JAMES BURN
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Contents Introduction
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Chapter One: Learning to listen to the God who speaks
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Chapter Two: Choosing to feed on what will build us up
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Chapter Three: Growing in endurance
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Chapter Four: Becoming a life-long learner
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Chapter Five: Growing in trust
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Chapter Six: Taking the risk
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All Bible quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise stated. 
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Introduction.
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Greg Norman is one of the world’s most successful golfers, with nerves of steel. He learned this from his father. “I used to see my father getting off a plane or something, and I wanted to hug him”, he once said. “But he would only shake my hand.” Norman was at the 1996 Masters; golf’s most prestigious tournament, when he made these remarks. Norman let a six-shot lead go during the last round, losing to his great rival, Nick Faldo. Faldo hit a 15-foot birdie for the winning shot. He then walked towards Norman, who tried to smile, waiting for the customary handshake. Instead, he found himself in a bear hug embrace from Faldo. As they held each other, Norman began to weep. Later he said, “I wasn’t crying because I lost. I’ve lost a lot of golf tournaments before. I’ll lose a lot more. I cried because I had never felt that from any man before. I’ve never had a hug like that in my life.” Greg Norman isn’t alone; he speaks for many people when he talks about a lack of intimacy with his father. Children need to know they are loved and cherished by their parents; without that they are left with an emotional longing in their lives. Likewise, Christians need to know they are loved and cherished by their Heavenly Father. Indeed that knowledge, that experience of the love of the Father is probably the most transformational experience in a Christian’s life. Have you experienced the love of the Father? Has He ever spoken to you as a Father to His child? This level of relationship is not just for the ‘spiritual elite’. It is what our Heavenly Father passionately desires for Page 3
each one of us. Not just on special occasions, but every day; spending time with you, His child, is the highlight of His day! So what would our Father say to us and how can we become more open to hearing what He has to say? Those are the questions that ‘My Child’ sets out to address. Through six chapters which can be read over a period of 40 days, ‘My Child’ helps us to identify and overcome the most common barriers to hearing our Father speak to us and experiencing His love at a new, more profound level. Each daily reading contains a word of encouragement from the Father to you, His child, a verse to read, a point to consider, a question to ponder and a prayer to pray. The truth is, our Father does not just speak occasionally to the few who been promoted into His ‘inner circle’, He is desperate to have an ongoing conversation with each one of us all the time. In fact, if you will just stop now, be still, you may just hear two words from a familiar voice:
“My child…”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 1 - “My child, I’m going to speak to you today; please don’t miss what I am trying to say to you.”
“Listen, my child, to what your father teaches you. Don’t neglect your mother’s teaching.” (Proverbs 1:8) A point to consider: It is so easy to get stuck in a rut, in terms of what we know. We start off in the Christian life wanting to know so much, to learn new truths and experiences, but after a while we tend to slip into ‘maintenance mode’. But God does not! He still wants to teach is, to encourage us to grow, to become more like His son, Jesus. For some of us, this proverb serves as an encouragement to keep on imparting Christian values to our children. However, we need to remember that whilst children may well not listen to what we say, they will certainly observe what we do and are far more likely to copy that. For others of us, this proverb serves as a challenge to begin taking on the role of providing a good spiritual role model for our children. Maybe Christianity is a new thing to us, and we have felt that we do not know enough to take on that role, but it is a role that God truly wants us to take on and He undertakes to guide and lead us in it. For still others of us, the thought of being taught by our parents is a strange one. Perhaps they are no longer with us, or they are not Christians, so how could God use them to teach us to grow spiritually? Perhaps that is the lesson we most need to learn; that God uses the most surprising opportunities to teach us and help us grow. He used a donkey to teach Balaam (Numbers 22:21-34), a pagan king called Cyrus to teach the nation of Israel (Isaiah 45:1-13) and a proud Pharisee who Page 5
CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS.
persecuted Christians to lead the Gentile world to Christ ( 1 Corinthians 15:1 - 11). A question to ponder: God specialises in using the most surprising people and situations to teach us. Why do you think that is? What light does 1 Corinthians 1:27 shed on this?
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong.” (1 Corinthians 1:27, NIV)
A prayer to pray. “Father, open my eyes today to see the lessons You are trying to teach me. Do not let me be blinded by the unusual person or circumstances that You are using to speak to me today.”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 2 - “My child, there are some attitudes you need to have in your life to hear me clearly.”
“Pay attention, my child, to what I say. Listen carefully.” (Proverbs 4:20) A point to consider: We live in an age of instant communication, of sound bites, of news brought to us via the TV, the internet, our mobile phones; how ironic it is that, in an age of unprecedented communication we are losing the art of listening. We don’t have time, we are distracted by all that is going on around us. We are programmed to react to what shouts loudest. Anything that requires us to slow down and actually listen is crowded out. And yet, that is the only way we can actually hear what God has to say to us - by paying attention, by listening carefully. Amazingly, although the pace of life has sped up dramatically over the past few years, the pace at which God moves has not changed at all since the creation of the universe. He never hurries and He never feels the need to compete with the other noises clamouring for attention in our lives. How are we ever to hear His voice then? 1 Kings 19:12 “And after the earthquake, a fire; points to two attitudes but the Father was not in the fire; and after the fire, a still, small that we have to adopt if voice.” we want to hear Him (1 Kings 19:12, KJV) clearly. To hear His still, small voice we need to become still and small. Still in the sense that we have to find that place of quiet, which will often be a physical place where we go at a specific time. Page 7
CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. Small in the sense of an attitude of humility. Martin Luther had many children and finding that still place was a particular challenge for his wife. So, she solved the problem by throwing a sheet over her head as she sat in the midst of her children! Whatever arrangement we choose to make, unless we adopt the attitudes of stillness and humility, we are never going to hear God as clearly as we should.
A question to ponder: To hear God, we need the stillness to listen, the humility to put down our own agenda and wait on Him, together with a belief that God speaks to us today. As we adopt these attitudes today, what is it that God is saying to you?
A prayer to pray. “Father, as I spend time with You today, help me to quieten my heart and wait expectantly on You. Forgive my pride which assumes that You need to move at my pace and please speak to me today.�
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS.
3 - “My child, I will never be too busy or distracted to have a conversation with you. Our conversations are the highlight of my day!”
“If you need wisdom - if you want to know what God wants you to do ask Him and he will gladly tell you. Hw will not resent your asking.” (James 1:5) A point to consider: If you have ever had to look after a small child, you will appreciate what a mine of questions they are. The world is full of mysteries that they want answers to and it does not matter to them one bit that the are asking you the hundredth question since you sat down for a breather five minutes ago. Of course, when we get older, we generally become a little more sensitive to not bothering people quite so much. Whilst this is a good thing, the problem is that we take this changing attitude into our relationship with God as well. We don’t want to bother Him with the things we think we ought to be able to deal with ourselves; surely He is too busy to be distracted by the mundane issues of our lives. However, James 1:5 tells us that nothing is too mundane to take to God. He never resents our questions, particularly when it is for wisdom to make decisions. A mark of growing maturity is not an increasing independence from God, but an increasing understanding of our dependence on Him.
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. A question to ponder: James 1:5 shows us that if we ask God, He will gladly tell us. Why do you think it is that way round? Why does He wait until we ask? In what ways are you ‘acting thoughtlessly’ right now (Ephesians 5:17, The Living Bible)?
“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and so whatever the Lord wants you to.” (Ephesians 5:17, The Living Bible)
A prayer to pray. “Father, help me to develop a conversation with You as I go through the day, rather than act thoughtlessly and talk to You about it later. Thank You that You never resent me asking and that You are always ready to answer.”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 4 - “My child, for us to have a relationship that develops, you need to put into practice what I am saying to you.”
“I am listening to what the Lord God is saying: He promises peace to us, His own people, if we do not go back to our foolish ways.” (Psalm 85:8, Good News Bible) A point to consider: What is it that goes hand-in-hand with listening to God? Obedience. As James says, “If you do not obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if you listen and do not obey, it is like looking at your face in a mirror, but doing nothing to improve your appearance.” (James 1:22-23)
Vance Havner, in his book, ‘Considering Jesus’, writes: “You have not really learned a commandment until you have obeyed it; the Church suffers today from Christians who know volumes more than they practice.” Why do we so readily go back to our foolish ways, as Psalm 85:8 puts it? Perhaps out of habit, perhaps out of laziness; but also, perhaps, out of a lack of belief that God’s ways really are best; that obeying Him, following His lead, leaving behind those things that brought us instant gratification but long-term guilt really will bring us deep-down, lasting peace. Perhaps what it really comes down to is an issue of trust.
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A question to ponder: What are the issues for you that stop you from acting on what the Father is calling you to do? What are some of the ‘yes, buts’ that spring to mind as you read Proverbs 4:10?
“My child, listen to me and do as I say, and you will have a long, good life.” (Proverbs 4:10)
A prayer to pray. “Father, as I listen to You in prayer and in reading the Bible, help me to confront my fears as I struggle to trust You for that ‘long, good life’. I want to be obedient to You, so fill me with the courage I need and help me to respond to You today.”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 5 - “My child, I want you to remember the things that I am saying to you, so that your faith will be built up and your walk with me will be straight.” “My child, remember what I say and never forget what I tell you to do.” (Proverbs 7:1, Good News Bible) A point to consider: How good are you at remembering what people say to you? It is not always easy as, for most of us, our days are packed with encounters with people, with information bombarding us from every side. Added to which, we tend to hear what we want to hear and disregard the rest. This calls to mind a four year-old boy called Josh. He was visiting his grandparents, who told me he could have either cereal, pancakes or waffles for breakfast. He thought for a moment, looked at them and asked, ‘Did you say cookies?’ If it is difficult to hear what other people are saying directly to us, how much harder is it to remember what God says? As we have already seen, He speaks in a still, small voice which is so often crowded out by louder, more insistent voices. So how do you remember things that the Father says to you? One effective way of remembering is to write it down; keep a record of the Bible verses through which He has particularly spoken to you, or the specific words He has shared with you as you pray. Review them regularly and you will see a pattern emerging of where the Father is leading you.
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. A question to ponder: What ways are you going to hide God’s word in your heart (Psalm 119:11)? If you are already in the habit of doing that, what are some of the major themes He has spoken to you about over the last few months?
“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)
A prayer to pray. “Father, please help me to grow more disciplined in remembering Your words to me. There are so many things that dart through my mind during the day; I pray that You would help me to grow in the discipline of ‘hiding Your word in my heart’.”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 6 - “My child, never grow tired of listening to Me, and never allow yourself to believe that you are growing independent of me.” “If you stop listening to my instruction, my child, you have turned your back on knowledge.” (Proverbs 19:27) A point to consider: Relationships tend to fall into three categories: those that drain us; those that do not mean enough to impact us at all; those that energise and lift us up. We can probably identify people in our lives that would fit into each of these categories, but in which category, if you are honest, would you put God? Of course, we would like to say the third category, but then we look at how we spend our days and realise that, all too often God is just one of the plates that we spin. We fit our Quiet Time in when we can, we do our best to fit in our church commitments; if we were to keep track of the time we spend with God and, more importantly, the quality of that time, would we honestly be able to say that our relationship with Him is in that third category? Why is that? Part of the reason is that we do not make it a priority to listen to Him. We get into the routine of working for Him, talking to Him, reading about Him, but the most exciting aspect of each day with Him is that He actually wants to speak to us! Do you approach each day with that expectation? Do you enter into your Quiet Time with Him with a determination to listen attentively and hear His voice? Are you as determined as Jacob was, who wrestled with the Father and said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” (Genesis 32:26, The Living Bible).
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. A question to ponder: Hebrews 3:15 puts our lack of hearing God down to a hardness of heart, rather than God not speaking to us. What factors might cause us to harden our hearts? As you review your Quiet Times with God, what changes do you need to make in order to better hear what He has to say to you?
“Today you must listen to His voice. Don’t harden your hearts against Him as Israel did with they rebelled.” (Hebrews 3:15)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I long to hear from You. I come to You today determined not to miss out on Your word to me.”
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CHAPTER ONE - LEARNING TO LISTEN TO THE GOD WHO SPEAKS. 7 - TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
Review: Over the past six instalments, we have been focussing on learning to listen to the God who speaks. We had been challenged to: Not miss what He is about to say to us Change some attitudes that will help us hear Him more clearly Learn to develop an ongoing conversation with Him throughout the day Have the courage to respond obediently to what God is saying Develop the habit of remembering what He has said to us in the past Grow in our determination to hear from Him, rather than just settling for a dull, dissatisfying routine.
Respond: Over the past six instalments of focussing on listening to the God who speaks, I believe that He has been saying the following to me:
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In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP
8 - “My child, I want to steer you clear of compromise.”
“My child, if sinners entice you, turn your back on them!” (Proverbs 1:10) A point to consider: Most of us do not have the luxury of being in control of who we spend time with during the day: the people we work with, the people we learn with, the people we find ourselves stuck with in a queue, and so on. Likewise, we most often aren’t in control of what we see, hear and come into contact with: other peoples’ moods, their language, their attitudes etc. Neither can we avoid the media or advertising campaigns. However, we can control our reactions to them. One writer’s paraphrase of Proverbs 1:10 is this: ‘Call on God, but row away from the rocks’ (Ralph Waldo Emerson). The truth is, we are all enticed as we go through an ordinary day, either by external circumstances or by our own thoughts. This realisation led one writer - Thomas Watson - to write this: ‘Who would have thought to have found adultery in David, and drunkenness in Noah, and cursing in Job? If God leaves a man to himself, how suddenly and scandalously may sin break forth in the holiest man on earth! I say unto all, ‘Watch’. A wandering heart needs a watchful eye.’
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP We need to develop a ‘watchful eye’ to be able to row away from the rocks. That watchful eye is developed as we day-by-day feed on the healthy diet of the Word of God. As Martin Luther put it five hundred years ago, ‘When I find myself assailed by temptation, I forthwith lay hold of some text of the Bible, which Jesus extends to me.’ A question to ponder: Take a look at 2 Timothy 2:22. What are the biggest challenges for you to having this verse as a reality in your life?
“Run from anything that gives you evil thoughts…but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right.” (2 Timothy 2:22, The Living Bible)
A prayer to pray. “Father, help me today to have Your Word hidden in my heart, so that I can recognise when I am being enticed into compromise and place in me a greater desire to stay close to You.”
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9 - “My child, I want to feed you with a healthy diet.”
“Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never grow hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35, NIV) A point to consider: Why did Jesus refer to Himself as the ‘Bread of Life’? By calling Himself this, He was showing Himself to be the fulfilment of the Tabernacle that Moses and the people of Israel were instructed to build (Exodus 25 - 27). In the Holy Place in the Tabernacle there was a table called the Showbread Table. On the Showbread Table were twelve loaves of bread, which was replaced with fresh bread each Sabbath. The bread represented the twelve tribes of Israel and because it was replaced with fresh bread every week, it was a never-ending supply. Only the priests were allowed to eat this bread, which was also known as the Bread of the Presence. Jesus invited all the who believed in Him to eat of the Bread of Life because, as 1 Peter reminds us, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV) What does all this mean for us? To eat the Bread of Life means to worship Jesus Christ for who He is, to be in a right relationship with Him and to recognise the privilege it is to be in His presence.
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP A question to ponder: It was an incredible privilege to be a priest in the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. When was the last time you thanked God for the privilege of being invited to eat from the Showbread Table?
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’” (Matthew 26:26, NIV)
A prayer to pray. “Father, because of You, I have the privilege of being invited into the Holy of Holies. may I never take this for granted again; fill me with the wonder of that privilege.”.”
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP 10 - “My child, be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life”
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8) A point to consider: It is true to say that we act out our beliefs; we become what we believe about ourselves. If we are told often enough that we are stupid and useless, that is what we will come to believe about ourselves and we will act accordingly. Philippians 4:8 highlights how crucial it is, therefore, to fill out minds with ‘whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, praiseworthy.’ What goes into our minds tends to come out in our attitudes and actions. That is why St Paul says that transformation comes about through the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2). What does that mean in practical terms? It means choosing to submit our minds to Jesus Christ, choosing to bring our minds under His Lordship and allowing Him to guide us in terms of what we allow into our minds. It means giving over ownership of our minds to Him, and allowing Him to form His thoughts and values there; all of which is what Paul was talking about when he said, “We have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16, NIV).
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP A question to ponder: The verse opposite might sound extreme, but what do you think it means when you apply it to keeping your mind pure? What, practically, does this verse lead to to need to do?
“And if your eye distracts you from God, pull it out and throw it away. You are better off one-eyed and alive than exercising your 20/20 vision from inside the fire of hell.” (Mark 9:47, The Message)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I want the thoughts of my heart to be pure, so I invite You to be the Lord of my mind. As the Psalmist says, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (Psalm 139:23 - 24)
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11 - “My child, my purpose for you is that you grow more and more Christlike, and particularly that you take on the mind of Christ.”
“In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5, NCV)
A point to consider: As we were seeing in the last instalment, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2:16, we ‘have the mind fo Christ’. The Mind of Christ is described in Isaiah 11:2 “Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot - yes, a Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Father.” (Isaiah 11:1 2). The Spirit of the Lord, the third person of the Trinity, is the supernatural power source that creates God’s thoughts in our hearts. The Spirit of Wisdom is all of God’s supernatural thoughts themselves. The Spirit of Understanding is God’s personal illumination of those thoughts. The spirit of Council is God’s personal instructions for Godly choices. The Spirit of Might is God’s supernatural ability to perform those thoughts in our lives. The Spirit of Knowledge is experiencing God’s thoughts in place of our own. The Fear of the Lord is walking in God’s love, running from anything that would quench His Spirit. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 2:16 that this is a reality in our lives already.
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A question to ponder: If the Mind of Christ becomes more and more of a reality in us as the Spirit of the Lord works within us, what part do we play in enabling the Spirit of the Lord to do that work? What changes in our live would we expect to see as a result?
“And all of us have had that veil removed so that we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the floppy of the Father. Ans as the Spirit of the Father works within us, we become more and more like Him and reflect His glory even more.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
A prayer to pray. “Father increasingly I want to think and act like You, so show me any blockages there are to this happening and lead me to repent of them.”
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12 - “My child,, I want to show you how satisfying serving me can be.”
“ ‘My food’, said Jesus, ‘is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.’” (John 4:34, NIV)
A point to consider: Jesus may have felt physically tired after his counter with the Samaritan woman at the well, but emotionally and spiritually He was fired up. Nothing was more satisfying to Him than to do what His Father had sent Him to do: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind. to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.” (Luke 4:18-19, NIV) Jesus was a walking example of Luke 6:38: “If you give you will receive.” If we give in terms of service in our God-given areas of passion, using our God-given gifts and our God-given personality, we will receive, sometimes physically but always spiritually. We will be spiritually nourished, finding a satisfaction that is unobtainable anywhere else.
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP A question to ponder: You may be very busy, but in all your busyness are you serving in the ways that God has actually called you to? One way of telling lies in whether you feel spiritually nourished by what you are doing or not. Are you growing spiritually as you serve or not? And if you are not serving at the moment, will you take the time today to come before God and ask Him to show you what it would mean for you to ‘do the will of Him who sent you”?
“O Father, I am your servant; yes, I am your servant, the son of your handmaid, and you have freed me from my bonds!” (Psalm 116:16)
A prayer to pray. “Father, Your plans for my life will prosper me, giving me a hope and a future. So, Father, I make myself available to Your plans for my life - I want to serve in any way You lead me, because as I serve You, You feed me.”
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP
13 - “My child, how desperate are you for the food and drink I am offering you?”
“As the deer pants for streams of water, so I long for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
A point to consider: It has been said that ‘It is not until God is all you have that you realise God is all you need’. Have you reached that point of desperation, where you realise that only an intervention by God is going to save the day? Either the situation that is facing you is so big, or so out of your control that there is nothing else you can do but cry out to Him. It is one thing to cry out to Him in desperation when faced with an impossible situation, but how desperate are we to be spiritually nourished and fed by Him? How true a description of us is Psalm 42:1? James 4:2 says that “You do not have because you do not ask”. This does not necessarily mean that the words do not come out of our mouths, but rather that we are not uttering a heart cry to God. So often our prayers are of the ‘take it or leave it’ variety; half-hearted and lukewarm rather than passionate and wholehearted. A recurring theme throughout the psalms is that the Psalmist cries out to the Father and the Father answers (see Psalm 28:6, for example). Not a vague, halfhearted prayer, but a full-blooded cry. Do you long for the Father as the deer pants for streams of water? The Father longs to bless us, but only when our hope is fully in Him.
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A question to ponder: Many people are slowly starving to death through not crying out to God for spiritual nourishment, What would stop them from doing this? Is there anything stopping you from crying out to God for the blessing of spiritual nourishment today?
“I know all the things that you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16)
A prayer to pray. “Father, today I cry out to You for a fresh touch from You. Blow away any apathy that is within me and place within me a fresh passion for You.”
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP
14 - TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
Review: Over the past six instalments, we have been focussing on choosing to feed on what will build us up. We have been challenged to: Turn away from anything that entices us to sin Feed on the Bread of Life through worship Purify the thoughts of our hearts Learn to operate the Mind of Christ in our lives Learn how satisfying it is to serve the Lord Grow in our hunger for God
Respond: Over the past six instalments of feeding on what builds us up, I have identified the following as being a bad diet in my life:
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CHAPTER TWO - CHOOSING TO FEED ON WHAT WILL BUILD US UP
In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE 15 - “My child, be careful that your early enthusiasm for me does not give way to broken promises and disappointment.”
“Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equalled by your realistic action now.” (2 Corinthians 8:11, The Living Bible) A point to consider: If you watch the start of a marathon, you will see a lot of pent-up enthusiasm, just waiting for the starter’s gun to go off. When the gun goes off, there are those who spring forward and try to get into an early lead, but they are rarely the ones who win the race. The runners who have the best chance of winning the race make sure that they pace themselves, because winning a marathon is not so much about how you start as how you perform over the entire 26 miles. The same is true in the Christian life - springing forward with great enthusiasm at the start of your walk with Christ, or at the point where you recommit yourself to Him is one thing. However, what God wants is for us to keep going rather than run out of steam. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 8:11, it is not wrong to be enthusiastic at the start, but what He is really looking for is endurance; that early enthusiasm matched by realistic action now. Are you a good starter but a poor finisher? Think back to some of the promises you have made to God; perhaps you promised Him you would get up early in order to spend time with Him. You may well have done that for a while, only to see the commitment fade away after a while. Why not take the opportunity today to identify one promise you made to God but did not keep and choose today to make good on that promise?
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE
A question to ponder: It is not that we set out to give up, it is just that circumstances often get difficult, causing the original intention to become unrealistic. But Romans 5:3 says that those difficult circumstances are good for us. In what ways do you think that is so?
“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know the they are good for us - they help us learn to endure.” (Romans 5:3)
A prayer to pray. “Father, please forgive me when I have let You down by promising You something but giving up when the going got tough. Please help me to learn to endure and become a more consistent person.”
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16 - “My child, don’t let your attention wander away from me and from pursuing the course laid out before you.”
“My child, listen and be wise. Keep your heart on the right course.” (Proverbs 23:19) A point to consider: How does a driver steer a steady course along a road? By looking ahead and fixing their eye on a point in the distance. Without that, the car is likely to veer all over the road. The same is true in life - if we want to hold a steady course in life - if we want to keep our hearts on the right course as Proverbs 23:19 puts it, we need to fix our gaze on an object up ahed and make sure we are steering towards it. And as with the car, if we keep on shifting our gaze from one object to another, our course is going to become very erratic. That sort of person is described by the Bible as being a “double-minded man, unstable in all he does” (James 1:8, NIV) If steering a steady course is all about fixing our eyes on a fixed point up ahead and steering for it, what should that fixed point be? The answer is given to us in Hebrews 12:2 “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (NIV)
The harder the path that we are treading becomes, the more crucial it is to lock our gaze firmly on Jesus Christ. What would He be doing in this situation? What would He want me to do right now? How can I remain faithful to Him, even though, right now, I feel like giving up?
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE A question to ponder: Isaiah 26:3 promises that the outcome of fixing our thoughts on the Lord is that we will be kept in perfect peace. What practical ways can you think of to keep your thoughts fixed on Him, particularly when you are feeling discouraged and up against it?
“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, whose thoughts are fixed on You!” (Isaiah 26:3)
A prayer to pray. “Father, may You grab my attention today before it wanders off in other directions, and will You keep bringing me back to thoughts of Your Son, Jesus and what He would do, say and think in situations I encounter throughout the day.”
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17 - “My child, I love you too much to keep all hardship and sorrow out of your life - they are the very things that can help you grow”.
“For God can use sorrow in our lives to help us turn away from sin and seek salvation. We will never regret that kind of sorrow. But sorrow without repentance is the kind that results in death.” (2 Corinthians 7:10) A point to consider: Perhaps the biggest, most pressing question human beings have ever had to face is the question of how to reconcile the reality of suffering and the existence of a good God. Ho can the two possibly go together? How can a good and all-powerful God allow those He loves to suffer? Although ultimately the answer to this is a mystery, one aspect we need to understand is that God does not orchestrate suffering, and neither does He ignore it. He recognises the reality of it in life and also that there is a positive about it; that it provides the impetus to assess the false assumption that we can cope on our own and in the light of that, to look to Him with fresh intensity for protection and help. Of course, we don’t all respond to suffering in that way, as 2 Corinthians 7:10 points out; our response is up to us. We can allow sorrow in our lives to show us how much we need God and turn back to Him, or we can learn nothing from that sorrow and become defeated or bitter.
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE A question to ponder: Thinking of a time in your life since you became a Christian that was hard and full of sorrow, how did it make you feel about God? If you felt anger toward Him, how did you resolve that? What does Psalm 23:4 show us about how we can enter into the next time of suffering?
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4, NIV)
A prayer to pray. “Father, there are many times of hardship and suffering in this life that I don’t understand and don’t like, but You allow them to happen and call me to trust you and seek You with greater intensity as a result. Please help me to continue to seek You in the hard times and experience Your rod and Your staff comforting me.”
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18 - “My child, don’t fight against challenges I place before you overcoming the challenges with the power of my Spirit is what causes you to grow.”. “Then the Lord replied to me, ‘If racing against mere men makes you tires, how will you race against horses? If you stumble and fall on open ground, what will you do in the thicket near the Jordan?” (Jeremiah 12:5) A point to consider: It has been said that the Lord is more concerned about our character than our comfort, but the truth is He is concerned with both. However, His understanding of the word ‘comfort’ differs from ours. We understand comfort as a lack of scary challenges, as being in a place where we feel secure and in control. God understands the word ‘comfort’ in a very different way. The word ‘comfort’ comes from the Latin word ‘confortare’. meaning to strengthen, or with strength. In other words, God is concerned with strengthening us so that our character will develop and grow. It is only as our character strengthens and grows that He is able to bring into our lives the greater things that He has planned for us, as He explained to Jeremiah when He was complaining about things getting too difficult (Jeremiah 12:5). God provides the challenges that will help us grow, but He also provides the strength for us to meet those challenges. As we seek God to be filled with His power, we find that His grace is sufficient for us, for His power is made perfect in weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV) and our character grows as a result.
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE A question to ponder: Do the challenges in your life just seem to get harder? Have you considered that, rather than this being evidence that God isn’t caring for you as He should, it is evidence that He is growing and developing you as He was with Jeremiah?
“I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed you are still not ready.” (1 Corinthians 3:2, NIV)
A prayer to pray. “Father, take me out of my comfort zone, where I limit my diet to milk and into Your own comfort zone where I rely completely on You and can grow into the person You want me to be.”
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19 - “My child, if you are to endure in the race I have set before you, you must learn to walk at the pace I set you.”
“(Elijah) came to a broom tree, sat down under it and prayed that he might die. ‘I have had enough, Lord’, he said. ‘Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.’” (1 Kings 19:4, NIV) A point to consider: Elijah had endured so much in his life: he had stood up to King Ahab, pronounced that there was going to be a drought, had to flee as a result, had another argument with the king, beaten the prophets of Baal in a contest at Mount Carmel, and upset both Ahab and his wife, Jezebel as a result. It had been non-stop for him and he was exhausted, and discouraged that nothing really seemed to have changed. As someone once put it, ‘Tiredness makes cowards of us all…’. Elijah had got to the point in his exhaustion where he just wanted to end his life - he could go no further. How could someone who was clearly so close to God and was used so mightily by God get to that place? By giving out so much that he was running on emotional empty. Keeping our lives in balance is one of the most difficult aspects of our walk with Christ. As Psalm 127:2 says, “It is useless to rise early and go to bed late and to work your worried fingers to the bone. Don’t you know He enjoys giving rest to those He loves?” (The Message) Learning to walk at the pace that God sets means learning to get the right balance of activity, rest, nutrition, spiritual food and healthy variety in our lives.
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A question to ponder: Would you say you have a Godly balance in your life? If you are feeling washed out, demotivated and lacking in the joy of the Lord, then you are probably out of balance. What changes do you need to begin to make today in order to bring your life back into a Godly balance?
“…A time to tear and a time to mend, A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.” (Ecclesiastes 3:7)
A prayer to pray. “Father, You have made me and You know me better than I know myself. You know the best balance for me, so please guide me in this and help me to run the whole race that You have set before me.”
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20 - “My child, there is such a reward waiting for all those who endure; I will personally place the Crown of Life on your head.”
“God blesses the people who patiently endure testing. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.” (James 1:12) A point to consider: There are always times in any project that require energy and commitment where the temptation to give up comes upon us. Usually it is at the mid-point of the project. If that project is decorating a room, it is at the point where everything is in a real mess, you cannot remember it ever being tidy in the past and you cannot believe that the work will ever be finished. Extended times of testing in life are like that. After a while of being tested, maybe in terms of putting up with difficult circumstances or waiting to hear from God who seems to have gone silent, we just feel like giving up. But James 1:12 points to the motivation for keeping on going - there is an incredibly great reward for all those who choose not to succumb to the desire to give up. We will receive the Crown of Life! Can you imagine that moment when the Lord Jesus Christ Himself places that crown on your head - what a sense of achievement and what a relief that we patiently endured those times of testing! Of course, everyone who commits their life to Christ will receive eternal life, but what incredible satisfaction will come from knowing that all that patient endurance did not go unnoticed or unrewarded.
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE A question to ponder: One powerful temptation to give up comes from feeling, when we are going through a hard time, that nobody notices or cares and that it all counts for nothing. How might 1 Peter 1:6 keep us going through such times?
“So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while.” (1 Peter 1:6)
A prayer to pray. “Father, through the testing and difficult times I go through in my life, help me to keep one eye firmly fixed on heaven an don the reward that is waiting for me there. Thank You that reward is secure and guaranteed and help me to live today like I believe that!”
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21 - TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
Review: Over the past six instalments, we have been focussing on how we can grow in the area of endurance. We have been challenged to:
Review past promises made to God and re-commit ourselves to fulfil them Stay focussed on remaining faithful to God, rather than let our attention wander Use hardship as an opportunity to draw closer to God Realise that the challenges we encounter in life are an opportunity to call on the Holy Spirit to help us endure Walk at the pace God is setting by getting the right balance in our lives Fix our eyes on the reward stored up for us as we endure and don’t give up
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CHAPTER THREE - GROWING IN ENDURANCE Respond: Over the past six instalments of learning to grow in endurance, I have identified the following areas where I particularly struggle to endure:
In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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22 - “My child, there are no shortcuts to growing in maturity, so do not be seduced by the ‘instant answers’ offered by some.”
“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty short cuts lead to poverty.” (Proverbs 21:5) A point to consider: This proverb is talking about physical prosperity and poverty, but it also has a great lesson to teach us about growing in maturity as Christians. To prosper as a child of God is far more than just making money; it is about the quality of our relationship with Him and the quality of a relationship that is measured, largely, in terms of consistency. Consistency is about following through on our commitments, as we have already seen. There are two essentials that are highlighted in this proverb that lead to consistent growth in maturity: good planning and hard work. As in any relationship that want to grow, it takes more than just spontaneity to spend quality time together; it takes planning and them sticking to that plan. It entails not letting other things come in and crowd out the time that we have put aside to spend together. That is even more important when you apply it to your relationship with God. So, how consistent are you in terms of spending time with Him? And when you spend time with Him, how disciplined are you at making sure it is quality time? Are those times as rich as they could be? Take some time to honestly review this today.
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CHAPTER FOUR - BECOMING A LIFE-LONG LEARNER A question to ponder: Good planning and insight walk hand in hand together. If we plan our times with the Lord well, insight (learning more of Him and from Him) will grow. What, for you, gets in the way of this? What are the biggest factors that disrupt quality times with Him?
“My child, don’t lose sight of good planning and insight. Hang on to them.” (Proverbs 3:21)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I’m sorry for the times that I relegate You to the bottom of my list of priorities, and the times that I spend with You that are distracted and superficial. I want our times together to be rich; times when I grow as a person and in my understanding and appreciation of You and I ask for Your help to see this become a reality.”
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CHAPTER FOUR - BECOMING A LIFE-LONG LEARNER 23 - “My child, my absolute commitment to you is to grow you into the person I created you to be, and it is only because of that that I seek to discipline you.”.”
“My child, don’t ignore it when the Lord disciplines you and don’t be discouraged when He corrects you.” (Proverbs 3:11) A point to consider: Nobody particularly likes being told they are wrong, or being corrected; and yet, for the person who has set their heart on being a life-long learner, discipline and correction are to be welcomed as allies in that process. As William Dean Singleton, co-owner of MediaNews Inc. once said, “Too many people, when they make a mistake, just keep stubbornly ploughing ahead and end up repeating the same mistakes. I believe in the motto, ‘Try and try again’, but the way I read it, it says, ‘Try, then stop and think. Then try again.’” Singleton was echoing what the writer, H. Stanley Judd once observed: “Don’t waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It’s OK to fail. If you are not failing, you are not growing.” It is OK to fail, so long as we learn something from the failure. Neither is it necessarily a bad thing when we make wrong decisions, so long as we do not ignore God’s correction, but rather listen to Him and learn the lessons He is trying to teach. If we are to become life-long learners which is really the only way to grow - we need to accept that we learn most through getting things wrong and allowing God to correct us and redirect us, so that we can act more wisely the next time.
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A question to ponder: Think back to a mistake you have made in the past (you should not have to think back too far!). What lesson have you learned from that experience that you can carry forward and put into practice in your life?
“If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise. If you reject criticism you only harm yourself, but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.” (Proverbs 15:31 - 32)
A prayer to pray. “Father, thank You for caring enough about me to correct me and discipline me when I am getting things wrong. Please help me to be more attentive to Your ‘still, small voice’ of correction.
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24 - “My child, don’t be afraid of failing, because it is the only way you will grow. Be more afraid of not risking for fear of failure.”
“For the Lord corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” (Proverbs 3:12)
A point to consider: Continuing the theme of number 23, the Lord prefers us to risk great things for Him, even though that inevitably increases our failure rate, than to be too afraid of failure to ‘step out of the boat’. As the author, John Maxwell once put it: “To achieve your dreams, you must embrace adversity and make failure a regular part of your life. If you are not failing, you are probably not really moving forward.” As the Lord has placed Godly dreams within us that He wants us to find and fulfil, He in no way resents correcting us, so long as we learn from that correction. And each time we do, we move one step forward towards fulfilling the plans and purposes He has for us. Risk is an inevitable part of fulfilling God’s plans for our lives, as the Parable of the Talents shows. The Master in the story, just before going away, puts three of his servants in charge of various amounts of money. The first two servants risk losing the money for the sake of putting it to good use. This third servant is more afraid of failure the he is of not fulfilling his Master’s plans for him, and he incurred his Master’s displeasure as a result. Is God calling you to something today? If He is, it may well seem risky, and it may well not go according to plan. What if you go about it the wrong way? To all of which, God says, “My child, don’t be afraid of failing. I am more than able to correct you. Put your plans in My hands, trust in Me and STEP OUT OF THE BOAT!” Page 51
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A question to ponder: Are you facing a challenge from God at the moment that just seems too daunting to embark upon? What exactly is holding you back? How much of the issue comes down to a struggle to trust God?
While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior. Henry C. Link
A prayer to pray. “Father, I don’t want to live my life in mediocrity; I want to trust You, step out where You are guiding me and trust that You will correct my course as and when the need arises.”
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CHAPTER FOUR - BECOMING A LIFE-LONG LEARNER 25 - “My child, I want you to be careful about the company you keep, so that, as a life-long learner, you will have Godly role models.”
“Keep company with the wise and you will become wise. If you make friends with stupid people, you will be ruined.” (Proverbs 13:20, Good News Bible)
A point to consider: Becoming a life-long learner is a lifestyle that involves regular personal Bible study and prayer, together with reading books, listening to teaching resources and so on. But as important as all of that is, another crucial (but often overlooked) aspect of being a life-long learner has to do with the company we keep. We need to seek out Godly role models and spend time with them, be inspired by them. As Proverbs 13:20 points out, keeping company with such people ensures that we will become wise like they are. In fact, the company we keep tends to rub off on us, both positively and negatively. Spending too much time with stupid people tends to ruin us. Although we do not have much control over whom we come into contact with during the day, we can - and indeed, must - set aside time to spend with Christians we admire and want to learn from. Cast your mind around Christians you know; which of them display a wise attitude towards life? Ask them if you can keep company with them. Learn all you can from them, filtering it all through the Word of God. Remember too to be open to being that kind of person to someone else.
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A question to ponder: Think back to three encounters you have had over the past 24 hours. What mark was left on you by these encounters and, being honest, what mark do you believe you left on those three people?
My life shall touch a dozen lives before this day is done. Leave countless marks for good or ill ere sets the evening sun. This is the wish I always wish, the prayer I always pray: Lord, may my life help other lives it touches by the way. ANON
A prayer to pray. “Father, give me open eyes and a discerning heart to learn from those You are putting in my path who are wise and Godly. And Father, help me to be a better role model to others.�
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26 - “My child, to be a life-long learner takes a character trait that I long for all my children to have: humility.”
“Pride leads to disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.” (Proverbs 11:2,, NIV) A point to consider: Thomas a Kempis once wrote, “The more humble a man is in himself, and the more obedient towards God, the wiser will he be in all things and the more shall his soul be at peace.” Humility is the pre-requisite to receiving God’s blessing in our lives and to growing in wisdom. It is only the humble who can admit that they need to be life-long learners and so really grow in the Christian faith. Humility does not come naturally to many. As St Bernard of Clairvaux put it, “It is not a great thing to be humble when you are brought low, but to be humble when you are praised is a great and rare attainment.” What does it mean to have an attitude of humility? Watchman Nee summed it up as follows: “Genuine humility is unconscious; God’s workmen must be so emptied of self the they are unconsciously humble.” To be unconsciously humble is about not so much thinking less of ourselves, but of thinking of ourselves less, and of Christ more. Why does wisdom come out of humility? Because humility leads us not only to have a realistic estimate of ourselves, but a realistic understanding of God too. Once, when an acquaintance of Johan Sebastian Bach praised him for his wonderful skill as an organist, Bach replied, ‘There is nothing very wonderful about it. You have only to hit the right notes at the right moment and the instrument does the rest.” That is humility!
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A question to ponder: Low self esteem and self pity are both counterfeits of real humility, as Phillips Brooks points out. Think of someone you know who displays true humility. What is it about them that leads you to recognise them as being humble?
“The true way to be humble is not to stoop until you are smaller than yourself, but to stand at your real height against some higher nature that will show you what the real smallness of your greatness is.” Phillip Brooks
A prayer to pray. “Father, help me to accept who You have made me to be, and that there is so much more growing for me to do. Grant me the desire to go on learning and growing.”
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27 - “My child, I am looking for hearts that hunger and thirst to learn more of me. Please don’t ever lose your appetite for me.”
“It is the same all over the world. The Message bears fruit and gets larger and stronger, just as it has in you. From the very first day you heard and recognised the truth of what God is doing, you’ve been hungry for more.” (Colossians 1:6, MSG) A point to consider: Becoming a life-long learner is a mixture of experiencing the satisfaction that only God can give, and developing a growing passion for drawing closer to Him, learning more of Him, growing in relationship with Him. It is about deciding never to settle for the dull, boring routine of religion, but to pursue the real thing - Christ. It is easy to get bored with religion; after all it is a routine that does not change and does not satisfy at the deepest level, But to be in a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ always leaves us both satisfied and, at the same time, hungry for more. How do we keep that appetite alive? By allowing God to take us ‘out of our depth’ on a faith adventure where only complete reliance on him will keep us afloat. Keeping that hunger alive is about letting God set our agenda for us, rather than us choosing to just stay in our comfort zones. That is where God wants us to be: relying on Him, hungry for Him. That is where the real adventure lies!
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CHAPTER FOUR - BECOMING A LIFE-LONG LEARNER A question to ponder: When God is in control, He always seems to steer us out into deep water, where we are more and more dependent on Him. Has this been your experience in your spiritual life? What did you learn of God as a result?
“When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon, ‘Now go out to where it is deeper and let down your nets and you will catch a lot of fish.’” (Luke 5:4, The Living Bible)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I want to be a life-long learner and I understand that I learn more of You and grow more in appreciation of You and trust in You as I hand over control of my life to You and depart from my comfort zone. So I do that afresh today, Father. Take me on the journey that You have prepared for me, and may I learn more of You along the way!”
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28 - TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
Review: Over the past six instalments, we have been focussing on how we can develop a lifestyle of learning. We have been challenged to: Reject offers that claim to be able to give us a short cut to growing in wisdom Accept and learn from God’s discipline, seeing it as a necessary part of the maturing process Learn to risk by putting aside the fear of failure. Failure is a necessary part of growth Learn to be more discerning about the company we keep Understand and pursue the character trait of humility Be prepared to leave behind the safety of our own comfort zone
Respond: Over the past six instalments of being challenged to become a life-long learner, I have identified the following areas where I particularly need to grow:
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In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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29 - “My child, do you know the safest, most exciting place in the universe to be? In my arms, with no other means of support! Do you trust me enough to be that safe?”
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who trust Him!” (Psalm 34:8)
A point to consider: Trust is one of those things that takes a long time to build, but only a moment to smash to pieces. A friendship may take years to develop, but one act of betrayal can undo those years of building in a moment. If you have been betrayed or let down by someone you thought was your friend, you will know the pain of broken trust and, perhaps, you will understand how for many people there is a real unwillingness to trust again. Broken trust is a common feature in relationships, and is one of the reasons why we find the idea of trusting Hod completely to be a difficult, even scary one. Trust Him completely? But what if I pray for something really important and He doesn’t answer? God understands our caution, even reluctance, to trust and in the light of that He invites us to ‘taste and see that the Lord is good.’ There is nothing hidden about God. He is completely open with us about who He is, what His character is like, and He invites us to taste and see, and experience the joy of realising that you can trust Him. You cannot learn to trust in theory. Trust is about tasting and seeing. It is about choosing to take that risky step of relying on Him. Try it today - He will not let you down! Page 61
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A question to ponder: Learning to trust does not mean that we will never be afraid, as Psalm 56:3 - 4 points out. How would you define the word ‘trust’ and what would it mean to put it into practice in a situation that you are currently facing?
“But when I am afraid, I put my trust in you. O God, I praise your word. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:3-4)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I realise that I cannot just trust You in theory. For trust to be real, I need to put it into practice. So Father, today I choose to trust Your timing, Your guidance, Your provision and Your victory for the following situation:
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30 - “My child, look around you at how I care for the world, even though it is not as I originally intended it to be, and you will start to understand the depths of my care for you”
“And if God cares so wonderfully for flowers that are here today and gone tomorrow, won’t He more surely care for you? You have so little faith!” (Matthew 6:30)
A point to consider: The past few years have seen natural disasters on a scale not seen before in our life time, and this has led many to ask, “How can we trust in, or even believe in, a God that allows such devastation to happen?” What we are seeing as we look around us is a world in tension: the tension between the world as God intended it , with intricately designed eco systems, majestic landscapes and a carefully crafted environment that is unique in the universe, and the world as it has become: the product of sin, rebellion and estrangement from God. The world is not currently as God intended it to be. And yet, in the midst of it all we still see so much evidence of His wonderful design. Stunning sunsets beautifully created flowers the uplifting experience of a Spring morning. Even in a world torn apart by the legacy of human beings rebelling against God, there is still so much evidence of His care and His love. It is that care and love that He commits himself to pouring into our lives as we open ourselves up to Him. His care for us comes out of a loving, Page 63
CHAPTER FIVE - GROWING IN TRUST trusting relationship that He invites us into, and it is one that we can grow in today.
A question to ponder: Far from God feeling burdened by us crying out to Him in trust, nothing gives Him greater pleasure. In the light of that, what will you cry out to Him in trust for today?
“The splendour of a human heart which trusts that it is loved gives God more pleasure than Westminster Cathedral, the Sistine Chapel, the sight of ten thousands butterflies in flight or the scent of a million orchids in bloom.” (Brendan Manning, ‘Ruthless Trust’)
A prayer to pray. “Father, forgive me when I have looked at what is going on in this world and it has caused me to lose my trust in You. Today, I reaffirm it - I trust You completely, Father.”
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31 - “My child, I have the first word in your life and I have the last word. I already know all the days of your life and so, when I say you can trust me, I really mean it.”
“I will be your God throughout your lifetime, until your hair is white with age. I made you and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you.” (Isaiah 46:4) A point to consider: The UK has become know as the divorce capital of Europe, with 42% of marriages ending in the divorce courts. Relationships, it would seem, are less and less likely to last. So why really commit to any particular relationship if you are just going to end up getting hurt? That line of thinking, which is becoming more and more the norm in our society, is one reason why Isaiah 46:4 is such an important verse in the Bible. In it, God makes a promise that is becoming increasingly counter cultural today; that the relationship He has committed Himself to with us is a permanent one. He will never bail out on this relationship; He commits Himself completely to it and He is the Lord: “I do not change” (Malachi 3:6). How can He say so confidently that there is never a situation that will cause Him to turn His back on a child of His? Because He is the First and the Last. Because He is omniscient (all seeing). He knows everything about us, even the mistakes that we have not yet even thought about making! His consistency is the reason we can absolutely trust Him, and it is the reason we need not hold anything back from Him in our relationship with Him.
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CHAPTER FIVE - GROWING IN TRUST A question to ponder: One reason we find it so hard to trust people completely is the fear of them rejecting us if they knew all our hidden thoughts and feelings. How does it make you feel about God, when you realise that He does know everyone about us?
“Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life and I will live in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
A prayer to pray. “Father, You know me completely and yet You still commit Yourself to me for the rest of my life! In the light of that, please lead me to a new level of trust in You.”
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32 - “My child, it is good to get advice from people you trust, but at the end of the day, rather than just going along with what other people say, what I really want you to do is listen to Me and trust what I am saying."
“But Jesus ignored their comments and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t be afraid. Just trust me.’” (Mark 5:36)
A point to consider: Jairus had just experienced the ultimate nightmare of any parent: his child had just died. Anyone who is a parent will be able to instantly relate to Jarius’ sense of devastation and grief, which was made worse by his sense of intense disappointment. He had gone looking for Jesus to come and heal his daughter and Jesus and got delayed on His way to Jairus’ house by someone else who wanted healing. And now, his daughter was dead! Had Jesus got it wrong? Had He allowed Himself to become distracted? Certainly, everyone around Jairus was of the opinion that it was all over, and that he should just accept the inevitable. But Jesus cut through their unbelief and, in effect, said “Jairus, I made you a promise and I am not one to break my promises. Don’t be afraid, just trust me.” This story highlights that, although it is right and proper to get advice from people we trust, what really counts is God’s promises to us. He will not break His promises just because people around us lack the faith to believe that He can fulfil them. Has God made you a promise? Then He will deliver on it. Do not be dragged down by those ‘Job’s comforters’ around you who don’t believe that God is trustworthy. He will not break a promise! Page 67
CHAPTER FIVE - GROWING IN TRUST A question to ponder: If we are surrounded by people for most of the day who do not believe in God it is hard to maintain the same level of belief as when we are in our Bible Study group. What, practically, do you think you could do to stop your faith being eroded in those situations?
“I’ll never let you down, never walk off and leave you…” (Hebrews 13:5, The Message)
A prayer to pray. “Father, it is Your voice above all others that I want to hear, to trust and to obey. Teach me to hear Your voice clearer than any other.”
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33 - “My child, I have such great plans for you. I created you with just the right personality and character to fulfil those plans. Trust me, I did not make a mistake.”
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)
A point to consider: Perhaps the most demotivating situation we can encounter in life is the feeling that life is pointless, that we are just drifting through life and not getting anywhere worthwhile. Our lives consist of inconsequential things that do not really make a difference. We can end up with the same sentiment that Solomon came to: “…everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content.” (Ecclesiastes 1:8, The Living Bible) Contrast this with how Jesus viewed life. Even when things were really hard for Him and He was being confronted by angry, self-righteous people, He could say: “For I know where I come from and where I am going, but you don’t know this about me.” (John 8:14) He had a purpose about His life that sustained Him in even the hardest of times. We, too, have a purpose in life; we were created on purpose, for a purpose, and that purpose is designed uniquely for us. And we are uniquely designed for it! Finding and fulfilling our purpose is the Page 69
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lifelong pursuit for which we were created. Do you know your major purpose in life yet? Trust God - He has a purpose for you and He wants you to discover it and fulfil it.
A question to ponder: Our purpose in life will correspond with our gifts, our passion and our personality; that is why we were given them. Can you articulate in one sentence the particular role God wants you to play in life?
“Don’t act thoughtlessly, but try to understand why the Lord wants you to do.” (Ephesians 5:17)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I want my life to be purposeful and effective, so please make Your plans and purposes for my life clear, and grant that I might serve You in line with them.’
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34 - “My child, there are times in life when things are hard and everything seems to be going against you. I allow those times because they teach you the most about trust.”
“Even though the fig trees have no blossoms and there are no grapes on the vine; even through the olive crop fails and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation.” (Habakkuk 3:17-18) A point to consider: Every Christian experiences a ‘desert time’ at some point in their life. Some would say they spend more time in the desert than anywhere else! They are the times when prayers don’t seem to be answered, when life seems very dry and there is precious little to rejoice about. Habakkuk was certainly no stranger to those desert experiences, and yet he talks about rejoicing and being joyful, right in the middle of the desert. It was not that he didn’t realise how bad things were that led him to be able to rejoice, but rather that he was one of those who knew the meaning of the word TRUST. Yes, his circumstances were bad, and no, he did not know how things were going to get better; he was referring in these verses to his livelihood, after all. But he knew that, even in this desert experience, God was still God. He was bigger even that this tragedy that had occurred. The same is true in our desert experiences. God is still God, He has not run out of ideas, or just given up. He is still able to deliver you from out of the desert and help you grow as a result in terms of trust, and learning to rejoice in spite of the circumstances. That is what trust does for you. It frees you from the tyranny of circumstances.
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CHAPTER FIVE - GROWING IN TRUST A question to ponder: “O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.” (Psalm 63:1)
Thinking back to a desert time that you have experienced, what was the main lesson you learned about God? About yourself? About trust?
A prayer to pray. “Father, whether times are good or times are hard, I trust that You have my best interests at heart. Use whatever circumstances You see as being best to grow me, to mature me and to develop me.”
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Review: Over the past six instalments, we have been focussing on how we can grow in trust . We have been challenged to: Taste and see that the Lord is trustworthy Learn about and respond to God’s trustworthiness as we look at the world He has created Not hold back from the God who already knows everything about us, even the mistakes we have not yet made Not allow the discouragement that comes from other people’s lack of faith to rob us of what we know God has promised us Find and fulfil the purposes in life for which God created us Embrace and learn from the desert experiences
Respond: Over the past six instalments of being challenged to grow in trust, I have identified the following areas that are a particular challenge to me:
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In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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36- “My child, any venture outside your comfort zone is going to feel risky, but it is only in risking that you will find out how safe you really are!”
“ ‘Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Let me prove it to you!’” (Malachi 3:10, NLT) A point to consider: When thinking about areas of risk in the Christian life, there are few things that make us more nervous than when the spotlight falls on our money. Who has enough money? We all find ourselves hard pressed financially, and many of us fall into the category of our yearnings exceeding our earnings. Consequently, for many Christians, the idea of tithing - giving God back the first 10% of our income - seems ridiculously out of touch with modern living. And why the first 10% Would it not be more sensible to give Him the final 10% so that we know we have enough for ourselves? In Malachi 3:10, God makes a rare promise: He invites us to try it and He will prove to us that giving the first 10% to Him actually works. Works in what way? In the sense of releasing a blessing from heaven that is so incredible we will no have enough room to take it in. The 90% that is left will stretch to cover all that we need it to cover and we will find ourselves blessed in so many other ways as well. Are you struggling in this area? Try it and let Him prove it to you! You will benefit, your church will benefit and the Kingdom of God will benefit. Page 75
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A question to ponder: God says that the first 10% of our income is His, and that He wants us to set it aside and give it back to Him. Do you think that is just because He needs the money, or are there other, bigger reasons why we need to respond with our money in this way?
“And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven?” (Luke 16:11)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I want to be trusted with the true riches of heaven and to have the windows of heaven opened for me. So help me to honour You with the income You give me, recognising that ‘The basic question is not how much of our money we should give to You, but how much of Your money we should keep for ourselves.’ (J. Oswald Sanders)
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37- “My child, stepping out in faith can seem like such a risk - like with Peter, when he stepped out of the boat. But just as my Son, Jesus, stretched out His hand to steady him, so I will stretch out my hand to you as you take that risky step of faith.”
“What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things that we cannot yet see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
A point to consider: How wonderful it would be to go through life with a confident assurance! To have a confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen would remove so much anxiety, wouldn’t it? However, as Corrie Ten Boom once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather fear that has said its prayers.” One can say the same about faith. Faith is not the absence of anxiety, so much as a decision to rely on the promises of God and attempt that great thing for Him nevertheless, leaving the results to Him. The question is sometimes asked, “What would you do if you knew you could not fail?” But a better question to ask is, “What would you do if you knew that the God who is calling you to do it is utterly faithful and dependable and will not let you down?” What, on that basis, would you risk for Hm? As the great missionary to China, J. Hudson Taylor, once put it, “Not a great faith do we need, but faith in a great God.” We have a great God who is calling us to great things; are you willing to risk for Him?
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A question to ponder: Taking up the question posed earlier - what would you do if you knew that God who is calling you to do it is utterly faithful and dependable and will not let you down? - what action comes to your mind when you think about that question? What happened when you apply Proverbs 3:5-6 to that action?
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:5 - 6)
A prayer to pray. “Father, You call us to live a life of faith. So, I choose to believe that You are that utterly, faithful and dependable God. I trust in You with all my heart and I do not depend on my own understanding. Please bring to pass the action that came to my mind, even though it sounds impossible.”
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38- “My child, although I could achieve all my purposes on my own, I want to involve you. Are you available?”
“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send and who will go for us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” (Isaiah 6:8, NIV)
A point to consider: The great missionary to China, Gladys Aylward has been called ‘The most noted single woman missionary in modern history’. She appeared on ‘This is your Life’, dined with the Queen and Prince Phillip and travelled the world, speaking at some of the world’s most prestigious churches. Yet she said this of herself: “I wasn’t God’s first choice for what I’ve done in China. There was somebody else. I don’t know who it was, God’s first choice. I don’t know what happened. Perhaps he died. Perhaps he wasn’t willing. And God looked down…and saw Gladys Aylward.” How often does God’s first choice for a mission say ‘No’? It must have been a terrible realisation for God’s first choice for that assignment in China when he or she got to heaven and realised what they had turned down! But you and I are God’s first choice for some assignment. Do we want to get to heaven and realise the incredible assignments we turned down? He achieved great things through Gladys Aylward even though she was not His first choice for the assignment. Just think what He could have achieved through His first choice! And just think what He could achieve through us, as we say, “Here am I. Send me!” - His first choice for the assignment He is calling us to.
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A question to ponder: What are some of the reasons we turn down God’s assignments? What would lead us to overcome those reasons and make ourselves available to Him nevertheless?
“But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, ‘I am only a child’. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” (Jeremiah 1:7, NIV)
A prayer to pray. “Father, I want You to be able to count on me as Your first choice for whatever assignment You have lined up for me. Forgive me Father, for the times when I have turned a deaf ear to Your call to service, and grant that I may hear and respond positively next time.”
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39- “My child, my ultimate desire for you is to be like my Son, who took the ultimate risk for you.”
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man He humbled Himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8, NIV) A point to consider: If risk can be defined as giving up our known security for the sake of achieving a greater purpose, then Jesus Christ could be said to be the ultimate risk-taker. He gave up status, security and the joy of constantly being in the very presence of the Father, to come to our rescue. Today, as God calls us to take risky steps of faith, He knows that each time we are stretched - each time we take a risk for Him, whether that is in terms of our reputation, our personal comfort, our finances or our relationships, we are being made a little more like His Son, Jesus Christ. The Christian faith is the ultimate adventure and the ultimate prize awaits all those who take one ‘risky’ step after another, realising at each step that we are held firmly by our Father, who will not let us go. When you are tempted to stop taking the risks that God calls you to, remember that you only ever coast downhill! This may be the final instalment of ‘My Child’, but it is just the beginning of committing ourselves to a lifetime of risk-taking for our Father!
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CHAPTER SIX - TAKING THE RISK A question to ponder: How would you define the word ‘security’? In what ways has that definition changed for you over the past 40 instalments? What new challenges has God been placing before you as a result?
“Be strong and very courageous. Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do.” (Joshua 1:7)
A prayer to pray. “Father, my highest aspiration is to be like Jesus. Please reveal to me any ways in which I am not willing to risk for You and lead me to overcome them, so that I may be wholly available to You.”
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CHAPTER SIX - TAKING THE RISK 40 - TURNING THOUGHTS INTO ACTIONS
Review: Over the past four instalments, we have been focussing on what it means to risk and choosing to take the risks that God places before us. We have been challenged to: Risk being faithful to Him with our finances Risk believing that we serve an all-powerful, utterly faithful and dependable God, and serve Him accordingly Risk being God’s first choice rather than looking away in the hope that He will call on someone else Risk rising to God’s challenges, because as we rise to each challenge, we grow more like Jesus Christ, the ultimate Risk Taker.
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CHAPTER FIVE - GROWING IN TRUST Respond: Over the past four instalments of being challenged to take the risk, I have identified the following areas that are a particular challenge to me:
In the light of this, I commit myself before God to the following actions:
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