For A Boy Was Born....

Christmas is fast approaching. But instead of rejoicing, and feeling the childlike rush of excitement it brings to some, many feel nothing but apprehension and fear.


I need more money. I need to get these cards in the post. I must buy those presents soon. Raise your hand in shame if you have said one of those things already this year. And I will be the first to admit that I'm concerned about not having bought any Christmas cards, or presents yet.


Yes, we tell ourselves, we know that Christmas isn't really about the food, the decorations, the giving and recieving of presents, or the lovely songs about a nice nativity a long time ago. Christmas is about the biggest gift God could ever give us. For God gave us life, but Christ gave us eternity. Now where did I put those envelopes?


It's all very well and good saying we know what Christmas is about, as we hum along to carols while wrapping presents. But do we really stop for a few minutes in a month as busy as December to consider the proclamations we make in these songs?


We may stand outside a drafty Tesco with an open door (ha!) singing about a boy who was born 2000 years ago, but do we really think about that at the time? Do we mean it when we say we should worship him? Or are we preoccupied, anticipating the nice warm hot chocolate we can drink when we get home? I'm not perfect, and I've felt that way on a few occasions. Ok, whenever I go carolling, really. I moan, and grumble about it, saying that I'm losing my voice, or that it's freezing. But in reality, it could be worse.


I've been offered no less than four loans this week, via email. All of them using Christmas as a marketing ploy. Because, if you can't afford Christmas, you are a Scrooge. At least, that's what the media tells us. So get a loan. Then you can have a big Christmas. Don't worry now that you won't be able to pay it back before this time next year. Life is for living.


Too right. Life IS for living. Living for God, and like God. And I don't think carpentry paid too well, if I'm honest. I don't think turkeys are native to Jerusalem, or that the Christmas cracker is a trademark of Bethlehem. In short, I don't believe that Jesus celebrated his own birthday with quite the flair we do these days.


In fact, I think we may have commercialised Christmas, just a tad.


We complain that it gets earlier every year, yet we still don't have enough time to do all the 'necessary' Christmas tasks we create for ourselves. I wonder, if we took the time we spend complaining at Christmas, and used it for the shopping, or the sending of cards, would we have a bit of extra time on our hands?


We are so busy complaining, that sometimes, Christmas really doesn't feel all that much like Christmas.

'Oh hush the noise, Ye men of strife,
and hear the Angels sing!'

I think Edmund Hamilton Sears was onto something when he wrote that.


Jesus wasn't born so we would complain about it 2000 years later... So get celebrating!

Submission

In many cases, submitting to someone, or something, is incredibly dangerous. The internet defines submission simply as 'the act of submitting; usually surrendering power to another.'

What are you submitting to?

I realised today while listening to the words below, just how difficult I make things for God by submitting to the wrong things or people sometimes.

'Little garden how do I make your flowers grow, when I already do everything that I know? I bring you sunshine and I bring you rain, but still you refrain.'

He provides me with everything I need, like sunshine and rain, but still, I don't fully submit to him, and do his will. Often, it will be because of other things I think I need, which I don't. Sometimes it is because we have submitted to the other things in life. Addictions, habits, the will of the world around us... etc. The list goes on.

God never gives up with us. He tries so hard, and, more often than I'd like to admit, we just don't take in what we should.

I've been worried for a while about my GCSE results. I have less than two weeks left before I find out which subjects I have passed, and which I haven't. I wonder occasionally; what would happen if I failed all of my subjects? I wouldn't be able to do what I want to. I didn't really stop to think about what God might want.

If that was really what God wanted for me, something which may publicly shame me, would I still submit to his will, or would I fight against him? Would I try to compromise what I believe for what I want, or what I expect? It worried me when I thought about it at first, because I truly wasn't sure. Then I realised that God would have an amazing plan for me if that really was his will. He has an amazing plan for my life anyway, and he has an amazing plan for you too.

Psalm 7:12-13 : 'If they do not change their lives, God will sharpen his sword; he will string his bow and take aim. He has prepared his deadly weapons; he has made his flaming arrows.'

God likes us to submit to him, because when we do, his plan works out. When we don't; now that's when the major disasters occur.

Faith through the questions.

Matthew 17:20
"I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, "Move from here to there" and it will move."


When you first become a Christian, you develop something called faith. This can happen gradually, or very quickly, depending on you. If you find it hard to trust people, this process is sometimes more difficult, but happens in time.


Some of my friends have a lot of faith. These are the Christians. But it's the not-yet-Christians that interest me the most. I have a friend called Anthony. He told me that he believes in God because he don't agree with the idea of evolution. He believes it's a much more humane theory that we have a reason for being here, yet does not have a relationship with God... Yet.


I have another friend called Benjamin, who isn't sure what he believes, but likes the idea of Angels. I haven't yet pointed out to him that if Angels are real, so is God, because they had to come from somewhere!

Another of my friends, Colin, doesn't believe in God at all, and thinks that there is far too much suffering in the world for God to exist.


'A man went to a barbers to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about lots of things, ending up on various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: "I don't believe that God exists." "Why do you say that?" asked the customer. "Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn't exist.


Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can't imagine a loving a God who would allow all of these things." The customer thought for a moment, but didn't respond because he didn't want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop.


Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: "You know what? Barbers do not exist."


"How can you say that?" asked the surprised barber. "I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!" "No!" the customer exclaimed. "Barbers don't exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside."


"Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me." "Exactly!"- affirmed the customer. "That's the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens, is, people don't go to Him and do not look for Him. That's why there's so much pain and suffering in the world." '


If you're reading this, and you're not yet a Christian, just think about it. It will make some sense one day.

Yummy!

O.K. Raise your hand if you own, or have at some point owned a toasted sandwich maker... Most of you? Not surprising, really. They are fairly inexpensive, and nice to have around, aren't they?

Well last year, I was given the gift of tounges on Soul Survivor. I had eagerly desired it, (how very holy of me) but once I had used it once, I just sort of stored it, knowing it was there, but never really finding the time to use it.


Spiritual gifts can be a lot like toasted sandwich makers really. You want it, you get it, you use it, you put in in the cupboard and use it about once a year. Some people get rid of their toasted sandwich makers, as some lose their spiritual gifts. Some don't want it in the first place, because they don't think they will use it, as some people do with their spiritual gifts. Some people don't get a toasted sanwich maker or a spiritual gift because they don't like Toasties, or God.

We have the choice as to whether we use our spiritual gifts or not. We aren't forced to, but how disappointed would you be if you gave somebody a gift, and six months, or even a year later, you saw it lying in a corner, or shoved out of sight into a cupboard, having been used very rarely? It would hurt.

At the same time it is difficult to keep a balance in life. Balancing reading the Bible, praying, evangelism and all the other day-to-day tasks we face.Balancing how much time you spend with friends, and how much time you spend cleaning. Balancing the right food groups, balancing accounts... the list seems endless.

But life shouldn't be this way. We shouldn't be spinning twelve plates on sticks, struggling to keep everything in order. We should give our problems to God. Good has planted a seed, which is your life. Just as plants need sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to grow, we need prayer, the Bible and Witness. Once we give it to God, he will slow everything down, and take hold of the sticks for us, transforming them into one plate which is our life, then hand it back to us when we are ready.

'Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his Glory and Grace.'

This challenged me yesterday. I was thinking about how busy I always seem to be, even when I don't seem to be doing anything. But when do I find the time to come to God, and look fully at the miracles he has worked in my life? If I'm too busy doing things for the world, of the world, such as household tasks and socialising, something is seriously wrong. Because the most important thing is what happens at the end of all this earthly stuff. Because we don't know when Jesus will return.

He will come like a thief in the night, and as the lightning flashes from the east to the west. Thats pretty quick, and doesn't give us much of a chance to say 'Ooh, hang on a second, I've not paid quite enough time to my glorious Creator lately, maybe I should spend a few minutes praying.' God gave me this life, and it's not mine. I should be giving all I can back to him.

Vital

As I turned the computer off a couple of nights ago, I noticed a sign which sometimes appears. It mentions something about installing vital updates... to be honest, I don't see what could be so vital... I mean, my computer has survived the past year or so without them and it's fine. This got me thinking about what is really vital in life.

In GCSE Business studies you are taught what the difference between a 'Need' and a 'Want'. A 'Need' is a basic thing which you cannot survive without, i.e. clothing, shelter, food or water. These are the four needs of life, yet everywhere we turn, there are people without all these vital things we need in order to survive. Homeless people, people living in poverty with no food, water, clothing or shelter.

But there is something even more important and vital than any of these things. A relationship with God is far more vital than any material posession. Yet all around us, there are people without him, people struggling, searching.

'There's someone, somewhere, out there searching deep inside themself for you,

And there's someone, right here, right now, searching despeately for truth.

Everywhere there's people seeking you, and everywhere you're found,

The Comforter, the Stronghold, in you all hope is found. '

A want is something that develops after we have our four basic needs. We begin to get fussy about what food we eat, or what we drink, where we live and what we wear. Eve wasn't content in the garden of Eden when she took the forbidden fruit. Surely she had enough choice... But she wanted it. It's basic human nature to want things we can't have, but if we don't need it, we should bequestioning whether we really ought to have it at all.

The spirit of the Lord

IS most definately upon me now... It's the only explanation for my rather exuberant behaviour this evening. A few days ago I was feeling stressed, and upcoming exams weren't really helping... In fact, nothing was. I tried everything, I prayed and prayed for relief, but nothing... I was even in this mood up until last night when I went to bed upset over something which is so trivial, I can't even remember it.

Then I woke up this morning, still in a bad mood, I headed to work. I got there, did what I had to do, then left. When I got home, I phoned my sister, and we went to the crematorium. We looked in the book of remembrance, and then went to put some flowers by the tree where Mum's ashes are.

I felt a little bit relieved of some pressure after this, and went over to my sister's. As usual, there was an argument in the house, so I left, feeling even more tense than before. When I got home, I went upstairs, and sat here at the computer, where my bad mood had taken hold a few days before. That brings me to about half an hour ago.

I decided I shouldn't be feeling like that. I have so many good things in my life... Why should I focus on the few bad things, which really are only short-term? So what if I didn't revise as much as I would have liked to? I can't do anything about it.

"Don't worry about the past; you can't change it.
Don't worry about the future; you don't know much about it.
Don't worry about the present; live it."

I decided, once again, to give my all to God. This time, I'm really putting a lot of faith in him. I'm going to sing in front of people tomorrow. Now for some, that's nothing, but I really do feel like it won't be me at all. I just know I don't need to worry.

So during the past half an hour or so, I've been singing, dancing, and generally being completely mad, which has just reminded me of a chorus:

"I will dance,

I will sing,

To be mad,

For my King,

Nothing Lord is hindering,
The passion in my soul."

I'm listening to songs that two days ago were making me cry, making me feel worse. Now they have a new message, a mesage of hope, and it's an amazing message.

Jesus loves me.

Told you it was an amazing message, didn't I?

1 Peter 5:7

Cast your cares upon the Lord, for he cares about you.

That was one of the most sensible pieces of advice I was ever given, and now I'm giving it to you: Just give it to God.

What do they know?

If you send a text to a company called AQA (Any Question Answered), they will send one back, telling you the answer to your question. I was intrigued, and figured out in the end, through guessing, then confirmation on their website, that they use databases, and other search engines to answer your question. I asked them 'Who is Elinor Durston?' and they replied, telling me what county I live in, what school I go to (as if I could forget that...) and that I completed the UK intermediate maths challenge last year. Oh, and they told me that my name is French.

This, combined with a hefty amount of revision for R.E (mainly based on prejudice and stereotyping), led me to wonder what people thought about me. When I walk down the street, are they as critical about my appearance as I am? do they even notice the little imperfections (and the bigger ones) which make me myself? Probably not. Would they class me as a 'Greebo', or a 'Chav'? Would they even care? Once again, probably not.

Then the people you meet. Do they know anything about you? Not really. Do they make assumptions, based on what they have heard about you? Probably, yes. But do they know you?

Do any of them know you?

Even your closest friends, the people you are most intimate with. There are still things which they don't know. Some of them tiny, insignificant things which have barely any meaning. Some bigger things, things they have yet to learn about you, but will in time.

The only one who really knows you, regardless of whether you believe he is real or not, is God. He knows everything about you. He knows your real weight, he knows what you think, and what you feel. He cares.

Matthew 10:30

"And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

He cares enough to notice these tiny details. So he really does care about the bigger things too.

When you're surrendering to him, saying ' Not my will, but yours.' He is happy. Because you are the safest you have ever been when you're walking with Jesus.

Children of God

Romans 8:14
"For all who are led by the Holy Spirit are children of God."

We are all called to be Children of God, but the question is: are we behaving in a manner which is Childlike, or in a way which is Childish?

Are we frequently demanding things from God, with an 'I want' attitude? If I remember correctly, in the eyes of a small child, everything belongs to them. If they are holding it, and it's theirs, it belongs to them. If you are holding it and it is yours, it belongs to them. If someone on the other side of the room is holding it, it still belongs to them. If it's on the floor and nobody is using it, guess who it belongs to? Them. Does everything belong to you? Or does it belong to God?

Or do we have a gentle, milder, softer approach to life? Are we giving up the great 'I want' for the even greater 'I AM'? He gave up his throne, to come into a wolrd full of pain, suffering, fear and hatred, knowing what would happen while he was here. He gave up his life for you, for me, for everyone. So the least we can offer him in return is nowhere near what he deserves. We should be giving our lives to him, giving our all to him, with grace and humility.

"For this is what
I'm glad to do
It's time to live a life of love
That pleases you
And I will give
My all to you
Surrender everything I have
And follow you
I'll follow you."

But sin is like rain. Sometimes it doesn't take long to dry out, like short showers, sometimes you're soaked through for long periods of time, drenched. Then out comes the SON, and dries up all the rain. You start afresh, but how long is it until the next downpour?

Out of Your Depth

"Cause I'm in too deep, and I'm trying to keep
up above, in my head, instead of going under"

Feels like that sometimes, doesn't it? Like you're in way over your head and are struggling to get back to the shallower end of the pool.

Picture a quiet lake stretching out before you. There are stepping stones going halfway across the lake. You have two descisions:

1) Run across the stepping stones, then jump in, and try to swim from there.

or

2) Wade through the water slowly, gradually getting used to the depth, then moving on.

Lets say you choose the first option, and run very fast across the stepping stones. You dive in at the deep end, not realising quite how deep it is, until it's too late. You jump in, and the water is way over your head. You rise back to the surface, spluttering and choking. You panic, and are forced to turn back, because you're scared, and uncomfortable.

Or, you choose the second option, wading slowly through the water, pausing for a few seconds after each new measure of depth. You go from ankle deep to knee deep. From knee deep to waist. from waist to above your head. You've had time, had a chance to get used to the water level, and are comfortable.


Going deeper with God is just like going deeper in a lake. Although stepping stones, skipping parts of the journey, seem much easier and more comfortable at first, you've not had the chance to become comfortable in the water, in God's presence. If you jump in at the deep end, it feels awkward and uncomfortable. Which is why God will only take you as far as he knows you are ready to go.

However, we mustn't get stuck in the same place, or weeds of sin will grow around our feet, holding us back from moving closer and going deeper with God.

The river from the temple (Ezekiel 47:1-6)
"The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar. 2 He then brought me out through the north gateand led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.
3 As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water which was ankle-deep.4 He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep. He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. 5 He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in- a river that no one could cross. 6 He asked me 'Son of man, do you see this?' "

Damaged goods

Next time you walk around Tesco, take a look at the reduced items. The items nobody wants, the damaged goods. There's something wrong with them, be it with the packaging, the goods, or both. Nobody wants it, even though it is at a reduced price, because it's broken. Damaged.

We are damaged goods too. The only difference is that we are wanted. Jesus wants us, in return for what we have to offer, and he doesn't offer a sub-standard price.

Jesus paid the full price for your life when he died on the Cross.

Amazing Grace

"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
To save a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see."

I've been challenged by the film Amazing Grace. As I was walking out of the cinema, the thought occurred to me 'How do I apply this to my life?' Then I saw her bag. It was a Nike rucksack, and had the slogan

'Just do it.'

In big letters right at my eye level. So I'm just going to do it.

It's been 200 years since Slavery was 'abolished', and the slave trade is still there. The only difference is that we have, as with everything else, made it more 'politically correct', and sugar-coated it, by calling it 'Human Trafficking.'

I'm not saying that it isn't an accurate description of what is happening to every Man, Woman or Child who is torn away from their surroundings, and forced into a life of prostitution, smuggling or labour.

But somehow, through giving it a different name, it doesn't sound as wrong. We have made it sound like an issue in a broadsheet newspaper, which people do not understand. And because of this, people do not understand. We need to show people that Human Trafficking is not acceptable, and that it is a much bigger issue than they realise.

"No matter how loud you shout, you will not drown out the voice of the people"

But the people aren't understanding enough to be shouting. They are hesitating, awaiting instruction. Don't instruct them, but provide them with the necessary information for them to decide what to shout. Let them make the decision to cry 'Freedom!'

We shouldn't just be worrying about the physical slaves now. Consider yourself; are you a slave to sin?

"Now set the captives free; leave us abandoned to your praise."

Do we even deserve the choice?

Well I never. Actually, Never say never, as it actually happened. Today I learned a lot in maths... Nothing whatsoever to do with trigonometry, or anything about the Angle in a semi-circle. Today in maths, I learned yet another spiritual lesson.

You would think, that by the age of 16, it wouldn't be a life-or-death situation if somebody sat in 'your' seat. You remember when you were eight, and it was crucial that you had to sit next to your best friends at school. Well, it turns out that it's still crucial. Amazing how people can fight over sitting near their friends, but how many times do you find them fighting to get closer to God?

We should all be pushing to know God more, to be closer to him. And sometimes that means being uncomfortable, maybe sitting in a chair that squeaks discouragement and makes you want to move back to where you were before... But if you hold on, you can soon be sitting in that Deluxe reclining chair with the nice massage function, right next to the best friend you will ever find : Jesus.

Mark 8:34-35
"Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.' "

The girl who won the battle for her seat ended up moving to sit with another friend two minutes later anyway, so what was the point, really? The point was that she wanted to sit there. She fought so hard for what she wanted, and it didn't matter about anyone else. All too often we find ourselves thinking about what we want in life, without giving a second thought to what God's plan for us might be.

Are we listening to him? And if we are, are we acting upon what we hear, or are we ignoring him, in favour of our selfish desires?

Love beyond all reason

Think about it. Would you really want to give up a life of luxury to spend time with unpleasant people? People who mocked you, scorned you, and who you knew would kill you? Not really, no.

But Jesus did.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the word that he gave his only son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes in him will not perish, but shall have eternal life."

WHOSOEVER...Yes, that includes you. And me. So many of my friends think that God wouldn't love them if he knew what they'd really done... But he does know, and he still loves you as much as the day he created you.

Lately I've been struggling somewhat, fighting against God in my life. Trust me, it's not a good idea. It's like swimming against a current that is a million times stronger than you. You can't win by fighting it. The only way you can win is if you let go, and let God take you home to dry land. I'll be the first to admit, that through small things, I haven't been giving my all to God. Small things can make big problems when they add up, can't they? But once again, God has taken me by the hand and led me back to the right path. :)

"The time has come to stand for all we believe in. So I for one am going to give my praise to you, Jesus!"