Power.

It's a stormy end to the year in the East Neuk of Fife, where my wife and I are spending a couple of days with dear friends. Indeed, during a song at the worship service, this morning, all of the lights were suddenly extinguished; the projector cut out; the sound system died; and there was no accompaniment from the keyboard! Yes, the whole village had suffered a power-cut. Even when we returned to our friends' home, there was no electricity - we were glad that they have a wood-burning stove, and a gas cooker!

Power! when it comes to the electrical form thereof we are, it must be admitted, pretty well lost without it. I couldn't have even published this post as, while the battery would have provided adequate power for me to type it up, there was no internet access to enabe me to do anything else.

The written Word of God has a lot to say about power - although not the kind provided by electricity. In a conversation, just a couple of days ago, I was informed that we are all God's children. I had to point out that that is not what the Bible says! In words that were being read in many gatherings of disciples of Jesus just a week ago: "... to all who received Him [Jesus], who believed in His Name, He gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." (John 1:12-13; emphasis added). In other words, I am not a child of God by nature, but need to experience His power in my life in order that I may be adopted into His family!

In one of the recorded prayers of the Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, he utters these words: "Ah Lord God! It is Thou Who hast made the heavens and the earth by Thy great power and by Thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for Thee, ... " (Jer 32:17; emphasis added). The God of the Bible is the Creator of all that exists. He is the omnipotent One Who can do anything! (Well, as I pointed out in a post on Feb.3rd, 2008, there are some things that even Almighty God is unable to do! It might be worth your while, as we reach the end of another year, to check out what I posted then!).

Just one more reference. Writing to his son in the faith, the young pastor Timothy, the agèd apostle, Paul, gave these words of advice: "... understand this, that in the last days there will come times of stress. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, inhuman, implacable, slanderers, profligates, fierce, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding the form of religion but denying the power of it. Avoid such people." (II Tim.3-1-5; emphasis added). Such words are but one of many indications that we are currently living in the end-times. As I look about me I see so much that masquerades as Christianity - but that is totally lacking in any evidence that it is operating in the power of God the Holy Spirit, and bringing glory to the Son.

Power! how important it is. If you want a good Word Study, you could do a lot worse than check out many more of the references to it in God's Word. However, the BIG question is: "Do I know that power of God in my own life?" 

We got by this morning - even if we had to revert to the "low-tech" of hymn books for the final song! I can only speak for myself, but I would not wish to enter 2018 without experiencing something of His power in my life. I trust that all who read this post will be able to say, with Paul, "... I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, ..." (Phil.3:8-10; emphasis added).

Staying in the bubble!

No, the title to this post does not refer to the so-called "Westminster bubble" in which so many UK Members of Parliament appear to reside!  I am no naturalist, but I do know that a little creature, known as the water spider, is quite amazing.  Sometimes called "the frogman spider", it lives in rivers and streams - underneath the surface of the water!

How does this fascinating species survive in its watery environment?  Its secret is that it spins a tough, basket-like, web of silk - almost a little diving bell - and anchors it underwater to plants, or other objects.  Then it captures a surface air bubble, which it pulls down and injects into its underwater 'house'.  This combination of web building and bubble trapping allows the water spider to survive in an environment that would, normally, destroy it.

Disciples of Jesus also live in an environment that could destroy us!  The values, attitudes, practices, and priorities, of the world threaten to drown us - unless we are able to protect ourselves from them.  So how are we to survive, spiritually, in this hostile worldly environment?

May I suggest that we must build a 'bubble' of protection around ourselves by the regular reading, and study, of the written Word of God; by regular prayer; by regular fellowship with other believers; by regular communing with God the Holy Spirit; by always trusting Father God, and obeying His Word?  These activities will protect our minds, and help us to be safe and secure.  Paul writes to the early believers in the great city of Rome: "I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.  Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." (Rom.12:1-2; emphasis added).

As the water spider lives in the water, but is not of the water, so disciples of Jesus must live in, but not be of, the world. (see John 17:16).  Are you building a safe 'bubble'?

It was Humpty Dumpty!

"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean -- neither more nor less." (Through the Looking Glass; ch.6)

We seem to be living in an increasingly Humpty Dumpty world.  As a "child who was born on the Sabbath Day" (well, it was actually a Sunday - but in the little rhyme, the two terms are synonymous!), I was always happy to claim to living up to what I was supposed to be: "bonnie, and blithe, and good, and gay".  However, I am less likely, today, to refer to myself by that last adjective.

Likewise, politicians in a number of parts of the world have, recently, redefined the word 'marriage'.  All that it now means is that two (for the moment!) people declare love for one another.  There is no need for even the possibility of procreation; and there are still questions as to what would constitute grounds for divorce!

Even as long-standing a word as 'evolution' seems to be able to change (or ought I to say, evolve?!) its meaning.  I have been reading up on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) with regard to getting more 'traffic' to this blog.  In one article, I read: "Thus, through evolution, smart engineers at the engines devised better ways to find valuable results that searchers would appreciate and enjoy."

Two things jumped out at me.  First of all, there was the interesting juxtaposition of 'evolution' and 'devised'.  Surely, I asked myself, the whole point of evolution is that it is the result of random choices made over a very long period of time?!  If something is 'devised', that clearly implies that there has been forethought, planning, design.  It certainly doesn't sit well with a notion of random choice.

Nor should it.  The second thing that I saw was the reference to "smart engineers".  That suggests a certain level of intelligence - certainly not a mindless, chaotic, series of accidentally fortuitous circumstances!

Of course, this is the point made by the proponents of ID (Intelligent Design) - that there is abundant evidence in the known universe for us to be able to postulate a creative, intelligent, mind behind all that is. As the old advertisement, for something or other, had it: "You know it makes sense!" 

Speaking, by telephone, with a very dear friend in the south of England, earlier this evening (or last evening, if one wishes to be pedantically accurate - it is now past midnight!) we discussed, among other things, this very point.  Charles Darwin confessed that his theory with regard to the origin of species was flawed by the failure to discover fossil evidence of any of the necessary 'intermediate' creatures.  However, more than 200 years after his birth, and more than 150 years after the publication of On the Origin of Species, such evidence is still notable by its absence.

Another problem, recognised by Darwin, concerns the eye.  He wrote: “To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances for adjusting the focus to different distances, for admitting different amounts of light, and for the correction of spherical and chromatic aberration, could have been formed by natural selection, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree.”  Indeed, the thousands of elements in the single-lens eye must all be in position, and working correctly, for that eye to have any vision.  Take away any of the elements, and the eye simply doesn't function!

Evolution is, in fact, a pseudo-science that provides a philosophical framework for those who refuse to admit the existence of a Creator to Whom we are all, ultimately, accountable.  It is the refuge of those who are like the Biblical 'fool' who says in his heart, "There is no God"! (Ps.14:1).  By the way, the Hebrew word used (nabal) refers to someone who is 'empty-headed' in a morally deficient sense, not to someone who is intellectually wanting.

Praise God, He has not left Himself without witness, and the day is coming - perhaps sooner than many think - when at the Name of Jesus (Who, of course, is God the Son) every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (see Phil.2:10-11).

Thank You, Lord!

It happened in a previous fellowship in which I was a part of the Leadership Team.  During a time of open ministry a young lady, who was a visitor, came to me for prayer.  As she looked up at me with a smile that seemed almost to split her face, I inquired as to any specific reason for prayer, and received the response, "The Lord has blessed me so really wonderfully, and I want to be able to really thank Him."  As I waited to discover the nature of such an obviously enormous blessing, she continued, "He has supplied me with a new pair of sandals.  Now, I just want more of Him!"

Although I knew that most, if not all, of those in the building at the time had wardrobes full of clothing and footwear, I didn't need to look any further than myself to realise how often we take so much for granted.  "A new pair of sandals" - and in Motherwell, in the middle of winter (it was January, as I recall)!  I felt strangely humbled, and honoured, to be permitted to pray with one whose heart was so full of thanksgiving.

There is much for which you and I, if we are genuine disciples of Jesus, can and should offer thanks to God - regardless of our financial, or material, circumstances.  There is the wonder of our salvation; the indwelling of God the Holy Spirit; the assurance of eternity in the Father's presence.  There is the family of the Church; the fellowship of the saints; the freedom to meet, together, with Him.  There is the written Word; the open door of prayer; the fruit, and gifting, of both the Lord Jesus, and Holy Spirit.

It is the constant exhortation that we be thankful, and praise the Lord.  The Psalmists were full of such praise and thanksgiving.  So David sings out, "I will give You thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise You." (Ps.35:18), while the un-named writer of Psalm 105 encourages his listeners to "Give thanks to the Lord, call on His Name; make known among the nations what He has done." (v.1).  Paul, too, says that we should be "... always giving thanks to God, the Father of everything, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Eph.5:20).

Let us, then, be filled with thanksgiving that will lead to praise which, as He is "... enthroned on the praises of His people." (Ps.22:3), will bring us ever more closely into His Presence, there to offer to Him the worship of our hearts and lives.

And a suggestion:  Let us cultivate an attitude of gratitude at all times!