Be Still And Know

Luke 15:20-21 “While he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son.’” Of all the stories that Jesus told, the parable of the prodigal son is the most famous, and it takes us to the heart of the good news. The son was a complete embarrassment. Can you think of anything worse than a son asking for his inheritance while his father was still alive? He then, predictably, went off and squandered the money and ended up stony broke. He was so desperate that all he could do was find a job feeding pigs, and for a Jew, you couldn’t imagine a worse job – they were banned from eating pork. The people would have listened to Jesus with rapt attention, but when they heard that the son had resolved to go back home and ask for a job from his father, they would have assumed they knew what was going to happen

Luke 15:8-10 Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and sweep the entire house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she will call in her friends and neighbours and say, “Rejoice with me because I have found my lost coin.” Almost everyone has got a moving story to tell of the time when they lost something very precious. For me, it is normally my keys, glasses or mobile phone and, most of the time, the search concludes successfully within a few anxious minutes. I have never lost my wedding ring, but I have heard many heart-rending stories of people who have. The woman in this story had lost one of the ten silver coins that formed part of the headdress given to her when she got married. There was no point in telling her that she still had nine! The coin was of massive sentimental value, and losing it caused her great distress. The pain of losing something as precious as the silver coin is massive. It’s gut-wrenching and it dominates life. We

Luke 15:4-5 If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. This is such a beautiful story. You can picture the shepherd as he makes sure the 99 precious sheep are safe and warm and then trudges out into the wilderness to look for the one that was lost. It’s a heart-warming story, but it doesn’t make any sense. Economically, why would you run the risk of endangering the 99 by leaving them all alone in the desert while you go out and search for just one sheep, who constitutes only 1 per cent of your business? Surely the shepherd would have been better advised to protect 99 per cent of his business and hope that the silly lost sheep would wander home. The only explanation for a shepherd acting in this way is love. The shepherd sets out to search for the lost sheep for the pure and simple reason

Luke 13:18-19 Then Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? How can I illustrate it? It is like a tiny mustard seed that a man planted in a garden; it grows and becomes a tree, and the birds make nests in its branches.” A mustard seed is tiny – between one and two millimetres. You would hardly notice it because it so small, but it can grow into a huge plant, commonly more than two metres tall and sometimes even up to four metres. It’s understandable that Jesus described it as a tree. Inevitably, a mustard plant attracts huge attention from birds, who love to feed on the little black seeds. Jesus’ point is clear. When we see God at work in the world, it may not look impressive. It may be overlooked because it appears so small, but the kingdom of God is always in the growth business, so even though it might seem tiny, it will keep growing. In many parts of the world, the Church is small and struggling. I’ve visited many towns and even cities where there is only one Christian or just a small group. I’ve

Luke 12:21 Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God. I love the fact that most of Jesus’ stories are told in very few words. Our verse today is the punchline to a very brief story he told about a rich farmer who’d had such a successful harvest that he realised he needed to build more barns. He said to himself that he could now settle back and enjoy life. He could eat, drink and be merry. Jesus called the man a fool because he hadn’t considered that his life might come to an end that very night. Jesus doesn’t want us to drag our way through life long-faced with the morbid realisation that any day might be our last. He wants us to live our lives fully every day, enjoying the wonders of his creation and the miracle of being alive. However, he wants us to do so in the light of eternity. He wants us to invest in the things that last, and nothing is more enduring than our relationship with God. There is nothing wrong with making money, but there is something

Luke 10:41-42 The Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” It seems to me that some people are naturally activists. They are always up and doing. Other people are naturally reflective. They want to stand back from life and consider everything carefully. In this beautiful incident from Jesus’ life, we meet two sisters who are perfect examples of these different approaches to life. Martha is the activist. She knows that Jesus is having a very busy ministry and she has decided he needs a good meal. Martha is sure she is right and is therefore appalled when she spots her sister skiving! Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet listening carefully to him, and Martha is fuming. Mary should be working as hard as she is, and so in a complete strop, Martha goes to Jesus and tells him to order Mary to help her. Jesus’ response must have been devastating for Martha. S

Luke 10:33-34 Then a despised Samaritan came along, and when he saw the man, he felt compassion for him. Going over to him, the Samaritan soothed his wounds with olive oil and wine and bandaged them. Then he put the man on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. I love the parable of the Good Samaritan, not least because it would have come as such a complete surprise to Jesus’ hearers. Jesus was being challenged by an expert in the law who asked for the legal definition of the word neighbour. He must have been expecting a sophisticated technical response, and instead Jesus told him a story. To any Jew, the parable was deeply shocking. The fact that a man had been ambushed on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho wasn’t surprising. The winding road that connected the two communities made it an ideal place to attack a traveller, all so different from the large straight highway that we see today. What was shocking was that the priest and Levite did nothing. No doubt they felt that t

Luke 9:51 As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. There’s a wonderful description of the servant of the Lord in Isaiah 50:7, which says he set his face like flint. He was absolutely fixed on heading in one definite direction in obedience to the Lord. That’s precisely what we see here in this verse in Luke’s Gospel. Jesus knew exactly what was going on. He knew that the Jewish leaders were determined to kill him, and yet he headed to the city where his life would be under greatest threat. If anyone had done a risk assessment of the situation, Jesus would have been told to avoid the area and head back up north to Galilee. Jesus’ complete commitment to his Father’s will is awesome. He could have chosen to avoid the dangers, but his desire was to be obedient, so he strode down south to Jerusalem. He had no fear and took a route which no Jewish person would ever have been advised to take. He walked through Samaria, whose people hated and despised the Jews. Sure

Psalm 77:5-7 I think of the good old days, long since ended, when my nights were filled with joyful songs. I search my soul and ponder the difference now. Has the Lord rejected me forever? Will he never again be kind to me? These are painful verses. Asaph, the psalmist, is in the pit of despair. He feels that God has rejected him completely. He looks back at how things used to be, but those memories are painful in themselves because his present predicament appears hopeless. His complete honesty is precious. There is no pretence. He tells God exactly how he feels. There is something incredibly healthy about this because strong relationships can only grow where there is honesty. Asaph feels completely let down by God, and he lets him know it. Christian worship can very easily be less than honest. When we sing of our complete confidence in God, does that always reflect the way we feel? It was the great Christian writer A W Tozer who wrote: “Christians don’t tell lies – they just go to church and sing them.”

Psalm 73:21-24 Then I realised that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant— I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to a glorious destiny. The psalmist had been struggling with his thoughts. In this psalm, he admits he has become very envious of wicked people who seem to enjoy a really easy life, avoiding many of the problems which good people face. He wonders whether following God has been a complete waste of time for him. However, the more he reflects, the more he recognises the foolishness of his thinking, because the wicked people are on a slippery path which is bound to end in their destruction. In our verses, Asaph the psalmist wakes up to his foolishness and recognises that what really matters is his faith in God. God has kept him secure and will guide him through the rest of his life. At the end of the psalm, he draws the conclusion: “But as for me, ho

Psalm 71:17-18 O God, you have taught me from my earliest childhood, and I constantly tell others about the wonderful things you do. Now that I am old and grey, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Over the years, I have heard a number of people say they felt that in their ideal life, they would do whatever they wanted. Then, on their death bed, they would commit their life to God and receive eternal life. In this way, they figured, they would get the best of both worlds. King David would have completely disagreed with them! For him, the whole of life was made more special and precious through knowing God. He saw his life, from beginning to end, as an opportunity to proclaim how great God was and, in so doing, to ensure that future generations would also worship God. Succession planning is an integral part of any effective organisation. If there are no plans for the future, there is every possibility that the organisati

Psalm 69:16-17 Answer my prayers, O LORD, for your unfailing love is wonderful. Take care of me, for your mercy is so plentiful. Don’t hide from your servant; answer me quickly, for I am in deep trouble! Waiting is never easy. Whether it is for a phone call, a parcel or medical results, waiting can be exhausting. If life is going really badly, waiting is even more agonising. That’s exactly how we find King David in this psalm. Things are going disastrously for him. He begins by saying that the floodwaters are up to his neck. He feels that he is sinking deeper and deeper into the mire and he can’t find a foothold. We’ve all had times like that, and it isn’t pleasant. David clearly felt overwhelmed and disorientated and, in his despair, he cried out to God. In his long life, David had learned to be completely honest with God, and this is one of many psalms in which he held nothing back. He is absolutely exhausted, and he gives a graphic account of his condition. He says that his eyes are swollen with weepi

1 Timothy 6:20 Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you. Avoid godless, foolish discussions with those who oppose you with their so-called knowledge. The name Timothy is Greek and literally means ‘he who honours God’. As Paul drew his letter to an end, he challenged Timothy to live up to his name by looking after what had been entrusted to him. It was as if he had been called to look after a treasure chest, and he needed to ensure that it was passed on to others and wasn’t spoilt. We all have exactly the same responsibility. Our Christian faith is so precious and important that we need to look after it so we can hand it on to others, especially to the next generation. Looking after our Christian faith sounds simple enough, but Paul often reminded Timothy that his faith would continually be under attack. Timothy needed to keep away from time-wasting conversations. The Greeks loved nothing better than to engage in philosophical debate. There was one particular school of Greek philosophers called the Aca

1 Timothy 6:17 Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. If you have a look at the world’s stock markets over the past century, you will know exactly what the apostle Paul meant! They have gone up and down. Money is completely unreliable. The downs have often been dramatic and have led to misery for millions of people. The 1920s were a time of huge economic expansion. They were known as the Roaring Twenties and saw the advance of many technological innovations in radio, automobile, aviation and telephone. However, the growth was unsustainable, and in the Great Crash of 1929, the Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 40 per cent, leading to the deep economic depression of the 1930s which caused incredible misery right around the world. More recently, the crashes of 1987 and 2008 saw massive losses on the stock markets with huge implications for the world economy

1 Timothy 6:12 Fight the good fight for the true faith. Hold tightly to the eternal life to which God has called you, which you have declared so well before many witnesses. As Paul draws towards the end of his letter to Timothy, he gives his young friend a huge amount of encouragement. He describes him as a man of God and urges him to be the best that he could possibly be. Paul, of all people, knew the frailties of Timothy, but he tells him to run as fast as he can from anything that might hold him back. Encouragement is so important, isn’t it? We all need it in whatever we do, especially when we are facing challenges, and Paul has no doubt that Timothy is going to face enormous difficulties and intense persecution. Many people see the expression “fight the good fight” as a reference to the Olympic Games, but Paul may well have been using military language. Either way, the challenge is clear. The journey ahead was going to be tough, and Timothy needed to be totally dedicated to his faith. The Christian li

1 Timothy 6:9-10 People who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. This is one of the most misquoted verses in the whole Bible. It is often said that money is the root of all evil, but it isn’t. It’s the love of money that’s the problem. Money is part of the world that God has made, and like everything that he has given us, it can be used well or badly. Time, sex, possessions, creation and anything else you care to name can be used to build or to destroy. Money is the worst possible love affair. It promises so much and delivers so little. It promises happiness, security and peace, and it cannot buy any of them. Indeed, the problem with money is that for the lover of money, it becomes like salt water. It leaves you permanently thirsty. It’s no wonder th

Timothy 6:6-8 True godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. Everybody can see that to be contented is a wonderful way to be. Oscar Wilde wrote: “True contentment is not having everything, but in being satisfied with everything one has.” Those are wise words, and they well reflect the thinking of the stoics, whose philosophy was so influential at the time Paul was writing. However, the apostle goes a step further. Contentment is thoroughly good, but it is best when combined with a life that is focused on God. The person who has found a relationship with God can have confidence that they will have peace, whatever their circumstances, for time and eternity. We live in a society that is fundamentally discontent. The advertising industry works hard all the time to convince us that our contentment relies on us buying the late

1 Timothy 6:1 All slaves should show full respect for their masters so they will not bring shame on the name of God and his teaching. It’s hard for us to imagine what it must have been like when slavery was normal. Between ten and 20 per cent of the population were slaves in Roman times, so it was an issue with which everyone was familiar. Because the members of the Church were largely drawn from the poorer members of society, it is likely that the proportion of Christians who were slaves was much higher. It was vital, therefore, that Paul handled the question of how Christian slaves should act towards their masters, and the fact that he did so in many of his letters shows what a major issue it was. Here, he told slaves to give their masters full respect, whether they were Christians or not. That must have been tough, especially if their masters were unreasonable and cruel. However, Paul knew that if Christian slaves acted aggressively and rudely towards their masters, it would give the faith a bad name.

1 Timothy 5:19-20 Do not listen to an accusation against an elder unless it is confirmed by two or three witnesses. Those who sin should be reprimanded in front of the whole church; this will serve as a strong warning to others. It is always sad when accusations are made, and it’s particularly tragic when a church leader is the one being accused. However, that’s all a part of being human. I often hear people say things like: “You wouldn’t expect such things to happen in a church.” My question would be: “Why? If a church is made up of sinners, then surely such things are sadly inevitable.” I do not find bad behaviour in any way acceptable. I simply believe that it’s inevitable, and the whole history of the Church indicates that this is true. We should all be extremely disappointed when things go wrong, but at the same time, we should ensure we have effective procedures in place to cope when they do. That was precisely why Paul wrote to Timothy in the way that he did. Paul followed the usual Jewish legal po

1 Timothy 5:17-18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!” As the early Church grew, it inevitably had to face the issue of caring for its leaders. One of the very practical issues was that of pay. Paul had often supported himself through his work as a tent maker, but he had always insisted that it was appropriate for churches to take responsibility for paying for their leaders. Here he refers to the Old Testament law concerning oxen. When the sheaves of corn had been harvested, they would be laid out on the threshing floor and oxen would walk across them, often tethered to a post. The farmer was obviously keen not to lose too much of his crop, but he was commanded not to muzzle the ox. That wasn’t out of kindness to the ox so much as to ensure that he kept workin