Every Day with Jesus

When life is tough, we often complain at the apparent ease of another’s life experience. Such comparisons are based on our assumptions about the life we’re observing. But we only see the outward appearance. Jesus makes it clear that it is the heart within that counts. 

Bsieged by 24/7 news and views, being selective is difficult. There’s a thin line between balanced information and feeling overwhelmed. We need some news to fuel our prayers, yet too much and we risk elevated stress levels, disturbed sleep patterns and increased anxiety.

A priority is what’s most important to us. In our busy lives, we soon discover there are any number actively competing against each other. Life quickly becomes a struggle for survival. We lose perspective and then lose peace of mind.

The guidance, ‘Be careful what you ask for’, has a long history. It comes from Aesop’s fables created around 260 BC. Samuel served as Israel’s last judge, and the first prophet after Moses. 

For many parents their greatest concern is their children’s future. Be it education, the friends they hang out with or their spiritual development, the level of angst they can create is high. If the future is in God’s hands, our children’s future presents a significant worry.

When growing up I noted that some houses had names, and amongst these was ‘Ebenezer’. An unusual name for a house, I thought, until I discovered its true meaning. It is a word we should each declare at the start of our day, acknowledging that God has sustained us to this point.

Some say, ‘the road to hell is paved with good intentions’. The first person recorded as saying this was Bernard of Clairvaux, the leading Cistercian of the twelfth century. He declared, ‘l’enfer estplein de bonnes volontés et désirs’ or ‘hell is full of good wishes and desires’. Waverley Abbey, near Farnham in Surrey, where I write EDWJ, was the first Cistercian monastery in England and I ruminat...

Spiritual formation is a journey, and never a destination. There are certain points where we pause and reflect to consider where we have come from.

One thing that takes time to adjust to is the fact that, as disciples, we surrender all rights to our life to Jesus. However, we struggle because what Scripture calls ‘the flesh’ fights back. Our natural human inclination is to resist God (Rom. 8:5–8). We live in a constant struggle between surrender and self-expression. Indeed, life is a journey in which, like John the Baptist, we wrestle with ou...

Suffering is not something we want eagerly to embrace. We observe Jesus’ life and the great suffering He endured in fulfilling God’s salvation purpose. Yet, Scripture doesn’t avoid the issue of suffering. It is quite a challenge to accept the idea that Jesus’ suffering was part of God’s redemptive process.

When I travelled the world on missions many years ago, it was essential to pay attention to what I drank. On one trip to Nigeria, I drank some contaminated water and was sicker than I have ever been. I needed some medication which cleansed my system and restored my health.

The purpose of confessing to God is so that we can be cleansed, and then to nurture and nourish the new heart God promises to all who turn to Jesus. In an instant age, when I assume that my request is fulfilled immediately, it’s easy to assume that our friendship with God is a transactional one.

On recognising I’ve made a bad decision, my first port of call is confession. Sadly, like Adam, when confronted I rise up in self- defence and look to point the finger.

An American friend always tells me that as well as the Statue of Liberty in New York’s harbour, a Statue of Responsibility must be built in San Francisco Bay. He feels we cannot enjoy liberty without responsibility.

This past week we have taken a look at various challenges Scripture presents us with. There are different ways we can engage with God’s Word. Rich and varied ways in which we are able to encounter Jesus. Yet, through God’s invitation the Bible invites us to discover how it is we can learn to love, live for and serve God in every aspect of our life experience.

As we age, things slow down. Things such as our healing processes. When I cut myself preparing food, my finger takes so much longer repairing itself. We also face a decline in strength, mobility and energy levels. Within, however, I confess to feeling a lot more like Caleb. I retain enthusiasm for fresh challenges. True, I don’t always calculate the odds of my achieving such ideas born of enthusia...

Clive Calver once wrote a book entitled, With a Church Like This, Who Needs Satan? A hard hitting, perhaps slightly unfair title, but one that captures the shock many of us feel when discovering how much criticism there is within the Church. This is not just aimed at those who might practise the historic Christian faith with some differences to our own preference, but also refers to the criticism...

Elephants travel in groups, their pace set by that of the slowest. This is a principle we might embrace as God’s Church. Perhaps it’s the equivalent of the US marines slogan, ‘Leave no one behind’. As disciples we have a responsibility to ensure we are vigilant in caring for our own.

Recently, on a retreat looking at God and chronic illness (a long- term condition for which there is no cure), I discovered people’s tremendous courage and God’s inexhaustible grace.

It’s difficult separating news from views. Every piece of personal news analysis carries within it ‘unrealised persuaders’. These are the result of our culture, upbringing and inherent prejudices, amongst other factors. What appears objective has already been through our inbuilt bias filters.

Over the past few weeks, it might seem there are a lot of responsibilities resting upon our shoulders. We are disciples, following Jesus and seeking to do God’s will in our world. The great news is that it remains God’s will, and we are channels allowing God to reveal His way through our lives.

The Gospel Coalition, an American movement committed to renewing Christian faith, reported in 2020 on the ‘scandal of biblical illiteracy’. It revealed only 36% of committed Christians regularly attend church and personally read the Bible every day. A crisis of ‘Bible neglect’.

Scripture presents questions. Widely, and critically, analysed throughout history, today few place complete confidence in rationality’s ability to answer and resolve them all. Scripture’s authority is queried. In an age when fewer people read, many Christians learn more on social media and – from pulpit explanations than from reading the Bible themselves.

The Spirit divides soul and spirit, as we read yesterday. Simply put, the soul is understood as human reason, consciousness and perception. The spirit is the breath, or life, of God within us. It is the spirit that we are invited to follow, for the spirit will always point us in God’s direction. Our soul, however, is inclined to serve our human interests rather than God’s plans for us.

The Bible is unique. Unlike any other book, its words do not create a momentary impact but have the capacity to bring about lasting change within us. It is how God speaks and develops each of us. God’s Word, like a seed, takes root within us and germinates, with the potential for producing a fruitful harvest in our lives. The reason we follow Jesus and read God’s Word is so we can become fruitful,...