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Giving As Able

When it comes to ministry and money, I am very cognisant it can be a huge stumbling block to people inside and outside the church.  I find persistent fundraising appeals by Christian ministries feeling like harassment, and it is disgusting when preachers dangle financial prosperity for those who give to support their lavish lifestyle.  In fitness culture, people put stock in the chiseled or ripped physique of their trainer at the gym, and at some churches people are drawn by professional productions, opulent wealth, and prosperity of pastors because they desire to obtain those results for themselves.  Unfortunately the "gospel" put forth by some is a false gospel, for it shifts the focus from Christ and all He has done to ourselves, our entitlements, and how to be prosperous now. Though envy, greed and selfishness can creep into a person, ministry or a church, this does not invalidate the responsibility and privilege of Christians to regularly and gladly give according to...
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Losing Paint and Gaining Wisdom

As I was departing from a carpark today, the car in front of me stopped and very slowly inched forward.  At first I thought it was caution before turning right, as there were cars lined up on both sides of the street that obscured a clear view.  Then I suspected it was out of care for the paint on the bumper because the dip was extreme.  When my turn came to make a right--careful though I was--I felt the front bumper graze the bitumen and scraped off some paint.  Likely the fellow before me had already learned the lesson I did by experience. I have found learning by personal experience to be the natural order of things.  Though I saw the other driver taking great care in turning right, I did not know precisely why he was so slow in doing so.  Even when I suspected I knew the reason, we were driving different models of vehicles, and his car had lower profile tyres.  Drivers of utes of four-wheel drives would not need to slow down at all to safely navig...
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Look, Remember and Do

The more God's people consider the awesome attributes of our God, it blows our minds away.  Though God has created us in His own image and given us minds able to understand, reason and remember, God is not like us.  He knows all things, and because He is outside time sees what is past, present and future all at once.  Though He cannot forget, God chooses what He will and will not remember.   Jeremiah 31:34 speaks of the new covenant God would bring and how He will forgive repentant sinners:  " No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD ,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD . For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more ."  Blessed is the one whose sin is forgiven and God remembers it no more! God does not need reminders like we do (because we forget), but God takes specific action to remember and do all He has said....
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Jesus is Worthy

Our world is filled with complexity.  People, languages, relationships and theology are all complicated.  While there are aspects of all these that remain the same, there are things that change and morph over time.  The use of words can change to the point someone can mean the exact opposite of the word's common definition.  I remember when the Michael Jackson song "Bad" was at the peak of popularity (which meant the best), and other words have taken its place like "sick" or "mean."  When it comes to interpreting the Bible, it can clash with the modern take of the meaning of words.  A recent and useful conversation I had illustrated well the importance to carefully define what we mean when we use a particular word. Because words are complicated and not limited to a single definition, the context helps us determine what people mean and thus the conclusions we draw.  A statement I find challenging to accept at face value without explaination is the claim...
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Clutter and Neglect

Over the years I have watched shows that chronicle the experiences of people who have sought assistance with a hoarding problem.  Slowly stuff and clutter accumulates in the house to the point the movement and activity of the homeowner is severely restricted.  Rooms become impossible to enter, basements fill, and stuff begins to spill into the yard.  Quite often by the time television crews are on the scene, the house has become dangerous to the occupants and nearly impossible to traverse.  Mould, vermin and spoiled food create an environment that becomes increasingly unpleasant and unhealthy. Another thing I have noticed when a house is full of stuff, maintenance of the house itself become impossible and is neglected.  The desire to acquire, preserve and save things ends up being thwarted by all the things accumulated that are inaccessable and exposed to fouling by pests and water damage.  Leaks in the roof are not able to be fixed, and plumbing repairs ar...
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Not Forsaken

Aaron and Miriam spoke against Moses their brother after he married an Ethiopian woman.  The passage says ominously, " And the LORD heard it. "  Because he was a meek and humble man, Moses did not say anything to defend himself from their attempts to publicly undermine his God-given leadership role.  God is patient and longsuffering, yet in this case He acted quickly by summoning all three of them to appear before him at the tabernacle.  The LORD descended before them in a pillar of cloud and stood in the doorway, and He commanded Aaron and Miriam to step forward. Numbers 12:6-9 tells us God's words:  " Then He said, "Hear now My words: "If there is a prophet among you, I, the LORD , make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak to him in a dream.  7 Not so with My servant Moses; h e is faithful in all My house.  8 I speak with him face to face, e ven plainly, and not in dark sayings;  a nd he sees the form of the LORD . Why then were y...
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Refusing Comfort?

When facing tragedy and loss, we can be overwhelmed with hopeless feelings to the point we can refuse comfort.  We observe this in the life of Jacob after his eldest son Reuben presented the special colourful coat Joseph wore that was torn and soiled with blood.  There was no mistaking the coat, for Jacob had given it to his son who was at the time 17 years old.  The destroyed state of the coat caused Jacob to assume the worst.   Genesis 37:34-35 reads, " Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.  35  And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, "For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning." Thus his father wept for him ." Because Joseph was precious to His father, he took no comfort from his sons, daughters and grandchildren.  He was determined to grieve the loss of his son presently and perpetually, for the death of Jos...
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