“Don’t you know who I am?” is the famous line that celebrities often use to get them out of a sticky situation, or to get them into somewhere they initially are excluded from. But in one of the funniest stories of the last few weeks, one famous face had to use the line in a most unexpected situation.
Prince Andrew, the Duke of York, was minding his own business walking in the grounds of Buckingham Palace when he was challenged by armed police who demanded to know his identity and the reason why he was there. According to some reports, he was made to lie on the ground whilst he protested that this was his mum’s house, and he could go for a walk in her garden if he wanted to! In a short time the confusion was sorted out, although the embarrassment to the police officer concerned might take a little longer to fade away.
Just a few days earlier an intruder had evaded the security at the Palace and got into the building. As a result, having been caught out once, the ‘boys in blue’ were being extra cautious and so the blunder resulted. Being the Son of the Monarch was no use – they simply didn’t know who he was!
When I heard the story I thought of a verse in the New Testament. In John’s first letter, written to persecuted Christian believers in the first century he reminds them;
“Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him” (1 John 3:1)
One of the most wonderful things about being a Christian is that we become children of God. That is not something that we are naturally, but a right we have when we trust in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:11-13). But although God knows that we are His children, the people around and about us do not. We are just another member of the population to them. But just like with Prince Andrew, just because we are not recognized as such, it doesn’t make us any less the child of the Sovereign One.
In the next verse of the same chapter of 1 John we read;
“Beloved, now we are the children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”
That verse tells us that there will come a day when the reality of what a Christian is will be unmistakable and recognized universally. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns to this world every eye will see Him and will have to acknowledge Him as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Those who have trusted in Him will go to be with Him forever, and as well as seeing Him as He is, we will be radically transformed and will have a resurrection body like His.
Are you a child of the King? Does He know you now?
Monday, 7 October 2013
Tuesday, 10 September 2013
Worthy of Our Wages
What would you do with all the money if you were on a salary of £300,000? No not £300,000 a year, but that much every week! That equals almost £30 a minute, every minute, whether you are working or not, indeed even when you are asleep. That was a question posed by some of the newspapers a week or so ago.
Gareth Bale, a footballer originally from South Wales, had been transferred to a team in Spain for £85 million, and as well as getting a cut of that fee, those are reported to be his wages. Reaction ranged from anger - that someone could be paid such wages for doing something so ultimately unimportant - to a more relaxed ‘good for him’ response. Either way, it’s difficult to work out how you could ever spend that much money every week.
Is a footballer worth so much money? Is anybody? How can you judge the value of someone’s contribution to society? Asking those questions gets us into difficult territory. Though the Bible, our final authority on all questions of life, because it is God’s Word, doesn’t answer a question like that, it does have much to say on the subject of wages. It was the first book ever to establish the right of a worker to a fair wage. Way back in the Old Testament the truth that a worker is worthy of his hire was established and legislation in Old Testament Israel was framed to ensure the worker was never exploited, and always received his wage at the end of the day. The Bible also has much to say about money, and especially riches. Though money itself is not sinful, or being rich, the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, and riches are a snare which ultimately can cost us eternity if we are not careful.
Though the word ‘wages’ is used rarely in the New Testament, it is used in one of its most famous verses. The Apostle Paul once wrote “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Gareth Bale will no doubt say that he receives those wages because he deserves them. They are not a gift but what he has earned. The Bible tells us that because we sin – say, think and do things that are contrary to God and His holiness – we are due the consequences. That is why ultimately we all must die. But the good news of the Gospel is that we can escape what we do deserve and instead have what we don’t. Instead of wages, what is rightfully ours, we can receive a gift from God. That is eternal life, a life which has a unique fullness here on earth, and continues for ever in God’s presence in Heaven. None of us can earn that because of our sin. But through Jesus Christ, and only through Him, we can receive this wonderful present.
One day Gareth Bale’s footballing days will be over, and with it his ability to earn such sums. However much we earn on earth, or however much we can build up in our bank accounts, one day we must leave it all behind too. But if we are trusting in Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross, our treasure will not be what we leave behind at death, but what we go to!
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
The Consequence of Actions
If you need to do a spot of shopping, then why not take a trip to our village? If you want to buy a birthday card there’s Sam and Ella's shop. Or, you may wish to buy a handcrafted piece of jewellery from Murphy's; he will personally greet you. If you need flowers, then try Baxter's; he is so committed to customer care, he even sleeps amongst the flower pots. As you’ve probably guessed, our local shop assistants are canine: Sam and Ella are West Highland terriers, Murphy is a very gentle black Labrador, and Baxter is an endearing border terrier. However, there are two more doggy retail characters to tell you about, but they have had a bad week...
During a recent trip to the newspaper shop, I heard a sad tale about the newsagent’s dogs. Their owner had come down in the morning to find an empty packet of ibuprofen tablets; in humans, ibuprofen is a pain killer, but it is poisonous to dogs. There was no way of knowing which dog had consumed the entire packet of tablets, so off to the vets for treatment both dogs had to go. The dogs had to endure some rather unpleasant medication and their owners had an anxious 48 hours. Now you may be thinking how foolish of the owners to leave the tablets where the dogs could reach them, but there’s more to this story. In addition to his family, the newsagent shares his home with two dogs and two cats. In the night, the cats had visited the kitchen and raided the cupboards, not only opening them, but pulling out the ibuprofen tablets. The dogs had opportunistically gobbled up the tablets as treats and, well, the rest is history.
This episode brought to my mind how the actions of one person can seriously affect another. Consider the story of David: as a consequence of his sin with Bathsheba, an innocent man, Uriah the Hittite, died (2 Samuel 11).
Although we may not realise it, people watch us: our behaviour, our speech, our reactions to the circumstances of life. As Christians we want to honour the Lord in every part of our lives and draw unbelievers to Him. We want people to ask for the reason for the hope that lies within (1 Peter 3:15), so it is important that we walk with integrity and similarly, it’s important not to be a source of stumbling.
The cats in today’s story never intended to harm the dogs, but as a result of their misdemeanours both dogs had to be treated; thankfully, all turned out well in the end. It’s a reminder that in our daily lives we ought to walk carefully, not only for our own sakes, but also for those around us.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15 (NKJ)
During a recent trip to the newspaper shop, I heard a sad tale about the newsagent’s dogs. Their owner had come down in the morning to find an empty packet of ibuprofen tablets; in humans, ibuprofen is a pain killer, but it is poisonous to dogs. There was no way of knowing which dog had consumed the entire packet of tablets, so off to the vets for treatment both dogs had to go. The dogs had to endure some rather unpleasant medication and their owners had an anxious 48 hours. Now you may be thinking how foolish of the owners to leave the tablets where the dogs could reach them, but there’s more to this story. In addition to his family, the newsagent shares his home with two dogs and two cats. In the night, the cats had visited the kitchen and raided the cupboards, not only opening them, but pulling out the ibuprofen tablets. The dogs had opportunistically gobbled up the tablets as treats and, well, the rest is history.
This episode brought to my mind how the actions of one person can seriously affect another. Consider the story of David: as a consequence of his sin with Bathsheba, an innocent man, Uriah the Hittite, died (2 Samuel 11).
Although we may not realise it, people watch us: our behaviour, our speech, our reactions to the circumstances of life. As Christians we want to honour the Lord in every part of our lives and draw unbelievers to Him. We want people to ask for the reason for the hope that lies within (1 Peter 3:15), so it is important that we walk with integrity and similarly, it’s important not to be a source of stumbling.
The cats in today’s story never intended to harm the dogs, but as a result of their misdemeanours both dogs had to be treated; thankfully, all turned out well in the end. It’s a reminder that in our daily lives we ought to walk carefully, not only for our own sakes, but also for those around us.
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15 (NKJ)
Monday, 1 July 2013
The Best Wedding
It’s hard to remember now the days of only two or three television channels to choose from, isn’t it? Now we have thirty or forty to choose from even if we haven’t got satellite television as well. I suppose with the coming of multi-channel television, however, there was always going to be a lowering of quality. I couldn’t help thinking that as I chanced on a programme on one of those extra channels the other week.
It is called ‘Don’t tell the Bride’. Perhaps you have seen it, but if you haven’t, it takes as its premise the ludicrous idea of a groom being given total control of his wedding day. To be on the show, he and his bride have to agree that she will know nothing about the day until it arrives. The venue for the ceremony and reception, the flowers, colour of the bridesmaid dresses, even the design of the wedding dress itself is determined by him alone. It’s hard to think that anybody would allow their special day to be organised like that, but with the TV company footing the bill, and the chance for fifteen minutes of fame, it’s surprising how many people agree to it. Thankfully, I couldn’t imagine Linda letting me choose her wedding dress, but I’m sure she would have looked great walking down the aisle in a Newport County top!
Perhaps one of the reasons why I found it uncomfortable viewing is the fact that the Bible has much to say about the seriousness with which marriage is to be approached. That is not surprising, because marriage is, after all, God’s idea. He has given it to us as the basis of the family and of society. One of the Ten Commandments is given over to protecting its sanctity. That, of course, is why no politician should be foolish or arrogant enough to think he can redefine it. Sadly we live in a day when marriage, if it is considered at all, is often treated as a light thing which can be entered upon thoughtlessly, and finished with just as casually. Maybe television shows like this are a by-product of such thinking.
But then as I watched the programme I thought of something else from the Scriptures. Marriage in the Bible is often used as a picture of the relationship between God and His people, between the Lord Jesus Christ and the church. Perhaps Song of Solomon and Ephesians 5 spring readily to mind. Because of that the last book of the Bible, Revelation, ends with a marriage. That is because the whole of human history will end with a marriage and a wonderful banquet to follow. In Revelation 21:2, the church is pictured as a beautiful and complete bride, ready to be joined with the Lord Jesus for eternity together. The church will be more beautiful and pure than any bride has ever been. And that too will be all because of the Bridegroom. He doesn’t just choose the outfit she will be wearing, but provides it Himself, through His sacrificial death. She, that is, the church, will be clothed in His righteousness. All our sins forgiven and paid for at the cross, we will be covered by His perfection. That’s the wedding to end all weddings.
It is called ‘Don’t tell the Bride’. Perhaps you have seen it, but if you haven’t, it takes as its premise the ludicrous idea of a groom being given total control of his wedding day. To be on the show, he and his bride have to agree that she will know nothing about the day until it arrives. The venue for the ceremony and reception, the flowers, colour of the bridesmaid dresses, even the design of the wedding dress itself is determined by him alone. It’s hard to think that anybody would allow their special day to be organised like that, but with the TV company footing the bill, and the chance for fifteen minutes of fame, it’s surprising how many people agree to it. Thankfully, I couldn’t imagine Linda letting me choose her wedding dress, but I’m sure she would have looked great walking down the aisle in a Newport County top!
Perhaps one of the reasons why I found it uncomfortable viewing is the fact that the Bible has much to say about the seriousness with which marriage is to be approached. That is not surprising, because marriage is, after all, God’s idea. He has given it to us as the basis of the family and of society. One of the Ten Commandments is given over to protecting its sanctity. That, of course, is why no politician should be foolish or arrogant enough to think he can redefine it. Sadly we live in a day when marriage, if it is considered at all, is often treated as a light thing which can be entered upon thoughtlessly, and finished with just as casually. Maybe television shows like this are a by-product of such thinking.
But then as I watched the programme I thought of something else from the Scriptures. Marriage in the Bible is often used as a picture of the relationship between God and His people, between the Lord Jesus Christ and the church. Perhaps Song of Solomon and Ephesians 5 spring readily to mind. Because of that the last book of the Bible, Revelation, ends with a marriage. That is because the whole of human history will end with a marriage and a wonderful banquet to follow. In Revelation 21:2, the church is pictured as a beautiful and complete bride, ready to be joined with the Lord Jesus for eternity together. The church will be more beautiful and pure than any bride has ever been. And that too will be all because of the Bridegroom. He doesn’t just choose the outfit she will be wearing, but provides it Himself, through His sacrificial death. She, that is, the church, will be clothed in His righteousness. All our sins forgiven and paid for at the cross, we will be covered by His perfection. That’s the wedding to end all weddings.
Monday, 3 June 2013
Seeking Jesus
As revealed on this magazine page a few months back, I’m always amused by these surveys that you find reported on in the newspapers, and another one caught my eye a week or so ago. It was published in The Times, and concerned the answers 2,000 adults gave to a question relating to what people considered important in life – things to do before you die! The list gave us the fifty things considered essential to ‘living life to the full’. As I reach another birthday this month, it seemed wise to have a good look at this list!
Some of them were obvious – stop worrying about money; be true to yourself; concentrate on what you have rather than what you don’t have. Others were bizarre; try an adrenaline-packed activity such as sky-diving; visit all of Britain’s historical landmarks; go outside more. Rather too many were just immoral so I won’t list those. One of fifty was to ‘reach your desired career peak by the age of 40’. Perhaps you’d better be the judge of whether I could include that in my list of ‘ticks’. A brief scan of the list suggested that I could write ‘done that’ alongside about twenty of the fifty. I won’t be taking up sky-diving to get to twenty-one!
So what are the truly essential experiences that make life complete? How would we answer that as Christians? I suppose the first thing to say is that the foundation of a question like this can often be a wrong one to start with. Lists like this start with the presumption that death is the end, that ‘you’re a long time dead’ and so in the mean time we should eat, drink and be merry/skydiving’. It suggests that all the truly wonderful experiences of life can only be enjoyed before death and so we need to pack as many of them in whilst we are able.
One of the things that we have seen in our studies in the book of Revelation is that this sort of thinking is simply not true. For the Christian there is something unspeakably wonderful beyond the grave. To be in a place where we can enjoy God, His presence, provision and protection, for ever, will be a far superior experience to anything that this world can offer. To be in a place where every tear is wiped from our eye is a glorious hope to look forward to. For the Christian, life will be incomparably better after death. That is why the Apostle Paul didn’t know whether given the choice he would want to stay or go.
If that is the case, it should colour how we approach life here and now. There is nothing wrong with the ambitions to learn a new instrument, go on safari, visit 25 different countries (others on the top 50). After all we live in a world where God has given us ‘all things richly to enjoy’ (1 Timothy 6:17). But above all we need to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Ultimately, the one thing we all need to do before death is to get right with God. We need to acknowledge our sinfulness, believe in Christ as Saviour and commit ourselves to Him. Only then can we really enjoy life in this world or have hope of the greater pleasures of the next.
Some of them were obvious – stop worrying about money; be true to yourself; concentrate on what you have rather than what you don’t have. Others were bizarre; try an adrenaline-packed activity such as sky-diving; visit all of Britain’s historical landmarks; go outside more. Rather too many were just immoral so I won’t list those. One of fifty was to ‘reach your desired career peak by the age of 40’. Perhaps you’d better be the judge of whether I could include that in my list of ‘ticks’. A brief scan of the list suggested that I could write ‘done that’ alongside about twenty of the fifty. I won’t be taking up sky-diving to get to twenty-one!
So what are the truly essential experiences that make life complete? How would we answer that as Christians? I suppose the first thing to say is that the foundation of a question like this can often be a wrong one to start with. Lists like this start with the presumption that death is the end, that ‘you’re a long time dead’ and so in the mean time we should eat, drink and be merry/skydiving’. It suggests that all the truly wonderful experiences of life can only be enjoyed before death and so we need to pack as many of them in whilst we are able.
One of the things that we have seen in our studies in the book of Revelation is that this sort of thinking is simply not true. For the Christian there is something unspeakably wonderful beyond the grave. To be in a place where we can enjoy God, His presence, provision and protection, for ever, will be a far superior experience to anything that this world can offer. To be in a place where every tear is wiped from our eye is a glorious hope to look forward to. For the Christian, life will be incomparably better after death. That is why the Apostle Paul didn’t know whether given the choice he would want to stay or go.
If that is the case, it should colour how we approach life here and now. There is nothing wrong with the ambitions to learn a new instrument, go on safari, visit 25 different countries (others on the top 50). After all we live in a world where God has given us ‘all things richly to enjoy’ (1 Timothy 6:17). But above all we need to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33). Ultimately, the one thing we all need to do before death is to get right with God. We need to acknowledge our sinfulness, believe in Christ as Saviour and commit ourselves to Him. Only then can we really enjoy life in this world or have hope of the greater pleasures of the next.
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