Every Day with Jesus

Today is Maundy Thursday. ‘Maundy’ is a Latin word for ‘command’ that reminds us of the commands Jesus gave His disciples; most especially, ‘Love one another as I have loved you’ (John 13:34). During His Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus acknowledged His betrayal by a dinner guest (Judas) and also introduced the tradition of communion. This is the way in which we are to celebrate both the gift...

Some view Christianity as complex. As a new Christian I was intimidated when I first got hold of a Bible. This was one thick book! However, Jesus boiled it down to its critical essence; love God, love neighbour, and love self. This remains the greatest commandment to this day. Love is best demonstrated through the actions of Jesus in Holy Week, culminating in His death and resurrection. Love knows...

The extremes God went to in recovering His friendship with humanity suggests a significant disconnect between this world’s kingdom and God’s. Finding Him is no guarantee we’ll live in His kingdom. Discerning His kingdom’s partial reality within our time–space world demands our full attention, and our deliberate choice. I can enter into an enriching relationship with a partner, yet deliberately dis...

Our faith is born as a consequence of changing our mind. We choose to invest our confidence in God’s promises. Jerusalem’s townsfolk quickly changed their minds about Jesus, sealing His fate. The consequences of our decisions are often far greater than we originally anticipate. Therefore, we must reflect before making any decision. Too often, we are prisoners to our surrounding culture.

Gustav Mahler, the composer, said, ‘The point is not to take the world’s opinion as a guiding star but to go one’s way in life and working unerringly, neither depressed by failure nor seduced by applause’.* Here Jesus, entering Jerusalem, is greeted with the applause of a rapturous crowd. Applause suggests acceptance and success, yet is only ever momentary.

Committed to walking in Jesus’ footsteps as a disciple, we enjoy a quiet confidence in our faith. We don’t expect simple answers to life’s challenging questions but benefit from a friendship with our creator, plus a clear framework in which to locate our life experience and find its meaning. I’m asked many questions from neighbours and friends, and although I haven’t satisfactory answers for every...

God’s intention is that we live transparent lives. This is not that everybody enjoys access to our personal life. What it means is that we live in obedience to God’s will and purpose, with the result that the light of God’s reality shines through us. The Latin word is transparens and the idea is that God comes into sight through us. What a privilege and responsibility; God seeks to make Himself kn...

There is a prayer I say on waking, even before I get out of bed. One line runs, ‘a spirit of chastity, humble mindedness, patience and love bestow upon me Your servant’. Chastity may seem an odd word, but it is used in the traditional Christian sense of honesty, truthfulness, purity of heart, good intent; in fact, all the Christian virtues as described in Scripture. A challenge we are all invited...

There’s a challenge in Zacchaeus’ story. Vertically challenged, he climbs a tree to see Jesus. By climbing a tree he finds the courage and clarity he needs. Indeed, he finds redemption clinging to the tree’s branches, rescued from his past life of corruption, and freedom to live as Jesus’ disciple. Whatever attracts us to Jesus, once our eyes are opened we must review our life to date and, where p...

We easily grow discouraged because of the ways we stumble and fall along our Christian path. Fortunately, God knows we consistently falter and we can take comfort knowing He never tests us beyond our limit. However, it can feel we’re out of control momentarily and beyond God’s embrace (1 Cor. 10:13). It’s hard to accept the nature of true love, which can only ever work in our best interest (1 Cor....

The Bible describes the process of conversion as being born again. This confused the wise Nicodemus, who asked how an adult might return to their mother’s womb for a second birth (John 3:4). Paul describes the same process, that of being created anew as God gives us the possibility of taking different decisions. Refusing to be driven by external temptations and inner compulsions, we learn how to p...

Life is built around devising avoidance strategies, for our human nature recoils from accepting responsibility (Gen. 3:12). A simple study of Jesus reveals He accepted unjust accusations, all based on lies (Matt. 27:12–14). His silence, prophesied by Isaiah seven hundred years earlier, invites us to consider letting go of our anxiety about our reputation (Isa. 53:1–9). Personal responsibility star...

A decision to follow Jesus is like lifting a stone and exposing what lies underneath. We find many creepy crawlies in the dank darkness in a life previously hidden from God’s light. It takes courage to make an inventory of the work to be done, an ongoing task because we are responsible for ensuring that we keep up the maintenance on our temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19–20).

The journey of building a friendship with God starts with a definite decision, rather than absorbing information. Once our choice is made, we can demonstrate our commitment by both aiming to refuse opportunities to sin, and positively following Jesus. Baptism becomes our public statement that we have made our decision to follow God (Matt. 28:19).

Our church runs Cultural Fridays every month. Recently we enjoyed Southampton University’s professor of astrophysics speaking on the mystery of the universe. Listening to how our multiple galaxies are so finely balanced, and indeed how much remains beyond human understanding, it seemed less unreasonable to believe in God, the designer of all that is.

Henri Nouwen writes, ‘The spiritual life is not a life before, after, or beyond our everyday existence. No, the spiritual life can be real only as it is lived in the midst of the pains and joys of life’.* But when to start? The very idea of an invisible, reliable God can prove difficult to accept, but in reality it isn’t. The good news is that this God is alongside each one of us, whether we ackno...

Sin, simply put, is to act outside of God’s intention. It is a condition which affects all humanity, and Paul describes our human dilemma, ‘For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do’ (Rom. 7:15b). This problem is escalated as temptation, something akin to a craving, focusing our attention on the short-term benefit rather than the long-term impact. The Christian is invited to acknowle...

Finding fault in others is easy. Our instinct is to point the finger. Why do we run from personal responsibility? Authority makes it easy to blame another, and we want to avoid experiencing vulnerability. Issues of personal self-esteem must be faced if we consistently refuse to accept the blame when things go wrong; it’s a lack of resilience in owning outcomes.

Spiritual formation is our lifetime’s work. We are easily distracted by what we view in the rear-view mirror. Am I disappointed with my younger self? Yes, in so many ways I might have learnt more of God’s ways sooner and had the courage and desire to apply them earlier. My misjudgments have wounded people, and of course damaged me.

In all of the complexity of seeking to understand the nature, character and purpose of God, it’s good to pause and recognise that God invites us to rest in the promise He has made us. So much of life is framed in terms of personal achievement measured against common success criteria, which we had no hand in deciding.

We quickly realise that no one is immune to thinking and doing the wrong thing – what Christians call sin. Many studies by anthropologists and psychologists have sought to establish if there is a violent gene within our human make-up.* Paul confesses that even when we intend good, we are likely to produce its opposite – one reason why a new relationship with God through Jesus frees us from an enfo...

Christians face the challenge of consistency. Newsweek reports that ‘the average person will typically have more than 6,000 thoughts in a single day’.* Our minds skip from one idea to the next, each stimulated by an external influence. Christian faith is a deep commitment that aims to influence our life choices.

Countless words describe the nature of our encounter with God. But everyone is created unique, so it’s unsurprising there are countless ways to encounter God. The popular idiom, ‘what’s good for the goose is good for the gander’ flies in the face of our God’s creativity.

Jesus’ ministry was not about Himself, but about us, those He came to redeem. It was for our salvation that God came seeking the lost, namely us (Luke 19:10). Having been found by God, we are then invited to make a choice as to whether we want to engage with, and then subsequently grow in, God. All relationships are subject to the determination of the parties to the relationship. God is unwavering...

We shoulder a responsibility to express the truth of the gospel through our lives. What better evidence is there for God’s presence as promised by Jesus than lives guided by the Holy Spirit? Christianity is not a personal and superhuman effort to be good, but we make the surprising discovery that in Christ we can find the authority to bring change to our lives.