Sayings

The idiom, see eye to eye, is thought to derive from the Bible, in the book of Isaiah, 52:8: “Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.”

Mutual agreement is the essence of good relationships. At the conclusion of the Northumbria Community evening prayer is the blessing, “See that ye be at peace among yourselves, my children, and love one another. Follow the example of the wise and good and God will comfort you and help you, both in this world and in the world which is to come.”

But all is not always harmonious in the life of the church.

Chuck Swindoll, in his book The Grace Awakening, writes of a church that had a vibrant ministry and was having a powerful impact on their community. But then, a disagreement began to form. While it seemed small and insignificant at first, it grew and grew until the church was sharply divided. When it was apparent that this issue could not be solved in a manner that would be suitable to every one, half of the congregation left to form their own church. Today, while both churches still exist, neither has the outreach ministry that they did before.

Would you like to know what the disagreement was over? Well, it seems that the church, after their services, would have a time of fellowship with coffee and light refreshments. The disagreement was over whether the coffee should be served by the back door or in the fellowship hall. An issue that small and petty destroyed what had been a great ministry.

Watchman Nee, the 20th century Chinese church leader and Christian teacher 

"An obedient will and a harmonious will are very different. Obedience is related to actions, whereas harmony is related to character. The obedient will of a servant is seen in carrying out every order of his master.

"But the harmonious will is shown in the son who knows the father’s heart and whose will is one with the father’s. The harmonious will not only fulfils his duty but also fulfils it with delight.

An obedient will puts a stop to one’s own activity, yes, but a harmonious will is in addition one heart with God.”

Dear Lord Jesus, You are our Prince of Peace and You prayed for unity in the body of Christ, that we may be united in love just as You are united with the Father in love. Give Your children the desire to love one another as You have loved us, and let the world know that we are Your disciples by our love for one another. Give us a hunger to live in union with each another, and may we be united as one, in the bond of peace and fellowship, in the Spirit. This we ask in Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Sayings

Today we consider the saying “the four corners of the earth.” In Christianity and Judaism, the Old Testament (Book of Genesis, Genesis 2:8–14) identifies the Garden of Eden, and the four rivers as the Tigris, Euphrates, Pishon, and Gihon. The Tigris runs to Assyria, the Euphrates to Armenia, the Pishon to Havilah or Elam, and the Gihon to Ethiopia. 

The four corners of the earth are also spoken of in the book of Revelation 7:1, and mention of the "four quarters of the earth" appears in Revelation 20:8. “After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.”

There is a lovely verse in Luke 13:29 where Jesus declares, ”Yes, and people will come from the east and the west, and from the north and the south, and take their seats in the kingdom of God.” But v 30 goes on where Jesus implies that we will be surprised by those who enter and those who don't. However hard we try, we often find ourselves excluding persons or groups from salvation. Jesus invites us to be wary of judging others, and to believe that all can be open to God's loving offer of salvation.

I recently read that to be a Christian is to live in tension with the world around you, in fact to live at  and in‘Four Corners”. We cannot live out our spiritual life in a cocoon; we live it out in the real world, in a community. To be a Christian, living out our spiritual identity, is to engage the world around us and see the reach of God to the four corners of the earth. For:-

There's a wideness in God's mercy,

Like the wideness of the sea;

There's a kindness in his justice,

Which is more than liberty.

For the love of God is broader

Than the measures of man's mind;

And the heart of the Eternal

Is most wonderfully kind.

Lord of all creation as we look to the east may we open our senses to the beauty and wonder around us. As we turn to the west may we open our hearts to one another and all we meet. In turning to the south may we open our minds to viewpoints and realms beyond our present knowing. As we face north, we ask to be Open to Spirit for our Highest Good may we be blessed and share that blessing with others. Amen

Sayings

A little bird told me. You’ve probably heard this familiar saying. It comes from the Bible, Ecclesiastes 10:20 to be exact.

The full version is: “Do not revile the king even in your thoughts, or curse the rich in your bedroom, because a bird of the air may carry your words, and a bird on the wing may report what you say.”

I don’t know about you, but I receive a near continuous barrage of hateful, paranoid and panic-filled emails brimming with rumour and speculation related to the current state of the world.

The word from a little  bird can either be some salacious piece of gossip laced with an element of the truth or down right false. In either case such ‘messages’ seem to have  the intent of stealing a position of power over another.

In our times it is becoming increasingly difficult to discern truth from dangerous fiction. What was it Jesus said about truth to the Jews who believed in him, “If you are faithful to what I have said, you are truly my disciples. And you will know the truth and the truth will set you free!”  (John 8:32) John shows the people who listened to Jesus as being prickly and precious, quick to defend their religion and righteousness, often predicated on misguided thoughts and actions. Jesus’ replies showing them that they have forgotten love and relationship.

Phishing is a word for a type of online scamming and this type of activity is growing and occurs when someone sends you a bogus communication. This usually come in the form of an email or text message, disguised as a missive from a legitimate source, such as a bank or government agency. The sender is angling for information, a credit card number or a transfer of funds. Sometimes there is an attachment containing malware, or a link where you can go to log in—which is to say, to have your password stolen. What is clear that phishing distorts the truth, but I ask is there a spiritual phishing that locks us into a life that is any thing but free.

The letter to the Philippians (4:8) perhaps gives the christian the best virus protection; “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

Lord of Truth and Grace, 

fix our hearts and minds 

on what is true and honourable and right.

Give us the joy and peace 

that comes from knowing and doing Your will.

Keep us faithful to the call 

we have received in Christ Jesus, our Lord,

extending Your loving invitation 

to the world around us.

In Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Sayings

Fly in the ointment

In English, the phrase fly in the ointment is an idiomatic expression for a drawback, especially one that was not at first apparent. The likely source is a phrase in the biblical book of Ecclesiastes: Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

The apothecary was the perfumer of his day. He probably worked for King Saul. He would carefully select and mix a blend of beautiful spices, flowers, sandalwood, aromatic leaves etc. He would thoroughly stir it together, put in in a jar and close the lid, and leave it for a few days to manufacture a beautifully scented ointment for the king. But one day he forgot to put the lid on. It wasn’t long before a fly, attracted by the aroma, came and landed on the ointment and sank into it and died. The decay of the dead fly soon ruined the beautiful aroma, and the ointment was spoiled.  

For four centuries in the English language, a fly in the ointment has meant a small defect that spoils something valuable or is a source of annoyance. The modern version thus suggests that something unpleasant may come or has come to light into a situation that is otherwise pleasing; that there is something wrong hidden, unexpected somewhere.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes used the fly in the ointment phrase as an illustration of someone who is noted for being wise doing something really foolish. It causes a stink. Their reputation is spoiled. The irony is that the author himself, although he was the wisest man who ever lived, acted very foolishly at times. Sadly, in spite of his great God-given wisdom, and in spite of starting out so well, he ended badly. The lesson is very clear. Don’t allow the flies of foolishness, carelessness, selfishness or sinfulness to make our lives become blemished! 

In 2 Peter 3:13-14 the writer says, “But in keeping with God's promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to,  make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.

Heavenly Father, thank You for the urgency of Peter's epistle. May I take note of the warning to identify error and pursue His perfect peace as the time for Christ's fulfilment draws ever closer. May I rest in Him and, in the power of the Holy Spirit, be spotless in thought, word, deed, and motive, for I desire to live blamelessly before Your face. This I ask in Jesus' name, 

Sayings

Reading like a Times Crossword clue, the verse from Ecclesiastes 1:9 holds today’s familiar phrase used in ever day language. “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun”

Most of us have heard this phrase used somewhere, but what does it mean exactly, and why is it written in Scripture? The phrase from Ecclesiastes appears in what can truly be a rather unsettling chapter. We read in Ecclesiastes 1:2, “‘Meaningless! Meaningless!’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” In so many places the Bible gives us meaning, and reasons for encouragement and purpose, but here it seems to be doing just the opposite! What the passage is actually accomplishing is to give us perspective on the stark difference between a life of faith and a life in futility.

Lord, I praise You and thank You for never changing Your ways.  For when You have promised goodness to me, I can have faith You will honour Your unchanging Word.  And, when I am facing trying times, I have take comfort knowing You have faced these problems millions of time before. You are not taken off guard.  You are mighty and steadfast because You are unchanging.  Thank you for Your unchanging character and presence in my ever changing life.  In Jesus’ name – Amen

Sayings

“Pride is so subtle that if we aren’t careful we’ll be proud of our humility. When this happens our goodness becomes badness. Our virtues become vices. We can easily become like the Sunday School teacher who, having told the story of the Pharisee and the publican, said, ‘Children, let’s bow our heads and thank God we are not like the Pharisee!’” 

Today’s phrase is the well known saying “Pride comes before a fall.” And comes from Proverbs Proverbs 16:18-20 “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Better to be lowly in spirit along with the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.”

C S Lewis in his book Mere Christianity speaks of pride in this way. “…..pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense.” He goes as far to say for humankind that the presence of pride results in that, “There's one part love in your heart, and five parts anger, and seven parts pride.”

Of such pride, Jesus said, “For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” (Like 14:11)

Disturb us, Lord, when
We are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true
Because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely
Because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when
With the abundance of things we possess
We have lost our thirst
For the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life,
We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision
Of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wider seas
Where storms will show your mastery;
Where losing sight of land,
We shall find the stars.

We ask You to push back
The horizons of our hopes;
And to push into the future
In strength, courage, hope, and love.

- Attributed to Sir Francis Drake, c. 1577

Sayings

The phrase ‘’Bite the dust’ has its origins in Psalm 72:9 of the King James Version of the Bible; “They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.”

Have you ever thought about the difference between 'humility' and 'humiliation'? There is a significant difference. Humility is the voluntary and wilful  choice to accept one’s place and position, whereas, humiliation is the forcing of an unwilling participant into their place or position.

Significantly, the Humiliation of Christ is a Christian doctrine that consists of the rejection and suffering that Jesus received and accepted. It is in Philippians that Paul speaks of Christ humbling himself. 

So, what is the difference between humbling and humiliation. The words 'humility' and 'humiliate', although derived from the same root 'humus' meaning earth, ground, are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. To humiliate is to cause a painful loss of pride, self-respect or dignity; in contrast, humility means a modest opinion of one's own importance.

A long time ago, Confucius gave his answer to that question concerning the wisdom of a humble life: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest.” When the psalmist speaks of biting the dust he no doubt is referring to being introduced to humility the hard way.

Jesus on the other hand says, “Blessed are the humble, for they shall inherit the earth.” For the disciple, it is not a question of licking the dust but tasting and seeing that the Lord is good.

We have no portrait of you, Lord, but in the Beatitudes you show us your interior landscape, the source of your joy. This is not a set of regulations, but a vision of where true happiness lies. Let us taste it, phrase by phrase. 

Merciful God,

give us the same attitude as Jesus,

who emptied himself

and was obedient to you

all the way to his death on the cross.

Make us eager to put others before ourselves,

and their needs before our own.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.