As young people we need a lot of leading.
We’ve got to figure out what we’re going to study, what we’re going to do to make a living, what church we’re going to go to, who we’re going to marry, where we will live and so many more decisions.
While we get wisdom and counsel to help us make the decisions, I’d be scared silly if that’s all I got before I had to make my mind up.
New Chums Beach, Coromandel, NZ, selected in the world's 20 most beautiful beaches.
Beaches are my favourite places on this planet.
I’m lucky to live in a country with an inordinate amount of coastline. You can’t get more than a couple of hours from a beach if you try.
The problem with beaches is lots of people don’t wear many clothes on them.
Our nearest beach is a place we can’t even visit over the summer holidays and weekends. Even in the shoulder season we have to travel away from the city to find a patch of sand without a parade of flesh walking past.
Not going to the beach over the Christmas season is a crying shame, but it’s just the reality of living in a sin sick world.
Sexual sin is the area young people most often fall in. And they fall hard. I don’t want that to be us, no matter how unlikely it may seem for goody-goodies like ourselves.
When Jesus tell us lust is the same as adultery in the heart, we need to pay serious attention.
The royal wedding this weekend was spectacular. Most pleasing was the large amounts of praises, references and petitions to God in the ceremony. Even though the couple is completely secular you could see the Christian heritage.
There was however a disturbing theme, mostly promoted by the commentators.
They basically said that while Charles and Dianna’s marriage was a foolish affair, this one was much more sensible because William and Kate have been living together for years, so their relationship is serious. The fact they’re not virgins is touted as a very good and wise thing.
Is how we’re doing church the right way to do it? Certainly it’s different than what it sounded like in Acts and the epistles.
What does the word ‘church’ even refer to?
I know some people who whenever possible take ‘church’ to mean the little local fellowship (distinct from all the other local fellowships). I know others who take ‘church’ to mean all the saints, whenever possible.
I’ve just finished reading Total Church, A radical reshaping of gospel and community by Tim Chester and Steve Timmis. Emphasis on radical (although I was kind of expecting it to be a bit more off the wall). The authors are elders in England who are trying to do church in a different way.
It’s a book that makes you ask a lot of questions about how you view the church. I was already reviewing how I saw the church so the book gave me a view of a totally different model.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.”
The Good Shepherd is kind. He gives us rest. He pours out so much love and grace on us.
When you think of what we deserve versus what we get, you marvel at how kind He is. We were His enemies. And yet He takes us to the best of His pastures.
“The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice!” (Psalm 97:1)
The best news is that God is in charge. There is no better scenario than having God in control. You couldn’t nominate a being who would be better at reigning than God. You couldn’t even imagine a being who would be better.
That’s what we mean when we say God is good. God has His attributes in perfection. So He defines good. He is ‘the goodest.’
He is the most loving, the most gracious, the most merciful.
The whole earth ought to rejoice that God is reigning, there’s no better news.
He gives us rest, He gives us food, He gives us everything we could need.
“For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love towards those who fear Him.” (Psalm 103:11)
Wave heights from the Japan tsunami.
The world is pretty shaken up right now. We had the quake here in New Zealand last month and now this massive earthquake and tsunami in Japan, with the threat on nuclear meltdown.
As Christians who are serious about the Bible, we know God is in control. When bad things happen, we know they are still inside of His plans.
We also know that while these tragedies and the loss of material things seems earth shattering, there is a much bigger problem… living in sin against God. While this seems like a lot of suffering, it’s much worse to be in rebellion against God.
“I shall not want.”
I love how simple Psalm 23 is. David beautifully states his complete trust in the Lord.
“I shall not want” could also be translated, ‘I shall not fail’ or ‘I will never lack.’
It’s closely related to the statement that all things work together for good for the believer (Romans 8:32). And to the assertion that God will not keep any good things from us (Psalm 84:14). I know I mention these verses a lot, but they’re key to helping us deal with life and they’re related to this idea that we will not want.
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