Courage

We have many fine examples of courage from history, but ultimately the eyes of believers look to our Lord Jesus Christ.

www.mirror.com

We recently watched a documentary about the late Queen mother who lived through the entire 20th century. As a young lady she was involved in nursing the casualties from the First World War. Later in 1936 she became queen consort and supported her husband, king George VI as Europe descended into the Second World War. She was offered a safe passage to Canada with her two young daughters to escape the war; but resolutely determined to ‘get stuck in’ and encourage the British public.

I admire someone who will stand their ground when they firmly believe that this is the right and proper thing to do.  I am not always proud of my performance but we must press on and try to learn from our mistakes and from scripture.

The account of Shammah in the old testament is an outstanding example of courage, it is found in 2 Samuel 23:11-12  And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils, and the men fled from the Philistines.  But he took his stand in the midst of the plot and defended it and struck down the Philistines, and the Lord worked a great victory.

Briefly I would like to look at:

Courage and competence

Courage and cowardice

Courage and the crowd

We find this warrior contending against the enemy, at first fighting alongside his brothers but as the battle grows severe he is abandoned and left to fight alone. Was he the most experienced fighter or did he have superior weapons or did he have a courageous heart? We don't know the detail but God's word records that he stood his ground and was victorious.

 

Courage and competence

We don't know how long Shammah had fought alongside David as part of David's outfit or the detail of his background, his training as a young man. But he had risen through the ranks to become one of David's bodyguards, a highly respected position. I would imagine that today he would be an SAS trainer!! There would be regular military training as well as sharing precious fellowship with king David.

 

Courage and cowardice

When Moses was instructing the Israelites as they prepared to enter the promised land, he commanded that soldiers overcome by fear should return home, because they would discourage their brothers. Here is a portion of the teaching in Deuteronomy 20: When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. … Then the officers shall add, “Is anyone afraid or fainthearted? Let him go home so that his fellow soldiers will not become disheartened too.” I would imagine that there is some fear in every soldier who is facing a formidable enemy. Each one must face that internal battle with fear. If Shammah had allowed fear to overcome then he would have to be dismissed from the bodyguard and from the ranks of the mighty men. But he consistently demonstrated courage and doubtless strengthened many young men.

Courage and the crowd 

www.pinterest.com

We have many fine examples of courage from history, but ultimately the eyes of believers look to our Lord Jesus Christ. In Philippians 2:6-8 we read:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

His lentil field was the ‘will of His Father’. He was prepared to lay down everything to live and die in that place. Nobody else has been called: ‘The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’. No one has had to endure such opposition and resist such great temptation. And when all deserted him, He was victorious.

Author: Richard Windridge

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others.

Whose Way?

Jesus doesn’t say, “I am a way,” but rather, “I am the way.” He is the only way.

ancientbiblicaloils.wordpress.com

Chuck Swindoll, when illustrating doing things our own way, tells the story of his youngest son, when he was about 4 or 5 years old. He would constantly get a knot in his shoe laces and then try to get it out.  Every time, he thought that by pulling it tighter and tighter, he would get rid of the knot but instead it made it far worse. His father, Dr. Swindoll, would tell him over and over again that it would be much easier for his dad to undo the knot if he just left it as it was, instead of making it almost impossible and extremely time consuming but his son continued, time after time, to try to solve the problem his way with no success. 

When it comes to the more serious scenarios, insisting on doing things our way, can be disastrous. Proverbs 14:12 says: “There is a way that seems right to a man, its end is the way of death”

A survey showed that the song “My Way” by Frank Sinatra was one of the most requested song at funerals in the UK. Some of the words go like this:

‘I planned each charted course; each careful step along the byway. But more, much more than this, I did it my way. (Chorus) Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew when I bit off more than I could chew. But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; And did it my way.’

Sadly, we live in an age where we are constantly told we have the right to do things our own way.  However, this is in stark contrast to the biblical truth. The bible tells us that if we go our own way it will end in disaster. We can quote numerous examples of people in the Bible doing things their own way and making a complete mess of it. Cain made the wrong offering and God rejected him and his offering. The people built the tower of Babel and God had to scatter them and confuse their languages. Abraham listened to Sarah and did things her way instead of God’s way and had a child with her servant Hagar, which caused unending problems. Judas did it his way and betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver and ended up killing himself. There are, of course many more examples.

We know from our history how things turned out with narcissistic, dictatorial rulers, like Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Napoleon, who spent their lives doing things their own way and caused disaster for themselves and more importantly for the people they were meant to serve.

Jesus said in John 14:6: ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ 

Being the only way is not politically correct these days but it is biblically correct. 

Jesus doesn’t say, “I am a way,” but rather, “I am the way.” He is the only way. A.W. Tozer said: “Jesus is not one of many ways to approach God, nor is He the best of several ways; He is the only way.”

Jesus is very inclusive. Everyone is invited to a relationship with Him.  He says in John 6:37 “whoever comes to me I will never cast out.”  But the way to that relationship is exclusive. He is the only way. In Acts 4:12 Peter says: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus made it clear that the way is narrow. “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

www.outreach.com

The statement that Jesus is the only way created a lot of resentment among the Jews in Biblical times. People, today can describe Christians as arrogant to believe Jesus is the only way and this can cause problems when trying to witness. Unfortunately, there are even Christians today, who themselves believe there is more than one way to heaven. I recently read about a survey in America of 1000 Christians, in which 52% believed that Jesus is not the only way to heaven. 57% believed that other religions also lead to eternal life. 12% of pastors agree with these views. This is indeed tragic!! How can Christians tell others of the truth if they believe there are other truths?

Jesus being the only way was so central to the understanding of the early church that believers were known as being part of “the way.” It’s one of the earliest names given to the Christian community and is mentioned six different times in Acts. The Greek word for "way" is "hodos," which means a road, a journey, or a path. When Jesus declares Himself as the "way," He is saying that He is the pathway to God, the journey to eternal life. There are so many different pathways and journeys in this world but Jesus stands as the one true way. He is the only way. Jesus is the way to God because He is God.

He doesn’t promise us a life without difficulties or material wealth or worldly success but a life that is marked by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We have to let go of our own plans and desires and embrace God's will for our lives. We have to trust in Jesus, for every aspect of our lives. As it says in Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” 

We all have two options. We can choose to do things our way which will lead to death or the way which leads to life. 

I don’t want to have the song: “I did it my way” at my funeral. I want to be known as someone that chose to live their life following Jesus, who is the way, the truth and the life.

Father in heaven, who sent your only Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sin, show us how to honour you and bring glory to Your Name, by walking in the way of Jesus. Have mercy on us and bring us back if we wander from your pathway, give us guidance when we are not sure which way to go and give us wisdom to trust you in all things. Amen

Author: Thelma Cameron

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others.

Speak Life

The tongue can bring happiness, support, mercy or pain, tears, disappointment, destruction and even death.

ivinas.gov.ua

On the morning of February 24, 2022, we woke up to the sounds of explosions. It was the beginning of a bloody war in Ukraine.

Very quickly cruise missiles began to fly over our town, one of them flew right over our house. This type of weapon is terrible, it carries death and great destruction. Explosions, shots, the sounds of the enemy’s helicopters and rockets left no choice, I decided to save the lives of my children. We left our town and a short time later Ukraine. However, my country and the pain of my people is always in my heart.

Despite all the drama of the events, God remained faithful, He led us through incredible paths and blessed us a lot. Now, two and a half years later, we live in a peaceful England. Our house is near the airport and every day we hear passenger planes take off and land. It's loud but not scary, and it doesn't make you run and seek shelter.

Unlike cruise missiles, airplanes are not meant to kill, they give the opportunity to travel, to see the world, to visit relatives or friends, etc.  Although there is something else they have in common. Cruise missiles, like airplanes, have an engine. This is a relatively small part of the structure, but it has a huge potential. 

In the message of James (3:4-10) it says about a small member of our body that also has a huge potential. It’s our tongue, also a kind of engine that is capable of great things. The tongue can bring happiness, support, healing, mercy or pain, tears, disappointment, destruction and even death.

seekthegospeltruth.com

Every time we prove ourselves right no matter what, when we express our resentment or dissatisfaction using words as sharp as a knife, when we express our accumulated negative emotions by splashing them like dirty slop, when we want to remain in the centre of attention and do not disdain dark humour, addressing it to our neighbours, do we feel true satisfaction, relief, joy, or on the contrary, do we feel something unpleasant, some kind of loss, emptiness or sadness? It's our decision how we use our tongue.

If we are true children of our Heavenly Father, then let’s seek first of all His wisdom, which is pure and merciful, let’s bless each other with our tongues and let’s sow the fruit of truth and peace.

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

Author: Alla Hunt

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others.

Return

And 'thus says' is a formula written throughout scripture that we all do well to heed.

bffbible.org

Again and again God speaks through His prophets, warning his people to mend their ways or face judgement.  The prophet Ezekiel stands before the elders of the nation of Judah, pleading with them to turn back to the Lord.  The northern nation of Israel has already been defeated and exiled to Assyria and now the southern nation of Judah faces defeat and deportation at the hands of the Babylonians. The reason for God allowing such a catastrophe was the same in both cases - the worship of idols.  They had embraced the religions and gods of neighbouring nations and were trying to serve the One God as if He were one of many.  But the Lord had stated clearly to these people that He is a jealous God, and will not tolerate rivals (Deuteronomy 4, Exodus 34). Syncretism is the slippery slope to ruin.

A word for then and for today is 'return'. The World Prayer Centre has framed prayer around three words - 'repent, return, release'; and in the recent week of prayer for the nation the theme was - 'gather, remember, return'. The word in common, and which has been repeated on several occasions is 'return'.

In Ezekiel 14:6 it comes three times, though it is partly lost in translation. 

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations." Ezekiel 14:6 (italics added for emphasis)

The Hebrew word 'shuv' is translated into English in various ways, but the root word means simply to return.  In this passage 'repent' is 'shuv' stated in the imperative; it is a command to return to the Lord, no ifs or buts, no conditions or terms, no delays or procrastination, just come back to God. And 'thus says' is a formula written throughout scripture that we all do well to heed. For these elders of Judah, as for the nations of today, it is not too late to return to the Lord. Unless this primary command is heeded and obeyed, nothing else can be achieved, and we remain victims of our own sinfulness.

sermons. logos.com

'Turning away' is also translated from 'shuv', but here as a causative (the hifil stem). So we can infer from this simple grammar that if we simply and promptly obey God's primary command to return to Him, then He will cause us naturally to shun idolatry. To 'turn your faces' is a simple expression meaning to shift attention, so as we return to the Lord our attention intuitively turns away from all our abominations, those being all the things that displease our heavenly Father.

Ezekiel was addressing the leaders of Judah prior to their demise, entirely due to their own wanton waywardness and refusal to return. The prophetic word still stands for the people of modern Israel, whose presence in the land God promised is guaranteed by their faithfulness to the Lord rather than their own ingenuity.

The prophetic word also has universal application. In our own nation if we seek answers to our national debt, to crime, drug abuse, street violence, racial tensions, discrimination, health issues, gender confusion, family breakdown, and so many more troubling trends, there is, according to the Bible, only one answer: 

'Return to the Lord'.

“Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us;

he has struck us down, and he will bind us up." (Hos 6:1)

Author: John Plumb

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others.

Confident in Christ alone

To succeed in anything we must have confidence in God and believe that He wants us to succeed

facebook.com

The bible says, blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in Him. Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord, for he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out it's roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes, but it's leaf will be green and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.

To succeed at whatever God calls us to do, we must learn to be confident not self confident but confident in Christ. The apostle Paul was brilliant in his teachings as he said I am self sufficient in Christ, Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Jesus said in John 15:5 I am the vine you are the branches, he who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit, for without me you can do nothing.

It seems to take forever to learn this truth, much of our frustration comes from misplaced confidence. Paul said put no confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3:3 for we are the circumcision who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Now he wasn't saying we're not supposed to trust anyone, he was saying if we give others or yourself the trust that belongs to God alone, we won't succeed at anything. To succeed in anything we must have confidence in God and believe that He wants us to succeed. We may fail on our way to succeed, but only if we trust God He will take our failures and cause them to work out for our good and to His glory. Romans 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose". 

Sometimes our confidence is shaken when trials come especially if they are lengthy, when this happens we can learn from the example of what King David did in 1 Samuel 30:6 when David had no-one else to believe in him, he believed in himself and God's ability to work through him and strengthen him.

wordsfromeliah.wordpress.com

That is if we don't believe in ourselves, we don't believe in Him. God said "I am in you, but I can only do things through you what you believe me for". Think about it, God is able to do all things. 

It probably goes without saying that this phrase of King David considering and saying "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life". Psalm 23 is a spoken word of faith. It can only be said by someone who looks beyond the event and circumstances of life and have implicit confidence in the one who is ultimately in control (God).

David believed that nothing could happen to him, no difficulty or dilemma could come into his life without eventual good emerging from the chaos, most of us when we look back on our life can see the truth of this.

So the challenge for us is to believe and have confidence when we are going through circumstances/trials that is beyond our control that God is in control.

Author: Herbert Jean

May God bless and enrich your life

Please feel free to share this article and other articles on this site with friends, family and others.