Lady Jane Grey (1537-1554)

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Lady Jane Grey was a remarkable character from the history of our country.  She was known as the ‘Nine Day Queen of England’ and she died at the age of 16.  She was highly educated, very intelligent and was a descendent Henry VII the first monarch of the House of Tudor that ruled through most of the sixteenth century.  Jane was born in 1537 and died in 1554.  She had a personal tutor and was able to speak a number of languages and could converse in Greek and even correspond with intellectuals in that language.

She studied not only languages but also the Word of God, the Bible and came to a settled conviction which led her to faith in Christ.  She believed  the Gospel and knew that the only way to Heaven was through faith alone in Christ alone. She grew up with two sisters, one named Katherine who was very beautiful but not an intellectual like Jane, and Mary who had some kind of physical deformity.  Her parents were deeply ambitious and carried the hope that Jane would one day inherit the throne and become Queen of England.

Three word Phrases

 

You would not be surprised to learn that I am fascinated with words. It would be a poor job if someone who spends a lot of time writing and public speaking was not interested in the words they use. Our choice of words and vocabulary develops over time and reflects what we read, listen to, watch, etc. Developing a pool of words you can draw from is good, especially if you want to communicate clearly.

 

Interestingly, we love to express ourselves in short, snappy statements. However, I was intrigued at how often we use memorable three-word phrases that communicate our point clearly. Let me give you some examples:

 

Black and White

Haves and have-nots

Kiss and tell 

Pros and cons

Tried and tested 

Flesh and blood

Down and out

England v Slovakia - saved by the Bellingham!

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

Winning a match at the last minute can be viewed in two ways. You could say what a pathetic team; they only won by the 'skin of their teeth' and were just lucky. Or, you might say - 'they kept pushing', 'they got there in the end', 'they shone when they needed it most' - 'they showed their colours' when they needed to or 'when push came to shove' they won! 'Saved by the Bellingham' is the latest idiom used to describe the last-minute success of the England Football team based on the well-known phrase - 'saved by the bell'.  

The phrase 'saved by the bell' is used when someone has been saved by the timely intervention of something or someone or when one has been rescued from difficulty at the last second (source - www.gingersoftware.com). 

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

So, where did the phrase come from?

The widely accepted belief is that 'saved by the bell' originated as an expression about people being buried alive. The concept was that if someone was unconscious and mistakenly pronounced dead and buried, they could, if they were later revived, ring a bell attached to the coffin and be saved. This theory, while plausible, is not without its uncertainties. There's no concrete evidence that anyone was ever saved by these coffins or that they were ever used, and there's a similar lack of evidence that the phrase 'saved by the bell' was ever used in that sense before it had been used in other contexts.

The World Cup - Playing by the Rules

The World Cup - Playing by the Rules

I wonder how many teams will be pushing the referees and pushing against the rules in this world cup tournament in Russia. We often say that rules are made to be broken! Rules actually exist for a purpose and when we live within them it is good for everyone.

Allow me to expand on a few of the rules of soccer and make a comparison with the message of the gospel.

Leaving #London

Doesn't time fly! It hardly seems two minutes since I left home to head for London. Plans made, objectives set and great anticipation as I looked forward to sharing good news with the people of London. 

Realistically I know you cannot reach many people in a two week period. But telling people that they can be forgiven, their guilt can be removed, they can have peace with God is worthwhile whether you tell 20 people or 2,000 people. 

I enjoy the privilege of sharing the gospel. Despite the fact that many people don't want to know! Despite the fact that lots of people get very agitated and angry when I raise the issues of God, Jesus, life, sin, death, our accountability, the day of judgment etc. It raises temperatures and people get hot under the collar. They are often indignant that I have the audacity to talk about such personal and private issues. 

The question is - Are these issues totally private? Are they only for personal discussion? The answer is yes and no! At a very simple level Christians believe that it is essential to warn and help people when they are in danger. That's why Christians have started hospitals, changed laws, developed social improvements and worked for the good of society. 

Imagine if I had the only treatment for a disease and you had the disease but were unaware that you were ill. Would I be cruel or kind if I ignored you and didn't do the following - 1. Make you aware of your illness and 2. Offer you the treatment? Common sense says that even if I am intruding in your private world in the long run I'm trying to help you. 

Here's another example. I am walking away from a cliff edge. Fog has fallen. You are heading towards the cliff edge but you are blind and unaware of both the fog and the cliff edge. What am I going to do? Maintain my distance, ignore you and leave you alone or step across the privacy line and warn you of your potential danger. 

In both cases I think the answer is obvious!

The truth is I am addressing matters of eternal significance. Everything else only affects this life - these matters are enormous as decisions made in this life cannot be reversed when we cross the line of death. 

Personal and private matters often need input from others so that we make good decisions. For instance you consult others when making big decisions in life. Whether it's health, finances, career, relationships and so much more it is almost impossible to make good decisions on your own. We often need input and information from people who know more than us to make good choices. 

So as I close I leave you with probably the most well advertised verse in the Bible - John 3:16. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

If you get the truth of this verse it will literally change you forever. May it be so!

For lots of videos, podcasts, blogs and explanations of the gospel of the grace of God visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk