Who do they see? - Chapter 4

Have you ever thought about the idea of representing somebody else or something? I remember that when I was younger, if we were out in public somewhere and I was badly behaved then my Mum used to scold me saying that I was representing her too and that I was making her look bad.

What about sports? I'm a big football fan. Every footballers' dream is to represent their country - to play for the National Team. The highest honour there is. It's the idea that once you put on that kit and you take to the pitch with the whole world watching, then you aren't just representing yourself.

'No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.' - 1 John 4 v 12

This verse in 1 John 4 really stood out to me when I was reading it last week. Nobody has ever seen God, but God lives in us. So then when people look at us, can they see God? Is that how people see God, through us? Quite a scary thought actually. Are you a good representative of God? The Father of mankind, the Creator of the Universe, the Lord of all the Earth. Are you a good representative for Him?

Oosh. I almost cringe thinking about this. I know that if you were to follow me around 24/7 then you would see that I am not a great representative of the Kingdom of Heaven. Scrap that - you don't need to follow me all the time. You who know me can see that I'm not a perfect reflection of Jesus. It's hard right?

How can we do it better though? How can people see God more in us? Well right there in the verse - in love. Love people. Everyone. But love is not just a noun, its a verb. It's active, not passive. It's not about just saying 'i love them', it's about physically going and demonstrating that love.

How can you show your love to a different person each and every day? 

How will people see God in you, in your love, every day?

How will you be a good representative for Jesus daily?

"I believe that an [individual] working for and representing the Kingdom of God should do the best of their ability to show and prove the depth, life, newness, creativity, truth and excitement of their Heavenly Father through the work that is set before them." - Daniel Smith

Is your Dad happy? - Chapter 2

How many times have you done something that annoyed your parents?  I know I have. I like to think I don't do it as much anymore but I know when I was a teenager I used to clash heads constantly with my Mum.  So my second question is how often do we please our parents? Do we make them happy?

I was reading through 1 John chapter 2 yesterday and although it's a large enough chapter only one verse kind of stuck out for me. It's in the NLT version so it worded it in this way and it provoked some thought for me. Check it out:

'And this world is fading away, along with everything that people crave. But anyone who pleases God will live forever.' - 1 John 2 v 17

The word 'pleases' really made me think. The verse alludes to so many other things that I could discuss such as eternal life or the desires of the world. Instead, I was faced with the seemingly simple question of "How can I please God?"

We all want to please our parents, so of course we should want to please our Heavenly Father too right? But what does that look like practically on a day to day basis? How can I make God happy by doing something every day?

I think we always get so caught up with "what does God command me to do in this situation?" or "what does God want me to do now?" But I very rarely consider "will what I'm about to do make God happy?" or "Will this please God?"

It can take endless forms of course, some that we can find in the Bible too - such as giving to the poor, practically showing love and helping our neighbour, but there's room for creativity. So have a think and that's my challenge to you - How can you please God by doing one thing every day?

"Here's Johnny" - Chapter 1

It's been a while since my last post, and I guess it's because I've been pretty busy. It's been a good busy with University and with ministry, but it's also been a challenging busy - namely to make time for God and to really spend meaningful time reflecting on what I read in His word.

Today I started reading 1 John again and then spent some time reflecting on the passage with Zaiga. We read chapter 1 today, and it's very challenging despite it's short length. I thought it would be cool to let you follow along on this journey into looking into 1 John with us, so I'll try to update this when something really strikes me! So... here's Johnny...

'We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. We are writing these things so that you may fully share our joy.' - 1 John 1 v 3 + 4

Do you share about your faith enough? Or furthermore, do you share about your faith with joy? What a challenge. I know that I don't talk about how much God is doing in my life enough, and I surely know that when I do it's probably not nearly as positive and joyful as it needs to be! As Christians we need to be sharing our faith joyfully with other believers to encourage them! We need to share with joy with non-Christians to make them think! First challenge...

'God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.' - 1 John 1 v 5 + 6

Second challenge... Pretty black and white, literally. God is light and has no darkness in Him at all. So if we are living a lifestyle of sin then we are apart from Him and His fellowship. This doesn't mean that Christians don't sin - of course we do. But what is important to note is that when we sin, we don't sin in the light but rather we stray from the light and walk in the darkness - We are broken off from fellowship with God. We can't be in fellowship with God and sin because it is fundamentally contradictory to His character. Seems pretty glum right? But there's hope, read on:

'But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.' - 1 John 1 v 7

Hope! When we are walking in darkness, when we have left the light to stride in sin, when we are apart from God blocked by our sins there is hope. Return to the light! If we come back into fellowship with our Father and with Jesus, then His blood cleanses us from our sins and we are pure again. Pure again to walk in the pure light of our Father God. Be encouraged.

“Man reading should be man intensely alive. The book should be a ball of light in one's hand.” 

- Ezra Pound