Windows On The Soul

In this past week, we have heard the trumpet call to remembrance of the Armistice and of the men and women who gave their lives in the defense of our country. Trumpets played a prominent role in Old Testament life. In rural civil life, it sounded the alarm of impending attack, calling the people together to close ranks, with a common purpose of defense. In religious life, the silver trumpet (shofar) announced special assemblies, feasts and holy days. Then in the month of ‘Tishri’ (October), a rams horn ‘shofar’ was blown to announce the ‘new year’ and to summon the nation to a week of spiritual preparation for the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). The ram’s horn was a reminder of God’s provision of the substitutionary lamb for Abraham to sacrifice instead of Isaac ( Gen.22 ). The week of preparation involves self-examination, repentance and putting-right, but it is God who provides “atonement” (wiping out of the debt). In the New Testament, the trumpet is rarely mentioned. T...

C.S.Lewis suggests that Satan does not tempt us with repulsive things, but rather temptation offers the subtle choices between what we want to do and what we ought to do (" The Screwtape Letters "). When God created the world, He saw that it was good. The devil, being less than God, does not create; rather his work is of pale imitations and distortions of God's good works. God's will is for our proper, moderated care, use and enjoyment of His creation. But as our natural wills are not fully aligned with God's, we are constantly tempted toward improper, immoderate, uncaring misuse of His good gifts. Self-respect, necessary for our growth as children of God, when used as an 'end' instead of a 'means', becomes pride. Self-love, the model of our love of others, misguided, becomes selfishness. Appreciation of beauty, immoderately, becomes lust and avarice. Natural appetites excessively fed, become greed and gluttony. William Booth knew that temptation...

“Reconciliation” is very much in the news at the moment, particularly with regard to Australia’s ‘Anglo’ and aboriginal peoples. This is a subject that Christians should be seriously thinking and speaking about. Firstly, because it was often through “Christian missions” that past government policies of removing aboriginal children from their parents, was implemented. Though done with the ‘best intentions’ of wanting to provide a ‘better environment’ for the children, emotional needs of the children and parents, and differing cultural understanding of what a ‘better  environment’ is, were ignored. The wisdom required of missionaries in cross-cultural work is indeed that of Solomon. Secondly, Christians have something to say about “Reconciliation” because this is the very basis of our standing with God. Reconciliation with Him is necessary because of our sinful nature. We have said “Sorry!” (repented), but that is not enough. For some sin (like theft), restitution can ...

Whilst the choice of sinning or not is the basic question of human free will, the divine answer is "I will forgive you when you do sin, if you repent". This is the very core of Christianity; an absolutely holy righteous God, who is also absolutely lovingly merciful. In prayer, I sometimes find it better to ask God " What's the question? ". Then I am in a better position to hear the answer that I need, rather than restricting God to answering my very human, sometimes selfish, sometimes silly (in hind-sight) questions. If we ask, we get what we need; if we don't ask, then we simply get what we deserve. ----xxxXxxx---- Mt.6:8 "Your father already knows what you need before you ask Him.  This then is how you should pray..." Jas.4:2 "You have not because you ask not" Lk.11:9 "Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find" Ac.8:22 "Repent of this evil plan...pray to God to forgive you" 1 Jn.1:9 ...

Two centuries ago with 'The Enlightenment', philosophers rejected the biblical doctrine of sin and began to teach that people are basically good - that only social structures are evil. If that is true, then to eradicate evil you do not have to change individual behaviour - only social structure. Moral effort was directed away from personal ethics and toward economics and politics. Jesus said that the one who is faithful in small things will be faithful in big things. It’s a matter of character. You see, the man who will cheat on his wife will cheat in his professional life. The man who has no self-restraint in his personal life will have no self-restraint in his political life. You can't have social morality without personal morality." Charles Colson, " A Dance with Deception " ----xxxXxxx---- Lk.16:10 "Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large matters; whoever is dishonest in small ones will be dishonest in large ones" ...

In reading last week, I was reminded of the difference between " accepting " Christ, and making a " decision " for Christ. " Acceptance " does not have the sense of completeness as does " decision ", which implies a cut-off point, a turn around, of burning one's bridges.  A favourite hymn states " I have decided to follow Jesus, No turning back ". A man recently came to the Lord later in life. He felt convicted about a criminal act in his past and sought to confess and make amends. Though he has forgiveness from the Lord, the law of the land did not, and he is now serving a prison sentence. For him, taking up his cross to follow Jesus has had an enormous price. Please pray for him, his family and church, and remember the prison ministries and other prisoners who have come to the Lord through them and are still serving their time. ----xxxXxxx---- Lk.9:23 "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up ...

"The bible was written in tears and to tears it will yield its best treasures. God has nothing to say to the frivolous man. It was to Moses, a trembling man, that God spoke on the mount. Daniel's long season of fasting and prayer brought Gabriel from heaven to tell him the secret of the centuries. The psalmists often wrote in tears, the prophets could hardly conceal their heavy-heartedness, and the Apostle Paul in his otherwise joyous epistle to the Philippians broke into tears when he thought of the many who were enemies of the cross of Christ and whose end was destruction. Whatever is done without heart is done in the dark, no matter how scriptural it may appear to be." A.W.Tozer - "God Tells the Man Who Cares" ----xxxXxxx---- Ps.6:8 "Depart from me all you workers of iniquity; for the Lord has heard the voice of my weeping" Esth.4:1 "When Mordecai perceived all that was done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, a...

Last Sunday night, I was taken in a dream on a "tour of inspection". We visited many structures built on stilts over the sea. The inspection was specifically examining the condition of the piles. The weather and time had taken their toll. Some were still serviceable, whilst others had eroded to almost match-sticks. Then my own foundations were examined, and found in need of attention. I was then shown the type of foundations required - concrete as hard as the sea bed on which they stood. I noticed a door-way or hatch in the side and asked the reason - the answer - it was an inspection hatch, and regular inspections were essential. The interpretation is clear. The Christian life stands in the middle of the pounding seas of life; a beacon, a solid anchorage in the storm. But the strength of that life depends on the sureness of its foundations, and over time, laziness, compromises, indiscretions and lack of maintenance allow them to be eroded. Part of our preventative maintenanc...

This is hard teaching Lord. You call sinners to repent and to receive forgiveness according to the riches of your grace, but are you now saying that your forgiveness is conditional? I know that you call me to live a life like you, forgiving others as you have forgiven me, but I do fall far short of your graciousness. Lord, help me by your spirit, to identify, repent of, and be healed of those parts of my being, those attitudes that hold me back from being totally forgiving to others. Lord shine the light of your spirit into my darkest recesses, bringing forth attitudes to be confessed to you, to receive your cleansing forgiveness. - --===X===--- 1 Jn.1:9 "If we confess...faithful and just to forgive" Lk.6:37 "Judge not...be not judged, forgive and be forgiven" Jn.3:18 "He that believes on Him is not condemned" Mic.7:18 "Who is like God, that pardons iniquity, that overlooks transgressions" Lk.3:3 "...preaching the ...

One of my weekly chores at work, in proving our new system, is to assist the accountants in identifying and explaining any discrepancies in the weekly cash-to-sales reconciliation. Whether the discrepancy is $500 or 50c, it has to be tracked down what-ever the cost. At times it seems ludicrous to spend thousands of dollars to track down a few cents. But its a matter of integrity. Like the clock that strikes thirteen, not only is it obviously wrong, but it casts doubt on every other chime the clock has made. In man’s relationship with God, there are two extremes. Some people, full of guilt, can feel that God could not possibly forgive the horrible things they have done. But the much more common and insidious problem is when people think that they are basically good, and that they have no need for their occasional, insignificant, indiscretions (or whatever euphemism for Sin you care to use) to be forgiven ( 1 Jn.5:17 ). Both extremes are lies of the devil.  ALL h...