Bible Talks

On Monday we discussed about whether we should fast or not. The general consensus is yes - Jesus expected us to fast. This is also mentioned in Matthew 9:15.

So today I wanted to touch a bit more on fasting. In a lot of the verses where fasting is mentioned, it is also accompanied by prayer. We see this in Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Luke 2:37, Acts 13:3 and Acts 14:23 to name a few.

Nehemiah's story is a great one. He was cupbearer to the King Artaxerxes. This was no menial job, but one that was very highly esteemed. When Nehemiah learned that Jerusalem was in trouble, he 'sat down and wept'. The city had no wall for protection, and this saddened Nehemiah. Nehemiah 1:4 says:

"When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven."

The end result is that the King not only let Nehemiah go to Jerusalem, but bankrolled the rebuilding process.

So fasting and prayer, it would seem, go hand in hand. It seems like a huge mountain to climb to actually get started, but I'm convinced that if we take a step of faith, we'll be suprised at the results!

The past few weeks, my mind has been pondering that age-old topic that Christians like to avoid discussing almost as much as tithing - Fasting! Whenever I think of tithing, immediately my tummy sighs inwardly. As you all might have gathered, I do quite enjoy my food, and why shouldn't I?! Genesis 9:3 says, "Everything that lives and moves will be food for you" - Amen to that!

So, rather than describe what fasting is, I thought I'd start by asking, "Should we still be fasting?" I think a lot of people think it's not particularly relevant (maybe you don't - good!) in today's age. Fasting plays a big part in the old testament, and we see it done by such greats as Nehemiah and Daniel.

But what does the New Testament say about fasting? To find out, quickly flip to Matthew 6, and we'll come across the Sermon on the Mount - packed full of info for a blessed life with God. However, careful reading will find the following:

"But when you give to the needy…" (v 3)

"But when you pray…" (v 6)

"But when you fast…" (v 17)

As Christians, we don't doubt for a second that we should pray - after all, it's with a single prayer that we moved from death to life. We shouldn't question about giving to the needy either. But fasting…? I can hear you all grimacing now! It seems to me, that fasting is something that Jesus expects us to be doing as a matter of course. It's something we should be doing, even if it is going to cause us a little discomfort, which is nothing compared to that of what Jesus suffered!

Today we go back to 1 Peter, and follow on from Tuesday's verse (1 Peter 2:11):

1 Peter 2:12 says:

Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.

What amazes me is a verse written 2000 years ago is SO applicable to us today. We live in a society (at least in the western world), where it's all about me me me. It's all about self-gratification, anwhat we can get, at any expense. To the 'average joe', these things seem normal. It's normal to sleep around. It's normal to have loose morals. It's normal to lie. It's normal to deceive. But not for us. We've got a higher calling:

"Anyone who claims to be intimate with God ought to live the same kind of life Jesus lived" 1 John 2:6 (The Message)

We've gotta 'walk as Jesus walked' (NIV). That's a tall order to meet, and it's impossible to walk sin free. But with the grace given to us by God, it's possible.

When I was at university, people were 'amazed' that I wasn't set to jump into bed with any fair lady that passed by. It wasn't the norm. Yes, there were a few snide comments etc, but most people thought it was a good thing to live up to. Did it make them re-think about Christians and Christianity in general? I have no idea, but I sure hope so.

This is what Peter's getting at. Our 'good lives' can act as witnesses to those who don't know Christ yet. There's a quote that's widely associated with St Francis of Assisi: "Preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words". Now, this isn't a replacement for good ol' evangelism, but it's certainly food for thought!

Today's verse is one that's been 'biting at my ankles' the last few days. I've come across it in a few books I've been reading, and it's one that's stayed in my mind, so I thought I'd share it with you. It's from that book that everyone knows about, but one that doesn't get as much credit as it should!

Psalm 19:1-4 says:

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.

What David (the author of the Psalms) is getting at here, is that the evidence of God is all around us. From the tiniest of leaves, to the highest of mountains. From the towering waterfalls, to the deepest parts of the ocean, all scream out, "God made us!". Day and night are shouting 'without words' about the glory of God. Verse 2 in The Message says: 'Madame Day holds classes every morning, Professor Night lectures each evening.' It's a funny way of wording it, but it speaks volumes. Look out your window in the day, and you'll see leaves, trees, clouds, birds, people, animals etc all around you. Look out at night and see the stars and the moon in the sky. What person can look at a clear starry night, and not be filled with awe?

It's so easy in our daily lives to take all of this for granted. When was the last time you looked out of your window, and admired the view? Our world is such a complex beast, and yet it all integrates with each other as God planned. Food chains are in action 24/7 that ensure all living beings of all sizes, shape and colour can survive. Some people think that as we progress with science, we can say, "Oh, that's how this works - it's so obvious, it's clearly nothing to do with [a] God". Yet that's not the point. Yes we can figure out what's happening, how it's doing it and so on, but that gives us even more reason to jump up and shout, 'How Great is Our God'!

Today's verse comes from 1 Peter 2:11:

"Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul."

Peter's request is simple enough to read, but hard to follow! Firstly, he mentions that we're 'aliens and strangers in the world', That is, we're no longer part of this earth, but have our place in heaven. In the verses preceeding verse 11, Peter says that we are a 'people belonging to God'. Check out the passport of your heart, and you'll see that your place of birth isn't England - it's Heaven! Earth is no longer our 'home', but is just a waiting place until we go to Heaven. (See Titus 2:11-14 also)

Peter then tells us to 'abstain from sinful desires'. The Amplified bible calls these 'the evil desires, the passions of the flesh, your lower nature'. We've all been there. We have all struggled in the past. Doing wrong (generally) is the easy way out (Matt 7:13). It's a lot easier once you've done it a few times more too. It's the slippery path that we can all to easily fall down.

And these sins wage 'war against our soul'. How often have we been between a rock and a hard place when it comes to sin? How many times have we struggled in our fight to do what's right, when doing the wrong thing is so much easier? This is what Peter is talking about. This internal 'war' within our heart and mind is what every Christian goes through.

But our place isn't here, it's in Heaven. As such, we should do our best as 'ambassadors of Christ' (2 Corinthians 5:20) to step away from sin and reject it. It's easier said than done, but with God on our side, it's possible!

Today's verse comes from Philippians. Paul's letter to the church of Philippi is one that's full of joy. 13 times in this letter, Paul uses the words joy and rejoice. This is a letter of encouragement to the church. At the time it's written, Paul's in chains in a Roman jail. He's writing about joy, and the then Roman Emperor (Nero), was throwing Christians to the Lions! Nonetheless, Paul makes sure that his letter isn't one of discouragement, but one to cheer his brothers up: "Rejoice in the lord always" he says in verse 4.

He ends his letter with a useful nugget of advice that is applicable more and more in this day: Phil 4:8 (NIV)

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things."

His request is simple. Let's think about the good stuff in life. The Amplified version says to 'fix your minds on these things'. It's such a simple thing, and yet how often do we move away from this pattern of thought? It's so easy to think about the opposite of the above. Who wronged us. Who hurt us. Who annoyed us. Yet that shouldn't be the case. Instead, let's think about the above.

Today's verse comes from 1 Peter 5:6:

"Therefore humble yourselves [demote, lower yourselves in your own estimation] under the mighty hand of God, that in due time He may exalt you" (Amplified Bible).

It's so easy to try and exalt ourselves within our own means. We all want to feel special, we all want to be accepted. Yet, doing it within our own strength just isn't possible. Whilst we might gain acclaim from others, it's God's acclaim that we should strive for. Instead, we should humble ourselves, and then see what God does. Note that it's in his own time - not ours!

The previous verse to this says:

…All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because,
"God opposes the proud
but gives grace to the humble."

The Message says that God "takes delight in just plain people". That's what we should be striving for. There's nothing wrong with plain in God's eyes! So let's try and inspect our own actions, and see if we can clothe ourselves in humility.

Today's verse comes from the 'intimidating' book of Revelations, Rev 3:15-16:

"I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth."

This was directed to the church of Laodicea by an angel who came to John in a vision. The church had turned their focus onto money - not God. They were lukewarm. Still trying to follow God, but hindered by the trappings of life. How much does that sound like our walk with God?!

And God's response? It's better to be hot or cold. Or to put it another way, either pick up your cross and follow him (Matt 16.24), or don't do it at all. God doesn't want namby pamby followers! That's not to say he wants you to turn away. His desire is to bring you close, touch you, speak to you, show you great things (Jer 33.3). Verse 20 says:

"Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I'll come right in and sit down to supper with you." (The Message)

He's knocking at the door - why not open it?

Today's verse is the shortest verse in the Bible, and is made up of just two words.

I wanted to dispell a myth today. It's a common misconception of a lot of Christians to think of Jesus as someone who came, and walked on the Earth, and had a relatively easy time. Because, naturally, he knew his destiny, and that in the end, everything would be ok. He was here on a mission, and he knew that after this, he would be returning to God in heaven (Luke 22:69)

However, it wasn't like that! Jesus felt anxiety, he felt pain and he felt sorrow - the same as all of us do regularly. If he didn't, us trying to follow his example would be even more difficult. It says in Hebrews 2 that Jesus was made like us so that he could experience what we do.

Still, I digress! Today's verse concentrates on the story of Lazarus, and Jesus' reaction. We're told in John 11:2 that Lazarus is sick. Lazurus is the brother of Mary (who poured perfume on Jesus' feet) and Martha, and Jesus loved them dearly. In verse 5, it says "Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus". Lazarus is ill, and we're told in verse 3:

So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick."

John clearly sets out in these verses, that these three people are loved dearly by Jesus. I don't think that John was getting at the Fatherly/heavenly love that Jesus has for us all, but I think he was saying that these people were close to him, in those days much like family. So we all know the story of Lazarus. Jesus get's to Bethany, and it's four days (v17) too late. Lazarus is already dead - but Jesus knew this already (v11). When he get's there, Mary comes to see him (v33-36):

When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
"Where have you laid him?" he asked.
"Come and see, Lord," they replied.
Jesus wept.
Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"

Verse 35 says, "Jesus Wept". To me that speaks volumes. Jesus so loved this man that when he died, He cried. It's the same reaction that any of us have when a loved one departs.

We think of Jesus as being this Rock, this Stronghold. This is true, but not the case entirely. But Jesus wasn't immune to human emotions.

He cried.

He got nervous.

He got angry.

Just like all of us.

Today's verse comes from 1 Corinthians 1:9:

"God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful." (NIV)

"God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that." (The Message)

The church in Corinth (found in Greece) was in a bit of a state, and so Paul writes to them in two long letters, advising them on matters that he's been made aware of. He starts of his first letter with this amazing verse. His first few verses are that of thanksgiving, "I always thank God for you…" (v4) and of encouragement, "He will keep you strong…" and he ends this short paragraph by reminding them of two key things:

1. God called us into fellowship. The Amplified Bible says that He called us into "companionship and participation with His Son". In Genesis, we see that God walked in the garden with Adam and Eve, and once they sinned, this didn't happen so frequently (there are a few occasions in the OT where this happens I believe). God longs for us to be in fellowship with his Son. It's not just something that he fancies, but something he really really wants. So much so, that he sent his Son to die for us. In John 10:10 Jesus says, "…I have come that they [you!] may have life, and have it to the full".
2. "God … is faithful". The OED says that faithful is "remaining loyal and steadfast". Who can say that this is untrue of God? No matter what we do, say, act or think, God is always there. We can never go too far from God. As David said in Ps 139:

   "Where can I go from your Spirit?
   Where can I flee from your presence?

   If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
   if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. "

So today, no matter what you're struggling with, whatever excess baggage you've got hanging on, remember one thing. God will always be there, and longs to have a relationship with you. "He'll never give up on you. Never forget that" (v9).