Every Day with Jesus

It’s interesting to note that this story takes place on the border between Samaria and Galilee. The Samaritans were an ethno-religious group living in an area of Israel following the Assyrian conquest in 721 BC. They existed in the time of Jesus and, in limited numbers, still do today.

'The devil makes work for idle hands’ is first recorded in the fourth century by Jerome, and in English in Chaucer’s ‘Tale of Melibeus’, in the Canterbury Tales , around 1400.* Idleness always creates space for wayward behaviour. Today this idleness is measured by failure to take action. How long Lazarus sat in poverty and pain at the rich man’s gate we don’t know, but for quite some time I imagin...

Ambition was historically seen as striving for favour. It’s Latin root means to go around, such as soliciting votes, and to curry favour. From the seventeenth century it came to mean someone’s strongest desire. What’s your strongest desire, or ambition? We tend to think of career and financial success, but Jesus directs our gaze elsewhere. Jesus indicates that discipleship will always prove demand...

The Israelites received the Law on Mount Sinai (Exod. 19:20), yet our freedom was won on a hill outside Jerusalem, where Jesus was impaled on the cross. Jerusalem is also called Zion, the city of David, and serves forever as a metaphor for the Saviour, Jesus Christ. We’re invited to approach Mount Zion, Jesus Himself, in our prayers. Here we encounter the reality who is Jesus, who mediates God’s f...

Many of us feel that we found God. We have a conversion story of when the light went on and we turned to Jesus, or a journey which led us to the conclusion that only He made sense of our life. But, God found us before anyone looked for a saviour (Rom. 5:8). Salvation is God’s initiative and, as beneficiaries, we each have a story to tell about how God found us and why we love and serve Him.

It’s remarkable that, at seventy-five years old, Abram started on a new adventure. This was not part of some long-held retirement plan he and Sarai had imagined, but the ongoing maturing purpose of God shaping their lives. 

Patience is described as the ability to wait, tolerate delay, face problems or suffering, to continue living despite difficulties, without complaining, becoming annoyed or anxious. As we read the story of the Israelites, we see that in exile they experience slavery and suffer from a high degree of impatience.

As Christians we are always invited to take the long view. I recall that when so-called credit cards were first introduced, one marketing strapline read, ‘It takes the waiting out of wanting’. The focus was on immediate gratification, a virtue in our materialistic society. Yet, the very name credit was an attempt to place a positive spin on what is accumulating debt.

When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, we need to note the authority of God’s Word. God’s Word was the sole source for Moses’ work of faith. It’s easy to make valid excuses when our lives fail to reflect the qualities revealed throughout the Bible. In life’s busyness we become distracted and absorbed simply in getting by each day.

Jesus said, ‘I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.’ (John 10:10). We desire to own things because we think they protect or improve our lives. We all too easily treat God as our lucky charm. Five thousand hungry folk saw Jesus as a fast food outlet, and He saw right through their selfish desire (v26).

Morality, or right behaviour, was subject in 2019 to a BBC survey of 3,655 adults (aged 16+) looking at issues from relationships to the environment.* Whilst 70% agreed that a moral framework is important, belief about right or wrong differs greatly.

Google reveals that mustard trees reach an average height of between 6 to 20 feet (2–7m), with a 20foot (7m) spread; they can reach up to 30 feet (9m). Quite remarkable, given the size of their seed: 1–2 mm! So what constitutes the ideal conditions for faith to grow? It is always God’s gift (Eph. 2:8).

Having considered God’s Word and will, we now turn to God’s work, both in us and through us. These verses present the essence of living every day with Jesus. We must constantly explore how to grow the mustard seed of faith that God’s Spirit deposits in our heart, and refuse to hold grudges against others.

Following a global pandemic, fuel shortages and pressure on the ‘just in time’ supply system, we are more conscious of the possibility of a calamity, a great misfortune, a cause of misery. Many live in calamity daily, from refugees to addicts. God’s promise is that even in the face of calamity we can retain confidence in His purpose. One of the most challenging truths from Scripture is that we are...

The wonderful thing about God’s will is that whilst obedience pleases Him, it equally refreshes us. Obedience is like enjoying a fresh shower in God’s Spirit, continuously. The experience of a shower, the warmth of the pressurised water literally cleansing the skin and physically rebooting us, restores every aspect of our being; physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual.

We are used to the word ‘goad’ being used to describe unhelpfully provoking someone. It actually means spearhead, something sharp, and came to describe the pointed stick used to herd cattle. In time, it came to mean to incite or stimulate, and this is the meaning used here. God’s Word is to instigate the revelation of God’s will through the practicalities of the lives we lead.

Every evening before turning to sleep, it is constructive to take some time to lay before God aspects of the day just passed. Every day raises issues, disturbs past memories and stirs unexpected anxieties. These are all to be brought to God (1 Pet. 5:7), who alone sustains our total wellbeing.

Living with our mind on God alone is challenging. Life offers a continuous struggle to make our voice heard, to establish our identity, and to win the respect of others. Yet Jesus had little time for reputation (Isa. 53:2–3). Today, with personality pursued as an end in itself, there’s a chance we might place our hope in human icons rather than life’s source – Jesus.

God’s overarching will is for the wellbeing of humanity. This is lost the moment we break the very simple rules established by God for the enrichment of society; and society includes everyone, without exception.

I'm no planner. I’ve always lived in the immediate, finding difficulty in laying medium- to long-term plans. Whilst reducing my sources for anxiety, reality can surprise me with its intense demands. We are all created differently, so my approach is just one amongst many. However, one thing uniting us all is that God has a purpose for our lives, from prayer to the fundamental ‘why’ of our existence...

The vast traffic on eBay, and similar online platforms, reveals how eager people are to obtain things. We live in a society that can sustain a substantial leisure industry. Generally we acquire something because it suits us and we want to display it, from furniture to fine clothes.

God’s will is completely expressed in Jesus. Jesus could only do what His Father showed Him (John 5:19). He was vigilant to observe His Father’s movement, avoiding all distractions, so demonstrating perfect obedience. I have a short attention span, so keeping my focus on the movement of God’s Spirit every day isn’t easy.

How can it be possible for suffering to be a part of God’s will? In a liberal society, where human rights are respected, it is difficult to engage with the concept of imposed suffering. Yet, many Christians live in fear because of their faith. 

Everything that exists does so because God holds everything together. Science indicates the way all of the world interconnects, and fresh discoveries provide greater insight into our wonderful creation that God spoke into existence. Not only is all of life sustained by God, but we only realise our full potential when we find God’s way of shining in our context.

Aspiration is encouraged. It differs from ambition in asking that we develop the best of ourselves rather than acting as an all-consuming goal. Aspirations change throughout life and require both self-discipline and external advice for greatest fulfilment. There is a danger in a society that associates aspiration primarily with educational, financial and overarching societal achievements, that per...