‘As soon as Jesus heard the news, He left in a boat to a remote area to be alone.’ Matt 14:13 NLT25/3/2024 Our Lord Jesus had just received the bad news that John the Baptist had been beheaded. He wanted to be alone. Perhaps He needed time to process the whole event and to spend time with His Father. His childhood friend, cousin and most loyal supporter had been beheaded. We don’t know who was with him in the boat, but we know He wasn’t alone. The presence of the Almighty was there with Him.
Recently, in our garden, I could hear a lot of squawking from a resident blackbird. When I went into the garden to see what all the noise was about, a magpie was hovering, probably attempting to find the eggs in the nearby nest. I didn’t do anything but stand silently in the garden, but it was enough to drive the magpie away, and soon peace resumed. Sometimes, the devil looms large in our lives or circumstances, as I’m sure he did on this occasion in the mind of our Lord. Occasionally, we find ourselves squawking with fear! When the enemy intimidates, the presence of our Heavenly Father is enough to drive him away. When life is troubling and threatening and dark clouds attempt to rob us of peace, we must learn to do what our Lord did. Sometimes we yearn for the steadying hand or voice of a familiar friend. Let us learn to turn to the One whose calming presence brings total peace within our hearts. When we have learned to find Him once in this way, we can come again and again into His presence and find the quiet reassurance of His peace, no matter what life has in store for us. ‘And He said, “My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”‘ Exodus 33:14 KJB
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Does it ever cross your mind that you will never fully know everything there is to learn about God? Even in eternity, I am not sure we will know all. Our God is infinite, eternal, and unending. We will never grow bored of learning about Him, for there is no end to God.
You might know everything there is to learn about your husband or your wife: their favourite meal, where they like to go, and the music they listen to. You might even know your son or daughter pretty well, but there will never be a day when you can turn around and say you know everything about God our Heavenly Father. How fascinating is that! You may have a great thirst to learn, listen to online sermons and attend all the meetings you can, but you can never know it all. “To those who listen to my teaching.” We find ourselves on this fabulous Christian journey absorbing His teaching. Now, mark these words: we are not listening to teaching about His teaching but listening to Him. That means not rushing from one sermon to another but, as you read, letting the teachings of Jesus sink into your soul. “More understanding will be given.” The words of Christ are eternal. Each verse in the Bible is like the title of a book. Meditate on the verse, and the book will open to you. You will begin to see untold depths and wisdom in His teachings, for they are profound. Let them unfold as you ponder. “And they will have an abundance of knowledge.” Each part of this verse is like a step into deeper waters. First, you listen to His words. Secondly, you meditate and begin to understand in a way you have never done before. Thirdly, there will come an abundance of knowledge. This is not describing learning about doctrines, although understanding in these areas will follow, but it is speaking of the abundance of the knowledge of God. We begin to listen, understand, behold, and worship Him. All because we have listened to His teachings, our journey into incredible depths of beauty and revelation has begun. 'Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime.' John 4:6 NLT11/3/2024 It's a comfort to know that our Lord grew weary. He had just walked a long way in hot weather, and he was more than a little tired.
Are you also weary? Have you had a long walk in challenging circumstances? Are you too tired even to read? Then here is a small word for you. Find a well where you can sit and rest. You are not meant to keep going until you can't cope anymore and feel exhausted. God will give you somewhere to pause and gather strength. There will be a well just for you. The Queen of Sheba travelled many miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Others travelled far to hear and see Jesus. There were the wise men who travelled thousands of miles to worship the new King. We read of the crowds who followed Jesus for three days in the wilderness until they had nothing to eat.
The compelling draw on a soul to be in the presence of God is something that cannot be explained, for it is a miracle. It increases during revival times when you read of large crowds gathering in churches and long queues outside waiting for hours to attend services. It was said in the Isle of Lewis that services weren’t announced, but people would come from all over the place when a meeting started, standing outside in the graveyards listening as the church was packed. There are occasions when we feel that compelling draw to be in the presence of God. It is glorious when it comes, and we should make the most of it by responding to its draw. It is easy to go to church when you feel like it. It is a precious drawing near, a revival atmosphere, and one we should treasure with all our hearts because there will not always be an open heaven. Sometimes the heavens feel like brass, and then we drag ourselves to church! We have little enthusiasm and interest and would rather stay home, locked up in our little world. The Queen of Sheba felt the draw of God and travelled many thousands of miles to hear the wisdom of Solomon. Since Solomon’s wisdom was a gift from God, this would have been the equivalent of being in the presence of God. The Magi felt compelled to come and bring gifts and worship in the presence of this new-born King. The crowds couldn’t resist the teachings, the voice, the presence and the company of Christ. They possibly didn’t understand why they stayed and didn’t return home to their families. All over the world the Spirit is moving. All across social media, we see great crowds gathering to worship, people standing in the open street proclaiming the gospel in song and worship, faces turned to heaven and hands raised in praise. There has never been a time when this was widely seen and known in almost every nation. Only this week, it was reported that a Ukrainian woman was preaching the gospel on a bus, and women, men, and even soldiers were coming to Christ with tears running down their cheeks. We are part of this great move of the Spirit of God. Yield to the increasing draw of God on your life. Get yourself into the presence of God again and again, for He is doing a new thing, even amongst us. Open your eyes and see the changes that He is making. And respond like the Queen of Sheba, the Magi, and the crowds who followed Jesus. Follow the magnetism of His presence and let your spirit rise in the Spirit of praise coming across the nations. Praise God! We are not being left out but are part of the moving of His presence. A demon-possessed man who could neither see nor speak had been brought to Jesus and was instantaneously healed. The Pharisees immediately began to criticise Jesus for this and said that He got His power from Satan. Jesus replied with these powerful words that if He is casting out demons by the Spirit of God, the Kingdom of God has arrived.
So often, we look to the future for something better. We spend half our time wishing our lives away! But here Jesus is saying the Kingdom of God has arrived. It is here, in this moment. There is no more need to look into the future and wish for happier days. They had arrived. The Kingdom of God was all around them. The presence and the power of God had come. The prayer ‘Thy Kingdom come’ had been answered right there. We hear and read of the moving of God in other places and long to experience the same. We long for the Kingdom of God to come amongst us. Jesus told His critics, friends, and those who listened that the Kingdom of God had arrived. There need be no more looking, searching or seeking: God has come. He goes on to say: “For who is powerful enough to enter the house of a strong man like Satan and plunder his goods?” (29a) In other words, He asks the question: who is powerful enough to enter Satan’s territory? He answers, “I am.” He asks the question, who can plunder Satan’s goods? He answers, “I can.” And He did. ‘When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive (He led a train of vanquished foes.)’ Ephesians 4:8 AMP We cannot enter Satan’s house and plunder his goods. Only Christ can do that. And He was here to do it in Israel. He had just demonstrated His power and plundered the house of Satan by setting this demon-possessed man gloriously free. He goes on to say: “Only someone even stronger – someone who could tie him up and then plunder his house.” (29b) He told the people He was mightier than Satan; He could tie him up. And He did at Calvary! He bound the power of Satan. He plundered Satan’s house. He set us free! Nothing is too hard for the Lord. What a Saviour we have! Jesus could have said, “Let me teach you because I know everything.” Or He could have said, “Let me teach you because I am the most powerful being in the universe.”
Both of these would have been true and perhaps would be attractive to some. To have a teacher that knows everything sounds pretty cool or to learn from the most powerful being in the universe would certainly be intriguing. But instead, our Lord Jesus encourages us to come and learn from Him because He is humble and gentle at heart. In other words, He will teach us to become humble and gentle at heart. He will not teach us all knowledge or all power (even though these qualities belong to Him) but instead He will teach us how to be humble and gentle right to the core of our beings. These qualities cannot naturally be obtained. We are not humble by nature; we all have our dignity and pride. To be humble means to be understanding, warm-hearted, peaceable, merciful, kind-hearted, and respectful. We are not gentle at heart by nature. To be gentle at heart means to be kind, compassionate, tender, caring, gracious, loving and forgiving. Jesus was all these things. Wow! What a teacher! And so Jesus says: “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart.” There is no other who shows greater understanding, who can be more warm-hearted, who is patient, loving, gracious, and forgiving of our mistakes. There is no excuse for any of us not to come to Him. We couldn’t ask for a better teacher than our Lord Jesus Christ. We need never be afraid to come to Him. It doesn’t matter if we are slow to learn, or wrestle with our rebellious hearts, He will help us and keep us close beside Him. No wonder Jude could so confidently say: “(He) who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” 1:24 NLT If any part of the New Year Word describes the Cumbernauld Church, it is this verse.
We have come through our tough times in the past, and for a while, the church was in a very rocky place. I wondered if we would survive. At the time, it felt like we all had to hold on tightly to God; the journey was more than a little bumpy. But He brought us through with His strong arm and delivered us into a delightful place of joy and gladness. One of the results of our joy and gladness is the blessing of God on our singing. We have always loved to sing, but there came a moment when our singing seemed signally blessed by God. I cannot remember when this first happened. I do know around the time of the moving of God at Asbury University in Kentucky, the Spirit began to outpour in revival power, and we experienced the same thing. It didn’t seem to be connected. I did not know what was going on over in the States. One or two of our folks followed happenings online but were not involved in leadership roles. But a peculiar sense of the Spirit was upon us. We could sing and worship for hours. Around the same time, a few Nigerians began to arrive in our church. They were students studying in one of our local universities. Before too long, we had a small Nigerian community amongst us. And they love to worship! And so the sense of the Spirit in our song continues and has blossomed. We sing songs that we would never have once sung on a Sunday morning. We sing and dance, we cry, we clap, for the Spirit of God is wonderfully amongst us: setting us free from all our natural inhibitions - and in Scotland, we have many! My prayer for this year is that joy and gladness, thanksgiving and the ‘sound of singing’ may spill over into every church group and that our movement, indeed the world, may be filled with the happiness of Heaven. Around the town where we live there are large areas of wasteland. When we first moved to Cumbernauld, the roadsides were filled with daffodils each Spring. It was a cheery sight coming home from work each night to see the yellow heads bobbing about. The council decided to replace them with plastic, yellow waves! It cost millions. In my view, the gardens became a wasteland; the general population of Cumbernauld has not forgiven the council yet! It was a poor move.
Sometimes, we make the wrong choices. We look back on life and regret the decisions we have made. We look back on what feels like wasted years. The truth is, none of us have gotten it all right. We have all made poor choices, just like the councilman, whoever he is. We know our Father in Heaven can take our wasted years and make them fruitful for Himself. He can use the years that were wasted to teach us lessons, giving us wisdom and insight into painful situations so we can help others. Without these seemingly wasted years, there would be no garden of the Lord. “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Romans 8:28 NLT Before creating a garden, you have to cultivate the soil. You have to dig it over, break up the soil, weed, fertilise, hoe and level it out until it is ready for planting. Only then can you sow your seeds, plant your shrubs and watch the miracle of nature. The past years that seem wasted to you have not been wasted to God. He has been digging over the soil, weeding, fertilising, hoeing and levelling out your life. It’s not pleasant, but you will have learned valuable lessons during that time. It might be not to treat someone the way you were treated. It might be not to bow down to another but to be strong and independent. What you have learned will help you develop into the person God wants you to be. “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT So even when you don’t know or understand what God is doing, rest in Him. No one can see the whole picture, but we can trust Him. Remember, He has plans “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NLT One day, your wastelands will be like the garden of the Lord, for He will have planted eternity in your heart. What a glorious comparison between the dry and barren desert and the lush and verdant.
I always imagine Eden like a garden I visited on the Isle of Skye one year. Everywhere I turned, every crevice and corner was crammed full of wonderful vegetation. Mature trees gave shade from the sun, while exotic trees filled the rockeries and borders. The air was filled with the sound of birdsong and the sound of a waterfall at the centre of it all. God’s Eden will be even better. Every corner will be fruitful. The sounds of the waterfall of His voice (Rev 1:15) ringing through the garden will be heard wherever you go. Every exotic plant and tree will give glory to God. (Isaiah 55:12). They will, as it were, exude the joy of His presence: the joy of being alive. There will be abundant life wherever you go (John 10:10). No plant will be damaged or carry disease, but all will be full of radiant life and healing (Rev 22:2). Every bird will sing His praise, and to be in the garden will bring indescribable joy. There will be green meadows to lie down in and still waters to rest the soul (Psalm 23:2). And best of all, there will be One walking in the garden in the cool evening who will commune with us (Gen 3:8). What perfection! Compare all this to the far-stretching desert: as far as the eye can see miles and miles of hot shimmering sand. No sign of life. No place to rest. No shade from the sun. There is nowhere to stop and drink and refresh the soul. It will be a place that is continually arduous. And so we look not for the desert but for Eden. This verse says, “He will make her.” It is not only our desire that will make this miracle happen, but it is the action of the Spirit of God. Let us pray throughout the year that every crevice and corner of our lives might be filled with fruitfulness that will bring Him glory, but let us remember it is the Spirit of God who will do it in our hearts. Whether we are the mature ancient trees in the garden with long years of Christian service or a tiny, humble flower hidden away in some small, insignificant corner, let us do our utmost to be part of the miracle that we might bring Him glory in 2024. ‘The Lord will surely comfort Zion and will look with compassion on all her ruins.’ Isaiah 51:3 NIV21/1/2024 Here is part 3 of the New Year Word for 2024.
Some have been through a terrible ordeal, their life left in ruins. Whether it be a bereavement or a betrayal, life will never be the same again for them, for they are left in ruins. But life will not forever be dark and the days sad. For you will experience the comfort of God, and there is nothing quite like it. The best way I can describe it is like a warm, fleecy, soft blanket that wraps around your spirit and fills you with warmth, protecting you on every side. You have become fragile without realising how you ended up in this position, and no one can understand or get inside your thinking. You don’t even understand yourself why you feel like this. But you do, and the stark reality is you feel fragile. Your Heavenly Father will not only comfort you, but He will look with compassion on all your ruins, and although the word doesn’t say what happens next, the implications are that He will begin to build the ruins again. A life smashed by the cruelty of hell will discover the gentleness of heaven. It may be a slow build, but it will happen. Brick upon brick, He will begin to sort through the rubble and make something beautiful from the ruins. No good parent who sees their child in ruins would leave them there, especially when they hear a pitiful cry for help. Make sure you cry for help, even if it is only a silent cry. He will come swiftly to your aid. And then the ruins will be rebuilt and you will sing again for joy. “He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” Zephaniah 3:17 NLT |
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