How good are you at complaining. One man who was interviewed recently on television reminded us that whinging is different to complaining. Whinging is apparently just moaning but not doing anything about it. Formal complaining means that you are holding the service provider responsible for what they do or do not do and making sure that you get what you are paying for.
Once when coming back from a trip to Africa. En-route our cases stayed in Dubai while we flew to Lusaka. They caught up with us eventually, but we have a claim to lodge for extra expenses incurred because of an extra night that we stayed in Lusaka. Have I submitted it yet? I think you probably can guess the answer.
Most of us feel that we deserve to get what we pay for. This is only fair, and it is our right but how many of us get round to complaining when things go wrong. The purpose for writing this article is not actually to encourage you to complain (not that it would be a bad thing) but to point out that most of us don’t get round to it very often. We mean to but we don’t quite get round to it. That’s true about a lot of things.
Think about this for example. How many of us have joined a gym and never used it? How often do we think about slimming but never quite get there? Or your mortgage – you know the rate could be lower but because of the hassle of changing provider we never get round to it. All these examples are about things that could improve our lives but we put off doing anything about. I want to ask you to consider another area of your life which we all tend to ignore and pretend that it’s too much hassle – that is your relationship or lack of one with God. We can all argue why we don’t think God is real but in our hearts, we know that God is there. Most of us live life as if it will never end and accuse people of being morbid who raise the issues of life after death. But we all know that we will die one day and to ignore the afterlife is fatal. You say if I’m wrong, I’m wrong but the reality is if you’re wrong you will be lost forever in a place you don’t want to be.
All photos are courtesy of Unsplash.
We know that life is constantly changing and that nothing lasts forever. In many ways, this is a harsh and sad reality. Most of us find it hard to accept that we will grow old, that loved ones will pass on, and that children will grow up and leave home. You know the types of things that I am talking about. Sad but true!
Please read on, as I have good news for you. The Bible teaches that God made us with an eternal soul. The soul is the real person, the real you. Although the body stops living upon our physical death, the soul lives on. Many people don't believe this anymore. The late Stephen Hawking, a British Physicist and author, dismissed the notion of an afterlife. He once said 'I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers. That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'.
This argument sounds very feasible, especially when proposed by such an intelligent man. However, it ignores that we are not just biological computers. It ignores man's consciousness, which the best of brains have grappled with but have to admit is beyond their explanation. Consciousness cannot be defined in purely physiological terms. Add to this the evidence for the supernatural and the spiritual, and you have many questions that we will struggle to answer unaided.
Let me remind you of the book, which has for generations provided answers that could not find their source solely in the mind of a human being - the Bible. It is easy to dismiss the Bible as purely the writings of men, but that would not be doing justice to its information, origins and the consistency of its message. The Bible has an inbuilt prediction and fulfilment testing system, which either stands or falls on the substantive evidence of archaeology, science, history, geography and social development. There have been no developments to date in any of these disciplines which have produced evidence that undermines the truthfulness and integrity of the Bible.
If all of this is true, may I suggest we pay more attention to what the Bible teaches about life, death, the afterlife, God, etc.? For example, one of the books of the Bible (John's gospel) explicitly states that it was written 'that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name'.
I pray that this will be the outcome if you read the Bible for yourself.
I invite you to read more articles about how to have peace with God.
Sports games and competitions are very important to many people. Still, others think they are only games and so don't get too serious about them.
It got me thinking! Is life just a game? From one angle, the answer is no, it is not, and it's a very serious undertaking. You only get one run of it, so don't mess it up. The Lord Jesus warned people about wasting their lives when He said, 'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?', Mark 8. 36, NLT. You were created to know God, and without Him, this life and the next will be very pointless and hopeless.
Yet, there's a certain truth in the notion that life is akin to a game. Just as games are meticulously planned, so too is our life. The Bible teaches that our existence is not a haphazard occurrence, but a purposeful design. Each of us is a unique creation, born with the mission to know our creator, God. As Jesus said, 'I came that they may have life and have it abundantly' (John 10. 10).
So many storms
It has been one storm after another for weeks on end, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. On the east coast huge waves have pounded the sea walls and great fountains of spray have been shooting above the harbours and into the towns. It was spectacular to watch. Some brave souls tried to catch it on camera, but didn’t dare go too close! The fishing boats have hardly had a clear day to get to sea and some of their gear left in the sea has been destroyed.
Sea walls along the coast have been badly damaged in some places. At Dysart the harbour wall was breached and now requires urgent repair, while along this way several stone-built retaining walls which have withstood storms for many years have been undermined and broken through, with the soft bank behind now crumbling into the sea. The foundations and the fabric are subject to terrible stress at times like these. There is so much force in these raging waves of the sea, spectacular and beautiful maybe, but devastating and costly to many people who might have thought they were safe enough.
Beautiful Star, KY 1298
This memorial in King’s Lynn cemetery is a crafted stone replica of the fishing boat in which eight St Monans fishermen perished in a storm on the way home from the East Anglia fishing in November 1875. Five East Fife boats were wrecked and 37 men were lost at that time.
There are poignant inscriptions on the memorial, but the passing of time has made them difficult to read. The names of the men who were drowned can be made out - the oldest was James Patterson, the skipper, age 49, and the youngest was Robert, his son, who had just turned 18.
Then these words are written beneath -
When the shore is won at last,
Who will count the billows past?
While we linger on the shore of life,
A wave wafts us to eternity.
Life, how short!
Eternity, how long?
Isn’t it true that life on earth is short and unpredictable, whereas the eternity which follows is long and sure to come?
The book of Judges covers a period when the nation of Israel should have been settled and thriving in their land. It is the record of a history of thirteen men and one woman who guided their country through a period of roughly 450 years.
One of the key lessons from the book of Judges is that we all have a tendency to be disobedient to God. However, God often provides us with opportunities for recovery. After we are restored, it can be easy to fall back into a pattern of self-obsession, leading us to rebel again and eventually face God's discipline in our lives. This reflects many people's experiences: we don't consistently live in a way that pleases God and often revert to old patterns of sin and disobedience. This is why we need a fresh start (salvation), the forgiveness of sins and the new life that comes through repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - see Bible quotations at the end of this post.
The main messages of the book emphasise that turning away from God leads to severe consequences in our lives. Nevertheless, Judges also reminds us of God's grace; He never gives up on us and always seeks to bring us back to Himself.
We often ask questions like: Where did we come from in terms of the origin of life? Why is there so much evil in the world? Why can’t we ever seem to find peace? The answers to these big questions can be found in the book of Genesis in the Bible.
Genesis tells the story of our world—God's perfect creation, humanity's rebellion against Him, and the downward spiral that followed. This first book of the Bible describes significant social disruption, domestic abuse, and problems that regrettably have become normalized in our society. It recounts the first murder, lying, scamming, gang wars, riots, and other issues that bring us face-to-face with dysfunctional families and siblings betraying one another. Effectively, it portrays a society remarkably similar to ours, a world filled with selfishness. One major question arises: How did the world spiral out of control so quickly? The answer is later found in the holy scriptures: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned" (Romans 5:12, Legacy Standard Bible).
In the last post we thought about our need as humans to ‘follow the manufacturers instructions’ i.e. to understand that we were created by God and cannot operate successfully in life until we accept this (for more details see the note below **).
Putting this in Bible language the original creation was perfect but as a result of an act of self will (the Bible uses the words sin, iniquity, transgression etc) we are broken, damaged by sin and spiritually dead. The verse from the Bible that I would use to substantiate this is 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 word of God, the Bible, also states that sin and the potential to do great evil lies latent in everyone of us (not so latent at times). We all think evil thoughts that thankfully are not always translated into evil behaviour but if we are honest we sin regularly in word, thought and actions. The Lord Jesus explained in Mark chapter 7 verses 14-23 that we have an internal problem of sin that comes to the surface and defiles us. Please don’t measure the accuracy of these statements by your own subjective assessment of what is good or bad. We have to consider what God, original law giver has to say about subject as His standards are well above ours. When measured by God and His word we are forced to admit that ‘all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (God’s glorious standard),’ Romans 3. 23.
As I write this column, the world is reeling from the fallout of another war. I know that, technically, nations prefer to speak about special operations and other expressions that describe their actions. Essentially, these terms aim to mitigate the harshness of the word ‘war’.
Humans are naturally very vulnerable and need to protect their property, livelihoods and lives. In the case of nations, this often involves territory, intellectual property or routes to and from their markets. We live in an increasingly complex world where attacks on national well-being have moved on from military action to include cyber-attacks and other forms of warfare.
The potential for war is constant - most of us know the current locations - Israel, Gaza, Russia, Ukraine, Iran, Israel, USA. In the past fifty years, wars have taken place in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Vietnam and, sadly, many more locations.
Some people have good physical and mental health well into old age, but we are all different, and for many, these latter years can be a struggle. However, there are some advantages to growing older. I am writing to highlight these benefits to the individual and the wider society.
Time to Think
In our busy lives, deep reflection often takes a backseat but taking time to think is crucial for effective decision-making, and certain jobs naturally provide more time for contemplation, such as those that involve long-distance travel. Unfortunately, some people choose to avoid deep thinking about life and continually focus on the day-to-day grind. The Bible encourages both the young and old to consider life’s deeper issues. The wise sage Solomon wrote, "Remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth," and Paul the Apostle said, "Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel," Thinking is not wasted time if it leads to wise decisions and positive actions.
If you have not considered "the God question" or the afterlife, now may be the time to reflect on these matters before it's too late.
