Jesus did the opposite of what many modern-day evangelist would do. Most love to gather a crowd. We would advertise big-name speakers, put up posters, and use social media to promote outreaches.
But when Jesus saw the crowd coming around Him, He made arrangements to cross the lake. He wasn’t there to please the people or whip the crowds up into a frenzy. He didn’t seek to be the centre of attention. Instead, He listened carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit. He wasn’t so overwhelmed by the crowds that He missed the gentle prompting that came to Him to cross to the other side of the lake. The centre of His being was focused on God. Nothing would move Him from this position: no crowds or flattery or adulation. Jesus was moving in a dimension that the thousands who followed Him were unaware of. And so it was, when He crossed to the other side of the water, that miracles happened, and souls were changed forever. The Good Shepherd had left the ninety-nine to search for lost sheep. The deep soul-searching cry of two men had reached His spirit. On the farther shore, He found the two in a terrible state. ‘When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area. They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?” Matthew 8:28,29 NLT Jesus had left the thousands, crossed the lake, and taken control of a violent storm to answer the cry of two men. Before long, they were set free and at peace. Never forget no matter how troubled a soul is, if they desire to be free, He will hear their cry and come to their aid. No street pastor, big-time evangelist or even kindly neighbour was involved, but because these men wanted help, Christ came and found them and healed them of all their sickness and disease. He knows our hearts and will respond quickly if we sincerely desire to be changed.
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We all face mountains of difficulties from time to time. Thankfully, few face them all the time; but when we have difficulties to face, we tend to turn our molehills into mountains. They can seem overwhelming, dominating our lives and causing us to lose sleep. But in the eyes of God, they are small and insignificant.
Jesus said our problems can be removed. All we need to do is to say to this mountain of a problem, be removed, and it will. It is hard to believe life could be so simple! We are not meant to live in the shadow of our mountain of problems. We are not to be depressed and oppressed by life's difficulties. We are to be free and carefree. We are meant to consider the lily and the life of the sparrow. I must admit that my problems don’t seem to suddenly pick themselves up and throw themselves into the sea, even when I want them to. I wish they would! But what I have learned is not to live in the shadow of them. We must learn to live in the sunshine of His presence where possible. When you are in worship, whether in church or at home alone, or out walking in the countryside, come out from under the shadow of the mountain of problems to stand in the light. “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NLT Let your problems disappear, and enjoy being in the presence of God. Let all the strain and stress roll off your shoulders, enjoying the moment of praise and communion with God. For that short time at least, let your problems be removed and cast into the sea. By taking your mind off your problems for a while, the mountain may seem less significant than it did before. After spending time with your Lord, your problems will have rolled into the sea. Try not to allow them to surface again too quickly! They may return eventually, but that only gives you another opportunity to take the mountain and cast it into the sea again. Only by continually looking up will come victory and peace. Only by practising this will we be established in Christ. “Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.” Hebrews 12:1b,2a. NLT You have received an invitation from the King of Kings to a fantastic banquet. And best of all, it's all free of charge! Transport is laid on for you, and you won’t even need to worry about how to get there. Someone will come and collect you when it is your time to go. When you arrive, you will be given brand-new clothes made of the best pure white linen. You will receive a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands the significance of except you. Perhaps it will be placed at the table where you are to sit. You will meet the most amazing people, who are renowned from all over the world for their fame. Not only will you meet them, but you will be sitting down with them at the same meal.
Now, only a fool would refuse such an offer! This invitation is extended to ‘many Gentiles from all over the world’ and I’m guessing that includes you, the reader of this text. You might be sitting near Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. Can you imagine the questions you might want to ask? Or you might hear them recounting some fascinating story of old. But best of all, you will be in the presence of Jesus. The One who is called the King of Kings. The Bible tells us: “Assuredly, I say to you that He will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” Luke 12:37b NKJV Now, this is mind-blowing! How can it be that He who died for us on the Cross will send for us to attend the finest banquet ever, provide transport free of charge for us and will Himself serve us? And to top it all, He calls us blessed! “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. And if He should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.” Luke 12:37a,38 NKJV Even if it be the twentieth watch, let us go on waiting and watching for one day we will be granted entrance into the King’s palace and participate in the most exquisite banquet of all time and eternity. These are words spoken after Jesus had got into a boat with His disciples and started to cross Lake Galilee. The lake is renowned for its sudden and violent storms because of its location. The wind can come suddenly over the eastern mountains onto the water. On this occasion, a fierce storm broke out, and the water began to pour into the vessel.
Now, some of the disciples were expert fishermen, so it must have been some storm for them to feel so afraid. We read they went and woke Jesus, who was fast asleep, and shouted to Him. Jesus almost seems to have responded in surprise! “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” When the storms of life hit us suddenly and take us by surprise, we can feel alarmed, afraid and almost panic. Our automatic response is not to reach out to God and believe but to expect the worst. It can take a few moments, or even days before we begin to find our bearings in such a time, but we must endeavour to do so. Our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He knew the storm was coming. It was no surprise to Him. There must be times when He wonders why we have such little trust; our first response is to be afraid. Let us learn to trust even if Jesus is sleeping and hasn’t yet answered our cries. Have we not known the miraculous in our lives? Have we not seen again and again the action of God on our behalf? Then trust He will do it again. Lift your eyes beyond the waves to the God who hears and answers prayer. Put your faith in Him. Let Him see no fear in your eyes but a simple and childlike trust. Quieten yourself, and wait for the waves to die and the winds to still. Suddenly, all will be calm. The opposite of solid is unreliable in this context. No one I know likes to think of themselves as anything less than reliable. We prefer to be remembered as trustworthy, dependable kind of people. The best way to be like this is to listen to, and follow, the teachings of our Lord Jesus. Then, when life gets tough, we will be consistent and be able to hold on with strength.
“Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.” Matthew 7:25 NLT We will not collapse when we hold on to Christ. Even if the floodwaters rise and we feel like we are drowning, and the winds beat against us, causing our lives to shudder with their power, we will hold fast. How often have you looked back at certain times when you didn’t react well, gave in to pressure, or collapsed under the mental strain of a situation? We often wish we had done better and feel disappointed in ourselves that we caved in. We wouldn’t want these days back again (they were tough enough), and we reluctantly admit we let ourselves down. Sometimes it has just been a slight loss of ground, whereas other times we have had a complete breakdown. As Jesus described: “When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7:26,27 NLT If we have had a mighty crash, we remember it all our days, and if we recover, we do practically anything to avoid another. Hopefully, we learn from our mistakes, and rather than make the same blunders, we change. “But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.”(verse 26) Sadly, we all know people who ignore the teachings of Jesus and never seem to learn from their mistakes. Perhaps, one day, they will be foolish for the last time. Perhaps, one day, they will begin to listen to the teachings of Jesus. Be determined to live a consistent, steady life, being reliable to the people around you. Knowing there is always someone to lean on can make an enormous difference to those who depend on and work with us. “So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” 1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1 NKJV10/9/2023 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began.” Proverbs 8:22 NIV
“And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword; in the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me, And made Me a polished shaft; In His quiver He has hidden Me.” Isaiah 49:2 NKJV What beautiful words. When threaded together they create a picture for us of what was before time. The Word, which is Christ, was with God from the beginning. He was the first of God’s works, begotten of God, hidden in His quiver until His appointed time when He came from eternity as a polished shaft to bring Light into our darkness. To better understand this term, the NLT has used the phrase ‘a sharp arrow’. Now, we understand that Christ was a polished shaft or sharp arrow. The word polished can be taken in different ways in this verse. It could mean polished until it is gleaming or it could mean skilful, accomplished in its purpose. Both are true of Christ. “We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14b NIV We read here of One who is glorious, for there is no one like Him in all of Heaven, perfect in grace and truth. He was polished, set apart and ready to be sent from the depths of eternity into a world of darkness. He came as a polished shaft, piercing the fog of unbelief that hung over humanity for centuries. He accomplished this as a sharp arrow with incredible skill, power, strength, speed and acute accuracy. He brought Salvation to the world, destroying the works of darkness. The Arrow of Light still: “shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 NLT He was hidden in the quiver of God until the right time came for Him to be revealed. His work was thorough, complete and eternal; for He: “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Colossians 2:15 NKJV Today, Christianity is the biggest religion in the world. There are people from every continent who have turned to Christ. The arrow has hit its mark and brought down our enemy, dispersing the fog of hopelessness that hung over man. Now, we can look up and believe, changing our ways and receiving salvation. For us here in Scotland, this is the time to be out and about in our parks and gardens, enjoying the sunshine and our beautiful world. Those who are gardeners know that this is the time of year when you can mostly sit back, relax and enjoy all your hard work. Gardens are in full bloom, and weeds should be few and far between! It’s time to ‘look at the lilies.’
Now, some love lilies, whilst others hate them. I love them, although I find their scent too much indoors. I have some in my garden, and when you walk down the garden path, their fragrance is stunning, particularly on a still evening. I have lovely memories of my Dad, who, just before he died, gave me a handful of lily bulbs. He said to me, “I bought too many, so do you want these? Just stick them in the ground and see what happens.” I did, and they flower each year in August, the same month he died. What a delightful way to remember him! There is something in this verse for all of us. For those who love the sight and smell of the lily, then you can look at its perfect petals and fascinating colours and stand back and admire it, one of God’s fabulous creations. For those who don’t like lilies, there is still something to be found in this verse. Jesus said, ‘Look at the lilies...and how they grow.’ So let’s look at some facts[1]:- -They are one of the most popular flowers in the entire world. -They can grow from two to six feet. -There are more than 100 different species. -They can survive for years. -They can be used for medicinal purposes: heart problems, kidney stones, childbirth, epilepsy, fluid retention, strokes, paralysis, conjunctivitis, leprosy and mental health. -It symbolises purity in the Christian faith. No wonder Jesus used them as an illustration. ‘Look at the lilies’ suddenly takes on a whole new meaning! They are exotic and fragrant and have healing properties. Jesus said about the lily, “They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.” Matthew 6:28,29 NLT Solomon has come and gone, and for us, he is no more than a story in the Bible. But the lily still survives and is still fragrant and beautiful thousands of years later. The Bible also says: “I am the rose of Sharon, And the lily of the valleys.” Song of Solomon 2:1 KJV In the Song of Songs, the lily represents the bridegroom, Christ. The flower speaks to us of beautiful purity and the abundant healing properties that are in Him alone. Can we take time to not only consider the lilies but consider the One who pointed us to enjoy and absorb the beauties of the world around us? [1] All Fun Facts are taken from https://easyscienceforkids.com/all-about-lilies We all come from different backgrounds. Some are churched from babyhood whilst others never step inside a church until they are an adult attending a funeral.
How fortunate are those steeped in their faith from their earliest years? They know the Bible stories, whilst others have grown up hearing only nonsense nursery rhymes. These are lives that have fallen into good soil, we think! But the truth is even if a child is brought up in the church, they still need to come to the Cross, humbly admitting that they are a sinner in desperate need of a Saviour. And for some, it seems more straightforward for the unchurched to see this than for the child who has never stepped out into the world. The world is an intoxicating place for the child who has never been allowed to go out and experiment with sin. The nightlife, the city streets, and the pull of being part of the crowd have a terrible draw on the churched child. Although they have grown up in the church, many have only observed and not participated in the teachings of Christ and so have never fallen into the good soil. For them, the birds of the air have devoured the good seed of the word of God before it has had time to enter their hearts. There is only one place we find good soil: at the foot of the Cross of Calvary. Whether you are a child of a saint or a sinner, you need a Saviour. Whether you have thrown yourself into the world and experienced all it has to offer or just looked at it wistfully through a window, you need to find Christ. And only Christ can help you, planting you into the good soil so that you may bear fruit thirtyfold, sixtyfold or a hundredfold. Rather than wistfully looking at the temptations the world has to offer with its sparkling nightlife and attractions, look at the Cross. You might be called to bear fruit that will be a hundredfold. Why always assume it will be someone else? It could be for you. See instead the glittering city lights of the glory of the eternal city. One day, you will come home to Him, the one who died for you. To hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant,” would be heartwarming! And to know that you might bear fruit, leading others into the kingdom, would be more than the reward we deserve. “So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me.” Colossians 1:28,29 NLT Yes, even Paul worked and struggled. Fight the good fight until the lights of the eternal city become brighter than the lights on Earth's shores. In your busy life, remember that only one thing is needful: to sit at the feet of Jesus and listen to His voice. If we listen to God, we cannot go wrong.
When you pray, remember ‘one thing is needful’ and let everything else fade away for those moments when you are alone with Him. I have a busy week ahead. Today, Monday, I have been asked to take a naming service for one of our lovely Nigerian families. The baby has 21 names, several of which I cannot pronounce! But what is essential is to be in Jesus’ presence and go forth empowered for His service. On Tuesday, we are attending a funeral in memory of a young man who tragically lost his life. There will be many people we don’t know, and many will be heartbroken. But what is vital is to remember to sit at the feet of Jesus. Only He can bring peace that passes all understanding. We will all have different things that need to be done this week. Whatever you do and however you do them, do it with Jesus. Come, sit at His feet for a little while before you begin your day, and choose to find the ‘good part’, the spiritual blessing. This won’t be taken away from you. “But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:42 KJV Whatever you face, be like Mary and you will find: “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.” Exodus 33:14 KJV It is of vital importance that we learn to take time to be still and connect with Christ daily. We know the theory of this, but outworking this on a day-to-day basis can be challenging.
This week has been one of the busiest weeks we’ve had for a long time. I won’t bore you with all the details, but we’ve had two funerals, new carpets laid throughout the house, and our delightful grandchildren to stay. It’s been a happy week, but it’s all come at once and at the end of a busy week at our church conference. There was a moment in the chaos when it all became quite funny. You can imagine furniture piled high everywhere. Each room downstairs was in a state of disarray. However, I spied the chair where I sit and read and pray was still free. There was furniture piled high all around it, but I got my morning coffee and clambered over various items until my goal was achieved, and I sat down amongst towering pieces of furniture with my books. Where there’s a will, there’s a way! However, that wasn’t the trickiest time to find a place to be quiet and read. It got even more complicated when three grandchildren were bouncing about the house! It reminded me, as a young mother, how determined and single-minded I had to be to find the presence of God for myself and others. I was a minister when the children were small too. Perhaps I would have been more casual if I hadn’t been a minister. If I only had myself to feed, it wouldn’t have been so imperative to find the presence and word of God for others. But I remember the hunger I felt to hear from Him each day. It’s a simple command to “come to me," but it’s vital to keep in constant abiding communion with Him. For some, my chaotic circumstances will be small compared to the difficulties and pressure you face daily. But whatever your situation, this command of Christ needs to be obeyed if you are to live as a Christian. There will be a way for you. You first find it and then become absolutely determined to follow it through. There is an abundant supply. “See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.” 1 Samuel 14:29 NIV You only need a little taste, but it will brighten you. |
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