EmmDev 2022-05-31 [Spiritual Growth] Getting enlightened

Getting enlightened

Psalm 119 is not only the longest psalm, but it is also one of the most well-crafted. Each stanza consists of a number of paired lines that begin with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet and the stanzas work through from the first to the last letters of the alphabet. 

When someone goes to so much trouble, they must believe their message!

The message of Psalm 119 is summed up in our verse for today. Scripture and its value is the theme of the song, and in verse 105 David expresses himself very powerfully. God's Word is the tool which enlightens us and shows us the way. It is through the illumination of the Scriptures that we can understand God, life, and ourselves better.

The interesting thing about David's image is this: Imagine you are walking along a dark forest path with a lamp. How can you see beyond the perimeter of the lamplight's reach? You have to walk in the direction you want to see! Scripture is the same - it doesn't have much to say about the faraway philosophical discussions or the abstract arguements we sometimes have. 

But when we shine it into the realities of life that affect us, if we pick it up and use it as our guide, it will illuminate our way and guide us.

From experience I know this to be true!

Your word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light to my path. (Psalms119:105)

EmmDev 2022-05-27 [Spiritual Growth] Getting sharp with the Word

Getting sharp with the Word

The first growth habit is regular study and reflection on the Bible which is God's Word. It is the first habit because all the other habits flow from it and are informed by it.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews gives us the first reason why we should cultivate a habit of Bible Study: God's Word is a powerful tool to facilitate the shaping of our character.

He likens it to a sharp sword (he might have used the image of a scalpel if they had had scalpels.) The sword is able to dissect, separating even bone and marrow, soul and spirit, thoughts and attitudes of the heart. 

We should never think that we can read the Bible for simple academic interest: Any genuine encounter with Scripture should cause me to reflect on my thoughts and attitudes in a life-changing way.

In our desire to become more like Jesus, we need a regular exposure to Scripture's principles, values, and guidance. It is not a toy or simple collection of religious anecdotes - it is a powerful, active, razor-sharp sword. And like a surgeon uses a scalpel for healing, God will use His Word to transform us. Occasionally the scalpel of Scripture has to cut out a tumour of pride or lance an infection of sin - this is never easy, but it is always for our good. 

For the Word of God is living 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. (Hebrews4:12)

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EmmDev 2022-05-26 [Spiritual Growth] Ascension and Growth

Ascension and Growth

From the few insights we have from Scripture, the Forty Days that Jesus spent with the disciples from Resurrection to Ascension, were quiet, intimate and healing. I can only imagine that the prospect of Jesus' impending departure must have been quite daunting for the disciples.

But the Ascension is a key factor in their spiritual journey.

They, like Jesus in His incarnation, had to to learn to walk by faith.

They had to learn to exchange experiencing the physical experience of Christ's presence for the experience of Triune God's presence through faith, prayer, worship and fellowship. They needed to learn how to live their earthly lives deeply aware of another dimension: They had to learn to live with one foot in temporality and the other in eternity. 

The Ascension reminds us of both realities. Jesus lived in our earthly reality, but His transition into eternity opens the way for you and I to recognise that we also have an eternal destination. This world is not our home.

But living by faith is not easy...

And so Jesus gives us a promise: We will not have to do this by ourselves.
We will receive help from the Holy Spirit and He will give us power. The Greek word for power is "dunamis" from which we get "dynamite" and "dynamo." I like the second implication because it conjures up memories of the dynamo light I had on my bike as a kid... When I was moving the wheel spun the dynamo and I had light for my path. 

The Ascension means Jesus has opened the "way" for me to spend eternity with Him.  (Remember that early Christians were called "People of the Way"...) The dynamo power of His Spirit, working in me and you, will transform our efforts and "generate" light that will help us on the way and our lives can shine (be a witness).

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts1:8)

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EmmDev 2022-05-25 [Journey to the Cross] Growing in our Faith

Hi Everyone.

After a very big gap, I am going to try to get the EmmDevs going again. I apologise for being so sporadic - it has been a challenging and relentless time, coupled with significant frustrations on the tech-side: it is getting more and more difficult to send out email that actually gets delivered on the other side. I hope to get on top of all the issues eventually.

This series is a kind of back-to-basics which is appropriate in the the light of Easter past, Ascension tomorrow and Pentecost around the corner. It is a reworking of a series I wrote in 2003. The basic truths are still applicable...

God bless and Love,
Theo

Growing in our Faith

Have you ever tried to run up the down escalator?
If one wants to get to the top, one has to keep moving!
To stop is to lose ground - The same is true for our walk with Christ - we must constantly fight against the gravity of our daily cares and our own weaknesses and strive forward to become more and more like Jesus.

But how do we do this? How do we grasp the fullness of life that God has for us? There are five basic disciplines that will help us overcome our tendency to drift away from God.

They are:

 1. Regular Bible Reading 

 2. Meaningful Prayer

 3. Character Forming Contact with other Christians.

 4. Learning to hear and obey the Holy Spirit on a daily basis.

 5. Sharing our faith in a real and wholesome way.

Authors like Steven Covey have correctly perceived that growth is a character issue and that character is formed by our habits. As we grow in our walk with God, it is our character that is at stake. Like a block of marble that must be chiselled and shaped and filed, so our characters must go through a process of refining. These five habits are habits that are found in all growing Christians. (We'll be spending a few days on each of these habits.)

Fortunately we are not left to struggle on our own. We don't just have to grow all by ourselves. God immerses us, like young plants, in the rich nourishing soil of his grace and He waters us with the knowledge that comes through His Word. We don't have to earn God's love - He has already shown His love to us. We don't have to go out and look for God - He has already found us...

But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory, both now and forever! Amen. (2Peter3:18)

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