Profitable remembering!

The story is told of a Persian shepherd who, because of his great devotion and faithfulness to his king, was promoted to the position of Prime Minister. [Perhaps that is where some modern countries should look!!!!]. The other ministers of state were angry that one with such a lowly origin should have been so highly honoured. They sought, therefore, to bring in some evil report that would place him in a position of disfavour. 

After having watched him closely for some time, they found nothing objectionable - apart from the fact that, once a week, he would enter a little room which he kept locked, and would shut himself away there for an hour.

The ministers informed their monarch of this, declaring that they were certain that the Prime Minister and former shepherd must be gathering there a secret hoard of his master's precious possessions. The king doubted their story, but felt obliged to grant them permission to break into, and search, the room. They did so - but all that they found there was a small bundle containing a dilapidated pair of shoes, and an old cloak.

The Prime Minister was brought before the king and asked to explain himself, and why he kept the items that had been found in the room. He replied: "I wore these things when I was a shepherd. I look at them regularly, lest I forget what I once was, and how unworthy I am of all of the kindness and honour that your majesty has bestowed upon me."

I cannot vouch for the veracity of that story - but it does have a lesson for all of us who claim to be disciples of the Lord Jesus. While we are encouraged, by the apostle Paul, to "[forget] what lies behind, and [strain] forward to what lies ahead, " (Phil.3:13), it is sometimes useful to recall what we once were, before "He drew [us] up from the desolate pit, out of the miry bog, and set [our] feet upon a rock, making [our] steps secure." (Ps.40:2). Remembering the depths from which we have been taken, should help us to appreciate the heights to which we have now been lifted in the Christ.

As beggars plucked out of abject poverty, we are permitted, through the grace of Almighty God, "... Who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses," to have been "made ... alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and [to have been] raised ... up with Him, and made [to] sit with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Eph.2:4-6).

Such remembering of our past will, surely, keep us both humble, and usable. That will be profitable remembering!

Druidry - the new religion.

It was one of those news items that isn't considered to be important enough to be put at the top of the programme, but that is considered to be quirky enough to get a mention towards the end!  Apparently, the Charity Commission in the U.K. have now recognised Druidry as a religion, and afforded the Druid Network charitable status!  The Commission says that the Network's work in promoting Druidry as a religion is in the public interest.

So what is Druidry?   Although its history in the British Isles goes back to pre-Christian times, it is very 'New Age'!  According to one article on the Druid Network web-site, "Druids work to build harmonious relationships with deities, ancestors, spirits of the land, animals, trees, rocks, rivers and humanity, both through ritual activity and through their everyday actions."  When I read that, I immediately thought of the inspired words of Paul, when he wrote to the disciples of Jesus in Rome about those who "... exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, Who is blessed for ever!" (Rom 1:25; RSV).

However, what I found to be much more sinister was a peom on the same web-site.  Written by W.William Melnyk - otherwise known as OakWyse - one verse reads as follows:

"It was the smoke I saw first,
but then the serpentine smell of something scaley,
and then,
in the growing darkness,
the soft, insistent red glow of eyes.
And the warmth. The warmth."

My mind went to another passage of Scripture - "Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the YHWH Elohim had made. He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"  And the woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, '  But the serpent said to the woman, 'You will not die.  For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'  So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons." (Gen 3:1-7; RSV).   And so, the relationship between Almighty God, the Creator, and the human beings whom He had created, was broken.

It was "... the serpentine smell of something scaley,"; and "... the soft, insistent red glow of eyes." that were the catalysts.  It seems to me that "... the great dragon ... that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world" (Rev 12:9; RSV) is still working hard to keep many away from the truth that is found in Christ Jesus.

Praise God that, thorugh that same Lord Jesus, and His atoning sacrifice at Calvary, the way is open for us to enter into a new relationship with God.  It still requires confession of our sinfulness; repentance of our sins; and a commitment to Him as not only Saviour, but also Lord.  But it is the Way - the only Way - to a life that continues even after this earthly life is over; continues in a dimension that is beyond our human understanding, as we "... sit with [the Father] in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus," (Eph 2:6; RSV).