His Love Suffices, Lamentations 3:22-6

“22 The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
23 Great is his faithfulness;
His mercies begin afresh each morning.
24 I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in Him!”
25 The Lord is good to those who depend on Him,
to those who search for Him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly
for salvation from the Lord.” (Lamentations 3:22-6)

Lamentations was authored by Jeremiah, also known as the Weeping Prophet. One of the major prophets, Jeremiah dedicated his ministry to telling the Jews that they’d sinned and God was not happy. They had brought on God’s rightful discipline, but they could and should repent and turn to God. They didn’t listen and were captured and enslaved by the Babylonians. Jeremiah had a lot to grieve over and following the fated captivity he penned Lamentations, a book of poetry expressing the depths of his grief over his people. The clue’s in the name after all. Odd then that one of the most positive, quoted verses is Lamentations 3:23: “Great is His faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh every morning.”

In a pit of absolute darkness, Jeremiah found light. Women and children were dying of starvation around him, his King in whom the people had boasted invincibility under had had his eyes gouged out and been led away by the Babylonians. Wherever Jews seemed to escape to, mountains or wilderness, they would be found and tortured (4:19). God distanced himself from the people of Israel: “You have covered yourself with a cloud so that no prayer can get through” (3:44). If ever there was a time where you’d be trying to pray to God, it was going to be now and He’d taken a leave of absence! Sometimes it may feel that God isn’t listening. Look at Job, you could be the most pious of people when things are going right for you, when you experience success, but what happens when it is taken from you? Does that not say more of you? Life on this planet is but a test, a trial run, if in the face of the destruction that Jeremiah was witnessinng he instructed the jews to “lift [their] hearts and… hands to God in heaven” (3:41), what do you think I’m going to advise you to do?

“Jerusalem’s streets, once bustling with people, are now silent. Like a widow broken with grief, she sits alone in her mourning. Once the queen of nations, she is now a slave… Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets” (1:1, 2:11). I implore you to read the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah does not hold back on presenting heart-rendering images of a truly broken people. Imagine the photos you see of the Great Depression, Germany after both world wars, “Tenderhearted women have cooked their own children and eaten them in order to survive the siege” (4:10). Get the picture? And yet Jeremiah did not become wholly desolate because of God’s very nature.

“For The Lord does not abandon anyone forever. Though He brings grief, He also shows compassion according to the greatness of His unfailing love” (3:31-2).

If we know God to be a God of justice, then we know that the Jews punishment was not callous, cruel or sadistic, but deserved. In the face of such serious, necessary destruction as a penalty, God is still there for the Jews. Even for those who deserved such a penalty He would not abandon them forever ! There are people we find hard to forgive: parents, old partners, friends, aspire to love like God whose love is UNFAILING. God chastised the people, but that was it, it was purposeful discipline that they may improve. They didn’t listen to the prophets He sent, ever heard a parent say “who doesn’t listen must feel?” Just saying. It doesn’t mean your parents don’t love you, they just want better for you. God is great and flawless, His love and His compassion far greater than that of a parent.

And that’s why Lamentations 3:23 is so amazing. Surrounded by rightful condemnation, God gifts the sorrowful afflicted with mercy. He displays that nothing is too big for Him to forgive, the only true obstacle between us and God – is us. A lot of people try to play down stories of His anger in the Old Testament, “oh you know it was the olden days, and the new law of grace came, and let’s just look at that bit.” As a Christian you believe that God is eternal, that He is loving but also just. Firstly, God doesn’t need you to explain away bits of the Bible to make Him palatable. Secondly, don’t abandon your knowledge of His qualities when you read such stories. God’s anger was never unjust or cruel, it goes against His very nature, in the midst of destruction God is love always and forever. And following such a tale, Jeremiah stresses, with knowledgeable hope and confidence, that “The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”

God bless and keep you always x

Have you ever loved someone, so much you thought you’d die? Matthew 6:24

“Have you ever loved someone, so much you thought you’d die? Given so much of yourself, it seems the only way, tell me what you want and I and I will give it to you…”

I can hold solid conversation on faith, football and new jack swing, if you don’t know, well now you know (I’m finished). So I was listening to this yesterday and actually paid attention to the lyrics. The lead singer was FIFTEEN YEARS OLD at the time – dramatic much? But jokes aside he was expressing things that people genuinely think and feel. It can feel like you’re giving your entirety to someone and are just spent, doing whatever you can to please them to the extent that you’re left feeling drained. This is plain wrong because even when we’re in love and give ourselves over to the only man we should do, we experience continual joy, continual peace and continual security. But men AND women idolise their partners, family, friends, and then when it all goes awry they’re left broken, in crisis.

Often when we think of idolatry we think quite literal stuff: steer clear of other gods, polytheistic/ new wave ideas, materialism etc. But we rarely look at it beyond the skin deep. What’s the idol in your life? If your life and your thoughts and your actions and your joys don’t revolve around God what do they revolve around? What thing comes out of your mouth more than talk of your Father? What thing do you need to address?

Sometimes we need to step back from things and have a look at ourselves. Spending copious amounts of time on our presentation is idolatrous. That does not mean don’t buy new clothes, don’t wear make up or don’t get your hair done. But committing a large amount of time to perfecting yourself is vanity and self-love, let’s be honest. You’ve gone from preening yourself to narcissism and the consequences are not pretty.

God can’t come second to your girlfriend. You give your all to Him not her. Stop talking your friend’s ear off about her/him, chill with acting like they’re the only person on the planet. They’re not; yeah they’re cool but you don’t seem this excited about God and He kinda gave His Son as a perfect sacrifice for your eternal life, but whatever…

Until you know what it is to be loved by Him and trust in Him, and Him alone, chances are your relationship or the fallout from it is going to be pretty unhealthy anyway. When we know what love from God is, it also means we can have a framework for what love ought to look like. I don’t mean the perfect guy and the perfect wedding we see in chick flicks because setting yourself up for that dream is pretty idolatrous in itself, rather it gives you the opportunity to gauge things that are attractive in a christ-like, biblical light. In the way God intended us to love and be loved.

Further, loving God first and truly basking in the fact that He loves you, means that if a person lets you down your world won’t end, because He is the only being that will never hurt, never disappoint, never manipulate… at the end of the day the rest of us are fallible.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.” (Matt 6:24).

We are here to serve our God and His creation, to be stewards in this world and light in a place of real darkness. That’s more than just some imagery and anything continually distracting you from this ought to be evaluated.

God bless and keep you always x

Here On Purpose, Ephesians 1:4-5

“For He chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love He predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will –”
(Ephesians 1:4-5)

I love stumbling across parts of the Word on the theme of purpose. So often we can feel a bit lost and we tend to know the more famous Bible verses on purpose and intention so well that we can lessen the meaning they have as we just reel them off. God knew us before we were even formed and intended us on purpose (Jer 1:4-5), “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:13) etc. Sometimes, we can say these things to ourselves so often that we forget the greatness of these words. God…the creator of our universe, giver of life, Father of Christ Jesus…made you as you are…joyfully…on purpose…and intended to do so before your parents were even conceived…you…you in particular. Ever dislike and scrutinise certain things about yourself? God doesn’t. Mind blowing stuff.

But Paul says not only did God create us with intention, not only do you matter to God but He chose YOU to be “holy and blameless” in a very dark world. I’ve always thought of light and darkness as helpful imagery, symbols, but when we really look at the world around us it is not a nice place. We live in a world rife with sexual assault, oppression, extreme poverty and extreme greed. An article on the rape of two women (one pregnant) by army militia in Syria brought me to tears a couple days ago. In a world full of darkness, God chose you “for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with His pleasure and will-”

You accepted Jesus Christ as your Saviour and with great pleasure, foreknowledge and intention God granted you freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1) in a world of death and sin, ruled by Satan. “Once you were dead, doomed forever because of your many sins. You used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God” (2:1-2).

The term sonship is used a lot in the New Testament. In Ancient Greece inheritance worked on the basis of primogeniture: inheritance through the oldest son. This could be through your biological child but you also had the option to adopt a man into your family who would take on your name and the possessions and stature that came with it. In Paul’s own life the oppressive Emperor Nero was adopted by his Great Uncle. When Paul says we have been adopted into sonship he is intentionally using this same language. This adoption is God’s bond, God’s covenant with us for a stable future, one where “we can now come fearlessly into God’s presence, assured of His glad welcome” (2:12).

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” (2:8-10). WE are God’s masterpiece. He looks at us with love and pride, and gifted us with eternal life and wisdom through Christ Jesus, so that we can do things He had planned about before we even physically existed. The bountiful gifts we receive when we come back to God are so awesome.

Out of love God created you and determined that you were to know eternal life and do amazing works in His name. You matter to Him, you please Him, through Christ you are blameless in His sight.

“I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the wonderful future He has promised to those He called. I want you to realise what a rich and glorious inheritance He has given to His people.” (1:18) And people think of Paul as just being mean….

God bless and keep you always x

Lord god it is by us and not you that we experience dysfunctional relationships in our life. That by our own shortcomings we experience the pain of dejection, frustration and oftentimes disbelief at the behaviour of others. But your love and your ways are perfect God. You made us in your image but oftentimes we fall so short of that. We pray Lord that you open the eyes, ears and hearts of the world that they may focus more on loving Your creation than themselves, than by falling into old habits that can come across as hurtful or thoughtless. By prayer in the name of your son and our advocate Jesus Christ we can bring these products of human frailty to you and by your goodness, love and mercy you can free us of such things. Through you all things are possible. Through you prostitutes, corrupt officials, thiefs are all brought to everlasting life. You are mighty Lord. You transform our lives and hear our prayers. Lord God at the same time help us to not expect too much from people. Not in every relationship will it feel balanced, because people will be at varying places in their life. Help us Lord to be content with loving your creation. Help us not to look at others changing their behaviour so much as what we can do in ourselves, how we can better the life experiences of others. Lord God you grant us new mercies every day, let us go about our daily life extending those to the people we come to interact with. Our weaknesses are powerful because through them your works can be shown, through them the hearts of those in darkness and peril can be changed, they can be brought to light. Let us not shy away from these amazing opportunities but live as truly loving children of god willing to do all he wants to please him and hear his name on the lips of those across the nations.

In the name of your son Jesus Christ, amen