6 things we cannot do without

 

Somehow this coronavirus has changed nearly everything for us - working life, family contacts, church activities, shopping patterns and much more. We are really missing some of these, but we are learning to cope and are adapting remarkably well. When things get back to (more) normal, will we still benefit from the lessons we are learning just now?

 

We are learning that there are many things we can do without, and that many other things are more important than we thought, things that perhaps we have been taking for granted. For example:

One minute can change everything?

 

A lot can change in a minute. We all know the cliches about a week being a long time (in politics), and a lot can happen in a day, but the truth is that life can change completely in less than a minute. 

For instance, if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time, something can happen that you never envisaged and suddenly, everything changes. I’ll never forget when eleven-year-old Rhys Jones from my home city of Liverpool was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He lived in a respectable home in a decent area of the city. His mum worked in our local Tesco Store. He was just an ordinary boy enjoying life, loving his football and playing out, as boys do. But on that sad day, he died in the crossfire between two rival gangs. For the Jones family on the 22nd of August 2007, everything changed in a moment. His life was ended, his parents and family were devastated, and his blood was on the hands of the young man who pulled the trigger and those who were involved in providing the weapon. 

I apologise if the recall of this tragic incident drags up painful memories for any who read this. I cannot express my sympathy enough for your loss and the lifelong grief that results from it. I’m not writing to try to explain why such horrible things happen - apart from the obvious fact that people are capable of doing evil things and good and that they will be held responsible for what they have done on the future day of judgment. I am writing to remind you of how life can change irrevocably in a moment. 

So, what are the lessons we need to learn and what difference can they make in our lives? There are many!

Enjoy the moment!

Value and cherish your relationships!

Don’t take people for granted!

Make the most of the time you have!

Things are not that important; people are!

Tell people you care and appreciate them while you can!

Try to live without regrets!

As much as it depends on you, live at peace with others!

Forgive and forget!

Do we value the Bible - A reflection

A while ago I was reading about a missionary in Afghanistan who was being taken to small groups of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ by a Christian Afghani guide. The missionary sat down at the side of the dusty road, took off his khaki rucksack removed his Bible and put it on the rough ground while he took a much-needed drink. As he enjoyed the thirst quenching, cool, refreshing water, he was very aware of his guide running towards him crying, ‘Please no!’ 

The guide was upset that the Bible had been placed on the floor, in the dust. The guide picked up the Bible and handed it back to the missionary, he explained just how much he valued God’s word. He had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ through someone telling him the good news of Jesus Christ but had no Bible. He eventually was given a few pages of the Bible; these were so precious to him, and he treasured them and the care that he had ensured that they did not become creased or damaged.

Loneliness and the January blues!

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A while ago, I read the following comment in the ‘The Guardian’ newspaper - ‘The dilemma, I’m 22 years old and going into my fourth year in medical school. I have been using study to escape loneliness, insecurity and anxiety that arose from the stress of the course and my failure to establish friends’.

Another person wrote in ‘The Telegraph’, “‘Life looks good on the surface - so why are we all so lonely?  ‘But you can’t be lonely,’ a friend tells me crossly. ‘You’re out every night.’ The backhanded compliment makes me laugh. But it also makes me sad. On paper, my life sounds glamorous. Denying you feel lonely makes no more sense than denying you feel hunger’” These are the comments of a high profile journalist who looks as if she is living the high life but most certainly doesn’t feel as if she is.

An investigation into loneliness in January 2020 showed that a fifth of the population privately admits they are ‘always or often lonely’. But two-thirds of those people would never confess to having a problem in public. Here is the problem - loneliness is the devastating unseen result of the pressures and emptiness of modern life when people live devoid of real purpose and meaning.

Are you struggling with a storm in your life?

Photo by Nathan Hurst on Unsplash

Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash

Photo by Erik Hathaway on Unsplash

There is an old seafaring tradition that if the ship sinks the captain should go down with the ship. Now I will be the first to admit that I don’t know much about sailing, but that sounds like the stupidest tradition of which  I have ever heard.  I think jumping into a life boat and living to sail another day would be much better. Many people today are in danger of going down with the ship, and have the type of attitude that says, “Since the ship is going down, I might as well go down with it.” The storm’s of discouragement, despair, and disbelief threaten to sink us, but rather than going down with the ship we must find a life boat because there is nothing noble about a senseless spiritual death. 

Do you know God as your Father?

 

To be rejected and left alone is a dreadful experience and one which can cause and leave deep emotional and psychological scars for life in those abandoned.  Simone Lang was an Australian school teacher who spent some time in India.  There, she taught in a Christian school to help educate the poor and those who could not afford to go to the state schools.  In the school was a little boy by the name of Jonathan and he lived in a nearby children’s home. 

She got to know the little boy, and gradually he opened up his heart to her as she conversed with him.  His parents had abandoned him when he was three years old and had left him at the children’s home.  They had abdicated all responsibility for him and had left him to be brought up by others who would try to show him some sort of love and kindness.  His parents were still alive and one day he received a letter from them stating that they would come and visit him on a particular day, namely the first day of December.  This gave him a wonderful feeling and he shared his excitement of looking forward to seeing his parents with Simone. She realised that this would be a wonderful day for this little boy. 

Your life will not end when you die!

Life is constantly changing; nothing lasts for ever! This is a sad reality but one that we all have to come to terms with. It is often hard to accept that we will grow old, that loved ones will pass on and that children grow up and leave home. It’s sad but true! 

Please read on as I have good news for you. Your life will not end when you die!  At first sight that sounds like a contradiction in terms but let me clarify what I mean.

It’s all over!

Photos courtesy of Unsplash 

And suddenly, it’s all over!

Once again, after all the adverts, lights, shopping, nativity plays and seasonal films, Christmas is once again behind us and we start talking about “the New Year”. 

It reminds me of my Christmases when I was a boy.  The excitement started building weeks before the big day and the anticipation grew daily until, finally, it was Christmas eve.  As I was packed off to bed, I felt sure I wouldn’t sleep a wink – but I always did.  Then Christmas morning arrived with all the excitement of new toys and, even better, new books.

What if life could be different for you?

All photos used by courtesy of Unsplash 

One of the most famous hymns must be “Amazing Grace” written by John Newton in 1772. It has been covered by dozens of famous singers over the years and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies, no doubt making many rich in the process.

Of far more value than all the riches it has made, is the richness of meaning within its words. It starts “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.”

Grace is a wonderful word, it is the counter balance to mercy. Mercy is when we do not get what we deserve. Ephesians 2 states, that God is rich in mercy. God’s mercy means that we do not have to face the consequence of our sin, we can rest on God’s mercy and forgiveness. Just a few verses later we read of the exceeding riches of God’s grace.

Who would you like to spend a day with?

Think about the things we do everyday—go to work, spend time with our family, eat, or maybe watch TV. Whether it’s helping others or getting rest, we find value in all of these things. But do we see value in spending time with our Creator? God created us to spend time with Him. By doing so, we are honouring Him, helping others, and getting spiritual rest and peace.

How would you define your life?

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How would you define your life?

From the earliest days, human beings have been fascinated and puzzled by the subject of life. The holy grail for different fields of knowledge all has to do with life. In biology, it is the creation of life from outside another life; in astronomy, it is the discovery of life from outside of planet earth; in medicine, it is the prolonging of life; in philosophy, it is the meaning of life. Whatever it may be, the subject of life is something that we cannot ignore.

Interestingly, the Bible, God’s Word, provides the answers to all these questions that are being asked by the scientific world. Only God is able to create life from nothing, which was what took place when He created this universe. God has placed mankind and all creatures on planet earth and on no other planet. The Bible clearly states that man will surely die despite the best efforts of doctors and medicine because of the problem of sin. God says that the true purpose of life is to serve and please God, Who first created it. If scientists of this world would just accept what the Bible says about life, our history books would be different; our society would be different, and some governments would not be spending billions of dollars on extraterrestrial programs trying to search for life on other planets.

But we come back to a very pertinent question on a personal level: What is your life?

The Bible says that your life is:

Short – just like a vapour from a boiling kettle that appears in a flash and then vanishes away, James 4.14. Peter echoes this truth: "For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away" 1Peter 1.24. Seventy or eighty years may seem like a long time, but compared to eternity, it is like a grain of sand on a vast ocean bed! After our physical life ends, eternity starts either in a blissful heaven or in a dreadful, horrific hell. If you accept the Lord Jesus as Saviour in this life, you are guaranteed a place in Heaven. However, if you reject Him, God will likewise guarantee you a place in hell. "Whosoever believeth in Him (the Lord Jesus) should not perish, but have everlasting life" John 3.16.

Sinful – Sin is an element in life that is present from the moment we are born until the moment we die, and it is because of sin that we die. Romans 5.12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." The question of sickness, suffering, and eventually death directly results from the presence of sin in our lives and in this world. The Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins, so we do not need to be eternally accountable for them. If you accept the Lord Jesus, you can have God’s forgiveness and a place in heaven. Let God’s Word speak to you: Romans 5.6,8 "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly ... God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

Special – because the God of Heaven values our lives so much, He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our salvation. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son" John 3.16, to die for us. God asks you to accept and believe that Jesus Christ died for a sinner such as yourself, and you will receive forgiveness of your sins and eternal life.

So, what is your life?

Written by a Guest Blogger - Assembly Testimony

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio and Video as well.

How to handle your mistakes!

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An article was published some time back that discussed whether or not erasers should be banned from classrooms. It was suggested that they create a culture of shame about error — that they are a way of lying to the world, which says, ‘I did not make a mistake. I got it right the first time.’

Whilst one spokesman thought the banning of erasers would be a harsh action, he pointed out that, ‘the observation of children’s mistakes is essential to good teaching… teachers need to observe all the attempts children make so that they can target their instruction.’

How would we feel about all our mistakes being left permanently on display? What if, in the process of making a chair I cut one leg too short — must I leave it, or should it be removed and replaced? In these circumstances, I am sure you will agree that the matter needs to be put right.

Who can you trust?

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When I was a young lad financial institutions were so secure that we thought that it was impossible for one to "go bust". That is probably why I joined one at the age of 20, but here we are in the 21st century and we cannot even trust a financial institution. What is left that is dependable? What worries me is that we are told one day that everything is fine by the very people, who then have to admit that everything has gone wrong so soon afterwards.

Truth seems to disappear, all for the sake of public confidence in something that is already destined to fail. Well those of you who have been reading these messages for any length of time, will know that I believe that God can be trusted. The Bible affirms that 'God cannot lie' and that the things that He says are 'true and faithful' i.e. they are to be trusted.

Hubble Trouble!

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

The Hubble Space Telescope was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation to this very day. It was not the first space telescope but it is one of the largest and most versatile. Well known both as a vital research tool and as a public relations boon for astronomy, The Hubble telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble. It is one of NASA's Great Observatories sent out to gather images of the distant stars and galaxies of our universe.