3. Fri 20th Mar : Imagine
In this time of shutdown there are quite a few viral videos on the internet to view. Maybe you’ve smiled at the various folk who are singing on the balconies? I’ve also watched the two Italian men playing tennis from one balcony to the next.
The post that struck me and got me thinking was one on Instagram by the actress Gal Gadot who plays the lead in the remake of the film ‘Wonder Woman’. Gal involves all her Hollywood mates in singing a line each from John Lennon’s 1971 song ‘Imagine’. She and the fellow actors sing the opening verse with these lines -
Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today
This song hardly cheers you up in the current climate and yet over 4 million people have viewed this. No wonder folk are anxious if these words are true; but, thankfully, they are not true.
When we read scripture it points to a heaven (or new creation), a hell and far more than sky. As believers, we know that death is not the end; we have hope.
Most people speak of hope in a wishful thinking kind of way so, for instance, “I hope that my council tax doesn’t go up this year” (mine did) or “that I live to a good old age”.
When the Bible speaks of hope it is certain, based on the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Jesus’ words can be trusted because they are always backed up with his actions. So, for instance, Jesus said, “love your enemies”. This was backed up by Jesus throughout his life on earth and ultimately when he was being tortured on the cross.
When Jesus was on the cross we get this account of him speaking to the two criminals -
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”
Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
(Luke 23:39-43)
Death was not the end for Jesus and neither was it for this criminal, who in the last moments of his life, saw who Jesus really was and put his trust in Him.
So, this morning, know the One who died for you and have faith in Him, so one day He will see you in paradise.
Much love
Tim
2. Thurs 19th Mar : What to do with anxiety
The Apostle Peter wrote, “Cast all your anxiety on God because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5v7). Peter assumes we will have anxiety in life. The Bible is so down-to-earth and speaks to the reality of life.
We are living in days when our anxieties could be understandably heightened. We wonder what will happen with our health, our exams and schooling, our work and finances, our loved ones who are in the “vulnerable category”. We wonder what further announcement will be made at 5.00ish this afternoon. First it was a general announcement about health and isolation; then it was a financial and travel announcement; and yesterday it was about schools and exams. What will it be today? All this makes many people anxious.
There is a “concern-scale” of life. At the bottom is indifference where people “just don’t care about a thing”; this is wrong. At the top is anxiety. The Greek word for anxiety carries the idea of being “distracted”. When we are anxious the “worry worms burrow into our brains” and we can’t think straight, we can’t concentrate; we are distracted, we are anxious, and it can cripple us from getting on with life.
There is a middle part to the scale: godly concern. It is right to be concerned about our health, finances, children, parents, the vulnerable, our schooling, work, and the demands of life.. Godly concern doesn’t distract us and cripple us, but focuses us and drives us on to continue with everyday living.
But what do we do with our anxieties? Peter tells us to “Cast all your anxiety on God,” and we can do so “because he cares for you.” Our God is not a distant God, an impersonal force or a vague idea. He is living, personal and caring, and he cares for you! So take those anxieties and cast them on him.
How do I do so today?
First surrender yourself to God – tell him “I give myself to you afresh today Lord”, make sure you are wholly His.
Then pray to Him, take each anxiety (all) big or small, and talk to God about it.
Then in faith leave them with him, cast them on him and don’t take them back. He will carry you through.
This is all backed up in Philippians 4v6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in prayer and petition along with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Verse 7 tells us what the result will be, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Today we will face situations that we must not be indifferent about, but with godly concern face them and get on with life, and when the concern slides into anxiety we must cast it on the Lord in surrender and prayer. Let his peace replace our anxiety during this strange time.
love from Paul
Wed 18th Mar 2020 - Do not fear
Are you struggling to sleep at the moment?
As a child some nights I would find it hard to sleep. My struggles with sleep were linked to different things at different stages of my child hood. So as a little one, I sometimes couldn’t sleep with complete darkness, and so I had to have the landing light on. My biggest worry (through childhood) when I put my head down to sleep was linked to my dad. Some nights I would hear my dad coughing away and sometimes having asthma attacks. When I say asthma attacks it was serious stuff and sometimes required hospitalisation. As a young boy all sorts of thoughts would go through my mind as I lay in bed such as the fear that dad would not be alive in the morning.
I’m sure you have had many sleepless nights for all sorts of things and at this time in all our lives we can be fearful and not sleep very well. We are fearful of the unknown, fearful of what might happen to us or to loved ones. If you follow the news too closely we can be consumed by the charts, projections and possible outcomes and this can overwhelm us.
So as Christians how are we to respond to this? When we read through scripture with the topic of fear in mind, we see that some version ‘do not be afraid’ appears more than 300 times. These words often appear as commands, but like Jesus’ words to the widow of Nain (Do not weep - Luke 7:13), they are actually words of compassion and comfort. We find them throughout scripture when our circumstances are dire and we need reassurance that God is near us (Matthew 14:27, 28:10).
So when you next fear in the morning, noon or night, remember our Saviour who is full of comfort and compassion and his words that say to us today and the days ahead ‘Do not fear’
Much love
Tim