Verses for the Day

10 February 2014.

Genesis 5:19-24  Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters.  (20)  Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.  (21)  When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah.  (22)  Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters.  (23)  Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years.  (24)  Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.

Enoch is one of those men in Scripture whom we would love to know more about. We are simply told of basic facts; he was born, he walked with God and he did not die, rather God took him up to heaven. Enoch’s godliness is emphasised in these verses as it is mentioned twice that he walked with God. Why the emphasis? We need only think of what is to come in Genesis 6, God sees the exceeding sinfulness of man’s heart. Enoch was unlike his fellow men, for while they gave themselves over to sin and satisfying the pleasures of the flesh, he gave himself to God. Their departure from this world was also different, these men went onto die, as this chapter record for us, they were born, they fathered children, they died. They all died in their sinful condition and would face the judgement of God. Enoch is spared death, and is taken up into heaven by God. Hebrews 11:5 tells us, “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.” We live in a time and world not too dis-similar from the one in which Enoch lived, a world that is sick with sin, where men and women gives themselves over to sin and the desires of the flesh on a daily basis. By God’s grace we have been saved from this futile way of life that leads only to judgement, but we are still faced with a daily choice as to what we will give ourselves over to, to sin, or to God. Furthermore this passage challenges us in regard to how we will be remembered, Enoch is remembered for his godliness, will the same be said of you?

Eternal Father, we thank You that You are the rewarder of those who seek You and who obey You. We thank You that You have made it possible for us to seek and obey You through the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray that today we will seek to live as Enoch did, walking closely with You. Please strengthen us by Your Holy Spirit to this end and may our lives give those around us cause to acknowledge and praise Your Name. Amen.

7 February 2014.

Genesis 4:3-8  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,  (4)  and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,  (5)  but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.  (6)  The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen?  (7)  If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."  (8)  Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

This is a sad and tragic event in Scripture, for it demonstrates how far mankind fell into sin. Cain commits premeditated murder, even after being warned by God. As sad and tragic as it is, we should also be thankful for such passages. This passage serves as a warning and gives wise instruction to us all. The reality is that we are not all that different from Cain, although we might not be guilty of such a crime, our hearts can be equally filled with hate and anger towards another that can cause us to have the same desires or thoughts as Cain did. Jesus taught us clearly in the Sermon on the Mount that the thought, the desire is as displeasing to God and sinful as the act itself. This event demonstrates to us the nature of sin, sin produces sin, jealousy leads to anger, which leads to hate, which leads to deceit, which leads to murder. Thus this passage gives us a warning against sin, so often one sin leads to a whole string of sin, therefore we need to be all the more diligent not just to resist the initial temptation, but also to think of all sin which that one sin will lead to and produce as a further means of resisting it as we see the carnage it will cause. Furthermore, we are given wise instruction with regard to sin. God warns Cain, He calls on Cain to be diligent, to watch out for sin lies in wait, waiting for the right moment to strike, a moment when our guard is down. This is remarkably similar to Jesus’ words of warning to his disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when he says to them, Matthew 26:41, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” We are instructed here not just to resist sin when it sets itself before us, but we are also instructed to be on the watch, to be diligently looking out for it, guarding our hearts, minds, mouths and actions at all times. Whilst this is hard work, it is of great benefit to us and as believers in Christ we are equipped, helped and strengthened by the Holy Spirit to this end.

Our gracious Father, we thank You for the testimony of Scripture, for not only does it reveal who You are, it also contains much wisdom and instruction for us. We pray that You will enable us today to heed the warning and the wise instruction of this passage and to be diligent in our battle against sin. May we rely upon rely upon Your Holy Spirit, listening to His voice and prompting. May we walk in holiness this day all for the glory and honour of Your Name. Amen.

6 February 2014.

Genesis 3:21-24  And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.  (22)  Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"  (23)  therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.  (24)  He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Sin leads to separation from God and to death. Here God clothes Adam and Eve with garments of animal skins in order to cover their nakedness and shame. The death of these animals and these skin coverings do little to deal with Adam and Eve’s sin, for it still remains. Adam and Eve still have the appearance of sin. As a result of this they are cut off from the presence of God, there will no longer be personal fellowship with God, Adam and Eve will no longer be able to openly and unashamedly approach God, they are forever separated. Yet the death of these animals and the skin coverings point us to the One whose blood will be shed, a blood that is sufficient to deal with our sin, and that will cause us to be clothed in His robe of righteousness. When the shed blood, the death of Christ and the righteousness of Christ is applied to our lives, we no longer have the appearance of sin, but the appearance of a righteous received from Christ. The result of this it that we are no longer cut off from the presence of God, but are drawn into His presence, kingdom and family! We have personal fellowship with God now and for eternity, all because Christ has borne the curse, shame, judgement and punishment of our sin.

Lord Jesus Christ we humbly bow in thankfulness before You today, for we were filled with sin and shame, having forsaken and turned away from You and yet You came in obedience and love to give to us, through Your death, Your righteousness. Thank You, that because of this sacrifice and gift, we now have fellowship with God, Father, Son and Spirit, we have had the shame of sin removed and a hope placed in our hearts that one day we shall see You face to face and walk with You, just as Adam and Eve once did. We praise and adore You. Amen.

5 February 2014.

Genesis 3:14-19  The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  (15)  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."  (16)  To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."  (17)  And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;  (18)  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.  (19)  By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

This has to be one of the most remarkable passages in all of Scripture! Why? It is so remarkable because of the abundant grace, patience and compassion shown by God. God told Adam and Eve that the day in which they ate of the forbidden fruit they would die. Yet here we read that God stays His hand of just punishment, extending patience and compassion to Adam and Eve, giving them time to come to repentance and faith. You may ask faith in what? Faith in the promise of grace. In the midst of this curse, as severe as it may be, grace triumphs! There is the promise of deliverance, or one who would crush the cruse underfoot and bring salvation. Although God is handing down a cruse and judgement against sin, He is also extending the promise of salvation, in fact He is offering salvation to Adam and Eve, through faith in this promise. How good God is!

Most Gracious God, how we thank and praise You that you do not treat us as our sins deserve, but that You are so patient and gracious towards us, for You desire for none to perish but for all to come to salvation. Thank you for this glorious promise, one that has proved itself true through the Lord Jesus Christ. Help us today to hold fast to this promise in faith, knowing that in this promise we find life, salvation and reconciliation with You. Amen

3 February 2014.

Genesis 3:7-10, “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.  (8)  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.  (9)  But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"  (10)  And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Although sin promised pleasure, wisdom and life to Adam and Eve, it gave them fear, shame and guilt. Sin gave them this to such an extent that they could no longer look at each other without feeling ashamed, and worst of all they became afraid of the presence of God, having to hide themselves from it. How our hearts should be filled with praise and thanksgiving today, when we consider all that which Christ has restored to us who believe. We no longer hide away from God, but can stand in His presence, clothed in the righteousness of Christ and have the confident hope of the coming day when all shame, guilt, sin and fear shall be removed!

Merciful Father how we glorify and worship your great and gracious name, for You have not treated us as our sins deserve, but have rescued us from sin, guilt, shame and fear through the life of Your precious Son. May we live lives this week that reflect the wonderful salvation and confident hope that we have. Amen

31 January 2014.

Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Sin has always appeared in this form, making promises and yet never delivering them, claiming it will satisfy our desires and yet leaves them emptier than before. Here sin promises nourishment, delight and wisdom, it claims to be able to give all these things, and yet it robs Adam and Eve of almost everything. The wisdom it offered has proved it self to be foolishness, the delight it promised turned to misery and distress, and though it claimed it could satisfy and nourish their bodies, it gave birth to sickness, disease, suffering, pain and ultimately death. Let us be aware of the deceitfulness of sin, let us be quick to unmask its false promises and claims; let us resist and flee from it, knowing that all that which Christ promises is not only true, but is infinitely better than all that which sin claims it could give us.

Holy, righteous Father, help us to see the beauty and fullness of a life lived in light of Your glory and holiness and emptiness and futility of a life lived in the darkness of sin. Lead us by Your Spirit to see the lies, deceit and false promises of sin, strengthen us today to resist it and to flee from it, casting ourselves upon Your mercy and grace. Amen

30 January 2014.

Genesis 2:15, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.”

Work, it is a word we don’t like to hear, we often see it as a necessary evil! Yet work is not evil, for we were created by God to work. Right from very beginning God gave us a work to do, and a work that Adam and Eve initially derived much joy from and sought to glorify God through. While sin may have brought more difficulty, suffering and pain into our lives, while it has made our work harder, that doesn’t mean that we can no longer draw joy and find delight in work. Rather the challenge is for us to seek to glorify and enjoy God in and through our work, to do our work for Him, for His honour. When we do this, work becomes much more joy-filled, because work is no longer work, it is an act and expression of worship. Will you worship God in your work today?

Loving Father, thank You that You created us to work and to find joy in work. We ask for Your forgiveness for being such reluctant workers and often seeing it as a burden or even as an evil. Help us to worship You in our work today, to do our work for Your glory and honour. Amen

29 January 2014.

Genesis 1:26-27  “Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."  (27)  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

What a humbling, but joyful reality! We are created in a completely unique manner by God, created in God’s image, so that we might be able to know, enjoy and glorify God in a manner and to a depth that no one else outside of the Trinity can know God! Not even the angels closest to God, know God in the manner that we, especially as believers do, thus our enjoyment of God and our worship of God is deeper than theirs! Rejoice today in the fact that God created us in His image and even though we sought to suppress and deny that image through our sinfulness, He has completely renewed and restored it through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Great Father of glory, how we thank You for creating us in Your image so that we might know, enjoy and glorify You in a manner that nothing else in creation can. Help us not to squander this great privilege but to rather seek to know, enjoy and glorify You more and more each and every day.

27 January 2014.

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1

This is a verse we know well, but do we appreciate all that which it communicates to us and teaches us? I would encourage you to take some time today to consider this verse and ask yourself the following question: Who must God be (his nature, character and attributes), in order to be able do such a great work?

Gracious God, help our view and understanding of You to increase today, so that we might be humbled and glorify You all the more.

Thinking Right and Praying Right for the Bride of Christ.

Last week during our church prayer meeting, whilst we were supposed to be all praying, I was thinking...thinking about how I can more accurately pray for our church, when suddenly I had a new, old revelation, I guess you could call it a re-revelation! It is obviously a lesson I keep needing to re-learn as I never seem to learn it for long enough. My mind jumped to Ephesians 5:25-27, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” Here Paul speaks of how the Church is the bride of Christ, and tells us of a day when both Christ and His Church shall be gloriously brought together, never to be separated again.

This set my mind off in an interesting direction, I began to think about my wedding day and how I felt when I saw my beautiful bride enter into the church and make her way to me. She was, and still is, truly beautiful, her wedding dress sparkled, her face was radiant, what a sight! I remembered how much time I had spent praying for our wedding day, praying for our future marriage and our family, I prayed with such fervency, affection, I could think only good thoughts and pray for only good things. Even now as I think of my wife and our two children, I can only think good thoughts and praise God for them, I can only pray in a positive direction for them, I have such a deep affection for them, I pray for them with earnestness, I pray with tears of repentance over my ill-treatment of them and my lack of grace, I pray that God would lead them closer to Christ despite my often poor example, I plead for the salvation of my children and pray for God to exercise His divine power to graciously protect my children, even though they are sinners that are yet to come to Christ.

As my mind was racing through all these thoughts, there was a sudden, sharp prick in my conscience; one of those unpleasant pains that you immediately know is going to lead to conviction, sorrow, confession and repentance. It was as though the Lord was saying to me, “You are sitting here thinking about your wife and family with such joy in your heart, able to think only good about them and pray to me asking me to work for their constant good, but why do you so often feel the opposite about the Bride of my Son, about my children, why do you seldom pray for them with the same intent?”

What came home to me was that if I want to pray accurately for the Church, then I need to start thinking accurately about the Church. I am so often critical of other churches, of my church, and especially of those members who I am convinced are designed for the further sanctification of their pastor! Now at this present moment I am just starting out in a new church, and thus I am yet to discover who these blessed members are, and I am still enjoying the honeymoon phase, all things are going full steam ahead and there is so much exciting progress, development and potential. So it is easy for me to think only good and pray good for the church, but I do know my own heart and condition, it will be only a matter of time before I degrade into my state of being overly critical and having a lack of grace and patience.

The Church is not perfect, yet; hmm...what a glorious thought that is it is not perfect yet, one day it will be! The Church, however, with all its current imperfections is still the Bride of Christ, and its members are the children of the Father. When God the Son looks upon His Church, He sees it as His beautiful bride, longing and looking forward to that great wedding day. When God the Father looks upon the Church, He sees His children, whom He dearly loves and has reserved eternity for them. They have an intensity of love that is unfathomable, they long to see its progress, growth in grace and holiness, and while this is a hard truth for us to grasp, they also both take joy and delight in the Church, this gathering together of sinners saved by grace, in fact they are glorified when we gather together! But now I have to speak to myself, in fact I need to challenge myself with this every time I stand before the church to minister, or visit individual members, that I am looking at Christ’s bride, and at the Father’s children. Do I then have the right to complain against them, to pray for God to edify the church by removing those members who sanctify me most? Do I have the right to look at the church and resent them for their lack of growth, failure to change at the rate I want them to change, or unwillingness to serve and work in the church to the level I want them to, to criticise and lament their shortcomings?

I guess the crucial question is which heart, mind and attitude needs to be dealt with most, mine as the pastor, or the church members? The answer is both, but it is not my work as the pastor to do this changing work in the hearts, minds and attitudes of the members, that work can only be done by God through His Spirit. Yes, I must boldly, without shame, fear or compromise preach and teach the fullness of Scripture, I must lead them in godliness, and set them example for them in all things. But I must do all this in faith, praying and trusting that God will then in His grace work through this all to produce change, and to then be patient as God works their hearts in accordance to His sovereign will. I am, however, responsible for my own heart, mind and attitude, and right now God is graciously prompting me through His Spirit to start thinking again more accurately about His Church. To think about it, to look at it, to feel about it, to pray for it, to love it, to treat it, to speak of it, the way in which He does.

The Church is the beautiful, radiant bride of Christ, whom he died to saved, whom He sanctifies daily through the Holy Spirit, and one day He shall come in splendour to gather her, and by His grace and power she will be pure, radiant, without spot or blemish. The members of the church, they are also the beloved children of the Father, the apple of His eye, to whom He will one day say, “Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your master”!

Oh, Lord much grace is needed in this proud, stubborn, hard heart of mine, to look at and love the Church as You do!

Allow me to end by asking you, how do you think about and pray for the Church and for your local church?

The Impatience of Patience.

There are few people who enjoy waiting, who when they see a long queue are not bothered or put off by it. Personally speaking, when I see a long queue, I walk away, I cannot stand waiting, and I perceive it as a waste of my time, as for that period of time I believe that I am being unproductive. I know that I could take a book and read, or listen to a sermon or conference message on my I-pod or smartphone, but truthfully the moment I see that queue I am not, to my shame, thinking and feeling in a Christian manner. This sadly reveals the idol of my own heart and that is me, the belief that this world exists for me, and those who get in my way are an inconvenience, all must clear the way for me, so that I can be served. My hypocrisy is revealed when I think of myself as a patient person, my heart and conscience is further pricked when I hear others refer to me as a patient person. I do believe, however, that I am not alone in this struggle as many of us struggle with patience, and yet it is meant to be one of the fruits of the spirit, that which we as ministers of the Gospel are called to display and be examples of.

My purpose in this post is not to talk about this patience specifically, but rather another patience, one in which we demonstrate impatience, and it is one which I have become acutely aware of over the past few months. I am referring here to the call of Scripture to “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” Psalm 37:7. The call to wait patiently for Him and also the patience that we are called to display when we entrust our unknown future to God, waiting for and trusting in Him to work all things out according to His good purpose, in His time, in accordance with His sovereign will.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! Psalm 27:13-14

Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the LORD!

Psalm 31:24

Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us, even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22

Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. Psalm 37:4-5

But for you, O LORD, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. Psalm 38:15

Permit me to give some context to my current situation that has led the Lord through His Spirit to convict me of this impatience. My wife and I recently took a large step of faith and have moved to a completely different continent. The challenges that have come with this move have been numerous; the greatest of these has been a two-fold challenge. The first part has been looking for a new ministry opportunity, and the second part has been the difficulty of being away from family, due to visa requirements and the such. I was separated from my wife, son and new born daughter for two months, which was a heart-wrenching experience.

My wife and I had been praying on a daily basis for the past eight months about this move, checking our motivation, discerning the directing of the Lord, and expressing our trust in Him to open doors and provide. Now that very faith, trust and dependence is being put to the test. Shortly after I left my family and embarked on this new venture I began to read through the Psalms, and well it didn’t take me long to hit the portion of Psalms whereby the Psalmists are crying out to God for deliverance and for Him to answer their prayers. My arrival at these Psalms, coincided as it were, it is more accurately the sovereignty of God, with me hitting an emotional, spiritual and mental low. Being away from family was taking its toll, the job hunt wheels were turning slowly and most matters were out of my hands. The waiting game had well and truly begun, and I was starting to feel increasingly desperate, with the gloom closing in. As I read these Psalms I found myself saying to the Lord, “But I am waiting! When are you going to answer, when are you going to work? How much longer must I wait?” I was trying to convince myself that I was being patient, that I was being still and waiting on the Lord!

We all know how frustrating, in fact how infuriating it is when a person tells us that they are waiting patiently for us. But they stand in the doorway, hands on hips, foot tapping, constantly glancing at their watch and every minute letting out a frustrated sigh! The question is, how often do we conduct ourselves in a similar manner when waiting upon the Lord? We can be incredibly impatient in our patience.

Not only can we be impatient in our patience, we can also become cynical believing that God is keeping us waiting, deliberately ignoring our cries and pleas for help for Him to answer and work on our behalf. We could possibly find ourselves soon being filled with doubt, doubting God’s goodness, questioning His wisdom and sovereignty, presuming that we know better. This impatience, cynicism, doubt and questioning, can then lead us to anger and bitterness against God.

If we consider the path that this impatience in the midst of patience can take us on, we need to guard against it, but the question is how?

As I have walked through this time of having to wait, and in all honesty have on certain days walked down the wrong path of complaint and doubt, I have learnt three important lessons and ways in which to keep perspective and keep my feet from walking down the wrong path.

1.)    Working hard at cultivating and maintaining thankfulness.

“Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!” Psa 66:16-20

I read this Psalm on a particularly difficult day, and the moment I read it, I was immediately confronted by it and found myself in tears of repentance, for my ungratefulness. This Psalm is one of praise addressed to God for having answered the prayer of the Psalmist at a time of great difficulty. Whilst I have not done an in depth study of this Psalm and its historical context, it appears that in the day of the Psalmist’s cry for deliverance, he sought to praise God and maintain thankfulness. Immediately I knew that I had become so focused on what I did not have, that I had forgotten what I did have. I was so anxious for God to answer my plea that I had failed to remember and rejoice in the many prayers that God had answered. I was so desperate for God to work in particular areas that I failed to note where God was at work, without me even praying for Him to work in those areas.

Tragically in times of difficulty we can look at life with blinders on, where we are focused on one thing, to the point that we fail to see all that which is happening around us. In doing so we fail to see how God is at work all around us, and therefore we fail to demonstrate thankfulness towards God. Not only are we failing to demonstrate thankfulness, we also fail to be encouraged by this working of God.

Although God, in His sovereignty, has not yet answered our request, it does not mean that He is not at work in countless other areas and ways in our lives. Cultivating thankfulness helps us to not only thank God for past faithfulness, but also to see where He is at work and to then be encouraged by this and filled with further thankfulness.

2.)    Structured Times of Prayer and Meditation.

During the times when we are waiting on the Lord for guidance, for answer to our prayers, our prayers can often become not only self-centred, but also like a one track record, or to be more modern a one track CD! We become focused on the pressing need, or the difficulty of our situation, that we loose sight of everything else.

Whilst there is nothing intrinsically wrong with daily bringing the same request before God, we need to be cautious and ensure that this request is not the sum total of our prayers. I believe that the need to be cautious is purely for personal benefit and will aid us in keep the right perspective. When we become consumed by the pressing need, or difficulty, we often allow it to grow out of proportion, as the more we think about it, and the longer we go without a glimpse of relief, the greater the problem grows in our minds. Sometimes it grows to an unrealistic level, what started out as a minor inconvenience, or problem becomes one of epidemic proportion, and it consumes our minds day and night.

In all honestly I did not think that I had allowed the situation and difficulties to consume my mind, until I read through my journal and then I noticed day after day, after day it was the same plea and cry, the words were just different. I went and revisited some of the Psalms that I had made reference to in my journal, and I was struck by what I had missed. Although there are definite and clear cries for help, there is also much in the Psalm that teaches me about the character, nature, attributes and workings of God. I realised my own folly, for I had missed out on so much comfort and encouragement that these Psalms offered, even though they contained desperate cries and pleas for help. If only I had taken the time to read carefully through those Psalms, allowing them to speak to me, instead of filtering them through my own circumstances and emotional condition, it would have served to adjust my perspective, and then encouraged and edified my soul.

In order to prevent ourselves from becoming like a band with one song, in the midst of desperate and difficult circumstances, we need to develop a structured time of prayer and work hard at correct meditation and contemplation of the Scripture that we are reading. Writing down a list to guide us as we pray, to write down that which we are grateful for, ways in which we have seen God's grace and faithfulness at work, new, or even old truths that we have been taught or reminded of as we have read through Scripture. We should also write down our requests, but being careful and disciplined that we don't go on and on as we plead with God. As we complete that time of Scripture reading and prayer, we should end by asking ourselves: How has what I have read and prayed taught me more of God, increased my trust in Him, and encouraged and strengthened my faith?

3.)    Learning from the Lives of Others.

Lastly, when we endure these times of hardship, we can often be led to think that no one else has ever endured such a hardship before! We become self-centred and selfish. I felt this way several times and was struck by the “Woe is me!” complex, wallowing in a pool of my own self-pity, of which I am now ashamed. I had been unemployed and without my family for two months, but then I began to consider if this is how I felt after two months, what must it be like for men who suffer this for much longer. What must it be like for those who are off in Afghanistan fighting against the Taliban, away from their loved ones for months and months, never knowing if they shall see them again? What must it be like for those who are unable to find employment and have been poverty stricken for years? By comparison my lot was small, an easy one to bear as my family and I were surrounded by other family members and friends, all supporting and helping us through this time.

Greater than this I thought more of the men who wrote the Psalms, one man in particular, David. He had to run for his life on numerous occasions, hide in caves, travel under the cover of darkness, pretend to be insane in front of a foreign king, live in exile, suffer betrayal, and watch his son lead the nation in a coup against him. As I thought of David, my mind went to Joseph, sold in to slavery, falsely accused of adultery and forgotten in a dungeon; he did not see his family for decades! What about the prophets, the mockery and scorn they endured, never mind the works they were commanded to do by God, think of Ezekiel having to cook his food over cow dung, tying himself to his bed, or having to walk around in public half dressed. What about the New Testament Apostles, and the constant trials, difficulties and persecutions they suffered? Yet God delivered and undertook for them all.

All these came flooding into my mind and I found myself quickly humbled, for by contrast my burden was light, and I was surrounded by family and friends who were diligently praying for us, encouraging us and even financially helping us.

When we become so introspective and consumed by our situation, we loose perspective, we become unrealistic, pessimistic and generally miserable. To stop this downward spiral it is helpful to remember those who have gone before us, who have borne greater burdens, and to then specifically look as to how God's grace was evident in their lives and situations, how He was at work crafting their deliverance, long before they knew of its coming. This truly is one of the many joys and benefits of Scripture, learning from the lives of others, and being reminded of the ever-faithfulness and sovereignty of God. When we do this it helps to regain perspective, to realise that as God has so faithfully undertaken in the past, so He shall continue to be faithful to us.

Patience in the midst of trials and desperate situations is difficult; there can be no denying this, we therefore need to guard against a false patience, which is actually nothing less than impatience. To do this it will take effort and discipline on our part, to be diligent in cultivating and maintaining thankfulness, developing a structured time of prayer, correctly meditating and contemplating upon Scripture, whilst considering the example of others in the faith who have gone before us.

May God in His grace enable us to truly “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him” Psalm 37:7.

The Ingredients of Humble Pie! (Part 3 of 3)

3.) Reminding ourselves that we are simply jars of clay.

2 Corinthians 4 is a truly stunning chapter in the Bible, moving us through the divine work of God in our salvation. Taking us, who were blinded by the god of this world, and through His power removing the veil of darkness, causing the glory of Christ to flood our sight and lead us to faith and repentance. Paul then continues by telling us that this same power of God, which affects our salvation, does not only come into our lives to bring us to salvation and then leaves. This power of God remains within us through the presence and work of the Holy Spirit. Paul teaches us what this then means for us as believers in Christ, and how this power works within our lives. It is not my purpose to offer an exposition of this passage, but rather to draw out a simple, but humbling truth and that is the contrast that Paul draws between us, the power of God and then the purpose of this power of God at work in our lives.

We are but jars of clay, we are not appealing to the sight, we are not desirable because of our great value, we will not endure forever and we are fragile, prone to break. One day, as the preacher in Ecclesiastes 12:6 tells us, the pitcher will be broken, the clay jar smashed, life will come to an end.

We are not as great as we think we are, nor are we as strong as we pretend to be. (At this point in time, my three-year-old son believes I am invincible, as in his eyes daddy can do everything, and quite honestly, I am enjoying this “status”. Unfortunately, for me, my son will discover, in the not so distant future, that his daddy is not as strong and clever as initially thought!) We like to think that we are indispensable, that our church needs us, and that they could never survive without us.

The only reason why you and I, have remained in ministry as long as we have, and are still able to stand, is for no other reason, but because of the grace and power of God that is at work in our lives. Think upon all the trials of faith you have endured, the days when you have slumped in your office chair wondering if it is all worth it. The times when you have faced opposition, or when your have been laid low by physical weakness. What is it that has taken you in that hurting, broken and weary state to the pulpit each week and enabled you to preach? Brothers, it is not your own strength that has accomplished it, rather it is the divine power of God that has equipped, strengthened and enabled you to persevere.

For what purpose would God to take a weary minister to the pulpit? For what purpose would God strengthen a minister who is under attack from the workers of evil? For what purpose would God enable a minister who is hurting, and bind up his heart in the presence of the church?

Paul tells us, so that all may know that we are the men that we are, and we are able to do what we do week after week, after week, not because our wisdom, strength and ability, but because of the divine power of the one who is at work within us. All this is done so that people will not bow before us, or proclaim our excellencies, but rather they will fall in worship before the throne of God Almighty, praising and adoring Him for His grace and goodness.

We are fragile jars of clay, but jars that are filled with a divine power, all for the glory of God. We are live before our people as jars of clay, revealing to them our dependence upon this all-surpassing power of God, setting the example for them to follow.

4.) God works through us and blesses our preaching and teaching, not because of the eloquence and wisdom of our words and ability as preachers, but because it is His eternal, powerful, living Word.

I was a victim of the notorious preaching prize at Bible College. Now think of the wisdom of a preaching prize whereby you award a student, most likely in his early twenties, a prize, which publicly proclaims him to be the best preacher in the college! (I believe that my hero Charles Spurgeon would be turning in his grave hearing of such an invention!) Furthermore, I am not so sure that it is a good way to enter into the ministry, I feel sorry for the church that calls the young man! Come to think of it, I feel sorry for that young man, because he will come to the ground with a sharp thump! I still have the scar that marks my plummet from “best preacher” to my weekly blunders in the pulpit that left me wanting to crawl out of the church on my belly with the hope that no one would notice, or even dare to comment on the preaching!

Truthfully, we all want to excellent preachers, in fact if any of you were to say to me I do not want to be an excellent preacher, I would ask you what you were then doing in the pulpit. Paul’s instructions to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15 should be the hallmark of our preaching ministries. We should work long and hard at our sermons, seeking to refine, and then re-refine them. We should like the Puritans of old seek to be wordsmiths, finding the best words, examples, illustrations and forms of application to further improve our preaching. As preachers we, I believe, should regularly make available recordings of our sermons to men who are more experienced, and better preachers than ourselves so that they can review us and help us to grow in our preaching. Our preaching should be on a constant upward learning curve, aspiring after excellence.

In the pursuit of excellence, we must be very careful to guard against pride and pursue after humility. (I believe it was Spurgeon (at least I think it was), who after having preached a sermon was greeted by an elderly woman who told him, “That is the best sermon I ever heard.” To which Spurgeon replied, “Yes ma’m, the devil already to me that!”) We need to guard against the pursuit of excellence that causes us to eagerly seek after the praise of men. Our aim in preaching should not be to have our sermons published in every Christian Theological journal as the very standard of excellence. We should not preach to impress others, a battle every preacher faces when he knows that there are other preachers in the congregation!

We need to hold ever before ourselves, both in the preparation process and in the delivery of the sermon, the following questions, “Upon whose authority do I depend as I preach these words?”, “What assurance do I have of the success of my preaching?”

If the answers to those two questions are, “I am depending upon my own ability, my own efforts in the week, my own understanding of the text, on the eloquence of my words and the clarity with which I preach.” Well, it goes without saying, we are in dangerous territory. I believe that none of us wish to ever find ourselves in such a place, but, and this perhaps is the more revealing the question, have you ever found yourself in a position whereby you think that God should bless your preaching because of all the work and effort you have put in over the week? Do you feel that your work of preaching is deserving of God’s blessing? Ask yourself those questions honestly.

The only authority we have when we preach is God’s authority, and the only assurance of our success in preaching is because God has promised that HIS WORD will always accomplish His purposes.

Gentlemen, the only reason why our preaching is successful, the only reason why people come to faith in Christ, or grow in their salvation, is because God has promised to work through the preaching of His Word. Its success does not depend upon our eloquence or personal brilliance, and we should be extremely grateful for this, for what man among us could say that such is the standard of his preaching, that his words alone can change lives bringing people to God?

Yes, we should by all means strive after excellence in preaching, but we should never forget that we preach God’s Word, in God’s name and authority, trusting, resting and rejoicing, that He in His power uses our limited and finite abilities to accomplish His purposes, for the expansion of His kingdom and the glory of His name.

5.) Consider the worth of Him who handed the “keys” of church to us, and our unworthiness for this task.

I am currently in transition, I will be leaving my present church and by God’s grace entering into ministry on the other side of the world in England, although the exact place and church is yet to be determined. As a result of this, the church has begun the call process, and for me it has been a very challenging and humbling time, in which my ego and pride has been exposed. As the candidates have sent in application forms and responded to the extensive questionnaire, and they have preached and been interviewed, I have found myself standing with a magnifying glass over the man, and over the various forms and questionnaires.

At the very first call committee meeting I urged the committee to not fall into the trap of seeking to find the perfect pastor, as such a man does not exist. I, have not heeded my own warning! I love this church dearly, tears come to my eyes when I contemplate my departure at the end of the year. I do not doubt the fact that God has clearly called me to move on, but I desire with all my heart to hand the church over to a man who is capable for the task. The truth is, there is no such man, no, not even me!

As I wrestled with this, so my ego and pride was exposed, and as so often happens in these moments the sword of God’s Word pierced my selfish heart, sticking its blade into my sin. Consider Christ’s words in Matthew 16:19, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven…” and Acts 1:8, “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” To whom did Christ issue these words? The disciples, to Peter, who suffered from foot-in-mouth disease, to James and John the proud brothers who tried to secure their position of prestige, to Thomas the doubter and so we could continue. A total stranger to Scripture and Church history would be baffled by the actions of Christ. “Are you seriously handing over the continuation of your work to these men, these uneducated, weak-willed, faithless, fools? Surely no one in their right mind would entrust to men such as these, their life work, a work for which they died to secure?” Yet Christ demonstrates His humility, and trust in the Father (as he gives evidence of in John 17), as well as His knowledge of the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers, by handing over the continuation of his earthly work and ministry to the disciples.

I found myself immediately convicted, for my failure to trust God, and my sinfulness in wanting to “play God” in the determining who was capable or incapable. When it comes down to it, not one of us is worthy for the task, not one of us is sufficient for the work, not one of us is capable. We do not deserve to hold the keys, or to be entrusted with this great and high calling. It is only Christ that causes and enables us to be counted worthy, it is only through receiving his abundant grace and mercy, through outpouring and equipping work of the Holy Spirit, that we can do the work to which we have been called.

Brothers, consider Him and His infinite worth, who laid down His life for the sake of us who believe. Consider those to whom He has entrusted to work in His blood bought Church. Consider yourself, in the light of Christ, and allow that to produce in you a deeper humility, and a greater thankfulness to Him who has counted your worthy, called you to the work and equipped you for the task.

I close by restating the five ingredients:

1.) Cultivate an ever-decreasing view and opinion of yourself, and an ever-increasing view and understanding of God.

2.) A daily realisation that it is not because of who you are, but because of who God is.

3.) Reminding ourselves that we are simply jars of clay.

4.) God works through us and blesses our preaching and teaching, not because of the eloquence and wisdom of our words and ability as preachers, but because it is His eternal, powerful, living Word.

5.) Consider the worth of Him who handed the “keys” of church to us, and our unworthiness for this task.

Those then are my five ingredients to humble pie! (Although there are many more that could still be added.) Let us seek to keep these truths of Scripture ever before us, constantly praying the words of John the Baptist, "He must increase and I must decrease". Let us strive after humility with a renewed zeal, being ever more vigilant in our battle against pride, so that all the glory may go to Him, who has saved us and called us into His glorious work.