Author: words and signs

Doing nothing

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

John 15:5

If I get separated from Christ I can do nothing of any value. If I am separate from Christ and don’t know Him or love Him, I am doing nothing of any value. Only God can turn these situations around. We cannot know God’s joy unless we know Him. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and unless the Spirit dwells within us, we don’t know joy, realise it, or even feel it. Joy causes us to praise God and glorify His name in every area of our lives.

The vine is a picture of the Lord Jesus and also the glorious kingdom of Christ. We, the people of God are the branches, attached and growing on this mighty tree. If we should be grafted into the body of Christ, or grafted into the Old Testament saints of God, we are alive to Jesus Christ and are able to live and work for Him. To do so is life and peace for the Christian believer, and the heights of glory in the heavenly kingdom.

The branches cannot be separated, but can remain not as fruitful as they could be, because of lack of dedication and devotion. Christ does not force His ways on us, but waits for us to learn and grow and embrace His will for our lives. If we remain in the love of Christ we will certainly bear much fruit and gain great glory. Our strength will grow and our courage will make us particularly successful in the work we are called to do, whatever is set aside for us. Without the love and power of the Holy Spirit our lives are empty and dull and we will produce nothing of any value. We need the power of God to keep us walking and working against the odds and against lack of encouragement.

God will keep us interested. It is He who will produce the fruit in us, but our responsibility is to keep ourselves in the love of Christ and remain faithful to Him and the heavenly way. If we do, we will know increasing joy and strength to keep going and to continually step out for God. Our fruit may be seen in this life, or maybe it’s breadth and depth will not be known until we reach the other side of eternity. God is faithful and will keep us faithful in His Word and faithful in prayer.

Others may look busy, but there may not be much fruit to show for God. Some look busy, and may be busy in this world, but there is no actual spiritual fruit. They are doing nothing, because it will not last. When the work is tested, it will be found wanting and really only done for self and selfish motives. This will not count for Christ, and if we follow this agenda, we will suffer loss. We will have become dried up and not operating as the branches on the tree. We have become somehow separated and therefore not bearing the fruit. These branches, are not really grafted in and will never bear the fruit required by God. Jesus cursed the fig tree that did not bear the fruit He required. No fruit means we are doing nothing and therefore will have no spiritual life in us and are not true branches.

There must be fruit. Lazy Christians are a misnomer, and only those who are working for their Lord with all that they are, will bear the fruit and enter in.

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

John 15:4

Love Joy Peace

Love

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

John 15:13

Love that will love no matter what you do to it. Love that loves back in every circumstance. Love that knows no bounds and will love until the end of doom. Love that will die for you, even though you hate it and try to murder it. Love that will forgive you, even though you do not want it, yet…

No human has this kind of love. This is the love of God. It seems irrational and dangerously sentimental. It seems foolish to us and too soft and pliable. But it is the love that unfolds the universe and upholds it by its eternal power. It is the love that keeps the earth alive, and every human soul until the end of their allotted days. It provides, protects and blesses everyone, every animal and plant that inhabits our globe, and will do so until the end will come. Then that love will bring in a kingdom of love that will never end, and change fully and forever, the human hearts that have believed on him – Jesus the king of love.

Love is what hold the triune God in perfect harmony and peace. It is the defining factor of the persons in that tryst, and binds then to each other in eternal bonds of that indissoluble love. It is the motivation behind the will of those persons, and the power behind the outworking of them. Love never fails, because it is of God. God is love….

Joy

“….whom not having known you love; in whom, though now you don’t see him, yet believing, you rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory-“

1 Peter 1:8

Joy is a deep realisation beyond feeling and knowing. A realisation that never goes away. And will endure long past the end of life and into eternity. This joy is based on knowing and the reality of believing. It is dependant on God and not on a human source. It s a product of faith, for does not depend on sight, or feelings, or any human happiness, and endures because of the indwelling of the gracious and Holy Spirit of God. It cannot be put into words or sounds, the nearest we get to this is singing. It brings the reality of glory into the life of the ordinary human and makes us inheritors of the eternal kingdom.

When joy fills the heart, there is outward expression that cannot be stopped. It pours forth, like the eternal spring in the heavenly city, and brings refreshment to those around to whom it is sent. God’s joy knows no bounds and cannot be stopped by any other power, since they are weaker and lesser, and are swallowed up by the joy of the Lord. This joy is the strength of all those who believe…

Peace

“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, I give to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.”

John 14:27

Jesus brought us peace with God, the people around us, and ourselves. He brings peace because He has made peace through the sacrifice of Himself, which can never be taken away or lost, once it is found. It is like treasure in a field, that we spend all our resources on, just to possess, and get, and keep.

It is a gift. We can never deserve it, earn it, or buy it, but accept it humbly from the hand of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. We need never be fearful of anything ever again. Nothing can harm the one who knows this peace, because it is based on trust in the eternal God, Jesus Christ, the everlasting Son, and the perfect Spirit who fills our lives when we are surrendered to Him. We are full of this peace, which makes us strong, resilient and full of hope. Our courage never fails and we do the things God asks us to do with valour and power.

Love is the crowning glory.

Love makes everything easy.

Joy makes everything certain.

Peace makes everything possible.

Faith runs like a golden thread through them all…

God’s work

Creation

“The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array.”

Genesis 2:1

God made everything that exists. Every amazing star in the sky, every blade of grass, animal, human. Nothing exists that He did not make. It was so good, it was perfect. God only makes perfect things. It was completely finished. Nothing more could,be added. It was huge. It will not last, because it was ruined on the very first day, the serpent tempted Eve and she fell. Adam disobeyed and he became a sinner. They were both failures and were cast out of the beautiful garden, their home, to roam the earth until salvation came….

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, “It is finished.”

John 19:30

God has provided a way out of sin and death. He planned it all along, since eternity past, and has done everything to save guilty humankind. It is the perfect plan. Jesus finished the work of payment for sin, fully. It was a monumental act of love. It will last forever, because all who believe will inherit the kingdom forever. Jesus calls us to come and those who put their faith in Him and what He did for them, inherit eternal life and gain a home forever. Salvation has come for all who believe.

“he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Philippians 1:6

God will perfect His work in every heart that loves Him. His plans for the lives of His people, cannot be thwarted. His plan for each one is perfect for them. It was bought for them at such a high price. Gods will not leave us without comfort, but has given His Holy Spirit to teach us. This work will continue until every saint of God is gathered into the kingdom, and then the end will come. Adam ruined humankind, but the Lord Jesus has rescued us and makes us new people. We are set aside for His glory, and our complete and glorious salvation.

Thinking

We are told not to examine to deeply, over-think or over-analyse ourselves. The bible says the opposite…

“…Let a man examine himself…”

1 Corinthians 11:28

We are to examine ourselves and see if we belong to the household of faith, or wether we are fit to attend the Lord’s table of remembrance, or wether out sins are being put to flight in our minds and behaviour.

This world is intent on keeping people away from serious thought. All things are about being positive and keeping laughter as a top priority. The humour industry is big business and the shows on TV are intent on keeping things quiet in your mind. Even the news channels tell us what to think and how to react to news items. It all seems so trivial.

To be serious is not required, since you might worry people with deeper thoughts that maybe they might not be up to scratch with their standards of behaviour. Human beings don’t like to be reminded of that, as we try to blot this thought process out of our minds, and tone down our consciences. If there is no remedy for us, this is understandable, and we should keep positive. But since forgiveness is the only remedy for this situation, we should seek it.

We have to want it to seek it. The reality of our situation before the Living God, needs to be addressed. We are guilty, that why we feel guilty. But God has provided everything to deal with the whole problem. We can be free in a moment, if we would but admit it.

Our pride also takes part. We don’t want anyone telling us we aren’t good enough or don’t measure up to some standard outside of ourselves. We are living our lives by the light of our own eyes. Because we don’t have light in ourselves, we therefore walk in the dark and cannot see at all. The Scripture tells us these things. The light is there, if we just come to Him and seek restitution for the wrongs we admit we have done. That’s really all salvation is.

If we could switch on our minds and think logically about our state of being before God, and find out what He says to us in His word, we would find the answer. Thinking does work. Self- examination does bring good rewards, and analysing why we do what we do, helps us to grow in goodness and holiness.

“..for the Lord sees not as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but The Lord looks at the heart.”

1 Samuel 16:7

We are too trivial and easily blind ourselves to our own faults. Facing up is hard to do because of our pride, but God sees us already and is willing to still take us in. He sees the heart and its motivations and that it is wicked, but is still willing to forgive and change us. His love is extravagant and extraordinary, and He will bring us into the very core of His family and make us the people, we are meant to be.

Work

Work

“What does man gain from all his labour in which he labours under the sun?”

Ecclesiastes 1:3

We have a question. This is a fundamental question which all humans beings ask. Why am I here? What is the point? Why is it so difficult? These are questions which will be addressed in this book.

Why do I have to go to work every day? Work is hard and the regularity of it is often hard to cope with. We go to work to make money to live, but spend most of our time working and not living. The futility of it all can be crushing and many in our days, succumb to the Nihilistic view of anarchy and meaninglessness towards the things that we find ourselves doing. The regularity of the cycle of life bring some into depressive mindsets and the sheer labour of what we do, can get us into a state of thinking that life is just a a treadmill of work, and sleep. Even the things that we enjoy and love, can become just part of the endless cycle of work.

Some make their work their God and give themselves to it. It fills a gaps in their psyche and gives some sense of satisfaction and reward. It keeps our mind busy and our bodies fit. Some let it take over the enjoyment of the fruits of that work, and even let it take over the enjoyment of family and relationships. This can turn into a great evil, and become an idol which we look to for emotional, intellectual and even spiritual support. It cannot do so, so will certainly become a stumbling block to our lives and thinking processes.

Perhaps it is better to have work that is just work, and only provides the money we need for our lives, so that our focus is kept on the things of life that matter, things that pertain to family and other relationships. People are more important than work, but we cannot support and enjoy the people in our lives without financial provision. People must be provided for, and they need more than just food and drink, and the bills paid. Life should have richness, and the deep ties between each of us that keep us together, are supported by the activities we do together and the memories that we can build into our lives.

So the provision we are actually able to make in our lives is of good importance. This is why the job you choose to do is so important, because it will dictate what you are able to do, and the kinds of things you are able to do. It will also impact on the future generation and inform the outcome of what they choose and what they and able to achieve.

Education is of prime significance, since it trains us and teaches us to think and reason logically and well, and to take advantage of all our skills to later get a job that will pay for the things we want out of life. Too many don’t take enough advantage of education, and find themselves disadvantaged later in life when it comes to choosing what they would like to do. Other are kept in the dark about these issues and make decisions based on decadent temptations and their own personal wants, without the wisdom to think about where their life decisions will lead. Good councillors are important and families that help children to think about these issues are supportive and wise.

There are other issues involved too, like health and upbringing, attitudes, motivation, prejudices, and all sort of psyche related issues that will determine our mindset, which can be explored to help us understand where we are coming from as human beings, and going to as eternal spirits. The two cannot be separated. We have bodies and souls and both must be provided for to make a whole person. Work that provides for both is excellent work, and is the blessing of God. But the provision is the whole of life, kept in balance, and thought about carefully, so that we carry ourselves and others into better places.

Fleeing shadows

“Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, I will go to the mountain of myrrh and to the hill of incense.”

Song of Songs 4;5

We are waiting for that great and wonderful day, when the shadows of this world will flee away and the dawning of a new day of righteousness will arrive. The troubles of life will be over and we will see the Saviour of the world, our dearly Beloved, Jesus the lover of our souls. We will see the end of our salvation, the redemption of body, mind and soul, and we will be overcome with thankfulness to have made it home. The day of eternity will dawn, and the people of God will enter into the marriage of marriages, the wedding feast with their husband and friend. He will take away all the pain and disappointment and show us what it to like to be happily married to the one we love best and most. He will be ours forever, and we will live in His embrace. He will rejoice over us with a husband’s love and never leave us. His care will be constant and His love supreme. 

So the lover in this book, is looking for the day when he will be with his bride, and they will never be parted, but rejoice in married bliss, forever. His love for her is constant and never wavers. He loves her with a true love, and appreciates her in every way, and always will, for her form in attached to her character, which has been forged by love and service. As he thinks of her, he will look to the “mountain of myrrh” the place of remembrance, and he will think of her when she is not with him. He will think of the cost of having her as his own, the death of self, and the resurrection to life, with her forever. Myrrh is for burial, and to love means the death of self, and the putting first of the other. It relates to the death of Christ for the sins of the world, and was a gift, given to Him as a young child, for the wise men who visited Him. It was also given on the cross as a pain relief, but Jesus refused it, preferring to suffer loss for the sake of His people, than to convenience Himself. We can look for relief, at times, from wrong sources, and seek relief from troubles, from wrong things. We must seek Christ alone, the beginner and finisher of our faith, and only He has the power to strengthen us and bring us through the darkness. 

The “hill of incense” could refer to the prayers and praises of the people of God. Until the day that Christ returns for His church, He will be praying for them, and enjoying the prayers of His people as we pray to Him, and worship Him from afar, on this earth as we live. One day it will all change, and we will be bodily present with the Lord, and forever able to talk face to face with Him, as sisters and brothers in Christ. So the lover in this book, is thinking of his beloved woman, and the day when they will tie that eternal knot. That knot is so right and true and is meant to last our whole life. 

There are situations where it does not, because of the failures of the parties to love each other properly, to make sacrifices and spend time with each other to please each other and build a deep relationship. Over time, this will result in loss, and the relationship cannot keep going. True love will last. Earthly love dies. The hurt is always there, and the failure acute. Marriage must be worked at and valued and the two persons must put the other first, and respect what each person does, sharing life and making decisions together. It is a tragedy when things do not work out. It gets very painful, until it becomes impossible to stay together, due to the hurt felt and known. Only God knows that outcome. The decisions we make are in God’s hands, and only He knows the long term purpose of the events of life, and only He can make all things work for the good of those who love Him.

But for the Christian, they live in the knowledge of a marriage that is indissoluble. It will surely last because it depends on the perfect one, the one who gave up all to save and rescue them from the clutches of sin. It is a true marriage and will be consummated on that great day when Jesus returns for his truly Beloved and takes her home to heaven. His church will rise victorious to meet Him in the sky, and be forever with the Lord. We will enjoy the great supper of the Lamb, and be forever in His embrace.

“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 19:6-9  

This is the eternal destiny of the believer in Christ. “Forever with the Lord…”

For now we remember Him who we love, our truly Beloved Lord and Saviour, as we think each day, and partake of the Lord’s supper, in the bread and the wine, and think on Him.

We pray without ceasing, always in that place of communion in conversation with Him. It never ends. We build our relationship and gain closer access to our Lord Jesus, and grow more like His perfect character and behaviour. Jesus was always in prayer, praying to the Father on all occasions, and so also must we. These things will keep us true and close and we will not stumble continually or make monumental wrong turns that divert us from what we should be doing.

“But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?”

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 NLT

We climb the mountains of myrrh, in remembrance, and the hill of the incense of prayer, and enter into the inheritance, kept for us in heaven, by our precious Saviour and friend. Our husband, Jesus will always provide for us without stinting, and our days, even on this earth, will be glad. 

“May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.”

Psalm 141:2

 

The End

“But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only. “As the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ship, and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.”

“Watch therefore, for you don’t know in what hour your Lord comes.”

Matthew 24:36-42

All the talking at the moment about the end of the world and the “sigh of Coronavirus” which some think is a a sign of the imminent coming of Christ, can be frightening, no matter what you believe or who you are. It all adds to the fear at this time. Personally I have stopped listening on the media to all the hype and fearful words that hold no comfort or hope to us. Coronavirus is serious, but not as serious as it will get towards the end. It is a worldwide wake up call and could result in a massive turning to the Lord, which is talked about in the Scripture, at the end time.

No one knows when Christ will return but it is the next big event on the end time calendar. We must be ready for it. The sign that it is coming, is that our days are like those of Noah – eating, drinking, feasting, marriage, in other words, taken up with the things of this life and getting good things for ourselves. There will be a desire to get the things of this life, and no desire for godliness, holiness or righteousness. We will not want God, or His Word, we will not want to be perfect in every good work, and we will not pursue righteousness and goodness with all our hearts. It is a good description of the days we live in, certainly in the Western world. Other places might not have these things, but they seek them still.

The gospel is being preached in some places, there is lots of religion on the airwaves, and people are coming to faith in Jesus Christ, but there is also lots of dross. There are false teachers, as there always are, and people are not being shown the life of God, but human ideas and feelings about religion. The gospel of repentance and faith remains unacceptable, unknown and unwanted.

Regardless of this, God is still calling people to Himself and building His church of living stones. Once the last Christian has been brought into the kingdom, the end will, come. Jesus will return to take His church away and home to heaven. There will be no reason to keep the world going any longer.

This passage in Matthew talks about people being suddenly taken away and other left behind. This is a scary subject and we must consider which one we will be included amongst – those taken or those left. Will we be ready for the Lord, when He comes back to the earth?

This is the only cogent question at this time. WillI be eating, drinking and enjoying marriage, or will I be following and loving Jesus first and foremost? What will my end state be? I do not know the answers, but we each need to consider our answers to these deepest of questions. It will come suddenly and unexpectedly like the flood and sinners will be swept away while the saints go with Christ. Now is the time to repent and believe, and seek and find the Lord.

“Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.”

Matthew 24:44

Watching over

“For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

Psalm 1:6

This is the end summary of Psalm 1.

This is the reward for not walking in the light of the thinking of foolish people who do not know God, or revere Him; or stand in the presence, giving credence to sinful people who don’t really love God but only the outward form; or sitting around, settled with those who actively scoff the Word and denigrate the people of God. These people who resist these mindsets are called the righteous. They are fruitful and stable and full of love for God. They delight themselves in the Word of God, for it is their touchstone for everything and they know it so well.

They meditate on it day and night and in fills their lives with light and heat. They obey it fully and are constantly reminded of its words and precepts, so that they can walk in a worthy fashion before their Lord and God. Nothing in their lives is unfruitful or withers without reason, and they gain their refreshment in the living waters from the Holy Spirt of God, as they live close to Him and the Word.

“The ungodly are not so…” they will wither and die and all their works of sin and death will be destroyed. There will be nothing left for them. They have no light and no Spirit of refreshment, but only cursing, like the fig tree. Jesus cursed it for having no fruit for Him when He came to receive it.

Those who live close will be kept close. The keeping power of our Saviour is so wonderful and He will keep us to the end. No one will be lost. We know this because we are people of the Word of God and we persist in obeying it, even when it costs us something to do so. The people of God are like flourishing trees and we delight ourselves in God’s ways and not in the scoffer’s ways. Those who endure hardship are made hardy by the power of the spirit and our spiritual resilience increases and we are truly blessed.

The LORD Himself watches over us and will lead us to peace and not destruction. It is He who diverts or foolishness into wisdom and gives us the desire to walk in every right path. Learning to discern these things in ourselves makes our assurance of faith shine out brightly. Our fruit will arrive in the right season and produce a huge crop of fruit for our Saviour Jesus.

Too much

Too much about me and not about Him

Biggin’ myself up is a mortal sin 

Putting myself forward as authority

Undermines His superiority.

Too much about me and not enough about them

People ignored and used for my own ends

Selfishness and pride my necklace be

Not at all like the man on the tree.

Too much about me and not enough about Him

Jesus my rock, my Lord my holy Paradigm

I concede it all to your mighty, righteous glory

Write your Word all over my eternal story.