Be Still And Know

Matthew 7:9-11 This way of teaching was typical of the Jewish rabbis. It’s amusing and forces home the point with incredible power. Jesus was saying that if we, as very imperfect parents, manage to give good things to our children, it is absolutely certain that our perfectly loving heavenly Father will give us the best gifts imaginable. We can totally depend upon his generosity as his desire is always to bless us. We need to get our understanding of God right before we will really understand the nature of prayer. If our view of God is as a remote old man with a flowing white beard sitting on a distant cloud, then we probably have no expectation that he is ever likely to hear or respond to our prayers. Or if we see him as a fierce disciplinarian who is just looking for any imperfection in our lives so that he can judge us, then we will always approach him with reluctance and fear. But if we can be sure that God is generous and is always looking for ways to bless us then our prayers will be confident an

Matthew 7:7 It’s interesting to hear how often people say things like: “My problems were so great all I could do was pray”, as if prayer is an activity confined to desperate situations. But these words of Jesus make it plain that he is eager for us to be persistent in prayer, and not reserve our praying for moments of sheer desperation. He wants us to keep it up continually for the simple reason that he wants to maintain an ongoing relationship with us. In a marriage or close friendship, it would be absurd if there was an agreement to talk on a monthly basis or if the need arose. The fact is, of course, that we may not always feel like praying. Julian of Norwich, who lived more than 600 years ago, wrote strikingly and honestly about this, saying: “Pray inwardly, even if you do not enjoy it. It does good, though you feel nothing, see nothing, yes, even though you think you are doing nothing. For when you are dry, empty, sick or weak, at such a time is your prayer most pleasing, though you find little e

Matthew 7:1-2 I wonder whether you have ever lived in an atmosphere of harsh criticism and even condemnation. It’s a horrible place to be and I have known many people whose lives have been disfigured by it. Tragically, the criticism has sometimes come from parents and teachers, who ought to have known better. Jesus made clear that this kind of attitude is totally wrong. It’s demoralising and undermines a person’s strength and confidence. Having a harsh critical spirit is always a bad idea and not least because all of us would choose to be treated with generosity and kindness. Jesus told his followers that if that’s what they wanted to receive, then that’s what they needed to hand out. He provided a funny illustration to ram home his point. If you want to point out that someone has got a tiny speck of dust in their eye, you need to be sure that you haven’t got a huge log stuck in your own eye (vv3-5)! The truth is that it is so easy to spot the failings of others while being blissfully ignorant of our

Proverbs 6:16-19 We spend a lot of time talking and singing about the fact that God is a God of love. That’s absolutely right, but we shouldn’t forget that God also has a list of pet hates. None of the things on this list come as a surprise. God hates arrogance because the arrogant person has no time or space for him. They believe they have already got all the answers, and are content with the way that they are. God hates lies, murder and those who eagerly scheme to do evil. And he detests the person who sows trouble and division. God wants us to follow him and to allow our lives to be shaped by his attitudes. So I have to conclude that he wants us to be haters too. He would like us to have a list of things that we detest with such intensity that we are not prepared to live with them. He wants us to stand up against those who tell lies. That will give us quite a lot of work to do because we hear lies in one form or another every day. The advertisers confidently tell us how we can find peace and fulfil

Proverbs 6:9-11 Fridge magnets often contain a lot of wisdom, and laziness is quite a popular theme. With pictures of slumbering cats, I enjoyed the following three: “If I won the award for laziness, I would send someone to pick it up for me”; “For some reason I feel tired tomorrow”; “I’m not lazy, I’m just highly motivated to do nothing.” You’ve got the point. Laziness is a common experience and always has been. The writer of Proverbs wrote about it on a number of occasions and clearly feared it. Without the support of a welfare state or a supportive family a lazy person would starve. It was as simple as that. The problem with the lazy person is that they never get going with anything. They find their bed too attractive. Later on in the book the writer describes the way in which a lazy person is anchored to their bed. He writes: “As a door swings back and forth on its hinges, so the lazy person turns over in bed” (Proverbs 26:14). They live in a dream world, failing to face up to challenges and yet t

Proverbs 4:18-19 All parents long for their children to be happy and to have a good life. Here a father gives loads of very practical advice to his children. At the heart of it is the need to make good decisions and to choose the right way. The writer describes the two possible ways of life and they are in marked contrast. One is a way of light and the other is one of darkness. God’s way is not just characterised by light, but by increasing light. Throughout the book of Proverbs, the writer describes all the blessings that flow for those who follow God’s wisdom and walk in his ways. This results in a life of peace, joy and harmony. It isn’t free of challenges and difficulties, but it is a life of security and blessing. But there is another way. It’s a terrifying option but it is open to everyone. It is a way of darkness and is full of dangers. The lack of light means that the person who follows this path is forever falling over, and making a fool of themselves. The writer devotes a lot of his book to

Proverbs 3:27-28 Mark Twain, the American writer, said: “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” I suspect that we can all identify things that we love to put off. It may be an essay, or our tax return or repairing a door hinge, and we just love the idea of following Mark Twain’s advice and giving ourselves one more day. But there are some things that mustn’t be delayed. The writer of Proverbs identifies our need to help our neighbour as soon as we see their need. The significance of the help that the Good Samaritan gave was that it was immediate (Luke 10:25-37). He saw the need and he acted. I would be fascinated to know what you are inclined to procrastinate about. There is no doubt that many things can be put off very effectively to another day. We certainly cannot do everything today. But there are some things that should not be put off. When we receive a cry for help from a friend or neighbour timing might be crucial. As a general rule it has been wisely

1 Corinthians 13:8-10 The church in Corinth had clearly got really excited about the spiritual gifts. The gifts of speaking in tongues and prophecy were being exercised with enthusiasm. We sense that, in their excitement, there was some competitiveness and confusion between members of the church. Paul certainly had to give them some very clear guidelines as to how these gifts should be used. He put these wonderful spiritual gifts firmly in their place. There is no question that they are amazing God-given gifts, but they don’t last forever. They stand in marked contrast to the gift of love, which is eternal. In common with faith and hope, love will never come to an end. A few weeks ago, we were looking at the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus encouraged his disciples to focus their attention on the kind of treasure that lasts for ever. He pointed to the transitory nature of worldly possessions. They may look impressive for a while but then they are gone. Here, Paul spoke in exactly the same way, encoura

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 I have no doubt that we all aim to be loving people. So I wonder how accurately this list of love’s attributes describes you. I suspect that the truth is that we all find this list somewhat painful. Yes, we would love to be like this, but then things happen. We get tired; we feel frustrated; people annoy us and we end up being anything but loving. What we need to realise is that the perfect love that is being described here is a picture of God himself. There is no way in which we are going to be able to love like this without God’s help. We need the Holy Spirit to fill us and to give us the strength to be loving in every situation. The Greek word for love that is used in this passage is agape. It is the kind of love that keeps loving whatever happens. This is the love that God has for us. He loves us because he loves us and will keep on loving us whatever we do. It was the love that the father had in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). The son had treated his father s

1 Corinthians 12:31 In this chapter, Paul spent a long time carefully describing the spiritual gifts that God has given to his Church. The church in Corinth had become very excited about the gifts but they needed clear guidance as to how they should be used. At this point, Paul pointed out that, exciting and important as gifts are, life at its best is quite simply a life of love. Paul was convinced of the supreme importance of love. So much so that even the most gifted person in the world cannot manage without it. At the beginning of chapter 13 he described a person who speaks like an angel but said that without love their words would be totally empty. They would sound like a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. He then built up a picture of the sort of gifted person who seemed to have it all. They had the gift of prophecy and were so good at it that they understood all of God’s secrets, and possessed all knowledge. Just imagine! But more, this person had such enormous faith that shunting mountains aroun

1 Corinthians 12:18-21 Yesterday we saw how Paul drew attention to the problem of inferiority complexes in the Church. In today’s verses, he centres on the problem of superiority complexes. He points out how absurd it would be for one part of the body to look down on another part and suggest that it wasn’t needed. Paul laughs at that kind of thinking, pointing out how ridiculous it would be if a body only had one part. The only way that a body can work is by it having very different parts, and the Church is just the same. We may find it difficult to be in a church in which people are so different from us, but we absolutely rely on other people’s differences in order to be the Church. Diversity is, in fact, the only way to achieve unity. We must never be tempted to look down on other people’s gifts, even if they seem strange to us. It is vital that we find ways of affirming one another and I think we have a special responsibility to spot those gifts that have a low profile. When did you last thank the

1 Corinthians 12:14-15 Many people struggle in life because of an inferiority complex. They are inclined to spend their lives comparing their attributes and abilities with others and convincing themselves that they are no good. This is incredibly sad in any situation and deeply damaging within the Church. Paul insists that every member of the Church is absolutely vital, and so there is never any good reason for one part of the Church to look down on another. He makes the point by laughing at the complete absurdity of a foot looking down on itself because it isn’t a hand, or an ear looking down on itself because it isn’t an eye. It’s completely ridiculous. It is wrong to look down on our gifts, whatever they are, because God has deliberately given us particular gifts. Paul writes: “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have” (1 Corinthians 12:11). What God wants is for us to enjoy the gift that he has given to us, recognising t

1 Corinthians 12:7 I want to continue focusing on the verse that we looked at yesterday because it is so crucial. I have been a church leader for many years and people have told me regularly that they don’t know what their gift is. Nothing could be more important than to know what your gift is, so let me spend a few moments trying to help you if you are unsure. And if you are absolutely sure what your spiritual gift is, it will be good for you to take a fresh look at it. Firstly, if you don’t know what your gift is then thank God for it. Be positive. We have God’s assurance that he has given you a gift so even though you haven’t got a clue what it is, thank him for this mystery gift. Secondly, ask God what your gift is. I don’t believe that God wants to play games with us. He has given us a gift and we can be sure that he would like us to know what it is. Only then will it be useful in the building the Church, in the way that he intends. Thirdly, open your eyes. Look at your life and reflect o

1 Corinthians 12:7 This short verse contains three incredibly important messages. First of all, the spiritual abilities that we have are a gift from God. They are an expression of his love and generosity and so when we identify a gift, whether in ourselves or someone else, our first response should be to give thanks to God. This is an important point because so often we focus attention on the receiver of the gift rather than the giver. That clearly happened in Corinth where people were strutting around with great pride because of the spiritual gifts that they had received. This was causing great confusion and division in the church and would have been totally avoided if they had kept their focus on God, the giver of their gifts. The second point is that every one of us is gifted. The way in which we often use the term ‘gifted’ might suggest that only a few people have a gift. We are told about gifted guitarists, singers or artists and are left feeling that we missed out somewhere! Paul, however, makes

1 Corinthians 11:23-24 These words are incredibly important. Remember, Paul’s letter to the Corinthians was written some years before the earliest Gospel. This is, therefore, the first recorded account of any of the words of Jesus. Paul never met Jesus in the flesh but he was convinced that this command had come from the Lord himself. These words are nearly 2,000 years old but they continue to be a fundamental command to the Christian Church today. The key word in Jesus’ command is “remembrance”. When we share in the communion service we are deliberately recalling what Jesus did when he died on the cross. We are recognising that this was an important moment in history but also an event that continues to transform our lives today. In a miraculous way Jesus meets with us as we gather with our Christian brothers and sisters, and he renews our understanding of our own lives and the life that we share together. There is a beautiful variety of titles for the communion meal including the Eucharist (whi

1 Corinthians 11:17-18 Paul loved the church in Corinth with a passion. He had founded the church and so it is not surprising that he longed for the community to thrive. It must have been particularly painful to him that they managed to get so much wrong when they came together to worship. The time when they should have been at their most united seems to have been the time when their divisions were most in evidence. We cannot be entirely clear what the problems were. We do know that their gathering focused on a celebration of the Lord’s Supper, however, the way in which they did so was clearly chaotic. Some people were so eager to eat their food that they didn’t share with others. This was probably exacerbated by the fact that there were both rich and poor people within the church, and the poor were getting left out. Another focus of division may well have been that those from a Jewish background were insisting on kosher food. The fact that there were tensions and divisions in the church is tr

1 Corinthians 10:31,33 Life is forever throwing up questions. Just because we have decided to follow Christ, it doesn’t mean that everything is straightforward. We often have very difficult decisions to make, and the answer isn’t immediately obvious. That was clearly the case for Paul who, in both this chapter and chapter 8, was struggling with the very awkward issue of food that had been offered to idols. In one way it wasn’t an issue at all because idols are false gods. But for some people their conscience made them uneasy about eating something that had been offered to an idol. Different Christians may act in different ways, but what matters is that they act out of a desire to please the Lord, and to be helpful to other people. Paul was so determined to help other people to find Jesus as their Lord, that he didn’t want anything to get in the way. The issues we face today are completely different from Paul’s time, but the same principles hold good. When we decide how to use our money, leisure ti

1 Corinthians 9:25-27 Athletics were taken very seriously by the Greeks. The Olympic Games were established in 776 BC and were held in Olympia every four years. Corinth itself had its own games known as the Isthmian Games, which were second only to the Olympics. It isn’t surprising, therefore, that the apostle Paul often made references to athletics. In preparation for the games, athletes were put through a punishing regime. They were required to prepare for ten months and the entire focus was upon winning. Unlike today, there were no prizes for coming second or third. The winner in Paul’s day would be given a pine wreath to wear but, great as that honour was, it would soon fade. Paul knew that he was working for an eternal prize and so he was determined to be fit to ensure that he could keep going. Of course, the Christian life doesn’t only have one winner. All of us need to ensure that we keep fit for the work that God has called us to do. A contemporary described Paul as “a man small of stature

1 Corinthians 9:19-20, 22-23 Paul had an incredibly clear focus for his life. His longing was that everyone should have the opportunity to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. He wanted them to know that Jesus loved them so much that he died for their sins so that they could have eternal life. Nothing in the world was more important to him than this. Paul spoke of his willingness to be completely flexible in the way that he got alongside other people. He was brought up as a Jew, and so he was easily able to identify with them and to understand the questions that they might have about Christian faith. But he was just as willing to draw alongside people with no faith background and to understand where they were coming from. He was willing to become all things to all people in order to help them to meet Jesus for themselves. We can probably all identify the people with whom we most easily get on. They probably share a similar background to us and may be of a similar age and share common interests. Tha

1 Corinthians 8:1-2 In writing this letter to the Corinthians, Paul didn’t dodge any of the difficult issues. I suspect that most of us are tempted to avoid grasping nettles, but Paul took on one nettle after another with remarkable confidence. The issue that he grappled with here is totally unfamiliar to us, but we have much to learn from the way in which he handled it. Corinth was a big port and had a very mixed population. The people worshipped a wide variety of deities, and it was quite usual for food to have been taken to the temple gods to be blessed. This posed a major issue for the Christian community. Where should the line be drawn? There were two possible approaches. One was to say that idols aren’t real, so it really doesn’t matter whether the food has been offered to them or not. The other approach was adopted by those who came from a background in which they had been taught to believe that the idols had real power. Now that they had become Christians they found it deeply offensive to eat