Standing.

“Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labour in the Lord is not in vain.” (1 Cor 15:58 NIV)

Pastor Andrew touched on this verse while preaching on Sunday and it has really stuck with me.
‘Let nothing move you.’ This is not Paul calling us to be unemotional, he is saying, ‘let nothing distract or sidetrack you.’ So much can, there is so much in our lives that can distract and exhaust and this causes us to sway. For me, I have been so tired over the last month that I am so not on the ball; it feels as though I am stumbling along with God rather than walking with him at the minute.
Paul then goes on to describe the effectiveness of our calling. I looked through several translations of this verse and each one has encouraged and strengthened me in a different way! I really can’t say more than this.

“So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.” (NLT)

“With all this going for us, my dear, dear friends, stand your ground. And don't hold back. Throw yourselves into the work of the Master, confident that nothing you do for him is a waste of time or effort.” (MSG)

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labour in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].” (AMP)

-Andrew Carey

Lost in ignorance.

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Is 6:8 NIV)

My sister-in-law, Helen, and AG are heading out to Zambia soon on a short term mission following in the footsteps of Dr Livingstone to share the gospel with people who have never heard it before (if you wish to sponsor them they’d be glad to hear from you, or you can buy a copy of the Fusion Devotional since all proceeds will be going to support them). The story of why they are going is different for both of them. For Helen it has been a long journey of obedience to God and an openness to God’s leading. For AG this has come about because he was praying about the mission and God challenged him to be part of the answer to his prayers (be careful what you pray for :o).

For Helen and AG they know without a shadow of a doubt that God is sending them [on this occasion] to Africa. It may only be for a short mission but I was impressed by something that Helen shared with the church on Sunday. Over this period of time in which God has been building her up, she has begun to realise that life is a mission. What is more she has assured God that she is available for Him whether it is to go to Africa or Abercarn, it makes no difference; she is willing.

I am excited when I listen to their obedience, but as I listen I know that God is not calling me to Africa (although some of you may be reading this and realise that God is calling you). You may feel the same as me, but this does not mean that we aren’t called. Just because God’s mission plan for our lives does not lead to exotic locations doesn’t mean that we don’t have a mission.

[Jesus said,] “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." (Acts 1:8 NIV)

As you may notice ‘the ends of the earth’ is the last on this list. To the disciples listening to Jesus saying these words they knew what he meant; they were being called to shine the gospel in the neighbourhood where they live, in the their county, their nation and beyond. Our mission may start [and end] at home but this does not make it any less significant to the advancement of God’s Kingdom and the salvation of souls. Sometimes we don’t even need to step out of the front door to share the good news of the Gospel; our families need to see us living a God honouring life. Just because we are not called to distant lands does not give us an opt out, we cannot ignore the calling upon our lives right here right now.

-Andrew Carey

Home is where the heart is.

I was really encouraged [and challenged] by someone who wasn’t in church this Sunday.

Mack Norman is a gentleman of advancing years faithfully attends our church every Sunday he can. He is a great person to shake hands with because you always get a beaming smile… even after his house had burnt down! He doesn’t just show up each week he diligently takes the collection. This Sunday, however, he found himself in hospital after a fall. This could have been bad but the one thing on his mind was if he wasn’t in church who would take the collection. He was desperate to serve! Once at the hospital he insisted that his family phone our pastor to let him know.

When I heard this I was reminded of these words from Psalm 84:
“How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty!
My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God…
Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere;
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of the wicked.” (Ps 84:1-2,10 NIV)

- Andrew Carey

Fixated.

What occupies you?
As you make your way through life what tends to grab your attention?

This thought has been drifting through my mind recently and caused me to reflect on this verse:
“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.” (Col 3:1-2 NIV)

There is a saying that going something like ‘being so heavenly minded not to be of any use.’ Something like that anyway, but it’s not true.
If we keep eyes fixed on stuff around us we become self centred. It may not always seem that way but we probably are; we just can’t help it. Our thoughts tend to be on us – how things impact us. Sure we can be charitable and the like but ultimately there is an element of self in it. My sister famously (will in my family anyway) admitted that the reason that she regularly gave blood was so that she felt good about herself; she would take pride in her ‘selfless’ act. I love the weirdness of my family – I love them to bits and feel so at home among them :o)

But with eyes on Christ we can become self denying. How? Because when we focus on him we become more like him, radiating his beauty in our lives and actions. If we are truly heavenly minded will can be of use to those around us, especially those who need us. Society has been changed by nobodies who were heavenly minded – free education, free health care, the abolition of slavery, the list goes on… all because people had their gaze on Christ first and foremost.

How do you become a nobody in your generation?
Watch Christ and copy him!

- Andrew Carey

Hold my hand.

At my Christian Fellowship in work we were looking [briefly] at the life of Joseph. As we did so something really stood out to me.

When Joseph finally met his brothers in Egypt, fulfilling a dream he had many years ago [which for the first ten years or so looked as though it was responsible for screwing up his life], he said something amazing: “But don't feel badly, don't blame yourselves for selling me. God was behind it.” (Gen 45:5 MSG)

Now I used to think this was an amazing statement because it demonstrated a huge degree of forgiveness. However, this is only partially true. More than this it demonstrates an outstanding trust in God even when there was no clear evidence that God was looking out for him.

Joseph’s life was a roller-coaster ride of successes and failures; one step forward two steps back. Joseph would make sound decisions and people would stab him in the back. His life would not be what a God protected life should look like, and yet this is how Joseph views it. What is more shocking to us is that God does not seem to actively involve himself in Joseph’s life (even when things get really bad… and I mean really bad). God gives this young lad a dream and then seems to stand back giving him the space to live, learn and trust. The next time God breezes into Joseph’s life is many many years later when he is in prison and he receives a dream about his fellow cell mates. Even then it is years before Joseph hears from God again. [Is it just me or does this make you feel uncomfortable because it sounds like our lives.]

I have always thought how scary a ‘life of faith’ would be – relying on God to provide enough cash each day to cover the bills. But in reality living life is no less scary. We want God to hold our hand but, like the loving parent He is, God wants us to walk on our own two feet. He is the conflict: We want God to direct our every decision, giving us success at every turn, but God wants us to honour Him in our every decision; to learn from failures, to rejoice in successes and trust Him at all times.

I know that I want God to hold me by the hand, guiding my every step. This is good but God wants the best for me, He wants me to walk, to move my own feet, to decide on where to place them – to grow and develop.

Joseph is not the only example of this, there is [amazingly] the Apostle Paul and even Esther. Famously Esther was told the following by her uncle: “And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?" (Est 4:14 NIV) This is true for us… well perhaps not the royal position thing (unless Prince William or Harry are reading this). At no time in the book of Esther does God directly intervene [it is unique in this respect] and as you begin to realise this you begin to notice how much of a maturing tale it is.

This does not mean that God simply leaves us to it, He bestows us with wisdom and an ability to make [sound] decisions. Esther is a book about learning to take responsibility for decisions in the light of trusting and honouring God, ‘stepping up to the plate’ confident that He is with you.

Life does not have to be neat or perfect to be godly. A godly life is one in which we take responsibility for our decisions and seek to honour and serve God above all else. So don’t fret when things go belly up, this does not mean that you have departed from God, or that He has abandoned you. It is simply an opportunity for you to learn and grow, and in doing so making your Heavenly Father more proud. There will of course be times when God joyfully takes you by the hand, but if this happens all the time you would only be a child playing in the park rather than a son maturing into someone of responsibility.

- Andrew Carey

To the max.

There weren’t many of us on the bus to work this morning; the cheerful bus driver with a quiet voice, a young woman in a super-girl tee shirt reading Chris Moyles' new book, a bloke who I recognise from the office, he has glasses and the grey complexion of someone who smokes too much, and a young lad who was sat behind me. It was quite peaceful really. The traffic was hardly moving and so the slow movement of the bus was quite relaxing and the morning sun was streaming in, dappled by the tree branches which were still bare from winter. Everything seemed so beautiful; I couldn’t soak up enough of it.

As I enjoyed this moment I reminded myself of something that Jesus once said: “I came that [you] may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (John 10:10 AMP)

Some may think that a full life is where you get to satisfy all your longings, others may think it is when they are in the office or making money, but it is in fact more than this – much more. A full and satisfying life is when we know ourselves (our role and purpose) and who can redeem us (Christ). When we discover these things our lives begin to overflow, out of a thankful heart we begin to serve [God and others]. Our compassionate actions allow others to discover who they are and who can redeem them. When our life joyfully (and sacrificially) touches the lives of others we find ourselves living life to an unimaginable max. Why? Because God is with us, leading us and strengthening us and rejoicing with us. What can be better?

-Andrew Carey

Impossibly possible.

Are you a revolutionary?
Are you someone who presence, attitude and conversation changes things?
Or do you look at your life and are overwhelmed by your smallness?

I tend to fall into the latter. After all what influence do I have. I am not as articulate or talented as I would like, and when I find myself in a moment if influence I never know what to say. Isn’t it therefore unreasonable for God to expect more of me than I can possibly deliver?
In fact when I read The Sermon on the Mount where Christ calls us to be social revolutionaries [no matter what century or suburb we find ourselves] I assume that he is referring to someone other than me, and so I overlook some of Jesus’ more daring comments. I then find myself beginning to ignore more and more of what Christ is looking for in my life – if I can ignore one thing he says it becomes easy to pick and choose what I like, this is a paralysing dangerous attitude to maintain as a Christian.

I am no-one of significance – I can do nothing, surely.
This is true but God can do everything using our nothing – this is even more true!

Do you remember father Abraham?
(He had many sons, many sons had father Abraham; I am one of them and so are you, so lets all praise the Lord!)

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah's womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” (Rom 4:18-21 NIV)

He was old, very old and Abraham and his wife had never had children. God then shows up in his life and promises the impossible. God promises that Abraham will become a father to many generations and that his descendants would become a great nation who would out number the sand on the sea shore. What a crazy promise to make to an old guy whose sexual libido may have faded! But God was serious. He made a demand on Abraham’s life which Abraham could not possibly deliver… unless God was with him.

The same is true in our lives.
We are called to be revolutionaries, but in ourselves we are not revolutionary. Therefore God’s call on our lives can only be fulfilled when we submit to Him, give Him the run of our lives. When this happens a revolution takes place; you will save money to give it away, you will smile more at people you pass, you will praise God for where you live, you will be generous in your forgiveness and eager to say who gives you have the strength to forgive. This kind of revolution is unstoppable and there is no authority on Earth that can threaten its resolve, not because are strong and determined but because our lives are established and secure on the impossibly possible promises of God.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Eph 3:20-21 NIV)

- Andrew Carey

Yorkshire puddings?!

On Sunday we went over to Ruth’s parents for lunch. Her mum cooked a beautiful meal although one of the components did not go as well as intended. Earlier that morning when she looked in the freezer Ruth’s mum realised [o her horror] that her trusty supply of Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings had been exhausted. Resourceful as ever she quickly made up a batter mix and set about making her own. In the end though it was universally recognised that they were not to Aunt Bessie’s standard; it was probably because the oil was not hot enough. Whatever the reason it was hard to identify them as Yorkshire puddings when they were on your plate.

We all thanked her for her efforts (and ate them any way) offering our own advice on what could have gone wrong with them. In the end it was her mother who offered the consoling words, “You did your best.” When you think about it though these words aren’t consoling at all; in fact they are quite depressing. The implication is that if your best is a sludgy pile of batter on the plate then your best is useless. What you really want to hear is someone saying, “You can do better.” Now that saying is more inspirational [and therefore consoling]. Of course you may not be impressed with your current efforts but someone out there can see something better in you.

This made me think of something that I remember God saying to Joshua:
After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said…
“Be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess all the land I swore to their ancestors I would give them. Be strong and very courageous... Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Josh 1:1, 6-7, 9 NLT)

God is saying to Joshua I see something in you that is greater than what you currently see.

There is no doubt that Joshua was a bold man full of valour. But God said these words not to highlight his failures or achievements but to suggest that God was going to achieve greater things through Joshua even though there are daunting things ahead. In fact when God is commanding Joshua to be strong and courageous He is not saying that Joshua is going to have to rely on his own strength to achieve success, instead God is saying, “Let your trust in me be the fuel of your courage and strength.”

Are there things that you have faced on a daily basis which you have not succeeded at?
Well, there is not need to be defeated – you have not done your best; you can do better because God is with you. Since this is true you can be strong and courageous! Go on – do something better, God is with you!

-Andrew Carey

Unconfirmed laughing.

I am back in action.
Our baby daughter has arrived. She is only 3 weeks old but I would swear blind that I have not slept in months! [which is mostly why this blog has been inactive until now – blame Hannah :o) hehehe]

Last week I was sat up cradling my crying baby in the wee small hours of the morning (the ‘joys’ of parenting), dreaming of uninterrupted sleep and knowing that she had no appreciation of the sacrifice that I was making for her. As these thoughts drifted through my sleep deprived mind, I began to have a greater understanding of a significant verse of scripture:
“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom 5:8 NIV)
Or to read it another way:
“Christ arrives right on time... He didn't, and doesn't, wait for us to get ready. He presented himself for this sacrificial death when we were far too weak and rebellious to do anything to get ourselves ready. And even if we hadn't been so weak, we wouldn't have known what to do anyway.” (MSG)

These first few weeks of parenting are strange because this beautiful baby demands/requires so much from us but offers nothing in return. We have to sacrifice sleep, time, energy, pleasures, money, be responsive to her cries and clean up the horrible mess we find in her nappies just to ensure that she grows and remains healthy. In return we get nothing; not a smile, ‘thank you’ or anything. The return is in the future, our sacrifice is an investment [of love].

Realising this has really highlighted the sacrifice that God made for me. I was once as unresponsive as my daughter Hannah despite the huge sacrifice God made for us.

Having said this, I swear that Hannah laughed at me the other day, but she has not done it since. This was not a smile which could be the result of wind – I have seen a lot of these. You see, I sat down with her on my lap and she pulled one of her spectacular ‘surprised’ faces, these always make me laugh. As I giggled she looked back at me and began to laugh! I’m not kidding – this was not a smile, but a laugh. I thought I imagined it at first and so I laughed again, and so did she. In fact the more I laughed the more she laughed. In no time at all I was crying because she was making me laugh so hard! It was great.

This was the fist sign of recognition that I have received from her. It was beautiful, but if this was all I ever got I would not know for certain that she was not developing in a healthy manner. Similarly, to begin with God is looking for that smile, that moment of recognition. No wonder all of Heaven rejoices at the redemption of a soul! But if all we did was smile it would not be a healthy sign (in fact in no time at all we’d look retarded!).

Just as I [try to] enjoy every little moment with Hannah – even when she is not smiling – I am looking forward to the first time she picks something up, the first time she eats solid foods, the first time she walks, her first words, her first drawing, her first day in school, the first time she makes friends, the first time she adds up faster than me, the first time rides her bike, her first driving lessons, the first time she brings a boyfriend home, the first time she brings a pay cheque home, the first time I look at my little girl in her wedding dress as I escort her down the isle… all these things I look forward to. Likewise, God looks forward to every little development in our faith, in our life. This year I want to ensure that I develop my faith and trust in God. I want to make God smile as I live life with my hand in His, joyfully and securely treading the path He has set before me.

- Andrew Carey