Down2Earth: 6. Take a Break

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Posted by Larry | Posted on 25-07-2007

Category : Bible, Down2Earth, Old Testament

Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labour and do all your work but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Exodus 20:8-11 (NIV)

My memories of the Sabbath day when I was growing up as a child arenââ?¬â?¢t that great. For a start, it fell on a Saturday which was the day when everybody else seemed to have lots of fun. We’d have a long morning at the synagogue and then we werenââ?¬â?¢t allowed to go shopping, handle money, carry anything, do cooking, watch TV, travel in the car or on public transport ââ?¬â?? the list goes on. It was also football day (thatââ?¬â?¢s soccer to anyone from the US reading this!) ââ?¬â?? every game in the football league kicked-off at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon (none of this Sunday at 5.30pm nonsense that you have now just to cater for a television channel!). As football was my passion in those days, not to be allowed to go and watch the games was, I thought, a harsh restriction. The only answer for me to survive was a well-developed regime of rule breaking. To think all those years my mum thought I was at my friendââ?¬â?¢s house just ââ?¬Ë?talkingââ?¬â?¢ when, in fact, we were screaming our heads off at White Hart Lane watching Tottenham Hotspur!

My family didnââ?¬â?¢t even practice Judaism in an orthodox way ââ?¬â?? so you can imagine what it must be like in a real orthodox home ââ?¬â?? they often have things like automatic light switches to get round the hundreds of rules and regulations that the Rabbis have set down as their interpretations of how the Sabbath day should be lived out. Itââ?¬â?¢s no surprise then that Jesus addressed the subject of the Sabbath and confronted religious leaders on a number of occasions ââ?¬â?? best summed up when He said:
ââ?¬Å?The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.ââ?¬Â Mark 2:27 (NIV).

However, for most people living in western society the problem isnââ?¬â?¢t how to interpret Sabbath regulations, but rather how to include the Sabbath as a basic principle within a culture that has adopted the notion that nothing beats ââ?¬Ë?24/7ââ?¬â?¢. Even the church has bought into its deception ââ?¬â?? I mean, doesnââ?¬â?¢t it sound so much more spiritual to have a prayer session that goes on 24/7 than one that stops at 10pm so everyone can just go home and go to bed! It may sound cool for a service, shop, business etc. to be available 24/7 but the people that work these places are breaking (or being forced to break) a crucial principle that God Himself ordained ââ?¬â?? work six days and then take a break! This doesnââ?¬â?¢t have to be on any one particular day but it does need to happen otherwise people and society as a whole will suffer.

Since the Sabbath was made for man, it should be an enjoyable day, completely detached from work, where quality time can be spent alone or with family or friends. It�s not necessary to prescribe exactly what people should do or not do but certainly time could be given to anything that�s reflective, edifying and encouraging. Do you have a Sabbath day or are you 24/7?

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Down2Earth: 5. Our True Nature

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Posted by Larry | Posted on 02-07-2007

Category : Bible, Down2Earth, Genesis, Old Testament, Righteousness

The Lord saw how great man�s wickedness on the

earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

Genesis 6: 5-6 (NIV)

Oh dear, that doesnââ?¬â?¢t sound too good, does it? Itââ?¬â?¢s even worse when we realise that Godââ?¬â?¢s not just saying this about a specific group of people who lived at a certain point in history. ââ?¬Ë?Manââ?¬â?¢s wickednessââ?¬â?¢ and the ââ?¬Ë?thoughts of his heartââ?¬â?¢ are, unfortunately, just the same now as they were then. So this also refers to the here and now ââ?¬â?? and to you and to me.

Now before you jump up to defend your track record on being a good person, let me explain where Iââ?¬â?¢m coming from. I vividly recall a conversation that I had with a Christian before I became one myself (over 30 years ago), in which I questioned why it was that I couldnââ?¬â?¢t just continue being the good person that I was without me having to bring Christ into the picture. The response was a very wise one ââ?¬â?? he got me to really analyse (for the first time) the true nature of my thoughts. In doing so, I had to acknowledge, albeit reluctantly, that I actually spent the vast majority of the time thinking about myself and how my needs were going to be met. Then, when I analysed my supposed ââ?¬Ë?goodââ?¬â?¢ works, I realised that my motives were often self-centred ones ââ?¬â?? doing things to look good or just to make me feel good.

But ultimately, what really puts things into their true perspective is getting a grasp on the character of God Himself. His perfect righteousness makes everything else pale into insignificance. It�s summed up best by Isaiah in a verse that I referred to in my introduction to the Down2earth series:

All of us have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf and like the wind our sins sweep us away.
Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

So I cringe when I occasionally hear people say something like: ââ?¬Å?he/she is a really good Christianââ?¬Â or ââ?¬Å?Iââ?¬â?¢m trying to be a good Christianââ?¬Â. To be a ââ?¬Ë?good Christianââ?¬â?¢ is a contradiction in-terms. It misses the point about the essence of what a Christian really is ââ?¬â?? not someone who goes around glowing with righteousness ââ?¬â?? but rather someone (like everyone else) whoââ?¬â?¢s inner nature is basically bad, whoââ?¬â?¢s realised it and whoââ?¬â?¢s come before God and asked for forgiveness. And because of the sacrifice of Christ, that forgiveness is available and extremely forthcoming. Now God is able to look at us and accept us because, in some mysterious way that only He understands, the blood of Christ appeases Him. Thatââ?¬â?¢s why Paul can confidently write that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

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Down2Earth: 4. Why me?

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Posted by Larry | Posted on 19-06-2007

Category : Bible, Down2Earth, Moses, Old Testament

ââ?¬Å?…and now the cry of the Israelites has reached Me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to

bring My people the Israelites out of Egypt.�

But Moses said to God, ââ?¬Å?Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egyptââ?¬Â

And God said, ââ?¬Å?I will be with youââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â

Exodus 3: 9-11 (NIV)

We usually think of Moses as someone in the top league of spiritual greats. In terms of what God did through him, he was a profoundly significant character. Yet, ironically, he was very much a reluctant leader. He would have preferred anybody but himself to have been chosen for this momentous role. Inside, he felt insecure, timid and fearful ââ?¬â?? does that ring any bells in your life? If so, then youââ?¬â?¢re probably just the sort of person God wants to use!

We know from other verses in the Bible that proud people donââ?¬â?¢t get to be first pick ââ?¬â?? for example see Proverbs 16:18-19, Luke 14:7-11 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. Why not? Well, theyââ?¬â?¢re usually people who want to be in control of everything and who may manipulate others to get what they want. They usually want the credit or glory for an achievement to go to themselves. They find it difficult to trust others to do things. They tend to be very opinionated and take their opinion as being the right one. They may look down on others who are different in some way to themselves. The characteristics of the proud person make it difficult (but not impossible) to be used by God.

But why choose Moses for the job? Heââ?¬â?¢d never done anything like this before, he was scared to bits of Pharaoh the king, he doubted whether his own people would follow him and, to cap it all, he had a speech impediment! Not a great CV. Itââ?¬â?¢s interesting also to note that God didnââ?¬â?¢t disagree that his credentials were poor ââ?¬â?? His answer to Mosesââ?¬â?¢ objections was a simple: ââ?¬Å?I will be with youââ?¬Â¦Ã¢â?¬Â. So it wasnââ?¬â?¢t that God was just going to butter him up and pretend he was something special ââ?¬â?? He was all too well aware of Mosesââ?¬â?¢ shortcomings and did nothing to try and convince him otherwise. In His wisdom, God knew that Moses would have to simply trust Him step-by-step, situation-by-situation until all had been fulfilled. In that place of trust and weakness, he would have to stay open, flexible and responsive to all that God wanted to do through him. Indeed, he cried out to God on numerous occasions.

Over the years, Iââ?¬â?¢ve found myself in many situations where Iââ?¬â?¢ve felt completely inadequate and asked God ââ?¬â?? ââ?¬Å?why me?ââ?¬Â. Iââ?¬â?¢ve known many troubled days and sleepless nights. Iââ?¬â?¢m sure some of you have gone through similar experiences. At times like this, we can look to a guy like Moses who achieved great things by the end of his life, not because he ââ?¬Ë?had the goodsââ?¬â?¢; in fact, quite the opposite. But God, nevertheless, used him in amazing ways and He wants to use you too!

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