Our Creator can see things in us that other people cannot see. Sometimes people will try to push us down or make us feel insignificant. Sometimes our own thoughts will try to convince us that we do not measure up, but God looks beyond the surface, beyond the mistakes we have made, beyond what somebody said about us and sees our incredible value.
We may think that we have really messed up, that we have blown it, that we have failed, that we are all washed up. No, God still sees more in us; God does not just see what we are; He sees what we can become. We may have made mistakes, but God still sees victory on the inside of us. People may have tried to push us down, but God sees us rising higher.
Now, we have got to do our part and get rid of those condemning thoughts. Get rid of what somebody has spoken over us and start renewing our minds. Down deep, we need to start believing that In God's eyes, we can be redeemed, restored, talented and valuable. Even if we have made mistakes believe that there is more in store. God is not finished with us; we are a work in progress. He looks beyond the surface and sees our potential. If we stay in step with Him, we can watch His plan for our lives unfold.
Within all of us, there exists a strong desire to be known and to know others. More importantly, all people desire to know their Creator, even if they are not professed believers in God. Today we are bombarded with advertising that promises many ways to satisfy our cravings to know more, have more, be more. However, the empty promises that come from the world will never satisfy in the way that knowing God will satisfy. Jesus said, "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent"
So, "what is the key to truly knowing God?"
First of all, it is a must to understand that man, on his own, is incapable of truly knowing God because of his own sinfulness. The Scriptures reveal that we are all sinful and that we fall well short of the standard of holiness required to commune with God.
We are also told that the consequence of our sin is death and that we will perish eternally without God unless we accept and receive the promise of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. So, to truly know God, we must first receive Him into our lives. "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name".
Nothing is of greater importance than understanding this truth when it comes to knowing God. Jesus makes it clear that He alone is the way to heaven and to a personal knowledge of God: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me"
More about Jesus would I know,
More of His grace to others show;
More of His saving fulness see,
More of His love who died for me.
More about Jesus let me learn,
More of His holy will discern;
Spirit of God my teacher be,
Showing the things of Christ to me.
More about Jesus; in His Word,
Holding communion with my Lord;
Hearing His voice in every line,
Making each faithful saying mine.
Messages with Meaning (04/03/21), written by Peter Francis for Your542Day
Most of us mess up 'big style' from time to time, in my case regularly if I am being totally honest. When you make a mistake the best thing to do is to apologise. Some people seem to find it easier to say sorry than others. There are those for whom saying sorry is an automatic response mechanism which doesn't mean a lot. Others dig their heels in so saying sorry is a long way down the line even though in their heart they may feel that they are wrong and regret doing or saying what they did.
The other day, I was talking to some people about the Lord's prayer - you know - 'Our Father which art in heaven' and so on. If you remember saying this in school or church, you will probably remember that among many things it mentions forgiveness. Towards the end of the prayer it states - 'and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors[1]'.
The interesting thing is that the Lord Jesus equates wrongdoing doing with debt. I think the idea is that when we do wrong (the Bible calls it sin) we owe God something. For instance, a lie robs God of the truth, greed robs God of something that should be for someone else. Failing to love and obey God robs Him of the worship and praise that He is due. Wrongdoing and sin also deprive us of many things amongst which are peace, joy, contentment and purpose.
We may not think that we have sinned or robbed God of anything but the Lord Jesus patently thought we had and so He built into His prayer a point at which we confess our sins and ask for forgiveness.
I wonder when was the last time that you acknowledged that you were wrong. It would be a good thing to do to repair and maintain your relationships. It is also vital to repair your relationship with God. God is not so concerned about all the little things we do wrong (they are all evidence that we are sinners and we are still responsible for them) but He is very concerned that our sinful nature and behaviour will bar us from heaven. Heaven is a perfect environment and nothing that is sinful can exist there[2]. We cannot go to heaven as we are, but we can be forgiven and cleaned from our sin because Jesus 'Christ died for our sins . . . he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures’[3].
So, may I be direct with you when was the last time you said sorry? May I also ask if you have ever confessed your sin to God and asked for His forgiveness. The Bible promises that, 'if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (i.e. wrong)'[4]. This verse from the Bible is simply saying that God can be trusted (He is faithful) and He is fair (He is just) and that those who believe in Him can know and enjoy the forgiveness of sins.
Have a good day.
[1] The Bible – Matthew 6. 12
[2] The Bible – Revelation 21. 27
[3] The Bible – 1 Corinthians 15. 3,4
[4] The Bible – 1 John 1. 9
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
We all know that politics can be a messy business and that far more goes on behind the scenes than we realise. Thankfully, in a representative democracy, the elected representatives (i.e., the MPs) are held accountable for their actions and decisions. Whether through investigative journalism, various select committees or a public inquiry, the aim is to hold the government accountable and give the general population confidence to trust them.
All photos courtesy of Unsplash
The evening before anything major happens in your life can be quite traumatic - that’s of course if you know something is going to happen the next day. An exam, your wedding, a court case, the result of medical tests - most of us know what the fear of the unknown can make us think and feel in the dark lonely hours of the night. The rational becomes irrational, our strength of resolve seems to run for cover and leave us feeling exposed, the smallest possibility of things going in the wrong direction seems to be amplified until it's unbearable.
All photos are courtesy of Unsplash
I really don’t know about you, but one of the most maddening things that I find about people is that they don’t listen and don’t follow instructions. We all know that happens so often in everyday life. We know that people are told things and they don’t even listen. It could be to do with our health or our money but we often ignore the advice that we are given. Or sometimes people are given guidelines but they ignore them and just do it their own way.
In the Bible, we read a lot about faith, hope and love. In fact, at the end of a well-known chapter about love (1 Corinthians 13), we read, “Now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.”Perhaps these three have helped us to keep going all these difficult months, or maybe we feel we need them more.
Just now, for the move out of lockdown and the control of the pandemic, our faith is in the widespread vaccination programme's success. So far, it seems to be working well. The amazing work which has led to the design and availability of these vaccines has to be admired. It was all very costly, but to us, it’s free - to all who are willing to come and get their “jab” – just like how we can receive God’s gift of salvation!
And this gives us hope! As we used to know it, many aspects of life have been missing for such a long time. We have missed the simple pleasures of meeting friends and families, going where we wanted, of social gatherings, church meetings, holiday trips etc. We have been concerned about our young people with their education interrupted, and our business colleagues with their livelihoods threatened. All complicated – but we have reason to hope that it’s not for much longer.
The new year did not bring us the relief from this awful pandemic that we hoped for – it has rather got worse. These new and more threatening strains of Coronavirus mean that uncertainty and risk are still with us. More lockdown is disappointing but necessary, and yet the rollout of vaccines is encouraging.
Governments continue to struggle with the decisions they have to make, and they need our prayers. People are struggling in many different ways, and they too need our prayers and what support we can offer. Our hearts go out to the many who are disadvantaged, lonely, and more depressed after all these months.
I think we are also alarmed at those who ignore the many clear warnings given about the risks posed by this virus. At least some of the present high numbers of infections and consequent deaths are due to carelessness, selfishness and neglect of the sound advice given regularly.
Scripture Reading
2 Cor.1.20
‘all the promises of God in him are
yea, and in him Amen’,
This is a tremendous statement but how can I be confident that it is true.
At a very simple level as a Christian, I accept that the Bible is the word of God and if it says that God cannot break His promises, well that’s good enough for me.
My second reason for believing this statement is the evidence of what God has done to date. In Romans chapter 15 verse 8 we learn that the Lord Jesus ‘confirmed the promises made unto the fathers’. In other words, He did what God had promised He would do. We find a similar statement in Titus chapter 1 verses 2 & 3. God promised ‘eternal life’ and the Lord Jesus provided it. If God has never broken His promises to date, why would I assume that he will break them in the future?
If you happen to be reading this and are not saved you should find this truth quite disturbing. If God never goes back on His word, then you are in big trouble. God has promised to judge the world in righteousness by the Lord Jesus. God will always do what is right and just and justice will always be carried out in the end.
