Be completely humble…
Author: newlifenarrabri
Today’s Bike Ride
I had a few days off because I was feeling a bit lethargic, so it was good to get back on the bike. I rode alone Yarrie Lake Road. #cycling #Narrabri
Quote for the Day
By speaking words of life you sow life, and with time you will see the fruit of life come into your storehouse. Retha McPherson
Imitate God…
Reflection on Mark 7:14-23
Scripture
“It’s not what goes into your body that defiles you; you are defiled by what comes from your heart.”
Observation
Jesus calls the crowd to join the discussion. He tells them that it is not what you eat that defiles you, but what comes from the heart.
Jesus then goes into a house to escape the crowd. The disciples ask him what he meant by this. He explains that food cannot truly defile a person, that is, make them impure, because it just passes through the body. In saying this, Mark adds, he declared that every kind of food is acceptable to God.
It is not what comes from the outside, but what comes from the heart that makes a person unclean.
It is from a person’s heart that come evil thoughts, immorality, theft, murder, and so on.
Application
Jesus wants us to understand that we are not made unclean or unholy by external things like food. It is the heart that is the source of bad things.
Jeremiah tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things.
How contrary this is to the modern day exhortation to follow your heart. If the heart is the source of the sins that hurt us and other people, then following your heart is the last thing you should do.
No, the source of good advice, good behaviour, and good outcomes is to follow the Word, that is the Bible, the written word, and Jesus, the Living Word.
It must be stressed that it is not about legalism or following the letter of the law. No, it is allowing the Holy Spirit to transform our hearts as we read God’s word, and walk in fellowship with him.
That living relationship with God will clean up our hearts so that they become transformed from the source of all evil to a fountain of life.
Listen
Lord, I am reminded right now of the psalm that says “Test my heart and see if there is any wicked thing in me.”
Keith, this process of testing is continuous. Every day, my Spirit warns you of good and evil, taming your thoughts before they run away with you.
The power of sanctification will take your entire earthly life. I will prepare all of my people for heaven, and there will be no unclean thoughts or inclination in any of them.
How can I do this? For people, this is impossible, as unrighteousness begets unrighteousness. But I am a God who makes all things new — not new and improved, but new and perfect.
The Lord is my shield…
Quote for the Day
In Jesus, I can remain standing on the inside, because I know the circumstances raging on the outside can’t move me. Retha McPherson
Delight in the Lord
Reflection on Mark 7:1-13
Scripture
“And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own traditions. And this is only one example among many.”
Observation
Some Pharisees and teachers of the law, criticise the disciples for failing to wash their hands before eating.
The Pharisees have a rule that they must pour water over their hands before eating. They ask Jesus why His disciples don’t fellow their rules. Jesus calls them hypocrites, recalling Isaiah’s prophecy about people who honour the Lord with their lips, but their hearts are far from the Lord.
Jesus says the Pharisees side step the law. They dishonour their parents by declaring the money, they would have spent caring for them is dedicated to the Lord instead.
In this way, Jesus says, they cancel the word of God to hand down their own traditions
Application
The problem with legalism, the belief that we can become acceptable to God by following rules, is that people are so good at finding loopholes to avoid the good intentions of the law.
The Pharisees were dedicated to obeying the Law of Moses. But because they knew the requirements of the Law so well they also knew how to get around the law while being able to justify themselves.
Christians are not immune from legalism. How easily we turn a recommendation into a requirement, and then feel guilty when we let God down. It’s a great idea to read the Bible and to pray every day. When we tell people, “you must do this,” it becomes a burden, not a gift.
Listen
Lord, in what ways do I tend towards being legalistic?
Keith, you have learnt to not put expectations or burdens on people. You are very grace giving In your care for the congregation.
However, sometimes there’s just a hint of judgement and disapproval when people do not meet your expectations. You must learn to exhort and encourage people without judging them, to put up a standard without demanding it.
Mostly you do this well, but sometimes you can be a little bit hard line.
Lord I’m sorry for that. I recognise that I am disciplined and ordered in a way that most people find difficult, Please help me to build people up and not place burdens on them that they cannot carry. Amen.
Gift and Work
I was putting on my shirt prior to going for a bike ride the other day when I noticed something that shocked me. The shirt was a commemorative shirt from a charity bike ride that I participated in along the Great Ocean Road. We rode a total of a little under 300 km from Geelong to Warrnambool over three days.
What shocked me was the date on the shirt- February 2006. It can’t possibly be ten years ago!
I have many fond memories of that ride – the beautiful scenery, iconic locations such as Bells Beach and the Twelve Apostles (now reduced to nine) at Port Campbell, and the hard slog of the final morning when the unrelenting westerly breeze made riding so difficult.
I have never been athletic or sporty in any way, so this ride in my late 50’s was a once in a lifetime event.
I felt at the time that this was a gift from God. When I saw the Facebook ad I just really felt like I wanted to do this. It seemed that the Lord was saying “You can do this.” That decision led to months of training to get my body used to riding 100 km in a day, and then the hard work of the actual ride.
I was talking to somebody recently about a business expansion he is considering. It seems a little bit crazy, but he knows that God is in this project. He has a peace that it is right to do it, but that doesn’t take away from the work of doing the evaluation and planning and then executing it.
God has given every person the gift of eternal life. It’s a free gift in the sense that you cannot earn it by your own efforts. But it comes with a price tag that you have to put Jesus first in your life decisions.
He gives us the chance of a new start, but we have to live out the new life. He shows us what to do, but we still have to do it.
The Bible says, “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Take hold of that promise, and start living for God today.
New Life Narrabri 