Give me children or I die

In the first chapter of Genesis, God made an incredible promise to the fledgling human family, "God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it." God was going to work out his plan and purpose on the earth through the multiplying of human DNA. Taking one couple, made in relationship together and with their creator, and forming a redeemed community that would demonstrate and proclaim God's kingdom to every nation on earth. Similar promises would be made to Adam and Eve's descendants as God sought to describe his plan in language that could be understood by flesh

• Promise to Abraham in Genesis 17:5 - No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.  
• Promise to Jacob in Genesis 28:14 - Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. 
• Promise to Isaac in Genesis 28:24 - Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham 

In Genesis 30 ​Isaac's wife Rachel, when she 'saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children, became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, “Give me children, or I'll die!”'  Rachel clearly felt jealous of Leah and ashamed at her lack of children. But she will also have known of all the promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and maybe she also desperately wanted to participate in the promise of God. She knew that if she did not reproduce then her life would end when she died and no-one would exist to continue her lineage. Her deep and heartfelt cry was that she did not want her life to end, to finish. She did not want to die

Give - Rachel knew that she needed someone else to participate in her having children. We too know that it is Jesus, our heavenly husband, who causes the Holy Spirit to reproduce through us

Me - Rachel couldn't accept that others (Leah, Bilhah & Zilpah) would have children and she would not, she desperately wanted to bear children herself. Jesus said that 'he would build his church' and we can be certain that God will fulfill his promise. However what is in doubt is whether our church, our Christian community will continue.  'The' church will have a future but 'my' church may not see the next generation

Children - Children are not a short term responsibility, they need a lifelong commitment to be nurtured and then released so that the next generation can also reproduce

Or - An 'or' is an option, Rachel could see two potential scenarios. Firstly that she would remain childless and that others would have the children that would shape the future. The second option was that Jacob's seed would join with her egg and implant in her womb bringing new life and new possibilities

I'll die - The Hebrew word for die is mût, which means: be killed, be murdered, death, destroy, perish, slain, die out, executed, lifeless, lose life, suffer a fatal blow. Rachel could see the possibility that her life, her DNA (although she would not have understood that concept) would cease to exist. 

The truth is that the entire church of Christ will die out in one generation if we do not have spiritual children. We must not sub-contract this responsibility to others, to trained and professional clergy or to charismatic superstars. It is God's intention that all of us are to bear fruit and have spiritual children. Jesus spoke of it this way; “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:17-20

God please help me to learn how to share my faith with others. Not only that they can understand and respond but in a way that equips them to also share their faith

Know Christ

I want to know Christ

Phil 3:10

I want to hear his word

I want to experience his presence

I want to taste, touch and smell him in my daily life

I want to receive him at all times

I want to love and be loved by him

I want to proclaim and demonstrate his greatness 

I want to sing out his melody

I want to tell his story

I want to bow before him

I want to appreciate his vastness

I want to fathom the depth of his love

I want to be aware of him in the detail of life

I want to grasp his infinite goodness

I want to recognise him in the lives of others

I want to perceive his purpose

I want to discern his priorities

I want to know him and be known by him

I want to follow him and become a fisher of people

I want to be sent by him as a worker into the harvest fields

I want the rhythm of my life to be set by the rhythm of his life 

I want my eyes to see him

I want my ears to hear him

I want my mouth to speak of him

I want my feet to walk with him

I want my face to smile at him

I want my life to revolve around him

I want Christ

I want him

I want his life

I want to know Christ

The Higher Standard

Law says I must give a tenth of my income to the church

Grace says that I can overflow with generosity whenever the opportunity

Which is the higher standard?

Law says I must share my faith everyday

Grace says that I can seek to love God so deeply that he overflows out of my life to touch others

Which is the higher standard?

Law says I must read my Bible through each year

Grace stirs my heart so that I long to find Christ in the pages of scripture

Which is the higher standard?

Law says I must attend services twice on a Sunday and not miss the prayer meeting

Grace inspires me to long to meet God with my brothers and sisters

Which is the higher standard?

John Piper tells the story of an American football coach who decided not to tell his team to get up at five in the morning and run three miles to ensure peak physical fitness. Instead he sought to inspire them by focusing the players on the joy of playing the sport, the privilege of representing their university and the opportunity of making history by winning the play-offs. He then encouraged them to do all they could to get fit and be physically ready for the task ahead

Was the coach right to take this approach? Which was more likely to produce the fit players that he required? Which was the higher standard?

The Haven

This is the place in around 1973 when I first committed my life to Christ. In those days it was called 'The Haven,' situated in Sidmouth in East Devon and was used as a Christian coffee bar. Dozens of young people used to meet there and sing hymns and choruses, it was after one of these evenings that my Christian journey really began. 

At the time I understood very little and didn't really appreciate the commitment I was making. I did not realise that my life would be hugely impacted because of what happened that evening. Today, over forty years later, I am still seeking to pursue Christ and his kingdom and still feel that I am on a journey somewhat into the unknown. The difference is that today I have a greater confidence in God's love and grace towards me and I have seen evidence of that truth over the past four decades

What does the future hold? Nobody really knows the answer to that. Will I continue to be a disciple of Jesus? I hope so. If I can continue to love God and love Alison then everything else should be ok

World Half Marathon Championship

Less than two years ago I started running. On April 28th 2014 I ran 1.2 km in a time of 10:37; two days ago I raced against Mo Farah (and 12,000 others) in the World Half-Marathon Championship in Cardiff and finished in a time of 1:56:47

I find it interesting to think about this and to try to work out why I have achieved this at the age of 55. What was my motivation? Why have I not given up? Why have I kept pushing myself to achieve? Should I be proud of my achievement? And the broader questions such as, why do some people remain motivated whilst others stop? Why are some tenacious, and others quit when the going gets tough?

So I repeat my question; why have I kept going when I could have so easily given up? 

A Calvinist might answer 'It was God's sovereign will'  

An Arminian might point to the Protestant work ethic

A Charismatic might say that 'God spoke to me and told me to do it'

A Pentecostal might say 'Glory!'

A Quaker might stay quiet for a long time

Preaching

I came across this from 12 months ago

I preached in a local chapel this evening. A key question is why? Why me and why preach? No one opened the Bible to read the passage, no one seemed to really engage with what I was saying, nobody said very much afterwards. Was there any point in doing what I did? Did I help anyone? Did God speak into anyone's life? Were we just going through the motions?

But I love the church, I love God's people, I love God. I believe that the 'word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

But was my preaching the word of God?

Pilgrims in Culture

Christians have for centuries tried to understand their relationship with the world around them. From the early church period when Roman believers grappled with whether they should attend the Colisium; to twentieth century Christians deciding if they should go to the cinema. From third world disciples of Jesus working through the implications of ancestral worship to technological savvy believers deciding how to use Facebook and Twitter

Jesus said that we are not 'of' the world even as he is not of the world, (John 17:16) the Message translation puts it like this: 'they are no more defined by the world then I am defined by the world.' There seems to be two extreme reactions taken by Christians to this question; firstly to become so involved in culture that there is no discernable difference to the world around. The other extreme would to become so seperate from others that there would be no realistic hope of connection to those around

Christians can be seen to be embedded in the world but pilgrims in culture. We live lives that are fully human; with the same needs of food, water, shelter, relationships, etc as everyone else. However we are not just believers in Jesus but those who have 'Christ in you the hope of glory.' (Colossians 1:27) We are the same as everyone else but also different, we are ordinary but also extraordinary

Perhaps Jesus made it clear for us in how do decide to be in the world but not of the world. He said the following, 'As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.' (John 17:14-18) Living in the world as missionary agents will give us a very different perspective than believing that we are to simply to 'hold the fort for I am coming' to quote the hymn writer. One sees the role of the Christian as those who have a kingdom mission to transform lives, families, communities, nations and all of creation. The other views our role as simply to hang on in the midst of the battle until Jesus returns to take us to heaven

I know which I would rather pursue