YOU ARE HERE

Everyone’s work will be put through the fire.’ 1 Corinthians 3:13 TLB

One day an ox said to a mule, ‘Let’s pretend to be sick.’ The mule said, ‘No, we need to get this work done.’ The ox feigned illness, and the farmer brought him fresh hay. When the mule came in from ploughing, the ox asked how things went. The mule said, ‘All right.’ The ox asked, ‘What did the farmer say about me?’ The mule replied, ‘Nothing.’ The next day the ox pretended to be ill again. When the mule came home the ox asked, ‘How did it go?’ The mule said, ‘All right.’ After a week of this, the ox asked, ‘Did the farmer say anything about me today?’ The mule replied, ‘Well, he said nothing to me personally, but he stopped and had a long talk with the butcher!’ Are you like that ox - shirking work? Ephesians 2:10 TLB says: ‘We are God’s masterpiece…created…so we can do the good things He planned for us.’ So we need to get on with it and forget about pulling sickies. Everything we do or don’t do has consequences.

The Bible tells us: ‘There is going to come a time of testing at the Judgment Day to see what kind of work each…has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value.’ So ‘think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds’ (Hebrews 10:24 NLT).

Don’t call me Naomi…call me Mara…’ Ruth 1:20 NLT

Ask any new parent about the importance of a name and they’ll probably gush with the story of how they picked out what to call their little bundle of joy. Throughout the Bible, names are super-significant. They usually tell us about that person’s character and identity, with Jesus Christ being the best example: Jesus - ‘God is our Saviour’; Christ - ‘the Anointed One’.

But in Ruth, we read about a woman who decided on a name change for the worse. Naomi lost her husband and, later on, both of her sons. She went from Naomi, meaning ‘my joy’ or ‘pleasant’ to Mara, meaning ‘bitter’. She let her circumstances define her when in reality there were still loads of things in store for Naomi - including mentoring Ruth who would ultimately become an ancestor of Jesus Christ himself! Sadly, Naomi let pessimism into the driver’s seat of her life. It strangled hope within her.

Don’t let that happen to you. If things around you are changing, embrace the change and roll with it. God’s still in control and still has things in store for you too. We might think we’ve got our life nailed down but God’s got an uncanny way of surprising us with what we never thought possible. So instead of having a Mara mentality, let God have His way: ‘By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope’ (Ephesians 3:20-21 NLT).

‘Jesus said… “Get up!”’ John 5:8 NIV

Jesus met a man who’d been unable to walk for 38 years, because he thought there was nothing he could do about it: ‘Jesus said, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”’

How do you see yourself? As a helpless victim? Wendy Blight says, ‘I lived like that…for a decade. At 21 I was raped by a masked stranger hiding in my apartment. Before that I loved life. I’d just completed college…graduated with honours…become engaged to a wonderful man…and had an amazing job waiting for me… My attacker’s…act shattered my hopes and dreams. I lived in a prison of fear and despair. Then I encountered Christ…the words He spoke…pierced my soul. I…was the man on that mat…accustomed to my place of sorrow… I enjoyed being the victim… I was comfortable. The Bible says, “The Word of God is living and active…it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NIV) and it spoke personally to me. I knew I needed to take the first step. I surrendered my fear, pity, and grief… I learned God had a plan for my life and a purpose for my pain. However, I’d never see it until I had the courage to get up and walk. If you’re on the mat…open God’s Word. Let Him speak…promises of hope and healing. Before you can get off the mat, you must surrender your fear, self-pity, and despair. Will you do it?’

‘Why…have You laid the burden…on me?’ Numbers 11:11 NKJ

Are you in a Moses Mess? Moses was asked by God to lead the people of Israel but at one point found himself completely overwhelmed-it all got too much for him: ‘Why…have You laid the burden of all these people on me?’ He couldn’t cope and so he blamed God. Recognise that feeling?

But God answers back: ‘I didn’t, you took it on yourself,’ and Moses quickly realises that there were actually plenty of people around to help him-he’d just not bothered to ask. We need to learn from Moses: God wants us to ask for help when we need it too. And not only from Him, but also from those He puts around us too.

There are lots of reasons we don’t ask for help: because we want to be independent, we’re afraid or we think we’re being weak. Instead of the benefits, most of us see only negative consequences to asking for help. But good things are waiting to be had if we get over our fears and ask for the help we need.

Asking for help is a good thing-it’s a sign of strength, not of weakness. It gets us the right kind of help at the right time, stops us getting overwhelmed or exhausted, and makes our life easier. It can even make someone else feel good (have you noticed how good you feel when you can help someone who asks for it?)

‘…He understands how weak we are…’ Psalm 103:14 NLT

Psalm 103 is like a great big hug, or like putting on a brand new designer outfit-it makes you feel great! It lets you know all the massive stuff God has done, is doing and will do for you. And here’s the best bit-get to verse 14 and you hear: ‘He understands how weak we are.’

Psalm 103 says God doesn’t have moments of delusion about us. He knows exactly what we are like yet still chooses to lavish on us His best. God tells us, even though we have weaknesses, even though we all deserve to be punished, even though we are only ‘dust’: ‘He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases…fills my life with good things…is merciful and gracious…slow to get angry and full of unfailing love… He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does He deal with us as we deserve… For He understands how weak we are; He knows we are only dust… the love of the LORD remains forever with those who fear Him’ (Psalm 103:3-17 NLT).

Thanks to Psalm 103 we know God sings about us: ‘You’re amazing, just the way you are.’

‘…Having loved His own…He loved them to the end.’ John 13:1 NKJ

In a busy hospital emergency room, an elderly gentleman was waiting to have stitches removed from his hand. He said, ‘I’m in a hurry, nurse. I have an appointment in an hour.’ As the line of patients ahead of him moved slowly, he kept looking anxiously at his watch. Knowing he’d never make his appointment, the nurse led him to an examination room, checked his vital signs and evaluated the condition of his wound. Seeing it was well healed, she consulted with one of the doctors and got clearance to remove his sutures and re-dress his wound.

She asked, ‘Are you hurrying to another doctor’s appointment?’ He said, ‘No, I’m on my way to have breakfast with my wife at the nursing home.’ She asked about his wife’s health and learned she was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. ‘Will she be upset if you’re late?’ The old man told her she hadn’t recognised him in five years. Surprised, the nurse asked, ‘And you still go to see her every morning, although she doesn’t know who you are?’ The old man smiled, patted her hand and replied, ‘Oh, yes. She doesn’t know who I am, but I still know who she is!’

Sometimes you may forget about Jesus, but He never forgets you. Sometimes you may not even recognise that He is there, but He never leaves you. Sometimes you may think He doesn’t care, but He never stops loving you with an inconceivable, unconditional love. Don’t miss out on knowing Jesus that way.

…I shall go to him…’ 2 Samuel 12:23 NKJ

Life is hard. Nobody gets a written note from God excusing them from life’s toughest moments.

In 2 Samuel we read about David, a man who had it all. Then he lost what was most precious - his child. Listen to the heartbreak in David’s words: ‘Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me’ (2 Samuel 12:23 NAS). David comes face-to-face with a harsh truth: his child won’t come back to him, but one day he will go to be with the child in Heaven.

Maybe you can relate to David’s grief. Perhaps you’ve experienced someone’s life cut short and you’ve found yourself asking: ‘Will I see them in Heaven?’ David’s words should comfort you: ‘I shall go to him.’ David, a man completely tuned in to God, is confident he will once again see his son in Heaven. You can have that confidence too.

Maybe you’re wondering: ‘Will I actually know them in Heaven?’ The answer is yes! The reason lies in the story of the Transfiguration. The disciples recognised Moses and Elijah, even though these two Old Testament heavyweights had been dead hundreds of years. Perhaps we may not see our loved ones for another eighty years or so, but we will still recognise them. And we’ll have eternity to get to know them. Life is hard. But one day there’ll be no more tears.

‘He always does exactly what He says.’ 2 Corinthians 1:19 TLB

The scenario: They seem too good to be true; laid-back, fantastically fit, genuinely interested in what you’ve got to say. After hooking up, you start to think the unthinkable - they’re the ‘perfect dreamboat date’. Unfortunately, they forget to mention they already are ‘the perfect date’ - somebody else’s!

Why is it in life that anything that seems ‘too-good-to-be-true’ usually is? The ‘perfect’ couple splits up. The ‘perfect’ friend stabs you in the back. The ‘perfect’ preacher caught red-handed. It’s hard when the people you love and respect let you down; it shakes your world and you’re left with that nagging doubt, ‘Can I trust anybody?’

Perhaps, without realising, you carry that distrust into your faith. You pay lip-service when it comes to believing God is good but deep down your heart hesitates. Best not get your hopes up in case this God stuff turns out ‘too-good-to-be-true’.

People may let you down but God won’t: ‘He always does exactly what He says. He…fulfils all…[His] promises’ (2 Corinthians 1:19-20 TLB). Now there’s a verse to hang your hat on when everything seems out of focus. When that long streak of trials and troubles seems never-ending, that verse reminds you to cling by your fingernails to the promises God has given you. Holding out during life’s storms is a sure-fire way to cultivate character and fire-blast your faith. Cling to God; He’s too good to not come true on His promise.

‘My mouth is filled with Your praise…all day long.’ Psalm 71:8 NAS

Sometimes, it’s the hardest times in our lives - the times when we least feel like praising God - that we really need to make the effort to do it anyway. It may feel like everything’s gone wrong, things can’t get any worse, and praising God is the last thing on our minds.

But just stop and think for a minute. Is ignoring God going to help at all? Um, no. Is whinging to God going to make you feel any better? Um, maybe a bit but not really. So - why not give it a go, praise Him, and see what happens!

Check out the story in Acts 16 of Paul and Silas when they were in prison. They’d been badly beaten, were locked up when they didn’t deserve to be, and were under special guard. Things couldn’t have been much worse. So what did they do? Not what you’d expect at all. They didn’t grumble or moan about the injustice of it -instead, then sang praise to God. At the top of their voices!

They trusted that no matter what, God was still an awesome God, and still worthy of praise. No matter how bad their situation was, God was still in control. And when they were singing and praying, God moved in an amazing way. So today, why not stop moaning and start praising - it’s not always easy, but it’s powerful stuff, and God’s worth every bit of it

‘…along unfamiliar paths I will guide them…’ Isaiah 42:16 NIV

Don’t ask God to bless your plans, ask Him to show you His-they are already blessed. When the time is right the plan will be clear, the people in place and the resources available. Peter writes: ‘His divine power has given us everything we need for life…’ (2 Peter 1:3 NIV). Did you hear that? Everything! God told Abraham when to leave home (see Genesis 12:1), and Jacob when to go back home (see Genesis 31:3). He even told Elijah where to find food in the middle of a famine (see 1 Kings 17:1-5). And His promise to you is: ‘…along unfamiliar paths I will guide them…’ The path you are on today may be unfamiliar to you but it’s not to God. He has already gone ahead of you. All you need is the faith to step out and follow Him.

God never changes. If He talked to people all through the Bible He’ll talk to you too. Question is: Have you learned to recognise His voice yet? Nothing should be more important to you than learning to hear from God for yourself. Other people’s ideas should only confirm or clarify what He’s already shown you. If you have not heard from God you will be tempted to think that human ideas are His commands-and that could hurt you. Listen: God has a personal plan and a specific destination for you. Take the time to ask Him about it. His Word says, ‘He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them His way’ (Psalm 25:9 NIV).