Werrington Parish Church

George

STRESSED OR SERENE?
Matthew 6:27 "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

The following statistics were published in a business magazine. Stress management experts say that only 2 per cent of our "worrying time" is spent on things that might actually be helped by worrying. The figures below illustrate how the other 98 per cent of this time is spent:

40 per cent on things that never happen;
35 per cent on things that can't be changed;
15 per cent on things that turn out better than expected;
8 per cent on useless, petty worries.

So honestly, take the advice from the film 'The Lion King': "Hakuna matata!" That's right: "Ain't no worries for the rest of your days. It's a problem-free philosophy, hakuna matata!" Jesus repeatedly tells us not to worry -- three times in Matthew 6 alone -- be it worries about food, clothing, or the future. He doesn't belittle our problems, but he calls us deeper into trust. Worries can be transformed into opportunities to grow as we hand them over to God in prayer.
Otherwise, worry becomes the darkroom in which negative thoughts can develop and, as Corrie Ten Boom put it, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrow; but it empties today of strength." Away with stress, in with serenity! And I'm preaching that to myself. I have plenty to get stressed about. I have several hundred people whose very livelihood and families look to me. There is huge pressure involved. But God is Jehovah Jireh, I am not!
One thing I do when I'm stressed might work for you. When I come home, I consciously touch my "worry tree" -- could be any old tree, bush, or anything else for that matter -- before entering the house. I pray and leave my worries on that tree. That way I can be free to enjoy the family. And then you know what? When I come back out the next morning to pick up those worries again, usually they're not quite as heavy. Could that work for you? Just an idea."

"Lord, I choose today to cast all my anxieties on you, because you care for me. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Paul writes " Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"Philippians 4:6-7 The key is thankfulness! Ask Jesus to help you trust Him in all circumstances and have a thankful heart!!! ... See more

George

FREE OR CHEAP?
1 Corinthians 7:23 "You were bought at a price."

"The danger of receiving something for free is that you don't value it. During the war out here, churches were looted for the metal sheeting that made up their roofs. Interestingly, where the sheets had been donated, the local population allowed the looting to take place; whereas where the locals had bought those sheets sacrificially, they resisted the looting. Unless you contribute to the cost of something, you don't treasure it.
When it comes to our salvation, because we didn't contribute to the cost, the danger is that likewise we can easily not value it. If that happens, the free gift is cheapened. Similarly it is cheapened if we reduce the gospel to forgiveness of sins alone or limit salvation to personal fire insurance against hell.
David Pawson writes, "Salvation may be free, but it is not cheap, either for the Lord or us. For him, the cost was the death of his only Son on a cross. For us it is to take up the cross daily and follow him. So the entrance fee is nothing, but the annual subscription is everything."
C. T. Studd understood that as he set off to lay down his life across the lake from where I am now. He reasoned, "If Jesus Christ is God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for him." Free grace, but not cheap. Or maybe "cheap grace" would be better referred to as "costly faithlessness".
Have we lowered the bar and diluted the gospel? I fear we're busy proving to the world that they can have all the benefits of the gospel without any inconvenience to their way of life. We can't afford to craft ourselves a more comfortable cross."

"Father, forgive me where I've opted for cheap grace. Fill me afresh with gratitude and zeal to live and work for your praise and glory. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Do you want cheap Grace? Do you not understand the cost of God's riches at Christ's Expense ( Grace)? Thank Jesus for His sacrifice for you and ask Him to help you enter the way of Faithfulness!!!! ... See more

TobyMac

George

MENTAL ASSENT OR ACTIVE ENGAGEMENT?
James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

"A little fellow in the ghetto was getting teased by an older boy: "If God loves you, why doesn't he take care of you? Why doesn't God tell someone to bring you shoes and a warm coat and better food?" The little lad thought for a moment before replying with tears welling up in his eyes: "I guess he does tell somebody, but somebody forgets."
Shane Claiborne did a survey on people's misconceptions of Jesus. He asked participants who claimed to be "strong followers of Jesus" whether Jesus spent time with the poor. Nearly 80 per cent said he did. Later in the survey, he sneaked in another question to those same people. Did they spend time with the poor? Less than 2 per cent said they did. He concluded:

I learned a powerful lesson: we can admire and worship Jesus without doing what he did. We can applaud what he preached and stood for without caring about the same things. We can adore his cross without taking up ours. I had come to see that the great tragedy in the Church is not that rich Christians do not care about the poor but that rich Christians do not know the poor.

Many a church pastor knows about the 80-20 rule. Briefly stated, 20 per cent of your congregation does 80 per cent of the work. He might be too charitable to say that 20 per cent of his people cause 80 per cent of his headaches as well! Here's a direct invitation to be a positive member of the 20 per cent club. We may lead busy lives with multiple demands on our time, so all the more we need to be strategic and disciplined to prioritize what we do. What will that look like for you?"

"Lord, I agree today that something needs to be done, and that I'll be the somebody to do it. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Are you part of the 20% or the 80%? Do you know about the poor and do you spend time caring for them? Ask Jesus to help you follow in His footsteps!!!! ... See more

TobyMac

George

TOLERATE OR OBLITERATE?
Matthew 5:29 "If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out."

"Two American women were returning from their vacation across the Mexican border when they saw a sick animal in the ditch beside their car. They had a soft spot for the poor little Chihuahua, so they risked smuggling it under a blanket in the back seat. Arriving home, one of them nursed it tenderly and even allowed it to sleep in bed with her so she could stroke and reassure it intermittently. The following morning, she took it to the vet, only to be told that it wasn't a cute little dog but a Mexican water rat dying of rabies!
That's a great urban legend! Maybe it didn't literally happen, but it illustrates an important truth. It's tragic how often we don't treat sin for what it is. We fool around, compromise, self-justify, treating sin as if it is a puppy to be played with, when in fact we've allowed ourselves to get in bed with a deadly rat. Sin can appear to be fun, but actually it's a sugar-coated venom.
Our relativist culture has redefined sin so as to justify almost anything -- so long as it doesn't harm anyone else. How affected have you been by that lie? How sensitive are you to the Holy Spirit? What compromise are you justifying? I remember hating a friend who quoted the following verse to me, because he knew I was heading off to have sex with my girlfriend: "But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people" (Ephesians 5:3).
I've been very honest there. Will you be too? We're not talking only sex, as the verse says. And it's very exacting. It talks about there not being even a "hint" of those things. God's grace for us is free, but it's not cheap. Let's be ruthless with sin. Time for heart surgery?"

"God, forgive me for times when I've tolerated sin in my life. I choose today to deal ruthlessly with it. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Are you choosing to deal ruthlessly with sin in your life or are you compromising? Ask Jesus to help you see sin for what it is and repentance as the way to receiving Grace!!!! ... See more

George

MINORITY OR MAJORITY?
1 John 4:4 "The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world."

"David Watson wrote, "Christians in the West have largely neglected what it means to be a disciple of Christ. The vast majority of western Christians are church members, pew fillers, hymn singers, sermon tasters, Bible readers, even born-again believers or Spirit-filled charismatics, but not true disciples of Jesus."
That is not a majority I aspire to be a part of! However, it's usually more comfortable to be in the majority. Standing out from the crowd on a matter of principle or faith is difficult. You need to be brave and prepared to face scorn and rejection, but it is hopefully some consolation to know that many people who prefer to remain in the crowd are lost in the crowd! My remarkable granny said to me once, "Don't worry about being in the minority. If God's with you, he makes you the majority!" Or, as Paul wrote, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"
The fact is, you are most likely in the minority as a follower of Jesus once you step out of your front door each morning. But don't worry. It is minorities who end up transforming situations, not majorities. The minority sect of the first century exploded all across the Roman Empire. The small and ridiculed Clapham Sect (which included Wilberforce) transformed the sociological landscape of Britain through their dogged determination to infuse godly standards in society. They lived out the truth that anthropologist Margaret Mead famously voiced, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."

"Lord God, I choose today to be a true disciple of Jesus, to proudly align myself with you, happy to be in the minority knowing that you are with me. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud. ... See more

TobyMac

George

LIFE-SAVING OR LIFE-ENHANCING?
John 16:33 "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world."

"Picture two men on a flight, both of them having been given a parachute. One is told it'll improve his flight, whereas the other one is told he's going to have to jump. Both of them get ridiculed, so the former one takes his off, feeling humiliated and disillusioned. The latter doesn't mind the minor discomfort or mockery, because he knows he's ready to jump.
Imagine an air-steward tripping and pouring scalding coffee down on that second man. He doesn't blame the parachute. No, if anything, he might cling to it even tighter and look forward to the jump.
If the gospel is just about God's "wonderful plan for our life", in all likelihood we'll end up like the first man when the flight gets rocky. The incentive of an improved ride was false, so he ditched the parachute. However, the second man had the right motive, so he stood firm.
Trials and tribulations draw the true believer closer to God rather than pushing him away, but sadly many people who profess to follow Jesus abandon him when things get tough. Why? Because they bought into a "me - centred" gospel, which promised all blessings at no cost.
Our verse above has two parts. Together they provide a balanced understanding of our lives in Christ. If you just believe the first half, you'll be miserable. If you just take the second half, you'll be an annoying triumphalist until things go wrong, and then you'll probably jack it all in.
So if you're going through a tough time at the moment, hang in there. Be encouraged. You're probably on track. Jesus didn't say it'd be easy. He didn't promise an easy journey. But he does guarantee a safe arrival."

"Lord, help me take heart today because you have overcome the world, and so likewise your Word says we are more than conquerors through Jesus. Amen!"

From 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Are you looking for an easy ride, trouble free life? Then don't look to Christianity as your life path because our Crucified Saviour tells us it will be tough but also promises to be with us through it all. Ask Jesus to help you embrace the tough with the good and look forward to the new life He promises!!!! ... See more

George

CAREER OR CALLING? (PART 2)
Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as for the Lord, not for men."

"Os Guinness writes:

Along with the truth of the cross of Christ the truth of calling has had as much influence in the world as any truth in history -- and it will again, when it is rediscovered... Calling is the truth that God calls us to himself so decisively that everything we are, everything we do, everything we have is invested with a special devotion and dynamism lived out as a response to his summons and service.

Let's immediately disavow the notion that callings are reserved for those people going into so-called "full-time" Christian work. William Wilberforce nearly made that mistake as a new convert back in 1785. He thought he should shelve politics and become a clergyman, as "spiritual" affairs were apparently far more important than secular ones. Thankfully John Newton, a former slave trader who wrote the hymn "Amazing Grace", dissuaded him from leaving politics. "It is hoped and believed that the Lord has raised you up for the good of the nation," said Newton. Wilberforce subsequently wrote in his journal in 1788, "My walk is a public one. My business is in the world; and I must mix in the assemblies of men, or quit the post which Providence seems to have assigned me." The rest is history, as they say.
Wilberforce was called to politics. My mate Craig is called to business. I'm called to raise a new generation of passionate disciples in Burundi. We're all seeking to use our God-given talents for a God-given purpose. What took me out of marketing and into my current field or service was a bold prayer of surrender: "Lord, I'll do anything. I'll go anywhere."
That's essentially what he wants from you today."

"Lord, count me in! I don't ,now what my life will look like, but I trust you as the Caller. Amen!"

Taken from 'Choose Life 365 Readings for Radical Disciples' by Simon Guillebaud.
Do you know your calling from God? If not ask Jesus to help you hear God's call on your life. Then obey in full surrender to God and the wise council of friends like Newton was to Wilberforce!!!! ... See more