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Progressing in Christ
Photo by Kulbir on Pexels.com 
Photo by Kat Smith on Pexels.com Recently I grew some tulips in a pot… it was a new venture into the world of bulbs. It of course involved selecting a good-sized pot, adding potting mix and placing the bulbs at the right depth. Then, wait for tulips come springtime.
Springtime is that season when flowers seem to appear out of nowhere and seemingly overnight… bulbs burst forth with their colourful displays. So, I waited for my chosen bulbs to emerge. Leaves appeared, then stem and bud… watering then became very important as the bulbs were now producing their flowers.
It was not long before I noticed a tinge of colour appearing in a bud. Ever slowly but surely, a red tulip began to open. Then we enjoyed watching a yellow and another red appear. But wait a minute, I definitely remember putting in four bulbs… I could see another stem, but the bud was small and not growing.
Our Christian lives can be likened to bulbs as our spiritual beginnings are established and develop in Christ but what about that one bulb that didn’t flower? Sure, it was in the pot like the other three, time passed, but its growth stopped. Similarly, we can live life as a Christian but fail to fully develop.
God is in the business of growing us. He wants us to keep developing in Christ and to see us changing… like the tulip, perfected in shape and colour.
Ref. Romans 12:2, 2 Peter3:18 NIV.
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Dialoguing with God.
There is an expression that has become quite popular in the political sphere and everyday life in general. It can be stated like this, ‘We need to have a conversation’. It implies that a subject or issue needs more discussion with a view to resolving the relevant aspects and determining the way forward.
As Christians we have the privilege of being able to dialogue with God at any time. Of course, we understand it as prayer… making verbal contact with God. But to have a conversation with God implies much more than the repeating of a set prayer, sincere as that may be. Personal prayer is from our heart and also involves our emotions. It is like two friends having a sincere and honest chat.
To this end, we have the Spirit of Christ to help us! The Gift of the Holy Spirit comes to establish a wonderful level of intimacy between us and our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus. As we learn to discuss all of life’s ebb and flow the Holy Spirit will give us those inner promptings, helping us to recognize God’s voice.
The Holy Spirit is of course. our teacher and is available to give us spiritual understanding. But the presence of the Spirit in our lives also reveals and makes us aware of God’s love. The Bible is clear that GOD IS LOVE! This truth is essential for helping us to draw near to our heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus in prayer.
So, we come back to that word ‘dialogue” which is having a conversation through words… from the Greek dialogos, from dia ‘through’ + logos ‘word’. If there is a priority in our Christian lives, it is this… to open our hearts and have sincere prayer dialogue. Our words, like spiritual ripples will always reach heaven.
Ref. Romans 5:5, 1 Cor. 2:12, Phil. 4:6. NIV.
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Don’t be half cooked!
Looking back on our Christian lives there are times we may well like to forget… times when we struggled with our faith, but God brought us through. But what we overlook, is the fact that God was working in our lives, developing our spiritual character.
Better to be cooked than half cooked! Better to be someone that has allowed God to work out His purposes. From time-to-time life can have difficult situations. It is important not to run away or try to escape what God is allowing to happen in our lives.
I like the comparison of baking, where it is so important to make sure that the cake is properly cooked. I recall the time when I used to bake my favourite… sultana cake! I learnt how to make sure the mixture was cooked. If not, back into the oven for a little more heat… the result of course, a fully cooked cake.
There is a similarity here with many of those life experiences we go through. Whatever the situation might be, it is important stay the course and allow God to finish what he is doing. We can take the path of least resistance and opt out or hang in there. Yes… we need patience… but it is God who is completing a work in us.
God is in the business of dealing with our attitudes, actions and activities. It is all part of the kingdom process. God is applying the fire of the Holy Spirit, to bring about holiness in our lives… changing us into the image of Christ.
Ref. Romans 8:29, 2 Cor. 3:17-18, NIV.
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JESUS CHRIST ‘Central Station’
Photo by Ralph Chang on Pexels.com Central Stations can be impressive, quite often with huge spacious entrance halls. There are clocks and indicators with crowds of people heading off in different directions. There are the metro trains with their underground networks, and there are the country tracks heading off to far away locations. It is a central hub, pulsing with the excitement of travel, as individuals arrive and depart.
Central station can be used as an analogy of becoming a Christian and living out our lives with Jesus. The imperative is to make sure we do have that central relationship with the Lord himself. To participate in the Kingdom of God, we must experience spiritual change, (John 3:5). To know him is paramount!
To continue with the central station analogy, we can see how Christians have individual lives to live. We don’t all travel on the same train route or with the same destination, for God has different plans for each of us. Our personal life travel plan is of course, available by the Holy Spirit, (Romans 8:14).
Like trains travelling to a timetable the network of Christian pathways works according to God’s overall plan. Different tracks in different directions, but all under the design of the master controller. Like travellers who check platforms and departure times we must also be at the right place at the right time.
It is often said that we are all on a journey. Whilst that is true it is important that our journey starts at ‘Central Station’ Jesus Christ… for He is the WAY, (John 14:6). To travel through life in any other way is not God’s way. But if our life journey is with the Lord the way he leads, will be the perfect one for us.
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God wants you to PROSPER!
Photo by Lukas Kloeppel on Pexels.com There is something strong and solid about the mountains… it is that feeling of elevation too, as we sense a separation from the world below. The air seems so clear, fresh and invigorating… just the place to do some mountaineering.
Personally, I have always loved views of the mountains. It was probably the clincher which made me decide to buy our present house. Yes, the house was what we wanted, but to be able to see the mountain ranges was important.
Psalm 121:1-2 talks about lifting our eyes to the hills, a figure of speech for looking to the Lord for help; the one who gives us strength and watches over our lives. God’s first priority is the preservation and spiritual health of our souls. But the material and physical aspects of our lives are also important to Him.
Listen for a moment to the Bible words of encouragement given to Gaius a friend of John… “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health, and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3John 2. NIV. We all need to hear these words of encouragement… that God wants us to prosper.
To PROSPER… has such a strong meaning! It’s a word that gets a lot of mention in the Bible; God is good, and he only wants prosperity for every individual. We find that the Hebrew word for prosper basically means to push forward. I love this, for it gives the idea of advancing and being successful. The NT Greek word gives a similar meaning… to give us help on the road we are travelling.
God wants us to succeed in reaching our goals in life. It could be our chosen vocation… we can be successful for God wants us to prosper! It could be our health… we can recover for God wants us to prosper! Claim God’s success!
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PRAISE POWER!
Photo by Tara Winstead on Pexels.com Heaven is waiting for those who will start praising God for who He is… the creator of heaven and earth, the creator of mankind and all creatures great and small. Our praise touches heaven itself!
In Revelation 4:11 we read about twenty-four elders who fell down before the throne of God in total worship of their creator God. Have you ever wondered at the fascinating workings of the world around you… the mysterious and intricate functioning of our human bodies? Everything has its state of being because of God who CREATED ALL THINGS! These elders were lost in that worship!
If we go back to the days of Solomon Temple, we discover that a very important function was that of the appointed singers. They used various musical instruments to prophesy, offering praise and thanks to God, (1 Chron. 25:3). The interesting thing is that the 288 musician singers were made up of 24 lots of 12.
Praise was an integral and vital part of the Temple arrangements. What is also interesting, is that everyone was involved in the ministry of praise… young and old alike! For Christian believers today, we can all offer songs of praise, giving thanks to God.
Paul and Silas found themselves in prison because of their ministry, (Acts 16:23). Undaunted, they began to pray and sing praise to God… IN THE PRISON! Then an earthquake occurred, and the prison doors sprang open. The end result was the release of Paul and Silas from prison after the jailer and his family believed.
Whatever our circumstances, the singing of praise to God and giving Him thanks is the key to our release from captivity!
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MERCY!
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com The rose is said to be a floral symbol of God’s mercy, but what actually is mercy.? It is a word that sits at the core of Christian theology, and we can trace its usage back to the MERCY SEAT, which was situated in the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctuary of the Hebrew Tabernacle. It was there that the atoning blood was sprinkled by the High Priest every year on the day of atonement.
It was above this seat of mercy that God revealed his presence confirming his acceptance of the atoning blood of sacrifice. But now as believers we know that Jesus Christ our high priest entered into the true heavenly tabernacle with his own blood securing eternal redemption for all who put their trust in him.
Of course, the earthly tabernacle was but a copy of the heavenly reality where Jesus entered on our behalf. On earth there had to be continual sacrifices to maintain God’s forgiveness and mercy toward the people. But now we see Jesus who entered just once into the real holy of holies, the most holy place where God dwells. The mercy obtained for believers is now permanent.
The heart of God is full of compassion and mercy toward us. We can always approach His heavenly throne with confidence. It is there that the Father and the Son will be merciful and supply us with grace to meet our needs!
Ref. Hebrews 4:16 NIV.
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Confess Healing!
Photo by Brett Jordan on Pexels.com Mention confession and we may think of going to church and confessing our sins in the liturgy of the Eucharist. Of course, confessing sin is an important part of our Christian lives.
But there is another confession!
In life, what we say has consequences, even God’s Word says that life and death are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). To use words which agree with what God says can result in life.
For instance, if we confess Jesus as Lord with our mouth and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, we shall be saved (Romans 10:9-10). Speaking or confessing what we believe seals the matter personally and God responds.In the matter of healing, we can also confess and receive. God wants us to experience forgiveness but also experience healing. If we believe this in our heart like salvation, we can be healed.
Well then… what does God say? “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases;” (Psalm 103:3). God let the Israelites know that he is a God who heals, “… I will not bring on you any of the diseases, I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord who heals you.” (Ex. 15:26). It is no surprise then, that Jesus healed in his ministry and that he continues to heal people today (Luke 4:18-19).
Let us then agree with what the Bible says. The Greek word for confession is “homologia” which has a base meaning of the ‘same’-‘word’. It is so important that we use words that are in agreement with scripture. Our confession really can heal!
We can confess our sins and experience forgiveness, and eternal salvation. But God has a message for the whole person… He wants us to receive HEALING!
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GOD IS GOOD!
There seems to be a negative part of human nature which accepts that things will go wrong in life. At the same time, we all want good things to happen to us. Sometimes people say… “Nothing good ever happens to me”…. yet God is good!
For a moment consider the Israelites who had been delivered from Egyptian slavery to possess the promised land flowing with milk and honey…. a good land! Moses struggled with the people’s failures. God then reveals to Moses his goodness by declaring that he is compassionate, gracious and slow to anger; that he forgives and abounds in love and faithfulness. (Ex. 34:6 NIV.)
Now… let’s fast forward to the time of Jesus of Nazareth, the messenger of good tidings. He was and still is the full expression of God’s goodness. He is the Lord who forgives but a Saviour who came to reveal the goodness of God to a world in need.
Jesus fulfilled the words of the prophet Isaiah. He preached good news to the poor, he proclaimed freedom for the prisoners, he recovered sight for the blind, he released the oppressed and proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favour. (Luke 4:18-19 NIV)
The Gospels confirm how Jesus came with this message of forgiveness, demonstrating God’s goodness by healing the sick and casting out evil spirits. He was the full expression and fulfilment of the prophet Isaiah’s words. (Isaiah 61:1-2 NIV.)
So much could be said about God’s goodness towards us, and the Bible is overflowing with references. The ministry of the Lord Jesus has not changed, he is still the same, yesterday, today, and forever. (Heb. 13:8 NIV.) His goodness is available today!
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Jesus our Companion!
I was wanting to select an image which would convey the meaning of belonging to Jesus Christ… nothing seemed to jell. Perhaps for this reason, that no image can fully portray the reality of the relationship we have and experience in Him.
The relationship we have with other Christians is fellowship and comes from the Greek word koinonia. which means our common sharing together. Yet the most important fellowship is that which we individually have with Jesus.
We can all remember those early days as believers, learning to abide in Christ. To see Jesus as the vine and us as the branches… John 15:5. Yet, we press onward to discover more about our special relationship with Christ… our life companion.
From a human point of view, we all need friendship. None of us can live in isolation, we need the companionship of a friend. The Bible says that God has called us into fellowship with his Son. Consider Paul who met Jesus on the road to Damascus. What an introduction was that! He was now tied up in the bundle of life with Jesus He was now called to FELLOWSHIP with Christ!
When we became Christians, God was introducing us to the best friend anyone can have… His Son Jesus Christ! Jesus is closer to us than breathing and He is God complete, our life companion.Ref. 1 Cor. 1:9, Phil. 3:12-14, Col. 2:9-10. NIV.
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