Author: Carol Purves

Hidden in a Tree

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People who encounter Jesus go from poor in spirit to rich in spirit. Zacchaeus went from financial wealth to poverty. At the beginning of the narrative, being a chief tax collector, he was known for cheating the Jews and being rich. After his encounter with Jesus he repaid everyone he had cheated fourfold. He also gave away half his possessions. He must have ended up nearly bankrupt!

Consider our wealth today. We don’t read of the wealthiest people being the happiest. Lottery winners often regret winning millions of pounds as it ruins their lives. More cars and houses don’t buy more happiness. They become suspicious of their friends, in case they are only friends because of their money? Money and possessions become a stranglehold.

Of course, we all need enough to live on and we know many people do not have that. Those of us who have enough can share, we can give to others and charities. If we don’t desire to give nationally, we can give to local food banks and money for equipment for local schools, We can give to the homeless we see on our streets. We should not give money to them as it can be used for drugs or drink, give food or drinks, or as I once did in a rainstorm, an umbrella. The devil will always supply us with excuses not to give.

The Heart of the Matter

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‘Are you greater than our father, Jacob?’ asks the Samaritan woman of Jesus at the well. The answer is a million time ‘Yes.’ The woman was good at avoiding answering the really important questions and asking distracting ones. The arguments she used are still used in the modern day by non-believers. She brings us the male versus female issue – a Samaritan woman and a Jewish man. We often bring up differences between men and women, forgetting that God wants us to complement each other not aim for superiority. It is so sad to hear unkind remarks about our opposite sex; we should be partnerships, each helping each other. This woman also exploits the differences in forms of worship. Today, some people like noisy worship, others worship in quietness. Some have ornate churches and cathedrals, while others have no ornaments save a single cross. How easily we forget that we worship the same God, whatever our style of praise and worship.

With the woman at the well, Jesus pulls her back to basics. He tells her ‘The time is coming and has now come, when the true worshipper will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipper the Father seeks,’ John 4:23. May we be that kind of worshipper.

Twenty-four Seven

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‘When I am awake I am still with you.’ Psalm 139:18

In this text, I notice one word in particular ‘still,’ This implies that during the night I have been with my God, or more importantly, He has been with me. He doesn’t return as I awake, He hes never left me. Little children are often afraid of the dark and the night. I had a sibling who had night terrors and I would often be disturbed by the sound of my parents soothing him back to sleep. There was a difficult period of my life when as I became conscious after sleep, my heart would plummet with fear of the difficult day ahead, but God never left me..

Maybe you and I experience similar feelings today. We need to remember, having been with us during the night, God is still with us.The Psalmist tells us in Psalm 121:6.’The sun shall not smite you by day or the moon by night.’ Elsewhere we read ‘Even the darkness is not dark to You. ‘ Psalm 139:12. Just because we are asleep or even trying to sleep, God hasn’t gone off duty.

Every promise that we read in the Bible for the daytime, applies equally to the night. God doesn’t have a ‘clock off time.’ Nor is it just during our living years that we have this assurance. Psalm 139 comforts us with the words’, Lead me in the way everlasting.’

Lasting Crowns

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For people who dislike sport, choosing to watch television must be hard at the moment. Football, cricket, swimming, the Olympics and many, many more sports are being shown on many television channels much of the day. There are cups and medals always being competed for and won or lost .Sport is a healthy thing for mind and body. I follow my local football team but to corrupt the words of Alfred, Lord Tennyson in his Charge of the Light Brigade, ‘half a league, half a league, half a league onward’, the story of my team is, ‘up a league and down a league, do better next year.’

It is sad to read of former sportspeople having to sell their medals to buy essentials because they have fallen on hard times. Their trophies are not in their lives for ever.. We strive hard for achievement, but their permanence is short. Athletes grow old and can no longer compete and the life of athletes achieving medals is a short one.

Paul has something to say about this ‘They do it for a crown which will not last……’. 1 Corinthians 9:25. But he goes on to say ‘But we do it for a crown that will last for ever.’ Jesus put the same thoughts into parables. We think of the parable of the hidden talent in the field, where a man sells everything he has to buy that field. We know that our earthy achievements and possessions will not last. I realise that on my death, as I have no descendants, all my belongings will be put into a skip. I hold them lightly because they are not of substance. I want to hold on to that which will last through eternity.

The Race of Life

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Though we have many races in life, school sports days, races for buses, striving to receive academic awards, we only have one race of life. It’s probably true of all of us that we swerve from side to side at times along this path. We meet many distracting obstacles on the way. which mislead us and cause us to stumble.

Our race may be long or short and if the race is long there may be a tendency to flag. It is then that we need to concentrate on the finish.and keep our eyes on the final destination. As my hairdresser told me recently ‘We’re dying from the moment we’re born.’ (Unfortunately she gave no thought as to what the final destination would be.)

Our final place will be heaven, but God has gifted us with many pleasant times along the way. Some periods of life are sweet but they are not the end place. I think of my 91 year old friend now in end of life care. She has run a good race and is so eager to meet her maker. May she soon say with Paul, ‘I have finished the race,’ 2 Timothy 4:6.’

Dorcas

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Paul and his companions continued on their way until they reached Philippi . On the Sabbath they were looking for a place of prayer, they didn’t have the choices we have today of various places to worship. At the riverside they found a group of women in prayer and worshiping. Imagine how the women would have felt; they were meeting as usual and suddenly this preacher of the gospel joins them.

The woman, Lydia a seller of purple goods was among those who were baptised. So impressed was she by Paul’s preaching and message that she urged Paul and his companions to stay with her. We can imagine the long and helpful conversations they would have had during that period. Paul’s message would have stayed with them long afterwards.

It seems it was the custom for these women to meet by the riverside. This meant that they were in the right place when Paul arrived. If God has a message for us, we need to be in church, or somewhere similar to hear it. As a young Christian with my friends we used to ask, where will we be when the second coming happens. Of course, we can’t be in church all the time, but we wouldn’t want to be in a ‘place of ‘ill repute ‘as we called some places in those days. .I don’t think we knew what ‘ill repute’ even meant! Each day I pray that my steps may be directed by Him, We need to be in the place God’s wants us to be.

A Heavenly Welcome

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God has placed us in families which is a wonderful thing, but family relationships do not always run smoothly. As many of us will know there are family rifts and tensions mixed in with the periods of happiness and security. It is so sad to hear in the news of babies not wanted and abandoned. Fortunately many go on to be adopted and have a happy childhood.

There are other instances where family relationships do not work. It is sometimes due to sinfulness in the relationship and the sinfulness in our own lives. There are sibling rivalries which can last a lifetime, while in other cases marriages end in divorce. Later in life many have a lonely old age, no-one should be alone when they are old, but sadly many are.

Our relationship with God is so different because God is perfect, even though we’re not. He compensates for our imperfections. With Him we are never abandoned or unloved. The sin in our relationship is wiped out by the power of His shed blood. When we think about the story of the Prodigal Son we realise how much our God loves us with a magnificent love. At the gates of heaven, God will be there to welcome us and welcome us for all eternity. Loneliness and isolation will be no more. The feeling of not fitting in will be no more. Such wonderful news for those of us, and that’s everyone, who doesn’t have a perfect family.

Two Sparrows

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One of the joys of my new home is watching the birds scurrying round my garden. They visit the bird table to eat the food I give them and also scrabble round the garden finding worms. The pigeons seem to have characters of their own as they chase each other away from the food. In spite of this my food gets gobbled up so quickly t’hat’ll I have to put the birds back on a diet of worms!

God knows when one of these birds is in trouble or dies, so how much more does He care for your and me. Each morning He knows exactly what will happen to us during the day. He knows when we are in danger, have problems or worries. So why do we worry when God is already coping with the issue? He is in control

We read in Matthew 10:29-31, ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, yet not one of them falls to the ground outside Your father’s care…….. You are worth more than many sparrows.’ God has every situation in hand. Our job is to wait and pray, even more important – pray and wait. Our job is to keep in contact with the Person who has all the answers. We can look back a day, a month or even a year; God has never let us down. ‘Because He loves the sparrow, I know He cares for me.’

Hands

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‘Jesus hands were kind hands doing good to all.’ ……. ‘Take my hands Lord Jesus, let them work for You.’ Frank McConnell

My hands have always had an old look to them. Now that the rest of my body is looking older, it doesn’t matter any more. In any case, it is no concern what they look like, it’s what I do with them that matters. I ask myself, do I use my hands to help others, are my hands there to comfort those who are distressed in any way?

The hands of Jesus are a sign of His sacrifice for us. As a child He would have used His hands to have fun and play and as He grew up they would have been used working in His earthly father’s workshop. Fancy owning a table or chair that had been crafted by the God of the Universe, though generally that wasn’t known at the time. During His period of ministry His hands were used to heal and comfort, making the blind to see, the lame to walk.Those hands which did so much good were then nailed to the cross, torn and bleeding. These broken hands will still be seen in heaven, a permanent reminder of the sacrifice that was made.

Going back to thinking about our own hands, we can all use our hands for others, even if there are old and arthritic, our hands can always be lifted up in prayer.

Holy Dwellings

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What a joy it is to visit Christian friends in their Christian homes. Yes, they can be called ‘Christian homes,’ there is a peace and hope about these places. Of course, my friends are human and there must be times of disagreements, friction and even tragedy, but overall there is a sense that God dwells there. It is nothing to do with lovely furniture or plush carpets; it is the peace of God that is present.

I had the pleasure of visiting two such homes recently. In one the furnishings were lovely, everything in a contemporary grey with discrete colourful accessories. The large picture windows looked out over green fields stretching away into the distance. My friend had been a farmer and needed the uninterrupted view. His wife obviously had a flair for decorating. I was impressed as they had a large shed where homeless people often stayed for a few nights. It was a God-filled home.

The other friends i visited had a small bungalow, small garden and no view. Again it was tastefully decorated but what impressed me was the feeling of peace and the presence of God. They had previously been missionaries and their home was filled with stories and laughter. It felt that the presence of God was present.

I always felt the walls of my previous home were impregnated with prayer. Much prayer had taken place when I had lived there as various friends visited. I was very happy that I could sell it to Christians who were actually a couple of the youth leaders from our church, so the prayer continues. When the youngsters meet there on Sundays evenings, there would be more prayer.