Be Still And Know

1 Thessalonians 4.11-12 NLT 'Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before. Then people who are not believers will respect the way you live, and you will not need to depend on others.' These are fascinating verses. Paul urges his hearers to strive eagerly to live quiet lives. The Greek literally means ‘seek restlessly to be still’! What on earth was he getting at? I believe he was saying that he wanted the Thessalonian Christians to have a quiet confidence as they threw themselves enthusiastically into their daily work. He wanted them to find peace in getting on with doing whatever the Lord had called them to do. It is clear that some people in the church had given up their jobs because they believed that the Lord might return at any moment. Paul was not happy with this. He urged them to get on with their work. He refers to them working with their hands and this probably suggests that the church was made up of slaves and man

1 Thessalonians 4.3-5 NLT 'God’s will is for you to be holy, so stay away from all sexual sin. Then each of you will control his own body and live in holiness and honour— not in lustful passion like the pagans who do not know God and his ways.' Life in Thessalonica in the 1st century would have been massively different from our life today. And yet I have no doubt that if the apostle Paul were to write a letter to our churches he would address precisely this same issue – sexual purity. The Greeks were famous for their free attitude to sexual matters. Paul was concerned that this church should not be damaged by the widespread sexual promiscuity which surrounded them. They needed to live holy lives. The word holy means set apart. God wants us to live life to the full without being damaged and cheapened by sin. Holy life is life as God intended. Life at its best. This teaching is often mocked by our critics who would suggest that Christian sexual teaching is given to us by a kill-joy God who seeks to confine

1 Thessalonians 3.7-8 NLT 'We have been greatly encouraged in the midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you have remained strong in your faith. It gives us new life to know that you are standing firm in the Lord.' Paul knew that it was going to be really tough for the Thessalonian church. He had warned them that there would be great difficulties to come and had clearly been deeply concerned for them. He even stated that he wondered whether his time in Thessalonica might prove to have been a complete waste of time. So he was absolutely delighted to hear the news from Timothy that the church was going well. They had not only stood firm in the face of persecution and were thriving. Living for Christ in the 21st century presents us with very different challenges from 1st century Greece. However, what we have in common is that we are living in societies which are fundamentally opposed to our Christian values and objectives. This means that we need to find ways of creativel

1 Thessalonians 2.4-5 NLT 'For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts. Never once did we try to win you with flattery, as you well know.' Paul often faced accusations. He was accused of acting out of self-interest, of being deceitful and all manner of other things. He knew that the whole of his ministry and the progress of the Christian mission depended on his integrity and so he was always eager to rebut these accusations. But in facing up to his critics, Paul makes it very clear in this passage that he had never aimed to please people. His absolute priority was to do what God wanted. It is very tempting for anyone in leadership to make pleasing people their goal. We all want to be liked and so we are naturally inclined to do those things which win people’s approval. This was a classic mark of the Pharisees who so often focused their energies on impressing the people around them. In t

1 Thessalonians 2.1 NLT 'You yourselves know, dear brothers and sisters, that our visit to you was not a failure.' The church in Thessalonica certainly knew that Paul’s visit to their city had not been a failure. But on the face of it, it hadn’t gone very well. It ended up with Paul and Silas being bundled out of the city in a hurry because of the threat from the mob. It must have left them feeling very anxious about the future of that infant church. But, as this letter reveals, in point of fact the church there had thrived and developed considerable strength very quickly and had become an example to many other churches. This teaches us a valuable lesson. Things aren’t always the way they seem. We would all love to live our life walking from one success to another. But life isn’t like that. Sometimes the moments of failure turn out to be a glittering success, and the times of apparent victory turn out to be an abject failure. Through the ups and downs of life, what matters before anything else is that

1 Thessalonians 1.9-10 NLT 'And they speak of how you are looking forward to the coming of God’s Son from heaven—Jesus, whom God raised from the dead. He is the one who has rescued us from the terrors of the coming judgment.' When I was preparing for the 11-plus English exam I came up with a really impressive expression that I made use of, whatever the essay title. It was “with eager anticipation”. Whether we were asked to write an essay about Christmas, going to the zoo, or summer holidays I was always able to find a place for it and on the day of the exam it soon found a place in my story! The expression is a wonderful description of the church in Thessalonica. They were excited to know that, one day, Jesus was going to return to the earth and they looked forward to it with eager anticipation. Our understanding of the future shapes the way in which we live today and so it is crucial that we understand it properly. There is no doubt that the future of our world is full of threat. Whether we are looking

1 Thessalonians 1.8 NLT 'And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God.' Paul’s first visit to Thessalonica began well and a number of people decided to follow Jesus. (Acts 17.1-8) But, as was so often the case, his success caused jealousy amongst the local Jews who were losing some of their adherents. They recruited a group of troublemakers from the market- place and formed a mob in order to attack Paul and Silas. The mob didn’t find them and so picked on some of the other believers and hauled them before the city council. The situation was clearly getting dangerous and so the believers encouraged Paul and Silas to leave the city that night. Given that difficult background, it must have been a massive encouragement to Paul that the church in Thessalonica was doing so well. How wonderful that they had not merely survived but grown so strongly that the word of the Lord was spr

'We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and the enduring hope you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ.' Paul has great affection for these Christians in what we would now call northern Greece. He had spent time with them and knew them well. He knew that they weren’t perfect and, in this letter, he is going to spell out some very specific concerns that he has about the way in which they were living. However, what I love about these opening verses is that he comes up with a beautiful list of the ways in which his life was blessed by them. It’s so easy to focus on the problems of life isn’t it? We can probably all identify people who wind us up, and who are a pain. We can think of their annoying habits and the way in which they make our life so much harder than it needs to be. I suspect that Paul could have come up with such a list about the people in Thessalonica. But he chose to identify th

Psalm 77.5-7 NLT 'I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me?' These are painful verses. Asaph, the psalmist, is in the pit of despair. He feels that God has rejected him completely. He looks back at how things used to be, but those memories are painful in themselves, because his present predicament is so hopeless. What is so precious about these words is that he is completely honest. There is no pretence. He tells God exactly the way he feels. There is something incredibly healthy about this because, as we all know, strong relationships can only grow where there is honesty. Asaph feels completely let down by God and he let him know it. I fear that Christian worship can very easily be less than honest. When we sing of our complete confidence in God, does that always reflect the way we feel? It was the great Christian writer A W Tozer who wro

Psalm 73.21-24 NLT 'Then I realised that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny.' The psalmist has been struggling with his thoughts. He admits that he has become very envious of wicked people who seem to him to have a really easy life. They seemed to avoid many of the problems which good people face. He wonders whether following God has been a complete waste of time for him. But the more he reflects, the more he recognises the foolishness of his thinking because, in fact, the wicked people are on a slippery path which is bound to end in their destruction. In our verses the psalmist, Asaph, wakes up to his foolishness and recognises that what really matters is his faith in God. God kept him secure and would guide him through the rest of his life. At the end of the psalm he draws the conclusion, ”But

Psalm 71.17-18 NLT 'O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me.' Over the years I have heard a number of people say that they felt that the ideal life would be one in which they did what they wanted for the whole of their life. And then, on their death bed, they would commit their life to God and receive eternal life. In this way, they figured, they would get the best of both worlds. King David would have completely disagreed with them! For him, the whole of life was made more special and precious through knowing God. He saw his life, from beginning to end, as an opportunity to proclaim how great God was and, in so doing, to ensure that future generations would also worship God. Succession planning is an integral part of any effective organisation. If there are no plans for the futur

Psalm 69.16-17 NLT 'Answer my prayers, O Lord, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble!' Waiting is never easy. Whether you are waiting for a phone call, a parcel or medical results, waiting can be exhausting. And if life is going really badly then waiting is even more agonising. That’s exactly how we find King David in this psalm. Things are going disastrously badly for him. He begins the psalm by saying that the floodwaters are up to his neck. He feels that he is sinking deeper and deeper into the mire and that he can’t find a foothold. I guess we’ve all had times like that, and it isn’t pleasant. David clearly feels overwhelmed and disorientated and, in his despair, he cries out to God. In his long life, David had learnt to be completely honest with God and this is one of many psalms in which he holds nothing back. He is absolutely exhausted, and he gives a graphic account of his con

Matthew 7.24-25 NLT “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 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.” The Sermon on the Mount closes with this powerful little parable about two houses. One built on rock and the other on sand. The point is that when the weather is fine they look identical. The only time you discover the difference between them is when disaster strikes. At that moment the stability of the foundations is revealed, and the house built on sand collapses. Jesus is plainly saying that the radical teaching of his sermon is the rock on which our lives need to be built. When we do so, we can look to the future with confidence because we know that, whatever might be thrown at us, we will still be standing secure. So the key question is this – what do we need to do to build on the solid rock of Jesus’ teaching? We certainly nee

Matthew 7.15-16 NLT 'Beware of false prophets who come disguised as harmless sheep but are really vicious wolves. You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.' False prophets make an appearance in both the Old and New Testaments. Jeremiah had a particular problem with them. He believed that he was called by God to inform the people that, unless they turned back to him, a foreign nation would sweep over them and take them into exile. This was not the message that people wanted to hear. They much preferred the soothing words of the false prophets who prophesied that all would be well because they had the Lord’s Temple. They had nothing to worry about. But the truth was that they had everything to worry about because Jeremiah’s words were true and in due course the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem and took the Lord’s people off into exile. False prophets were a continual challenge in the early Church and Jesus sought to prepare his followers to meet them. What they needed to know was

Matthew 7.13 NLT 'You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.' I am always fascinated to hear people tell me the story of their lives. Although their life journeys are all completely different, they have something in common, and that is the importance of decision- making. They shape our lives to a huge extent and so it is vital that we make good and wise decisions. Here Jesus encourages his followers to enter into the Kingdom of God and he emphasises that the gate is narrow. It will only be entered by people who are deliberate in their choice and willing to face its demands. It is the gate that leads to life and fulfilment, but it would be very easy to miss it, because the much easier path is the one which leads to destruction. These are sobering words and we need to listen carefully to them. In the Old Testament we meet a number of decisive moments. At the end of his life, Moses challenged the people of Isr

Matthew 7.12 NLT 'Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.' This statement is often known as The Golden Rule. The Jews were familiar with something like this but always in the negative form. Only Jesus used the thought positively. That is to say that we are not merely to stop thieving, lying and killing but to go out of our way to love, care and encourage. And the reason for living in this way is that this is exactly how we would like other people to treat us. Jesus clearly saw this simple and clear rule as a summary of his Sermon on the Mount. This principle should be shaping the way in which we live day by day. So our first task is to decide how we like to be treated. It would be excellent if you could take some time today to make a list of the things that are important for you. To get your thinking going let me reflect on my own life. I would begin by saying that I want to be loved, and I will recognise that love thro

Matthew 7.11 NLT 'If you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.' Some years ago I was travelling on a bus in Israel and heard some amazing pan- pipe music. I spoke to the driver and told him how much I enjoyed it. Without a moment’s hesitation he took the cassette tape out of the machine and handed it to me, insisting that I take it and enjoy it. I was quite embarrassed and insisted that he should keep it. He wouldn’t hear of it. It was now mine because I had liked it so much. Moments of generosity like that are a great blessing aren’t they? Our reading today tells us that that is the nature of God. He is always generous. He can’t wait for the opportunity to bless our lives. He could impose his gifts on us but his desire is that we should want them so much that we ask him for them. Jesus pointed out that there was nothing particularly surprising about that, because all parents love giving good gifts to their

Matthew 7.3 NLT “Why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own?” This comical illustration is taken from the carpenter’s workshop and Jesus uses it to press home his teaching about being critical. It’s so easy to spot the shortcomings of other people. Jesus isn’t suggesting that their inadequacies aren’t real. They do indeed get lots of things wrong. But Jesus encourages us to look at ourselves and recognise that our failings may be vastly bigger than the little failings of others. He isn’t saying that we should stop identifying the specks in other people’s eyes but that we should start by becoming far more self-aware. How well do you know yourself? It is very easy for all of us to develop annoying habits and attitudes which are so deeply embedded in us that we don’t see them any more. When someone points out that we are a little short of perfection, we shrug our shoulders and conclude that people just need to “take us as they find us”. Jesus suggests that this isn’t goo

Matthew 6.26-27 NLT 'Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?' The most useless thing that you can say to a person who is worrying is, “Don’t worry.” No doubt it is meant kindly but you are actually increasing the person’s problems, because you have done nothing to stop their worrying and now added a layer of guilt on top! I love Jesus’ approach. He tells his followers that they have no need to worry because God will provide for them. If he is able to look after the birds and the flowers, he can certainly cope with their problems. Trusting God is the answer. Worrying has never, and can never, build anything. I do realise that those wise words don’t in themselves solve the problem. Worries will still come knocking at the door wanting to claim our attention. So what shall we do when the next worry turns up as it is bound to do? The b

Matthew 6.20-21 NLT 'Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.' What matters most to you in your life? It could be any number of things – your family, possessions, relationships, career, hobby, sport, reputation, political convictions or your faith. The point that Jesus is making here is that whatever matters most to you will shape the way in which you live. So it is vital that you fix your sights on something that will last. The truth is that most things about this life are temporary. Our possessions are a blessing to us because they are part of God’s gift to us, but they have a short shelf life. They are either attacked by moths and rust, or could be stolen. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus is encouraging his followers to keep their eyes fixed on the Kingdom of God because that is a treasure that will never let them down. It will last for ever. I have always been ins