Monday 26 October 2015

Who would like some peace?

Who would like some peace and tranquility? 

In this crazy, chaotic world these attributes are often hard to find. We get so busy and can become agitated by deadlines, the 'should do's' of life not to mention tension of relationships, job and economic stability, and then there's global warming and the environment to consider too.

No wonder we find peace hard to come by!

Isaiah 32:17
the effect of righteousness will be peace, 
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. 

The verse above seems to say to that; peace, quiet and trust are available. They are linked here to, 'righteousness'. 

So, what is this righteousness? 
The dictionary defines it as, 'the quality of being morally right or justifiable'. This means that within ourselves we are right. Not just that, but we have been made right inside, our actions have been accounted for (justified).

I am sure we all have that sense within ourselves sometimes that lets us know that we aren't quite right really. I do. We have done things and maybe said things that are not, 'morally right' and no matter how hard we try, we do not find them, 'justifiable'. 
In short, we've made mistakes and screwed up. 

There are certainly actions that I have taken that I regret, and am even ashamed of. So, am I justified?

I believe I am and I can be, I believe that all the junk in my life, the stuff I do wrong can be changed, and got rid of. 

I believe in Jesus.

The Bible makes clear that the mess in our lives can be got rid of by trusting and believing in Jesus. Our wrongs do require a punishment, they need 'justifying'. 
Jesus is the only one who can show and prove that we are made 'right' because he's taken our punishment. We get a new chance to make the slate clean, we get a new chance to give up our screw ups because Jesus has already been punished for it. 

Therefore we have access to not only righteousness, but peace, even: 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding' (Phillipians 5). 

We will still continue to live in this crazy, chaotic world, and we will screw up, but inwardly we can know peace. 

I have experienced this myself on several occasions, and it it such a blessing, such a gift! We were once in the situation where we could not afford to feed, clothe and house ourselves as our earnings were not sufficient. Yet, we did not pore over our finances night after night, or fall into despair. We did what we could, we were not lazy or idle in the difficulty, we got on with the life we had.
Others were surprised that I was not stressing out, working myself to the bone or ill. I can only explain that I had the 'quietness and trust' or the, 'the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding'  that these verses mention. 
Amazingly there was a job change after a few months of this financial insecurity and it took years to pay off the accumulated debts from this period, but we made it! Thanks be to God. I will never forget that peace and quietness within, that I know made a difference to how we managed.
I am not powerful enough to change situations, to make endless amounts of money or resolve all of the chaos in the world. It does not mean that I won't on occasion get scared or worried, or feel drained by life. However I know someone who I can trust, who can make a difference and who is with me.

This person is God. 

That is where I put my hope and trust for a better future. 

Life continues to be a chaotic mess, but I am placing my hope not in others or worldly institutes as they will fail. 

My hope is in the one who is eternal, everlasting, good and powerful.


Friday 23 October 2015

Message to you

God says; "you are precious in my eyes, 
and honored, and I love you" Isaiah 43:4

Wow! Don't think I need to write much about this, just read it, accept it and appreciate this fact. 
You are precious - no-one else is like you, no-one else is worth as much as you are, you are worthy, priceless and delighted in. 
You are honoured - this means you are important, celebrated and highly regarded
You are loved - unconditionally, perfectly, eternally adored

The one who made all things says this to you, you are acceptable, you are priceless, you are important and adored X

Monday 12 October 2015

Listen, pursue, look

Isaiah 51
1 “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness, 
you who seek the Lord: 
  look to the rock from which you were hewn, 
and to the quarry from which you were dug. 
 2  Look to Abraham your father 
and to Sarah who bore you; 
  for he was but one when I called him, 
that I might bless him and multiply him. 

This passage tells those of faith to; listen, pursue and look. These things aren't optional, they're not suggestions but instructions, we're told to do them.
These things all take effort. They are not passive things, we have to decide to do them and do something about it.

So, if you are a person of faith, or know someone who is, are they doing these things? Are they listening, pursuing and looking for what they believe? If people truly have a faith, they should be active in it.

The first thing we're instructed to do is listen. 
We have to decide to listen, make a conscious effort to engage our ears and our brains and make time to do it. We all know it's difficult to listen - I am sure we've all 'switched off' at some point in our lives, usually when things get a bit boring, or we are distracted, but have we 'switched off' hearing from God? Do we make time to listen out for what God may be saying? Like any relationship, this relationship grows when the conversation is two way. Do we just go on at God? - Tell him our woes and shopping list then get on with our lives? Or do we wait to se if there's anything He might like to say back? Or do we ignore the prompting He gives because we don't like it? 

Next is the word pursue. I like this word, but find it challenging. Pursue is an active word it's to; actively seek, chase after something. Commitment and perseverance are required. In this case it's to actively seek and chase after being right with God. Many people of faith believe and accept certain things, but are they actively chasing after God? Are they persevering and committed in their faith? 
Pursuing something is hard work. It takes effort, energy and time, it can make you feel worn out. When I think of pursue I think of running after someone or something. Pursuing means you're always behind but trying to catch up, trying to get somewhere you're not yet. There's always Improvement to be made. 
If you know people who profess to have a faith, are they actually chasing after what they believe? Are they learning more about their faith and taking an active interest? Are they changing? 
Sometimes you may see it, other times it's more subtle, but if we truly pursue God, we should be changing. Whether it's growing in patience, kindness, peacefulness, or compassion, to name a few - we should be growing and changing. 

Look. Look at what? This passage encourages us to look at Abraham. He had a long history with God in his life. We can look to the Bible to see some great heroes and heroines. They got things right and got things wrong. We can learn from others of faith. Who do you know that has a long history of faith? Maybe you can learn from them? Paul who has written some of the Bible says, 'follow me as I follow Christ'. He recognises we're all human and imperfect, but in the things I'm doing right, look at me and learn from me. Don't focus on the other stuff, because if we are still pursuing then we are not there yet and we are hopefully in the process of improvement!

Maybe today take a moment to reflect, are you listening, pursuing and looking? 

Friday 2 October 2015

Trust


To trust someone or something we look at their track record. 
What does past performance/behaviour indicate? This directs our current response and our own behaviour and actions towards them. Then we can consider, what does this imply for our future? Is this person/company/thing going to be something I can rely upon? Something that will be of benefit in forthcoming years?

Isaiah wrote this passage
(Isaiah 25:1-4)
 O Lord, you are my God; 
I will exalt you; I will praise your name, 
  for you have done wonderful things, 
plans formed of old, faithful and sure
 2  For you have made the city a heap, 
the fortified city a ruin; 
  the foreigners’ palace is a city no more; 
it will never be rebuilt. 
 3  Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; 
cities of ruthless nations will fear you. 
 4  For you have been a stronghold to the poor, 
stronghold to the needy in his distress, 
shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat; 
  for the breath of the ruthless is like a storm against a wall, 


From my experience, I know that I can trust my parents. They have looked after me, loved and supported me even when I've made mistakes. They have shown that they are reliable, strong and loving. 

So, I trust them. 

I know I can depend on them in forthcoming years. 

To me, this is what the above passage is saying, that 'wonderful things', 'plans of old', acts of the past, can be built upon so that we can have security for the future. Those that have been reliable before are those people that we can trust now and for the future. 

We should acknowledge and 'exhalt' those that have proved their worth in our lives, we should recognise and value them as Isaiah does. His current behaviour depends on his past experience. He says he 'Will exhalt'. He chooses to because of the 'wonderful things' he has seen God do. His present mindset and actions have been formed by reflecting on what has influenced his life. 

I know that some people have some awful experiences in their past, that's true and unavoidable. But, surely there must be some 'wonderful things' too? What are they? And how can we each appreciate them? 

What is it that you want to build your life upon? 

Isaiah lived in a time of political unrest, he saw and experienced his country at war. With those in power trusting in other corrupt nations for help. Isaiah was in the position to advise those in power, and he did so. He did not trust in rulers or so-called world leaders, but chose to trust God, even though he clearly had some kind of relationship with important leaders.

Leaders often make plans, plans for what may seem the best at the time, but Isaiah saw that God had, 'plans formed of old, faithful and sure'. God's plans are well thought out, forward looking and reliable. They are not 'in the moment' ideas, but considerate, deliberate plans. Isaiah saw that God's track record was good. His plans had worked before, so he could trust them as 'faithful and sure'. 
Just as we can. 

You see, God hasn't changed, and that's a good thing! Isaiah understood that though God's plans are formed 'of old', they are relevant and dependable, considered, thought through. 
This shows God's steadfastness, He doesn't change, He is always a good base to rely on.