Renovations

Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.*

Currently my house is nearing the end of receiving some major renovations. We have a new roof, new walls and carpet upstairs, and we have a new indoor veranda. And we needed these things; desperately! In this world things don't stay new or healthy, they don't stay beautiful or orderly. Things rust, they crumble, they tarnish, they decompose, they are destroyed. All of life is like that unfortunately, even our bodies. I believe deep down we know it's not supposed to be this way. Things -in a good and perfect world- would not crumble, wither and die.

God created the world perfect, with it ideally having people living in right relationship with Him. Yet, he wanted real relationship and so gave us choice, and still we choose (repeatedly) to do our own thing, not be in relationship with God. What's so good about being in relationship with God anyway? 

I believe God is the Author of Life! And thus someone worthy of knowing. But not only that, He is also Saviour, Redeemer, Restorer, Good, Lord, Refuge, All-powerful, Mighty, Personal, Creator, Sustainer, Friend, Rock, Unchanging, Patient, Judge, Righteous, Pure, Foundation, Holy, Wonderful, Beautiful, Father......the attributes are unending! The Author of Life sees the way moth and rust destroy in this world, He is going to come again -soon- to make everything new. Until then God asks us:

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.**

Where is your heart? Where is your foundation? What are you basing your life on? Where are you investing most of your life, time and energy. Here on this earth where things will not last, no matter how famous you become! Or somewhere else. The other day I was listening to some music by Sonicflood and heard this quote by them:

"Foundations can’t be moved without destroying the building, if the foundation of this building that you are in right now were to be moved, what would happen to the building? It’d collapse! Now you can move the building and put it on another foundation, but that foundation, it’s there, because foundations are secure."

God is a firm foundation. He is reliable and trustworthy. It is a daily task to place our treasure and heart in heaven with God. I think it is a comfort to do so, as this world's tragedies are innumerable and unpredictable, we can't know that we will reach our goal or be able to keep what we buy or work for. When we just enjoy the good things of this world and ignore their Author are we not presuming upon His generosity and kindness. God's kindness is meant to lead us to repentance, that leads us to salvation without regret. The other foundations in the world, aren't as reliable in the long run, and will eventually produce death.*** 

I long for the time when everything will be made new and there will be no more pain and death. Now may the God of peace and Author of Life himself restore us completely, and may our whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless on a firm foundation at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.*

*1 Thessalonians 5:23

**Matthew 6:19-21
***Romans 2:4 and 2 Corinthians 7:10

that's ok

"Forgive your brother from your heart"*

Pride is a dangerous thing. It stops us from acknowledging we have done something wrong, stops us from admitting that to others, and it also stops us accepting and forgiving other people. How are we to respond when someone says sorry? what do we say? what to we mean? how does it change how we treat each other? what are they really asking for when they say sorry? 'Who can forgive sins but God alone?'**

I have recently been spending more time with pre-school aged children, which has been a wonderful blessing and delight. The other day one of the children pulled my hair. I told him that that wasn't a nice thing to do and asked for an apology. After he did so, I told him I forgave him, and then we continued playing.

When I get into a fight it is hard to admit that I might not be entirely correct, but it is also hard not to gloat or boast when someone admit their failure(s) that to me. What if I decide not to forgive, the friendship cannot be restored, the guilt will fester, the pride expand, I would become self-righteous and hold a grudge.

It's not only about saying "sorry", or hearing someone say "sorry". It's also important how we respond to that!

"For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."***

Pride not only stops us from admitting fault, it also keeps us from forgiving and from having right relationships between people. Not only this but being proud and refusing to forgive also hinders our relationship with God!

So what is the alternative to pride? I think King Solomon was right when he said, "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."**** Let us be humble, forgiving completely when people apologise. We can say "I forgive you", or "you are forgiven". That doesn't necessarily mean 'forget', it just means that that issue/thing is no longer held against them!

Paul writes to the church in Corinth about forgiving a fellow believer. I think his wisdom is useful for us today, not only in the church but with everyone. Paul says that if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not only to one but to many; as we all live in community, the fracture in one friendship will affect a wider group of people. Instead of punishment and pride, "you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him."*****

When someone withholds forgiveness and love, it is really painful, and can cause excessive sorrow. Can I encourage us all to forgive as we would like to be forgiven; remembering our own flaws, seeking to be humble in admitting fault, acknowledging mistakes and forgiving. Seeking also to forgive as God forgives, completely. Forgiving not just in words, but from the heart.

*Matthew 18:35

**Mark 2:7

***Matthew 6:14-15

****Proverbs 11:2

*****2 Corinthians 2:5-8

rejoice!

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!*

(photo by me, of my hand)

Today, I lost my ring! The one I got from my grandmother from a garage sale almost 4 years ago. It was very special to me, party for the reasons just stated but more importantly because I use it to remind myself of a promise I made to God back when I was 15: that I would stay pure until marriage. I called it my Purity Ring. The problem with my rings is that I play with them a lot, subconsouesly, so I'm not surprised that it went missing. Yet it still gave me a shock!

I noticed in the library, sighed and began to worry. I chided myself for being thoughtless and not taking better care of my possessions. Then I looked on the flood around me, then in my pack, checking all the pockets, I checked the pockets of my trousers. Nothing. In my panic I remembered the story Jesus told of the lady with the lost coin, who searches everywhere for it, and then when she finds it she rejoices.** So I started to pray, that I would find it, that someone would have noticed it and kept it safe, that I would not worry about it, instead trusting God's provision. I then started retracing my steps, across the road, past the cafe, towards a class room; all the while scanning the floor. By this stage my prayers have reminded me that in everything I am to rejoice, and so I smile as I pass class mates. I walk briskly into the room: there is a guy in there, he straight away noticed by my expression that I was looking for something. I admit that I have lost something, then go to my chair and peek all around it, nothing. But then something two meters away catches my attention, under a table near the table leg is my little ring! I dart over and pick it up. The guy asks if I have found it, I say I have, and skip out of the room thanking God in my mind, for what was lost is now found! There is such joy in finding things!

As I reflect back on the situation, I see how despite my urgency to find my ring I was not anxious, I knew that I could cope with not finding it. And I found such indescribable peace while on my search, it didn't deminish my desire to find my ring, but it made me not panic so much. All this is because Jesus heard my prayer and answered me. It wasn't a massive issue, it wasn't life and death, but God cares about us, the big things than happen and the small. He loves to give good gifts to those who ask him!*** So don't ever hesitate to ask, because nothing is too small or unimportant for God!

(photo by me, of my hand)

 

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 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 4:4-7
**Luke 15:8-10
***Matthew 7:11

Dead ends

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.*

(Photo by myself at Paradise Beach, Rose Bay, NSW: October 2013)

Getting lost isn't fun. One feels like a complete idiot, especially if you have already looked up the directions, or told someone else where to go. I got lost (once last weekend and again this weekend) and had to turn around, dead ends are awkward and time consuming. One might start blaming the mistake on someone else, or a situation, or even yourself. Being late isn't fun. Especially if people are counting on you to be in a particular place at a particular time. Life just doesn't usually go to plan. I am learning that sometimes getting lost means finding something else, or learning something new, or remembering something important. I am realising that being late is disappointing but not un-resolvable.

One of my readings for university the other week asked me to do a thought experiment: "Suppose, having died, one were to awaken anew to life, ....beholding given life from beyond the normal division of life and death. Suppose we were to think from out of the future when we will be dead, about what is worthy of affirmation here and now. How would one behold now the interim of life, as if from beyond death, ... wondering what in life is worthy of ultimate love."**

So I believe in life after death, but I also believe that this life is essential and worthy of living well. In fact, I believe this is THE life to make decisions and work out what everything is all about. What is worthy of ultimate love? What is worthy of affirmation here and now? We won't have another chance like we have here and now to think it all through, to learn what we can, to experience and appreciate what is important about life. Everything in this life is decaying, is passing away. The other day, I went for a jog along the beach and found a few dead birds washed up. It's a shocking part of life that most of us in western society ignore and don't have to think about, but it's there! It's real. It's imminent.

Life seems to give us many options for how to live and what to live for, but honestly I'm skeptical of the satisfaction we can find in most of them, and I don't always see or follow where the "good" end is, or are we only ever focused on instant pleasure!?? I will one day die. It may be in 60 years time, or it could be in 3 months time. No one knows. I am sure of one thing; when I die I will meet my Maker, I will meet the Judge, the Creator of the universe! Mostly, I call Him Father. I can do so because I know He has adopted me, Jesus died so that I could be part of the family! I can only meet the Father with confidence, as I have accept what Jesus did and trust His ways to be in my best interests. Jesus of Nazareth, said: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.***

So, my life is not my own, I live for Jesus, because I was bought with a price! He is the way to live and think, He is the truth on which I base my thoughts and life, He gives and sustains my life so that I can live! And not only that, Jesus is God, He created everything, He sustains everything, without Him nothing would exist! This Awesome, All-powerful God came a human and died, and my old life, the one that was wasting away has died with Him. So I can say, with Saint Paul, in confidence and peace:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.****

So, are we lost? are we running late? have we forgotten the directions? Are we really sure we know what we are doing here? What if we miss the right path? What if we ignore sound advice and good instruction? What if we reject help just because we are too proud or arrogant or busy to stop and listen? In the small matters these things can go by without much hard to ourselves and we can even learn things about ourselves, but let us not try and apply this "come what may" attitude to ultimate love and worth, life and death issues!

*Philippians 1:21
**William Desmond, "Ways of wondering: beyond the Barbarism of Reflection", 2012
***John 14:6
****Galatians 2:20

Blessing

How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I take counsel in my soul

and have sorrow in my heart all the day?

How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

Consider and answer me, O LORD my God;

light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

lest my enemy say, "I have prevailed over him,"

lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

But I have trusted in your steadfast love;

my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.

I will sing to the LORD,

because he has dealt bountifully with me.*

God wants to hear from us, He wants us to pour out our hearts as David did. It's ok to feel alone and ignored and full of sorrow. It's ok to cry out to God to hear and answer! God wants us to trust Him in everything. This year has been a lesson for me in trust. How to trust God with my life and my future, my plans and my dreams, my studies and my commitments. There have been days when my energy has dwindled and my enthusiasm for things was shaky  Those times it was hard to smile and put on a positive face. When I feel like that I struggle to trust God and turn to Him. A couple of weeks ago I was in just that state of mind when I read the Psalm above. David says exactly what is on His heart, he expresses his fears and worries. I was comforted by this idea, that even a man renowned for his faith and dedication to God still felt and expressed such feelings. I was also challenged because in David's low points, he still remembers God's goodness!

I was challenged to trust in God's steadfast love, to let me heart rejoice in salvation, and feel free to sing with joy and enthusiasm to the LORD, and be thankful for the many blessings God has given. Being overjoyed is a strange feeling. I prayed and asked people to pray that God might fill me with joy in the following weeks after reading the Psalm. I have been reflecting on Paul's statement to be patient in affliction and so was waiting on God to answer my heart-felt prayers for help.** God answered, in a way that I cannot adequately express. During the past week I have been on a camping holiday. It wasn't the best experience of camping that I have ever had, but nothing that happened dampened my spirits! We had rain, hail, shine, wind, cloud, cold, and even fire bans! And in all of this somehow I was smiling and laughing, lighthearted and patient, quick to forgive and gentle in speech (or so I saw myself anyway!). I rejoiced in the chance to spend time with family, I delighted in the strange experiences we had to bond, and enjoyed the different climates God allowed us to experience. 

***

When the sun hid behind clouds on our walk down the hillside at the end of the bush walk, all my sister and I wanted was a chance to swim when we got to the beach at the bottom. Miraculously, the moment we stepped onto the beach the clouds parted and we had 10 minutes of blissful sun as we frolicked in the waves! When the rain came down and we were washed out of our tents and had to take shelter in a nearby laundry shed, I couldn't help but smile as we sat around waiting for the dinner to cook on the cooking pan over the washing machine as our spare clothes dried in the dryer, and the rain continued to pour! Life might throw us some bad weather, a moody week, or a challenging experience but as long as we turn to the God of the universe, and trust Him with our life and hopes, dreams and worries, fears and feelings God will bless us. Let us sing to the Lord,

"Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name
....You give and take away
You give and take away
my heart will choose to say
Lord Blessed be Your name" ****

*Psalm 13
**Romans 12:12
*** Photo by me in Hawks Nest, NSW
****Matt Redman, Blessed Be Your Name