Called by Name

Then the disciples went back to their homes, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying.  As she wept, she bent over to look in the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?"
"They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him."  At this she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,but she did not realise that it was Jesus.
"Woman," he said, "why are you crying?  Who is it you are looking for?"
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him."
Jesus said to her, "Mary".
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to my Father.  Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.".
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!"  And she told them that he had said these things to her.  (John 20:10-11).

Mary Magdalene, a woman who knew deep unmerited forgiveness and grace from Jesus, now stands, full of grief, reeling from watching her Lord crucified, to now discovering that his tomb is emtpy!  What more could she take.  As she is processing what is happening Jesus appears and speaks to her.  For whatever reason, Mary does not recognise him, until Jesus calls her by name.  How moving is that!  The risen Lord calls this woman who's  a crying mess, and speaks her name. This gets Mary's attention.  This small sentence takes my breath away because it reveals how Jesus relates to us.  The resurrected Christ, conquerer of sin, Prince of Peace, Lamb of God, perfect redeemer calls us by name and speaks to us by name.

 "That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far from all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the age to come. " (Ephesians 1:19b-21). 

The God of all power comes down to our level, to ultimately endure the humility of the cross.  And for what?  Love. Love for you, for me, for everyone.  How personal, how intimate, how real.

But how does Mary recognize Jesus?   Mary knew Jesus's voice and she followed him.  Having been forgiven of adultery, spent hours traveling with Jesus, listening to his teaching, watching him perform miracles, Mary devoted in her love, knew her Lord and followed him with all her life.  Therefore, when " The watchmen opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice.  He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.  When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his own sheep follow him because they know his voice.  " (John 10:3-4).

So in a world that has many idols of God and even as Christians we construct "God-fantasies" to help fulfill what we want, and when we want it, will you recognize Jesus's voice when he calls your name?  Does the God you profess align with the historical account of Jesus in the Bible?  How do you know your God?

By being like Mary, deep, devoted and daring in her love for Christ which is rooted in his unconditional love for her, his teaching, his witness, we too can know Jesus within a real, personal and honest relationship.  When we remember that it's all about Jesus and less about us,  we will hear his quiet voice in our lives.  Are   you ready to hear and follow Jesus?

" In the middle of the race" - Part 2

Last week I discussed some steps to help us to keep going when we feel like we're struggling "in the middle of the race" of faith.  Today I wanted to discuss spiritual muscle and stamina.

The author of Hebrews uses the image of the Christian life like being a long distance race.  Marathon runners require a strict regime of training over a long period of time to produce the stamina, strength and a endurance needed to run a marathon.  To achieve this, one must learn discipline and accept discipline from their trainer who understands what needs to happen in order for their athlete to win the race.  God disciplines us to help us run the "race marked out for us".  How does God train us?  One way is that He uses hardships and tough times as part of his methods.  "Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons" (Hebrews 12:7).   Why does his discipline us?  So "we may share in his holiness".   God wants us to look like his son Jesus and that requires him to do some hard stuff on our hearts in order to transform our inner being to be like Christ.  "No discipline is pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it" (Hebrews 12:11).  When received submissively, God's discipline is good and beneficial for us.

I know the pain of God chiseling away on my life and I know that there is alot more work for him to do.  Is God chiseling away in your life at the moment?  Don't despair but be encouraged "because the Lord disciplines those he loves" (Hebrews 12:6).

God also tells us to  live lives that don't hinder us  or others spiritually, ""Make level paths for your feet", so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed." (Hebrews 12:13).  We are called to be characterised by upright conduct so as to help and not hinder the spiritual and moral welfare of others.  Our conduct is shaped by our habits, our habits are molded by our thoughts, and our thoughts are driven by our heart's desires.  When sin motivates our hearts the effect is played out in our actions.  But when we allow Christ to work on our hearts, the evidence is also there "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law. " (Galations 6:22-23).   The spiritual disciplines of prayer, study, meditation, fasting, submission, confession, worship, solitude, simplicity and celebration (see Richard Foster's book Celebration of  Discipline) are the ways we can put ourselves before God during those times of hardship so that his Spirit can transform our hearts.  This is how our spiritual muscle grows.  These disciplines are not taskmasters or an end to themselves but exercises that build endurance and strength for the road of growth. The more we practise them, the closer we grow to  God and the more we understand that it is only by relying on God and not ourselves that we truly live.  So persevere and focus on Christ.  Through Christ we are changed, strengthened,  renewed and able to weather life's storms.


Question:  Is your spiritual muscle weak and dying  or  healthy and growing?  What is the next step for you?

"In the middle of the race" - Part 1

I went to read my Bible this week and just sat there numb.  No great prayers of praise and joy, no eloquent phrases of thanksgiving, no deep and honest prayers of humble confession - just NOTHING.  Zip, silence.  My head and heart felt alot like the day outside my window, damp, cold and foggy.  Times with God are sluggish and the words just don't come to me so well when I'm praying these days.  I am weary.  You know that weariness when you've feel overwhelmed but don't know how to respond because it's all too much now.  Motivation is scarce.  At the start of my Christian life, enthusiasm abounded but now that I'm "in the middle of the race" it's hard to see where I'm going some days.


So what do we do when we feel this way?  How do you get through these times?   God tells us what we need to do in Hebrews chapter 12.  Take a look at these steps :


* Remember the great faith heroes of the past.  We're not alone in this journey of faith.  Good role models can spur us on and inspire us to not give up.  The bible is full of amazing people of faith who bear witness to the power of faith and God's faithfulness. Go back to your bible and read over some of those stories.
 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a cloud of witnesses, (Hebrews 12:1a).


* Ask the Lord to reveal the sin in your life, confess it and turn away from it.  Sin trips us up and interferes with the work we are to do for Christ and our relationship with God.  It is vital that we take sin seriously and confess it.  Resisting this step leads you away from God.
 let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:1b).


*Understand that the Christian life is not a sprint but a long distance race requiring perseverance.  Our culture is all about instant gratification but believers in Christ are called to persevere, to wait even to the point where you won't receive your end goal now but when Christ returns.  We need spiritual muscle and stamina to run this race called faith.
and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. (Hebrews 12:1b).


*Concentrate on Jesus.  Life's stresses, pressures and busyness can shift our gaze from Jesus onto ourselves so subtly and quickly.  It is a conscious action to readjust our eyesight back onto Christ.
 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning it's shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2).


*Be encouraged for you have a Saviour who understands.  Take heart that Jesus knows weariness and endured constant opposition yet was victorious.  Jesus is therefore your hope and he gave us the Holy Spirit to be our encourager and helper in spiritual maturity.
 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow easy and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:3).


We are not left to fend for ourselves as we navigate life's  storms. We have been given God's revealed truth in the Bible and the gift of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us to help us.   Above all, we have Christ, the foundation of our hope and the object of our faith.  In him we are secured and assured of our eternal life.


Next week I'll continue with Hebrews 12 and talk about growing spiritual muscle that gives you stamina in tough times.


Question:   When things get tough what is your tendency, to give up or persevere?  What step above do you struggle with the most?

Blindness

Have you been diagnosed with pantry blindness?  Read the following piece of information and judge for yourself if you've got this syndrome.

"I'm hungry!" says darling daughter.
"Then go and get a something to eat" says mum.
"But there's nothing to eat!" whinges darling daughter.
"There's food in the pantry" says mum.
"I can't see anything to eat" complains darling daughter.
So mum gets up from her comfortable chair and opens the pantry to see bread, cereal, flour, sugar, rice, 2 minute noodles, baked beans, dried fruit, nuts, coconut, bread rolls, cup-a-soups.  But apparently theres "NO food in the pantry!".

There can be plenty of ingredients in the pantry to put something satisfying together that will fill a tummy but so often we don't "see" what's in front of us because we're looking for something else, like the packet of chips or biscuits, the chocolate bar, the instant food full of sugar and salt that is always so appealing.

I find that we also  treat the bible with a selective blindness too.   Do you find yourself going back to the same favorite parts of the bible that are easy to understand and leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside but ignore those parts that are difficult to understand and reconcile or what you'd consider "boring" or "irrelevant"?

Leviticus is a book in the bible I'll admit I wouldn't voluntarily choose to study but in taking the journey to read through the whole bible this year, I'm in the position where I can't skip over those bits in the bible that I don't enjoy so much.  So here I am reading Leviticus and although I  would still say it's a dry read, I have a growing healthy respect for it.  Here is a manual for the new nation of God on holiness.  If I was to pick out a verse that summed up the main point of Leviticus it would be, "You are holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own" (Leviticus 20:26).

I guess for us modern readers we question what's the point about reading how the Israelites were to perform the different types of sacrifices but as I read through each chapter, I'm gaining a vivid picture of how much sin was a part of the Israelites everyday existence.  From their relationship with God, to each other, their animals, crops, health  and food, God had something to say about it.  Nothing in their life was apart from God.  The worshiper was even required to kill the animal for the sacrifice and then the priest would take over and prepare the offering.  Can you imagine doing that?  Blood would go everywhere and would feel warm and sticky,  the smell would be sickening.  Visually the worshiper is observing that the consequence of their sin is death.  That's confronting!

God still calls us today to be holy and set apart for him. "But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy because I am holy"." 1 Peter 2:15-16.  Holiness is not optional, it is a requirement and  not just for the Israelites in the days of Moses but for us too.  Because sin is just as an insidious and pervasive problem for us as it was for the ancient Jews.  However, through Christ the problem of sin in our hearts is dealt with.

"The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean  sanctify them so that they were outwardly clean.  How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!" (Hebrews 9:13-14).

Through Jesus we are made righteous, not by anything we've done but all by what Christ has done on our behalf.  Does that make you want to pray and give thanks?   It does for me.

Have a go looking at the parts in the bible that you normally avoid and see what God has to say.  You may be surprised!          

Bruised Souls

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out" 
(Isaiah 42:3)

Doesn't it hurt so much when you have an accident which leaves you with a nasty bruise that seems to change colours over the course of a couple of weeks.  Great sympathy catcher but very painful!  Can you recall one of those emotional or spiritual bruises that you've had and how it left you hurting and aching for weeks?

I remember one of those painful times during November 2007.  I had a miscarriage at 11 weeks of pregnancy.  One day I was fine and the next my life was hurled upside down.   I previously had a little girl without any trouble so I was completely rattled and shaken when I realized I was miscarring this baby.  I couldn't believe it, it felt like a very bad dream.    I longed for the baby I had lost and for the expectations I had  already had of this little one in our family.  I struggled to comprehend the life of our baby having finished. For weeks I grieved, it was a time of "bruising" on my soul. But a  friend who had been through several miscarriages lent me her book "The Deep Place where Nobody Goes" by Jill Briscoe.  Through reading Jill's honest conversations with God,  I noticed the Lord was gently and tenderly mending my bruises.  As I read Jill's book, there was a poem she had written inspired by the verse from Isaiah 42:3 that moved me.

Bruised but never broken,
Down but not destroyed,
Battered by life's problems,
Sick or unemployed:
Struggling with a marriage -
Rejected we might be -
Bruised but never broken,
His promise is for me.

Darkness all around:
Faith with doubt is drowned.
May nail-pierced hands surround me,
The breath of God breathe low -
My little light flare upwards
And set my life aglow!

He heals the broken-hearted,
He sets the prisoner free,
Those desperate for forgiveness,
For hope and empathy.
He touches strengthens, comforts,
And turns their lives about,
Bruised but never broken,
Dim but never out!

As Jill puts it, sitting on the steps of my soul in the deep place where nobody goes, was where God held me as I cried and grieved but through that time He gently healed the deep bruising on my soul.

Life is not easy and we sometimes are left feeling bruised from it.  But the Lord doesn't abandon us, he suffers with us and is here waiting to comfort and tend to the hurting of our souls.  Jesus understands, he endured and suffered the cross.   I encourage you if you are feeling spiritual "bruised" to take time out and spend it sitting with the Lord.  Speak in open honesty in your conversations with Him, trusting your heart and soul in his gentle hand.  He will mend your heart and bring you back to fullness.

"You hem me in - behind and before;
 You have laid your hand upon me."
 (Psalm 139:5)

Quotes (pages 69-70) taken from The Deep Place Where Nobody Goes.  Conversations with God on the steps of my soul. Author: Jill Briscoe.  Copyright 2005. 

Living like you mean it!

Last weekend we visited my in-laws for a birthday catch up.  They have a large gravel driveway and with the recent rain, it had developed some substantial puddles.  It took up to 10am on Saturday morning before the girls were inexplicably drawn to the puddles.  Within seconds they were wildly running through them.  And in a few minutes they were covered from head to toe in muddy water as was Uncle Michael's car!  It was such a beautiful moment of pure bliss in the eyes of Jessica and Emily.  Completely unaware of the issues around their little lives they simply enjoyed the moments pleasure of splashing water and having the sensation of sloppy gravel squelch between their toes.  How I wished I could learn to live in the moment too instead of rushing off to get my next job done.  Can you relate?

I see this truth in the book of Acts.  As the Apostles fearlessly preached the good news of Jesus, it spread profusely through people's hearts  and across the nations. When Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Antioch in Pisidia, the people's response was, "When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune.  All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God - they honoured God's Word by receiving that life.  And this Message of salvation spread like wildfire all through the region". (Acts 13:48-49, The Message).

New believers in Christ are witness of 'living like you mean it'.  They are so full of the Holy Spirit and brimming with joy and excitement of finding and accepting the truth of Jesus in their life that you can't help but be warmed and touched by their love and awe of God.  What an amazing experience it would have been for the first Apostles watching hundreds of people being transformed as they accepted Jesus as Christ.  To live in that moment would have been extraordinary.  But those moments were not just for the early church, they are for us too.

I remember when I became a Christian.  After having been lead through Christianity Explained through a person of Student Life at The University of Queensland, I was attending a service at Caboolture Uniting Church when a visiting minister called for anyone who wanted to believe to come to the front.  It was time.  Years of God whispering to me a had come to this moment and on shaking legs and with a racing heart, I found myself getting up from my seat and out the front.  I was the only one who had come out.  The minister lead me in my prayer to accept Jesus into my life.  And as soon as I did I was overwhelmed by the Spirit.  It was a profound and amazing experience for me.  I will never forget that rush and joy of making that decision and I am always thankful to God for his love and grace.

I know that many of you that you don't have a definite moment that you can say that's when you became a Christian or the process in becoming a Christian was very gradual.  But perhaps you can recall a moment of re-dedication to God or a time when you felt the close presence of God that was pivotal to you.  What was that experience like for you?  Did it get you fired up for God? 

As the years go on I have often forgotten that sense of awe, wonder and love of God I had at first.  I had forgotten to live life like I mean it and to live it for God.  Do you feel the same?  Pray with me in asking God to give us renewed hearts and passion for him.



Dear God,
You are the eternal God, all honor and glory are yours.  Because of your great love for me you gave your son Jesus to die in my place for my sins.  You endured the suffering of the cross so that I might live and have eternal life through faith in Jesus.  Forgive my hard heart that is so easily lured away from you and for the subtle ways I try to control my life.  Please give me a longing to be with you and to read your word with renewed passion. By your Spirit, transform my thinking and habits so that it falls in step with your will.  Guide me in your ways that I would serve you and build others in faith.  Teach me to keep my eyes on you and not on myself.  Thank you for loving me.  Amen.

The Crying Poor

"The homeless - this is a problem but unfortunately we do not have the right to shoot them ." - Anatoly Mikhalev, Mayor of Chita, a major city in Siberia (reported in The Courier Mail, February 27, 2011, page 42).

I think we would all agree that this comment is an outright abuse of human rights but it also highlights a common negative view towards the destitute and displaced.  We might shout "I would never say that!"  but perhaps we are more subtle in our aloofness towards the needy.

I remember vividly the moment I first watched the news breaking of the terror attacks on the twin towers on September 11, 2001.  I was at work and in the tea room the television had been switched on.  A crowd of us were watching the commercial airliners crashing into the towers.  I was in shock and disbelief.  It felt like a dream.  Over and over for the coming days I would watch the same footage, to the point I felt emotionally numb and would turn off the television.  Even with the recent flooding that happened, I found I would turn off the television rather than watch the footage because I found it too emotionally disturbing.  Some would say to me "That's ok, don't go and upset yourself".  But is that the right response for a Christian?  In reality am I really saying, "I'm sorry but it makes me too uncomfortable to see you suffering so I will turn my back on you therefore you are no longer my problem - out of sight, out of mind".   The heart of the matter for me is selfishness.  Because I don't want to be upset, I will stop engaging on that issue in order to protect myself.  Is that wrong?  To break it down even  further, it's simply a matter of love.  Am I willing to go beyond my comfort zones to love another as they suffer and to act in such a way as to help relieve that suffering where possible?


In Romans chapter 12 we are urged by the Apostle Paul, "in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship.  Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Romans 12:1-2a). Our whole existence needs to be  involved in serving and loving God.  We are to sacrifice comfortableness and to no longer follow the world's attitudes of complacency towards issues such as poverty and homelessness.  But what does that look like?  A little further on in chapter 12 we read,

"Love must be sincere.  Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.  Honor one another above yourselves.  Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.  Be joyful in hope, patient  in affliction, faithful in prayer.  Share with God's people who are in need.  Practice hospitality.  Bless those who persecute you; bless and not curse.  Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  Live in harmony with one another.  Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of love position.  do not be conceited.  Do not repay anyone evil for evil. "  (Romans 9-17a).

This is a picture of how we are to love others.  It is a Christian's privilege and responsibility to identify with others in their joys and sorrows.  As I about to embark on the Lent Event 2011 called "Sacred Friendships" my prayer is that I would be willing to sit with that uncomfortableness and ask God to give me his heart for the displaced and dispossessed.

What is your prayer for the Lent Even this year?  Will it be just another bible study or are you genuinely wanting to let God put on your heart a call to help the needy in Toowoomba, Australia or overseas?  Put yourself at the foot of the cross and see what the Lord has to say to you over the next 6 weeks.