This was sent to Mayor Livingstons Office, Scotland Yard and Safety Neighborhoods Police today.
Mayor Livingston
I am writing to you from the desk of my home that I am soon to pack up and move. It is not a happy move but one that has been forced upon us. We work for a non-profit charity and have been blessed with low rent housing in a very nice neighbourhood for 2 1/2 years. However, for the last 12 months we have been victims of anti-social behaviour that has escalated so much we have to move.
We live on the third floor at the end of a block of flats. Last summer youths began to bus into our quiet neighbourhood and use the steps of our building to congregate. They were noisy, dirty, smoking, drug taking and leaving graffiti all over the entrance. At first we tried to befriend them hoping that we could have a positive affect on their lives but we soon came to realise that the respect was neither mutual or reciprocal. Our tolerance became a hindrance to most of the other tenants in the building forcing them to walk to the other entrance out of intimidation. We tried to enforce some limits on the kids asking them to keep the noise down and not trash up the place but they laughed at us and did it all the more. Finally, out of conviction for our neighbours, we began to tackle them and ask them to vacate the stairs. At first they would acquiesce and then they refused being blatant about it.
The entrance to our block of flats soon became a meeting place and they would hang out all evening making unimaginable noise. Our dining table was no place for pleasant conversation with our 8 year old because profanity from outside overwhelmed it. We started to become ashamed of where we lived because it was an eyesore to the community and no-one in the community dared to tackle the issue.
At this point we contacted our safety neighbourhood team. They said they were befriending the kids and hoping to build a good relationship but there was little they could do to help at this point. The law, it seems permits youths to hang out and cause a disturbance in any neighbourhood they choose. We were advised that it would be better if we could install security gates.
After six months of this the associating was able to find the money to install security gates. However, they underestimated the security that would be needed. The work was started and in less that 24 hours the kids vandalised the electrics and the door so badly that it halted the work for another week. This finally resulted in us being unable to have a telephone release on that end of the building. That was six months ago. Since then the kids repeatedly break in, hang around and cause a nuisance and intimidate anyone who dares to stand up to them. They are 12-15 year olds! Our family have repeatedly and patiently tried to enforce simple boundaries and we have now become the target of their wrath.
I woke up on Christmas morning to find they had smashed in my window screen, broken off my wing mirrors and kicked in my tail lights. The police would not come out and see the damage as they didn't have enough staff to police car vandalism despite us repeatedly telling them it was a hate crime. My car sat there for four days as a message to the whole community before I reluctantly gave a phone report to the safety neighbourhood team. I have had my front door kicked, balls and rocks thrown at my window, groups of kids partying blatantly on my landing in front of my sons room, a drunk and three kids cooking crack on the step in front of my door, and the new habit is to play soccer on the metal shutters below my apartment for hours on end. The noise is unimaginable!
I have called noise control who say it is out of their jurisdiction, I have complained to the local police who say they will only move them on if criminal damage is being done, I have written your office about the free transportation you give them to our area every day, I have called about citv cameras and it is not in the budget. We call safety neighbourhoods at least once a day and this often results in us calling 999 because their shifts are not sufficient to cover when they are needed. We have talked to the task force repeatedly and all they can do is listen as they seem to have no power or jurisdiction in the situation.
On occasions emergency services will come out in minutes often times we will wait up to three hours. BUT, they usually talk with them and send them on their way. The kids say the police are their friends and they don't care what they do. I find it interesting that they know that.
These kids have been protected by our laws to the point that they know no boundaries and now we have to be protected from them. After corralling them off the stairs for one last time on Sunday evening we have now become targets of verbal abuse. We can't, it seems, leave our flat without verbal abuse and threats being hurled at us. The devastation that this has brought to our family is insurmountable. I spend most of my remaining time hear feeling physically ill and worrying for the safety of my family. I am a mother, a wife, and a part time employee of my local primary school, and an MTH student. My attempts in any of these areas of my life have become seriously incapacitated as a result of this onslaught.
For the health and safety of our family we have been forced to take accommodation that is a serious increase to the budget of our family.
However, and here is the point of this email. I will not stop telling this story until some one listens. I know that we are not an isolated situation and the very core of our society is being torn down by our refusal to enforce real boundaries on these kids. Lets be more concerned for families that try to live in the city and be decent citizens. I have read about the respect campaign. Kids will not respect no boundaries! They are insecure and if they feel there are no boundaries from those who are in authority over them they will establish there own and I am afraid we will not like the outcome.
I am concerned for the neighbours that we leave behind. I know the young family downstairs moved out and the rest of the residents are very anxious. Once we move there is no one holding these kids back
I am not desperate anymore but I am angry at the injustice. I know that I have enough now to have a voice. I am giving your office an opportunity to turn this around for the residents that are left and I want to have an ongoing correspondence with you about the situation. If you should choose to ignore it and not take the opportunity I will find another way. Now it is over to you.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Friday, March 23, 2007
Unredeemable?
The story of Rahab the harlot is an interesting one. She is quite a character. Most people that I have heard talk about Rahab paint her in quite a faint light and make an issue of the fact that she lied!
Lets think about this. She was a harlot. Adultery and fornication were her trade. She was used to lying and cheating as that was her job.
I have often wondered how a women could sell out her people but their was no affection lost here.
She used and she was abused every single day. She had no regard for those who passed through her door and probably disdained all who left. She was marginalized by her community and living on the outskirts of the city - in the wall no less.
However, one thing is for sure, she was a shrewed business women. God had brought the two spies to her door. Tactically this was a good plan. Easy entrance and exit from the city. She protected the men from the king and lied to protect them. Why? Compassion? NO she saw an opportunity for her and her family to be spared and she took it.
But as rough as all this seems here in lies the beauty of it all. Joshua 2:9-11 She knew that the LORD had given the Israelites the land and she knew it, along with all the inhabitants of Jericho, because of the awesome testimony of God his deliverance for his people out of Egypt. She had heard of Gods mighty deeds and that is what she believed in. That belief was what made her reach out and place everything she had at the mercy of a powerful God. Her request, "spare the lives of my family and theirs"
Under the sign of a scarlet cord Rahab and her family took refuge when the walls of Jericho came crashing down. Under the protection of the scarlet cord death passed over. She and all her family where spared.
What is more she was not only spared but redeemed. She took up residence with the Israelites Josh 6:25 and soon became an honest women. Mat 1:5 says that she gave Salmon a son. That son was Boaz. The kindred redeemer for Ruth. Both of these women are in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The redeemed in the blood line of the redeemer.
Even the harshest of people when faced with the reality of God can turn. Its not always pretty but the LORD is kind and true. Josh 2:14 redeemable
Lets think about this. She was a harlot. Adultery and fornication were her trade. She was used to lying and cheating as that was her job.
I have often wondered how a women could sell out her people but their was no affection lost here.
She used and she was abused every single day. She had no regard for those who passed through her door and probably disdained all who left. She was marginalized by her community and living on the outskirts of the city - in the wall no less.
However, one thing is for sure, she was a shrewed business women. God had brought the two spies to her door. Tactically this was a good plan. Easy entrance and exit from the city. She protected the men from the king and lied to protect them. Why? Compassion? NO she saw an opportunity for her and her family to be spared and she took it.
But as rough as all this seems here in lies the beauty of it all. Joshua 2:9-11 She knew that the LORD had given the Israelites the land and she knew it, along with all the inhabitants of Jericho, because of the awesome testimony of God his deliverance for his people out of Egypt. She had heard of Gods mighty deeds and that is what she believed in. That belief was what made her reach out and place everything she had at the mercy of a powerful God. Her request, "spare the lives of my family and theirs"
Under the sign of a scarlet cord Rahab and her family took refuge when the walls of Jericho came crashing down. Under the protection of the scarlet cord death passed over. She and all her family where spared.
What is more she was not only spared but redeemed. She took up residence with the Israelites Josh 6:25 and soon became an honest women. Mat 1:5 says that she gave Salmon a son. That son was Boaz. The kindred redeemer for Ruth. Both of these women are in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. The redeemed in the blood line of the redeemer.
Even the harshest of people when faced with the reality of God can turn. Its not always pretty but the LORD is kind and true. Josh 2:14 redeemable
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Following His FOOT Steps
A Lesson in Servant Leadership
Definition of Servant Leadership:-
Robert Greenleaf the man, who coined the phrase, described servant-leadership in this way.
"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader first… "
What would a servant Leader look like?
"The difference manifest itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?"
"Unselfish servant leadership refuses to rest on the inherent power of a position and desires to empower and release others for ministry. The servant leader does not hold back gifted people in a spirit of insecurity. Born aloft by the unselfish spirit of Christ, the servant leader is not happy unless others are soaring. Fired by the vision of creating other servants, the servant leader is dedicated to equipping and liberating others to fulfill God’s purposes in their lives and find meaningful expressions of Christian ministry through servanthood."
"A servant Leader is one who is surrendered to God and motivated by the concern for others to the point of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the individual and the organization as a whole."
Taken from the Servant as Leader published by Robert Greenleaf in 1970
Read the passage John 13:1-17
Close eyes and get a feel for passage. Put on the mind of Christ. Think about the celebration coming up. Pashad – Passover. Commemorating the blood on the door-posts and death passing over. Jesus at the finale of His ministry. His blood to be shed that death would Passover us. Last intimate time with His disciples before His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. What would he be experiencing, feeling, wanting to share. He knew what a bad effect it would have on them. Think of yourself in that situation. How important would that time be?
What is the context?
scriptures surrounding passage
Jesus begins by washing the disciple’s feet and predicted his betrayal.
The Last Supper (13:1-30)
Jesus washing of the disciples feet V’s 1-17
V1 Jesus knew it was time for him to leave:-
2:4, 7:6, 8, 30, Hour not yet come
12:23, 27, 17:1 It’s time
Having loved His own who where in the world
Through his life and now in His death – Jesus having poured himself out in ministry (teaching healing etc) and now unto death.
He loved them to the end
It was not only the time to leave but also the purpose for which He had come was nearing completion.
Greek translation of "to the end" means to the uttermost, to completeness. Jesus had loved them till there was no more loving to be done!
In Jesus words (John 19:30) "it is finished.
V2-3 the Devil had put it in Judas’ heart to betray
Jesus knew:
-The Father had given all things into His hands
-That He had come forth from God
-And was going back to God
Viv Thomas in his book future Leader explains that this is a necessary quality of Leadership, a triangle of knowledge. Knowing God, knowing where He came from, and where He was going. It was as if the author were setting the scene. Satan was able to put something in Judas’s heart but Jesus in comparison was full of knowledge of God, His purpose, and His future.
Why was this statement important?
No crisis of identity or destiny, and he was fully aware of His authority, origin and destiny.
And knowing all this He:
V4 laid aside garments, and taking a towel girded himself about.
Jesus was about to give an object lesson
Spiritual application
Foot washing a lesson in humility and love. An active portrayal of Christ’s self humiliation.
Contrast: -
Attitude of disciples
Mk 9:33-34 On the road to Capernaum they argued who was the greatest.
It is often the case that the more a person grows in the knowledge of God, His purpose and their destiny that they become more humble. Such knowledge is humbling. It is scriptural that the greatest of servants are the most broken. Moses and Peter to name two.
Practical service
They wore open toed sandals and walked the dusty refuse filled streets, so foot-washing was not a nice job. It was customary for the host to show respect and provide for his guests by having their feet bathed. It was a breach of hospitality not to provide for it. A servant of the household would usually do this. In this situation there was not a host and therefore no provision. No one had taken it upon themselves.
Prophetic of what was to come
V7 you don’t understand but you will later (shows prophetic nature of foot washing)
It was with full knowledge and determined design that He set about the task at hand.
V4 washed the disciples feet
V6 Simon Peter Que.’s Him about washing His feet
"Lord, do you wash my feet?"
Emphasis on the fact that Jesus was His Lord and the role was reversed.
Discussion with Peter is for our benefit. Impetuous Peter. Jesus could probably depend on Him sharing his thoughts with the group. Everyone else was probably feeling the same thing. That’s wonderful Peter just helped Him with his demonstration!
V8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall you wash my feet! (Translation never wash my feet forever!) A little false humility maybe? Peter at this point of His life had hard lessons ahead and one of them was that he was not to depend on himself but had to trust in Jesus.
Jesus responded, "If I do not wash you you have no part with me"
Jesus was telling Peter, "receive from me, let me serve you". Are there some that will not receive the ministry of Jesus?
There is a lot to be said about having a dependent nature; dependent on God, dependent on Community. Self made men that function as islands will not have what it takes to serve others. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a temperament issue. There are some, of which I include myself that are shy and introvert, but we too need body life to stay healthy in the Lord and in the community.
How did Peter respond?
V9 "Lord, not my feet only but my hands and my head." Still missing the spiritual application but certain he wanted to be fully apart of whatever Jesus was offering, Peter, in his attempt to respect Jesus, and maybe he had a little false pride, had rejected the opportunity (good Brit)!
But faced with the knowledge of rejecting Jesus he was now ready to go overboard.
V10 "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet"
Lesson on forgiveness
not necessary if you are saved you need only confess your sins and you are clean again.
(But not all of you) Judas. This was a physical demonstration with a spiritual application. He still washed Judas’s feet but he was aware that Judas would not be a part of Him.
Here comes the theory part of the Lesson.
V12 explanation- Do you not know what I have done for you?
Not just a hospitality provision
V13 You Call Me Teacher and Lord (he has a high position above them)
V14 If I The Lord and Teacher wash your feet you also ought to wash one another’s. (It is not too much to ask of you). More than hospitality, he was talking about self-humbling love; to the uttermost, completely.
Just to step out of the passage right here and process what we have been reading. His lesson was prophetic – they would understand later – Do you think when they reasoned through his death on the cross later that this picture would have come back to their minds with jarring clarity! realizing the depth that his service had gone to for them.
Further more he was about to leave them without an earthly Lord and Teacher what would be a significant lesson for them in light of this. TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER! Lay yourself down in your love for one another.
Lesson to the disciples that they should have the kind of love that would make them willing to die for one another.
John the disciple wrote in 1John 3:16
V15 Jesus gave an example
A pattern. He was not establishing that we should have foot washings but rather it was a lesson in inner humility. Although foot washing is a reminder of the kind of intentionally we should have in our service of one another.
V16 a slave is not above his master neither is one who is sent. Are you a sent one?
V17 If you know these things you are blessed if you do them.
Really that doesn’t mean being coerced into something you don’t want to do it is voluntarily putting oneself in that position.
Is this just for Leaders or is it for everyone?
For every one but especially for Leaders!
How Can you Prepare Yourself For Servant Leadership?
Prayer
Time with the Lord in the word
Openness and honesty
Develope Close Mature Friends in the Lord
Love others
Do it as unto the Lord
Serving is a choice of the heart not a position of subjection. True servanthood comes from the decision to put others above yourself.
We are not above Jesus and we don’t serve with self-effacing martyrdom but with a heart fully committed out of obedience to Him
Study Done with the aid of Bible Knowledge Commentery - Walvord and Zuck
Definition of Servant Leadership:-
Robert Greenleaf the man, who coined the phrase, described servant-leadership in this way.
"The servant-leader is servant first… It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve, to serve first. Then conscious choice brings one to aspire to lead. He or she is sharply different from the person who is leader first… "
What would a servant Leader look like?
"The difference manifest itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is do those served grow as persons; do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society; will they benefit, or, at least, will they not be further deprived?"
"Unselfish servant leadership refuses to rest on the inherent power of a position and desires to empower and release others for ministry. The servant leader does not hold back gifted people in a spirit of insecurity. Born aloft by the unselfish spirit of Christ, the servant leader is not happy unless others are soaring. Fired by the vision of creating other servants, the servant leader is dedicated to equipping and liberating others to fulfill God’s purposes in their lives and find meaningful expressions of Christian ministry through servanthood."
"A servant Leader is one who is surrendered to God and motivated by the concern for others to the point of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the individual and the organization as a whole."
Taken from the Servant as Leader published by Robert Greenleaf in 1970
Read the passage John 13:1-17
Close eyes and get a feel for passage. Put on the mind of Christ. Think about the celebration coming up. Pashad – Passover. Commemorating the blood on the door-posts and death passing over. Jesus at the finale of His ministry. His blood to be shed that death would Passover us. Last intimate time with His disciples before His crucifixion, burial and resurrection. What would he be experiencing, feeling, wanting to share. He knew what a bad effect it would have on them. Think of yourself in that situation. How important would that time be?
What is the context?
scriptures surrounding passage
Jesus begins by washing the disciple’s feet and predicted his betrayal.
The Last Supper (13:1-30)
Jesus washing of the disciples feet V’s 1-17
V1 Jesus knew it was time for him to leave:-
2:4, 7:6, 8, 30, Hour not yet come
12:23, 27, 17:1 It’s time
Having loved His own who where in the world
Through his life and now in His death – Jesus having poured himself out in ministry (teaching healing etc) and now unto death.
He loved them to the end
It was not only the time to leave but also the purpose for which He had come was nearing completion.
Greek translation of "to the end" means to the uttermost, to completeness. Jesus had loved them till there was no more loving to be done!
In Jesus words (John 19:30) "it is finished.
V2-3 the Devil had put it in Judas’ heart to betray
Jesus knew:
-The Father had given all things into His hands
-That He had come forth from God
-And was going back to God
Viv Thomas in his book future Leader explains that this is a necessary quality of Leadership, a triangle of knowledge. Knowing God, knowing where He came from, and where He was going. It was as if the author were setting the scene. Satan was able to put something in Judas’s heart but Jesus in comparison was full of knowledge of God, His purpose, and His future.
Why was this statement important?
No crisis of identity or destiny, and he was fully aware of His authority, origin and destiny.
And knowing all this He:
V4 laid aside garments, and taking a towel girded himself about.
Jesus was about to give an object lesson
Spiritual application
Foot washing a lesson in humility and love. An active portrayal of Christ’s self humiliation.
Contrast: -
Attitude of disciples
Mk 9:33-34 On the road to Capernaum they argued who was the greatest.
It is often the case that the more a person grows in the knowledge of God, His purpose and their destiny that they become more humble. Such knowledge is humbling. It is scriptural that the greatest of servants are the most broken. Moses and Peter to name two.
Practical service
They wore open toed sandals and walked the dusty refuse filled streets, so foot-washing was not a nice job. It was customary for the host to show respect and provide for his guests by having their feet bathed. It was a breach of hospitality not to provide for it. A servant of the household would usually do this. In this situation there was not a host and therefore no provision. No one had taken it upon themselves.
Prophetic of what was to come
V7 you don’t understand but you will later (shows prophetic nature of foot washing)
It was with full knowledge and determined design that He set about the task at hand.
V4 washed the disciples feet
V6 Simon Peter Que.’s Him about washing His feet
"Lord, do you wash my feet?"
Emphasis on the fact that Jesus was His Lord and the role was reversed.
Discussion with Peter is for our benefit. Impetuous Peter. Jesus could probably depend on Him sharing his thoughts with the group. Everyone else was probably feeling the same thing. That’s wonderful Peter just helped Him with his demonstration!
V8 Peter said to Him, "Never shall you wash my feet! (Translation never wash my feet forever!) A little false humility maybe? Peter at this point of His life had hard lessons ahead and one of them was that he was not to depend on himself but had to trust in Jesus.
Jesus responded, "If I do not wash you you have no part with me"
Jesus was telling Peter, "receive from me, let me serve you". Are there some that will not receive the ministry of Jesus?
There is a lot to be said about having a dependent nature; dependent on God, dependent on Community. Self made men that function as islands will not have what it takes to serve others. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a temperament issue. There are some, of which I include myself that are shy and introvert, but we too need body life to stay healthy in the Lord and in the community.
How did Peter respond?
V9 "Lord, not my feet only but my hands and my head." Still missing the spiritual application but certain he wanted to be fully apart of whatever Jesus was offering, Peter, in his attempt to respect Jesus, and maybe he had a little false pride, had rejected the opportunity (good Brit)!
But faced with the knowledge of rejecting Jesus he was now ready to go overboard.
V10 "He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet"
Lesson on forgiveness
not necessary if you are saved you need only confess your sins and you are clean again.
(But not all of you) Judas. This was a physical demonstration with a spiritual application. He still washed Judas’s feet but he was aware that Judas would not be a part of Him.
Here comes the theory part of the Lesson.
V12 explanation- Do you not know what I have done for you?
Not just a hospitality provision
V13 You Call Me Teacher and Lord (he has a high position above them)
V14 If I The Lord and Teacher wash your feet you also ought to wash one another’s. (It is not too much to ask of you). More than hospitality, he was talking about self-humbling love; to the uttermost, completely.
Just to step out of the passage right here and process what we have been reading. His lesson was prophetic – they would understand later – Do you think when they reasoned through his death on the cross later that this picture would have come back to their minds with jarring clarity! realizing the depth that his service had gone to for them.
Further more he was about to leave them without an earthly Lord and Teacher what would be a significant lesson for them in light of this. TAKE CARE OF EACH OTHER! Lay yourself down in your love for one another.
Lesson to the disciples that they should have the kind of love that would make them willing to die for one another.
John the disciple wrote in 1John 3:16
V15 Jesus gave an example
A pattern. He was not establishing that we should have foot washings but rather it was a lesson in inner humility. Although foot washing is a reminder of the kind of intentionally we should have in our service of one another.
V16 a slave is not above his master neither is one who is sent. Are you a sent one?
V17 If you know these things you are blessed if you do them.
Really that doesn’t mean being coerced into something you don’t want to do it is voluntarily putting oneself in that position.
Is this just for Leaders or is it for everyone?
For every one but especially for Leaders!
How Can you Prepare Yourself For Servant Leadership?
Prayer
Time with the Lord in the word
Openness and honesty
Develope Close Mature Friends in the Lord
Love others
Do it as unto the Lord
Serving is a choice of the heart not a position of subjection. True servanthood comes from the decision to put others above yourself.
We are not above Jesus and we don’t serve with self-effacing martyrdom but with a heart fully committed out of obedience to Him
Study Done with the aid of Bible Knowledge Commentery - Walvord and Zuck
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
It's Been Coming Together Lately
In the words of ZOE girl (About You Wow Hits 2006)
I have been thinking lately about you
when it hit me from nowhere out of the grey
everythings been coming together
now that I've moved beyond myself and wrapped my head around something else
It's not about me it's gotta be about you!
everyday...
I've been spending so much time disconnected
I was searching for perfection inside myself
but I've finally turned away from my reflection
I saw a world outside my door and it has been what I've been looking for
It's not about me it's gotta be about you....
Couldn't have said it better myself!!
I have been thinking lately about you
when it hit me from nowhere out of the grey
everythings been coming together
now that I've moved beyond myself and wrapped my head around something else
It's not about me it's gotta be about you!
everyday...
I've been spending so much time disconnected
I was searching for perfection inside myself
but I've finally turned away from my reflection
I saw a world outside my door and it has been what I've been looking for
It's not about me it's gotta be about you....
Couldn't have said it better myself!!
Monday, March 05, 2007
Chosen
Eph 1:4
According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
The word chosen here is from the Greek word eklegomai and here is a Strongs defanition:-
1c) of God choosing whom he judged fit to receive his favours and separated from the rest of mankind to be peculiarly his own and to be attended continually by his gracious oversight
Wow! I am kind of lost for words when I ponder the magnitude of this blessing.
It kind of settles any lack of 'self worth' issues doesn't it?!
God has been opening my eyes lately to how much He loves me and I am realizing how much our spiritual life in Him is based on this knowledge. Sure, some of you are saying, 'That's a given', but how many of us know the love of God in our lives.
As we grow up we take all of our experiences, good and bad, and we begin to formulate who we think we are mirrored on the outside world. We build walls around our heart and put layer upon layer of protection over it. When we hear the good news of Jesus dying on the cross the Spirit quickens our heart and we open our lives to the truth of His love. For some, I think, they recognize the love of God in all it's loveliness. For others the process is slower because we don't feel lovely or trust that another can love us. But God, in His loving kindness, takes the knife and gradualy removes layer upon layer of the protection that we have encased our heart in proving Himself worthy of our trust.
God Judging us fit is not based on whether we are lovable or even likable it is based on His desire and good intention. When we know this to the core of our being it helps us let go of everything that we would otherwise seek to protect. His is a perfect love that casts out all fear.
According as he hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love.
The word chosen here is from the Greek word eklegomai and here is a Strongs defanition:-
1c) of God choosing whom he judged fit to receive his favours and separated from the rest of mankind to be peculiarly his own and to be attended continually by his gracious oversight
Wow! I am kind of lost for words when I ponder the magnitude of this blessing.
It kind of settles any lack of 'self worth' issues doesn't it?!
God has been opening my eyes lately to how much He loves me and I am realizing how much our spiritual life in Him is based on this knowledge. Sure, some of you are saying, 'That's a given', but how many of us know the love of God in our lives.
As we grow up we take all of our experiences, good and bad, and we begin to formulate who we think we are mirrored on the outside world. We build walls around our heart and put layer upon layer of protection over it. When we hear the good news of Jesus dying on the cross the Spirit quickens our heart and we open our lives to the truth of His love. For some, I think, they recognize the love of God in all it's loveliness. For others the process is slower because we don't feel lovely or trust that another can love us. But God, in His loving kindness, takes the knife and gradualy removes layer upon layer of the protection that we have encased our heart in proving Himself worthy of our trust.
God Judging us fit is not based on whether we are lovable or even likable it is based on His desire and good intention. When we know this to the core of our being it helps us let go of everything that we would otherwise seek to protect. His is a perfect love that casts out all fear.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
I Want to be Like …..Noah?
Not a statement I have heard before. When people associate themselves with Bible characters it is usually Paul, Daniel, Joseph, Ruth etc., But generally not Noah. Most of us look upon Noah as a good children’s character. Songs like "Noah built the Arky Arky" and toys based on Mr. and Mrs. Noah and the animals.
However, God considered this man, as one of the great men of faith. How do we know? Hebrews Chapter 11. Noah appears with a great line up in the chapter that is commonly known as the Great Hall of Fame.
Verse 7 is a jewel. One that I can easily see a 5 point lesson and says reams about the life and ministry of Noah.
"By faith Noah being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared and ark for th salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. "
1.By Faith
What is faith? V1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen" Noah was a man with assurance and conviction if ever we heard of such a man. I have heard that faith is being able to believe that God will do what He says He will do. This is plain and simple belief. V7 says that God had warned Noah about things he, ‘as yet could not see’. He believed God!
Do we believe God? Are we men and women characterized by assurance and conviction?
This kind of faith is not a vain hope not something that we can close our eyes, cross our fingers and wish. It is the kind of faith that comes from knowing God and his character through His Son Jesus. Gen 6: 9 says, "…Noah was a righteous man, blameless in His time; Noah walked with God." Noah wasn’t a perfect man without sin. Hebrews 11:8 says he "found favor with God" the word favor comes from the Hebrew word 'chen' meaning grace, accepted, even pitied. Noah had not earned a relationship with God through a religious lifestyle but rather God bent low and esteemed him because he walked after God. Our faith is built on God himself. Time spent with Him in a living trusting relationship. How is your faith? How is your knowledge of God? Is your faith a living faith built on God Himself?
By Faith Noah built an Ark. Wow! Can you imagine? He wasn’t asked to tithe extra this week, or wait on God for finances, or speak to his grumpy neighbor (all of which I am sure he would do) he was asked to build an ARK.
Let’s consider this for a minute.
First of all the sheer magnitude of the project that God gave to Noah was overwhelmingly great for him and his 3 sons. They would have to find, cut, transport, shape, treat, assemble and seal all of the trees needed for a ship 450 feet long and 75 feet wide? The Mayflower, able to carry 100 people, was only about 95 feet long, 25 feet wide and displaced 180 tons. In comparison this was a much larger vessel with a displacement of about 20,000 tons! Noah would have had a huge barrier of lack of faith in himself and his helpers to get over and all at the young age of 480.
Did that stop him?
When I was young and asked my mum why I must do something I was increasingly frustrated by the answer "because I said so". I vowed that I would never use these words with my children. BUT I do. Why? Because I have come to realize the importance of obedience in itself not because of the importance of the task. I think this may have been the case with Noah. God gave him the reason; there is no doubt in that. God was going to wipe the earth clean of all violence before Him and Noah and His family were going to be a remnant spared and brought into a new beginning. Gen 6:13. BUT Noah put himself to the task, despite himself, because God told him to. I believe the task took them 120 years! No small feat. Are we able to undertake great feats because God has told us to?
Secondly, it would not have won friends and influenced people. "What are you doing Noah?" "Building an ark" "In the dessert?" And "What do we need an ark for" "God is going to destroy the earth with a great flood" "I don’t see any water!" "Who’s the ark for?" "Me, my family, selected animals, and food and supplies" "What makes you so special!?" Can you hear it! Noah and his family would have to swim against the tide of unbelief and ridicule to obey God in this very visual way. Do we have the kind of faith that makes us stand against the tide of disbelief?
Thirdly, Noah trusted God for the outcome. I always remember my first night at sea on the ship Doulos. We were sailing from the port in Cape Town South Africa after being in dry dock to fit a new generator. We had to sail around the Cape Horn, which is known to be some of the most turbulent waters. Out of 120 new recruits only a handful of us showed up for dinner that night. As I lay in my bed racked with nausea my husband relayed a rather scary story to me. Earlier on that day he had been standing in dry dock with a welder looking at the huge patch were the generator had been passed through the hull of the ship and sealed over with new sheet metal. He said, "she’ll never hold together!" Can you imagine how easy it would have been for Noah to have these thoughts! "She’ll never hold together, we are all going to die! And after 120 years of hard work!" Do we have the kind of faith that trusts God for the outcome as well as the plan?
2. In Reverence.
KJV says, "moved with fear" What was the object of his fear? God was. That word fear comes from a root word ‘to be in awe of’ ‘to be cautious’ ‘to be devout’ so the NASV is correct in it’s usage of the word reverence.
Heb 11:6 "Noah…in reverence prepared the ark" I think Noah’s obedience was a form of worship. He revered God in what he did. His is the way our relationship to God must be. Not simply relaying our requests to Him in our quiet time and then crossing time spent with Him off our list as if it were an accomplishment. Our whole lives must revere Him in total consecration of all that we are with a sense of worship in what we do.
3. For the Salvation of His Household.
God was going to judge the world and Noah’s household was going to be saved. Noah had been warned by God of the impending judgment and provision had been made by God through his grace (chen). By faith, in reverence, Noah had followed those instructions for the salvation of His family.
Walvoord and Zuck’s Commentary (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) puts it very succinctly, "God judged the wicked with a severe and catastrophic judgement in order to start life over again with a worshipful covenant. In the midst of the flood, in which the sovereign Lord of Creation destroyed the world Noah, God’s servant and recipient of Grace, sailed through to the ‘new creation’ and worshipped God."
Is it a perfect picture of the Gospel story? The world standing under judgment until time has come in, God in his favor making provision for our salvation through Jesus, and our response of faith in reverence and fear trusting God to carry us safely through those perilous waters into eternity with Him. Doesn’t it make you want to say Hallelujah!
But let’s not stop there. What of our faithful journey? Does God not choose to use us to save those He is calling to Himself? Is our salvation for us alone or is it also for the Household of God? Are we not like choice and precious stones being built into the temple of God? In plain English our salvation doesn’t end with us by ourselves. As the old saying goes, "it’s not flood insurance" Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We must also work while there is still daylight to seek and offer salvation to the lost. We must work for the salvation of ‘His’ household.
4. By Which He Condemned the World
Equally as our light shining in the darkness will be a means God will use to save some it will also be a means He will use to seal the wicked to their fate. It is because of sheer gratitude toward God and conviction of how undeserving we are that makes us feel sadness and compassion toward the wicked. But those who choose the world (an organized system set up against the will of God) are clearly judged in scripture. Clearly God hates sin. The flood reveals God’s freedom and power over His creation and God’s deadly anger toward sin as well as showing his redemptive grace. Gen 6:5 God sees the wickedness of man v6, "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart" v7 says that he wanted to completely wipe everything out. Never since the flood has there been such complete judgment on the earth until the crucifixion of His son. On Jesus was the wrath of God against sin poured out in its entirety and completely satisfied.
Does the judgment seem harsh, the penalty so great?. So much is Gods repulsion toward sin that He was willing to wipe out His entire creation but for a family who had walked with him in reverence, so great is God’s wrath upon sin that He gave up His only begotten Son to pay the penalty. In the face of this truth conviction should fall on hearts driving men to their knees begging God for forgiveness and trusting Christ for their salvation. It is with a sense of impending wrath that people are saved. I know of non-that are truly saved who come to God because he is nice or it seems like the right thing to do. We do rub shoulders with those people don’t we? but there lacks a real conviction of their personal sin and a need for salvation through Jesus. What are the Ten Commandments for but to point us to Jesus? We serve a God who loathes sin and rebellion. A holy God who must punish sin by His very nature. Were it not for such judgment there would be no need for a savior.
Belonging to God demands a lifestyle that is a stark contrast to those who walk in the dark. There should be no cheap grace here. Being recipients of Gods grace with the knowledge of what we have been saved from should make a difference that is so poignant that it will draw men to God in reverence or cause others to back away in their rebellion. Noah was called to such a life and so are we. Consecrate yourselves to God
5. And Became an Heir of the Righteousness, Which is According to Faith.
An heir according to the Greek interpretation is one who receives his allotted possession by right of sonship. Noah had faith in God, which caused him to obey and he became a recipient of the righteousness of God, as a son. Noah’s faith was a living faith not a dead belief. His faith made him put His trust in God and believe God would do what He said He would do and this according to Hebrews 11:7 made Noah a recipient of righteousness. Heb 11:6 says, "and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him"
Are you the kind of Man or women that can be found by God in the act of beleiving him for all that He says? If beleiving God pleases Him and without it it is impossible to please Him then lets put our trust in Him. Not for Salvation only but for all of life. God is looking for Men and Women who walk with Him and beleive Him. This my friends is a living faith that knows no limits even if it means building an Ark!
However, God considered this man, as one of the great men of faith. How do we know? Hebrews Chapter 11. Noah appears with a great line up in the chapter that is commonly known as the Great Hall of Fame.
Verse 7 is a jewel. One that I can easily see a 5 point lesson and says reams about the life and ministry of Noah.
"By faith Noah being warned by God about things not yet seen, in reverence prepared and ark for th salvation of his household, by which he condemned the world, and became an heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. "
1.By Faith
What is faith? V1 says "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen" Noah was a man with assurance and conviction if ever we heard of such a man. I have heard that faith is being able to believe that God will do what He says He will do. This is plain and simple belief. V7 says that God had warned Noah about things he, ‘as yet could not see’. He believed God!
Do we believe God? Are we men and women characterized by assurance and conviction?
This kind of faith is not a vain hope not something that we can close our eyes, cross our fingers and wish. It is the kind of faith that comes from knowing God and his character through His Son Jesus. Gen 6: 9 says, "…Noah was a righteous man, blameless in His time; Noah walked with God." Noah wasn’t a perfect man without sin. Hebrews 11:8 says he "found favor with God" the word favor comes from the Hebrew word 'chen' meaning grace, accepted, even pitied. Noah had not earned a relationship with God through a religious lifestyle but rather God bent low and esteemed him because he walked after God. Our faith is built on God himself. Time spent with Him in a living trusting relationship. How is your faith? How is your knowledge of God? Is your faith a living faith built on God Himself?
By Faith Noah built an Ark. Wow! Can you imagine? He wasn’t asked to tithe extra this week, or wait on God for finances, or speak to his grumpy neighbor (all of which I am sure he would do) he was asked to build an ARK.
Let’s consider this for a minute.
First of all the sheer magnitude of the project that God gave to Noah was overwhelmingly great for him and his 3 sons. They would have to find, cut, transport, shape, treat, assemble and seal all of the trees needed for a ship 450 feet long and 75 feet wide? The Mayflower, able to carry 100 people, was only about 95 feet long, 25 feet wide and displaced 180 tons. In comparison this was a much larger vessel with a displacement of about 20,000 tons! Noah would have had a huge barrier of lack of faith in himself and his helpers to get over and all at the young age of 480.
Did that stop him?
When I was young and asked my mum why I must do something I was increasingly frustrated by the answer "because I said so". I vowed that I would never use these words with my children. BUT I do. Why? Because I have come to realize the importance of obedience in itself not because of the importance of the task. I think this may have been the case with Noah. God gave him the reason; there is no doubt in that. God was going to wipe the earth clean of all violence before Him and Noah and His family were going to be a remnant spared and brought into a new beginning. Gen 6:13. BUT Noah put himself to the task, despite himself, because God told him to. I believe the task took them 120 years! No small feat. Are we able to undertake great feats because God has told us to?
Secondly, it would not have won friends and influenced people. "What are you doing Noah?" "Building an ark" "In the dessert?" And "What do we need an ark for" "God is going to destroy the earth with a great flood" "I don’t see any water!" "Who’s the ark for?" "Me, my family, selected animals, and food and supplies" "What makes you so special!?" Can you hear it! Noah and his family would have to swim against the tide of unbelief and ridicule to obey God in this very visual way. Do we have the kind of faith that makes us stand against the tide of disbelief?
Thirdly, Noah trusted God for the outcome. I always remember my first night at sea on the ship Doulos. We were sailing from the port in Cape Town South Africa after being in dry dock to fit a new generator. We had to sail around the Cape Horn, which is known to be some of the most turbulent waters. Out of 120 new recruits only a handful of us showed up for dinner that night. As I lay in my bed racked with nausea my husband relayed a rather scary story to me. Earlier on that day he had been standing in dry dock with a welder looking at the huge patch were the generator had been passed through the hull of the ship and sealed over with new sheet metal. He said, "she’ll never hold together!" Can you imagine how easy it would have been for Noah to have these thoughts! "She’ll never hold together, we are all going to die! And after 120 years of hard work!" Do we have the kind of faith that trusts God for the outcome as well as the plan?
2. In Reverence.
KJV says, "moved with fear" What was the object of his fear? God was. That word fear comes from a root word ‘to be in awe of’ ‘to be cautious’ ‘to be devout’ so the NASV is correct in it’s usage of the word reverence.
Heb 11:6 "Noah…in reverence prepared the ark" I think Noah’s obedience was a form of worship. He revered God in what he did. His is the way our relationship to God must be. Not simply relaying our requests to Him in our quiet time and then crossing time spent with Him off our list as if it were an accomplishment. Our whole lives must revere Him in total consecration of all that we are with a sense of worship in what we do.
3. For the Salvation of His Household.
God was going to judge the world and Noah’s household was going to be saved. Noah had been warned by God of the impending judgment and provision had been made by God through his grace (chen). By faith, in reverence, Noah had followed those instructions for the salvation of His family.
Walvoord and Zuck’s Commentary (The Bible Knowledge Commentary) puts it very succinctly, "God judged the wicked with a severe and catastrophic judgement in order to start life over again with a worshipful covenant. In the midst of the flood, in which the sovereign Lord of Creation destroyed the world Noah, God’s servant and recipient of Grace, sailed through to the ‘new creation’ and worshipped God."
Is it a perfect picture of the Gospel story? The world standing under judgment until time has come in, God in his favor making provision for our salvation through Jesus, and our response of faith in reverence and fear trusting God to carry us safely through those perilous waters into eternity with Him. Doesn’t it make you want to say Hallelujah!
But let’s not stop there. What of our faithful journey? Does God not choose to use us to save those He is calling to Himself? Is our salvation for us alone or is it also for the Household of God? Are we not like choice and precious stones being built into the temple of God? In plain English our salvation doesn’t end with us by ourselves. As the old saying goes, "it’s not flood insurance" Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We must also work while there is still daylight to seek and offer salvation to the lost. We must work for the salvation of ‘His’ household.
4. By Which He Condemned the World
Equally as our light shining in the darkness will be a means God will use to save some it will also be a means He will use to seal the wicked to their fate. It is because of sheer gratitude toward God and conviction of how undeserving we are that makes us feel sadness and compassion toward the wicked. But those who choose the world (an organized system set up against the will of God) are clearly judged in scripture. Clearly God hates sin. The flood reveals God’s freedom and power over His creation and God’s deadly anger toward sin as well as showing his redemptive grace. Gen 6:5 God sees the wickedness of man v6, "And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart" v7 says that he wanted to completely wipe everything out. Never since the flood has there been such complete judgment on the earth until the crucifixion of His son. On Jesus was the wrath of God against sin poured out in its entirety and completely satisfied.
Does the judgment seem harsh, the penalty so great?. So much is Gods repulsion toward sin that He was willing to wipe out His entire creation but for a family who had walked with him in reverence, so great is God’s wrath upon sin that He gave up His only begotten Son to pay the penalty. In the face of this truth conviction should fall on hearts driving men to their knees begging God for forgiveness and trusting Christ for their salvation. It is with a sense of impending wrath that people are saved. I know of non-that are truly saved who come to God because he is nice or it seems like the right thing to do. We do rub shoulders with those people don’t we? but there lacks a real conviction of their personal sin and a need for salvation through Jesus. What are the Ten Commandments for but to point us to Jesus? We serve a God who loathes sin and rebellion. A holy God who must punish sin by His very nature. Were it not for such judgment there would be no need for a savior.
Belonging to God demands a lifestyle that is a stark contrast to those who walk in the dark. There should be no cheap grace here. Being recipients of Gods grace with the knowledge of what we have been saved from should make a difference that is so poignant that it will draw men to God in reverence or cause others to back away in their rebellion. Noah was called to such a life and so are we. Consecrate yourselves to God
5. And Became an Heir of the Righteousness, Which is According to Faith.
An heir according to the Greek interpretation is one who receives his allotted possession by right of sonship. Noah had faith in God, which caused him to obey and he became a recipient of the righteousness of God, as a son. Noah’s faith was a living faith not a dead belief. His faith made him put His trust in God and believe God would do what He said He would do and this according to Hebrews 11:7 made Noah a recipient of righteousness. Heb 11:6 says, "and without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those that seek Him"
Are you the kind of Man or women that can be found by God in the act of beleiving him for all that He says? If beleiving God pleases Him and without it it is impossible to please Him then lets put our trust in Him. Not for Salvation only but for all of life. God is looking for Men and Women who walk with Him and beleive Him. This my friends is a living faith that knows no limits even if it means building an Ark!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
A New Year: New Horizons
Happy New Year! AND I am feeling very happy that it is a new year! 2006, although sprinkled with blessings, will definitely go down in the annuls as being a year of challenge.
The events of our Christmas break have helped to give us the impetus to to trust God for better things. After reporting some one to emergency services on Christmas Eve, who were in the act of criminal damage, we awoke to find my car vandalized on Christmas morning. The offender obviously got mad at us and so payed us back by smashing my window screen, breaking my wing mirrors and kicking in my tail lite. To top it off the local police didn't have the staff to send an officer!
SO, completely worn out with this battle and the needs for our ministry and family life we are asking God to move us!! Now we are knocking on doors.
I feel spiritually renewed at this point and have recognized that there is a certain empowerment at being able to say "it is enough". Why is that?
The events of our Christmas break have helped to give us the impetus to to trust God for better things. After reporting some one to emergency services on Christmas Eve, who were in the act of criminal damage, we awoke to find my car vandalized on Christmas morning. The offender obviously got mad at us and so payed us back by smashing my window screen, breaking my wing mirrors and kicking in my tail lite. To top it off the local police didn't have the staff to send an officer!
SO, completely worn out with this battle and the needs for our ministry and family life we are asking God to move us!! Now we are knocking on doors.
I feel spiritually renewed at this point and have recognized that there is a certain empowerment at being able to say "it is enough". Why is that?
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