One of the most persistent lies of the enemy is that we, ordinary, run-of-the mill type Christians, cannot have much of an impact or influence in the world. And yet, Jesus tells us to be salt and light, both of which have an incredible influence on things. And, so we should be encouraged to consistently and faithfully live our lives as Christ commands, little knowing what impact that will make--and ultimately, just leaving that matter up to God. Hoping you have a great day.

This morning at breakfast I mentioned how I have difficulties with certain very familiar passages. It is not because I am necessarily wanting something new or exciting, but because I want God's 'word', His message, for today. Years ago I learned something about the Scriptures that certainly applies here. A Bible teacher explained that there are two Greek words translated as 'word' in the New Testament. There is the word 'logos', which is applied in two ways, to the written word and to incarnate Word, which is Jesus Christ. But there is another Greek word, 'rhema', which is a living word, a word that the Spirit takes and applies to you in particular. It is the kind of word that jumps out at you and says 'Hey, listen up. This what God wants to say to you today." This is the kind of word that I watch and wait for, the kind of word that I hope to encounter every single day. But, with familiar passages, such as today's passage (the Beatitudes), this can be difficult, because it is so very, very familiar.

Oddly enough, this 'word' for today did not actually come to me until almost the very end of my meditation. I really that neither the outcome, nor the pre-condition (being merciful, humble, pure, persecuted etc.) were really the point of the passage. Instead, the whole idea was that we should yearn to know Christ better, love Him more deeply and follow Him more faithfully--and everything else would just fall into place.

With my most recent meditations, I am reminded just how very important our focus or perspective is to the normal functioning of our lives. Yesterday's meditation spoke of how our focus needs to be on heaven and heavenly things rather than on the earth and its seeming delights. And today's mediation underlined the need to remain strong in our faith regardless of what might be happening to us or around us.

Here I am reminded of what Malcolm Muggeridge said at Wycliffe Convocation the year that I graduated. He spoke of our lives as Christians as being like the pockets of resistance that existed in occupied Europe during the closing years of World War II. For many in the Resistance things often seemed to go from back to worse as the Nazis feverly tried to locate and destroy any pockets of resistance. Often it seemed quite hopeless, except for the reports from BBC that told them of the positive developments that were happening elsewhere. Muggerridge suggested that our Bibles are like those BBC reports; they remind us of what God has done, and is doing, and that should give us hope. Or put another way, it should give us a different focus or perspective, one that elevates us above what we are presently going through.

Anyway, I hope these meditations are helpful. Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there, and to all the women who have nurtured us and acted like mothers in our lives.

With my most recent meditations, I am reminded just how very important our focus or perspective is to the normal functioning of our lives. Today's meditation spoke of how our focus needs to be on heaven and heavenly things rather than on the earth and its seeming delights. And tomorrow's mediation underlined the need to remain strong in our faith regardless of what might be happening to us or around us.

Here I am reminded of what Malcolm Muggeridge said at Wycliffe Convocation the year that I graduated. He spoke of our lives as Christians as being like the pockets of resistance that existed in occupied Europe during the closing years of World War II. For many in the Resistance things often seemed to go from back to worse as the Nazis feverly tried to locate and destroy any pockets of resistance. Often it seemed quite hopeless, except for the reports from BBC that told them of the positive developments that were happening elsewhere. Muggerridge suggested that our Bibles are like those BBC reports; they remind us of what God has done, and is doing, and that should give us hope. Or put another way, it should give us a different focus or perspective, one that elevates us above what we are presently going through.

Anyway, I hope these meditations are helpful. Happy Mother's Day tomorrow to all the mothers out there, and to all the women who have nurtured us and acted like mothers in our lives.

As Christians, people who know and love the Lord Jesus, we have a remarkable privilege and opportunity. We can know and relate to God intimately and personally. From the stories of people who have converted from Islam to Christianity, I have heard how they never felt that they knew God or were loved by God. Furthermore, they could only 'hope' that they were saved or accepted by God, for their understanding was that they could only know for sure after they died--which is a bit late! And with Buddhism, which is basically a non-theistic religion, there isn't even a god as such, much less one that a person can relate to. But with Christianity, we can know for sure that we are loved, accepted, and forgiveness--simply because of the grace of God in Christ Jesus. We don't have to earn it or measure up; it is simply a gift from a loving God, a gift to accept or reject.

Today's passage and meditation touches on this whole matter of knowing God and how that occurs and is possible. It's a hard matter to pin down in words, but I hope that my meditation at least steers you in the direction of some useful thought.

A number of years ago, I was involved in a renewal program of the church, something called Cursillo (said Kir Seal Lo) and was often called upon to give a talk on 'Obstacles to Grace', which was actually about sin. (I used to joke that I was given that assignment because it was something that I was very familiar with). As part of that talk I would also talk about temptation and about the choices we have in life. It is something very human and common to all of us. Here I find it intensely refreshing and helpful to know that Jesus was also familiar with this' fact of life' and had to deal with it Himself. That is what today's passage and meditation are all about. I hope you enjoy them.

The Scriptures are notable for 'telling it like it is', and though our modern world often likes to gloss over the existence of sin or else excuse it as 'not really being our fault', the Scriptures do no such thing. In fact, a little bit of digging into the Scriptures reveals that it is much more pervasive, much more widespread than we might initially think. For a confirmation class a number of years ago, I decided to look up the various Biblical synonyms for sin (plus their meanings) and was astounded: disobedience, transgression, iniquity, wrong-doing, rebellion, wickedness, to mention just a few. And even the main Greek word for 'sin' in the New Testament, hamartia, simply means 'to miss the mark.' So, really, doesn't this 'cover' all of us.

How thankful I am that God not only points out the existence of this sad reality, but also gives us a way out, a remedy for sin, in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thanks be to God for this incredible gift. We aren't 'stuck' in it, or with it.

Both yesterday and today’s meditations put me in mind of a very real and relevant truth, namely that God is more than happy, more than willing, and more than capable of helping us when we need it. The sad truth is that we often refuse either to ask Him or to receive His help. We are like one of my sons who was apt to say when I tried to help him, "Daddy, me do it. Daddy, me do it." You see, stubbornness and independence run amuck in my family--like father, like son. Anyway, God is there, ready and waiting, if only we ​​​​​​let Him. Have a great day.

Both today and tomorrow’s meditations put me in mind of a very real and relevant truth, namely that God is more than happy, more than willing, and more than capable of helping us when we need it. The sad truth is that we often refuse either to ask Him or to receive His help. We are like one of my sons who was apt to say when I tried to help him, "Daddy, me do it. Daddy, me do it." You see, stubbornness and independence run amuck in my family--like father, like son. Anyway, God is there, ready and waiting, if only we ​​​​​​let Him. Have a great day.

I guess that it is pretty well inevitable that one's reading of anything--including, of course, the Holy Scriptures--will be coloured by events either taking place in one's own personal life or in the wider world around us. So, yesterday's reading from John where Jesus assured His disciples--and us--that He is fully aware and fully in control of what is taking place in our world, and today's reading from Revelation where all of creation is seen as praising God in spite of--to use the colourful phrase--'all hell is breaking loose', seem particularly appropriate, to me at least, where the television newscasts are often anything but encouraging or cheerful. To know that we have a Saviour who cares and who is entirely trustworthy is a great relief. Anyway, here are a couple of meditations to inspire you.

I guess that it is pretty well inevitable that one's reading of anything--including, of course, the Holy Scriptures--will be coloured by events either taking place in one's own personal life or in the wider world around us. So, yesterday's reading from John where Jesus assured His disciples--and us--that He is fully aware and fully in control of what is taking place in our world, and today's reading from Revelation where all of creation is seen as praising God in spite of--to use the colourful phrase--'all hell is breaking loose', seem particularly appropriate, to me at least, where the television newscasts are often anything but encouraging or cheerful. To know that we have a Saviour who cares and who is entirely trustworthy is a great relief. Anyway, here are a couple of meditations to inspire you.

I'm afraid that most of us human beings are infected with two kinds of 'disease', one of them is worrying and the other is thinking that we have to do all of it ourselves, and both stem from the same root, namely of failing to trust fully in our Lord. And, in case we feel badly about this, we should know that Jesus was tempted with this very thing, the second one, when the devil tempted Him to change the stones into bread. In essence, He was being tempted to take matters into His own hands to feed Himself and others, rather than waiting upon God to do it.

Waiting upon God's provision: that was also one of the tests that the people of Israel faced in the wilderness. It is the theme of today's passage from Exodus. They were to obey and simply let God take care of everything else. And, as it was a test for them, so too is it a test for us today--and a matter of sincere and fervent prayer. So let me just leave it to you to work out, together with the Lord. My prayers are with you.

Today's passage strikes at an issue that has puzzled and worried sincere Christians for centuries. It is the question of civil disobedience, that is, whether it is ever right to disobey the orders of those in authority, and if so, how and when. Today's passage speaks of obeying an emperor, who just 'happened' to be one of the most corrupt, evil and downright nasty of all Roman emperors. And yet, elsewhere in the Scriptures we find clear cases of civil disobedience. For instance, the two Hebrew midwives in Egypt expressly disobeyed Pharaoh's orders when he was 'set' to eliminate the Hebrew people entirely (an ancient case of genocide). And Peter and John, when hauled up in front of the Sanhedrin and ordered to cease preaching, or even speaking, in the name of Jesus, told them that they had to obey God rather than human authorities. The Holy Scriptures do not seem to speak with one voice on the matter. And in the centuries since then, Christians have wrestled with the question. All perhaps that can be said for sure is that we need to listen to God on the matter, and await His particular 'word', His guidance, on whatever our specific situations happens to be. Anyway, that 's the best that I can do. Good luck with this question.

I don't know whether I am alone in this, but of late I seem to be rather good at complaining, which I don't happen to think is a particularly good thing. It crowds out feelings of gratitude and thanksgiving and edges out any inclination to pray or to trust God. Yet, as we read in the Scriptures, this habit (of complaining) of epidemic and widespread. And so, we read that God, even in the midst of our complaining, does care, does listen and does act. But then, too, we do need to pray, and to trust Him and obey Him. Here's hoping that this day as been great so far

Years ago, at a clergy retreat, Sister Doreen of the Sisters of St. John the Divine suggested something that was very helpful to me. She suggested that we expand our thinking about what constitutes prayer. While we are accustomed to such 'organized' prayers as might begin with 'Dear God.." or such like, she suggested that those quiet, fleeting, spontaneously 'thought prayers', prayers as short as 'God, help', are equally as valid and equally as legitimate as forms of prayer--those spontaneous prayers that we utter silently when stopped at a stoplight or facing blizzard conditions on the highway or being appraised of a health crisis in someone's life. I found that suggestion to be very helpful and refreshing, as I do not always find myself down on my hands and knees, formal kind of prayers, especially when there is some sort of crisis.

Today's psalm and meditation suggested to me an even wider perspective on prayer, namely that it doesn't always have to even consist of words, that it can be an inner moaning or groaning, or an unuttered prayer of the heart. Jesus had counseled His disciples to always continue in prayer, and so too did the apostle Paul. Here, then, is just another way of doing so. Hope you have a great day.

The enemy of our souls has two tactics which he uses on us believers, both of which prove to be very effective in thwarting God’s work in the world and in the church. First off, he tries to tell us that there is basically nothing that we ‘bring to the table’ that would be of use in this work. Actually, as the Paul tells us in today’s passage, just the opposite is true. God generously gives gifts to each and every one of us. The second thing, another lie, is that, even so, we can’t really contribute much to the effort, that what we do won’t actually make much of a difference. But again, Paul counters this thought, that as we learn and grow and use our gifts there is a tremendous impact on the church, its growth, its effectiveness and its work. So, on with it, my friends: discover what gifts God has given you, and then put them to work. I’m guessing that we could never guess just what will come of them.

Today's Scripture passage and meditation touches on something that is quite odd. Or, at least, it seems this way to me. Culturally, as staid, 'proper', unemotional sorts we feel quite okay with being very passionate--and sometimes even loud and boisterous--when cheering for our favourite sports team or when expressing ourselves at a political rally. But then, when it comes to public worship, we are anything BUT exuberant or passionate. It is, we tell ourselves, because we want to be respectful and reverent towards what is holy. So why, then, can other peoples and cultures--including even the Pentecostals in our own culture--be quite boisterous, quite excited and passionate, in their worship? (We see something of this in today's psalm.)

So, in my asking why this is the case, let me ask a probing question: is our reserve because we are simply that way by nature--even though when it comes to a football or hockey game we are anything BUT--or, is it because we simply aren't passionate or excited about the things of God anymore? And if so, why, and how might we renew that passion, that excitement, once again? Something to think and pray about.

I don't know whether you have noticed this from my writings, but I have a deep conviction, born of my own experience, that our personal faith should be something vital and exciting, that the church--and each individual church--should reflect this reality. In other words, church should be something that people are excited about and want to be part of. So, what has happened, because obviously, this has not happened everywhere. My surmise is that part of the answer to this question may relate to my meditation for today, namely in our lack of personal story-telling, our lack of witness to what Jesus to us and has meant in our lives. Anyway, read on, and see what you think.

One of the wonderful things about our God, our Saviour Jesus Christ, is that while He is the same, yesterday and forever, He is always fresh and new and always revealing more about Himself. It is like any vibrant, growing relationship. And the great thing is that, even though He is no longer physically present, we can still know Him and relate to Him and learn more of Him continually, by prayer and by the study and meditation of His word. In today's passage, the disciples were able to see Jesus and know Him in new ways, but that is just as true for each of us today. Wishing all the best of this day.