2007
Back to "Thoughts For Week" Main Page
December 2007
30th December 2007
23rd December 2007
16th December 2007
9th December 2007
2nd December 2007
Back to Top
At the point of your conversion: “ You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. ..” ( Eph 4:22 – 24 )
It is nearly 2008! A fresh year lies before us. This invites us to reflect on the year that has been, and wonder about the year lying ahead. What you were pleased of having accomplished or experienced in 2007? Have you resolved to do anything differently in 2008?
When I was at school, each year I would resolve to have MUCH neater exercise books, containing MINIMAL errors! This can be a metaphor for life. At the start of a new year, we metaphorically start a new exercise book. In it are the blank pages/ days of our life for that year. Each day, we have a fresh page of experiences to record. And each year we hope that this year's workbook will contain fewer mistakes and be a piece of work that we can be proud of, before moving on to another new year.
What areas of your life would you like to improve in 2008? Perhaps emotionally you hope to think about things more positively. Or physically – perhaps you hope to stick to your diet in 2008. Or mentally – perhaps you're hoping to learn something new in 2008. Or spiritually – resolving to be more consistent in your devotions.
Certainly, the healthiest New Year's resolutions for Christians to make, are those that help them to become more Christ-like, by the power of God's Spirit. Such resolutions impact/ improve every area of our lives. So one of the New Year resolutions that I am challenging our congregation to make, is to ensure they know the complete teachings of Scripture, by joining me in reading the Bible in a Year chronologically. Each week I'll be putting a weekly reading program in the Link. I invite you to join this challenge, resolving to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds” in 2008.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“ For a child has been born for us,
a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named
Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace .” (Isaiah 9:6)
At Christmas time we remember the miracle of Jesus' birth. Today's verse is an e.g. of Old Testament prophecy that foretold of this blessed event. This prophecy provides encouragingly descriptive names for Jesus.
Jesus is the most “Wonderful Counsellor” you could ever hope to find. His advice is always perfect. He is the one to whom we can turn with any problem. As we wait on the Lord he provides the most perfect solutions.
Jesus is the “Mighty God.” This title of Jesus' speaks of his strength, power and divinity. It is this mighty God in whom we place our trust.
Jesus is the “Everlasting Father”. We often think of “God the Father.” It can seem a bit strange to think of the Son as also being a Father. One of the many paradoxes of our Almighty God. This title speaks of the eternity of Jesus. It also encourages an intimate relationship between him and us.
“Prince of Peace” is one of my favourite titles for Jesus. The Kingdom that Jesus rules is one of peace. We are invited to share in that peace, which only Jesus can give, today. We experience this peace when we centre ourselves in him.
Kieran and I pray that this Jesus, the “Wonderful Counsellor,” “Mighty God,” “Everlasting Father,” and “Prince of Peace” will be the true gift of Christmas to you and your loved ones this year. We pray that he will be the source of your love, joy, and peace this season and throughout 2008. May you experience a rich deepening of all of your close relationships, leading to satisfyingly beneficial personal and spiritual growth throughout 2008. God bless you all this Christmas.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“ Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and shield.
Our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name .” (Psa 33:20–21)
What does it mean to “wait” for the Lord? To me it means that we commit everything to him, and then wait for him to sort everything out. The act of waiting shows that we are trusting that God is able and willing to sort out whatever we are struggling with. This level of trust also guarantees peace in the midst of life's storms. It doesn't guarantee that things will work out the way that we want them to! But it does guarantee that things will work out the way that God wants them to. That's the most important thing.
We can trust God and wait upon him because God is our help and shield. What a wonderful promise. God is ALWAYS on our side, ALWAYS ready to help and shield all who wait for him. The challenging thing to accept, at times, is that God is 100% on our side, while also being 100% on the side of others who seek him – even if we think that they are causing us problems! Miraculously God's outcomes will always be the VERY best for each individual involved in a matter. God alone is all-wise, all-powerful, and thus able to guarantee a perfect result every time.
So our hearts are glad, or rejoice, in God. Another wonderful promise. We don't always feel glad. Sometimes we need to repeat these verses to ourselves in the first person to affirm, in faith, what God tells us to be true, in spite of our feelings. We can repeat the prayer, “My heart rejoices in You, because I trust in Your Holy Name.” It is much better to focus on the truth of God's Word, rather than our feelings when they're discouraging us.
Trusting in God's Holy Name means that we believe God's Word, which tells us the various names that God has used for himself to help humanity to understand his character. I invite you to highlight the various names that you find for God in Scripture and trust in who he reveals himself to be.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“ Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God .” (Phil 4:6)
To be worried about something can be a feeling. It can be indicated and/ or agitated by our focusing on a problem and continually turning it over in our minds. In Gerald Hawthorne's commentary on Philippians, he notes that the Greek word translated as “worry” in Phil 4:6 ‘…has the negative connotation of “anxious harassing care,” of attempting “to carry the burden of the future oneself,” or “unreasonable anxiety,” especially about things over which one has no control.' It can be easy to worry about things that we do not have full control of.
The good news is, God is ALWAYS in full control. He will not allow ANYTHING to happen to us that he cannot use for His good purposes. The question is, do we trust him with this?
Paul tells us that we should pray rather than worry. While we are encouraged to present our specific requests to God, they should not be the focus of our prayers. Instead, we are to focus on filling our prayers with thanksgiving and praise. Hawthorne notes ‘To begin by praising God for the fact that in this situation, as it is, he is so mightily God – such a beginning is the end of anxiety. To be anxious means that we ourselves suffer… [and] seek to see ahead. Thanksgiving means giving God the glory in everything, making room for him, casting our care on him, letting it be his care.' We are to know that God cares for us (see 1 Pet 5:7) , thank him for his care, and wait upon Him (see for instance Psa 130:5) .
We should present our requests to God, but ensure that such prayers are flooded with thanksgiving for who God is and what he is doing. If we find a problem creeping back in to focus, rather than turning it over in our minds, let's turn Phil 4:6 over in our minds, repeating the verse to ourselves until the worry fades and our focus returns to our Almighty God.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you,
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall laud your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness,
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
(Psa 145:1 – 7)
Today we remember that it's been 10 years since God brought Glenroy and Oak Park Baptist Churches together. We celebrate God's work in our church, and God's work throughout history in the various churches that have led us to where we are today. Scripture informs us that God wants his people to celebrate his goodness to them with festivals and anniversary celebrations. Let's explore this a little further...
As we've considered in recent months, in Exodus, God commanded the Pharaoh to let his people, the Israelites, be released from oppression so that they could go into the wilderness to celebrate a festival to him (see for instance, Exod 5:1) . We also read about the establishment of the Passover, and the need to annually celebrate God's power to miraculously free his people from the tyranny of their oppressors.
In Leviticus we read about other festivals that the Lord commanded the Israelites to celebrate . For instance, we read about the festival of unleavened bread, the festival of weeks, and the festival of booths.Festivals reminded the Israelites of God's faithfulness and goodness to them. Festivals were celebrated in different ways, at different times of the years, for various lengths of time.
In 2 Chronicles, we read about a celebration at the enthronement of a king. It was a celebration that involved, “…all the people of the land rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and the singers with their musical instruments leading in the celebration… ” (2 Chron 23:13). A Coronation was a time of great joy, celebrating God's Anointed, and bringing encouragement and excitement to all present. Many Psalms were written for such occasions.
In the Psalms we read about the need to celebrate God's name, his goodness, righteousness, grace, and mercy both now and forever. “I will cause your name to be celebrated in all generations; therefore the peoples will praise you forever and ever.” (Psa 45:17)
In Ezra and Nehemiah we read about the exiles joyfully celebrating their return to Jerusalem and restoration of God's Temple . For instance, w e read in Neh 12:27 that God's people went “…to celebrate the dedication with rejoicing, with thanksgivings and with singing, with cymbals, harps, and lyres .” With tremendous joy (and noise!) , t hey celebrated God's mercy, grace and faithfulness in freeing them from exile.
In the Old Testament, we read much about the need for God's people to celebrate him. Our celebrations are sacrificial offerings of praise that are pleasing to God. Additionally, they serve as a witness to others of God's goodness to his people, and the importance for all people everywhere to seek and worship him alone.
Naturally the most precious reason we have for celebrating is the birth, life, sacrificial death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. In Hebrews 13:15 – 16, we are reminded: “ 15 Through [ Jesus ] , then, let us continually offer a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name. 16 Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God. ” In a few weeks, we will be celebrating Jesus' birth. Thank God we live in a country that continues to recognise the birth of Jesus – even though many individuals simply see it as a materialistic holiday. As long as we continue to celebrate Christmas, we have an opportunity to encourage those around us to acknowledge the true meaning of Christmas.
At Glenroy Oak Park Baptist Church , we have MUCH to celebrate . It is important to continually reflect upon and celebrate God's activity in and through us. This glorifies God and acts as a witness to others of His goodness, grace and faithfulness. I encourage us to reflect on our history with God and celebrate God's present activity in our lives: on both individual and corporate levels.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
25th November
“ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. ” ( 2 Tim 1:7 , New King James Version)
“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.” (New International Version)
“for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline” . (New Revised Standard V.)
“For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgement.” ( Christian Standard Bible)
I love reading different translations of the Bible. It helps us to gain a better picture of what was written in the original Greek text. For instance, today I've provided four different translations of 2 Tim 1:7. There are two Greek words in this verse that are of particular interest.
The first, “deilias” (I'm transliterating from the Greek New Testament) is interpreted as “fear” in the NKJV. However, the more usual Greek word used for “fear” is “phobbos.” The English word “phobia” is derived from this Greek word. “deilias,” according to the Greek New Testament Dictionary (GNTD) , means “cowardice” or “timidity”. Hence, the NIV translates “deilias,” as “timidity” and the NRSV translates it as “cowardice.”
The second challenging Greek word in 2 Tim 1:7 is “sophronismou,” meaning “to be in one's right mind; think sensibly, be sensible or serious” (GNTD) . The Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament further interprets it as: “self-discipline, the power to keep one's self in hand, free from all excitement or hesitation.” So it is translated as “sound mind” in the NKJV, “self-discipline” in the NIV and NRSV, and “sound judgement” in the Christian Standard Bible.
Irrespective of which translation you prefer, it's all good news! Personally, I find it best to use whichever English word best suits the situation I'm applying the verse to. I praise God for the access we have to different translations of the Bible.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
18th November
“…I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity .” (1 Tim 2:1 – 2)
The election is fast approaching. In just one week's time, we should know the results. What has God got in store for our country?
The thing that I MOST want to see in our country is a spiritual revival. I want God to put in to power whoever he needs to have there to bring this about. I don't know the mind of God, so I'm not sure who God wants to have in government. However I have a responsibility to vote in accordance with my conscience, seeking God's guidance.
At election time, the entire country has a responsibility to seek God's will and vote accordingly. But how many people in Australia are doing that? Do we pray for our existing government? And are we praying that the election results will be in accordance with God's will? Who and/ or what influences our vote? How godly are those influences?
Today's text urges us to pray that whoever is in government will enable us to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. That's encouraging because spiritual revival does not always come during times of peace and quiet! I pray that Australians turn to Jesus as their Lord and Saviour before God has to do something more drastic to gain the attention of our nation.
Our country is in desperate need of Jesus. Are we praying that our relationships with those around us is all that God needs it to be to lead the unbelieving to proclaim Jesus as their Lord and Saviour? Are we praying that whoever is in government works to encourage us to freely worship and proclaim the truth of Jesus? I urge each of us to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings this week for all who are in high positions and our upcoming election results, so that our nation may be further encouraged to seek and worship Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
11th November
“ He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;
he breaks the bow, and shatters the spear;
he burns the shields with fire. . ” (Psa 46:9)
At 11am on 11 th November 1918, after more than four years continuous warfare, the first World War ended. On 11 th November 1919, a tradition began of spending 1 or 2 minutes in silence from 11am. The tradition was established to prompt people to remember those who had died during the war and to thank God for (and pray for) peace. The tradition continues today. Hence the 11 th November is formally recognised by our government as “Remembrance Day.”
We know that one day, God will cease all fighting. No one will ever have to go to war again. Those who believe in their hearts that Jesus is Lord and that God raised him from the dead, will enjoy eternal peace. We're reminded of our future home in Revelations 21: “ 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth… 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.” 5 And the one who was seated on the throne said, “See, I am making all things new”” (Rev 21:1, 3 – 5a).
Until then, humankind will continue to live broken lives and wars will inevitably occur. But those of us who worship the “Prince of Peace” (i.e. Jesus) should work for peace. As Jesus said: “ Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God ” (Matt 5:9).
This Remembrance Day I invite us to thank God for those who have helped and inspired us to enjoy peace. Let's also pray for peace on local, national, and international levels. Most importantly, I encourage us to pray that all people everywhere will be reconciled to God in and through Jesus.4th November
“For a child has been born for us, a son given to us;
authority rests upon his shoulders;
and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6)
We live in a society that seems to be decreasingly peaceful in many ways. For instance, I had just finished doing a rare spot of weeding in my garden the other day. As I was putting things away in the backyard, I suddenly heard a screaming match spilling out from the house over the fence into their backyard. It was an incredibly violent exchange that saddened me.
At one time, I might have got into my house as quickly as possible to get away from the noise. Then I'd try to deny it was happening! However, from the depth of my heart, I started praying (silently) . I got as far as “Lord God, You are the Prince of Peace…” and the screaming ABRUPTLY stopped. As a pastor, I suppose I should tell you that I was not surprised because I know that our God can do ANYTHING. However I was SHOCKED! There was ABSOLUTE peace. I started praising God!
A few moments later I was busy collecting the washing off the line. And I heard the people having a peaceful chat. I was still amazed and still praising God! Our mighty God is indeed a God of peace and love.
I started thinking about my other neighbours. What impact could my prayers have on them when I hear them fighting (our street can be pretty rowdy!) Naturally I don't expect all of my prayers for peace to be answered as instantly as this example. But I do expect God to use my prayers to start spreading his peace to those around me. What if we all start praying for peace whenever we hear/ see violence?
I urge us to meditate on the peace of God. Let's saturate ourselves in it and share it with those around us, seeking to be agents of peace for the glory of the Prince of Peace. Let's pray for people whenever we hear or witness them fighting. Let's watch God start using our prayers to help our society to becoming increasingly peaceful.28th October
“ …Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. ” (Romans 8:2)
Last weekend I went to an ordination service at which six men and women were officially declared to be “Reverend” by the Baptist Union of Victoria. One of those people was named Tut. Tut is the first person from the Sudan (and Africa) to be ordained by a Baptist Union within Australia .
Tut looked splendid in glorious Sudanese clothing. He wiped the tears from his eyes before he stood to tell a little of his journey. Tut grew up within a family that practiced African religions which included witchcraft. Miraculously, when Tut was a young man, he and his family discovered the good news of Christ. Tut became a dedicated followed of Jesus and started proclaiming the good news of salvation on radio programs. Thus he was thrown in prison and endured harsh punishments.
Tut and his family eventually managed to escape the horrors of their troubled country and spent many years living in various refuge camps. They continued to proclaim the good news of Jesus wherever they were.
When Tut and his family were eventually released to start life in Australia as free citizens, they settled in a Sudanese congregation within a Baptist church. Tut continued ministering and started studies at Whitely (Baptist Bible) College. Sunday's ordination service was a climactic point in his faith journey. His beautiful congregation were there to support him.
After Tut's testimony, a group from his congregation got up to sing. All of them having seen and experienced unimaginable atrocities. But it was with tremendous joy, dancing and heart-felt conviction that they sang the words “ I am so glad. Jesus set me free. ” It was DEEPLY moving. Their knowledge of the horrors of sin and death is counterbalanced by a profound experience of the joy of freedom in Christ.
I went up to Tut after the service, introduced myself, welcomed him in the name of Christ and offered a word of encouragement. He gave me a big grin and hug. I thank Christ for the unity we share.21st October
“The Lord will always lead you, satisfy you in a parched land, and strengthen your bones. You will be like a watered garden and like a spring whose waters never run dry. ” (Isa 58:11)
We live in an extremely parched land. We know what it's like to look at our gardens and see brown grass and drooping plants barely alive. Yet we also know what it's like to see the brown grass turn green, and drooping plants to spring to life with the encouragement of good rainfall.
Today's verse comes from a chapter in Isaiah where God's people are chastised for seeking God with their lips, but not with their hearts. They even fasted in an effort to get God's attention! However God was not interested in their words or meaningless religious actions. He was more interested in their concern for social justice. God wanted them to stop fighting, act justly, stop oppressing one another, meet the needs of the poor etc. When their actions truly reflected the concerns of God, and their hearts were aligned with his, THEN they were given the promise of today's verse. Refreshment, nourishment, strength. What a wonderful promise.
We live in a selfish country. We get sucked in to thinking that WE are the centre of the universe, rather than God. We are encouraged to ask ourselves questions like “What do I want?” “How can I get it?” We aren't encouraged to think about how this might negatively impact someone else.
A good example of this, on a large scale, is the way we treat our limited water supply. Our cities focus on stabilising their water supplies, often at the expense of our country towns. A sad reality of living in the city is that we are part of a collective group that is oppressing our farmers. Do we pray about it stopping? Are we seeking to be good stewards of our own water supplies? Do we look for ways to reach out to our farmers by participating in drought appeals etc? Are we asking God to intervene in people's lives in a way that dramatically reduces the high suicide rate in our rural areas? Is our church interested in seeing if we could partner with a country church to offer them encouragement and support?14th October
“ It is my eager expectation and hope that… Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death. ..” (Phil 1:20)
What gets you eager/ enthusiastic/ excited/ raring to go?! What kinds of expectations to you have in life? Are they positive or negative? What do you hope for? Paul's “eager expectation and hope” was that Christ would be exalted/ magnified/ glorified in him, whether Paul was alive or dead.
Thanks be to God, Paul's expectation/ hope has been achieved, probably beyond what Paul could conceive at the time! That's who our God is. Our God is able to achieve far more than we can ever dare to expect or hope for (see Eph 3:20). Paul glorified Christ not only while he was alive, but his letters have continued to bring glorify to Jesus for the last 2000 years. And Paul's words will continue to exalt Christ until he returns.
What makes Paul's words even more amazing is that he wrote the letter while he was in prison (see Phil 1:12 – 14). In spite of this, he continued rejoicing (see Phil 1:18)! This is because his focus was on exalting Christ. So he wrote to the church in Philippi (in Macedonia ) to encourage them to do the same. To continue seeking to glorify Christ in their thoughts/ words/ actions irrespective of their circumstances.
Paul knew that life can be tough. Paul noted in 2 Cor 11:23 – 28 that he had been imprisoned, flogged (often near death), received lashings, was beaten by rods, received a stoning, was shipwrecked, adrift at sea, was constantly in danger, often went without the basic necessities of life, and was under daily pressure. Now that is what I call a REVOLTING life! Yet he rejoiced in the Lord. His focus was on exalting Christ. What an amazing man with an incredible faith. In spite of his circumstances, he was continually praising and bringing glory to Christ.
What a challenge to us today. We enjoy luxuries beyond Paul's imaginings. But we can feel overwhelmed by revolting circumstances in life. How can we shift our focus from our circumstances to Christ? How can we better exalt Christ in our lives?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
7th October
“ 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. 20 So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ..” (2 Cor 5:18 – 20)
An Oak Park coffee shop boldly displays “Go Cats Go” posters, streamers etc. externally and internally. It CLEARLY advertises the shop owner's support of Geelong . I chatted to her and further confirmed my suspicion that she is a faithful ambassador of the team! It reminded me of our need to boldly display our support of Christ in a culturally relevant way.
We live in a country that seems, at times, to be increasingly hostile to Christianity. Previous misplaced zealous piety, followed by spectacular blunders in areas such as sexual misconduct, have contributed to an increasing rejection of Christianity by many.
The well publicized failures of the Church have meant that our words are considered to be of little worth. People want to witness and experience the truth of the gospel rather than hear about it. We are called to be ambassadors of Christ, who are seeking to reconcile those around us to God. But how do we do that in this violent age?
“The Practice of the Presence of God” is a book about Brother Lawrence, a monk who worked as a cook in the Discalced Carmelite Priory in Paris in the 1600's. He spent years disciplining his heart and mind to yield to God's presence. He became known for the supernatural peace that he constantly radiated. Many came to seek spiritual guidance from him.
We are ambassadors of Christ in a violent age. Do we radiate the peace and love of Jesus in a way that inspires others? Do we boldly display our support of Christ in a culturally relevant way that draws people to him?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
30th September
“ The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever . ” (Isaiah 40:8 )
I'm a bit excited! We're well into spring. Earlier in the year, in a fit of optimism, I bought a heap of native flowering plants. Not only did I buy them, but I also planted them along our back fence. AND I sectioned them off from the lawn with a tiny log fence. AND I fertilised and mulched them. AND I've tried to keep the weeds down. AND, much to my delight, they have been growing and are starting to flower. PRAISE GOD!
Prior to this spring, I was known as the plant exterminator. If you wanted anything killed other than weeds, you simply had to give it to me to care for. But now I am finding that I have gardening potential. How exciting!
Yet I know that one day my garden will disappear from existence. In fact, much of what we enjoy on this earth will eventually disappear. Unlike God's word which stands forever.
I believe that one of Satan's methods for drawing people away from God is to get us to seek things other than God's word as our primary ports of call. E.g. when we want to relax, our first port of call might be an activity such as gardening. When we're seeking to be inspired, we might turn to various things, such as books written by or about people we admire. If we're feeling a need to be comforted, we might turn to someone, or something such as chocolate. When we are questioning some aspect of life, we might turn to someone that we consider to be an “expert in the field” such as a Dr etc. I'm not saying that we shouldn't use, or turn to these things/ people. But I wonder how often we read God's word, compared to these alternative ports of call? Do we allow God's word to be our ultimate source of true relaxation, inspiration, comfort, answers, etc.? Do we recognise that the things of this world will fade away, but God's word remains forever? I invite you to dedicate yourself afresh to the study of God's word this week.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
23rd September
“ O magnify the LORD with me,
and let us exalt his name together. .” (Psa 34:3 )
My glasses help me to see things more clearly, and to read without getting a headache. They have the added bonus of magnifying letters to my ever-weakening eye-sight. I need to wear my glasses every day.
Psalm 34:3 reminds us to magnify and exalt the Lord. God is far greater than we think or imagine, so we can never magnify God enough. At times, we magnify ourselves and/ or our problems out of proportion, and forget that God is greater. That's part of the reason we need to magnify the Lord daily. Magnifying the Most High helps us to see things more clearly and minimises the effects of life's headaches. Magnifying the Lord helps us to focus on God and his will, rather than ourselves and our will.
We magnify the Lord by praising him for who he is, as revealed to us in His Word. We can speak our praise aloud, write love letters to God in prayer journals, testify to others of God's character and goodness to us, sing songs of praise to God etc.
We find many reasons to praise God in Scripture. For instance: “ Praise the LORD! O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psa 106:1)
“Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing to his name, for he is gracious.” (Psa 135:3)
“I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.” (Psa 7:17)
“…I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:34)
Do you want to see things more clearly and have less headaches in life? I encourage you to magnify the Lord daily.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
16th September
“ Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light .” (Gen 1:3 )
“ God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.” (Gen 1:16 )
At our “Connecting the Pieces” Bible Study group last week, we contemplated Genesis 1 and noticed something that we'd not necessarily given too much thought to before. That is: God created light on the first day, but God didn't created the sun, moon and stars until the fourth day.
In John 8:12 we read the familiar words: ‘ Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”'
In Rev 21:22 – 25 we read about heaven: “I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 Its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there.”
In Eph 5:8 . we're reminded of our responsibilities: ‘For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light'
Stormie Omartian notes in her book “ The Prayer that Changes Everything ” “Just as the light we see from the moon is a reflection of the sun's light, the light people see from us is also a reflection of the Son's light. The more time we spend with the Son, the more we will reflect and radiate his light” (page 153) . Naturally we need to immerse ourselves in the Son's light in order to better reflect his light. We do this by spending time with God and praising him for who he is, especially during our darkest experiences.
There is no darkness that can overcome the Son's light. We want to be beacons of the Son's light so as to attract people to him from out of the darkness. Let's pray that we can more brightly shine the light of Christ, and that his light will infiltrate the darkness in our community.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
9th September
“ They shall again live beneath my shadow,
they shall flourish as a garden; they shall blossom like the vine,
their fragrance shall be like the wine of Lebanon .” (Hosea 14:7 )
I've learnt a new gardening term recently: “deciduous”. That is, the term used to describe trees that lose their leaves (and flowers) for part of the year. We have a couple of different deciduous trees in our garden. They look quite revolting, dead in fact, for a significant part of the year.
Similarly, we can be a little like deciduous trees in that we can experience seasons that impact us in a way that leave us feeling quite revolting, perhaps even a little dead inside. Some seasons are brought on by ourselves. For instance, we may be neglecting to spend regular quality time with God and find ourselves in a spiritually dry season. Or we may act in a way that contradicts our beliefs and find ourselves in an emotionally wet season. Other times, seasonal changes are brought on by things outside of our control, such as the ill-health of a loved one, which can leave us in an emotional hurricane season.
The nation of Israel experienced some revolting seasons due to their continual stubborn rejection of God and his Word. One of the books in the Old Testament that talks about their experience of a revolting season is the book of Hosea. Hosea was a prophet sent by God to Israel to highlight their idolatry and the troubles they had brought upon themselves. However, the Israelites were assured of restoration upon holistic repentance. This would also lead to a beautiful blossoming.
I recently and noticed that one of our deciduous trees is blossoming for the spring. It looks quite beautiful. I wonder what season we are currently each experiencing and how we are feeling? Are we feeling as though we are blossoming in the warmth of God's love? Or are we feeling as though our leaves are dropping off?! If so, what can we do to invite God to bring a seasonal change in to our lives that will cause us to blossom?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
2nd September
“ See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God... ” (1 John 3:1)
It's Father's Day! A day on which we particularly think about fathers and perhaps father-figures. For some people Fathers Day is a day of real joy, for others it is a difficult day, and for others it is simply a day like any other.
For those who celebrate Father's Day, it may be because they are celebrating being a father – perhaps for the first time. Others may be celebrating their own father in some way.
Father's Day can also be a sad day for some people. It might be a day that they are lamenting the loss of their dad. Or perhaps struggling emotionally with the fact that their dad significantly failed them in some way. Alternatively, for some it may be a painful reminder of the fact that they do not have children. Or that their child, or perhaps their relationship with their child, has not turned out the way they had hoped.
Ideally, earthly fathers should model to us the perfect love that our heavenly Father has for us. Naturally our earthly fathers are imperfect and no matter how loving they are, they will never be as perfect in their expression of love for us as God is (whether we know/ feel it or not) . In the book ‘ The Father Heart of God ,' Floyd McClung notes “…every person seems to have a different idea of what God is like, because they unconsciously tend to attach feelings and impressions that they have of their own earthly father and other authority figures to their heavenly Father. Good experiences bring us closer to knowing and understanding God, just as bad experiences create distorted pictures of our Father's love for us.”
It's easy to forget how perfect our heavenly Father is, and the potential that exists to have a healingly loving relationship with him. McClung examines this theme in the ‘The Father Heart of God.' This Father's Day, I invite you to reflect on the perfection of our heavenly Father and consider whether or not this is an aspect of God that you need to explore more deeply.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
26th August
“… “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory.” ' (Isa 6:3)
We love our garden, but we don't spend much time in it. As a result, our weeds can grow quite wild at times. On the weekend, our neighbours were busy working on their garden. They mowed the lawn, uprooted weeds and planted pansies. It looked VERY impressive by the time they were done. Our garden looked shabbier than usual by comparison! And it motivated me to get back to it and tend to the weeds.
Isaiah chapter 6 tells us of Isaiah's transforming encounter with our Holy God. God gives Isaiah an inspiring vision of himself and heaven. A vision that Isaiah will never forget. One that would sustain him throughout the incredibly difficult ministry to which God was calling him.
As Isaiah saw the vision of the Seraphs in heaven worshipping our Holy God, he was humbled. Isaiah recognised how impure he was in the light of this Holy, Most High God. He recognised his need for God. He repentantly cried out. It was then that God cleansed and used him.
Like Isaiah, let's allow the holiness of God to impact our lives. Let remind ourselves of God's holiness by reading passages such as: 1 Sam 2:2; Psalms 71:22 – 23; 77:11 – 14; 99:9; Rev 4:1 – 11. Let's use Scripture to help us write and say aloud words of praise, worshipping God for his holiness. For instance, we read in Rev 4:8 that God is praised ceaselessly with the words : “ Holy, holy, holy, the Lord God the Almighty, who was and is and is to come .” So perhaps we can repeat these words aloud a few times until we are impacted by God's holiness.
When we focus on God's holiness, and look at ourselves in the light of who God is, we recognise how imperfect we are. We are better able to see the “weeds” in our lives. We recognise our need for the restorative touch of the expert gardener. This prepares us to go in the directions he wants us to go. ‘Holy, Holy, Holy God: fill each of us, and the earth, with your glory.'
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“You who love the Lord, hate evil!' (Psalm 97:10a)
I read this challenging story in “Sacred Pathways” by Gary Thomas:
“A number of years ago, I heard of a local Christian activist who was circulating all the “ungodly” details of the movie Back to the Future . He had counted and listed all the offensive words, the number of times the Lord's name was taken in vain, and all the obscene gestures. As one of the leaders in a national network, I received his packet of information.”
That guy should really get a life , I thought. Of all the movies to attack.
I had lunch with him after that, and he picked up the story again. I tried to display no emotion as he told me, “I went to several pastors and asked them if they had seen Back to the Future .”
“'Sure,' they said. ‘I took my kids.'
“'Did you walk out?'
“'No, of course not.'
“'Okay, could I have one minute during your worship service this week?' the man asked.
“'What for?' the pastors asked.
“'I want to read this list of words here, out loud. I shouldn't take more than a minute.'
“'There's absolutely no way I'd let you do that,' the pastors said.”
The man's face grew grave as he looked me in the eyes and said, “I told them, ‘How dare you take your kids to hear filth that you wouldn't want your adult congregation to hear.'”
The activist then went on to talk about Romans 12:9 which calls us to hate what is evil and cling to what is good.
“Do we really hate evil,” he asked, “or are we content to put up with it?”” (pages 119 – 120). A good question for us all.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
12th August
“you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' (Mark 12:30)
Last week I mentioned a book called, “Sacred Pathways” by Gary Thomas. In the book, 9 different spiritual temperaments, or pathways, are identified. Each of us has at least 1 preferred pathway that helps us to feel connected to God. God has created us with different looks, various personalities, assorted spiritual temperaments etc. Identifying the pathways that help us to feel connected to God assists us to nourish our spiritual lives.
The nine spiritual temperaments, or pathways, that Gary identifies include: Naturalists, Sensates, Traditionalists, Ascetics, Activists, Caregivers, Enthusiasts, Intellectuals, Contemplatives.
Naturalists find it easy to connect with God by reflecting on nature. They enjoy things such as nature walks, sitting in gardens and strolling along the beach etc. Creation causes a naturalist's heart to soar to the glory of God. Their favourite passages of scripture might include Psalms that reflect on nature such as Ps 95.
Sensates like to have their senses aroused to help them connect with God. Their eyes like to see exquisite architecture, paintings, sculptures and so on. Visual cues that help them to glorify their Creator. Their noses like to smell things such as incense in a church and straw in a nativity play. Sensates like to hear music that draws them in to God's presence, and/ or inspires them to worship God, and so on. Sensates connect with God using their sight/ smell/ touch/ hearing etc. An example of a passage of Scripture that a Sensate might enjoy is Ezekiel 1, in which Ezekiel's senses are aroused.
Traditionalists enjoy worshipping God through rituals and symbols. They prefer a structured and disciplined approach to faith. Traditionalists appreciate being reminded of their connection with Christians throughout
history through liturgies, hymns, prayers used throughout the ages and so on. An example of Scripture that may be meaningful to a Traditionalist is 1 Cor 11:23 – 26, the institution of the Lord's Supper.
Ascetics enjoy solitude. They find it easiest to connect with God without any distractions. They tend to be quite introspective. Ascetics enjoy ‘being still' before God, find disciplines such as fasting to be helpful. They need to take time out to go on silent retreats. They may enjoy passages of Scripture that highlighted Jesus' need to withdraw such as Luke 5:16.
Activists feel connected with God when they are confronting the injustices of our world. They find it important to be part of causes, such as the Pace E Bene Peace movement. They join marches against injustices, sign petitions and do on. One of their favourite passages of Scripture might be Jesus' cleansing of the Temple (eg John 2:13 – 17).
Caregivers feel connected to God when they serve others. Mother Teresa is a powerful example of someone who drew spiritual nourishment from caring for others. Prison visitation, helping the needy, visiting people in hospital, and so on, are activities that help Caregivers to feel connected to God. Appealing Scripture may include stories such as John 13:1 – 20.
Enthusiasts feel connected to God when their emotions are uplifted. This may be via enthusiastic singing, enjoying learning from children, being inspired by a dream and so on. They want their worship to raise them out of the muck of the world and ‘up into' the presence of God. They may enjoy a passage of scripture such as 2 Cor 12:1 – 4.
Intellectuals connect with God through the stimulation of their brain. They enjoy studying, researching, learning new things about God, and debating various doctrinal matters and theological points. They enjoy systematically studying God's Word.
Contemplatives connect with God by adoring him. Things that might might help a Contemplative to adore God may include: solitude (like the ascetics), nature (like the naturalists), music (like the sensates), meditating on Scripture, and so on. They use whatever helps them to adore God in the moment. They enjoy passages of Scripture such as Luke 10:38 – 42.
In “Sacred Pathways,” questionnaires are provided at the end of each chapter to help you identify your spiritual temperament. We are all different, and connect to God in various ways. Worship on a Sunday reminds us that we are part of the eclectic body of Christ. Each of us finds different aspects of our service helpful, in accordance with our preferred spiritual temperament. Identifying our preferred spiritual temperament helps us to know how we can connect with God, and nourish our relationship with him, daily. Let me know if you'd be interested in a workshop to learn more, identify your preferred spiritual temperament, and discover ways that will help you to grow closer to God.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
5th August
‘…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these.' (Matt 6:28-29)
I love reflecting on the beauty of God's creation. I enjoy walks through tropical rainforests, strolling along the beach, and even the simple pleasure of looking outside my kitchen window and watching the birds flittering about and producing songs that glorify their Creator. I enjoy reflecting on things that creation teaches us about the Sovereign Artisan.
One thing that we learn is that God creates some things, such as lilies, to simply glorify Him. That is enough of a reason for their being. In a world where we can feel pressured to get out and “do” something, rather than to simply “be,” this is a challenging thought.
It is good to spend time simply “being” with God. Time alone reflecting on who God has revealed himself to us to be, and praising him for it. We learn who God is from his Word and aspects of his creation (which includes other people) . The degree to which we immerse ourselves in God, and praise God for who he is, will impact the degree to which we reflect God to others. This, in turn, brings further glory to God.
Another way we can glorify God is by spending our time in a way that shows our clear prioritising of Him in our lives. For instance, reading his Word rather than a magazine, listening to the Bible on Cassette in the car rather than a secular radio station, watching a film such as “Amazing Grace” rather than “Harry Potter.” I'm not saying that any of these other things are necessarily bad in themselves. But we often chose forms of entertainment such as secular magazines/ TV/ radio/ films, rather than seeking out things that better nourish our souls and bring glory to God.
I invite you to reflect on how you might better nourish your soul and bring glory to God this week by “being” rather than “doing.” I encourage you to immerse yourself in God.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
29th July
‘Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.' (Matt 5:9)
We live in an instant society. Microwaves, the Internet, transport, instant fixes, etc. The western world seems to be speeding up. And as society speeds up, people seem to be increasingly less patient, and more violent.
Recently I was at a round-about. I waited for my turn to get on. Then, as I drove past the “P” plater waiting to enter the round-about to my left, he hooted me. Next I was behind a person travelling at 45kms per hour in a 60 km (non-school) zone. Mr “P” plater, now behind me, got angrier.
After “45km/ hr” man had turned off the road, I got stuck behind a trailer waiting to turn right. This was a part of the road with heavy on-coming traffic and no left lane to allow me to get past. As I waited, Mr “P” plater started hooting again. Eventually I could go and we reached a stop light.
Mr “P” plater decided to stop following me and came along side me in the left hand turning lane. He started hooting his horn, screaming abuse at me and waving his arm about angrily. I knew that I had not done anything wrong, so there was no need to apologise. I knew that if I looked at him I would feed his anger. I had already locked my car doors by this stage, so I sat as calmly as possible, praying for peace, & focusing on the traffic light.
Why the impatience? Why the abuse? What set of social conditions have combined to create such a seemingly violent young man? What does it mean to be a peacemaker in this kind of society? Are we to reward bad behaviour by ensuring that he who yell the loudest wins?
It's important to note that Jesus said “blessed are the peace MAKERS ”, not the peace KEEPERS . Sometimes peaceMAKING means remaining silent. Other times it means not pandering to forms of violence or manipulation. Other times it means opposing people in order to take a firm stand for justice, and so on. How we can be more effective peace MAKERS at home, church, work, and in the various social settings we find ourselves?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
22nd July
‘…“You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” … 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.' (Gen 32:28, 31)
A pinnacle encounter between God and Jacob is found in Gen 32:22 – 32. Jacob's preceding prayer is the focus of this morning's service. But it is worth considering the resulting wrestling match between God and Jacob.
Derek Kidner notes in his commentary on the event, “The conflict brought to a head the battling and groping of a lifetime….” Kidner further notes that in all of Jacob's battles he had been fighting God, rather than humanity. This was because Jacob was focused on himself, not God. He was fighting for self-interests, rather than seeking God's interests. God used Jacob's hardships to help him recognised his need to surrender to, and depend upon, God rather than self.
We can all struggle, at times, to love God more than ourselves. We can tie ourselves up in knots pursuing self-interests, rather than seeking what God wants. Fighting for self is an unworthy uphill battle. Fighting for what God wants is a worthy uphill battle in a tank-engine! However, it means handing what we want over to God. Sometimes it is returned to us in a purer form. Other times we simply need to let go.
Jacob left his wrestling match with God with a limp because his hip was put out of joint. Kidner notes: “After the maiming, combativeness had turned to a [resolute] dependence [on God], and Jacob emerged broken, named and blessed. His limping would be lasting proof of the reality of the struggle: it had been no dream, and there was sharp judgement in it.”
Churches are full of broken people. Some are still battling with God. Others are broken but blessed, with a permanent “limp” reminding them of their complete dependence on God. Paul is a good example of this (see 2 Cor 12:7 – 9). Are you battling against God? Or ‘limping' with him?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
15th July
“O taste and see that the LORD is good;
happy are those who take refuge in him. (Psalm 34:8)
One of the books I currently dip into is called “The Prayer That Changes Everything” by Stormie Omartian. I read Stormie's life story, in her self-titled book, about 20 years ago. She has an INCREDIBLE testimony.
Stormie grew up in a slum with a mother who was mentally ill and extremely violent. She suffered child-abuse that resulted in her choosing a destructive life-style as an adult. This life-style included addictions such as alcohol, drugs and unhealthy relationships.
In Stormie's late 20's, when she was ready to give up on life, a Christian friend was able to lead her to Christ. Since then, she has established a powerful ministry that helps people to worship God more meaningfully and form richer prayer lives.
Stormie's life has not been plain sailing since she became a Christian. She has experienced horrendous health difficulties, partially as a result of her earlier destructive life-style. So when she talks about the importance of praising God, she speaks as one who praises God in spite of extreme suffering. This makes her ministry incredibly authentic and powerful.
This week, I read a chapter entitled “Because He is a Good God.” Stormie notes that many of us know in our heads that God is good, but since it is impossible for our finite minds to grasp the full extent of God's goodness, we can struggle, during particularly hard times, to believe that God is good.
At one point, Stormie was in hospital in agony, with an undiagnosed illness, and close to dying in hospital. She notes that the only thought that sustained her was reminding herself that “ God is a good God. God is a good God. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to me unless something good was going to come of it. ” So she praised him for his goodness.
In faith, let's praise God for his goodness, in spite of our circumstances.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
8th July
“ For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. ” (Romans 5:6 – 8)
I used to sing in a Salvation Army choir. One of the songs that we used to sing was, “No Greater Love” by Howard Davies. The music and words of the song brought new life to the above verses for me. The words are:
“For a friend so dear, there may be some who would even dare to die.
Such a friend is rare and causes men to reflect and wonder why,
But when Jesus died for me, he died to redeem his enemy.
Oh the love of God (oh the love of God) for you and me.
There is no greater love, not on earth or in heav'n above,
Than the love of Jesus, as he died upon that cross at Calvary ,
There is no greater love, not on earth or in heav'n above,
than the love of God (than the love of God) for you and me.”
We sang this song to a group of NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) students. They had borrowed various items from the Salvation Army to help them with their production of “Major Barbara” (by George Bernard Shaw). We went and saw the play, then put on our own performance for the actors afterwards. God was at work that day and many of us had tears in our eyes in response to the powerful message of the song.
Who would we be prepared to die for? Perhaps close family members, but would we die for an enemy? We generally fight with our enemies rather than express love for them through sacrificial death. Yet this is what Jesus has done for us. He died to provide us with the opportunity to be reconciled to God and immerse ourselves in his great love for us. Do you have peace in your relationship with God and have you immersed yourself in his love for you lately?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
1st July
“For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7:19)
Today I'm starting a preaching series that will give us an overview of some of the key events and stories found in the Old Testament. Naturally we're starting with Genesis, which means we'll be considering some of the lessons that we learn from God, his creation, temptation, and the ongoing struggle that creation experiences.
A great temptation for me is excessive indulgence in chocolate. Chocolate is bad for my health and waist-line, so I should not eat it. However, if it is within my reach, I can't stop myself. The temptation is too strong for me to resist. The only way for me not to eat chocolate is by ensuring that I never buy it, and don't allow anyone else to give it to me.
My weakness for chocolate means that it would be foolishness for me to enter a “ Darrell Lea” store, then pray for strength not to buy anything. Rather, I need to pray for the strength not to go anywhere near “ Darrell Lea” in the first place.
In our lives we struggle with temptation daily. And as we allow God's Spirit to transform us in to Christ's likeness, we become more aware of sin in our lives. For instance, we may become increasingly aware of our gossiping.
Our increasing awareness of the sin in our lives is an indicator of our maturity in Christ. The more we grow in our knowledge of and relationship with Christ, the more we notice the things that are wrong in our lives. As we try to correct those things, we battle with the struggle to change old habits. Paul struggled with this (as we read in Romans 7) . This ongoing struggle is a normal and a part of the maturing process in Christ.
We need to pray that God will strengthen us in times of weakness. However, we also ensure that we do not put ourselves into a position where we will feel more strongly tempted to give in to our weaknesses. For instance, we may notice that whenever we get together with a particular person our gossiping significantly increases. In which case, we may feel a need to discontinue our friendship with this person, recognising that they bring out our worst rather than God's best. We need to identify our weaknesses and do what we can to keep away from the people and/ or things that encourage us to stumble.
Whenever we are tempted, we need to ask for a fresh empowering of God's Spirit. This probably won't remove the temptation all together – but it should provide us with the strength that we need to stay away from the people and/ or things that we know will increase our temptation. By being obedient in this way, over a period of time God's Spirit will ensure that we are increasingly Christ-like, and better able to represent Christ to our world.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
24th June
One of my favourite phrases in the Old Testament is one that simply says, “ Here I am .” In the Old Testament, this expression is not one that simply means, “I am physically present.” It has a much fuller meaning.
“ Here I am ” is an incredible phrase that was used by Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah. Each time it was used it indicated a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual commitment to whatever God requested. It indicated ongoing allegiance to the one true God of our universe. It indicated a desire to be in God's service irrespective of the personal cost.
We read in Genesis 22:1, 7, 11 that Abraham responded with the words “ Here I am ” when God called him. In this chapter we read of God's instructions to Abraham concerning the sacrifice of his son Isaac. Yet throughout the process, each time God called Abraham he faithfully replied “ Here I am .” Even though God's instructions did not seem to make sense, Abraham continued to offer his life, his obedience, his loyalty and his faith to the one true God. Abraham did this by repeating the words of commitment, “ Here I am .” For instance, we read in Genesis 22:1 , “After these things God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “ Here I am .””
In Genesis 46 we read of God calling Jacob out of his comfort zone to move to Egypt . We read in verse 2 that, “God spoke to Israel in visions of the night, and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “ Here I am .”” God assured Jacob that there was no need to fear because he would make Jacob a great nation in Egypt . Jacob heard God's call, responded affirmatively and went. Jacob continued to offer his life, his obedience, his loyalty and his faith to the one true God.
After spending 40 years in the desert and experiencing 40 years of no communication from God, Moses was unexpectedly called. When Moses was called, he responded with the affirmative words, “ Here I am .” We read in Exodus 3:4 , “When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “ Here I am .”” Moses was not simply affirming that he was present at the burning bush. By saying “ Here I am ,” Moses was preparing to take a journey with God into the unknown. Moses was offering his life, his obedience, his loyalty and his faith to the one true God.
When “…the LORD called, “Samuel! Samuel!” …he said, “ Here I am !” (1 Sam 3:4, 5, 6, 8, 16) . Samuel was young and at the start of his ministry. What a perfect way to begin by saying “ Here I am ,” and thus offering his life, his obedience, his loyalty and his faith to the one true God.
Isaiah was a prophet for the Lord during a time when Israel were rebelling severely. They had strayed far from the teachings of the Law. The job of a prophet at that time was horrendous and depressing. Prophets needed to rebuke God's people and so they were despised and suffered for it. Yet we read Isaish's testimony in Isaiah 6:8 which says, “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “ Here am I; send me !””
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Samuel and Isaiah were ordinary men who responded in an extraordinary way to God's call. As a result they were taken to unexpected places, they were protected at all times and they grew astronomically in their relationship with God, themselves and others. Thus their lives had incredible significance and purpose as they found their true identity in Him.
I used to sing a chorus which contained the words,
“ Here am I, my Lord, send me, send me.
I am wanting to be where you want me to be.
Use me when and where-ever and how you want me.
Here am I my Lord send me .”
Brothers and sisters, let's offer our lives, our obedience, our loyalty and our faith to the one true, triune God. I challenge each of us to ensure that our constant prayer to God is, “ Here I am .”
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
17th June
“ t he fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control… ” ( Galatians 5:22 – 23)
Last week we were reminded of the “fruit of the Spirit.” This fruit provides evidence of the amount of control that we allow God's Spirit to have in our lives.
God's Spirit lives in each Christian (eg see Rom 8:9) . We decide how much attention we will, or won't pay to God's Spirit, who is at work within us, wanting to be heard and obeyed. In Galatians 5:25, Paul's urges us to live by the Spirit. When we live by God's Spirit, our lives bear evidence of healthy fruit (Gal 5:22 – 23) . When we ignore God's Spirit, his fruit in our lives becomes less healthy and perhaps even endangered.
But what does it mean to “live by God's Sprit” versus ignoring God's Spirit? I'm reminded of a man that I knew who was addicted to accumulating things. He would go to garage sales, buy things cheaply and store them at his house. His house became so crowded with piles of stuff, that many of his doors were permanently blocked open. Not even the bathroom door could be shut. A narrow path through his house allowed him to go from one room to the other, but it did not allow him to get to many things within each room. The clutter in his house became so excessive, that it started spilling out of his house and on to his front and back lawns.
The clutter caused the man many problems. His neighbours complained to the council due to the increasingly unsightly mess on his lawn. The man's wife left him because she could not stand his clutter any longer. Many of the good things in the man's life became stifled, or ruined, by his clutter.
Sometimes, we can live like this man, in that we can clutter up our lives with good and bad things such as: family matters, holiday plans, financial concerns, worldly attractions, sports, addictions, work, various forms of entertainment, sin, and so on. If we allow the clutter in our lives to crowd out the workings of God's Spirit within us, we can find ourselves in trouble. We start to panic. Things don't always make as much sense as they used to. Life becomes harder. There is less evidence of the fruit of God's Spirit within our lives. The more we stifle the Spirit, the more danger there is that we will turn away from God completely and reject his free gift of salvation which will mean that we will not inherit the Kingdom of God (as warned in Gal 5:21) .
In order to be Spirit led Christians, we need to know God's Word and be open to the Spirit's leading through it. As I've mentioned, I like to ensure I read the entire Bible each year. I prefer to read a different translation each year, because I find that God's Spirit sometimes uses the different translations to make new things jump out at me.
To be Spirit led Christians, we also need to constantly commit our lives and our decisions to Jesus in prayer. I find it a good idea to commit my day to Jesus at the beginning of each day and ask God's Spirit to help me to discern, embrace and follow his will throughout the day.
Being Spirit led means that we will be sensitive to the things that are wrong in our lives. As we become aware of these things, the Spirit will prompt us to change our thoughts, words and behaviours. It may be something simple, like getting in contact with someone that we need to perhaps sort out a disagreement with. Or it may be something that seems a little more complicated, like quitting our work and going in to full time ministry.
We need to seek to become increasingly Spirit led. In other words, increasingly spiritually sensitive to the Spirit's promptings and cultivation of his fruit in our lives. As we do this, we become more like Christ and are better ambassadors for him. People around us may never read the Bible, but they do read our witness. What kind of a message we give them?
What does the evidence of the fruit that I allow God's Spirit to fertilize and grow within me, reveal about Jesus? Does the amount of the Spirit's fruit that I bear show others the “good news” of Christ? Or does my witness show others “bad news?”
How loving am I? Do I bear authentic evidence of the undergirding joy of the Lord, irrespective of my circumstances? Am I considered to be a peaceful, or an anxious person? How patient am I? Am I kind or judgemental? Is there plenty of evidence of the Lord's goodness in my life? Am I a faithful person? Am I gentle or abrasive? How is my level of self-control when it comes to my weaknesses?
What does the evidence of the Spirit's fruit say about the amount of control that I allow God's Spirit to have in my life? How Spirit led am I?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
10th June
“ you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. ” (Mk 12:30)
Have you ever been blocked? For instance, have you ever been walking down a street, and had to walk around some workmen who have blocked off part of the footpath? Or wanted to park you car, but been unable to because someone else has blocked two car spots, instead of using of one? The other day I was trying to get in to a cupboard, but someone else had blocked my way with stuff. I found it a bit irritating!
But it got me thinking about life. I wonder if there are any “cupboards,” or parts of our lives that might be blocked to God? For instance, do we love God with all our heart, or do we have a “blocked artery” that is causing serious heart damage? For instance, do we have a “blocked artery” caused by a resentment that we have been harbouring towards someone? A resentment that has hardened part of our heart. Damaging not only our relationship with the person we're angry with, but also with their Creator?
Or perhaps we're blocking God's transforming power by trying to control some thing , such as our finances, or some one , such as a family member, rather than trusting this thing, or person, to God?
Are we continually remembering to invite God to examine our lives in their totality? And seeking his help to clear any blockages that are hindering the transforming work of his Spirit within us? We are reminded in Psalm 139:23 – 24, “ Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. ”
I invite each of us to ask God's Spirit of Truth to make us aware of any blockages in our lives that may be damaging our relationship with God. Then let's ask God's transforming Spirit to help us to clear the blockage, and rejoice in our new-found freedom.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“…let each of you lead the life that the Lord has assigned, to which God called you. This is my rule in all the churches.” (1 Cor 7:17)
This verse, from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, is found in a chapter where Paul exalts the merits of remaining single. Paul reminds us that we need to seek above all things to serve God, irrespective of our societal status.
Throughout history, the church has voiced various opinions concerning the ideal societal status. At some points in history, the elevated societal status has been “singleness”. Currently, the elevated societal status is “married with children”. As a result, we sometimes treat singles and childless couples as though there is something wrong with them.
As a single person, I used to be asked things such as, “You’re so nice, why aren’t you married?” Rather than feeling encouraged about being “nice”, I would wonder what was wrong with me! Another hurtful style of comment was: “The right one will come along soon!” This seems to deny the fact that the single life is just as valid as marriage (e.g. see, Matt 19:10 – 12). There are positives and challenges of both singleness and marriage. Neither situation is better than the other, they’re just different.
Now that I am married, I get comments such as “You wait until you have children”, “When are you going to have children?” and “You do want children don’t you?” These types of questions insensitively ignore the fact that there may be a whole range of personal reasons that I am childless. They tend to imply that being childless, irrespective of the reason, is unacceptable. The “Woman’s Day” recently had an EXCELLENT article on “Women without Children” that I recommend to anyone interested.
Sometimes we say and ask insensitive things that fail to affirm people as they are in the Lord. Instead, let’s heed Paul’s command to lead the life that the Lord has assigned, and trust others to be seeking to do the same - even if their lives don’t make sense to us. Let’s encourage one another to live joyfully fulfilled lives in Christ, irrespective of our societal status.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“…let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, 25not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another...” (Hebrews 10:24 – 25)
These are two of my MANY favourite verses in the Bible. They remind us of the importance of church and one of its key purposes. That is, for believers to gather together and encourage one another.
I have known various people throughout my life who say that they don’t need to go to church, OR that they don’t have time to go to church. They neglect to meet together regularly with other believers, declaring it to be unimportant to their faith and/ or irrelevant to their lives. They consider their time to be more valuably spent elsewhere. I find this very sad.
According to Lane in his commentary on Hebrews, “the reference to… ‘habit’ [in Heb 10:25]… implies a situation of indifference and apathy….” “It is sobering to discover that… it was simply preoccupation with business affairs that accounted for the neglect of the meetings in a house church.” Lane further notes that this “…threatened the corporate life of the congregation…” and led to the falling away of many from the faith.
The simple fact is, we need church, and we need one another. At church we’re reminded in various ways of the importance of the truth of God’s Word, and the good news of Jesus. This happens though things such as visual cues, singing, fellowship, listening to God’s Word and so on.
At church we meet together regularly to encourage one another in our faith. We come with various emotions, pending what’s happening for us in life at that point in time. Sometimes we encourage others, other times we need encouragement ourselves. Irrespective of how we are feeling, we need to keep meeting together, reminding one another of the good news that binds us together, gives us certainty about our eternal future, and provides a sense of purpose as we seek to share this good news with those who don’t know Jesus. Is there someone you can encourage today?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
I read a thought-provoking story in the devotional section of my “Every Day with Jesus Bible” the other day. Selwyn Hughes notes:
“Some worship the servants of God more than they worship God Himself. A story is told of an occasion when Christmas Evans, the great Welsh preacher of a past century, was due to preach. Prior to the service the church was packed with people eager to hear the great orator. As the service was about to begin, it was announced that Christmas Evans was unable to keep the engagement and a lesser-known preacher would take his place. People began to show signs of leaving until the moderator said ‘All those who have come to worship Christmas Evans may leave. All those who have come to worship God may stay.’ No one left.”
This story makes a powerful point that I would like to expand to every aspect of our worship services. What part of a worship service do we most enjoy and why? Is it because it helps us to better connect with God? Or because it meets some other need in us, such as entertainment?
I think that there can particularly be a strong temptation to sing songs/ hymns that we enjoy singing for the song’s sake, rather than God’s. To adapt the words of Selwyn Hughes, ‘some worship the songs/ hymns of God, more than they worship God himself.’
This is partly why I’ve introduced hymn testimony time to our services. It invites us to reflect on the meaning of the songs that we enjoy singing, and the ways in which they help us to connect with and worship God.
Part of what determines who/ what we worship during our church services, is our attitude going in to a worship service. Do we pray before each service? Asking God to clear our hearts and minds of anything that would distract us from him? And inviting God to help us to connect with him in and through every aspect of the worship service? I pray that God will help you to connect with, and worship God at church this morning.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“I am the LORD! There is nothing too difficult for me. I'll come back next year at the time I promised, and Sarah will already have a son.” (Gen 18:14, NLT)
Mother’s Day can be one of the most difficult times of the church year for many people. Our churches are filled with people on this day who, generally speaking, fit into one of 2 main categories. Those who enjoy Mothering Sunday, and those who don’t.
In the enjoyment category, you have:
Those celebrating their mothers (be that in a physical or emotional sense) and
Those celebrating being a mother, or being married to a mother – often especially enjoyed by those who have only recently become parents.
In the non-enjoyment category you have:
Those who do not have a mother either in a physical or emotional sense.
Those do not have children, either in a physical or emotional sense - for various reasons.
Basically Mother’s Day boils down to two things: those who ‘have,’ and those ‘have not.’
So this Mothering Sunday, we will be considering afresh the life of a mother in the Bible who knew what it was to “have,” and “have not.” That mother is Sarah. As we get to know her story as revealed to us in the book of Genesis, we uncover her STRONG message of encouragement for both the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“A fools displeasure is known at once,
But whoever ignores an insult is sensible.”
(Prov 12:16, CSB)
This verse contains sound advice. When we are displeased with something, our immediate reaction tends to be foolish. It is generally wiser to allow ourselves time to reflect on our reaction and examine its validity. Sometimes time allows us to see that the thing we were initially displeased by isn’t so bad after-all. In fact, we know that if we offer anything to God, he can and will make good come out of it.
Other times, reflection will affirm our displeasure. However, the time we’ve allowed to pass will help us to respond in a more constructive way. An initial response of displeasure tends to be destructive, whereas a well thought out and prayed about response tends to be more constructive. The challenge is to allow God’s Spirit of self-control the time he needs to help us constructively act, rather than destructively react.
The second half of the verse challenges us to ignore insults. Sadly, most of us find it easier to embrace insults rather than accept compliments! However, insults generally reveal more about the person doing the insulting, rather than the one being insulted. When being insulted, it is worth asking ourselves, “what does this tell me about the person insulting me?” Rather than “what does this tell me about me?”
There are differences between insults and constructive feedback. Insults are devoid of love, whereas constructive feedback is full of love. Insults are destructive, whereas constructive feedback lovingly helps us to grow.
Do we use our tongues constructively or destructively? If someone uses their tongue destructively, do we ignore it? If someone uses their tongue in a lovingly constructive way, do we embrace it, or reject the growth opportunity? This proverb challenges us to reflect on the way we use our tongues, and the way we respond to the offerings of the tongues of others.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13)
Phil 4:13 is a well known verse that Christians often claim as a promise while enduring difficult situations in life. However it is worth considering what Paul meant by “all things,” by noting the context of the verse.
In Gal 1:15 – 16, we read that God primarily called Paul to have faith in Christ. Indeed, that is the primary calling that God has for each of us. That we will know and proclaim Christ as our Lord and Saviour, seeking to be more like him daily, by the power of God’s transforming Spirit.
God secondarily called Paul to preach the Good News to the Gentiles. In Phil 4:11 – 12, Paul highlights some of the challenges that he faced as part of this mission. Eg, some times he would go hungry. In verse 13, his reference to being able to do “all things” through Christ, is connected to the preceding verses, and therefore limited to his experience of Christ’s power to survive certain difficulties that he faced as part God’s call on his life.
As part of the mission that God had called Paul to fulfil, there were some situations that Paul had to avoid, or even escape. Eg, in Acts 17, we read about Paul proclaiming the gospel firstly in Thessalonica, then in Berea and finally in Athens. Paul had success in winning people for Christ in each town. However he had to keep moving because he kept being persecuted. Paul wasn’t called to tough out these difficult situations. He didn’t use the statement “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” to keep him in any particular town. Instead he recognised the need to move on. And as a result, the gospel was spread even further.
Sometimes we suffer, and we try to encourage ourselves by proclaiming Philippians 4:13. We can believe that this verse is encouraging us to remain within a difficult situation, and that removing ourselves from it would be a sign of faithlessness. However, it is not always within God’s purposes for us to learn through suffering in such a way. Some times God calls us to move out of a situation – good, bad or indifferent – so that he can accomplish his good purposes with us elsewhere. At such times, it may even be considered to be faithless for us to remain where we are, rather than to step out in faith with God and move on.
Paul toughed out many difficult situations because he felt called and empowered to do so. However there were other difficult situations that he did not feel called to tough out. When we are facing difficult situations in our lives, it is worth considering whether God is calling us to remain within that situation, relying on Christ’s strength to get us through. Or perhaps God is using a difficult situation to urge us to step out in faith, and move elsewhere with him, in Christ’s strength.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will make straight your paths.” (Prov 3:5 – 6)
This promise of God's reminds us that our complete trust should primarily be in him. Not ourselves, not others, nor society in general.
Derek Kidner notes that the Hebrew word for “trust” carries the sense that we need to support ourselves in God. This reminds me of an image of someone on a “life support” machine in a hospital. The person is completely dependent on their “life support” to sustain them through each second of each day. We too should be relying on God as our constant support, trusting in him for everything.
Prov 3:5 further notes that we are not to rely on our own insight. Our insight is flawed because we are all limited in our understanding. The limitations are caused by influences in our lives such as our family of origin, culture, education, age, experiences of life, spiritual maturity etc. No one has perfect knowledge, except God.
Prov 3:6 instructs us to acknowledge God in all our ways. “[A] cknowledge is quite simply ‘know', which contains not only the idea of acknowledging, but the much richer content of being ‘aware of', and having ‘fellowship with' (Kidner, D, “Proverbs”). So we are to be constantly aware of God's presence in our lives. This requires an ongoing connection with God.
Finally, Prov 3:5 – 6 notes that if we trust in God with all our heart, and if we rely on him, rather than our own insight, and if we seek to continually be aware of God in the every day things of life, THEN God will make our paths straight. In other words, God will ensure that we are heading in the right direction in life. And if we slip up for whatever reason, or if evil invades our lives in whatever shape or form, God will make good come of it and straighten our paths yet again… and again. So we have no need to fear the direction in which we are heading. Thus we will grow in our trust of God, awareness of his constant presence, and recognition that it is on him we rely, rather than ourselves. What an awesome promise!
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
The other week I was on the phone to Helen, who was working in the church office. While I was talking to her, I started to hear a thumping noise, which turned out to be children throwing pieces of rubble at the church office and window. Fortunately the rubble was removed from the church at this weekend’s working bee. However, it was disturbing to discover that children had been playing in such a destructive way.
Sadly, we adults can sometimes behave like destructive children, and start throwing rubble at others. Rubble in the forms of slander, criticism, attempts at emotional blackmail/ manipulation, gossip, and so on.
When we catch ourselves ‘throwing rubble,’ it is interesting to think about why. What has made me so negative? Why am I seeking to tear down rather than build up? How much validity is there in my criticism? Is there a more constructive way that I could be expressing whatever I’m feeling?
It is also interesting to reflect on how we respond to rubble that is thrown at us. For instance, if it is gossip, do we discourage it, or feed it? If someone says something negative to us that contains some validity, do we take it on board and work out the best way forward, or respond negatively? If there is minimal validity in the ‘rubble,’ do we ignore it, or take it on board unnecessarily and allow it to discourage us from doing God’s work?
We read in Hebrews 10:23 – 24: “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, …encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
When the children were throwing rubble at the church office, Helen naturally asked them to stop. I pray that we can stop ourselves from both throwing rubble, and encouraging others to throw rubble. Instead let’s pray we are God’s agents of love and peace, encouraging and helping the building of God’s kingdom.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
As I mentioned last week, I used to be 35 kilos heavier. Eventually I recognised my need for some extra help in my ‘battle with the bulge’ and joined Weight Watchers. This has helped me to lose unwanted kilos, and keep it off. It has transformed my life and as a result, I am a much healthier person physically.
Easter provides a special opportunity for us to reflect on the transforming power of God of revealed through Christ’s sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. In and through these acts, God proved once and for all that he holds the keys to life and death. He alone is Most High. He alone is universally all-powerful. It doesn’t matter how physically healthy we are (or aren’t), our eternal future can only be secured by God’s transforming power revealed in and through Christ.
Easter provides us with a special opportunity to reflect upon our spiritual health. Are we beneficiaries of God’s transforming power? What does the way I handle life say about the transforming power of Christ? Do I live as one who is victorious or as one who is defeated?
In John 10:10 we read that Jesus said: “…I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Followers of Jesus know and listen to their master’s voice. When we listen and follow Jesus, we live abundantly now and have a secure eternal future. In spite of my circumstances, does the way I live my life reflect this joyously good news?
I invite each of us to reflect on the message that our lives give others about the transforming power of God this Easter? Am I a transformed picture of spiritual health?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
Today is Palm Sunday. We remember the words of excited praise that the crowd roared as Jesus rode in to Jerusalem on a donkey.
According to my Bible dictionary, “Hosanna” is a word of praise connected to Messianic salvation. In other words, the people were praising God for the coming of his salvation in and through Jesus their king.
Although they were correct about Jesus being their king, was he the king they were expecting? What was their expectant focus? Would they have been so extravagant in their praise if they had known that he was about to share the fate of common criminals on the cross?
What is our expectant focus when we pray? Are we daily able to focus on WHO God is, and praise him for it, in spite of our circumstances? One way to do this is by starting our prayers with the titles that we find for God in the Scriptures. Titles for each member of the Trinity such as:
Most High (Psa 9:2), Everlasting God (Isa 40:28), O Lord, our Sovereign (Psa 8:2),
Jesus Christ our Saviour (Tit 3:6), Righteous Judge (2 Tim 4:8), Merciful and Faithful High Priest (Heb 2:17),
Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19), “Advocate” or “Helper” (John 14:16), Spirit of Truth (John 14:17).
Do we need to renew our focus? Will we commit to praising God in all our prayers, in spite of our circumstances?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.”
(2 Corinthians 1:3 – 4; New Revised Standard Version)
We grieve the loss of May McAlister from our fellowship. She died last Monday evening (19th March). It is always sad to lose someone that we love. However we rejoice knowing that May loved the Lord and had a secure hope in Jesus.
During times of sorrow, and/ or difficulty, I find the above verses from 2 Corinthians to be most comforting. It is GREAT to know that God is the source of ALL consolation. And it is WONDERFUL to know that God can use our experiences – even the MOST painful ones – to reach out to others with his love.
It gives me a ray of hope during my own times of affliction to think that one day God will use my experience for his good purposes. I simply need to continue to cling tightly to him. God promises to not only bring me through the difficulty, but to also use it to minister to others on his behalf.
How is your current journey with Jesus? Are you in need of consolation from him? Or in need of a human agent of his consolation? If so, I invite you to talk to God about it in prayer. Alternatively, have you experienced some type of affliction in the past, such as the death of a loved one? How did you get through it? Was God your consolation? Or did he use others to console you in God’s name, such as a pastor or Christian friend? Is God placing someone upon your heart that he wants you to minister to on his behalf?
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)
A butterfly starts out as an unattractive caterpillar, but is miraculously transformed into a beautiful new creation with a newly discovered freedom (being able to fly). Similarly, when we come to faith in Christ, we are miraculously transformed into beautiful new creations with a newly found freedom in him. “…[A]nyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new” (2 Cor 5:17, “The Message”).
Before our miraculous transformation, our sins make us unattractively helpless. Romans 3:23 reminds us that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NRSV, see also Eph 2:12). None of us are perfect. All of us need help. Romans 6:23 warns, but also encourages us with the words, “...the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” So the penalty our sinfulness warrants is death, but we can escape this penalty by calling on the name of the Lord, in other words, confessing our need for Christ. Romans 10:13 notes, “…‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”
Butterflies also remind us of our imperfections and need to be careful. Although butterflies are beautiful new creations, they are deaf, and need to exercise caution in the use of their freedom. Although God’s Spirit is at work in us, helping us to be more like the people we have been created to be, our faith does not instantly perfect us. Nor does it remove us from the negative effects of our broken and sinful world. So even though we have freedom in Christ, the imperfections of our world remind us of our need to be careful in the way we use our freedom. 1 Cor 10:23 reminds us: “All things are lawful,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.” In other words, we need to cautiously exercise our freedom in order to grow ourselves in Christ (see 2 Peter 1:3 – 11).
Have you experienced Christ’s transforming power in your life? Are you flying freely, but with care in Jesus? I pray that you will cautiously, but freely fly with Christ this week.
(Rev. Sylvia Griffiths)