2020-09-03
Revelation 21:4 NKJV
For the last few days, we’ve imagined what it might be like to live in our dream house. But even though we may be living in the best house in the world, life still happens. Unexpected problems crop up and steal our peace and security; we might become ill and struggle with our health; we lose people we love. Our lives may seem perfect to an outsider, but the reality can be very different. But the first thing to remember is that true peace and security doesn’t come from the things we own, the job we do, or the opinions of others. It comes from God. Psalm 91 says: ‘Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you”‘ (v.1-2 NCV). We might never get chance to live in our dream house, but ultimately, God has something for us that’s so much better – a place with Him in heaven forever. We live in a broken world where we might lose possessions, health, and loved ones. But heaven will make up for all we’ve lost. We’ll be reunited with our redeemed loved ones, and we’ll have bodies free from sickness, pain, and every form of limitation. ‘There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.’ But that doesn’t mean that God isn’t with us now. Have another look at the words of Psalm 91 – those words are for all of us, today. Our world isn’t perfect, but our God is, and until we’re united with Him in heaven, He’ll walk alongside us and be our refuge every day of our earthly lives.
Eze 5-9; Luke 19:41-48; Ps 142; Prov 19:21-23
2020-09-02
Revelation 7:15 NIV
Another thing we might think about if we were buying a house is: ‘How close is it to where I work?’ We saw a few days ago that God has a place prepared for us in heaven with other worshippers, so we know where we’ll be and who we’re with, but what about the things we’ll do? Will we have to work? The Bible doesn’t specifically say what work we’ll do, but John’s vision of heaven tells us that the people he saw served God ‘day and night’, so we know we’ll have something to do. We can also look for clues in the first Paradise – the Garden of Eden. In Genesis we read: ‘The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it’ (2:15 NIV). God created the earth and everything in it, but then He set Adam and Eve the task of taking care of His creation and turning it into a reflection of His glory and power. So one of the ways we might be serving God in heaven is by looking after everything there and using it all to demonstrate our love for Him. After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God said to them: ‘The ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it’ (Genesis 3:17 NLT). But in heaven, God says: ‘No longer will there be a curse upon anything’ (Revelation 22:3 NLT). That means even though we have to work in heaven, we won’t find the work difficult or boring, and because we’re serving God through our work, we’ll be able to enjoy our work too.
Eze 1-4; Luke 19:28-40; Ps 111; Prov 19:18-20
2020-09-01
Revelation 7:9 NCV
Another question we might ask if we were buying a house is: ‘What are the neighbours like?’ In Revelation, John describes a vision he received of heaven. He wrote: ‘After the vision of these things, I looked, and there was a great number of people, so many that no one could count them. They were from every nation, tribe, people and language of the earth. They were all standing before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They were shouting in a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb”‘ (Revelation 7:9-10 NCV). John’s vision tells us something important – heaven is a place of complete unity. Everyone in heaven is united by their love of God and Jesus. Everyone there wants to praise God. Their differences don’t matter – the important thing is that they’ve all accepted their salvation through Jesus, and they give glory to God for it. Ever been to a Christian festival like Big Church Day Out or Soul Survivor? There are thousands of people from all over the country (and even from across the world), all with different backgrounds, different accents, different languages, different opinions. But they’re united in their love for God and want to come together to worship Him. Heaven will be even better – imagine how amazing it’ll be to see ‘a great number of people, so many that no one could count them,’ all singing and shouting praise to God! But before we get there, we can try to bring some of that to our daily lives, by welcoming those who are different from us into God’s family, forgetting our differences and remembering what unites us – Jesus.
Amos 5:18-9:15; Luke 19:11-27; Ps 103:13-22; Prov 19:17
2020-08-31
2 Corinthians 5:1 NIV
What’s your dream house like? How many rooms does it have? Is it contemporary and new, or old, with lots of history? Does it have a garden? It can be fun to imagine our dream house, and maybe some of us will have the chance to live in a house that comes close to it. But when we’re children of God, it doesn’t matter how beautiful our dream house might be; our place in heaven is even better. It can be difficult to grasp just how perfect heaven is, so for the next few days, let’s take a look at some of the things the Bible says about heaven. Jesus said, ‘There are many rooms in my Father’s house; I would not tell you this is it were not true. I am going there to prepare a place for you’ (John 14:2 NCV). If we were buying a house, one of the first questions we’d ask would be ‘How much does it cost?’ Our place in heaven costs more than we could ever afford, but God already paid the price for us when ‘he gave his one and only Son’ (John 3:16 NIV). We don’t get to heaven because we deserve it, but because Jesus deserves it. We don’t work for God’s kingdom to be saved or to earn His love, we work for His kingdom because we are saved and we already have His love. That’s so ‘God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness towards us’ (Ephesians 2:7 NLT).
Amos 1:1-5:17; Luke 19:1-10; Ps 103:1-12; Prov 19:12-16
2020-08-30
1 Chronicles 29:12 NIVUK
Yesterday, we looked at practical negotiation. Today, we’re thinking about the way that God has negotiated the greatest price for us. Think about when Peter meets Jesus after the resurrection in John 21. Not long before this conversation, Peter had disowned Jesus, denying Him three times. But Jesus’ sacrifice at the cross covered everything that Peter had done. Jesus could love him for who he was, and give him the chance to step into who he was made to be. Peter got to tell Jesus that he loved Him three times, negating the times that he’d denied Jesus. Through death on a cross and through the resurrection, God had negotiated Peter’s freedom from the hurtful things that he’d done, allowing him to rebuild his relationship with Jesus. He offers the same to us, every day. As Hebrews 9:14 tells us, ‘He offered himself through the eternal Spirit[a] as a perfect sacrifice to God. His blood will make our consciences pure from useless acts so we may serve the living God.’ (NCV). Because of this, God sees us for who we are, even for who we want to be, not for what we’ve done. Thanks to Jesus, we get the chance to stand before God and become everything that we were made to be. We stand worthy and forgiven in the sight of the God who created the universe, and we get to live life alongside Him, hearing from Him and reading His Word. What greater riches or honour could we hope to negotiate than that?
Dan 1:1-20; Dan 6:1-28
2020-08-29
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NIV
For some, negotiation is part of their job. For a lot of us, it’s not, but it happens in our day-to-day life more than we recognise. Whether it’s haggling at a market, buying a car, or dealing with standoffish children, we have to know how to work with others to meet their needs, while fulfilling the task we set out to complete. It’s important to remember three Biblical truths when dealing with others to achieve a positive outcome. 1) Consider the other person’s feelings. Matthew 7:12 reminds us to ‘do to others what you would have them do to you’ (NIV). Nobody likes being taken for granted or pressured. We have to put ourselves into their shoes. However, you have to negotiate the situation, do it with love. 2) Consider the cost to the other person. ‘When you do things, do not let selfishness or pride be your guide. Instead, be humble and give more honour to others than to yourselves’ (Philippians 2:3 NCV). If you can be generous with your payment, your time, or your patience, then do. Don’t push for more than is necessary. 3) Watch your timing. Circumstances matter. The Message paraphrases Ecclesiastes 3:6 like this: ‘A right time to search and another to count your losses, a right time to hold on and another to let go’ (MSG). Sometimes, there’s no choice but to push through. Sometimes, you should try again later. Sometimes, you have to let it go entirely. So, whether you’re trying to close a business deal, or trying to get a little one to go to eat their breakfast, remember that we have to value God and others above the outcome. Always act with care, love, and fairness. Be resolute when the situation calls for it. But when softness is needed, be ready to let it all go for the greater good.
Lam 3:40-5:22; Luke 18:31-43; Ps 84; Prov 19:11
