Category: Discipleship

Moulded by the maker

Reflections based on Romans 5:1–5.

We need to be honest – there are times when we all struggle, when thoughts about hope are simply beyond us because we are totally overwhelmed and frustrated by our circumstances. God knows that, and shows us great mercy in our struggles. But He also works through our testing times, our waiting times, the times when we are forced to give up on things we thought we were supposed to be doing, are suffering physically or are being treated unfairly by someone around us.

Some of the things we find ourselves up against are a result of human sin – of those around us or perhaps ourselves – but, whatever the reason, God can use it all to mould our character. As this Romans passage says, we can ‘boast in the hope of the glory of God’ – but also ‘glory in our sufferings’ because they produce in us a harvest of perseverance, character and, eventually, hope.

Knowing that God is doing something through the hard times, moulding us to be more like Jesus, can help us to understand why He doesn’t always deliver us from them. Rather than just praying for an end to the troubles, have you ever tried asking God what He is trying to teach you, or change in you, during a really testing time?

Mick Brooks, in his book Faith, Hope, Love and everything inbetween (CWR), says: ‘Even though we sometimes don’t realise it, don’t feel like it’s true and even, at times, don’t want it, God is committed to finishing what He has started. He takes imperfect people and works constantly to transform us, using everything we go through as the tools of His trade.’ (p17)

In my own life, it is certainly true that I can look back and see how God has changed me through the struggles — although I couldn’t see it at the time.

For prayer and reflection: Thank You Lord that You have a heavenly, eternal perspective. So often I want to be released from particular difficulties and yet You allow them because they mould me. 

Learning to remember

Reflections based on Exodus 15:1–18 and 16:2–3.

Our reading for today shows us how quickly we humans forget! God had miraculously delivered the Israelites from their oppressors, the Egyptians, by opening the Red Sea for them to cross safely, then closing it over their pursuers. Immediately afterwards they burst into a spontaneous song of thanks. Yet, by the next chapter they are longing to be back in Egypt because the going is tough! They’ve forgotten what they experienced there, and aren’t trusting that God will provide all their needs while they are in the desert. Did they truly think God would do such an amazing miracle to ensure their freedom, then leave them to starve in the desert? But, by focusing on their immediate needs, that was exactly what they were believing.

While we may judge the Israelites for their lack of trust, we, too, can quickly forget God’s goodness. By focusing on difficult circumstances we can get blinkered, and unable to see God’s perspective on the situation. But by remembering the good things He has done we can feed our souls with truths that build our faith back up and help us to believe that, while we may not get instant relief from our problems, God still has our backs.

One important way to remember is to delve into Scripture to see how God has been faithful to His people throughout time. Indeed, Romans 15:4 says that ‘everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.’ One of the purposes of the Bible is to feed us with knowledge of God, providing us with an assurance of His overall perfect plan.

For prayer and reflection: Thank you Lord for the Bible, and for all the wonderful stories of your faithfulness that it contains. Help me not to be as forgetful as the Israelites were.

An anchor for our souls

Photo by Manuel Keusch from Pexels

After a break over the summer (during which we had an incredible time in the Philippines – I’m sure I’ll be sharing about that sometime!), we are back with our next reflection on hope.

Reflections based on Hebrews 6:13–20.

While it begins by referring to the oath that God made with Abraham back in the Old Testament, I have chosen to concentrate on this passage from Hebrews because of verse 19. It is God’s nature that is unchangeable – as are His promises. So even while we are going through really tough times we can rest assured that His purposes will come to pass. It is that secure knowledge of our future hope that can anchor our lives even when all around us is a raging storm. In fact, the anchor on a boat isn’t really needed in calm seas – how often do we forget about ours when things are going well?

The curtain that is referred to in verse 19 was found across the entrance to the Most Holy Place in the temple. In Old Testament times, it was a place the priest could only enter once a year to atone for the sins of the people. But Jesus’ sacrifice for us means we have constant access to God now, and can draw close to Him during the good and bad times. That knowledge is, again, I believe a firm anchor for our souls. We can spend time dwelling on the fact that we are accepted by God, loved unconditionally and saved for eternity. Hebrews 10 includes a similar message to our reading, going on to say ‘let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings… Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.’ (vv.22–3)

I think there are times when we have to make a conscious effort to hold onto that anchor. One way we can do this is by reflecting on God’s faithful nature. Why not take some time out today to do so?

For prayer and reflection: Have you ever kept a prayer journal? You can record prayer requests, and answered prayers. If you already have one, take a look back and thank God for His faithfulness to you.

God has put his hope in us

Photo by Miguel Á. Padriñán from Pexels

Reflections based on Ephesians 2:10–22.

This passage builds on what we were learning last time – that God’s hope is for everyone and that that hope is revealed through the Church.

Ever since I became a Christian in childhood I have been taught that we, God’s people, are God’s plan A for reaching the world, and that He has no plan B! Indeed, the phrase ‘The local church is the hope of the world’ is used a lot by preachers and teachers. It is so true that, as long as the Church is working as it should, it reveals a real depth and beauty – because it has the fragrance of Christ.

Our passage talks about us being part of a much bigger thing; a building God has fashioned for Himself. The apostles and prophets were the foundation, Jesus the chief cornerstone and all of us join together to be the holy temple in which God lives. Wow. It is no longer about ecclesiastical buildings but simply through the way we live that we reveal to the world that each one of us can have His Spirit dwelling inside of us.

While pondering this passage, I came across the following quote from C.S. Lewis: ‘The church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply, a waste of time.’ There is certainly plenty of food for thought contained in there!

For prayer and reflection: Spend some time thanking God in your own words that He has chosen the Church to be His vehicle to reveal Himself to the world.

Hope through the seasons of life

I am delighted to welcome Jean Gibson to the Unmasked: stories of authenticity blog series. Two of her books have appeared in a new, combined edition and, to celebrate, I asked her to share with us some stories of hope, which also tie in well with the devotional series currently running.

‘Hi Karen, how are things this week?’

She grimaced. ‘Not so good.’

Then her face lit up. ‘But I’ve found a great verse. Whenever I feel down I repeat it to myself. It’s Romans 12:12. “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”’

Karen had terminal cancer. As I looked at her, I thought, ‘Joyful in hope. That’s the title for your chapter in my book. In fact, that’s the title of the whole book.’

I had just completed my first book, Seasons of Womanhood, and was working on the second – another book of stories demonstrating how God brought hope into the lives of women in a variety of challenging situations. Karen’s story was still being lived out in front of me.

The books had come about as I realised how many of the women I knew were seeing God at work in their lives through their everyday circumstances. From the ‘wild child’ teenager caught up in the Northern Ireland troubles to the young singer struggling with childlessness and the mother facing the end of life, women were finding God as the ultimate answer. 

Sometimes that answer was a miraculous change in their circumstances, but sometimes it was a deep awareness of the hope brought by his presence as the difficulties continued. 

The phrase ‘joyful in hope’ reminded me how often the themes of joy and hope are linked throughout the Bible. In Nehemiah 8, the prophet encourages the people to rejoice in the God who had helped them through their time in exile and through the challenges of rebuilding temple and city: ‘The joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Nehemiah 8:10) The rebuilding project involved everyone, at different stages of life. But they all knew God’s joy upholding them as they hoped in him to work out his promises. 

There are times when life is tough for all of us. But as we focus on God, not our problems, we find his hope and joy building within us. The secret is in living close to our Heavenly Father, in waking each morning with the realisation, ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Psalm 118:24) Through everything that happens, our relationship with him holds firm.

Zephaniah 3:5 tells us, ‘Every new day he does not fail.’

Whatever season of life we are living in just now, the excitement of springtime, the beauty of summer, the joy of harvest or the challenge of winter, we can rejoice every day in the hope he offers.

Further on in the same chapter of Zephaniah we read, ‘The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.’ (Zephaniah 3:17) When we come to him, he delights in us, he loves us, he even rejoices over us. We cannot understand it but as we trust him, we come to know the truth of it.

Whatever is happening in our lives, God’s faithfulness is constant. And so we can embrace this day – get outside, enjoy the beautiful world God has given us, move our bodies, exercise our creativity, meet friends, make the most of every day he gives us.

If we grasp the opportunities we have today, with God’s help we can have lives that are extraordinary in his strength. We have an all-powerful God. There is no limit to what he can do through us if we are willing to find our hope in him.

One of the stories I told in Seasons of Womanhood was of my dearly loved Auntie Jean. As I grew, Auntie Jean shared with me her love of books, her love for nature and her love for God. In later life, she developed dementia and, although our relationship remained strong, she began to change as her memory deteriorated and her behaviour altered. 

The effects of Alzeimer’s disease became more marked and yet her faith in God remained alive. Although she was often confused about day-to-day events, she could repeat many psalms from memory. Her favourite was Psalm 91: ‘He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”’

In the frightening confusion of memory loss, right to her last day, she still knew the security of God’s love surrounding her. The hope she found in him as a young teenager kept her strong all those years later.

Illness, sin, anxiety, loneliness and many other circumstances can shake our world. But nothing can remove the reality of God’s love and the hope we have in him.

Prayer: Lord you know the challenges I face today. Thank you that your love and power are greater than them all. Help me to be joyful in hope throughout this day.

Having been involved in theological education in Kenya for a number of years, Jean Gibson now focuses her attention on writing and speaking. Her books include Seasons of Womanhood, Joyful in Hope and An Open Door. Jean’s website is http://www.jeangibson.co.uk

Hope within the body of Christ

Reflections based on Ephesians 4:1–16.

‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called’ (v.4)

I find this reminder of our one hope really interesting – and encouraging. It comes under a subheading ‘Unity and maturity in the body of Christ’ and here we are urged to live lives ‘worthy of the calling’ and are given a wonderful picture of how the body of Christ should work. Supporting one another, building each other up and each playing the part that God gave specifically to us…

Paul is obviously very aware of how differences between people can niggle and eventually erode the unity of the Church, so he begins by reminding us that there is only one body, and one Spirit – just as there is but one hope.

As we looked at last week, that hope is open to everyone who chooses to believe. That means our churches are going to be full of people that are very different to us! How do we learn not to just live with them, but appreciate those who may have different viewpoints and giftings to us? Well I think ensuring we keep the ‘main thing the main thing’, as a speaker I heard once said, is a pretty important part of that.

If we keep our focus on the fact that we, totally undeserving sinners, were offered unmerited favour by our God, through Jesus Christ, then we can look at others through the eyes of humility and love. But also with a heart of celebration – God has given each one of us this hope! And exuding that future hope, no matter what our circumstances (and possibly personal differences), is something that only the Church can do.

Let’s ‘grow up’, shape up and show the world that we certainly do have something that unites us all!

For prayer and reflection: Thank you God that you love me – but that you also love the people I find most difficult in church. Help us to learn to celebrate that each of us is different.

Wanting the quick fix

My husband and I recently started using a fitness app on our phones, as we want to lose a bit of weight. It is quite time-consuming making a note of all the things that we eat but, it is a great way to keep a check on the amount of calories that I’m consuming – and it has definitely stopped me from grabbing a snack each time I go to refill my hot water mug or eating a slice of cheese while I’m cooking or preparing the children’s packed lunches.

However the slightly frustrating part is that my husband seems to be losing weight more quickly than I am, and he can already feel and see a slight difference in his body. I have heard that women take longer to shed the pounds, so I keep saying that to myself – but I’m still annoyed.

Then this morning happened. God started gently talking to me about this attitude – and revealed that it runs throughout my life (ouch).

I heard him whisper to my heart: ‘You want the quick fix. You don’t like the long haul.’

I had been looking for a little bit of encouragement, to help me keep going (as I’ve been feeling hungry constantly, whereas my husband has always been someone who can take or leave food).

So I wasn’t too chuffed to hear what God was saying…but then I took time to reflect on it and realised He was right.

For example, I’ve been reading Jen Wilkin’s great book Women of the Word, which challenges the way we approach the Bible. I said a hearty ‘Amen’ when I read her comments on how too often we can go to the Bible to find out more about ourselves, or to look for answers or direction, when actually the point of reading the Bible is to find out more about God.

Then Jen began talking about all the different ways we can choose to read the Bible – such as thematically, delving into it randomly like we’ve been ‘led’ to a particular passage. And I realised that I can have a tendency to do that. 

She then moved on to talk about a systematic approach to digging deeper into the Word. I began to get excited but then, as I read on, I realised that it was going to be a lot of hard work! I even thought to myself: ‘why would I do this all myself when so many others have done it before me?’ I hate to admit that, but it’s true!

Jen herself recognises the great insights found in commentaries and in the introduction to books in study Bibles and yet there is a treasure to be found when we research and read for ourselves, beforewe read what they say.

Even when I’m writing Bible study notes I want to get to the heart of what the message is quickly – and yet I feel a quickening that God is perhaps challenging me to slow down and do even more hard workto allow Him to reveal deeper secrets to me from His Word.

And I think the truth is we can have the ‘quick fix’ approach to all areas of our lives. Part of it is probably down to our consumer-led culture, but a lot of it is our sinful, selfish nature. 

As God speaks to me more personally about this, I’m finding I’m recognising and repenting of attitudes that I never recognised as lazy or self-entitled before.

What about you? Are there areas in your life that you are beginning to realise you look for the ‘quick fixes’ in?

My prayer for you

Reflections based on Ephesians 1:17–20.

Having finished our study on holiness last week, I am turning to look at hope next. Scripture is full of verses about hope, some of which I want to unpack with you. And yet, at the very start of our time together, I want to share with you my own hopes and prayers for this study.

I was drawn to the subject of hope after my husband led his first study at the ‘pastors’ life group’ he attends. He had just taken over leading the church, and with the added responsibilities and joys come added pressures and difficulties. And yet, during that study, he challenged other pastors from nearby churches to look afresh at biblical hope, and the fact that it is rooted in the truths about God. He then got them to look at their own hopes for the coming year, and the things perhaps they were beginning to lose hope for and challenged them to look at them afresh alongside relevant Scripture.

When I first looked at his notes I too was challenged and decided to explore this whole subject further. This passage from Ephesians is my prayer for you. That as we look at various verses on hope together God will reveal Himself to you once again and your heart will be refreshed and revitalised by the lifegiving knowledge that we have a hope beyond all earthly hopes, which God our Father Himself has called us to.

That hope is accompanied by an inheritance – and the same amazing power that raised Jesus from the dead. Wow. We have a lot to be grateful for don’t we?!

For prayer and reflection: At the start of this new study Lord I do pray that you will open the eyes of my heart to a fresh revelation of the hope that you have called me to.

A prayer for holiness

Reflections based on 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13; 2 Timothy 2:20–22.

Today’s short reading, which I have chosen from 1 Thessalonians 3:12, is my prayer for you as we end this study on holiness together. The verses talk about how it is Jesus who makes us strong and enables us to love one another. Not only that, Paul is reminding the Thessalonian church that it is the Holy Spirit alone who can strengthen them – from the heart outwards. He does this for each one of us, in order for us to be ‘blameless and holy’ before God. 

During this study we have looked at how holy our God is, why blood sacrifice was necessary for us to have a restored relationship with Him and what responsibility we have to pursue holiness. In our final look at holiness I want to come full circle, back to a reminder that, for all the efforts that we do need to put in, becoming holy is based on our standing in Christ and the work that the Holy Spirit does within us.

As we have seen, holiness means being set apart. Two Timothy reminds us that vessels can be used for both noble or common uses. Paul was urging Timothy to allow God to use him for His higher purposes. I love the way The Message translates verse 22: ‘Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing.’

There needs to be a willingness to set aside our own agendas and bow to God’s will for our lives in order to be made holy and to bless others. But that is also the way to satisfaction and fruitfulness. Remember: we have been made alive in Christ – becoming holy simply means becoming more the people that we were created to be.

Prayer: Lord, thank You that in You I am blameless before God. I recognise that continuing to pursue holiness is the way to become the person You want me to be. Help me to submit to the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in my life. Amen.

Running with perseverance

Reflections based on Hebrews 12:1–14.

Let’s start by reminding ourselves of some central truths that we have discovered during our devotional on holiness. Today’s reading is a great motivational passage to help us run our race of life well, refusing to give in to sin. It teaches us to remember Jesus and how He lived His life with His goal always before Him. There is a ‘big picture’ being painted here, which is there to help strengthen us in those moments when we feel like giving up our efforts. 

We are also told to ‘Endure hardship as discipline’ (v7), as we are God’s children and that ‘God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness’ (v10). Jerry Bridges in The Pursuit of Holiness says that, ‘Holiness is … required for our well-being’ and makes the point that God’s discipline is a way in which He enables us to become holy. He disciplines us because He loves us and desires to have the type of close relationship a father has to his child.

Again we see the word ‘Therefore’ being used in verse 12. There is a sense that we need to be responsible and disciplined in our lifestyles and that it isn’t just for our benefit. We are to be good examples to others and live at peace with one another.

I have ended today’s reading with the reminder that ‘without holiness no one will see the Lord’. Yes it is a gift freely given, but if we long to see God we must run hard after holiness. I love how Kevin de Young puts it: ‘To run hard after holiness is another way of running hard after God’.* It isn’t holiness as an end in itself that we are seeking, but the One in whom it is all hidden: Jesus.

Prayer: Father, help me to understand the unending love that is behind Your discipline. And that seeking holiness is really seeking to know Jesus more. Amen.

*Kevin de Young, The Hole in our Holiness (Crossway, 2007)