I recently met up with a friend, and it was awkward. Not because we don't get on, or because we have nothing to say to each other, not at all. He is the sort of friend that I would lay down my life for. But our meeting was awkward and I'm glad it was.
You see, we have been on a journey of accountability for some time now.
A journey I was reminded of recently when Exodus 17 was preached in church. It's about a battle that the Israelites were fighting. When Moses held the staff of God up, they were winning, but when it was lowered they started to lose. It took two friends, Aaron and Hur, to set a stone for Moses to sit on and help support him when he was flagging.
My friend is my Aaron, and I am his.
And when I flag in my walk with Jesus, he is there to support. And when I fail, he is there to point the way to Christ. It's a grace-filled moment.
But we recognise that there are moments when grace has grit. When friendship, true friendship, is asking hard questions about personal holiness, integrity and spiritual honesty.
So it was awkward. But out of that crucible, God is honoured and lives are set back on the path to Christ.
How about you? Do you have people who are not afraid to make your conversations awkward? Its the best friendship you might ever have.
As iron sharpens iron, one man sharpens another.
Proverbs
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Revolution is coming
The past few weeks have been cold. -18 degrees is pretty cold by most standards. And the cold weather has caused havoc with water pipes and has had most people talking about insulation, whether it's roofspace insulation or pipe lagging. But as we strive to insulate our homes we also strive to insulate our lives. Insulate our lives from the reality of God and Christ. Insulate them with gadgets and work and things and tv and...stuff.
And we're pretty good at it. Ironically we can do this spectacularly well at Christmas with the presents we give and receive.
But it will not always be this way. There is a time coming when all will be stripped away. When Jesus will come and judge. A time when the veil that separates the spiritual realm from the physical will be taken away and we will see...truly see.
I think it's time to prepare for the reality. Time to put the important things first. Time to prepare, time to be ready. Revolution is coming.
And we're pretty good at it. Ironically we can do this spectacularly well at Christmas with the presents we give and receive.
But it will not always be this way. There is a time coming when all will be stripped away. When Jesus will come and judge. A time when the veil that separates the spiritual realm from the physical will be taken away and we will see...truly see.
I think it's time to prepare for the reality. Time to put the important things first. Time to prepare, time to be ready. Revolution is coming.
Wednesday, 8 December 2010
It will not always be like it is today.
"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." Rev 21:4
Monday, 6 December 2010
What are you getting for Christmas?
Over the years I've wanted lots of things from Santa. It has ranged from toys to gadgets to books. But two of the presents on my wish-list were brought back to mind by something John Piper spoke about, namely a telescope and a microscope. I've in the past wanted to be both an astronomer and a scientist. Thankfully I'm neither... But these two particular things can give some insight into what we were made for.
"...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory , whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:7
Glorifying God is a lot like magnifying God, and my two Christmas wish-list presents both magnify really well... but really differently. A microscope takes something really tiny, almost invisible to the human eye, and makes it a lot bigger than it really is. A telescope takes something impossibly huge, but to the naked eye seems small, and makes it more like the size it really is. The problem is that we can glorify, or magnify God in those two different ways. We can say, "Here is my God, He's tiny but I want to make him seem bigger to you", or we can say, " Here is my God, he's amazingly huge, but you can't see that, let me show you how big he really is.".
One is blasphemy, one is God-exalting.
I want a telescope for Christmas...
"...everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory , whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:7
Glorifying God is a lot like magnifying God, and my two Christmas wish-list presents both magnify really well... but really differently. A microscope takes something really tiny, almost invisible to the human eye, and makes it a lot bigger than it really is. A telescope takes something impossibly huge, but to the naked eye seems small, and makes it more like the size it really is. The problem is that we can glorify, or magnify God in those two different ways. We can say, "Here is my God, He's tiny but I want to make him seem bigger to you", or we can say, " Here is my God, he's amazingly huge, but you can't see that, let me show you how big he really is.".
One is blasphemy, one is God-exalting.
I want a telescope for Christmas...
Sunday, 5 December 2010
Jesus was never Plan B
Jesus wasn't plan B. Why do I say that? Well I've been thinking about that statement for a while. Chewing on it, mulling it over, spitting it out, and eventually picking it up and running with it. This statement if true, has profound consequences. If Jesus earthly life and death wasn't a hastily thought up idea after Adam and Eve sinned, then it means that God knew we would sin, and allowed sin to enter this world...and that thought, when you first think it, is like taking a whisk to your brain...at least it was for me. But enough theory, let's put Bible under that.
...and all who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Rev 13:8
This verse splits humanity in two. Those who worship the beast, and those who don't. And those who don't had (past tense) their names written before the foundation of the world. So before the world was founded there was a book that had the names of believers written in it. And the name of the book was "the book of life of the lamb that was slain". So before the world was created there was a book belonging to the slain lamb. Before the world began, BEFORE sin came into this world, there was a plan that involved the lamb being slain for the redemption of sinners.
This is so integral to the plan of God that in heaven, of all the bazillion things they could sing about, they sing about slaughter....take that in. They sing of slaughter. (Rev 5:9 ish)
Jesus wasn't plan B. And that might mess with your head. But it also means that God is in control. So when this world seems out of control, it's not.
King Jesus reigns.
...and all who dwell on earth will worship [the beast], everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. Rev 13:8
This verse splits humanity in two. Those who worship the beast, and those who don't. And those who don't had (past tense) their names written before the foundation of the world. So before the world was founded there was a book that had the names of believers written in it. And the name of the book was "the book of life of the lamb that was slain". So before the world was created there was a book belonging to the slain lamb. Before the world began, BEFORE sin came into this world, there was a plan that involved the lamb being slain for the redemption of sinners.
This is so integral to the plan of God that in heaven, of all the bazillion things they could sing about, they sing about slaughter....take that in. They sing of slaughter. (Rev 5:9 ish)
Jesus wasn't plan B. And that might mess with your head. But it also means that God is in control. So when this world seems out of control, it's not.
King Jesus reigns.
Tuesday, 23 November 2010
Finishing Strong...
If I want to finish strong, I need to be honest with myself (and with others) about where I am – so, how am I doing?
As a man of God, how am I doing;
At work
At home
With my wife, my friends
In prayer
With patience, self-control (or the other 7 segments of the fruit of the Spirit)
With priorities, serving others
If I want to finish strong then I've got to evaluate how I'm doing at this stage of the journey
List of 24 characteristics of a godly man – this list appeared in a book written in 1666! So some of the language/phrases reflect that fact
A man of knowledge
A man moved by faith
A man fired by love
A man like God
A man careful about the worship of God
A man who serves God, not men
A man who prizes Christ
A man who weeps
A man who loves the Word
A man who has the Spirit of God residing in him
A man of humility
A man of prayer
A man of sincerity
A heavenly man
A zealous man
A patient man
A thankful man
A man who loves the saints
A man who does not indulge himself in any sin
A man who is good in his relationships
A man who does spiritual things in a spiritual manner
A man thoroughly trained in religion
A man who walks with God
A man who strives to be an instrument for making others godly
How am I doing? I'll think through these. How are YOU doing?
As a man of God, how am I doing;
At work
At home
With my wife, my friends
In prayer
With patience, self-control (or the other 7 segments of the fruit of the Spirit)
With priorities, serving others
If I want to finish strong then I've got to evaluate how I'm doing at this stage of the journey
List of 24 characteristics of a godly man – this list appeared in a book written in 1666! So some of the language/phrases reflect that fact
A man of knowledge
A man moved by faith
A man fired by love
A man like God
A man careful about the worship of God
A man who serves God, not men
A man who prizes Christ
A man who weeps
A man who loves the Word
A man who has the Spirit of God residing in him
A man of humility
A man of prayer
A man of sincerity
A heavenly man
A zealous man
A patient man
A thankful man
A man who loves the saints
A man who does not indulge himself in any sin
A man who is good in his relationships
A man who does spiritual things in a spiritual manner
A man thoroughly trained in religion
A man who walks with God
A man who strives to be an instrument for making others godly
How am I doing? I'll think through these. How are YOU doing?
Wednesday, 17 November 2010
The time for waiting is over...
Time to stop playing
Clash of Kingdoms
A real man leaves this world with more in his wake than he took. It is time to stop playing and shirking responsibility and start living out the call. What does that mean? It means seeking, really seeking God's call. Confirming that call with the church and then throwing all behind pursuing that call, living it out, exploring it, making it happen.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2)
God has poured his grace upon me. His grace is not in vain. I will work harder than any through that grace to do the works God has prepared in advance.
I believe my call is to teach and preach the Bible. I know no more than that. I do not know the context, but I do know that much, so I need to develop that.
If that is my call, which it is: I must spend my money to that purpose, use my time to that purpose, choose my words to that purpose, set my heart to that purpose, live and give my life to that purpose.
I must remain accountable to the call. I must stop playing and define my life so that God's glory is revealed most fully. I do not want to come before the throne of God, bow the knee before King Jesus and know that I wasted my life.
It is time. Time to move beyond mediocre into the passionate God-exalting life that has always been planned for me. It's time. Time to put childish things behind me. It's time.
"... Be strong, and show yourself a man" (1 Kings 2)
Man up.
J McGuinness
November
Clash of Kingdoms
A real man leaves this world with more in his wake than he took. It is time to stop playing and shirking responsibility and start living out the call. What does that mean? It means seeking, really seeking God's call. Confirming that call with the church and then throwing all behind pursuing that call, living it out, exploring it, making it happen.
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. (1 Corinthians 15)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2)
God has poured his grace upon me. His grace is not in vain. I will work harder than any through that grace to do the works God has prepared in advance.
I believe my call is to teach and preach the Bible. I know no more than that. I do not know the context, but I do know that much, so I need to develop that.
If that is my call, which it is: I must spend my money to that purpose, use my time to that purpose, choose my words to that purpose, set my heart to that purpose, live and give my life to that purpose.
I must remain accountable to the call. I must stop playing and define my life so that God's glory is revealed most fully. I do not want to come before the throne of God, bow the knee before King Jesus and know that I wasted my life.
It is time. Time to move beyond mediocre into the passionate God-exalting life that has always been planned for me. It's time. Time to put childish things behind me. It's time.
"... Be strong, and show yourself a man" (1 Kings 2)
Man up.
J McGuinness
November
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