The blessing of rules. An odd title but having spent the past few months reading through the first books of the Bible, I have been at times a little bogged down with all the regulations that God gave Moses and then with Moses passing them on to the Israelites. There were not many situations for which Moses was not given a rule or instruction – often in quite detail..

It has set me thinking about the rules in our own lives. I have come up with a thought that all rules really are placed in our lives for safety – either for our own or for those with which we deal.

Often we in the church talk about living not under the law but under grace and that is true in that we do not have to make sacrifices for our sins but have been redeemed and reconciled to God by the ultimate sacrifice of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, this has sometimes encouraged us to think that since we live under grace, we are not as obliged to follow the rules given us.

However, I have been reminded that in every organization I have been connected with -- work, school, church – there have been regulations to be followed. When they are followed, the whole organization functions smoothly and effectively.

In the case of children, there are so many rules; but, as far as I can see, they are all there for only one reason, to keep the children safe themselves or in their interactions with one another. I have just recently read an article about babies in vehicles, all about which way the baby should face - backwards until a specific weight and then frontwards, in a very specific type of seat. Not that it makes the baby happier or less likely to be car sick, just that it is safer.

Seatbelts - many people object to being “forced” by a rule/law that they must wear them. However, in the bridge collapse this summer in the mid-west, I couldn’t help but marvel at the man whose truck was cut in two and he was saved, only slightly hurt, all because he was seatbelted in. What a wonderful story. The blessing of the seatbelt rule!!

Jesus spoke quite a few times about following the rules, the laws of the land. One that comes to mind was His reference to paying taxes, In Matthew 22:21, “Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.”

Then in Paul’s writings, in 2 Timothy 2:5, “Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.”

And the instruction for us to “Pray for those who rule over us”, and in Titus 3:1, “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good”.

And in 1 Peter 2:13, “Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority”

So many rules, and then to pray for those who make the rules for us!

What about the rule of not following too closely to the car ahead of you. A few days ago, I had to pass a minor (probably not for them) accident – one car had been following too closely to another car, bumped the car in front and both two cars ended up “in the ditch”, in the median. It has been “awhile” since I studied the drivers’ training booklet, but it seems to me there is a law about this which I at one time knew, the precise distance required between me and the car in front. Rules, rules, rules. However, although neither driver appeared to be hurt, their day had really been messed up - if only . . .

Today’s Christian loves to “soften” everything - so instead of rules, we use the term “boundaries” - instead of sin, we use “indiscretion”. I, like everyone, do not like rules, and I too do not like to have my sins pointed out by scriptures, law enforcers, or friends. But, if I follow Jesus and His Word, I cannot hide from His clear, direct treatment of these topics. Do I sin? Of course, every day - however, I try not to sin, not to “mar the face of Jesus” - same topic I was pondering a few weeks ago.

Rules keep us safe; boundaries keep us in proper relationship with others; His love for us keeps us wanting to follow Him. John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (KJV)

Note to my friends. If you see me sinning, breaking rules, laws of the land, don’t hesitate to point it out. Being accountable to my friends keeps me safe.

Submitted by Naida

As I was looking up a scripture verse earlier this a.m. regarding ships, I naturally turned to Psalm 107 and in the 23rd and 24th verses it talks about "those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep."

I live in a seaport on Canada's east coast and we get a lot of cruise ships at this time of year, in fact it is growing more popular each year and Judy and I enjoy the odd cruise vacation as well. Reading further along in Psalm 107, it declares "For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble." I'm beginning to turn a little green right about now as I recall some of those cruise vacations when I was confined to my quarters as the ship "reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man" (read verses 25-27) I recall one trip in particular in the Caribbean...that part wasn't a lot of fun.

Sometimes our lives can be like that, "reeling to and fro...staggering like a drunken man (out of control). Just two weeks ago we were in Gloucester, Mass. where they have that statue of "the old man of the sea" facing out towards the sea, and another of a wife with her two children also looking out to the sea and wondering what has happened to her husband...will he make it back?

As I pondered these words this morning of the Psalmist, my mind went to a portion of scripture found in the gospel of Mark vs.35 through 41, "On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, "Let us cross over to the other side." Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, "Master do you not care that we are perishing?" Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, " Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?" And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, "Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?"

Isn't this a picture of life? Sometimes the Lord sends us out and He is with us but it seems like we are all alone. However He is still with us and there are "others" with us as well. Mark tells us there were "other" little ships(KJV) also that were in the sea that night ... they were toiling in rowing also ... they were with Him. You are not alone in your struggles ... realize that there are others with you and they are in the storm also but Jesus was in the boat with them and it wasn't just the disciples whom He was with that received the calming of the storm that night but it was these other little ships too. We are not alone, we have the family of God and greatest of all ... Jesus is in the boat with us.You can depend on Him and you need to be with the family.

Preserving the past: Part two

Sometimes people tell us to forget the past and that is true for some things; things such as mistakes, failures in our lives and so on, but we have such a heritage that we truly do want to preserve as well. So this blog is the other side of the coin.

Certainly we cannot go back to the past however we do well to remember what was good and it is not wrong to desire the way of life that we knew back then. It is not wrong to remember what Jesus has done for us. In fact the Bible says in Jeremiah 6:16, “Stand at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.”

Here in this passage clearly, God was asking His backslidden people to remember what they once had, “the good way” and to return to it and I believe with every fibre of my being that God is calling His people today to remember what we once had and He desires us to return to that “good way.” For the last several evenings, four to be correct, we have been attending a church where they have been celebrating their seventy fifth anniversary and they have certainly preserved that “good way” the way of worshipping God that I for one used to know.

This is not living in the past but it is present tense…it is now. The Bible admonishes us to remember the pit from which we were dug and to remember the place or “Remember then from what you have fallen” a quote from Revelation 2:5. This, an admonishing to the church at Ephesus, a church that had everything in place, a church that should have been an example because of their good deeds and their patience in serving the Lord, but they had lost that fervency, that desire, that first love for Jesus and He tells them to remember what they once had and to return to it. He is saying to the church of today, “Remember what you had, remember where you were and return to it.” Return to your first love; return to your love for Christ; return to the place where God moved so deeply in your soul; remember the old paths of righteousness. Remember, you who have strayed from the Godly upbringing of Mum and Dad, remember and repent. “Return to Me and I will return unto you,” is the Word that God wants you to hear this very day. Don’t feel His presence anymore? Remember and return and be restored, that is the best way to preserve the past.

Body and Soul series Instalment #6:Preserving the past// part 1 of 2

Recently I read a quote attributed to that great Scottish missionary of the early twentieth century, Oswald Chambers and I quote it to you “Never make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayers.” End of quote. This is probably true of most of us, is it not?
It is because of this very reason that many times we miss seeing the answer to our prayers because when the answer does come we find ourselves looking for God to answer in our way and He being sovereign answers His way and in His time. And so we miss the answer and wonder why He does not answer when in actual fact, the answer did come but we didn’t recognize it.
And so it goes, we struggle and struggle to find that which will satisfy us and we cannot seem to discover it when God has the answer all the time. For instance we like to preserve the past, we like to hold on to things and perhaps a way of life that we knew in happier, less stressful times. Some of you, like I, were blessed to be brought up in a happy home where love was abundant and we were thankful for much less in material ways than we enjoy today but life had a great quality to it. And so we like to preserve these memories.
We find ourselves at this writing with two of our very dear friends accompanying us in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts and surrounded by beauty that only God could create. My friend Pat is an outdoors man and he is so enthusiastic about this place that we all seem to catch his excitement. And how often he has said how he would have liked to have lived in an earlier time when there wasn’t the conveniences we have today but life was simpler and he would have liked to seen that way of the past preserved. And we have seen that older more laid back lifestyle here in the Berkshires.
But we cannot go back to what George Bush senior declared to be a kinder, gentler time; we can’t turn back the clock. So we have to realize that all we have is the present…the now. God is the God of the now, a phrase coined by Oral Roberts some years ago and his advice was to forget about the past and it’s failures and not to worry about the future and it’s fears but rather to concentrate on the now. Good advice ...if we have prepared for the future. We don’t have to worry over it if we are walking with our great God and our SAVIOR, Jesus Christ. He will keep us in the present and will be with us in the future as well. We can rest in the assurance that He is in control and that our future will be so great that we won’t even remember the past. We can’t change what has happened no more than we can hold on to the past
We can however change what we are today and what we do today. If you are having a problem with letting go of the past, i.e. past sins, just remember the prayer of king Hezekiah in the book of Isaiah chapter 38 and verse 17 where he declared “you have cast all my sins behind Your back”. There’s an old song that says “when Jesus forgives He forgets.” We need to do the same; some parts of our past does not need to be preserved. Let’s bury them.
When I started this post I said that we were in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, and now at this point we have arrived back home, actually it's been a few days now. On the way back we decided to take a little side trip so we drove to Boston and followed the coastline north to the fishing town of Gloucester where the statue of the "old man of the sea" stands. On the way to Gloucester is the picturesque little resort town of Manchester By the Sea and as we were driving towards this town we passed a farm which my wife and I recognized immediately. Memory took us back to a time forty two years ago when my aunt Dot was living there and Judy and I stayed there along with my parents for a night or two. It really was an amazing experience for us to see the farm as it was seemingly preserved just like it was back in the sixties. But nothing stays the same in this life. Much has happened ...my parents are gone for one thing and of course I could relate so much more but I shall spare you.


There is only One that we can count on and He never changes. The Bible puts it so clearly in Hebrews 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever."And along with that promise , is the promise throughout the Psalms that His mercy endures forever. Now that..., you can depend upon.

Body and Soul: Installment #5//Wondrous Words
Late one night (around midnight it was) I opened my Bible for some quick meditation before retiring for the night and I turned to Psalm 145. In the fifth verse of that psalm it reads “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty And on Your wondrous works.” Then I saw the reference to the footnote at the bottom of the page(some Bibles use the margin).
It said that many early manuscripts translated that literally to read “They will meditate on the Words of Your wondrous works.” A good feeling came over me as I read these words and I knew it was the Holy Spirit and He wanted me to write what He was giving me and that is that His Words are even greater than His wondrous works. In fact the Bible says in Psalm 138:
Psalm 138:2I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
His wondrous words; words that sustain me, words that correct me, words that guide me in paths of righteousness, words like I found in Romans 13:14, “Put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ” and this is referring to the previous verse or statement which says “ Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.” Boy! What a wondrous word this is. I shall quote the next part in it’s entirety. “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill it’s lusts. This is God’s wondrous words that is exalted even above His name and we had best pay attention. It is hard to imagine, yes hard to conceive or to comprehend anything that is above the name of our most high God and by the way, we call our God…Jesus!
He came down from heaven clothed in human flesh that He might taste death for every person living on this planet. And we are admonished to put on (as a garment to wear) the LORD Jesus Christ. You may remember some months back that Naida did a post on that subject. Now my intentions are certainly not to repeat her thoughts, although it was an excellent posting, BUT AT THE VERY LEAST, I hope that you will go in to the blog archives and reread her post.
However I do want to expand on these wondrous words. “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ”, and previous to that were these words I quoted about walking properly. Walk decently, one commentator said; let our deportment be decent, orderly, such as we shall not be ashamed in the eyes of the world and it goes on and lists what that means…no revelry and drunkenness, no lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. It is interesting to note that strife and envy are listed right there with revelry, drunkenness, lewdness, lust…some people who have caused strife in churches through envy would be horrified at the thought of all these other things yet continue to cause strife through envy and think nothing of it. Our conduct is so important; what kind of a witness do I portray for Christ? The commentary says it this way…”let us put on decent garments”
Putting on the Lord Jesus Christ means receiving and believing the Gospel; It means having the mind of Christ; the ancient Jews used the phrase putting on the Shekinah, or divine majesty which signified that their soul was fit for glory, clothed with immortality.
To be clothed with a person is a Greek phrase which means to assume that persons interests, to imitate him, to be wholly on his side and it was taken from that of stage actors who when portraying a character would dress like them and imitate them in their spirit, words and actions. That is what it is like to put on Christ. It all starts when we are born again.
If I am displaying envy which causes strife, how can I put on the Lord Jesus Christ. His words are wondrous words And , oh yes I’m to make NO provision for the flesh,…to fulfill it’s lusts.

In the early 70's - the Jesus movement - many of our readers will not be able to remember this - but the song that was very popular, even in secular circles - “They’ll know we are Christian, by our love, by our love” - remember that song?

I know that there was much about the Jesus movement that was questionable and it “petered” out within a few years - communal living, back to the earth movement, etc. However, I often think of the song from the period and the truth of its words.

In Galatians 5:22, 23 New International Version (NIV), “22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

We used to use a system at school (Grades 6 - 8) of trying to reward good behaviour in the students - we called it “catching them doing good” - “positive participation” - rewarding some good deeds rather than spending so much effort and time watching for the breaking of rules. It was quite effective - students doing good in hope of a reward.

I wonder if God “catches us doing good” - showing that we are Christians, worthy of His name. I’m not suggesting that you our readers evaluate yourselves; I am looking in the mirror myself. Would “they” know I am a Christian by my love?

Jesus talked so much about our love for each other. I found nine times that the words “Love thy neighbour or “love thy neighbour as thyself” appear. The fact that it is repeated over and over means something, doesn’t it?

Further, in Philippians 2:3 (NIV), we read “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves” or in King James Version, “esteem other better than themselves.” Fulfilling this scripture is quite a stretch for us in North America who have learned from a pretty young age that we are special, that we are first, we are the best, we are the most important.

Then to go back to the scripture, listing what we refer to as “Fruits of the Spirit” - love, joy, peace, ... - could spend many days chatting about each one of these great attributes - putting on the characteristics of Christ.

But what about the last of that scripture - don’t hear that part mentioned much - let’s look at it. “Against such things there is no law.” What an interesting sentence at the end of the list of love, joy, peace.

Several of my friends are either interested in or involved in missions, the spreading of the Gospel to peoples in other nations, peoples who might not otherwise hear of the love of Jesus. But nowadays, that is very dangerous and sometimes very unwelcome by many countries. As just recently as was found out in dramatic fashion, with the Korean Christians who decided to go to Afghanistan to spread the love of Jesus, that it is against the law in that country. But, what if Christians would just go about spreading “ love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” in their day-to-day lives? Who could resist such warm, helpful treatment? And who would make a law against such treatment? Of course, no one. No one can resist the true love of Jesus.

We can all show the love of Jesus to those who do not know about Him or His love for them - and they will not be able to resist. That is my goal - am I always true to that goal, of course not, but that has become what I strive for.

I wonder, too, if people I know that “I’m a Christian by my love” ...

Submitted by Naida