Reflection on Genesis 15:1-18

genesis-15

Scripture

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.”

Observation

The Lord promises Abram that he will have a great reward. But Abram is worried about his lack of heirs. The Lord promises that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Abram then asks how he can know that God’s promise to give him land will come true. The Lord tells him to get a heifer, a goat, a ram, a turtledove and a pigeon. When the sun goes down a smoking firepot and a torch pass through the carcases, acting out a covenant ceremony. So the Lord solemnly promises to give land to Abram’s descendants.

Application

Sometimes it is hard to see how God’s promises can possibly some to pass. We may feel inadequate to a task laid before us. Perhaps the promise we have been given seems impossible in any human means.

When God acted out the covenant ceremony, He was using the most solemn vow possible to say to Abram “You have my word. You will have both land and descendants.”

What seems impossible with man is always possible with God, who always keeps His promise.

Prayer

Lord, I recognise that you always keep your promises. Help me to trust you in this. Amen.

Reflection on 2 Corinthians 3:12-18

praise

Scripture

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Observation

Moses veiled his face to hide the end of the glory what would later be set aside in the new covenant.

The minds of the Israelites were hardened and indeed still are. Only Jesus can remove the veil that is now over their minds.

When a person turns to the Lord, the veil is lifted. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Now we see His glory with unveiled faces, and we are being transformed from glory to glory in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Application

Religion blinds us with veils, and binds us with rules that restrict behaviour but do nothing to change the heart.

Jesus comes and takes the veil away. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. This is not freedom to sin, but freedom to carry the glory of Christ, and to grow in His glory as we look towards Him.

As I focus on His glory, the lure of sin seems less attractive, and I find myself choosing righteousness rather than sin.

Prayer

Lord help me to look upon you with an unveiled face. Today I choose your glory and your freedom. Amen.

Reflection on Exodus 34:29-35

moses

Scripture

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

Observation

Moses has been on Mount Sinai receiving the Law for the second time. As he comes down, he is unaware that his face is shining from being in the presence of the Lord. Aaron and all the people are afraid when they see him because of his changed appearance.

Moses calls the leaders to come close and he tells them what the Lord has said to him.

From that day, Moses wears a veil over his face which he takes off when he speaks to the Lord.

Application

Being in the presence of the Lord changes Moses’ appearance, causing his skin to glow.

Our daily walk with Jesus, our worship of God and the presence of the Holy Spirit inside us should bring physical changes. Christians should be the ones with glowing faces, living happy, healthy and longer lives than unbelievers.

Of course there are times when the storms of life take their toll on us, but they should drive us even closer to the Lord.

Prayer

Father, may your presence in my life shine out from me so that I am always being your light in the darkness. Amen.

Reflection on Luke 4:21-30

jesus-scroll

Scripture

Truly no prophet is accepted in his home town.”

Observation

In the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah and then announces that this Scripture has been fulfilled. The people are amazed at His words.

Jesus then goes on to say that they will want to see a sign like the miracles He performed in Capernaum. He says that no prophet is accepted in his home town and gives examples from scripture where it was Gentiles who were healed not Israelites.

This infuriates the people, and they drive Him to the top of a hill to throw Him over the cliff. But Jesus just passes though them and continues on His way.

Application

The reaction of the people in Jesus’ home town seems extreme. From approval they move quickly to deadly rage. I believe that this must have had some kind of demonic origin in order to stir up such rage.

Part of the problem is that Jesus did not fit into the box of their expectations of the Messiah. They wanted miracles on demand, but He refused to play their game.

God never fits into our expectations. We want Him safely locked into a box to be pulled out when required. But God is bigger than our boxes, and His plans are more comprehensive than we can imagine.

Prayer

Lord please help me to pull back from putting demands and limitations on you. Amen.

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

1corinthians13_13

Scripture
And now faith, hope and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Observation
I can speak in tongues and prophesy or give all my possessions away. But without love these seemingly godly things are useless.

Love always looks to the other, being patient, kind and bearing all things.

Love is eternal. Prophecies and knowledge will come to an end. Just three things will last- faith, hope and love. Of these the greatest is love.

Application
Everything I do must be done from a place of love for God and love for my neighbour.

Many deeds in the christian life can be done for the glory of the doer. Only those done in love will last.

Paul tells us we can do supernatural or spiritual things such as prophecy, or have faith to move mountains. Unless our hearts are centred on God these things become worthless. So all of our worship, all of our programs, all our work- it’s all without value unless genuine love is at the centre of it.

Prayer
Lord please help me to love you and my neighbours more and more. Amen.

Reflection on Jeremiah 1:1-10

jeremiah 1-5

Scripture

Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you

And before you were born I consecrated you

I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Observation

Jeremiah came from a priestly family and the word of the Lord came to him during the reigns of the last three kings of Judah- Josiah, Jehoiakim and Zedekiah.

The Lord says that from before Jeremiah was born He had appointed him a prophet to the nations. Jeremiah resists, saying he is only a boy. The Lord tells him that He, the Lord, will protect him as Jeremiah goes with the message.

The Lord then touches Jeremiah’s mouth and says that He has put His word in Jeremiah’s mouth, and Jeremiah will be used to pull down and raise up nations.

Application

It is important to remember always that the word of the Lord is in us in the form of the Holy Spirit.

I may not have the internationally influential ministry that Jeremiah had, but as long as I obey the Lord’s directions, I can be sure of His presence and protection.

Prayer

Lord I often feel inadequate for the task you have called me to, just like Jeremiah. Thank you that my calling is not dependent on my ability but on yours. Amen.

 

Stephen McAlpine: Jesus, Food and Sex

Stephen McAlpine writes:

In the incessant push by the culture to justify most (not all, yet) types of sexual behaviour in society, one of the primary methods employed has been to show the poverty of thought behind the orthodox Christian view of sex.

One common method (if the recurring Facebook memes, blogs and articles in liberal journals are any indication) is to show the inconsistency of Christians when it comes to observation of the Old Testament laws in books such as Leviticus

“You’re all over the sex prohibitions like a, er, rash!” claim the articles, blogs, memes and letters to the editor, “But what about those crazy food laws?  Christians don’t seem to keep them.”  The charge of hypocrisy/stupidity/wilful hatred is then trotted out, and Christians who don’t know any better are left with a feeling of dis-ease.  Yes, what about those food laws? And what if those sex laws are no different?”

Even today I saw another round of the aforementioned “List of things the Bible also prohibits” in the Huffington Post, published, of course, to give good well-oiled, well-heeled liberals something to chuckle about around the dinner table. You know the type, they don’t have any orthodox Christian friends, but their sister once dated one called Stanley.

The argument is a crock of course, and it shouldn’t take the Christian very long to debunk it.  I say “shouldn’t” because a surprising number of Christians who hold an orthodox position on sexuality don’t know how to reject that response, and a depressing number of Christians who no longer wish to hold an orthodox position on sexuality, don’t wish to reject it.

If you are in either of those camps, then listen up. The problem you have is not simply that you do not know the Bible. By that I don’t mean you don’t necessarily know chapter and verse for things (the Huff Post article writer seems to know Leviticus pretty well after all). I mean that you do not know how the Bible is put together, how it leads in a certain direction, and most importantly, how it is fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus.

Having a clear understanding of Biblical Theology will provide you with a convincing argument against the culture’s current push, and it will debunk the memes and articles so slavishly written and read. (Of course at this point if you don’t wish to be convinced, look away now).

The answer to the vexing “all food is ok, but some sex isn’t”conundrum is answered by Jesus himself in Mark chapter 7.  And here’s the brilliance of it:  Not only does Jesus show how and why the food law are redundant in the new age of the Holy Spirit which he inaugurates, but he uses that very redundancy to demonstrate that the sex laws still do apply, in fact they apply all the more!  Brilliant eh?  Brilliant just like Jesus.

Read the rest here

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

18375400765_33a9c82566_b.jpg

Scripture

Now you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.

Observation

We have a body that has many parts but is just one body. In the same way, the church is made of many different kinds of people baptised into it and united by the one Spirit.

If a human body was all one part, it would be less for that. In fact it would not work at all. If the body were just an eye, it could not hear or smell.

In the same way every part of the Body of Christ, every member, is essential to it.

God appoints different roles and responsibilities to different individuals, but we are all parts of the same Body, put there by God.

Application

There are no unnecessary people in God’s church. We are all needed.

Sometimes it’s hard to work out where we fit, and it might even feel like we don’t fit at all. Yet, the Bible tells us we have a part to play in God’s mission in the world.

Equally we should not envy the gifts or ministries of other people, as if they are more important than we are.

Our bodies work because ultimately every part takes its cue from the head. The Body of Christ works best when every part takes its orders from the head, that is Christ.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to hear your voice so that I can understand who I am in you and where I best serve you in your Body. Amen.

Reflection on John 2:1-11

Water-To-Wine

Scripture

His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you to do.”

Observation

Jesus and His mother and Jesus’ disciples are at a wedding in Cana when the wine runs out. Mary tells Jesus that they have no wine, and then tells the servants to do whatever Jesus tells them to do.

Jesus then goes to the servants and tells them to fill six stone jars normally used for purification rituals. They do this, and He tells them to draw some to give to the chief steward.

The steward, unaware of all that is happening, is amazed because it is the good wine which would normally be served first.

Application

John describes this miracle as a sign which reveals the glory of Jesus. So what is revealed here?

  1. God is able to work contrary to what we think of as the laws of nature. In other words, He is greater than the world He created.

  2. God is interested in the small stuff. Running out of wine at a wedding might be embarrassing, but it’s not a disaster. God intervenes in the nitty-gritty of human interactions.

  3. God likes a good party. Jesus often used feasts as settings for parables.

  4. God does all things well. When Jesus makes wine it is a good vintage.

Prayer

Lord Jesus, at a wedding in Cana you turned water into wine. Please take my ordinary efforts today and turn them into a sign of your kingdom. Amen.

 

 

Reflection on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

holy-spirit-fire

Scripture

All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

Observation

Our confession about Jesus is a spiritual activity. Any time a person confesses that Jesus is Lord they are being led by the Holy Spirit. Nobody who curses Jesus is being directed by the Spirit.

There are various gifts and services but just one Spirit. We all may have a manifestation of the Spirit at any time for the good of all.

There are words of wisdom and knowledge, faith and healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment of spirits, tongues, and interpretation of tongues. All this is by the Spirit of God.

Application

The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given by the Spirit to glorify Jesus. They are not given to glorify individuals.

These gifts are available to all believers. Because it is the Spirit who gives these gifts, we all have the potential to manifest the gifts from time to time.

The key to this is being open to the Holy Spirit. Our focus should always be on Him. The Lord will direct us if we are listening and are willing to obey.

Prayer

Holy Spirit be released through me. Teach me how to hear your voice and engage in your ministry. Amen.