encounter mud.  But we have to go through it to get to the other side. Just as Spring invites us to have a ‘Spring Clean’, Lent invites us to deal with the mess, the mud, in our lives. Not to quickly clean round, but a thorough empty of the cupboards to get all the junk out from the back. We go through Lent to prepare for Easter.

 

“Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.  Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me .Then I will teach transgressors your ways, so that sinners will turn back to you. Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, you who are God my Saviour and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. Open my lips, Lord, and my mouth will declare your praise. You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” Psalm 51: 7-17 [NIV]

 

Guy Mowbray

[Thursday's Devotional] - Lent and fasting

Lent is a time of fasting.  Fasting is frequently referred to in the early Church; In Acts 13 we read:

 

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off” Acts 13: 2-3 [NIV]  

 

The history of the Church is full of stories of fasting and its spiritual value.

 

But we have largely replaced true fasting with a tradition of giving up something like chocolate for Lent.  While giving up things has its place, perhaps we could look to do something deeper and spiritually more substantial; while we are fasting, in whatever form that might take for you, take time to pray.  Ask, is God inviting me to change this Lent?  What patterns of behaviour need changing?  What habits do I need to stop?  What do I need more of in my life:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Self-control; A loving behaviour toward my spouse, neighbour or children?  What can I put on - choose to celebrate life - to enjoy the beauty of creation, the love of family, friends and our God.

 

There seem to be so many obstacles preventing people from being where their hearts want to be, what God wants them to be.  Give up something and take on Prayer and we might find that we will not become less, we will become so much more.

 

Guy Mowbray

[Wednesday's Devotional] - Ash Wednesday

I only came across the imposition of Ashes a few years ago.  Having been brought up in a Charismatic Evangelical church; these strange rites were rather alien to me.  A phrase based on Genesis 3:19 is recited as the ashes are imposed in the shape of a cross on the believer’s forehead: “Remember, O mortal, that you are dust and to dust you shall return”.

 

The idea is that we are reminded of our mortality as we start the season of Lent.

 

I’ve recently re-read David Watsons book “Fear no Evil” which is an account of his struggle to understand God’s purpose for his life as he fought cancer and came to terms with his own mortality; a book that struck a chord with me as I also lost my own mother to cancer despite the prayers of many Christians.  Those who prayed (both for David and my mother) asked specifically for healing, and this was withheld by God.

 

We find death difficult, either contemplating our own or that of our loved ones, we find it a challenge to say with Paul:

 

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8: 28 [NIV]

 

Sometimes life seems to be full of solemnity; joy seems absent and our prayers seem unfulfilled.  Death is painful, raw and dark.  But, if we wait for a while, the darkness will be broken.  Lent doesn't last.  We have hope that however deep and hard the darkness is in our lives, it will ultimately be lifted and replaced by the light of Easter day – Christ is risen.

 

Guy Mowbray

[Tuesday's Devotional] - Shrove Tuesday

Shrove Tuesday is celebrated in this county by eating pancakes.  It is the last day of "fat eating" before the fasting period of Lent. Tradition has it that the origin of pancake racing is from Olney (Bucks), when in 1445, a woman from Olney had lost track of the time on Shrove Tuesday, and was busy cooking pancakes in her kitchen.  Suddenly she heard the church bell ringing to call the faithful to church for confession.  The woman raced out of her house and ran all the way to church still holding her frying pan and wearing her apron.

When was the last time you were so desperate for confession!

 

“Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord” Acts 3: 19 [NIV]

 

Lent is traditionally a time of reflection; it allows us time to honestly lay before God, our struggles, addictions and failings.  Our confession and repentance leads to release and freedom, which allows us to grow and improve our relationships with God and one another. Let’s take time to examine our lives, take time to see where we are resisting Christ’s call, and bring these failings to him.  It is often the case that a profound experience of repentance is brought about by the work of the Holy Spirit acting in our lives - if we will let him.  And if we do “God is faithful and will forgive us our sins”..

 

Understanding that we are forgiven, restored to the overwhelming love of God, is one of the most powerful acts of the Holy Spirit as we come to him in worship. - Perhaps that’s why the woman from Olney was in such a hurry.

 

Guy Mowbray

[Monday's Devotional] - Collop Monday

Apparently today is Collop Monday, traditionally the last day to cook bacon before Lent. Bacon would be salted or hung to preserve it until lent was over, the bits that were too small to preserve would be fried and served with eggs on this Monday. So today you can have a Full English Breakfast and treat it as preparation for Lent.

 

Talking of Bacon and Eggs: A pig and a hen are discussing how they can help to feed the hungry; the hen says, ‘We’ll provide bacon and eggs.’  The pig thought about the suggestion and said, ‘There’s only one problem with your bacon and eggs idea.  For you, it only requires a contribution, but from me, it will mean total commitment!’

 

“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: ‘Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?’”
Mark 8: 34-36 [NIV]

 

Why would we want to follow someone who asks us to lose our life?  It is not instinctive, possibly not even within our human nature, which tends to be self-preserving, self-seeking. Sometimes this passage is taken as a call to asceticism, (abstinence from worldly pleasures, for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals), but self-denial does not mean seeking or embracing suffering as if suffering is redemptive in itself.  Instead, Jesus calls us to embrace a new identity (“Follow me”, “for me and for the gospel”); our life centred on him.  It is not self-annihilation, but life redefined, new life.  Jesus wants us to embrace a God focused life, a Jesus focused life, which brings greater reward than a self-centred life.  But there will be trials and suffering on the way; self-denial and life redefinition comes with risks.  If we walk in a different direction to the crowd we will bump into them as we go.  It takes faith to walk in this direction, but if we do, we will find life is extraordinary.

 

Guy Mowbray

[Friday's Devotional] - It is true! The Lord has risen!

5  It is true!  The Lord has risen!

 

When Jesus was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.  Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, and he disappeared from their sight.  They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem.  There they found the Eleven and those with them assembled together and saying, “It is true!  The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”  Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread.  Luke 24: 30 – 35 [NIV]

 

Just as the eyes of the two disciples were closed when they first met Jesus, now they are opened.  They are around a table in an inn or a home.  Jesus, the guest, has become the host; it is he who takes the bread, gives thanks, breaks it and gives it to them.  Luke uses the same words as he did at the feeding of the five thousand and at the Last Supper.

 

How did the disciples recognise him?  Was by a mannerism or by his words?  Or did they see his pierced hands?  Yet as soon as they had recognised him, he disappeared.

 

They had had met the risen Christ!  There was only one possible thing to do.  Even though it was evening they must make the difficult journey back to Jerusalem and tell the others.

 

What about us?  We, too, have met with the risen Christ.  Do our hearts burn within us, or has the fire become a dull glow?  If Christ really has risen, everything, absolutely everything, is changed.  Like Cleopas and his friend, we cannot possibly keep the news to ourselves.

 

Jesus has forced open a door which has been locked since the death of the first man.  He has met, fought and beaten the king of death.  Everything is different because he has done so.  This is the beginning of the new creation.  A new chapter in cosmic history has opened.  [C S Lewis]

 

Lord Jesus, I am yours.  Help me to tell others of your love and your victory over death.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Thursday's Devotional] - How foolish... how slow of heart

4  How foolish... how slow of heart!

 

 

Having listened to the two disciples speaking of their dashed expectations, Jesus speaks.

 

Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!  Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”  And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going further.  But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.”  So he went in to stay with them.  Luke 24: 25 – 29 [NIV]

 

How slow am I, how slow are you, to believe all that the Bible says?  How well do we know it?  How often do we read it? 

 

Cleopas and the other disciple must have heard the Scriptures read many times.  They would have been familiar with the Law and the Prophets, but somehow its meaning had passed them over.  They heard, but they did not understand.

 

So Jesus opens up to them the message of the Bible.  Notice how Luke says Jesus explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  The entire Old Testament, from Genesis to Malachi, points to Jesus.  His death and resurrection are the events on which the hopes and expectations of all the prophets converge.

 

The meaning of the New Testament lies hidden in the Old; the meaning of the Old Testament is revealed through the New.  [St Augustine]

 

What a Bible study that must have been!  The two disciples felt their hearts burning within them (verse 32) as they began to understand who Jesus was and what he had come to do.

 

Father, please deepen my understanding of who Jesus is and what he has done for me.  Thank you that he was willing to suffer in my place to bring me to glory.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Wednesday's Devotional] - We had hoped

3  We had hoped

 

 

The two disciples continue to tell Jesus what been happening in Jerusalem:

 

We had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel.  And what is more, it is the third day since all of this took place.  In addition, some of our women amazed us.  They went to the tomb early this morning, but they didn’t find his body.  They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive.  Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see. 
Luke 24: 21 – 25 [NIV]

 

The events of the Easter weekend were completely unexpected.  Although Jesus had spoken of being arrested and put to death, his disciples were just not expecting him to be crucified.  And, as for being raised from the dead, that was not on their radar at all.  We remember the disciples huddled together in the upper room with the doors locked for fear of the Jews [John 20: 19].  There was no expectation that Jesus was going to rise from the dead.  As far as the disciples were concerned, Jesus was dead and their hopes were dashed.

 

We had hoped, says Cleopas, that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. (verse 21).  Had hoped.  Whatever hope they had had was gone.

 

But God’s will is not to be frustrated.  Neither the Pharisees nor the Chief Priest nor the Roman authorities could prevent God carrying out his purposes.  Nothing, nothing at all can upset his plans.

 

When it looks as if things can never change, they will.  When it looks as though evil has triumphed, it won't.  When common sense says 'despair' then don't.  God will win through and his Son will rule.  Till then, we must trust in God, wait with patience, be on our guard, show resolute courage and stick to our task.  That takes faith and obedience.  
[Colin Sinclair]

 

Father, thank you that nothing is too difficult for you.  Help me to trust in you for all I need.  Amen.

 

David Long

[Tuesday's Devotional] - What are you discussing?

2  What are you discussing?

 

 

We continue our walk along the Emmaus road.

 

Jesus asked the two disciples, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast.  One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

“What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.  He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.  The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him.  Luke 24: 17 – 20 [NIV]

 

Jesus asks these questions not because he needs to know the answers, but because he wants to join in the conversation and to open the eyes of these two disciples.

 

The two people are incredulous that Jesus should not know what has been going on in Jerusalem over the last few days.  It had been the talk of the town.  Everybody had been discussing it.  Pressed further by Jesus, Cleopas describes what had happened.  Notice the eye-witness details: Cleopas is named and the two disciples stop walking as they address this ignoramus!

 

Who was Jesus?  Cleopas tells us: a prophet, powerful in word and deed.  He was a man who spoke God’s words, but more than that had a ministry of healing and casting out evil spirits.  Yet to the two disciples, that is all Jesus was.  They do not use words like Lord, Son of God or Messiah.  Their view of him, exalted as it was, was limited.

 

Who is Jesus to you?  What do you think of him?  That’s just about the most important question you could ever ask yourself.  Is he just a great teacher or prophet or wonder-worker, or is there more to him?

 

“As far as the gospel writers were concerned, the story of Jesus was the unique turning point of all history.”  N T Wright

 

Who is Jesus to you?  What do you think of him?

 

Jesus! My shepherd, brother, friend,

My Prophet, Priest and King;

My Lord, my life, my way, my end

Accept the praise I bring.

 

David Long

[Monday's Devotional] - Now that same day...

1  Now that same day...

 

 

The story of two disciples walking away from Jerusalem on the day of Jesus’ resurrection is told by Luke in chapter 24 of his gospel.  For a long time scholars have recognised that the language used in this story is different from the rest of the gospel.  It is much more Jewish and is probably older than the rest of Luke.  As we read it this week, let us reflect that we may well be reading an eye-witness account of what happened one afternoon two thousand years ago.

 

Now that same day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.  They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.  As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognising him.  Luke 24: 13 – 16, [NIV]

 

The scene is a country road somewhere near Jerusalem; the time: the Sunday after Jesus had been crucified.  Two people – we know the name of only one of them – were making their way to a village.  They had been followers of Jesus.  But the person they had expected to liberate Israel from Roman occupation had been arrested and then crucified.  Their hopes were at an end.  There was nothing left for them now in Jerusalem.

 

But unknown to them, the risen Christ joined them along the road.  But they were kept from recognising their Lord by God himself. 

 

Jesus drew close to these two ordinary people in their confusion and hopelessness.  He walks with them. 

 

Sometimes we have our hopes dashed.  Sometimes our faith can be fragile and our prayers seem unanswered.  But Jesus draws near to us in our walk through life.  We may not sense his presence, but he is there – and he has conquered death for us.

 

“Christianity is the religion of miracle, and the miracle of Christ's resurrection is the living centre and object of the Christian faith.”  Alan Richardson

 

Thank you, Father, for raising your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.  Thank you that he died for me, cancelling my sin and making me your child.  Thank you that his presence goes with me, wherever I am.  Amen.

 

David Long