The manager and Word of God

By reading the Bible thorough we can take it up in us. We can let the Word of God work in us, penetrate in us, and even let it change us.  In our everyday surroundings it can accumulate in us and let us take other actions then most of the world would take. As the Mind of God can inspire and lead us.  So God can even to come to live in us through the Holy Spirit and change us from inside out.  The Spirit in us produces fruit.  That is: tolerated love, joy, peace, kindness and goodness, belief, gentleness and self-control.  These beautiful qualities can we, as we let that belief work in us, also let to work in on others. When we are managers or bosses we do not have to be the dictators or the person in charge who does not take into account the human social relations and conditions. Our attitude, the way we treat the people under our management, has to show others that we are followers of the Master Teacher Jesus Christ, and that we are all children of God, or God's creation.

In Naargelang gelovige of niet gelovige baas I talk about the findings of managers of different beliefs and how they treat their workers.

In het Nederlands kan u een artikel vinden over het Verschil tussen protestantse managers en katholieke en niet-christelijke leidinggevenden
> Naargelang gelovige of niet gelovige baas

The Metaphorical language of the Bible

To become a good Christian and to reach holiness it is essential to read the bible and to try to understand it. For some is the language of the Bible to old-fashioned. But for those we can only advise to look for a more contemporary translation. Today nobody in our Western world can bring in the excuse that he cannot find a Bible in a language he or she cannot understand. Everybody should be able to find several Bible translations on the market and one in a smoothly readable language which should be acceptable for that person. But one must take the biblical language used into account at reading the Holy Book.

On Saturday March 13 2010, god willing, the Dutch speaking Brethren in Christ shall keep their annual studies and meeting day in ‘t nieuw Kerkehuis, at the corner Daltonstraat/Leusderweg in Amersfoort. During that day we will take one of the most striking characteristics of biblical language use under eyes. It is the language which deters many people undeserved and where some have difficulty to come in to it.

Striking at the different denominations in Christianity is also how diverse people wish to approach those Biblical texts. Also the statements of the church communities lie sometimes far from each other, with the one which find that we need everything to take literally and the other one which find that it must be taken all figurative or as a tale.

On the study day the Dutch Brethren want show that it is a pity in fact that the figurative language and metaphors, which are characteristic for the Bible, are insufficiently recognized. Because it is just that metaphorical language that lets us to penetrate into the core of the biblical message. It is just the imagery language which that revives the book.

In the seminar the Brethren want to show three frequently used forms of picture language: the Parable, personalisation and the foreshadowing. It are the two last forms that ensure most problems in the church. Personalisation lets, as it happens, many believe that there is spoken of real people whereas it concerns individual characters, characteristic properties or situations. One gets also pictures which convert abstract terms into easily to understand (and recognisable!) key words. One must recognise them however. By personalisation, as it happens, many persons are confused or to found to mix the personages. Many cannot see or do not want to see the red wire which runs through the whole book.

The three forms of pictorial language can give us a deeper insight in truth and in the person of Christ Jesus. That are live pictures which provide the highest necessary insights, which we have necessary for a pure term of Jesus' position with respect to his Father and with respect to us as His children. But also for a pure insight in the real intention of the Mosaic law on the one hand, and the shortcomings of the Old Treaty on the other side. An insight that is necessary to be able to recognise what now exactly is the added value (and what not!) of the New Treaty in Christ, where our salvation eventually nevertheless depends on.

The Dutch Christadelphians want be supervisors of trainees who want to help us on getting a better insight to Bible reading.
 

It is, as it happens, this way only that we can become good bible readers when one has insight in the language use of those 66 books of the Holy Scriptures.

Everyone we would like to invite to attend a captivating study day and chance of making contact with other believing Christians and to gather sociably with bible study and two meals.

Dutch text / Nederlandse tekst >Studiedag rond Bijbelse Beeldtaal

Dutch aricles about this subject:

Zeggingskracht van beelden in de Bijbel #1 Uitnodiging
Zeggingskracht van beelden in de Bijbel #2 Vorm van beeldtaal
Zeggingskracht van beelden in de Bijbel #3 De Gelijkenis
Zeggingskracht van beelden in de Bijbel #4 Verpersoonlijking
Zeggingskracht van beelden in de Bijbel #5 Voorafschaduwing

Coming to the end of the year

exhort from Bro John Aldersley ( NZ )

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

A little boy was counting the number of times the malfunctioning clock chimed and much to his amazement, the clock struck thirteen times. He quickly ran to his mother exclaiming, "Mother, its later than it has ever been before!"
Although the clock may be incorrect, the little boy's statement is truer than he realizes. It is later than it has ever been before. Paul put it plainly when he said, "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."
As we come to the end of each year, we realize that we are nearer to the return of our Lord than we have ever been before. Wev'e heard some complain when they hear talk like this and they almost parrot the words that Peter attributes to the scoffers which say, "where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
Now of course, no true believer would say this, yet if we become impatient when we hear of the coming of the Lord and say, "we have heard this since we were a child and he still has not come," we might not be looking for him with the eager anticipation that Paul and Peter wanted us to have.
Actually the return of Christ is only a heart beat away for any of us. For those who have died, (fallen asleep in the Lord) Christ has come, for their next conscious moment will be in the presence of their Lord. We which are alive and remain, need to feel the urgency of the times and realize that there is a day "when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ." That day is nearer than it has ever been before and we are well advised to prepare for it as if it were tomorrow.

As we count down the few remaining days of each year, we should be thinking: "what have we done in the 360 plus days behind us that really mattered eternally?" We have lost count how many times we may have brushed our teeth or the number of hours we slept away, but what did we do for Jesus? When we face him at his judgment seat he will expect us to be able to answer that question. Can we answer it now? If we have trouble answering the question now, it can serve as a warning, so that we will be able to have a better answer for the days that may be ahead of us in the new year to come.

Many firms find that goals are more easily accomplished if quotas are set. They have production quotas, sales quotas, etc., and perhaps if we set a few quotas of our own we would accomplish more.

Visit a needy soul, read at least one good book every month, do our Bible readings every day. We can all think of many more to add to our list.
Now, of course, we can do these things without the aid of a formal quota but perhaps we would be more efficient in the use of our time if we rationed it out.

When it comes right down to it, we are each going to be accepted or rejected by Christ according to the way we used our time. We each have been created equal in this one respect for we all have 24 hours each day, but some place a higher value upon it than others. Our future is going to be determined by the way we spend our time.
As we see the years draw to an end, can we be accused of having filled them with eating, drinking, buying, selling, planting and building? None of these things are a sin in themselves but they are all things that take up our time, our energies and our thoughts. If this is all we did in the year we had better plan to put God first in our lives in the days that are ahead or we will be no better than the citizens of Sodom who were accused by Jesus of doing these things and having no time for God.

"See then that you walk circumspectly," says Paul, "not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil." "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed."

As each new year approaches, we wonder what will happen during the new year. It could very well be that it will be the year of the start of circumstances in Israel that will shortly lead to the return of our Lord. We are living in a great age whether or not we are of a great age. Let us each live each year as if it were our last, whether we are 16, 60 or 101.
How can we do that? By realizing that there is really only one purpose for our individual existence. When Jesus comes to call us to his judgment seat, that moment is the end of our mortal life as we know it. At that point we will either become immortal and live forever, which will make 101 seem like a tiny speck of time, or we will be destroyed; and that will mean that our entire life of however many years will have been a total waste.
We are now determining which verdict will be ours. It is the Father's good pleasure to give us the kingdom, so we know He wants us in it.

What does the future hold in store for us that is more important than the kingdom? A new job, money, a sport, a new home? These things will seem unimportant when we face the Lord Jesus Christ and he asks us, "What have you done for me?"

How wise we are to decide to make the start of the year our year for the Lord. It will be a great year if we do. It will be a disaster if we don't, no matter what else we may achieve.
If we completely surrender ourselves to God in the new year, He will cause all things to "work together for our good" for "the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry."

Some of the things that would have upset us and many of the trials that would have caused us concern will no longer bother us, for we will have learned in whatsoever state we are in, therewith to be content.
Yes, the year ahead can be the best year of our life if we live it as if it were our last. Even if it isn't, it will be better because we lived it wholly and totally for the Lord. Let us decide right now that we will do our ultimate best to surrender our lives to God. We join Paul in exclaiming, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

* * * * * * *

Dutch version / Nederlandse versie > Nu wij naar het einde van het jaar komen

Youth has difficulty Bible Reading

A majority of young people who personally read the Bible, sometimes or never understand what it says. There is a gap between knowing and doing. "More than half of the young people who understand the Bible, have no trouble with a real life practice wich God forbids."

These are some results from a survey of over 3,000 young people from the constituency of the Rural Youth Work Contact (LCJ) in the Christian Reformed Churches. The researchers see a connection between the understanding of the Bible by personal Bible reading and the consequences which young people draw from their way of life.

Read more in Dutch / Lees verder meer in het Nederlands > Jeugd heeft moeite met Bijbellezen

Do Christians need to read the Old Testament

This  month's survey question:
Do Christians need to read the Old Testament?

Is information about Jesus Christ not confined to the New Testament?

Possible  answers:

• - Christians don't need to read anything!
• Can they then just take any book from the Bible to choose to read, and then form an understanding?
• - The Old Testament is irrelevant to Christianity.
• In many denominations they find it essentially mainly to read the New Testament, where the emphasis is put on the Gospels.
• - It is impossible to understand the New Testament apart from the Old Testament.
• - The Old Testament is useful but not necessary.
• Some behold the Old Testament as a full book that could be read but which is not really necessary to understand Jesus and to see how we can enter the Kingdom of God.
• - Don't know.

Decide on your answer and post it at www.thisisyourbible.com

Read also : Christ in the Old Testament

This month's survey question: Does God Exist?

Dutch version / Voor Nederlands ga naar > De enquête vraag van de maand: Bestaat God?

From time to time surveys are undertaken asking people whether they believe in God. Surprisingly about 60% usually say they do, but when you wuestion them about their God often you get not much information and have to constatate that they seem not to know much about their God or have various thoughts which not always can be according what is written in the Holy Scriptures. Their general view of God reflects their view of themselves. Most people are inclined to be indulgent towards their own failings.

A lot of people who believe in god never took the opportunity to get to know their God better by taking up the Bible and reading it. They seem to have to be forgotten that all through the Law, the Psalms and the Prophets of the Old Testament, and then through the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament we are given a picture of whom is God and what He wants from us. The picture of God is not complicated or confused, for there emerges one outstanding Personality with His own decisive character, closely concerned with the career of the human race and the future of the world. He cannot be relegated to the fringes of human concerns, nor pushed away "somewhere" in the distant heavens, to be conveniently ignored. If men and women do that, the consequences for themselves will be disastrous.


Yesterday we mentioned on Bijbelonderzoekers Forum in the article Can we avert evil by praying how we think of a Creator who is in charge of good and evil. Last Saturday the subject of our meeting was Does there exist a God who created or allowes good and evil. (God master of good and evil => God meester van goed en kwaad)

It was to Israel that was granted the great revelation of God's supremacy over all the gods of mankind in the stirring events of their Exodus from Egypt. God had brougth terrible things over the country. The Israelites saw the effects of the plagues upon the Egyptians and witnessed their own deliverance at the crossing of the Red Sea. Moses put it very strikingly 40 years later:

"For ask now of the days that are past ... whether there hath been any such thing as this great thing is? ... Did ever people hear the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live? Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by trials (R.V. margin), by signs, and by wonders ... according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?" (Deuteronomy 4:32-34).

Upon this open demonstration of His power and salvation on their behalf, God based His appeal for their service towards Him:

"Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar (special) treasure unto me from among all peoples ... " (Exodus 19:4,5).

Notice particularly here that God's appeal for faith in Himself was solidly based not upon His moral excellence (of which He would give plenty of evidence later on), but upon the demonstration of His supremacy over the greatest pagan system on earth at the time (the Egyptian). This is reinforced when God reveals through Moses His Law for Israel, for the very first clause begins:

"I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Exodus 20:2).

Then follow the Ten Commandments, the kernel of God's Law for them.

People are given the ways how to honour their God and they are told how many gods there may be worshipped.


Do you believe in a Unique God?

Do you have an idea about the personality of your God and how He want to be looked at? How do you see the relation between Him, you and Christ Jesus?

How do you interpret: "We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods ... yet to us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things ... and one Lord, Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 8:4-6).?

This month's survey question:

Does God Exist?

POSSIBLE ANSWERS:

- Whatever God we invent will be true for us. Everyone is right.

- No. The cosmos is the product of chance and the laws of physics.

- Yes. He is the creator. He has a purpose. His will is revealed in the Bible.

- Yes. However, He is not interested particularly in us or the earth

- Don't know.

Go to www.thisisyourbible.com to submit your answer!

Find more about God on:

http://belgianchristadelphians.googlepages.com/home

We should use the Bible every day

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

Abraham Lincoln once said “Read the Bible for what, on reason, you can accept and take the rest on faith, and you will live and die a better man.” We know that not only will we die a better person for having read the Bible but if we are wise enough to obey its commands after reading them we shall also rise to live forever. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

   

As we have now progressed well into 2009, how are our daily readings going? It is a great pity that so few read the Bible every day. How can we think godly if we don’t read God’s thoughts? In the natural we sometimes feel we get to know a certain author by being thoroughly familiar with his writings. 

Certainly those who have made a study of Shakespeare feel they are acquainted with him and his thought processes; so it is with any other writer who has left his works behind. It may be nice to know a human author this way but it in no way compares with getting to know God through His Word. In fact, it is completely impossible to obey the first command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul and mind if we do not constantly read His Book, pray and meditate upon His goodness and mercy to us.

  Remember John’s point about hating or loving our brethren? The last part of his question is, “How can he love God whom he has not seen?” How can we? It is impossible to love the unknown. We cannot love someone we have never seen, never heard from, never heard of. Only by becoming familiar with a person can we love them. In the natural this usually comes as a result of personal contact but it has occurred by correspondence. Many lovers first met by mail and the love grew even before they saw one another. Since we have never seen God it is only possible to love Him as a result of our familiarity with His Word and His spirit which he dwells in us with. It goes without saying that if we are not faithful in our daily readings in His Book, we will not love Him. How can we expect Him to save us if we break His first and most important command? Paul asks the question “How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” His answer is, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”

  It is this word of God that must fill our minds and hearts if we are to love Him, obey Him and receive from Him the crown of righteousness. To ignore the Bible readings is to ignore God. It won’t make much use what else we do if we don’t do them. That’s the trouble with the world today. Every man is doing that which is right in his own eyes. The world expresses it as “doing your own thing.” “Our own thing” will be of no value in the day of judgement.

 If we do not read our Bible regularly in January, we must not let February and the rest of the year take the same course. Making and breaking New Year’s resolutions is the butt of many jokes but not reading God’s Word is no joke whether it was a New Year’s resolution or not. If we cannot find time to read God’s book every day, just how much do we really love Him? Our actions are speaking louder than words.

  The Bible reading charts are not the only way to read the Bible but they are a very good way. Whatever way we use to read the Bible, we should use it and do it every day. It is good to do it as a family if possible. May the words Paul addressed to Timothy apply to us as well. “Continue in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; And that from a child you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.”

* * * * * * *

The reason why the majority of people are forgetful hearers of the Word of God, is because they are not constant readers of it.

Don’t count your troubles. Rather, count the challenges that are already stacking up higher than a pyramid before you. Whether you want to make a million this 2009 or not, it is entirely up to you. It is in your hands completely. And by a million, I don’t necessarily mean dollars. I mean all the other things besides. Like friends, kindly acts, gestures of goodwill to those who need them most.

  

 Set your sights high. Make a goal, and thereupon work at it with frenzied non-stop effort. Aim at becoming a “Goal-achievement millionaire.” That means in twelve months hence you will have reached your goals, solved your problems, secured inner peace of mind, mental refreshment.

 You will have made more friends than ever before, and in turn, you will find you are on the friendship list of a greater-than-ever range of people, too. This is a wonderful start.

  You may have made a few more dollars as well. But suddenly you find this is not so important. Your new concept of living, working out simple solutions to your vexing problems, finding that negative thoughts have no place in your mental environment, solving problems on a day-by-day basis with a strong, forthright, positive approach - these have suddenly converted you into a mental millionaire.

  Intimately associated with all this, come important facets in your spiritual life. This is a basic key to help solve all problems.

  Did you used to read the Scriptures on a regular daily basis? Maybe up to until a year or two ago. What happened in the interim? Bowed down by the cares of the world? Couldn’t be bothered? Too tired?

 Taking Christ into your life as a working partner is a top way to achieve your goal. He will help keep your computer mind working steadily and accurately. He will keep it oiled with the balm of enthusiasm, a sweet nature, a sober spirit and Christ-like temperament.

  There will be no more need to go mad at your offensive contemporaries. The well-adjusted computer is programmed to cope with such difficulties as they rear their ugly heads. But it is essential you walk hand-in-hand with the Master-mind at all times. With His aid, success is never more assured, never more gratifying and overwhelming in volume.

  Think positive right through 2009 and, without doubt, with Christ in your life your goals will spin into reality with frightening rapidity.

* * * * * * *

- John Aldersley

> Bible Reading Plan

Feed Your Faith Daily

Feed Your Faith Daily MATTHEW 4:4 NKJ 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'" You may neglect the Word of God and still exist, but you will not enjoy life -- really live -- as God intended, without feeding regularly on God's Word. Just as you need physical food to remain strong physically, you also need spiritual food to stay strong spiritually. God's Word -- the Bible -- is the food that feeds our faith, and gives us spiritual strength. Every day you need to feed, at least some, on God's Word. A helpful key is to develop good habits, such as reading the Word every time you eat food, or every morning when you awake, or right before you go to sleep. The time is not important, just that you remember every day. There are many ways to feed on God's Word available to us today. Reading, or listening to, teaching from the Bible is one way. Speaking the Word -- especially when you personalize it, can really build your faith fast. Of course, nothing can replace your own reading of the Bible, or having it read to you. Most of us have busy schedules. Time is scarce, and we must invest it wisely. Nothing will benefit us more -- both in this life and in the one to come -- than feeding on God's Word. All of us can find time for God's Word, if we want to. You can write Scriptures on cards to read and meditate on whenever you stop in traffic, or whenever you have to wait for someone. Maybe listening as you travel, or as you prepare for work, is a good plan for you. The important thing is that you have a plan, so you don't let this most important habit slip. Seeing the Word. Hearing the Word. Speaking the Word. Thinking about the Word. This is what builds our faith and keeps us strong spiritually. SAY THIS: I will feed my faith daily on God's Word.

A Bee Bg

Be an Encourager

Be an Encourager
March 16, 2009

By Rose McCormick Brandon

Discouragement often knocks on the door of the lonely, sick and elderly. For
decades Hope interceded for her family, church and community. Through her
strong witness many came to Christ. Now Hope sits alone in her living room
lamenting that her life is unfruitful. Poor health and several falls prevent
her from attending church. Few from the congregation call.

"I don¹t know why the Lord doesn¹t take me home," she says. "I'm no good to
Him any more."

Encouraging the Hopes of the world is a significant part of our work for
God. The first gift we can offer them is an empathetic ear. They often need
to unload their painful feelings. Sometimes the simple act of expressing
their thoughts lightens their darkness. Being a kind, nonjudgmental listener
is an offering believers can give one another.

In her prime, Hope prayed for, called and visited many. "Now I'm alone and
everyone has forgotten me," she says.

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of
Christ" (Galatians 6:2, NIV).

After listening, raise the focus upwards by reminding the person of their
royal position.

"God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms
in Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:6).

Tell of His unconditional affection and the promise of His continual
presence. Read Scripture and pray together. Allow a spiritual bond to
develop. This restores the person's sense of belonging to the body of
Christ.

Paul expressed this in Romans 1:11,12: "I long to see you so that I may
impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong ‹ that is, that you and
I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith."

Even God's heroes become discouraged. Elijah, a miracle man, was so
miserable he wanted to die. An angel came, cooked him a nourishing meal and
told him to lie down and rest (1 Kings 19:1-8). What kindness the angel
showed the depressed prophet.

The angel's actions demonstrate the practical side of being an encourager.
Simple acts of kindness sooth despairing souls and remind them they're
loved. It's only human to grow old, tired, hungry and lonely. James wrote of
Elijah, "[He] was a man just like us" (James 5:17).

Christians often don't allow for human weakness. We consider the high points
of our faith journey and believe we should always live on those
mountaintops. Some may even believe that becoming disheartened, discouraged
or depressed is a sin.  An encourager dispels that myth.

Could someone you know benefit from an uplifting visit, phone call or letter
from you today?
‹ Rose McCormick Brandon writes personal experience essays, Bible studies,
news articles, profiles and devotionals from her home in Sault Ste. Marie,
Canada.

The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

(Written by Jason Cook)

There is a time in a person’s life when there are many questions to be asked but few answers to be given. This is what can make life so difficult. The only way to find true peace is by seeking God. He has the answers which we truly desire which will enable us to have peace within our whole being. The Bible clearly states in Deut. 6:5: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Verse 6 also goes on to say “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart.” Verse 7 again says “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up.”

  God can do many things for us if He is our true life. 1 Cor. 1:26: “For you see your calling brethren that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.” For we all have a calling but it is by the hand of God and not by the hand of the world, for the world is so caught up in its cunningness and its desirable ways that we do not see what is right from wrong except through the word of God. The truth is very plain to see and God can be clearly seen and heard speaking to our hearts and to our minds to give us courage to be able to carry on with the things that surround us.

  Even before time began God has been there. Time is a wonderful thing to have but it is how we spend our time and what energy we put in to it that matters; “a time to love a time to cry, a time to rejoice and a time to celebrate.” One thing we must spend time with is the Word of God. There are many times when God is in effect put on the shelf and left closed like a dusty old book forgotten about. But to realize who He is and what He truly stands for and what He is all about is light and love and pure strength.

 

Psa. 27:14 says “Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord.”

  Waiting can be one of the hardest things to overcome because that is the way of human nature and the flesh. Waiting with patience is the one thing we must all learn to have and some have more than others which is a blessing.

  Jam. 1:4: But let patience have its perfect work that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. God has the power to give us all that we need. Not always what we want, but with the time and patience that He gives us, later He may even give us some of our wants. The trust that we show to the Lord can come in many ways. One way is how we live our lives, asking God to help us with the things that we are to face each day, week, month and year. Another way is to talk to others about the wonderful hope that the Lord gives us if we trust in Him with all our heart. One of the first commandments was “to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength,” and to “seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.”

 We are all influenced by many things in this life that we live. There are so many things that can encourage us but there are so many things that can prevent us from moving forward from the past and going forward into the future. We can either choose to be in the dark or we can be covered by the glory of the Lord.

 Rom. 3:23 “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” Rom. 9:23: “and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy which He had prepared beforehand for glory.” To really realise that we have a God that watches us and waits for us to be able to call on His name whenever He is needed, is a pretty powerful thing to behold, for the power of God cannot and will never be able to be comprehended except by reading His word. By doing so we can truly know who God is which is truth in itself. Truth can be a painful thing when we are not prepared for it. But we must all deal with these things when we are faced with the thought that we could or might be wrong. We must all come to the conclusion that there is only one true thing for us and that is the Lord thy God who has the power over all things. He is in control of all the beasts that walk the earth, all the creatures that swim in the ocean and the birds which fly in the heavens. From the insects to the air we breathe, the sun which heats our planet to the love which surrounds us and our family.

 We live a life which we are totally in control of in deciding which path we should lead and how we should be living it. By reading the Word of God it can give us strength and hope with the promise God has given us of the gift of life eternal through the lord Jesus Christ. Through his salvation we can be saved from the darkness and turn it into light to move forward strengthening our faith and our belief in what we feel is necessary for the  hope that God has in store for us. Hoping for this we can always depend upon His love and kindness.

  Psa. 116:1-2: “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.”

  Psa. 116:8-9: “For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears and my feet from falling. I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” When we walk with the Lord it is not an easy thing to do as we have seen. Looking around us we see how dangerous the world really is. The flesh in itself finds it nice to the eye but so evil in its content and what it represents. There are so many nice things in the world that appeal to the flesh and take us away from God but with it there comes a price - the price of sin and death. This is one thing we truly do not desire to have, but that is up to each person’s responsibility in how they live their lives. Each person has his or her own responsibility to make their own choice whether right or wrong. My choice is our almighty God.

  When you try to think of the many ways God has intervened in our lives it is amazing. He has provided food and shelter and we have our families which give us strength. But most importantly we have His love all around us. We represent God and the truth that He stands for and all the goodness that is in His son Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour who is the light of the world. He sits at the right hand of power which is the everlasting Father God almighty. We have all been called in some small way by God and there are many ways by which we are called.

  1 Pet. 5:5-11: “Likewise you younger people submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another and be clothed with humility for God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary human nature walks about you like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist your nature, be steadfast in the faith and know that the same sufferings are experienced by your brothers and sisters in this world. But may the God of all grace who called you to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while perfect, establish, strengthen and settle you. To God be the glory and the dominion forever and ever amen.

  There is a saying “you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.” The same goes that “you can lead a man to God but only he can get his salvation.”

  Ps. 3:8: “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing upon Your people.”

  2 Cor. 6:2: “For God says in an acceptable time I have heard you and in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

  Heb. 2:3: “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.”

  Psa. 68:20: “Our God is the God of salvation. And to the Lord belongs escape from death.”

  We all try to the best of our ability to live under God’s law and His guidance by reading His Word and studying with willingness. By having a hunger for the Word of God to truly know who God is and to know that He will never leave us or forsake us. He is not a god of wood or stone; not a god we cannot hear or cannot see, but a God who loves us and cares for us and accepts us for who we are, not what we are. Praise His almighty name for He is a God of the living, not the dead.

  Thank you Father for being in our lives and showing us the path to life - not to destruction. We want to live Lord, we all want to live.

  We desire oh Majesty that we might live by Your decree Amen.

Relapse plan

EARLY WARNING SIGNS

One thing that can often help people who suffer from mental illness is to be able to recognise their personal early warning signs and symptoms of relapse and illness. It is often helpful to try and identify stressors and triggers that contribute to illness. It is equally helpful to identify not only weaknesses, but also strengths that can be called upon to help in time of need. Having recognised what these signs and symptoms are the next stage is to create a relapse plan, a sort of forward planning on what to do when things go wrong.

The relapse plan first identifies general early warning signs and then other more specific signs that come along later. One aspect of creating a relapse plan is to identify one specific early warning sign, then look at something that helps overcome it. For example, somebody may identify that one of their signs is to lose weight because they miss out meals during the day. So the plan to help may be to buy favourite foods and easy to prepare meals, setting aside time to eat regularly.  Another aspect of creating a relapse plan is to identify people:

Ø  That can be turned to for information

Ø  Whose opinion and advice you value

Ø  To share ideas with

Ø  Who make you think

Ø  That you can trust and confide in

It may be that just one person or several people fulfil these roles.

The objective of the exercise is twofold. Firstly, to enable people become more aware of their problems and feel more in control. Secondly, to start dealing with the problem sooner rather than later, is far better than leaving things until a crisis point is reached. Early intervention means a better prognosis.

Now before these thoughts continue it also needs to be noted that mental ‘illness’ can and does happen to everyone to one degree or another. It is not an all or nothing situation. Mental health is on a continuum and we all move up and down that continuum according to the nature and number of problems and stresses that we face. To feel low, depressed, anxious, worried or any of all the other emotions that beset us, is a normal response to life events.  For most of us, mental ill health does not become a clinical problem, but for 1 in 4 of the population it does.

So how can this relate to life in the Truth? Well we all suffer from sin and we all experience highs and lows of faith, confidence or commitment from day to day. This could be termed spiritual ill health. Sadly, there are times when those peaks and troughs become more acute and a gradual drift away from the path of salvation takes place, sin starts gaining the upper hand, the situation becomes harder to retrieve and a sort of clinical spiritual ill health sets in.

What if we could be more aware of our ‘early warning signs’ maybe that would help to avoid some pitfalls, or at least minimise their impact. If we had a pre-prepared plan of action, maybe that would help us get back onto the right path. In a very real sense, early intervention means a far better prognosis for us! However it is always hard to cope alone, so what if could identify people to turn to in a given situation, people to support, advise and guide. Not only this, each one of us having experienced sin and the problems with temptation, surely we should be more appreciative of the difficulties faced by others.

So what are your early warning signs? Some possible ones that come to mind are:

Ø  Reduced frequency of reading the scriptures

Ø  Reading quickly to ‘get the reading done’ with no time given for thoughtful contemplation.

Ø  Withdrawing from the company of other brethren and sisters

Ø  Less time spent in prayer

Ø  Attending meetings less frequently

Ø  Spending time worrying about the future and becoming disheartened

Ø  Spending more time on career, hobbies and other interests

Ø  Becoming spiritually more tired and sleepy

Add your own to the list!

What could a relapse plan be? Well first of all identify your personal warning signs. For an example it could be less frequent attending of meetings. Now the thought may run along these lines: ‘My life is busy, there are a lot of problems and pressures in life and I just cannot get to the meetings.’

Now turn it on its head. There are a lot of problems that are difficult to deal with, that is probably true.  But does worrying about the problems make them go away? The answer is an emphatic no.  Does having extra support make the problem go away, no, but it can make them easier to bear. We read:

“If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no-one to help him up! … Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” Eccl 4:10-12

Does Bible study help? Well yes, because we can always find guidance and advice in scripture to cover any given situation. Again we read:

Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war. Prov 20:18

Does this apply only to war against a physical enemy, or does it not equally apply to war against sin, our greatest and strongest enemy.

So the plan to overcome could be to make a commitment to go to meetings, even if it is difficult. It may also help to talk to a fellow brother or sister about finding it hard to attend; a problem brought out into the open often makes it less of a problem. Does not scripture say “bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.” Gal 6:2 Any plan of course must also include prayer:

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.”  Prov 3:5-6

No matter what our circumstances we always have the comfort and support of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is fully aware of our needs. All we need to do is follow his example!

So, select from your list of ‘early warning signs’ of sin something that is in the world that you find hard to overcome, then think of a plan of what you can do about it. Ask yourself the question ‘who can I turn to for help?’

An indispensible first step is to make the problem a matter of prayer, daily prayer. Then maybe think of a quote from scripture that you can use to remind yourself about what you are trying to change. Then whenever that probelm occurs, repeat the quote to yourself and then change what you do. Thought and action must go together.

Jesus in a sense gave us an example of this action plan. Remember when he was tempted he countered all temptation with, ‘it is written’.  So now put your sin relapse plan into action!

Andy P.

Bric-a-brac of the Bible

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON

The Bible, so we are told by the Rev. Roswell D. Hitchcock in a book published in 1870, contains exactly 773,692 words. Of these, 592,439 are in the Old Testament and 181,253 are in the New Testament. The Rev. Mr. Hitchcock was quite a Biblical statistician. He writes just how many chapters there are, how many verses, and, if you have a head for figures, how many letters (!) there are in the Authorized Version. (All right, if you must know: there are 3,566,480 letters in the Bible, of which 838,380 are in the New Testament; a simple exercise in subtraction will give you the number in the Old Testament, though I don’t think that knowing this will help you much.”

  Nor does it lift your soul much higher to know that the middle verse of the Bible is Psalm 118:8; or that the word “Jehovah” occurs 6,855 times and the word “and” is used 46,227 times, 10,684 of them in the New Testament. But to the Rev. Mr. Hitchcock these things were important - though imagine, if you will, the painstaking care he must have taken to establish his facts! And consider how irritated he would justifiably have been if he had lived to see a computer do all this mammoth chore in a matter of minutes or less!

  No, these things, although perhaps of passing interest, are not the stuff of which salvation is made; they are the mere bric-a-brac of the Bible, yet they suggest something that might be worthy of our consideration. WHY did the reverend gentleman spend his time counting the letters of the Bible? No one, to my knowledge, has ever counted the words that Shakespeare wrote - nor would anyone want to. And certainly no one ever pored over Shakespeare to find out how many letters there are in his complete works. Why then, do people do this to the Bible?

  Ah, we may say, that is the point. And the point is this: the Bible has a fascination that no other book or collection of books has. Moreover, its fascination lies in its unity and its diversity, its simplicity and its complexity, its singularity and its variety. For a book with all the possibilities of confusion, it has a marvellous clarity of message. But H.L. Hastings says this so much better:

  “The authorship of this book is wonderful. Here are words written by kings, by emperors, by princes, by poets, by sages, by philosophers, by fishermen, by statesmen; by men learned in the wisdom of Egypt, educated in the schools of Babylon, trained up at the feet of rabbis in Jerusalem. It was written by men in exile, in the desert, in shepherds’ tents, in “green pastures” and “beside still waters.” Among its authors we find the tax-gatherer, the herdsman, the gatherer of sycamore fruit; we find poor men, rich men, statesmen, preachers, exiles, captains, legislators, judges; men of every grade and class are represented in this wonderful volume, which is in reality a library filled with history, genealogy, ethnology, law, ethics, prophecy, poetry, eloquence, medicine, sanitary science, political economy and perfect rules for the conduct of personal and social life. It contains all kinds of writing; but what a jumble it would be if sixty-six books were written in this way by ordinary men!”

  Indeed, what a jumble! But yet this Book was, in a sense, written by “ordinary men” - though there was precious little opportunity for collaboration between most of them. As one writer says on the point:

  “Altogether about forty persons, in all stations of life, were engaged in the writing of these oracles, the work of which was spread over a period of about 1,600 years.

  And herein lies the sum of the troubles of mankind, whether he be agnostic or theologian, saint or infidel, churchman or atheist. And what is more, here is the issue on which Christendom has split itself down the middle for centuries: its attitude to the Word of God! Incredible but true. Some have torn this Book to shreds; others have enthusiastically acknowledged it without question. Hastings says (not without irony): “The Bible is a book which has been refuted, demolished, overthrown, and exploded more times than any other book you ever heard of .....They overthrew the Bible in Voltaire’s time - entirely demolished the whole thing. In less than a hundred years, said Voltaire, Christianity will have been swept from existence, and will have passed into history ....But the Word of God “lives and abides for ever.” And in the same house where this same Voltaire lived, there is now a printing press which operates for the Bible Society, daily giving the lie to Voltaire’s sceptical prediction.

  By way of contrast to Voltaire and his friends, consider the famous statement made by Dr. Chillingworth nearly one hundred and thirty years ago: “The Bible, I say, the Bible only, is the religion of Protestants! .... I for my part, after a long and impartial search of the true way to eternal happiness, do profess plainly that I cannot find any rest for the sole of my foot but upon this rock only. There is no sufficient certainty but of Scripture only for any considering man to build upon. This, therefore, and this only, I have reason to believe; this I will profess; according to this I will live, and for this if there be occasion, I will not only willingly, but even gladly, lose my life, though I should be sorry that Christians should take it from me. Propose me anything out of this Book, and require whether I believe it or no, and seem it never so incomprehensible to human reason, I will subscribe it with hands and heart, as knowing no demonstration can be stronger than this: God has said so, therefore it is true.”

  There is something in us that responds to the old fashioned ring which that plain statement has to it. Would to God that our modern theologians and all our leading ecclesiastics would make statements like that today - instead of sniping at the authenticity of the Word of God, instead of questioning its inspiration, instead of branding it a collection of myths and fables. We need ten thousand Dr. Chillingworths in our pulpits today; with declarations such as that afore-mentioned, the preachers would set their pulpits on fire and their congregations would flock to hear them.

  Or, if there were no Dr. Chillingworths around, perhaps a Robert F. Horton would do just as well. Listen to what he wrote about the Scriptures in 1891:

  “On what ground do we believe that the Bible is inspired? Some will give the ready answer, ‘We believe that the Bible is inspired because the church says so.’ Others there are who, when asked why they believe the Bible to be inspired, would reply, ‘It is because we have found it to be so practically; by reading we have found our way to God; by searching it the will of God has become clearer to us; by living according to its precepts we have proved that it is Divine; and now its words move us as no other words do: other books delight us, instruct us, thrill us, but this book speaks with a demonstrable truthfulness concerning the temporal and the unseen.’..... The people who answer in this way certainly seem to render a more solid reason than those who found their assertion about inspiration upon the tradition of an authoritative church.”

  That is the crux of the whole matter; the Good Book is God’s Book. It is best known, as Robert Horton has just reminded us, “by reading, .... by searching .... by living its precepts.” Anyone who has any doubts of its power and its authorship need only follow this simple formula to find out the indisputable truth.

 - John Aldersley