Living well. Deuteronomy 16

v19 - 20: "Do not ...show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the innocent. Follow justice and justice alone, so that you may live and possess the land the Lord your God is giving you."

Whitney Capps of First Five says: "As the benchmark for what is right and just, God leads, guards and guides his people to act justly."

God is the standard for what is right. And to act justly is a component of right worship and holy living. It reflects humility before God and others - Micah 6:8 says "The Lord God has told us what is right and what he demands:
“See that justice is done,
let mercy be your first concern,
and humbly obey your God.”

Simple.

Boundaries

Reading on in First 5, I come to Numbers 34, where God tells Moses how to divide up the Promised Land among the tribes of Israel.  This is done by casting lots, according to the size of each tribe. So dividing up the land was not left to the people, where fights and squabbles might have arisen about unfairness, but to God who would decide how the lots would fall and how much land each would get, Indeed, he goes on in Numbers (Chapter 36) to explain what the Levites in particular would have and how their inheritancce would work.

It was all very, very fair - as long as they trusted God and did what he said. As long as they accepted what they were given.

And what immediately struck me - although First 5 concentrates on God's generosity, which is another important lesson to take away from this whole 'given the Promised Land' theme - is that God put BOUNDARIES in place. And how good it is when I accept the boundaries which God has given me. That I am 'content whatever the circumstances', as Paul says.

Circumstances which may, as I reflected yesterday, come as a result of my own sin. It is no good 'backtrading' and living with regrets for my behaviour: I can only go forward, because: "...we know and rely on the love God has for us.
God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: in this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:16 - 19)

Living. well.

1 Peter 3

"What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.
Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. ...

...Be like-minded, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

No giving back as good as I get, no wish to get revenge.

Whoever wants to embrace life
and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
on those who do evil things.

If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

Inspiration for living life loving

Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. (You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart.) 

Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God’s Word goes on and on forever.

This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

God's Word.

Not just words from God on a page in the Bible, but God's Word. 
The Word that was made flesh. Jesus. 
The Word which was there at the beginning, before Creation.
The Word who promised that He would be with us always and for ever.
The Word who promised to send us another to help and encourage us - His spirit.

I have new life. I can leave everything that belongs to the old life behind - not just when I die, but now.

I can leave my sinful desires out of my life if I choose to love others as if my life depends on it. 

I can be free from being a slave to my sin. I do not have to give in to temptation. 

I CAN. 

Living for eternity

1 Peter 1: 3 - 5 What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

And so I can rest. And smile at the future. God has it.

For, as Angela says over at Love God Greatly:
"This is the reality for those who are found in Christ. Here Peter writes a letter of hope to a people, then and now, who are suffering, hurting… who are needing to be reminded that there is this amazing inheritance waiting for them when they get to heaven. An inheritance beyond anything they can ever imagine. A place with no more pain, sadness or heartbreak. A place were we are finally complete, whole… and without sin.

The place our hearts and minds have been aching for since we drew our first breath. Home. Our real home. 
...Like Peter states at the very beginning of Chapter One, we are strangers in the world.

This is not our home. So let’s start living with this truth in mind.

Let’s stop trying to make heaven here on earth.

Let’s stop trying to “save” for the future, and instead pour our lives into NOW.

Jesus is coming back you all, and with the passing of each day His arrival is getting closer and closer. Let’s spend our days wisely, investing in what will last for eternity…"

Spend my days wisely. The second time in as many days I have been reminded of this. Reminded of Andy Stanley's advice: "In the light of my previous experiences, my present circumstances and my future hopes and dreams: what is the wise thing to do?"

The wise thing is to dress myself with compassion, seeing others through Jesus' eyes. Treating others as I want to be treated. Remembering that this earth is not my home and what matters here is only what is of eternal significance.

"Only one life, will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last."

There is always more...

A day after I jotted down a few reflections on Philippians 1 and 2, I reflected on how I pen a few words, scratching at the surface of meaning, and am satisfied. For a while. Because there is ALWAYS MORE.

And so it was today, as I looked again at Philippians 2 and found this:

What I’m getting at, friends, is that you should simply keep on doing what you’ve done from the beginning. When I was living among you, you lived in responsive obedience. Now that I’m separated from you, keep it up. Better yet, redouble your efforts. Be energetic in your life of salvation, reverent and sensitive before God. That energy is God’s energy, an energy deep within you, God himself willing and working at what will give him the most pleasure. (vv 12 - 13, The Message)

I need:

right actions

good attitude

an appreciation that it is God who works in me to make me willing and help me act the right way.

Do everything readily and cheerfully—no bickering, no second-guessing allowed! Go out into the world uncorrupted, a breath of fresh air in this squalid and polluted society. Provide people with a glimpse of good living and of the living God. Carry the light-giving Message into the night so I’ll have good cause to be proud of you on the day that Christ returns. You’ll be living proof that I didn’t go to all this work for nothing. (vv14 - 16, The Message)

And so I can

have the right attitude as I do everything cheerfully,

attaining a sense of living in a God-pleasing way

announcing to the world the truth which Christ preaches.

Even if I am executed here and now, I’ll rejoice in being an element in the offering of your faith that you make on Christ’s altar, a part of your rejoicing. But turnabout’s fair play—you must join me in my rejoicing. Whatever you do, don’t feel sorry for me. (vv17 - 18, The Message)

Because

we appreciate each other for our efforts to live as Jesus wants us to.

As Paul rejoices over the Philippians faith, let us, too, keep encouraging each other along The Way...

Living well under pressure

We’ve all been there: we’ve lost the car keys, can’t find a favourite scarf, the phone rings as we’re rushing out the door and then we get to work and realise we’ve left our lunch behind! The pressure builds as easily as a kettle on the boil and there’s no escaping it.

I had a day like that which began less than twelve hours after I jotted down this title. Computer glitches, covering lessons in my ‘catch up on marking and admin time’, misunderstandings with colleagues...the pressure piled up until I nearly burst into tears. Nothing, of course, like my friend Lisa in Tanzania whose journey home included a flat battery, crazy driving from other road users, a man who pretended he had been injured by their car, riot police at the border crossing and a forest fire near their home.  And nothing like the pressure that so many people endure daily all over the world: just the pressure of finding food for the day occupies the minds of many.

Still, it feels real and overwhelming to us.

Paul knew pressure well.

(2Corinthians 11:23 – 27 I’ve worked much harder, been jailed more often, beaten up more times than I can count, and at death’s door time after time. I’ve been flogged five times with the Jews’ thirty-nine lashes, beaten by Roman rods three times, pummeled with rocks once. I’ve been shipwrecked three times, and immersed in the open sea for a night and a day. In hard traveling year in and year out, I’ve had to ford rivers, fend off robbers, struggle with friends, struggle with foes. I’ve been at risk in the city, at risk in the country, endangered by desert sun and sea storm, and betrayed by those I thought were my brothers. I’ve known drudgery and hard labor, many a long and lonely night without sleep, many a missed meal, blasted by the cold, naked to the weather.)

Finally, imprisoned in Rome, having suffered too many beatings and misfortunes to count, he handles the pressure so admirably that we would do well to pick up some tips from him.

So what does he do?

1.       He prays for others.

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. I am so pleased that you have continued on in this with us, believing and proclaiming God’s Message, from the day you heard it right up to the present. (Philippians 1:3 – 5)

2.       He looks for the benefits in his situation.

My imprisonment here has had the opposite of its intended effect. Instead of being squelched, the Message has actually prospered. All the soldiers here, and everyone else, too, found out that I’m in jail because of this Messiah. That piqued their curiosity, and now they’ve learned all about him. Not only that, but most of the followers of Jesus here have become far more sure of themselves in the faith than ever, speaking out fearlessly about God, about the Messiah. (Philippians 1:12 – 14)

3.       He doesn’t worry about what other people are doing.

So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives, whether mixed, bad, or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is proclaimed, so I just cheer them on! (Philippians 1:18 – 21)

4.       He gives practical advice to those in his care.

Meanwhile, live in such a way that you are a credit to the Message of Christ...Stand united, singular in vision, contending for people’s trust in the Message, the good news, not flinching or dodging in the slightest before the opposition. Your courage and unity will show them what they’re up against: defeat for them, victory for you—and both because of God. (Philippians 1:27 – 28)

5.       He keeps his focus.

As long as I’m alive in this body, there is good work for me to do. If I had to choose right now, I hardly know which I’d choose. Hard choice! The desire to break camp here and be with Christ is powerful. Some days I can think of nothing better. But most days, because of what you are going through, I am sure that it’s better for me to stick it out here....

There’s far more to this life than trusting in Christ. There’s also suffering for him. And the suffering is as much a gift as the trusting. You’re involved in the same kind of struggle you saw me go through, on which you are now getting an updated report in this letter.  (Philippians 1: 22 – 24, 29 – 30, The Message)

6.       He was humble.

If you’ve gotten anything at all out of following Christ, if his love has made any difference in your life, if being in a community of the Spirit means anything to you, if you have a heart, if you care— then do me a favor: Agree with each other, love each other, be deep-spirited friends. Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead. Don’t be obsessed with getting your own advantage. Forget yourselves long enough to lend a helping hand.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. (Philippians 2:1 – 5, The Message)

7.       He offers help.

Paul couldn’t help himself, but sent others to help. I plan (according to Jesus’ plan) to send Timothy to you very soon so he can bring back all the news of you he can gather. Oh, how that will do my heart good! I have no one quite like Timothy. He is loyal, and genuinely concerned for you. Most people around here are looking out for themselves, with little concern for the things of Jesus. But you know yourselves that Timothy’s the real thing. He’s been a devoted son to me as together we’ve delivered the Message. As soon as I see how things are going to fall out for me here, I plan to send him off. And then I’m hoping and praying to be right on his heels. But for right now, I’m dispatching Epaphroditus, my good friend and companion in my work. You sent him to help me out; now I’m sending him to help you out. He has been wanting in the worst way to get back with you. Especially since recovering from the illness you heard about, he’s been wanting to get back and reassure you that he is just fine. He nearly died, as you know, but God had mercy on him. And not only on him—he had mercy on me, too. His death would have been one huge grief piled on top of all the others. (Philippians 2:19 – 27)

So what about us?

Let us:

Pray; 

          look on the bright side; 

                    keep focused on Jesus, not worrying about what anyone else is or isn’t doing; 

                                give help and advice.

Practical ideas? Over to you!