I was talking to a friend of mine at the weekend discussing my plans regarding moving house. I proudly announced where I was going to be living and talking about my future at my church. Then he said 'How do you know this is what God wants?'
I thought about it for a moment and realised he was right. I had assumed that as I had found a church in Sutton that I should be living there. I hadn't put God at the centre of my decision. I hadn't even questioned whether He wanted me to stay at my current church. I hadn't surrendered these decisions to God.
My pastor, Jason, spoke recently about surrendering our lives to God and putting Him at the centre of every decision. On Sunday someone responded and said what had happened when they didn't put God at the centre of their decisions. They were uncomfortable at their new church and in their new home. The had moved before asking God and found a church afterwards.
When Jason asked us to respond I knew he was talking to me. I had to go up. I realised how scared I am of the future. As I started to let go of things I started to feel this fear even more. However, I knew that the fear was a sign I was doing the right thing - it was the enemy trying to stop me. I pressed on and let go of all the decisions in my life. My relationships, my job, where I live, where I go to church.
I don't know what the answers are yet, but I'm listening for the answers. Am I afraid of the answers? A little. But I know that if people are praying about it, I've surrendered it and am listening to God about it then He will tell me and make it clear to me. I don't know what the future holds exactly. But I do know that my future will be building God's kingdom not my own.
It will not be me making decisions about my life then asking God to bless them. It will be asking what God's plans are and then making decisions in obedience to that. Its scary but exciting. Who knows where its going to lead me.
I finally know the meaning of the song lyric "I surrender all to you, all to you".
Its not saying "I surrender the stuff I choose". But "I surrender all". That's the challenge to us all.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Our lives are not our own
I was at church today listening to Jason, my pastor, talk about values, about how as Christians we should not be letting our lives be defined by the culture we live in, but by Jesus. He was right. But the thing that spoke to me most was a story he told about himself, the day after he became a Christian. He realised his life was no longer his. It belonged to Jesus.
What an amazing truth and such a liberating one. Imagine, not having to worry any more about how you're going to get through each day, that you no longer have to worry about deciding what you're going to do with the rest of your life. Why is that? Becuase when you belong to Jesus, your life belongs to Him. You're obedient to his will, His calling on your life, His teachings and your lifestyle changes to fit His standards, rather than the standards of this world.
Its not 'what's best for me?', 'how can I promote myself?', 'how can I achieve success and happiness for myself?', 'its my life'. Instead it's 'love others as you love yourself', 'how can I serve and glorify God?', 'how can I change my lifestyle to fit His standards?',' what does God want me to do?', 'what job does He want for me?', 'where does He want me to live?'. It's a totally different set of values, and those are what really show that you're a Christian.
We still make our choices, and we are still responsible for those, that doesn't change. What changes is on what basis we make those choices, and the values that govern those choices. Faith is demonstrated through action, as another, more famous James wrote.
The bottom line? Our lives don't belong to us if we're Christians, they belong to God. His values become ours and on that basis we make choices, according to God's will and purpose for our lives.
And I personally feel a whole lot safer that way.
What an amazing truth and such a liberating one. Imagine, not having to worry any more about how you're going to get through each day, that you no longer have to worry about deciding what you're going to do with the rest of your life. Why is that? Becuase when you belong to Jesus, your life belongs to Him. You're obedient to his will, His calling on your life, His teachings and your lifestyle changes to fit His standards, rather than the standards of this world.
Its not 'what's best for me?', 'how can I promote myself?', 'how can I achieve success and happiness for myself?', 'its my life'. Instead it's 'love others as you love yourself', 'how can I serve and glorify God?', 'how can I change my lifestyle to fit His standards?',' what does God want me to do?', 'what job does He want for me?', 'where does He want me to live?'. It's a totally different set of values, and those are what really show that you're a Christian.
We still make our choices, and we are still responsible for those, that doesn't change. What changes is on what basis we make those choices, and the values that govern those choices. Faith is demonstrated through action, as another, more famous James wrote.
The bottom line? Our lives don't belong to us if we're Christians, they belong to God. His values become ours and on that basis we make choices, according to God's will and purpose for our lives.
And I personally feel a whole lot safer that way.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Jesus - My Hero
We've just celebrated Easter. You know, the time when we all open our chocolate eggs. Oh, and when we celebrate the death and ressurrection of Jesus Christ, unqestionably one of the most important events in all of history and the reason Jesus is my all time hero.
There are other reasons. Having lived a perfect life without sin, that is without either thinking, saying or doing anything wrong for 33 years, He allowed Himself - yes, allowed, He could have got out of it if He chose - to go through the worst combination of physical, spiritual, mental and emotional suffering that one person has ever gone through in order that we might have a relationship with Him.
Even more amazing is that before He even created us the Lord and Jesus Himself as part of the trinity would have known what choice we would ultimately make with the free will He was going to give us, and Jesus would have known before creation the sacrifice He would have to make - yet He still allowed it to happen, purely so He could have relationship with us. What incredible love.
Jesus is my ultimate all-time hero becuase before time began He chose the cross and He humbled Himself totally and went through the worst form of suffering, sacrificing Himself for me and the whole world even though none of us deserved it. He sacrificed Himself for what He beleived, He never gave up, He kept going right the way to the end. He never lifted a finger to hurt anyone, even when provoked and always put others before Himself. Supremely, He loved those who hated Him and forgave those who killed Him. He is my hero and an example to us all.
So. you can forget anybody else. Keep all those other so-called 'heroes'. None have them have achieved as much, suffered so much or set such an example for life as Jesus Christ - He's the only hero worth having.
There are other reasons. Having lived a perfect life without sin, that is without either thinking, saying or doing anything wrong for 33 years, He allowed Himself - yes, allowed, He could have got out of it if He chose - to go through the worst combination of physical, spiritual, mental and emotional suffering that one person has ever gone through in order that we might have a relationship with Him.
Even more amazing is that before He even created us the Lord and Jesus Himself as part of the trinity would have known what choice we would ultimately make with the free will He was going to give us, and Jesus would have known before creation the sacrifice He would have to make - yet He still allowed it to happen, purely so He could have relationship with us. What incredible love.
Jesus is my ultimate all-time hero becuase before time began He chose the cross and He humbled Himself totally and went through the worst form of suffering, sacrificing Himself for me and the whole world even though none of us deserved it. He sacrificed Himself for what He beleived, He never gave up, He kept going right the way to the end. He never lifted a finger to hurt anyone, even when provoked and always put others before Himself. Supremely, He loved those who hated Him and forgave those who killed Him. He is my hero and an example to us all.
So. you can forget anybody else. Keep all those other so-called 'heroes'. None have them have achieved as much, suffered so much or set such an example for life as Jesus Christ - He's the only hero worth having.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Tim Hughes - Holding Nothing Back
'Holding Nothing Back' is the superb new album by Tim Hughes. It is an step forward from his previous offering 'When Silence Falls' and shows how much he has developed as a worship leader and songwriter. It has lots of the quick-uptempo songs as well as the more mellow reflctive ones, in a very modern rocky style. The lyrics are superb and very powerful and it puts even Matt Redman's latest offering in the shade. Make sure you get this ASAP.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
A calling we cannot ignore
I saw the film, 'Amazing Grace' today. It's about Christian and political activist William Wilberforce and his fight against the slave trade. I'm not afraid to say it moved me to tears. Yes it may not be 100% historically accurate, but the principle, the message that it sends out to people is powerful and challenging to all of us, in particular I think to Christians.
We think nowadays that we are the 'enlightened ones', that in the age of the internet, endless TV channels and information sources, that there is nothing more we know or can do. We are more cynical and apathetic to the world's problems, thinking there is nothing we can do, because we see so much of it, it seems so big and so distant.
But are we really the enlightened ones? Personally I think not. In 100 years time people will know even more than we do now.We cannot allow our own pride to blind us to the problems in this world which are totally against God's principles and plan. Now we look back at 200 years ago and wonder how Christians could ignore the problem so long or be so resistant or afraid to take action to make a change. What will people in 200 years think of the Christians' delay in acting over things like people trafficking for example?
Looking back, when William Wilberforce started his campaign few believed in him or his message. It was counter-cultural. Even God-fearing people had accepted that slavery was part of society that couldn't be changed, or could just be ignored. It was a problem that everyone brushed under the carpet because it suited their own ends and meant hard choices.
But when Wilberforce put it on the agenda, no one could ignore it any more. People could not use lack of knowledge as an excuse. One of the most powerful scenes of the film is when he surprises some upper-class folk by showing them a slave ship and making them breath in 'the smell of death'. Right then it became real to them. They were compelled to act.
The real challenge is honestly and humbly looking the world around us and seeing what things generally accepted, ignored or forgotten by other parts of society are wrong in God's sight and then make choices to change and do something about it. That is what God calls us all to do. There is so much poverty, injustice and inequality in this world and we can do something about it. There are problems which are huge which as responsible Christians we have a duty to get involved somehow. There are few excuses now. We don't have to travel abroad as missionaries, we don't have to be someone like William Wilberforce to help out. We must do what we can. Give money, lobby MP's, make changes in our lifestyle that allow others to have a better standard of life. Don't accept these problems, don't believe that you can't make a difference. What a difference it would make if all those people who thought that did something.
It's a real challenge and we can't ignore it. We can all help in our own ways but something we can all do is pray. Pray for an end to injustice, oppression, people-trafficking and all forms of slavery. Ask God to show you what you can do. This is a challenge for all of us - including myself. I know how hard is for me to motivate myself to do something, but surely all of us can at the very least pray and led practical and possibly small financial support to organisations.
For example, I am involved in a charity who raise money to pay for uneducated children in Africa to go to school. We have already started to see real results, with two children now getting an education that otherwise they would have been denied, purely through taking action. I'm not saying I'm perfect at this or that I'm better than anyone else for being involved with this, I purely use this as an example. I find it hard to motivate myself to keep going at it, stay hungry and make time to get involved and help out. But it's a choice I make and that we as Christians and human beings have to make.
It will not be easy, because it involves giving up our time and sometimes money. But it is vital we doing something. We can make a real difference and significantly impact this world for God and show people that God is against these things, that they are wrong and we will stand up for God's principles practically. As Wilberforce eventually found, if we keep believing then things can really change.
God calls us to serve Him and use what we have been given to serve others and to fight against sin, slavery, injustice and poverty With Him on our side, if we are willing to make right choices, then we can make a difference.
The question is, what are we doing about it?
We think nowadays that we are the 'enlightened ones', that in the age of the internet, endless TV channels and information sources, that there is nothing more we know or can do. We are more cynical and apathetic to the world's problems, thinking there is nothing we can do, because we see so much of it, it seems so big and so distant.
But are we really the enlightened ones? Personally I think not. In 100 years time people will know even more than we do now.We cannot allow our own pride to blind us to the problems in this world which are totally against God's principles and plan. Now we look back at 200 years ago and wonder how Christians could ignore the problem so long or be so resistant or afraid to take action to make a change. What will people in 200 years think of the Christians' delay in acting over things like people trafficking for example?
Looking back, when William Wilberforce started his campaign few believed in him or his message. It was counter-cultural. Even God-fearing people had accepted that slavery was part of society that couldn't be changed, or could just be ignored. It was a problem that everyone brushed under the carpet because it suited their own ends and meant hard choices.
But when Wilberforce put it on the agenda, no one could ignore it any more. People could not use lack of knowledge as an excuse. One of the most powerful scenes of the film is when he surprises some upper-class folk by showing them a slave ship and making them breath in 'the smell of death'. Right then it became real to them. They were compelled to act.
The real challenge is honestly and humbly looking the world around us and seeing what things generally accepted, ignored or forgotten by other parts of society are wrong in God's sight and then make choices to change and do something about it. That is what God calls us all to do. There is so much poverty, injustice and inequality in this world and we can do something about it. There are problems which are huge which as responsible Christians we have a duty to get involved somehow. There are few excuses now. We don't have to travel abroad as missionaries, we don't have to be someone like William Wilberforce to help out. We must do what we can. Give money, lobby MP's, make changes in our lifestyle that allow others to have a better standard of life. Don't accept these problems, don't believe that you can't make a difference. What a difference it would make if all those people who thought that did something.
It's a real challenge and we can't ignore it. We can all help in our own ways but something we can all do is pray. Pray for an end to injustice, oppression, people-trafficking and all forms of slavery. Ask God to show you what you can do. This is a challenge for all of us - including myself. I know how hard is for me to motivate myself to do something, but surely all of us can at the very least pray and led practical and possibly small financial support to organisations.
For example, I am involved in a charity who raise money to pay for uneducated children in Africa to go to school. We have already started to see real results, with two children now getting an education that otherwise they would have been denied, purely through taking action. I'm not saying I'm perfect at this or that I'm better than anyone else for being involved with this, I purely use this as an example. I find it hard to motivate myself to keep going at it, stay hungry and make time to get involved and help out. But it's a choice I make and that we as Christians and human beings have to make.
It will not be easy, because it involves giving up our time and sometimes money. But it is vital we doing something. We can make a real difference and significantly impact this world for God and show people that God is against these things, that they are wrong and we will stand up for God's principles practically. As Wilberforce eventually found, if we keep believing then things can really change.
God calls us to serve Him and use what we have been given to serve others and to fight against sin, slavery, injustice and poverty With Him on our side, if we are willing to make right choices, then we can make a difference.
The question is, what are we doing about it?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Write His Name On Your Heart
I was at a talk on teaching/preaching last week, and the guy doing the talk said something that impacted me greatly. He said that we need to have God's word and His spirit on our hearts if we are to teach it authentically. We need to be walking the walk before we can talk the talk.
We are all generally pretty good at talking about ourselves aren't we? We find it really easy to do and can talk about ourselves with a a lot of passion. Why is that? Well firstly, everyone likes talking about themselves. But secondly, becuase we know more about what's going on in our lives more than others do generally. We have the experience of our lives to build up that knowledge, we have it ingrained in us just through the motions of living our lives. People also know that it's authentic. It's our own experience and no one can deny that and the things we've done and the things we've gone through are easy for us to describe as we have the experience to back them up.
How great would it be if we managed to gain the same knowledge and experience of God in our lives? We need to get more of God's heart, more of what He is saying and wanting to do, to be indwelling in us. Of course it involves committment, discipline and sacrifice, but the end result would surely be worth it. I suggest three things we need to do to help us achieve this aim.
The first of these is arguably the most obvious, yet can be one of the hardest for some. We should be studying the Bible and letting its true meaning sink in and write itself on our hearts. Reflecting on the words and teaching of the Bible and life of Christ and letting it impact our lives, medidating on it and making it real. Thinking about how it is relevant to our own lives and culture now and being willing to allow it to challenge our own lifestyle. Making time out of our busy lives to read and study the Bible properly is fundamental to writing God's message on our hearts.
The second way we can get closer to God, get to know Him more and see more of His heart is simply by spending more time wth God in prayer. By this I mean not just praying out loud but listening to God, asking God to put His spirit, His love, His word on our hearts and make it living within us. Not just something we know with our heads, but something that is living and growing in our hearts and impacting our lives. In doing this we can see what He is saying to us and what He is calling us to do or convicting us of.
The third way is to hang out with other Chrisitans, especially those with wisdom, knowldege and who hear from God. People who we can learn from and aborb things from, who give us an insight into God and set an example through their lifestyle. People who can give us guidance and advice, who can in some circumstances disciple and mentor us.
But of course none of this is worth anything without a response. We can hear all we want from the Bible, through prayer and the advice of others. But unless we are applying it and putting into action then its all pointless and worthless. It's been said that wisdom is the application on knowldege, and that certainly applies in this case. It will be hard at first. It takes time to get into good habits and can involve a sacrifice of time, or a resheduling of our daily routine. It can be hard to make choices for God in certain areas of our lives.
However, if we are letting what we read, hear and experience of God really sink into our hearts, really trusting God and allowing Him to challenge us and impact our lives, that response will eventually start to flow out much more naturally. Those things we do will start to become a joy for us, something that our day revolves around, something that we look forward to each morning.
Then the messgae we send out becomes real and true and easy to express, because it will be something that is part of our own life experience, something that is living and growing naturally inside of us. Something that is impacting in every area of our lives. Something that all, Christian and non-Christian, can see is really authentic, real and having a positive influence on our lives.
We're not all called to be preachers and teachers of course, but we all have opportunities to occasionally share our faith. Indeed, if we are living out our faith and its really in our hearts, then people won't even need us to say anything, our actions will speak for themselves. It takes self-discipline and hard work, and is a challenge for us all. I know its a challenge for me, making time for God and putting Him first.
As ever with God, the challenge is big, but the benefits for ourselves and the Kingdom will be immeasurable if we get this right, we put God right at the centre of all we do and write His name on our hearts.
We are all generally pretty good at talking about ourselves aren't we? We find it really easy to do and can talk about ourselves with a a lot of passion. Why is that? Well firstly, everyone likes talking about themselves. But secondly, becuase we know more about what's going on in our lives more than others do generally. We have the experience of our lives to build up that knowledge, we have it ingrained in us just through the motions of living our lives. People also know that it's authentic. It's our own experience and no one can deny that and the things we've done and the things we've gone through are easy for us to describe as we have the experience to back them up.
How great would it be if we managed to gain the same knowledge and experience of God in our lives? We need to get more of God's heart, more of what He is saying and wanting to do, to be indwelling in us. Of course it involves committment, discipline and sacrifice, but the end result would surely be worth it. I suggest three things we need to do to help us achieve this aim.
The first of these is arguably the most obvious, yet can be one of the hardest for some. We should be studying the Bible and letting its true meaning sink in and write itself on our hearts. Reflecting on the words and teaching of the Bible and life of Christ and letting it impact our lives, medidating on it and making it real. Thinking about how it is relevant to our own lives and culture now and being willing to allow it to challenge our own lifestyle. Making time out of our busy lives to read and study the Bible properly is fundamental to writing God's message on our hearts.
The second way we can get closer to God, get to know Him more and see more of His heart is simply by spending more time wth God in prayer. By this I mean not just praying out loud but listening to God, asking God to put His spirit, His love, His word on our hearts and make it living within us. Not just something we know with our heads, but something that is living and growing in our hearts and impacting our lives. In doing this we can see what He is saying to us and what He is calling us to do or convicting us of.
The third way is to hang out with other Chrisitans, especially those with wisdom, knowldege and who hear from God. People who we can learn from and aborb things from, who give us an insight into God and set an example through their lifestyle. People who can give us guidance and advice, who can in some circumstances disciple and mentor us.
But of course none of this is worth anything without a response. We can hear all we want from the Bible, through prayer and the advice of others. But unless we are applying it and putting into action then its all pointless and worthless. It's been said that wisdom is the application on knowldege, and that certainly applies in this case. It will be hard at first. It takes time to get into good habits and can involve a sacrifice of time, or a resheduling of our daily routine. It can be hard to make choices for God in certain areas of our lives.
However, if we are letting what we read, hear and experience of God really sink into our hearts, really trusting God and allowing Him to challenge us and impact our lives, that response will eventually start to flow out much more naturally. Those things we do will start to become a joy for us, something that our day revolves around, something that we look forward to each morning.
Then the messgae we send out becomes real and true and easy to express, because it will be something that is part of our own life experience, something that is living and growing naturally inside of us. Something that is impacting in every area of our lives. Something that all, Christian and non-Christian, can see is really authentic, real and having a positive influence on our lives.
We're not all called to be preachers and teachers of course, but we all have opportunities to occasionally share our faith. Indeed, if we are living out our faith and its really in our hearts, then people won't even need us to say anything, our actions will speak for themselves. It takes self-discipline and hard work, and is a challenge for us all. I know its a challenge for me, making time for God and putting Him first.
As ever with God, the challenge is big, but the benefits for ourselves and the Kingdom will be immeasurable if we get this right, we put God right at the centre of all we do and write His name on our hearts.
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