Look What I've Got!

Have you ever bought something of great value? Maybe you saved up for a while, then when you had enough money you went out with joy to buy the thing you had been saving for. Did you ever notice how you treat that thing when you’ve bought it? You take great care of it, make sure it never gets damaged, and you even show it off to your friends!

I like to play piano, and several years ago I bought my first digital piano. It was a great joy for me, as I had played many years but never owned a piano of my own. When it got delivered I was excited! It was my pride and joy. I couldn’t wait to get home from work each day so I could play piano. I was inspired to write songs and record them, and give them to all my friends! I looked after it and if someone wanted to borrow it, well, I would have to think twice because, what if they didn’t take care of it?!

That piano meant a lot to me for two reasons:

1. I really wanted it!
2. It cost a lot of money!

Have you ever noticed how the more you pay for something, the more value it has to you and the more grieved you are if it gets damaged or lost?

Friends, the value you have to God is the price that He paid for you! Think about that! God gave His only Son to purchase our freedom, and there is nothing in all creation that had more value to Him than His Son. The price tag for our redemption was extremely high, but thank God that He was willing to pay it and as a result we are given eternal life by believing in Jesus Christ.

But did God pay such a high price to buy you, then put you up on a shelf somewhere in Heaven and forget about you? Of course not! If God were to sleep then He would get up every day excited to spend time with His new possession! Just as I had joy in my piano, God has joy in me! Remember the parable of the prodigal son? When the prodigal came home, the Father ran to meet him. He gave him the finest robe in the house, put a ring on his finger, killed the fatted calf and threw a party! In the same way, Heaven is filled with joy when a lost sinner returns to God.

God rejoices over every soul that comes to Him in repentance. But that joy doesn’t end there. The value you have to God will never diminish because the value of the Gift He gave to get you will never diminish. Do you know why you mean so much to God? Because 1 – He really wanted you, and 2 – you cost Him a lot!

How does God treat something that means so much to Him? Does He forget about it and go about His business? Of course not! To despise us, is to despise the price He paid to get us. In reality we are on His mind every day and He can’t wait to spend time with us.

I recently heard a testimony of a man who had a heart attack, and died and went to Heaven. When he got there, the Lord ran out to meet him! He put his arm round his shoulder, led him through Heaven and showed him off! Unfortunately the doctors managed to resuscitate him and he had to return to his body, but he was clearly moved by the love that the Lord showed him.

The Lord has no favourites and the way He treats one is the way He will treat all. The Lord loves you right now! You are His pride and joy! He wants to put His arm around you and show you off and say ‘Look what I’ve got!’

It’s time to believe the love that God has for us and to trust that He takes even better care of us than we would with our own things that we greatly value.
That’s why Jesus said:

‘So I tell you, don’t worry about every-day life – whether you have enough food, drink, and clothes…Look at the birds. They don’t need to plant or harvest or put food in barns because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to Him than they are.’

Matt. 6:25-26

He went on to say:

‘So don’t be afraid, little flock. For it gives your Father great happiness to give you the Kingdom.’

Luke 12:32

Let’s not despise the great price God paid to purchase us, but understand that our value to Him is determined by what He was willing to give up in order to redeem us. Let’s understand that our salvation is a matter of eternal importance to God, and that, because of Christ, we are His daily joy! But let’s also make sure it stays that way by remaining faithful and continuing to do His will, as He warns us in Scripture:

‘A righteous person will live by faith. But I will have no pleasure in anyone who turns away.’

Hebrews 10:38

Amen.

An Example of Faith

Have you ever considered how helpful an example is? In so many things an example can deepen your understanding on a practical level of how things work. For example (proving the point!), secular education uses examples extensively to deepen your understanding. I remember during Science lessons at school, the teacher told us how certain elements react violently to contact with water. Then she took a strip of reactive metal, threw it into a bowl of water, and BOOM! – we learned by example! Another teacher explained how, because of their fixed atomic structure, many solids are impervious to other solids. Then she demonstrated this by trying to walk through the blackboard! Point taken, for sure.

Have you ever noticed how small children learn primarily by example? Before they even go to school, they learn certain words and behaviour primarily from their parents, and also their siblings and friends. They learn from the examples around them, which can have a powerful influence in their upbringing.

In the life of faith, examples can be extremely helpful. The Bible is full of examples. Some examples are not to be followed, but should be learned from nonetheless, such as in 1 Corinthians 10 where Paul described God’s judgement on the Israelites for their disobedience, concluding,

“All these events happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us, who live at the time when this age is drawing to a close.” (1Cor.10:11)

And there are examples we should follow. James tells us:

“For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. We give great honour to those who endure great suffering. Job is an example of a man who endured patiently. From his experience we see how the Lord’s plan finally ended in good, for He is full of tenderness and mercy.” (James 5:10,11)

Of course, the Lord Jesus is always our ultimate example in everything, from suffering:

“Think about all He endured when sinful people did such terrible things to Him, so that you don’t become weary and give up.” (Hebrews 12:3)

to humility and servanthood:

“Since I, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13: 14, 15)

to love:

“We know what real love is because Christ gave up His life for us. And so we ought to give up our lives for our Christian brothers and sisters.” (1 John 3:16)

Just as little children follow the example of their parents, we also should follow the example of our Father in Heaven:

“Follow God’s example in everything you do, because you are His dear children. Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave Himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins.” (Ephesians 5:1,2)

It is also right to follow the godly example of other believers:

“Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9)

Examples can be extremely helpful when it comes to faith. The Old Testament is full of examples of people who achieved great victories through faith and Hebrews 11 lists many of them. There is Abraham and Sarah who had a child at 100 and became the Patriarchs of the nation of Israel, from which the Lord Jesus came. There is David who as a youth defeated the champion warrior of the Philistines who was nearly 10-foot tall, with just a slingshot! And Daniel who was thrown into a den of hungry lions and came out the next day completely unharmed.

There are New Testament examples too, such as the woman who received a complete healing by faith as she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. In fact most of the miracles of healing described in Jesus’ ministry happened through the faith of the individual. And they are examples of how we, too, can receive from the Lord.

That’s why reading and hearing testimonies of other people’s victories are so important, because they strengthen and encourage our own faith, and give us a frame of reference about how victories can be received. Of course, we don’t base our faith purely in the experiences of others, but on the Word of God, because not all experiences are in line with the Word.

For example, I’ve had a couple of ‘faith failures’ in my life – times when I trusted God for something and it didn’t come to pass as I expected. Even though it was confusing and disappointing at the time, as I grew in the Lord I came to understand why it didn’t come to pass – because I had set a time-limit on God. It didn’t come to pass when I expected, so I quit! But God doesn’t operate on our time-limits, so I should have continued to believe God. It wasn’t that faith failed, it was that I didn’t believe God in the right way – I added something to it. Like one guy said, it’s not that you tried faith and faith didn’t work, faith tried you and YOU didn’t work!

I heard a great example from a well-known teacher who told of when he first got hold of the ‘faith’ message, he decided he would believe God for a new car. He chose what kind of car he wanted, brand new, and decided he would give God 30 days to bring it to pass. For 30 days he rejoiced in the Lord, encouraged himself in the Word of God, and was eagerly expectant that the Lord would bring it pass. However, after 30 days – no car! Disappointed, he quit his faith until a few months later, in a time of prayer, He asked the Lord about it. The Lord told him he was doing well until the 30th day when he quit his faith. He said he had let the hands of a clock keep him from receiving. He also said it wasn’t too late, and that he should pick it up again and see it through.

So this teacher resurrected his faith, and continued to believe for this car. 30 days went by. 3 months went by. A year went by. 2 years. 3 years. Finally, 5 years later, a guy called him up and offered to buy him a brand new car. They went to a car showroom and found the exact model he had been believing for. Long story short, he got the car!

At the time I heard this example, I was stirred in my own faith to also believe for a car! I looked around for a while and decided on the model I would like, and asked God for it according to Mark 11:24 and 1John 5:14,15. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a done deal, the Lord has granted the request, and it shall come to pass! That was two years ago, but I’m not at all concerned that I’m not driving around in the car yet. Why? Because not only do I have faith in the promises of God, but I also have an example. I know not to quit on my faith because it hasn’t come to pass yet. I intend to keep believing and trusting those promises until it does! The car is currently valued at around £40k new, and as the Lord said to one brother, “If you ask big, be prepared to stand long”. And as Kenneth Hagin used to say, if you’re prepared to stand forever, it won’t take very long!

So let’s be encouraged by the examples of those who have received victories through their faith in God. Let’s stand on the promises of God, and allow the testimonies and examples of others strengthen us. If you’re believing for healing, listen to testimonies of those who have received healing. If you’re believing for finances, listen to testimonies of those who have received finances.
Let’s not quit our faith, but see it through to completion, just as Paul admonished in Hebrews 6:12:

“Follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and patience.”

What's Your Perspective?

When I was young, around age 10 or 11, I was invited to take part in an athletics competition. The prize was a free place on a trip to a meeting in Belgium. I was already an active member of the Swindon Athletics Club (Mum made us go!) and for some reason at that age I was really good at sprinting. I beat everyone I raced. Once I competed against a guy who had the fastest 60m time in Wiltshire, and I beat him!

If I remember correctly, the competition was three main events: 60m sprint, high jump and long jump. In my age group, it was neck and neck between me and another kid for the high jump and the long jump, so the deciding event was the sprint, which I won (yay!)

So all the winning competitors travelled for hours by minibus deep into the heart of Belgium. However, the night before the meeting I didn’t sleep well and the next day I was very lethargic and not at my best. My first event was the sprint, but I performed really poorly and came about last :-( After that, I didn’t bother to compete in the other events since I was not likely to place.

At that time I had a choice to make. Understandably I felt really stupid for performing so poorly and losing a race I probably should have won, but I could either be dejected and depressed for the rest of the trip, or I could let it go and choose to have a good time anyway. Sure, it was disappointing to have come so far with high hopes, only to fail. But I was fortunate enough to win the free place, travel my first time abroad, make new friends and have fun on a long road trip. The perspective I chose would affect my attitude and whether I enjoyed myself or not.

One man who knew the power of a right perspective was the Apostle Paul. If anyone knew what it meant to suffer for the gospel, he did. Frequently he was beaten with whips and with rods and was thrown in jail, sometimes for long periods. He worked to exhaustion, travelled endless miles, went without food and water and even clothing. He was shipwrecked and one time he was even stoned and left for dead. Besides that was his burden of care for all the churches he had started, since there were false apostles who tried to deceive the churches and lead them away from the truth he had worked so hard to establish among them.

You would think that would be enough to make even the strongest-willed person think twice about himself. Yet he never gave up because he had an eternal perspective. He reveals it in 2 Cor. 4:17-18:

“For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now; rather we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.”

Amazing! He knew that even many years of suffering for the gospel’s sake was just a moment compared to the eternal reward he would receive for doing it. So he didn’t focus on the suffering, but on the reward. That’s what kept him going. How different would our own lives be if we had an eternal perspective? How much more patient would we be? If we really understood and believed that our reward for serving the Lord will last forever, we would serve Him all the more diligently, laying aside our entanglements with this life knowing they produce no lasting good and rob us from eternal joy.

We need to heed Paul’s advice in 2 Cor. 5:7:

“That is why we live by believing and not by seeing.”

As we live out our lives here below, let’s focus on what we believe, not on what we see. Let’s focus on joys forever instead of temporary suffering. Let’s focus on matters eternal instead of indulgence in a world that is passing away.

What’s your perspective?

The Richest Person in the World

Do you know who the richest person in the world is? Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft? Or Warren Buffet, the multi-billionaire investor? Actually neither one. If you are a born-again Christian, the richest person in the world is...YOU! That’s right, YOU. Let me tell you why...

Listen to this scripture:

“You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though He was very rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)

Is anyone richer than God? Of course not. He owns the Universe and more besides. And if this same God calls you rich (by His own standards), and makes you so, you better believe that you are!

Now listen to this:

“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.” (Eph.1:3)

Notice it says ‘EVERY spiritual blessing.’ Every means the same as all. In other words, nothing has been left out. In the world people say, ‘You can’t have it all.’ But if you’re a Christian, you really do have it all!

Perhaps the greatest spiritual blessing is the forgiveness of sins. To be forgiven of sins is probably the most valuable benefit you can have in your spiritual wallet. Think about it: the Bible says that the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Why is that? Because God Himself is Life, and the author of all Life, and when we sin we separate ourselves from Him and from the Life that He has.

Sin is deadly. It will kill you. It’s more deadly than any poison, and more dangerous than the most powerful weapon. Yet why do we treat it so lightly? Those things can kill the body, but sin will kill the soul, banishing it eternally from the presence of God into a lake of fire. It’s far more terrible than we know.

But if your sins are forgiven, then boy are you blessed! In the world people say ‘If I can just get rich and have everything I ever wanted, then I’ll be happy.’ But the Bible says:

“Happy is the man who’s disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.” (Ps.32:1)

The Amplified Bible describes ‘happy’ as ‘blessed, happy, fortunate and to be envied.’ Sounds like a rich person to me!

To be forgiven from sins is nothing less than life from the dead. Some people don’t believe that God still does miracles today. But if you’re a born-again Christian, you yourself have been raised from the dead!

You could be a multi-trillionaire and own half the GDP of the entire world, but if your sins are not forgiven you will lose every last penny you have, and then your own soul too. But if you’ve been forgiven then even if you own nothing and can’t even afford to pay for dinner tonight, you get to keep the thing that’s most important – for all eternity – your life itself.

As Jesus said:

“How do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?” (Luke. 9:25)

When God forgives, He does a proper job! He literally has the power to forget what you’ve done and never bring it to mind again! The Bible says ‘He has removed our sins from us as far as the east is from the west.’ (Psalm 103:12) How far is that? To infinity, and beyond!

So today if you’re a Christian, never forget that the grace to be forgiven of sin makes you hands down the wealthiest person in the world. Really! Let us thank God for His amazing grace poured out in Christ Jesus.

And if you’re not a Christian run quickly to the Saviour today! Ask Him to forgive your sins, and let Him save your soul from the terrible punishment of Hell. Then you will be truly rich.

Taste the Joy!

Recently a friend asked me for some music lessons. This is not something I usually do, but he seemed serious and determined about it, so I agreed. He asked what my rate would be. I hadn’t thought about that, so I decided to do some research first, and discovered that a qualified music teacher can charge up to £25 p/hr!

However something didn’t feel right about charging such a high price, so I waited for several days and pondered the idea. Finally, in a moment of clarity (yes they do happen!), I knew what I should do. I should obey the words of Jesus in Acts 20:35: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ I was to give my friend lessons for free, not charging a penny.

So I did. I give my friend lessons nearly every week and don‘t charge him a dime (as the Americans say), and even purchased the learning materials myself.

The remarkable thing is that I have learned one of the reasons why Jesus said to give is more blessed than to receive. Of course this seems counter-intuitive to the natural mind, but so do most of God’s ways, so we must just do them anyway, and in the doing we learn by experience why His ways are right and the world’s ways are wrong.

But here is what I discovered: joy!

The joy of giving is much greater than the joy of receiving.

I can’t deny that if someone gave me a million pounds, the keys to a fast and flashy sports car, and my own private yaught, it would make me happy. I could certainly find ways to enjoy those things. But the joy you experience when giving is much greater, and surpasses anything you can experience by receiving.

If I had charged my friend for music lessons, I would be grateful for the extra money and could no doubt find good use for it. But by giving him lessons for free when I have every right to charge for them, I get a joy that cannot be easily explained! It feels so much better, so right and satisfying.

And now I understand why God chose to give us salvation as a free gift. Just think: He had every right to charge us full price for it. And what a price! It is far greater than any of us could every pay. But thank God there is One who could pay it, and did pay it for us, so that we could have it for free. His blessed name is Jesus!

God knows that it is more blessed to give than to receive, and this blessedness is not just the reward you receive for your giving, but they joy you experience when you give. Since God created us in His own likeness and image, and since we are his very own children who partake of His own nature in Christ Jesus, He desires that we too experience the same joy He experiences when we give. In this way we are able to understand our God and Father, to live as He lives and to fulfil His desire to share Himself with His own creation. Hallelujah! What a joy and honour!

So give something to someone in need today. Do for free something that you have every right to charge for. Give away something that you own to bless someone else, and taste the joy! I promise, you’ll not be disappointed!

From Rags to Riches

“You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.” (2 Cor. 8:9)

What an amazing verse!

Think of it: Jesus was and is the Son of God. Who in all of creation was richer than He, besides God Himself? The angels who serve Him were rich, but not nearly as rich as the Son. They were and are blessed to be able to enter the Presence of God, to serve and minister for the Almighty Creator Himself and to behold His great glory. But Jesus, being a Son, was an heir of God. This means that everything that belongs to God, belongs also to Him. Talk about rich!

As Jesus said, “All that the Father has is mine.” (John 16:15). Imagine, He could walk through all of Heaven and the entire Universe, put His finger on anything and say “This is mine.” To any of the angels He could have said, “You belong to Me.”

Yet when humanity, made in His own likeness, fell into sin, He lost something He loved very dearly. Adam and Eve, who were also rich, sold themselves out to the devil, and became in an instant very poor. Through the trickery of the devil, we traded our privileged place in God’s dominion and shook hands with death.

But because of God’s overwhelming love for us He sent His only Son to rescue us from our terrible and eternal plight.

Jesus too traded His great riches, for a poverty greater than we will ever fully know. As the Scripture says: “Though He was God, he did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made Himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. And in human form He obediently humbled Himself even further by dying a criminal’s death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:6-8).

He who knew no sin, became sin for us. He endured the punishment meant for our wrongdoings. He took the hit that divine justice had aimed at us. On the cross, the greatest transaction in all of history was taking place. Through the intense suffering of His loving sacrifice, He was liberating mankind. He volunteered to take our sentence, so that we could walk away free!

And not just free, but rich!

When we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour we trade our poverty for His riches. We exchange our death for His life. We trade our sin for His righteousness. We swap our misery for His joy. We exchange our sickness for His health. We trade our fear and anxiety for His peace. We trade our darkness for His marvellous light. We trade our citizenship in Hell for a free ticket to Heaven. We trade our utter hopelessness for the never-ending hope of an eternal life. Jesus has completely turned the tables on our poverty and made us truly rich in every way.

Not only that, but in Christ Jesus we have become the adopted children of God. And if children, then also heirs: “For His Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts and tells us that we are God’s children. And since we are His children, we will share His treasures – for everything God gives to His Son, Christ, is ours, too.” (Romans 8:17).

And again: “And because you Gentiles have become His children, God has sent the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, and now you can call God your dear Father. Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are His child, everything He has belongs to you.” (Gal.4:6, 7)

So no longer think of yourself as poor. Call yourself rich! Anything less than that is a dishonour to the work of Christ. Make it personal today, know that Jesus did this for you because He loves you. You mean so much to Him that He would suffer as much as He did to help you. In Christ Jesus you have been rescued, redeemed and restored to God, whom you can now call Father, and whose all is now yours!

As Christians, we have the ultimate rags to riches story. Because of the love of Christ, truly we are all slumdog millionaires!