Jan 02

Righteousness.

Psalm 23 – He guides me in paths of righteousness.

I remember reading a newspaper article about a young man who collapsed at a disco. On examining the man, a medic found him to be wearing fifteen T-shirts, which had caused him to overheat. The young man had put on layers and layers of clothing to achieve look that made him feel better about himself. Ultimately it was this thinking that brought about his suffering, and embarrassment. 

Mar 25

Notes on the Temptations of Christ

  • Jesus came as a man – He withheld His power and His rights to all honour, glory and praise, but He did not withhold His love.
  • Jesus came and stood in our place and the only difference between Jesus and us is that He knew no sin. If He had not been like us in every other way He could not have been our representative. So why did He go through the waters of baptism?
  • Jesus went through the ritual cleansing by which a man would enter the Priesthood. He did this to fulfil all righteousness (Mat 3:16) – He was cleansing the role of the Priesthood, and in doing so revealing what it should really be like.
Sep 27

Attitude

Imagine seeing two people working in the grounds of a large Mansion. At a distance they both look the same, but internally – where Jesus reveals life is lived first and foremost (Matt 5:28)  – there is a massive difference. In many ways they may be alike, yet there is one little difference that makes a very big difference: attitude.

One of the workers appreciates having a job in a day and age when there are not many jobs available. He’s thankful for what he gets, no matter how hard he works. The other worker is not like this. He always moans about work, goes on about how bored he is, and constantly complains about rich people who live in mansions. Which of the two is really free?

Mar 08

We Are The ‘Yes’ Of God

During one of my placements I worked in a police station for a few days. After a hard day’s work I stopped to read a newspaper a few minutes before clocking off. As I was reading the paper I suddenly I realised that the room had gone quiet. A man had come into the room and was staring at me. I kept on reading the paper whilst thinking to myself,  “I’m sure I’m supposed to recognise you from somewhere.”  Unfortunately I failed to realise that it was the Chief Inspector in charge of the station, until after he’d started having a go at me. No one on the room bothered to say anything in my defence, and before I could open my mouth he had walked out.