The Queen of Sheba travelled many miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Others travelled far to hear and see Jesus. There were the wise men who travelled thousands of miles to worship the new King. We read of the crowds who followed Jesus for three days in the wilderness until they had nothing to eat.
The compelling draw on a soul to be in the presence of God is something that cannot be explained, for it is a miracle. It increases during revival times when you read of large crowds gathering in churches and long queues outside waiting for hours to attend services. It was said in the Isle of Lewis that services weren’t announced, but people would come from all over the place when a meeting started, standing outside in the graveyards listening as the church was packed. There are occasions when we feel that compelling draw to be in the presence of God. It is glorious when it comes, and we should make the most of it by responding to its draw. It is easy to go to church when you feel like it. It is a precious drawing near, a revival atmosphere, and one we should treasure with all our hearts because there will not always be an open heaven. Sometimes the heavens feel like brass, and then we drag ourselves to church! We have little enthusiasm and interest and would rather stay home, locked up in our little world. The Queen of Sheba felt the draw of God and travelled many thousands of miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Since Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God, this would have been the equivalent of being in the presence of God. The Magi felt compelled to come and bring gifts and worship in the presence of this new-born King. The crowds couldn’t resist the teachings, the voice, the presence and the company of Christ. They possibly didn’t understand why they stayed and didn’t return home to their families. All over the world the Spirit is moving. All across social media, we see great crowds gathering to worship, people standing in the open street proclaiming the gospel in song and worship, faces turned to heaven and hands raised in praise. There has never been a time when this was widely seen and known in almost every nation. Only this week, it was reported that a Ukrainian woman was preaching the gospel on a bus, and women, men, and even soldiers were coming to Christ with tears running down their cheeks. We are part of this great move of the Spirit of God. Yield to the increasing draw of God on your life. Get yourself into the presence of God again and again, for He is doing a new thing, even amongst us. Open your eyes and see the changes that He is making. And respond like the Queen of Sheba, the Magi, and the crowds who followed Jesus. Follow the magnetism of His presence and let your spirit rise in the Spirit of praise coming across the nations. Praise God! We are not being left out but are part of the moving of His presence.
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A demon-possessed man who could neither see nor speak had been brought to Jesus and was instantaneously healed. The Pharisees immediately began to criticise Jesus for this and said that He got His power from Satan. Jesus replied with these powerful words that if He is casting out demons by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom of God has arrived.
So often, we look to the future for something better. We spend half our time wishing our lives away! But here Jesus is saying the Kingdom of God has arrived. It is here, in this moment. There is no more need to look into the future and wish for happier days. They had arrived. The Kingdom of God was all around them. The presence and the power of God had come. The prayer ‘Thy Kingdom come’ had been answered right there. We hear and read of the moving of God in other places and long to experience the same. We long for the Kingdom of God to come amongst us. Jesus told His critics, friends, and those who listened that the Kingdom of God had arrived. There need be no more looking, searching or seeking: God has come. He goes on to say: “For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods?” (29a) In other words, He asks the question: who is powerful enough to enter Satan’s territory? He answers, “I am.” He asks the question, who can plunder Satan’s goods? He answers, “I can.” And He did. ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive (He led a train of vanquished foes.)’ Ephesians 4:8 AMP We cannot enter Satan’s house and plunder his goods. Only Christ can do that. And He was here to do it in Israel. He had just demonstrated His power and plundered the house of Satan by setting this demon-possessed man gloriously free. He goes on to say: “Only someone even stronger – someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” (29b) He told the people He was mightier than Satan; He could tie him up. And He did at Calvary! He bound the power of Satan. He plundered Satan’s house. He set us free! Nothing is too hard for the Lord. What a Saviour we have! Jesus could have said, “Let me teach you because I know everything.” Or He could have said, “Let me teach you because I am the most powerful being in the universe.”
Both of these would have been true and perhaps would be attractive to some. To have a teacher that knows everything sounds pretty cool or to learn from the most powerful being in the universe would certainly be intriguing. But instead, our Lord Jesus encourages us to come and learn from Him because He is humble and gentle at heart. In other words, He will teach us to become humble and gentle at heart. He will not teach us all knowledge or all power (even though these qualities belong to Him) but instead He will teach us how to be humble and gentle right to the core of our beings. These qualities cannot naturally be obtained. We are not humble by nature; we all have our dignity and pride. To be humble means to be understanding, warm-hearted, peaceable, merciful, kind-hearted, and respectful. We are not gentle at heart by nature. To be gentle at heart means to be kind, compassionate, tender, caring, gracious, loving and forgiving. Jesus was all these things. Wow! What a teacher! And so Jesus says: “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart.” There is no other who shows greater understanding, who can be more warm-hearted, who is patient, loving, gracious, and forgiving of our mistakes. There is no excuse for any of us not to come to Him. We couldn’t ask for a better teacher than our Lord Jesus Christ. We need never be afraid to come to Him. It doesn’t matter if we are slow to learn, or wrestle with our rebellious hearts, He will help us and keep us close beside Him. No wonder Jude could so confidently say: “(He) who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” 1:24 NLT If any part of the New Year Word describes the Cumbernauld Church, it is this verse.
We have come through our tough times in the past, and for a while, the church was in a very rocky place. I wondered if we would survive. At the time, it felt like we all had to hold on tightly to God; the journey was more than a little bumpy. But He brought us through with His strong arm and delivered us into a delightful place of joy and gladness. One of the results of our joy and gladness is the blessing of God on our singing. We have always loved to sing, but there came a moment when our singing seemed signally blessed by God. I cannot remember when this first happened. I do know around the time of the moving of God at Asbury University in Kentucky, the Spirit began to outpour in revival power, and we experienced the same thing. It didn’t seem to be connected. I did not know what was going on over in the States. One or two of our folks followed happenings online but were not involved in leadership roles. But a peculiar sense of the Spirit was upon us. We could sing and worship for hours. Around the same time, a few Nigerians began to arrive in our church. They were students studying in one of our local universities. Before too long, we had a small Nigerian community amongst us. And they love to worship! And so the sense of the Spirit in our song continues and has blossomed. We sing songs that we would never have once sung on a Sunday morning. We sing and dance, we cry, we clap, for the Spirit of God is wonderfully amongst us: setting us free from all our natural inhibitions - and in Scotland, we have many! My prayer for this year is that joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the ‘sound of singing’ may spill over into every church group and that our movement, indeed the world, may be filled with the happiness of Heaven. Around the town where we live there are large areas of wasteland. When we first moved to Cumbernauld, the roadsides were filled with daffodils each Spring. It was a cheery sight coming home from work each night to see the yellow heads bobbing about. The council decided to replace them with plastic, yellow waves! It cost millions. In my view, the gardens became a wasteland; the general population of Cumbernauld has not forgiven the council yet! It was a poor move.
Sometimes, we make the wrong choices. We look back on life and regret the decisions we have made. We look back on what feels like wasted years. The truth is, none of us have gotten it all right. We have all made poor choices, just like the councilman, whoever he is. We know our Father in Heaven can take our wasted years and make them fruitful for Himself. He can use the years that were wasted to teach us lessons, giving us wisdom and insight into painful situations so we can help others. Without these seemingly wasted years, there would be no garden of the Lord. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT Before creating a garden, you have to cultivate the soil. You have to dig it over, break up the soil, weed, fertilise, hoe and level it out until it is ready for planting. Only then can you sow your seeds, plant your shrubs and watch the miracle of nature. The past years that seem wasted to you have not been wasted to God. He has been digging over the soil, weeding, fertilising, hoeing and levelling out your life. It’s not pleasant, but you will have learned valuable lessons during that time. It might be not to treat someone the way you were treated. It might be not to bow down to another but to be strong and independent. What you have learned will help you develop into the person God wants you to be. “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT So even when you don’t know or understand what God is doing, rest in Him. No one can see the whole picture, but we can trust Him. Remember, He has plans “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT One day, your wastelands will be like the garden of the Lord, for He will have planted eternity in your heart. What a glorious comparison between the dry and barren desert and the lush and verdant.
I always imagine Eden like a garden I visited on the Isle of Skye one year. Everywhere I turned, every crevice and corner was crammed full of wonderful vegetation. Mature trees gave shade from the sun, while exotic trees filled the rockeries and borders. The air was filled with the sound of birdsong and the sound of a waterfall at the centre of it all. God’s Eden will be even better. Every corner will be fruitful. The sounds of the waterfall of His voice (Rev 1:15) ringing through the garden will be heard wherever you go. Every exotic plant and tree will give glory to God. (Isaiah 55:12). They will, as it were, exude the joy of His presence: the joy of being alive. There will be abundant life wherever you go (John 10:10). No plant will be damaged or carry disease, but all will be full of radiant life and healing (Rev 22:2). Every bird will sing His praise, and to be in the garden will bring indescribable joy. There will be green meadows to lie down in and still waters to rest the soul (Psalm 23:2). And best of all, there will be One walking in the garden in the cool evening who will commune with us (Gen 3:8). What perfection! Compare all this to the far-stretching desert: as far as the eye can see miles and miles of hot shimmering sand. No sign of life. No place to rest. No shade from the sun. There is nowhere to stop and drink and refresh the soul. It will be a place that is continually arduous. And so we look not for the desert but for Eden. This verse says, “He will make her.” It is not only our desire that will make this miracle happen, but it is the action of the Spirit of God. Let us pray throughout the year that every crevice and corner of our lives might be filled with fruitfulness that will bring Him glory, but let us remember it is the Spirit of God who will do it in our hearts. Whether we are the mature ancient trees in the garden with long years of Christian service or a tiny, humble flower hidden away in some small, insignificant corner, let us do our utmost to be part of the miracle that we might bring Him glory in 2024. ‘The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins.’ Isaiah 51:3 NIV21/1/2024 Here is part 3 of the New Year Word for 2024.
Some have been through a terrible ordeal, their life left in ruins. Whether it be a bereavement or a betrayal, life will never be the same again for them, for they are left in ruins. But life will not forever be dark and the days sad. For you will experience the comfort of God, and there is nothing quite like it. The best way I can describe it is like a warm, fleecy, soft blanket that wraps around your spirit and fills you with warmth, protecting you on every side. You have become fragile without realising how you ended up in this position, and no one can understand or get inside your thinking. You don’t even understand yourself why you feel like this. But you do, and the stark reality is you feel fragile. Your Heavenly Father will not only comfort you, but He will look with compassion on all your ruins, and although the word doesn’t say what happens next, the implications are that He will begin to build the ruins again. A life smashed by the cruelty of hell will discover the gentleness of heaven. It may be a slow build, but it will happen. Brick upon brick, He will begin to sort through the rubble and make something beautiful from the ruins. No good parent who sees their child in ruins would leave them there, especially when they hear a pitiful cry for help. Make sure you cry for help, even if it is only a silent cry. He will come swiftly to your aid. And then the ruins will be rebuilt and you will sing again for joy. “He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 NLT This is the second part of the New Year Word given to our group of churches.
Whilst some love to climb mountains and find the achievement exhilarating, it is not so in the spiritual world. Mountains are difficulties we meet that tower over us like unconquerable spiritual giants. Perhaps you have a mountain in your life? Something that shadows you that you cannot overcome or see any way around it. For some, it could even be a lifelong mountain: a problem you have always had in your personality or a family situation that has hindered you all your days, and you cannot imagine life without it. It could be a mountain of unforgiveness towards another or a mountain that you baulk at because of experiences or memories from the past. There seems to be no way forward, and you feel stuck. Whilst others seem to have moved on, you cannot see your way around this situation, and it feels like you have reached an impassable place. And so it is to such a one, who may well have a mental block over difficulties in their life, that our Heavenly Father comes and says, “I will make my mountains into level paths for you.” The impassable places WILL become passable. The mountains of unforgiveness will melt. The memories of the past will dim, and you will be able to move on and conquer your mountain of difficulty. It is good to remember that He will make a way. It will not be of your making, nor of your efforts or energies. What is, at present, impossible will suddenly change in the spiritual world. You will no longer feel stuck or have a mental block about a situation. Your eyes will be on the dawn that breaks beyond the mountain, and, suddenly, it will no longer be the only thing that fills your vision. It is tremendous when God does these things for us. The indescribable joy that floods the soul is immense. You realise that He, the Great God of Heaven, has deigned to come into your situation, reach into your tiny life and change things forever. Suddenly, the mountain has gone, and instead of the impossible is the possible and the probable. He will make the mountains a way. Not only will the mountains become passable, He will make a level path for us to walk. There will be no stumbling blocks, no giants on it. The way will be level, and even though you may only be a small child, it will be a safe place to walk. How good is our God! Not only does He make a way through the mountains, but He makes a level path for us. He allows us to walk in pleasant places and enjoy the beautiful scenery. My mother, in her later years, struggled with her ability to walk, and she also had poor eyesight. If we went out for a short walk together, she spent the whole time looking at where she was putting her feet so she wouldn’t stumble. One day, when we were heading out, I suggested she take a wheelchair. What a difference it made for her. She could sit up, look around and enjoy the fabulous scenery and fresh air. It was an enormous benefit to us both, as I could relax knowing Mum was safe. Imagine knowing the path is so level that you can walk safely, looking up and enjoying the beauty of God’s creation, sharing in His praise and feasting your eyes on the King in His beauty. What a difference from looking at the dark mountains looming ahead, wondering how on earth you will cope. Now you are rich, grateful to God for His goodness and able to come safely into a new place of praise and love with Him. In 2024, you may have mountains of difficulties. Lift your eyes and begin to catch sight of the dawn behind! He will make a way where there is no way. “For the Lord in his mercy will lead them; he will lead them beside cool waters.” Isaiah 49:10 NLT8/1/2024 Our New Year promise came in six sections, so I plan to take a section each week over the next six weeks.
First of all, ‘For the Lord in his mercy.’ Where would any of us be without the mercy of God? We need His mercy at the beginning of our Christian walk. We need His mercy to recognise that we are a sinner who needs to be saved. We need Him amidst all the pitfalls along the way, when we are learning what He wants us to be and what is required of us. We need Him in our old age to give us strength to continue to walk beside Him. The longer we are on the Christian road, the more aware of His mercy we become. As we realise our dependency on His mercy, the humbler we feel inside. If He had not had mercy upon us, then none of us could hold our heads high and walk on His paths of righteousness. ‘For the Lord in his mercy will lead them,’ He will show us where we are to walk. No one knows what tomorrow will hold. Perhaps it is just as well we cannot see what is around the corner, but He knows, and His mercy will lead us right through the dangers and difficulties and bring us to the next part of our journey. ‘He will lead them beside cool waters.’ There will come a day when our difficulties will be past, and He will lead us into delightful places filled with calmness and peace. The waters are not cold, but cool. They are deliciously refreshing for the child overwhelmed by the heat. They are not far off, unreachable by the topography of the landscape. He will lead us beside them until we can touch them and feel their coolness. The plural gives us the impression that they are not stagnant but living waters. They are not rushing at a tremendous pace, but they are gently moving, causing the soul to be refreshed. In His mercy, He will lead us right beside those cool, calm, peaceful waters where we may bathe our souls in the goodness of God. Life will be quiet there. All sense of agitation and strain will pass, for the cooling waters will still our soul with His presence. Let the cooling waters find their way into the depth of your being until you can recognise the hand of God has led you this year right here to this place, where you can enjoy the quiet. ‘His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life.’ Psalm 23:2,3 TPT We stand at the beginning of a new year without knowing what is ahead. It could be a year filled with promises waiting to be fulfilled or a year of difficulties with ill health or sadness. None of us know what is ahead, and most of us are wise enough to know that life can change for any one of us in an instant.
At this moment, you stand at the beginning of a new year with its months, weeks, days, hours and even minutes waiting to be filled. Each minute that comes and goes is a moment you will never see again for the rest of your life. What are you going to do with it? Have you ever thought about the number of hours you sit in front of a screen? I am not talking about work but pleasure. Watching TV, gaming or surfing the net: every hour is an hour that you will never see again. Keep a note of how much time you spend watching and gaming in a week. You might be in for a shock! Multiply that by 52, and you have the number of hours you waste in a year. Everyone needs to relax and unwind from the day's activities, but bad habits develop quickly, and if we aren’t careful, we have little to show for our precious free time. This day, you stand at the beginning of a new year. Look into it as far as your eye can see. See the days, weeks and months before you. Like the land that Abraham could see stretching before him, He is giving you all this time. Your year stretches out in front of you. Each day is precious. Each evening spent with family, in church or out with friends is irreplaceable. It is beyond price. There will come a day when your time will have run out. Your hours and days will end, and, if you are lucky enough, you may have time to reflect on the good and wasted years. Let 2024 be precious to you. Use each moment wisely. Make time to relax and enjoy yourself, but in the midst of it, learn to appreciate each minute, for it will never return. Once it is past, it is history. Let 2024 be a year of fruitfulness and blessing for you. ‘Teach us to number each of our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom.’ Psalm 90:12 NIV |
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