Love the unlovable

1 Thessalonians 5:15 (NLT)

     See that no one pays back evil for evil, but always try to do good to each other and to all people.

Matthew 5:38-39 (NLT)

     “You have heard the law that says the punishment must match the injury: ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say, do not resist an evil person! If someone slaps you on the right cheek, offer the other cheek also.

Levictus 19:18 (NLT)
     “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against a fellow Israelite, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

Mark 12:31 (NLT)
     The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.

These four verses have been so close the the front of my mind today. I have said many times at work that I know that I should love the people I work with through my job, but if only they wouldn't make it so hard. Simply said I have had a tough day at work, it started with my being late and just went down hill from there.

I don't want to dwell on the facts of today and there isn't much I can say due to the nature of the work that I do but the thoughts it has raised in my mind I feel are worth talking about. It has come to my attention over the last two days that in the job I do, working with the homeless and addicts, I am often at a fair amount of personal risk. At any moment these people could fly off the handle and cause considerable harm to myself or my colleagues. Time and again I am let down by their actions and behaviour and will be many more times in the future. Yet day after day I go into work with the desire and enthusiasm to make a difference and to help. 

The thing that keeps me going, the reason I can go in day after day, especially after a couple of terrible days is that I know this is what God wants us all to do. He wants us to love the unloved, to help them and through showing them this love they will see that the Holy Spirit is in us and that God too loves them, and in a way much better than the way we love them.

But that is the problem, a lot of these people really are unlovable at times, they do and say things that cause you pain in one way or another and at times do everything they can to drive everyone away. Some people actually do not want to be loved, do not want help and certainly do not want to change, at least on the surface. Deep down I believe we all have a desire to find God and to be loved, it is something I believe is inbuilt into humans.

Even so, when Christ came to earth He loved without measure or boundaries, He helped indiscriminately and despite the fact He was let down in the most painful and terrible way He continued to love us all. I know that we are not Christ, that we will never be like Christ, but to try is surely pleasing in His eye. I pray daily for the strength to continue to work with these people who seem humanly unlovable, who try their best to push everyone away. 

As a friend reminded me the other day, not everyone who is unloved who is lost or in need of the Lord is homeless, I just have a passion for them as it is what God is calling me to do right now. But we are all surrounded by people who need us to bring the light of Jesus into their lives, there are people in all walks of life who need to see us living our Christian lives and have this light in their lives. The unloved and lost are all around us, they are crying out for something, they just don't see that it is Christ.

See that as a Christian you love your neighbour, that you try to do good to all who cross your path. We need to realise that revenge, even in out own minds is not acceptable behaviour. 

Love your neighbour.

Do good to each other.

Do not seek revenge.

Turn the other Cheek.

Follow the teachings from God and follow the examples of Christ, for these teachings and examples are perfection. If we do these things and pray for the strength to follow them daily them the life we are living will be good and pleasing to God. To live a life pleasing to God, what greater thing could you do?

Jesus weeps still

1 Corinthians 1:10-15

     I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought. My brothers and sisters, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ.”
     Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptised in the name of Paul? I thank God that I did not baptize any of you except Crispus and Gaius, so no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

Jesus Showed His human side many times while He was here on Earth, His anger at the money sellers, His tears for Lazarus and in the Garden of Gethsemane. In this He showed us that God is just as capable of the range of emotions that we have, love, anger, disappointment and so on. 

On of the things that must be a common trigger for anger, disappointment and upset for God must be when there are divisions and bad feelings in the Church. These can happen for many reasons, and some of them can seem just at the time, but nothing that causes discord in the body of Christ can be good. 

At times when we find ourselves involved in these disagreements we have to pray for assistance and guidance on how to repair the damage being cause. We need to ask God to show us what to do, what to say and how to act so that no further split or damage is cause. 

When we are part of the problem (whether the cause or not) we must look at the situation with God and ask Him, what is the right path? Am I right or wrong, do I stand up and fight or do I back down. Lord, how do I make this right, or how can I remove myself from it. Listen to God and His guidance, pray hard for His help and when He speaks go straight to work.

Divisions in the Church are nothing new, and unfortunately they will be with us for a long time to come. But the way in which we act is key. If we are acting in a Godly way we need to ask for God's help on how to help those who are wrong, but it if is us who has strayed, us who are in the wrong we need to look to God to help us put it right. Disagreements over interpretation will be common, in this look to the Bible and follow the teachings of Christ.

Mark 2:27 (NIV)

     Then he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

Jesus was not one to be held back by the Law, He knew what it was for and knew that there would be exceptions. The Law was made for man, not man for the Law. It works in this too. Legalism is one of my greatest bug bears of the Church, Christ did not come to state the Law, to show us how to obey an old covenant made with the Jews. He came and showed us how to live, loving one another, helping one another but mostly He showed us that to be humble and serve one another is the greatest thing we can do. If you are involved in a dispute in a church, be Christlike, be humble and subservient, be weak. For through this weakness you will find strength, in that strength you will find God, and where God is He will bring His healing love.

In all things, always first look to Christ.

 

The road to Emmaus

I was talking to a friend last night about how we often read through the Bible and the stories in there a little underwhelmed. We have been studying and reading them in different ways for years, for most of us since our childhood days in Sunday school. We have read and re read the stories that many times that we fail to have our minds blown by them any more.

This came up because earlier in the evening someone had mentioned the road to Emmaus and we had been discussing about faith and the power of Christ I don't how much other people know about this story or about the context of this story, but bear with me while I talk through it.

This story centres on two disciples of Jesus, they are not major characters in the group following Christ as the Apostles were, but nevertheless these two men were disciples of Jesus. These men as disciples can be validly thought of as Rabbinical apprentices, and as such would have followed Jesus very, very closely if not for His entire three year ministry then for a large portion of it. Without putting too fine a point on it, these men knew Jesus very well, they would have spent huge amounts of time with Him and known very well what He looked like.

So these two men are walking along, understandably they don't want to be in Jerusalem just then, who would, and they meet a stranger on the road. You can imagine how it would happen, you are out walking with a friend talking, probably not in the best of moods and you come across a stranger. Not only this but the stranger decides to tag along after them trying to join in the conversation, even worse the stranger appears not to have a clue about recent events. Picture yourself in this situation, how would you feel and react towards this person? would it be in a polite, kind Christian way or might you possibly be a bit irritable and dismissive.

If all this was not bad enough the stranger who has already ingratiated himself so well begins to teach the two men about the prophecies regarding the Messiah. But remember these men are not your run of the mill citizens, they are Rabbinical apprentices, theology students, they know in their heads all that this stranger is trying to teach them. We are told that these disciples thought Jesus was the Christ but now because He has been dead three days and His body appears to be stolen they think they have lost everything. And here is this no one, this random stranger telling them about what the Messiah must do, I don't think annoyed is quite the word to express their feelings.

So after what is likely to have been many hours walking, and with this stranger tagging alone possibly some quite tense and uncomfortable hours, possibly some pleasant, we don't know. Obviously they were not that bad that they would let this stranger carry on into the night wandering to the next village and they invite him in to the house in which they are bedding down for the night to eat with them.

At this point Jesus takes the bread, blesses and breaks it and hands it to the disciples, at this moment their eyes begin to see. In the Bible it says that their eyes were opened, for me personally this links to the times in the Bible where it says things like, those who have ears listen, those who have eyes see. These phrases do not discount the blind and deaf, they signify that those people who have been exposed to Christ need to recognise Him and that it is right to do so. I think another equally valid way of saying the same thing would be that the disciples had their hearts opened, for me I think that in this sense it means the same thing.

Take a moment here with me, for a large part of the day these men had been walking with this man the thought a complete stranger. I have already mentioned about the way these men may have felt, a totally understandable way I would have guessed, a perfectly human one at any rate. And then in a blink of an eye they realise this stranger is no stranger, he is the man they have been following for maybe three years, day in, day out. How much of a kick yourself moment is that, how much does that mess with your head. Is your mind blown? I am sure theirs was, I know mine is. If yours is not please take some time, read through the story again, think about it, put yourself in their place. It is a mind blowing moment, if you do not see that or picture it please take the time to consider it again, I assure you at some point your eyes will be opened and your mind will be blown.

There are many other stories just as mind blowing as this one that we just seem to accept because we have known them since childhood. I mean this one time there were a lot of people following Jesus, and He fed them all, 5000 men we are told, using 5 little bread rolls and 2 fish. Mind blown? Think about it, 5 bread rolls, 2 fish, 5000+ people! Not enough for you? Ok, a different time Jesus' friends were out fishing in a boat and there blew up a storm, it wasn't a little but of wind or a little rain, these guys were career fishermen, they knew storms and this storm scared them a lot. We are talking heavy, driving rain, thunder, lightning, waves bigger than the boat and clouds that probably didn't let all that much light through. Jesus who had been sleeping gets up and turns to the wind and waves and says shut it, stop making a fuss. He calmed a storm so big that a boat full of seasoned fishermen were scared! Is your mind blown yet?

We are small people, we have small minds, the only way to understand and deal with the world is to take mind blowing things we have heard and seen before and lump them in with "the norm". But when we do this with these stories we miss out on so much, we begin to think of these stories and Jesus as just normal. The thing is it wasn't normal, it isn't normal. These things have happened often just once, and certainly by only one man, they really should blow your mind. The power of God and Jesus is so far beyond our knowledge and comprehension that blown mind is a good way to approach it. We stand there before God admitting our ignorance, our failings and our inabilities, we stand before God realising we will never appreciate the fullness of His awesome glory in this life. This is a good place to be, in awe with our minds blown. Next time you are reading these stories of Jesus read them for the first time, read them without the barriers and preconceptions we have built up in our lives, read them and allow your mind to be blown away by the power and glory of God through His son Jesus. Blown mind is in no way a destination, but it is both a good starting point and way point on what I hope is a long walk with Christ for us all, why not stop at Emmaus today and see what Jesus has to teach you.

Read the book of Mark

This week the Soldier's Challenge was to read the book of Mark. In reading this book I was struck by how much of the book I actually knew and how well I actually knew it. To be honest I should have begun reading it earlier in the week, but being a little lazy this week I left it until last night to read it and only finished it this morning.

While reading through it I came across a verse that I have liked for a long time, a verse that makes me feel thankful that we have a saviour like Jesus. A saviour who comes to help0 those who are not perfect, one who comes to heal us from our unhealthy ways.

Mark 2:17

     On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

This challenge was not hard, it took only time and a little effort to complete. It did however make me think about what I know and what I have still to learn. The fact is that I know a lot of the bible at face value, I know a lot of the stories in there. But actually learning the meaning behind these stories, parables and teachings that I have to work on. I know that this sort of knowledge does not come quickly or easily but from living daily in His presence always keeping your heart and mind open and willing.

The next challenge that has been selected to complete this week is to donate my unused clothes to charity. This task has come at the right time as I have just begun to sort through all my things in order to get rid of everything I no longer want or need. Check back next week to see how this challenge goes and who I donate the clothes too.

Repairing past damage

Tonight I made some good progress towards healing some of the wounds that I caused by living the way I did in the past. In the past I have somewhat ignored my family and acted in ways which have caused friction and bad feelings between me and my family.

The member of my family who I probably have the worst relationship with is my older brother who in some sense I have probably treat the worst at times. We have never had the greatest communication between us but over recent years it has suffered due to my actions.

However tonight I went to have dinner with my brother and his wife for the reasons of talking things over about the plans for my future. There were a number of reasons for this, mainly because having him onside will make winning my parents over to the plans a lot easier but also because keeping him in the loop goes some way to making him feel included which helps the relationship we have.

Coming away after the meal I felt much happier and had a much better plan in my mind of the way to go about things in order to win over my family to supporting the plans for my future. However I was reminded of a verse a friend gave me last night to think and pray over. I'll leave you with the verse as I finish this post and will keep you updated as the plans progress.

Mark 6:1-6 (NIV)
     Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
     “Where did this man get these things?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him? What are these remarkable miracles he is performing? Isn’t this the carpenter? Isn’t this Mary’s son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him.
     Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Lord of the Rings

Lord of the Rings in my opinion has to take the title of the best film adaptation of a book ever. With the exception of Tom Bombadil being left out there was almost nothing I was upset or disappointed by in this trilogy. There is some fantastic cinematography and images in these films, some absolutely breathtaking scenes.

One scene in particular has always jumped out at me. In fact it is not really the scene as it appears in the film, but a slight modification. This refers back to about 6 years ago before I "left" the Church and tried to make it on my own. While spending time at a Christian residential I experienced the closest thing to a vision I have ever had. One night while sat in a prayer meeting I saw as if I was part of it the scene from the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring where the combined forces of Men and Elves are fighting Sauron's armies. It was at this point it changed from what is shown in the film. Instead of the great evil, dark form of Sauron entering the battle, I saw a figure standing gleaming white. The light coming from the white figure was so bright it was impossible to see the source other than it was human shaped. Yet even though the light was too bright to see what was at the centre it was not painful to look at. The white figure then proceeded to attack the evil enemy in huge numbers, each swing of his sword.

Now I am not one inclined to visions, and my scientific mind can provide lots of explanations for such occurrences. However the fact that this was during one of the hardest and darkest moments of my life I feel it was not a freak or chance occurrence.

Joel 2:28 and Acts 2:17
        "In the Last Days," God says,
        "I will pour out my Spirit
            on every kind of people:
        Your sons will prophesy,
            also your daughters;
        Your young men will see visions,
            your old men dream dreams.

I think on subjects like this we should be wary about visions and their meanings. God is not the only one who uses visions, God is not the only one who talks to us. We can be under attack from the enemy so easily, and he is a formidable force. The only way to fight back is using the help of God. However attacks form the enemy can be seen to be such, nothing from the enemy can lift you like help from God. The enemy does not have it in him to be good, kind or nice. We should remember that God is the greatest, He is the strongest, He was the first and will be the last.

Revelations 1:8 (KJV)
    I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

A vision as simple as showing the greatness of God, showing God fighting against the enemy is not likely to come from the enemy. He does not want us to think he can be defeated. He does not want us to realise that using God's power we can send him packing with his tail between his legs.

Matthew 8:28-29
    They landed in the country of the Gadarenes and were met by two madmen, victims of demons, coming out of the cemetery. The men had terrorized the region for so long that no one considered it safe to walk down that stretch of road anymore. Seeing Jesus, the madmen screamed out, "What business do you have giving us a hard time? You're the Son of God! You weren't supposed to show up here yet!"

Jesus had power and authority over any and all daemons. They knew who He was and they were afraid of His power, because of this they obeyed His commands. Jesus passed on this authority to His believers, He gave us the power over daemons when using His name.

Acts 16:18
    She did this for a number of days until Paul, finally fed up with her, turned and commanded the spirit that possessed her, "Out! In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of her!" And it was gone, just like that.

Mark 16:17 (KJV)

    And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;

In my life I have not been blessed with many very close encounters with God. Yet the few I have been blessed enough to experience have been awe inspiring and powerful, at least to me. I may not be a person who sees visions and can hear the voice of God regularly. I struggle to see signs and directions from God most of the time. But even though this is the case I know God is there talking to me all the time, in all situations, in all things. What I need to do is learn to listen to him, I need to quieten my mind to the world in order to hear more clearly. I need to learn to see with eyes that are not clouded by the distractions of this world. I am not naive enough to think I can get to a point where all my conversations with God are as clear as talking to another person but it is a good target to aim for. If I actively work on my relationship with God, spend time alone with Him looking and listening then hopefully I can learn to better hear and see Him.

The Reason

I'm not a perfect person

There's many things I wish I didn't do

But I continue learning

I never meant to do those things to you

And so I have to say before I go

That I just want you to know

I've found a reason for me

To change who I used to be

A reason to start over new

And the reason is you

(The Reason - Hoobastank)

This is the first verse and chorus from one of my favourite songs by one of my favourite bands. The lyrics are not and as far as I know the band is not Christian. Yet these words perfectly sum up my feelings about my past. Until very recently I was of the opinion that the thing in my past were part of who I am, that in order to be the person I am today I had to go through these experiences. I thought that to be ashamed of my past or to apologise for it would mean that I was ashamed and apologising for who I had become.

The reality is though that who I am, the person I have become is down to the fact that God is working in my life now. Before, all the things that I had done were of the world and the enemy. If I want to make progress in my journey then I must admit my failings and confront what they mean. I must admit how wrong and unchristian they were. More than anything I must apologise to the one person I hurt most during all of this, the one person who was there through it all, watching me with tears in His eyes.

Ignoring the past is not an option and forgetting it would open the door to sin. I must acknowledge that these memories are part of who I am and part of the journey I have been on. The lessons I have learned are valuable and the end result in finding God is to be thanked. However I must recognise the sin of my past life and know that any good that came from it was purely from God. If I am wanting to live a God filled and God lead life then I cannot be holding on to things in the past that I know to be sinful and wrong. To follow the path that God has set before me I must be aware but not attached to my personal history. One Bible verse that fills me with hope is the following;

Mark 3:28   

    "Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven."

Bad day

Jesus don't love me, no one ever carried my load, I'm too young to feel this old. (Kings of Leon)

Have you ever had a day when you just really don't feel great. Have you ever had a day when the above lyrics seem to sum up how you feel about life?

Jesus don't want me for a sunbeam. 'Cause sunbeams are not made like me.
Don't expect me to cry for all the reasons you had to die. Don't ever ask your
love of me.

Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die.
Don't expect me to cry.
Don't expect me to lie.
Don't expect me to die for thee.     (Nirvana)

How about these lyrics? 

I have no reason to feel like I have today but when I woke up this morning I felt as though I had a terrible load, I had no energy and absolutely no drive to get up. I have had depressive periods in the past and know that it is part of who I am. Yet as I said I don't really have any reason to feel the way I do. I have just been offered another amazing job opportunity, I have my financial situation almost sorted and life should be good. I wasn't sure if I was going to share these thoughts with you today since they are just a rambling of seemingly depressive nothings from someone who has no reason to feel like this. However I thought about it for a while and it was while listening to the two tracks quoted above I began to think about the real hardship Jesus faced. 

Luke 14:27
"Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple." 

Jesus faced the toughest task that anyone has, taking on the sin of the world. He was the sacrifice that means I have everything I need. God has given me the greatest gift not only in the world, but the universe. 

Mark 14:32-36  

    They came to an area called Gethsemane. Jesus told his disciples, "Sit here while I pray." He took Peter, James, and John with him. He plunged into a sinkhole of dreadful agony. He told them, "I feel bad enough right now to die. Stay here and keep vigil with me." 

    Going a little ahead, he fell to the ground and prayed for a way out: "Papa, Father, you can-can't you?-get me out of this. Take this cup away from me. But please, not what I want-what do you want?" 

The burden Christ bore for us was a huge one, a terrible one. And yet because he did this for us we have been given direct access to God, we have been given all the help we need. Through prayer we can ask God to help us in our personal trials and dark times. 

I need to learn to trust God, trust his guidance, his plans and his love. I still do not know why today brought with it the feelings and issues it did for me. I do not know if this was a lesson I have been given to learn or if it was an attack from the enemy. Yet from the shadows God still managed to shine a light and give me a direction to head in. This week is going to be a big week for me, I have a huge decision to make and Friday will be the day that I finally know the direction I am going to follow. I know that the plan that is set out for me is the best one, it must be as it is the one God has set for me. Knowing if I am following that path has been the hardest thing for me recently, knowing if I am following His will and not my own has been very difficult.

Through prayer, Bible study, contemplation and discussions with very close friends I have made huge inroads and I am in a much better position than I have ever been in. My relationship with God is still young and I have a long long way to go yet, but I know that this is certainly the best my life has ever been and I should be happy about that. As I finish writing this post, having spent time in prayer and reading the Bible, I feel the shadow of today has lifted and an inner peace around me and know that I am loved by my God.

Blogtastic

Ok guys, I have touched on the fact that as well as being a Christian I am also a scientist. For a number of people this is an issue, and it is one I have been fighting against for years. I personally do not see the issue with studying Gods creation to understand it over studying God's creation to understand it. Both science and religion have so much to offer us it is stupid to shut down one or the other. There is much that I could write on this subject and much I have wanted to write about on here. I do not however want this blog to turn into a battle ground for fundamentalist creationist Christians or actively atheist scientists and so I have decided to begin a second blog. It is not up and running yet but hopefully will be soon. I do not intend for this second blog to effect the amount or regularity of this blog. But I do feel there is a need for me to express my beliefs as a Christian in a scientific way which is likely to attract a different audience. The posts on my new blog will likely be a lot less frequent but significantly more in depth or at least longer. If you are interested in taking a look I will let you know when I have it up and running. I would ask however that as I plan to enter what may become a battlefield with me trapped between both forces that you would pray for me and this endeavour.

Matthew 22:37 Jesus said, " 'Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence."

1 Corinthians 14:20 Only mature and well-exercised intelligence can save you from falling into gullibility.

1 Peter 2:15 It is God's will that by doing good, you might cure the ignorance of the fools who think you're a danger to society.

Science and Jesus are my passions in life and following them both is what I must do as both are in my eyes God given and God inspired. I don't know how this second blog will be used but if it can even in a small way fight the ignorance that is building up in this world then at least I have done something. Fundamentalism on either side helps no one, and it was Christ himself that taught us that it i not the healthy who require a doctor.


Mark 2:17 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting the sin-sick, not the spiritually-fit."

Mark 3:28

    "Listen to this carefully. I'm warning you. There's nothing done or said that can't be forgiven."

Mark 8:34-38

"Anyone who intends to come with me has to let me lead. You're not in the driver's seat; I am. Don't run from suffering; embrace it. Follow me and I'll show you how. Self-help is no help at all. Self-sacrifice is the way, my way, to saving yourself, your true self. What good would it do to get everything you want and lose you, the real you? What could you ever trade your soul for? If any of you are embarrassed over me and the way I'm leading you when you get around your fickle and unfocused friends, know that you'll be an even greater embarrassment to the Son of Man when he arrives in all the splendor of God, his Father, with an army of the holy angels."