Strike

Picture taken from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

Whether it is teachers or fire fighters, that word that seems to have slipped from the headlines is back with us. Strike! Large numbers of workers have walked out of their employment for a day to register their discontent. More are about to do the same. Why? Perhaps they wish to express their views about Government plans – working hours, pay, pensions, etc. Perhaps it is an expression of their growing frustration at never being listened to or consulted. Perhaps they feel that their employer, or the Government, have gone too far on this occasion and “enough is enough”. However, without being critical, the real reason is that the strike is all about “me” – my wages, my conditions of employment, my pension, my frustration, my isolation . . .

Human nature being what it is, we would all have to say that, to varying degrees, we are “out for number 1”. We have to look after ourselves. As adults, no one else will! I want what’s best for me. Most people are the same. Those prepared to go on strike are looking to work together through strike action to better their conditions, or, perhaps, just maintain the status quo when it is under attack.

The word “sin” is also a word that has slipped from our vocabulary. We used to talk about people “living in sin”. That meant they were “living together” as man and wife without being married. Today that term has been lost. However, put simply, sin is all about the letter at the centre of the word itself – “I”. It’s all about me! When I go my own way rather than God’s way and do what I want to do, often but not always at the expense of others, I am sinning – acting in a way that brings me into conflict with God. I am a sinner. As indicated above, I am by nature and practice in conflict with God.

The alarming thing is that I will have to answer for my sin. I will be held accountable by God. So will you! However, for those who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Saviour there is a way of escape from the penalty that will follow our judgement for sin. In the death of Jesus Christ at Calvary 2000 years ago, a penalty was paid for sin. As a believer in Christ, I can say that the penalty for my sin was borne by Christ. He took my place. He bore the condemnation of God for my sin. I am relying upon him for salvation. What about you? Have you turned your back upon a life lived for “me” and trusted Christ?

‘Only one life – live it’



Photo taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24301379

So goes the slogan. Some suggest that it was originally written by someone suffering with a serious life-threatening cancer to remind us all of the preciousness of life. However, like so many words and phrases it seems to have been hijacked by those who want to use it as an excuse for every form of indulgence. The idea being that as this life is all we have got then we need to get the most out of it. Let’s pursue every pleasure. Let’s indulge every whim. Let’s exploit every opportunity to get what we want.

The following story is taken from the BBC News website for 30/09/2013: “Nearly 300 children aged 11 or under were admitted to A&E units across the UK last year after drinking too much, a BBC Radio 5 live investigation shows. Over the last five years A&E departments across the UK have dealt with nearly 48,000 incidents where under-18s have been admitted for drink or drug related illnesses. During 2012/13 there were 293 cases of children aged 11 or under attending A&E with alcohol-related conditions - a third more than in 2011/12 when there were 216 cases”.

In the pursuit of so-called pleasure people are teaching their children a life-style that can ultimately destroy them, both physically and mentally. How incredibly sad! It is particularly sad because it flies in the face of the clear Biblical message that this life is not all that we’ve got. The Bible states, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”. Many people think that there is nothing after death – the grave is the end. The Bible says, “after this”. The reality is that this life is but the place where we need to make preparation for eternity – the life beyond physical death.

Are you prepared to meet God, or are you busy living for the moment? This relatively short life can be spent in short-term pleasure but what then? The Bible tells us of man called Moses. He made a decision, a choice that was to transform his life. Was he to “enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season”? As occupying a significant place in the palace of Egypt (seen as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter) he had it all, humanly speaking. However, he chose Christ seeing Him as “greater riches than the treasures in Egypt”. Only Christ can forgive our sins. Only the death of Christ can remove the stain of sin and guilt from us and prepare us to meet God. Are you living for the moment or are you living in the light and prospect of eternity?

 

‘There is a point where it is too big - you can't hide them’

This is a quote from Steve Cluff, a local councillor in Burton Joyce, near Nottingham. In an interview, quoted on the BBC News website, he speaks out against the decision taken by Gedling Borough Council. That decision is to allow Severn Trent Water to build a wind turbine at Stoke Bardolph. You would have to admit that something that is over 350ft in height is a bit difficult to hide. Equally, something next to the River Trent in an area of lowland will be visible for some distance. Some might say, ‘a blot on the landscape’.

Opinion on wind turbines does seem divided. Using renewable energy sources, such as wind power, is applauded by those who want us to reduce our carbon emissions. Those who live in an area where there are wind turbines are not quite as enthusiastic. Steve Cluff is right. You can’t really hide a 350ft mast.

Those of us old enough may remember a similar debate about mobile phone masts. There were ingenious plans to build masts that looked like trees, or to hide such masts in woods. A glance across the landscape in some areas would prove that the idea didn’t really work.

The debate made me think about our lives before God. Some of us seem to think that we can hide our failure in amongst the failure of others – like hiding a radio mast in a wood. Our first line of defence when confronted with something we’ve done wrong is, ‘well, what about everyone else?’ The naughty school child is always quick to point to others and say, ‘what about them? Why are you picking on me?’ This is the age-old problem. Are we prepared to admit before God that we have failed – sinned? We have failed to reach God’s standards. We have failed to keep God’s law. That failure brings guilt, as we stand before God as condemned sinners. In reality, we can’t hide! We may try. We may invent all sorts of excuses. The reality remains – guilty sinners deserving of God’s judgement.

The good news of the gospel is that God has provided a way of escape. God isn’t going to hide our sin. He has provided His Son to be our Saviour. Through the death of the Lord Jesus Christ on a Roman cross, God has provided a way in which we can find cleansing and forgiveness. If we are prepared to place faith in Christ, His death can be our death, He can become our substitute, bearing our sin and guilt. Without Christ we will have to bear the punishment for our own sin. In Christ, He has borne God’s punishment for us. To quote Steve Cluff, ‘you can’t hide’. What will do with your sin and guilt?

Who do you think you are?

Picture taken from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b007t575

This is the name given to a television series that helps celebrities trace something of their family history. To make each programme someone has quite a bit of research to do. There is the compilation of the family tree, usually taken back into the early part of the 19^th Century. Some of the history of certain individuals within that ancestry map is also researched to provide material of interest for the celebrity as well as the programme. Whilst it can make fascinating viewing and give an insight to the background of different celebrities it also raises the question for each one of us – who do we think we are?

What might be lurking in the dark recesses of our family history? Is there someone, perhaps a “black sheep” of the family, who might be discovered and their criminal activities exposed? Perhaps there are traces of immoral activity that might provide a link between us and some famous person of Victorian England! Clearly, for the programme to be made there is the assumption that we all have some interest in where we are from and who our ancestors were.

It may surprise many to know that the Bible has something to say about the whole matter of ancestry. A verse in Romans chapter 5 tells us, ‘as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned’. As we are all aware of the aging process and that this process underlines our mortality, it confirms our link with our first parents, Adam and Eve. In Adam’s disobedience (sin), we were made sinners. As sinners, we are all destined to die. The Bible says, ‘the wages of sin is death’. As a consequence of the so-called theory of evolution many would mock at the Biblical account of Adam and Eve, we all still face death. Why?

While the Bible explains the reason – sin – it also gives humanity hope. It tells of God’s provision of a Saviour to save us from death – particularly spiritual death, or separation from God forever. God’s Son, Jesus Christ, bore God’s penalty upon sin that you and I might go free, be forgiven, cleansed, and made fit for God’s presence in heaven. In the death of Jesus Christ and His subsequent resurrection there is hope for every man and woman! We might be in the family of Adam by natural birth. We can become part of the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ. What about you?

An innocent snap?

Picture taken from http://www.firsttabletpc.com/category/computer-tablet

“A stolen tablet computer has taken a picture of a man police wish to speak to in connection with its theft. The Samsung device was taken from a house in Winterbourne Close in Lewes, East Sussex, last month, police said. It was linked to the owner's Google account and when he checked it, a picture of a man reclining in bed popped up”. This partly amusing story appeared on the BBC News website. Although the idea that a house has been broken into and property stolen is far from amusing, the fact that the new “owner” has been photographed in his own home is funny. He clearly didn’t realize the power of modern communications gadgets!

If the new owner was the person who stole the tablet computer he could be in for a nasty surprise. If the new owner was someone who unwisely bought the tablet computer then he is going to lose the money he paid. But there is a more important aspect to this story. How much of what we do is being recorded? That innocent snap on the tablet computer has now been displayed to millions through a news web site. Perhaps there are things that we thought that no one had seen which are actually recorded somewhere on CCTV records.

The story reminded me of a very important but often neglected verse in the Bible: “be sure your sin will find you out”. Many of us do things wrong. In the so-called “big picture” they may not be that serious but, overall, we carry on, thinking that no one has noticed. Ever driven at more than 70 mph on the motorway? Ever broken God’s law by knowingly telling a lie? There is a commonly held view that if no one is hurt then it doesn’t really matter. The Bible tells us that it does matter and that God is keeping an account. Everything that others may not hear and see is recorded by God. One day we could be held to account by God. The verdict is obvious: guilty!

The good news is that God has provided a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. In His Son, God provided someone who was willing to take my place and die in my stead. He was willing to bear the punishment for my sin that I might go free. What about you? Is Jesus Christ your Saviour, or, in the day of judgement, will your sin find you out?

 

The Heir to the Throne

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

The birth of the Queen’s first great-grandchild has certainly caused widespread interest. Apart from the press camped outside the hospital awaiting the news of the birth, there has certainly been numerous messages circulated around social media. We might not know the name of the new Prince of Cambridge but he is already a high profile figure – third in line to the throne!

 

I suppose that it is befitting for a Prince to be born in a private hospital, to live in a royal palace, and to be a high profile public figure from birth. Christians will certainly pray for the new Prince, as they have prayed for his father and mother, grandfather, and great-grandmother.

 

In thinking about these events I was drawn to another birth around 2000 years ago. The wise men came to enquire, ‘Where is he that is born king of the Jews?’ This was not a royal Prince but the God-promised Messiah and King of the nation. It would seem rather strange in 2013. We would just follow the media frenzy to find where any royal baby was born. If not, go to the royal palace. Where was Jesus to be found when he was born? In a manger, probably in the corner of a field rather than the ‘cosy’ stable of the Christmas story! Where did the wise men find Him? Was it in the palace? He spent his early life in a simple house in the care of a carpenter. Was He welcomed? Matthew, in his gospel, tells us that Herod killed all the young children in Bethlehem in his rage as he tried to hunt down and kill the baby Jesus. Did this child grow into a man and ascend the throne of the nation? We are told that Pilate, the Roman Governor, wrote the superscription that was fastened over the cross where the man died, ‘This is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews’.

 

This was not the result of an uprising of the people. No one overthrew this king. This was not the consequence of a Roman crackdown either. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died at Calvary because He was hated and despised. What is surprising is that He was hated even though He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and raised the dead! The Lord Jesus Christ’s death shows us human sin and guilt – we crucified a sinless man. But that same death demonstrates God’s love for you and me – the Bible says, ‘Christ died for our sins’. That was something that only Christ could do.

 

What is crucial here is whether you have made that death apply to you. Can you say, ‘Christ died for me’? Will you bear the punishment for your sin and guilt or has Christ borne it for you? Is He your Saviour, or merely a figure in history?

What price do we put on a life?

Picture taken from the BBC News website

In Bury, Lancashire, the funeral has taken place of Fusilier Lee Rigby. This was not the funeral of another soldier killed in a foreign land whilst serving his country. This was the result of a horrific attack upon the streets of London, as the soldier returned to the barracks in Woolwich. The large crowd around the church where the service took place is an indication of the sympathy felt for the family, and the outrage at the people who could commit such an atrocity.

 

For some there may be the genuine question about “religion” that motivates people to kill. Whether it is so-called Muslims who murder Christians, or so-called Christians who murder Muslims, there is nothing that can be used to justify such actions. The Bible says, “Thou shalt not kill”. This was one of God’s direct commandments.  Many Christians refused to take up arms in the Second World War because of their faith.  But shouldn’t we rather be concerned that 551 homicides (including murder, manslaughter, and infanticide) were reported in the year ending December 2012? Is this particular case a reminder that we are beginning to think that life is cheap?

 

The Bible reminds us of God’s valuation on life. The words of Jesus Christ are clear: “What shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” You cannot put a price on a life! Your life and your eternal destiny are of the utmost importance. God gave His own Son to die on a Roman cross to provide your salvation from sin. He was prepared to sacrifice all that He had for you – that is the price he puts on your life and your soul! You are infinitely precious to God. What is your response? Will you trust Him with your life, or will you reject Him?