Confusion

CONFUSION

As human beings we can get terribly confused.

As a result of – innumerous scenarios we experience in life. We end up confused about all sorts of things,

When in a state of confusion with our thoughts spiralling left right and centre, not knowing what to do for the best, – how to respond, who to talk to, how to find answers to our dilemma, we must seek truth.

Truth as it stands alone. Truth that is not contaminated by our emotional state.

A tall order indeed.

Also in the mix is the diverse opinions of others. One advises this, and another – or others, come from a completely different angle than those we previously sought advice from.

We may read things – visit online testimonies of others in a similar situation, and how they came through.

It’s true there is ‘safety in many counsellors’, – but the counsellors must be of a sound character, having obtained wisdom by reliable means.

There is one thing that provides concrete and reliable wisdom. And those who visit this blog will know that I’m about to mention and highlight the desirability of The Word of God (the bible).

The thing about the word of God is – it becomes a starting point that is totally reliable.

Not everyone will believe this of course. And that’s why their alternative conclusions regarding a course of action is often faulty, not being based on God’s infallibility. No one else is infallible except Christ.

But if we start with what cannot be broken or changed (the word of God) – and start to subject all our thoughts, experiences, words and deeds, hurts, emotional traumas to the scrutiny of this word. Then this word of God will provide a reliable rock in the storm. A safe haven in the midst of the earthquake. A place of quietness and confidence amidst the turmoil, and so on.

But for this word to be all that it can be – we must first be convinced that it is inerrant (incapable of being wrong) and that every other word of advice is potentially (at least) out-of-sync, except for this word.

Many are so tossed to and fro by every wind of opinion, that they continue in that state having nothing concrete and reliable to totally rely on.

If they do not believe that the word of God is inerrant how can it be inerrant to them?  And how can it provide the refuge and direction that will lead them out of their confusion, if they don’t believe it?

In a confused situation. Part of the confusion is knowing what is right and what is wrong. What’s the right thing to do and what isn’t. Where do we begin to find a solution?

Well, look at this truth for instance:-

33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Now God can do anything and of course He can cause His enemies to be driven back which may result in them being confused.

Psalm 70:1-3 King James Version (KJV)

70 Make haste, o God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O Lord.

2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul: let them be turned backward, and put to confusion, that desire my hurt.

3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say, Aha, aha.

In situations that seem impossible, God can send deliverance supernaturally, influencing circumstances, often with the sending of angels, so that those opposed to Him and His children are left confused as the small triumph over the big, the few triumph over the many.

There are many examples of this in scripture. So though God isn’t confusing them, His help for others – leaves them confused.

David against Goliath, Shadrach, Meshech, and Abednego, escape of children of Israel from Egyptians at the red sea, feeding of the five thousand, Elijah with the prophets of Baal and so on. All examples of God’s deliverance through His word to the hearts of men. Causing His enemies to be defeated and left – well – confused? 

But evil in varying degrees, is present in violent conflicts, and God can favour whom he sees fit to favour according to the divine dictates of His own wisdom.

In my view divinely intervening at times and at times not.

But in the church (which is the context of the above verse) when confusion creeps in – it is man-made and demonic. And man-made in most other situations and scenarios, in life.

And God rather than causing it – provides stability and a way out of the confusion.

That’s why when His truth ‘goes marching on’ into our hearts – it produces freedom. Freedom in this context from confusion. John 8/32

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.

Often ‘where to start’ is lost in the milieu of adversity. A big part of the problem is who or what do I rely on, when all around seems like sinking sand?

There’s a story/illustration given by The Lord Jesus, in the scriptures, of a man building his house.

4 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, (God’s word) and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

One person (let’s say confused person) built on the ‘rock-sayings’. 

Whilst another took no heed to the certainty of Christ’s Words and he continued in confusion, taking on board the ‘sand-sayings’, from wherever and whoever – instead. 

With the ‘sand sayings’ a sinking will take place, because there is no absolute certainty about these man-made philosophies.

Whereas the ‘rock sayings’ can be trusted completely. Often the lack of instant answers as we act on the rock sayings, causes many to doubt and to turn to the sand again.

There are often complex situations full of grey areas that people find themselves embroiled in. And to find a way out or through these, is challenging or disconcerting or even devastating mentally and emotionally.

In the midst of these complex scenarios, what can be trusted, when everything is in array and confusion rules the day?

I offer you The Word of God.

You/I must find the right word for the right situation.

Starting with it – we move out into answers through prayer and perseverance of faith.

Knowing we love God – there is light at the end of the tunnel. But it takes time to get through the tunnel. Dark and ominous though the tunnel may be – God’s Word – Psalm 119/105 –

… is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path.

If we love God – here is one of those words – 

Romans 8/28

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

All things working together for good – doesn’t exactly seem like a solution to a given, specific problem situation you may find yourself in. And it calls for a lot within – to cling to such words.

But it is a promise.

First condition – love and trust God, whilst second – persevering with the ‘rock saying’ til the light dawns.

What else or who else can be trusted implicitly? The only thing on earth that doesn’t lie is God’s word.

But it isn’t a press button solution. Instead of going through options about what to do. Let the option of God’s Word go through you.

Even if the circumstance doesn’t change – you will, by clinging to this word of God, have a rock to stand on, keeping you from slipping further into despondency.

This word of God provides truth, strength, purity, single-mindedness, and is life-giving. But it must be clung to tenaciously.

Prayer – Lord thank you for this wonderful Word of God. Write it indelibly on my heart and mind.

Poetic Pause XIII

MR. ILLUSIVE

Studied that person from afar

found him illusive

as he stood at the bar

Looked again –

while he made his life clear

By actions and words

and double dealings

Was wary of that person

as they entered my space

Some saw a smile –

I saw an impudent face

Stood at arms length –

as they increased their demands

Their self-centred world:

‘please please me’ – talking

with their hands

Whatever scheme they proffer

I greeted with suspicious stare

Vying for your attention

Telling you they ‘forgot to mention’…

And before you know it

They’re off with your hard earned cash

You signed the dotted line

Inferior goods are yours – this time

Once bitten twice shy

Last of your dealings with this guy

The Wheat from the Chaff

THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF

The wheat will be sorted from the chaff.

There is coming a day when God will sort out the wheat from the chaff – big style!

But because for many ‘this is pie in the sky bye and bye’ there is no sense of the weightiness of this statement.

They think – 

‘’After all what has changed? Tomorrow I will do this and tomorrow I will do that. God doesn’t bother me and I don’t bother him. Some future judgement – who knows?’’

And so it’s ‘water off a duck’s back’ when someone like me suggests to you that the evil – with participation in the evil remaining unabated, – will some day be judged.

‘Well that’s what you say ‘preacher man’. You are not one of those hell-type people are you?’

Firstly I prefer to be Mr. Logical.

We still have courts and prisons, law enforcement, we mostly are aghast at the crimes being committed, fuelled by greed and corruption. But most folks see the need for punishment regarding the crimes in society – do they not?

And of course ‘most folks’ is not the justification for justice. Justice speaks for itself in a right-minded world. 

Justice and compassion. Stating the obvious – no one can keep the balance in this – better than The Lord Jesus Christ, as He often demonstrated.

So law and order, justice and compassion and forgiveness, acceptable in this present world.

But then to suddenly not ‘get’ punishment for people guilty of gross rebellion against God in the afterlife? For me that defies logic.

We might keep thinking if only they would increase the police force or ban all guns – then suddenly everything would right itself. Ban the guns, ban the bomb, ban racial prejudice, ban political incorrectness, ban drugs, and then see how right everything becomes (?).

Banning all these and things of a similar vein might improve the situation, but it doesn’t cure the ills of society.

We see our world in mental madness. Truth becomes the latest lie and the new definition of lying is when someone else holds another point of view, other than our own.

Presumption without due examination says: “We are right and they are wrong – so they must be liars. (giving us fake news)”

However when we lie – suddenly – there is no such thing as lying?

So Mr. Logical asks: “Do you see any of this?”

Do you see the mess?

When on one of those fair ground helter-skelter ‘contraptions’, nothing stands still – everything becomes a blur of motion, difficult to sort out in our mental comprehensions i.e. where are we going?

There are many analogies we could use to illustrate that ‘it’s a mad mad mad world…’

The average person just gets on with the things at hand. We all must survive. Earn a wage. Keep a house running. Love our kith and kin. Get our fair share of entertainment. Have that holiday once a year. Enjoy culture.

Spiritually speaking? Does it take a lot to move you there? There is so much hypocrisy and self-serving in guilt-ridden religion – right?

So how am I going to sort out the wheat from the chaff in all this?

It begins with an inner need that you and I have. It begins with a long sober look at the world. It begins with self-analysis. It begins with research into the Bible.

It begins with you….

I painted a somewhat unusual triptych painting.

First painting – it depicted someone buried alive – symbolic tears fell, we can imagine how awful that is – to be buried alive.

Next painting – a glimmer of hope as he realised it wasn’t all that deep and the lid of the box began to respond to his pushing up against the covering soil. 

Next painting – liberty – as he crawls out of his underground ‘dungeon’.

Can we apply this to the claustrophobic world of increasingly unbridled immorality – and can it motivate us to crawl out into the arms of The Son of God, as we open ourselves to Him, shedding the dust of sin?

Seeking help through those who already know Him.

There are many who really know Him, who blog on WordPress – talk to someone about getting to know Jesus.

God bless you in your endeavours.

Let’s allow God to sort out the wheat from the chaff in our individual lives.

Matthew 3/12

His winnowing fan (shovel, fork) is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear out and clean His threshing floor and gather and store His wheat in His barn, but the chaff He will burn up with fire that cannot be put out.

II Peter 1/4

By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.

What’s Happening

WHAT’S HAPPENING?

There are things (in my lifetime) – that Christians have taken for granted for years.

I guess I speak mostly of Christianity in the Western World.

Freedom to meet for worship, for example. Freedom of democracy etc.

We realise that the powers of darkness can take hold of a community to varying degrees. Depending on the spiritual blindness and godlessness that a people-group decide to allow individually into their lives, producing a corporate effect.

In most cities there are ‘no go’ areas noted for their danger and (a commonly held opinion) – to be avoided at all costs.

Even non-Christians are aware of ‘degrees’. Degrees of callousness, degrees of hatred, degrees of lying, cheating, backbiting, violence and so on, and so on. Different degrees of evil.

Conversely there are degrees of Christlikeness present in a community of Christians. Degrees of charity, empathy, righteousness, peace, joy, fellowship…

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…

The question can be asked of a person’s life and particular community: To what degree are these Christlike fruits present?

It’s safe to say – that there is no such thing as there being too much of these things in a community of people.

There can be too much of the opposite, as examples listed in the sixth paragraph above. Without any constraint being imposed, that community would end up in anarchy and would self-destruct.

We have seen film maker’s attempts to portray this in the typical Hollywood western. Where the town is oppressed and dominated by the tyrannical rule of some ‘big boss’ figure who wants everything for himself. Who employs a gang of ‘hoodlums’ to perpetuate his dictatorial rule.

Then the hero or heroes arrive. There eventually is a show down, a ‘deciding’ gun battle and decency and normality and wholesomeness returns to the community, as good triumphs over evil.

How many can hear the truth though, that good will eventually and ultimately triumph over evil after the game is played-out to the end of time? And it will not be sorted by the arm of flesh.

A society that is filled with unrestrained evil, violence and fear, reaches the Sodom and Gomorrah place of no return.

It doesn’t take a blog post from an unknown like myself to make us realise our world has gone pear-shaped. Just look around or watch the news.

If we reach desperation point in our city, town, village, community, because of the evil that is rampant – it can drive us to prayer.

That is my simple point in this post – does what is happening not wake you up (Christian or non-Christian) to the fact that evil is on the increase?

Wake up call? What response? Is there something in this Christian gospel after all? Such I’m hoping will be the dawning realisation of anyone reading this post, who as yet, does not recognise Christ as Lord, and that the gospel holds the ultimate answers.

Take a look at David Ettinger’s last post for the statistics regarding persecuted Christians to help establish the fact that iniquity abounds and any half-right-thinking person, must say within themselves: “What am I going to do in the midst of this world mess..?” (David’s Post – A Brief Reminder about Our Persecuted Family)(EttingerWriting.com)

If we can’t change the whole of the society in which we live – let’s seek to have ourselves changed individually, and allow the mess to call us to prayer.

Isaiah 55/

Seek the Lord while He may be found,

Call upon Him while He is near.

7 

Let the wicked forsake his way,

And the unrighteous man his thoughts;

Let him return to the Lord,

And He will have mercy on him;

And to our God,

For He will abundantly pardon.

Poetic Pause XII

WORDS

Well – we can all enjoy words

you can – if you can

We can all weasel-out words

Straight from the can

Some words stink – garbage

Some words are fragrant

Perfume-bottled – and nicely arranged

Dousing the road-side vagrant

He won’t appreciate the gesture

‘cause your superior dousing stinks

As far as he is concerned “don’t

Cover me with your rhyme-word links”

Words are starting to go astray here

Having introduced the negative

Get them back on the track of acceptability

And let them loose on the delicate

Words can be wholesome and pure

These words appear – from a pure heart

Appearing from hearts set-apart

Mouths speak-‘em-out in exhortation-art

Now excuse me I must go

I have more to say on words

But I haven’t the time just now

Must go and feed the birds

Poetic Pause XI

MAKING UP WORDS

Making up words –

had to decide if a new word could be made –

and if it would abide –

in the world’s dictionaries –

or is this just a dream –

as I reach for the keyboard and begin to glean –

the fruit –

of thought –

as another word is added –

does it make sense? –

I ask myself –

put the bottle back on the shelf –

I have shortened to pu-bottle-back-she –

my spelling check says no –

so I stretch my mind for another go –

how about simply bot-back? –

no that won’t do –

making up new words is a task indeed –

how much money is in it for me? –

not enough to earn a living –

that’s plain to see –

an inventor of words is a thankless task –

so I won’t ask –

if you think that it’s cool –

I will just free myself from the task

and instead write poems that won’t last…

 

…and correction?

…and correction?

Most Christian bloggers like to edify, exhort positively, and comfort us all, in our journey through this fallen world.

I have received from a number of Christian blogs, the encouragement I needed for a certain ‘day in the life’.

It would seem though, that some subject matter is best avoided if your goal is to be popular, when blogging.

However most Christians would agree that we are not called to win popularity competitions, and yet they love the ‘amen’ to their posts, and often (or mostly) it is genuinely given.

They are glad when others are edified, and rightly so. We all need encouragement.

But again I often wonder if anyone wants to address the mess?

Sometimes we need to repent and return to the first works – indeed repentance from ‘dead’ works returning to our first love of the Lord Jesus Christ, entering into a closer walk with Him.

For this to happen we need to be corrected.

The human heart and mind is prone to wander. And sometimes in the midst of our convicted conscience –  the last thing we need is someone laying heavies upon us that point out our faults and failings.

But conversely – does this mean this should never be done? We live in a world where no one wants to listen to correction.

Does that include the Christians? Who are told:

NKJV – Hebrews 12/5 …do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him…

Amplified version – 

“My son, do not make light of the discipline of the Lord,

And do not lose heart and give up when you are corrected by Him;

Going on to say:

For the Lord disciplines and corrects those whom He loves,…

This is like a foreign language to some Christians, who have been fed on daily bread that is only buttered on one side and coated with sugar.

Having said that – some have suffered dry bread with no butter or sugar!

If you get the analogy – I refer to an unbalanced diet. Too much or too little of one thing. Christians who are ‘unexposed’ to necessary teaching to enable proper spiritual growth.

You see we all need different sustenance. We all need a different word from The Lord, according to our developmental requirements.

God the Father has one priority, like any good father, He wants to raise His children well, and allow them to reflect more perfectly the image of their brother – The Lord Jesus Christ.

We by inheritance are also children of God. There is only one ‘Only Begotten’, but:

Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.

So correction is very much a part of a good wholesome growth plan for a child’s life.

Not some harsh unfair manipulation or provoking of children, through abuse – but a balanced diet of edification, exhortation, and comfort – and correction.

But what about God’s adult children, who are still children in grown-up bodies manifesting self-absorption and injuring others?

This is a big subject I know. And I am not going to do it justice in this short post.

But let’s remember we are meant to grow in grace (thank God it’s grace!) and be changed from glory to glory, as by the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, who might just tell us from time to time:

 ‘You are wrong’.

I don’t find correction easy to take – do you? Especially if it comes from a source other than God. But that’s where we must step away and examine and discern if it is just our own flesh and self-will that doesn’t like the truth, or if in fact the devil is trying (as we say) ‘to do a number on us’. Usually his condemnation has a tiny reference to something true and a whole deluge of lies. Know the difference.

 

Prayer: Lord help us to hear the still small voice of edification or correction. Amen

 

Extremes or…

 

EXTREMES OR…

There are many extremes in life. Extreme cults, extreme doctrines, extreme sinful behaviour, extreme fanaticism, extreme politics, indeed – extremes in everything.

Proverbs 11

Dishonest scales are an abomination to the Lord, But a just weight is His delight.

Balance is a word we could use to describe the antithesis of extreme. However, the opposite to extreme in a dictionary definition may not include the word balance.

But in the context I wish to use it – usually extreme views allow for none other, and are completely unbalanced or imbalanced.

There is a closed heart and mind in extremity, that is obsessed with a particular aspect of something, to the exclusion of all other considerations that might be presented as just as, or more feasible.

A just ‘weighing-up’ in considering a given view, is necessary.

A willingness to allow for – another aspect, without leaving already held convictions, which you are in no doubt about.

To come to a balanced view on a given subject in the context of biblical truth, we need to search the scriptures.

Understand that we cannot contain all of God’s understanding.

Job chapter 36/25-26

All humanity has seen it;

    mortals gaze on it from afar.

How great is God—beyond our understanding!

    The number of his years is past finding out.

Romans 11/32-34

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

    How unsearchable his judgments,

    and his paths beyond tracing out!

“Who has known the mind of the Lord?

    Or who has been his counsellor?”

It is difficult to remain true to something or someone when we don’t understand that persons attitude, opinions, behaviour, words, etc.

But the character of God communicated in the pages of scripture – if we seek them out diligently – will inform us of the fact that ‘God is love’.(I John 4/8) His character is revealed clearly – and He can be trusted!

But we must not mistake what love is.

And the poets have been trying to tell us for centuries.

If we are to hold a balanced understanding of God and his attributes of love – again – we need to make a study. Many form lifelong conclusions on little to no knowledge of the Word of God.

Vehemently denouncing God as simply a tyrant who is out to destroy us all.

Lack of knowledge or the desire to seek it out – leaves us with an extreme view.

Yes God is long-suffering forgiving the humble who request that forgiveness.

Yes God will eventually judge the world and destroy evil, and whoever chooses to remain in rebellion against Him.

Yes God does not always reveal things He knows we cannot handle.

Yes even when we don’t understand He asks us to trust Him.

When all hell breaks loose – let us remember:

One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.

For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

…and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,

16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand…

There we have it – Paul by God-given revelation still spoke of some things that even the Apostle Peter admitted were some times hard to understand.

But the balance to this is there are things clearly shown to us – upon which we can trust – guaranteeing our eternal future, if we embrace them and the giver of all truth Himself.

Prayer – Help us with hard things, and assure us more – of the certain things.

Spiritually natural

Spiritually natural

It’s difficult to write about many of the wonderful things of God – in the present climate, when so much needs fixing.

There needs to be a turning wholeheartedly to The Only Living and True God, through His Son The Lord Jesus Christ.

There is nothing new under the sun. In simple terms good and evil is in conflict, and has been since the beginning or before. 

The rise and fall of evil men will go on. The Rise and Rise of good men will also continue.

There is an event we term The Rapture, when Christ will return, but no man knows the hour or the day. That will be the greatest ‘uprising’ in history!

Meantime evil men grow worse and worse.

There is a scripture that encourages those who carry precious pearls to not throw them before swine:

6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.

This is a snippet of wisdom communicated by The Lord Jesus. Clearly informing us that there are precious and beautiful things God is willing to reveal to mankind. But these precious things are not to be shared with animalistic natures, who will have no discernment as to their beauty, and who will trample them under foot.

Treating the things of God’s nature with disdain, ‘like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding….’

John 2:24 Amplified Bible:

24 But Jesus, for His part, did not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all people [and understood the superficiality and fickleness of human nature],

Superficiality and fickleness will not receive the things of God. God will not entrust His precious hidden treasures of wisdom and knowledge and revelation of Himself to such.

This teaches us that to even begin to understand, experience and prove the goodness and self-evident existence of the creator of the universe – we must first approach Him with a heart that desires to depart from evil, whilst honouring and respecting the things of God.

All around us is animalistic and ungodly defiance. But read ‘the book’ to see how it all pans out.

Most genuine preachers, feel their own inadequacies when it comes to the things of God, desiring to be a more worthy expounder of His truth.

If only we could walk flawlessly before Him, practicing everything we preach.

God does not however require an unnatural ‘holier than thou’ attitude, cloaked in false humility, whereby we unrealistically take on some kind of pseudo ‘holiness’ – as one preacher put it becoming so heavenly minded we are no earthly use.

Conversely however – some are so earthly minded they are no heavenly use.

God wants us to be human and spiritually-natural, able to laugh, be normal, have fun and talk about everyday things.

But at the same time holding close to our hearts the things of Himself He has revealed to us.

Allowing His thoughts (Bible) to fill our minds – giving them priority over the natural things of life.

There is no holiness without The Holy Spirit!

Balance – a great word to keep us on track.

To sum up we are to mind the natural things as in for example: culture, – with the enablement of God – who gives us spiritual discernment to separate the wheat from the chaff. So that we can enjoy those everyday things of life because our minds, hearts and spirits are fixed on God.

As a painter and a poet (as far as I know 😎) I cannot enjoy any of these or any other activities for that matter, unless my heart is right with The Lord. Then I experience His promise:

I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

Helped and energised to enjoy all the things that make up life – He has given us – to enjoy.

I Timothy 6/17

Command those who are rich in this present age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy.

Poetic Pause X

(Just back from a break)

NIGHTINGALE SONG

“ ‘A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square’

I have no idea where that came from –

I might have heard that song once or twice”

In my head I will try to add some rock to it…

‘Fill your head with rock’ – she remembered

An LP cover with a little boy holding a pink seaside rock

She tried to turn ‘…Berkeley Square’ into

‘Rock around the Clock’

But Bill Haley was before her time

So she had to stop

Nightingales singing –

‘I’m a Nightingale myself…

I have sung in church choirs

Long ago mind you – but I did it’

‘Like a Bird on a Wire – like a drunk in a…’

Her thought was interrupted by a

bird hitting the window

She couldn’t believe the coincidence

Rushing outside –

sure enough a wounded bird lay on the pathway

She tried to help it – but it fluttered away into

a dark corner below a hedge

‘What do you do with an injured bird?’

‘I’m not even into nature’

She thought

So she left out water and some bits of bread

The next day the bird was gone

And so was the bread

And so was the song….

 

 

Poetic Pause IX

FRIENDSHIP 

“Hope everything is ok

I’ll be on my way…”

We young ones ought to stay clean

Coffee tomorrow see what it brings

Get together again doing friendship

With all that it means

Solid ever-after friendship

Would’n you just love

To trust your fellow-man or woman?

Wouldn’t it be cool to have an abundance of

The trust commodity?

Band of brothers and all that

Band of sisters too

Genuine

Thick and thin times

Times to unwind – rest easy

Relaxed in your company

You know me – as I know you

Relationship forged through highs and lows

Just friendship – no romantic interruptions

To foggy-waters-make

Just telephones – keeping up to date

Real concern when concern is needed

Real listening ears when talk must be spoken

Helping hand when legs are football-broken

Or –

‘something in your eye?’ – let me have a look

Long distance calls – you’re away on a course

See you soon – look forward to our discourse

You brought me back a present from the other town

A hand-made doll of a clown

You’re trying to tell me something – I can tell…

Banter exchange like only we know

How to take it and give it too

No animosity

as again – you know me and I know you

Life long – don’t let it go wrong

The only thing in this rat race

Is to find a friend

Nothing can take it’s place…

Falling

FALLING

Unfortunately we hear of prominent and not so prominent Christians falling into sin.

We know of those on the front line, presenting themselves as leaders and wanting to please God in all things, who fall into sin. (usually sexual in nature).

Others who are depending on their leadership, are startled and disappointed and feel betrayed.

When this happens it creates the idea that in leadership, there seems to be no one to trust, no one living  according to God’s right way. There seems to be a dearth of victorious Christian Living, starting with leaders.

However we wrestle not against flesh and blood. And those in the front line are first to stand in the gun sights of the devil.

We must first therefore realise this fact, and cover them with prayer.

No one in leadership is any more ‘impenetrable’ than others. They are human and subject to the same like passions as anyone else.

Things of protocol must be put into place and the need to be covered with answerability to a plural leadership of their fellow eldership – lived out practically.

The wicked have drawn the sword

And have bent their bow,

To cast down the poor and needy,

To slay those who are of upright conduct.

We see from these verses who is in line for the ‘roaring lions’ attention – those of upright conduct. (I Peter 5/8)

Often before they fell they were men or women of upright conduct. We often forget quickly the character they have shown, and the good they have accomplished. The body of Christ (the church) killing their own wounded.

At the same time we must keep before us the standard God’s word clearly spells out. And not slide into moral laxity.

There is one paramount way to keep our hearts from the demands of the prince of the power of the air – and it is by having presence of mind to appropriate continuously what the Grace of God has provided.

Our God in calling us to forgive 70×7 per day – gives us a glimpse into the fact that He too will practice what He preaches. Plenteous in mercy and forgiveness.

He will not respond to pretenders however, who think to laughingly avail themselves of this promise of forgiveness, whilst they carry on sinning, as though it was acceptable to do so.

That’s called hypocrisy.

Grace is a revelation. It is a revelation not just for salvation – but that through the grace of God we can LIVE!

Always availing ourselves of His promises and His strength to maintain our hearts in good condition before Him.

Let’s pray for those who have fallen. And if they were in a position of leadership and injured others in their fall, let’s still allow them into fellowship with forgiving embrace – but only where we find the sincerity of humility and true repentance. Otherwise if they continue in sin, we become guilty of bidding them God’s-speed in their misdemeanours.

This calls for good discernment. The bible warns about wolves in sheep’s clothing:

5 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles?

We shall (we are told) know them (the sincere men and women of God) by their fruits. The actions they take, the attitude they carry, the character they show, their speech, prayer life, fairness, empathy, and so on.

Prayer:

Lord help us to stand dependant on you alone. Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.