Revolution anyone?

Hi everyone,

I’m excited. Really excited – which is always a good way to start the weekend :o)
You see four amazing people (well, three and me) are out there allowing God to influence them as they write stuff for the next Fusion devotional. Now that excites me! Man – I can’t begin to tell you how bubbly I feel.

I have been working away on part I am writing and in doing so I was reminded of this hymn by Isaac Watts:
When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ my God:
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down:
did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an off’ring far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

Massive! What a hymn of revolution!!!!!
Sing it to yourself [loud, real loud] – pray it over yourself – live it.

- Andrew Carey

My first flippin’ Bible.

This isn’t actually what Hannah’s first Bible is called but it would’ve been great if it was.

It was my little H’s dedication last Sunday and so my family came up for the service. It was great to see everyone and spend the day surrounded by family [on both sides]. Helen – Hannah’s favourite aunt who’s name begins with the letter H :o) – gave her a Bible; it was a picture Bible with flaps to lift. Within minutes I was transfixed by it – so many Bible stories with things to discover under bushes or behind doors or windows or in trees, behind clouds etc. It was great! When Paul said that all Scripture was inspired I defiantly think he had this ‘translation’ in mind too! :o)

Anyway as I became increasingly engrossed by my daughters new Bible, discovering all sorts of things behind various hidden flaps, I began to appreciate what a good tool this was. The Bible is not simply a ‘page turner’, this is an accolade that should be reserved for novels by such ‘great’ authors as Jeffery Archer or Dan Brown ;o) If you keep turning pages you will never delve any deeper into the Bible; you will only begin to grow when you when you begin to dwell on God’s word.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” (Col 3:16 NIV)
Or in other words, “Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God!” (MSG)

I remember that once being told that the Bible was unique among books since it seemed to read you as much as you read it. I guess that is why one translation is called the ‘Living Bible’.

Take some time today and dive in; don’t just paddle, submerge yourself in it! Allow God to speak into your life through the words you read. All of the stuff you read on this blog and in the devotional books we publish are not written by ‘enlightened theologians’; the words come from people no more or less strange than you. They are just people who have lifted a flap in their Bible and discovered something that God has left there for them.

It’s your [flippin’] Bible so read it, explore it, bath in it, dwell on it, enjoy it.

“Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.” (1 Tim 3:16-17 MSG)

- Andrew Carey

Satisfaction.

In 1965 ‘The Rolling Stones’ famously sang about not having any satisfaction:

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

When I'm drivin' in my car
And that man comes on the radio
He's tellin' me more and more
About some useless information
Supposed to fire my imagination
I can't get no, oh no no no
Hey hey hey, that's what I say

I can't get no satisfaction
I can't get no satisfaction
'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try
I can't get no, I can't get no

This song may have grabbed the zeitgeist of the youth of ’65 but it does not reflect the truth that we should experience as Christians. With God in [the centre of] our lives we know what it is to be completely satisfied not just fleetingly satisfied.

“Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.” (Ps 90:14 NLT) Or in other words: “Surprise us with love at daybreak; then we'll skip and dance all the day long.” (MSG)

In the mornings I wake up before my Ruth and so should our baby daughter also be awake I am the one that goes in to see her. What I have noticed is this: As soon she sees me her face lights up and she smiles. Now, she has been asleep almost all night and would not have fed since the previous day but as soon as she sees me she will not cry for food, it is as though she is satisfied with my company. We’ll play together for about an hour before she will even think about ‘asking’ for a bottle. In this time I will have entertained her by making up songs such as:
These are you knees,
and these are your toes.
These are your hands
to touch both of those.

Our consumer society has taught well; we are never satisfied – there is always something new, something that we can’t do without. But this is not real satisfaction; it is too fleeting to be real, however we do have real satisfaction in Christ.

“I've learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I'm just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I've found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.” (Phil 4:11-13 MSG)

Be satisfied today; enjoy the company of the One who makes you who you are and surprises you every morning with His unfailing love.

- Andrew Carey

Vita brevis!

“Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.” (Ps 90:12 NLT)

This is from Psalm 90 which many translations describe as ‘a prayer of Moses, man of God‘. Here we read that Moses, this man of God, did not live life with an ‘oh well, I have all eternity’ attitude to things; his attitude to life said, ‘I have such a brief time, so I want to make the most of it – to burn bright not burn out’.

Another translation of this verse goes like this:
“Oh! Teach us to live well! Teach us to live wisely and well!” (Ps 90:12 MSG)

This reminds me of a short film I saw recently which was themed on the last sermon preached by Kyle Lake, the late pastor of UBC. His last words implored us, like Moses, to ‘… live, and live well.’

Unlike Kyle Lake, Moses was not a young man when he prayed this. In his prime he was well educated and strong, but rather than place him in a position of influence God took him off to work a hard solitary existence for 40 years herding sheep. It was this more than his education that shaped him ready for God’s calling. Moses was in his eighties that God called him to shape the history of a nation and sculpt the foundation of our faith. You see this prayer was uttered by a man who could see that he was nearing the end of his days, but his focus was not on the legacy he was leaving, thinking ‘I did my best, what’s been done can’t be undone’. Instead he was consumed with this desire: ‘In what life I have left I want to live well!’

No matter how you find yourself today – in your prime or last days, fit and healthy or laid up on a sick bed, bottom of the pile or top of the tree – let Moses’ prayer be the desire of your heart; Lord, I want to live, and live well [for you]!

- Andrew Carey

Distracted?

"Be Still [râphâh: abate, to mend, to heal, make whole], and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

The society we live in today is anything but still. There is so much to do, and so little time to do it in, life has become a rush. Everything seems to be getting faster - faster food, faster cars, faster PC’s, faster methods of communication.
As well as working and studying, there’s so much socializing to do, so many new films that have to be seen, so many blogs that have to be posted, so many message boards that have to be checked, so many texts to send, so many friends to call, so much TV to be seen… We have learned to rush but not to wait.

There have been numerous titles for our twenty-first century generation: Generation Y, the Millennial Generation, and the Millennials; here’s another title I came up with the other day: The Distracted Generation.

Having grown up with technology so integrated into our lives, owning a PC, MAC, iPod or Mobile phone is no longer a luxury, but an absolute necessity. On one hand there is so much that can be achieved for His Kingdom if we wisely utilize these technologies, but it is all too easy to fall into the trap of allowing technology to become your master and consume your time. Our focus can effortlessly move from God to gizmo!

What is more this ‘distraction’ is not problem restricted to young people – you will find the ‘Distracted Generation’ in every age group, from school queue to pension queue.

God asks that we ‘be still and know that I am God’. But when there is so much to do, being still isn’t easy. But God doesn’t give us options here. He says ‘BE STILL’; now that’s a pretty straight forward order to understand.

He knows us better than we know ourselves; He created us in our mother’s womb, and He knows what is in our best interests and what we need daily. When God says ‘be still’ there is a good reason. Our thoughts are clearest, our minds disciplined and our ears opened when we are purposefully being still and spending much needed time with our Creator. During such times our vision is sharpened, our strength renewed (Is 40:31), our troubles offloaded, and spirits energized.

Times of ‘stillness’ with God are an absolutely crucial part of our twenty-first century lives. Human strength will never be adequate for facing all of life’s challenges and difficulties. The only way to successfully navigate through our busy daily lives is to first spend time with God; listening to His words of wisdom, accepting His direction, and being shaped by His love.

Begin today by putting aside valuable time to sit and ‘be still’ with Him. Allow this stillness before God to generate a fresh spiritual dynamic in your daily life.

- Jonathan Gould
King Church, Newport

What’s in a name?

I think that most people will of heard of a Mr William Shakespeare. Well, in ‘Romeo & Juliet’ is a beautiful line: “What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” (act 2 scene 2… in case you are curious :o).
I love how poetic this line is and how deep it is. It also made think about what a name is.

I remember before Hannah (my niece) was born Ruth and Andrew were trying to pick a middle name for her [her first name was sorted ages ago]. There’s a lot of responsibility in choosing a name for someone.

Name adjective–noun A word or a combination of words by which a person…is designated, called, or known.

Each person has a name, a word by which we are ‘known’. It's mad when you think about it; our name, in its simplest way, is our identity, it tells people who we are. However, while our name can’t define us it does give us an identity; our name in full [surname included] tells people our origin, such as who our parents are. I even recall reading about a study which said that children with particular names are more likely to be high earners in later life – how mad is that!

So without a name, who are we?
“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.” (Luke 1:31) I looked up the meaning of the name Jesus and in the Hebrew it means ‘God Rescues’. From this I can understand why the angel gave Mary this name for her son! His name, the name he came to earth with [defined by our Heavenly Father] means that he is our Lord and saviour.
However there is far more to his name than that.
“You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.” (John 14:14)
When we pray whose name do pray with? Whose name gives us the authority to talk directly to the Father? Jesus! What a mighty name it is. What power that name brings; just saying it out loud stirs up boldness and victory. That’s what we have in his name – victory. Victory over death, illness, suffering and oppression.

“In his name the nations will put their hope." (Matt 12:21)

Thank You Jesus!

-Helen Tuckwell

Relax – He’s God! Pt3

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

God is God
It astounds me everyday how amazing God is. I’m so glad He’s in control – can you imagine what a mess it would be if it had to be left up to us to rule the universe? It doesn’t bear thinking about… but we will :o)

Can you imagine it being left up to us to ensure that the sun came up every morning? Sure it’d all work fine most days of the year but eventually there would be a pay dispute with management and the workers at the sun raising plant would be out on strike. Or worse still, an unnoticed human error would end up with the equinox falling on the wrong day and all of a sudden tidal patterns went all out of sync.
It makes you think doesn’t it. I mean all we’ve been asked to do is look after our planet [not even run it] and we haven’t been able to do that effectively. Thank God that He never left us in charge of running things!

Despite this, we often try to play God; we think we know best and ignore what God says, or we decide that we want things sorted out quickly and asking God to fix it all would only delay things. Worse still we neglect to ask His opinion on things. We roam around in charge of it all [so we think] and demote God to our ‘assistant’ instead of our master.

The trouble is we [think we] know what we want, and we take charge to make sure that we get it.

“Where do you think all these appalling wars and quarrels come from? Do you think they just happen? Think again. They come about because you want your own way, and fight for it deep inside yourselves. You lust for what you don't have and are willing to kill to get it. You want what isn't yours and will risk violence to get your hands on it.
You wouldn't think of just asking God for it, would you? And why not? Because you know you'd be asking for what you have no right to. You're spoiled children, each wanting your own way.
You're cheating on God. If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way. And do you suppose God doesn't care? The proverb has it that ‘he's a fiercely jealous lover.’ And what he gives in love is far better than anything else you'll find. It's common knowledge that ‘God goes against the wilful proud; God gives grace to the willing humble.’" (Jam 4:1-6 MSG)

But God not only knows what we want, He knows what we need, when we need it, and how we need it. He knows everything – He is God after all. We need to remember this [in our daily lives] and submit to Him, every day.
Stop worrying – be still, know that He is God, and praise Him for it!

“Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to arrive.” (Phil 4:4-5 MSG)

- Lois Bennett (& Andrew Carey)

Relax – He’s God! Pt2

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

Yesterday we began unpacking this verse and today we will continue.

Know
There is a difference between ‘knowing’ something and ‘knowing’ something.
How can I explain this?
Not too long ago a friend of mine went on holiday to Toronto. She is a daring character and loved the idea of going up to the top of the CN tower. At the top they have what they call an ‘observation platform’ it is a thick plate of glass set into the floor so that if you stood on it you would feel as though you had stepped off the building and was now flying. I do not have a head for heights and so just writing about this is making me feel queasy but my friend has no such problems. She confidently walked up to the glass and put her foot out. She was surprised to find that she could not put it down on the glass; there was something inside her that thought her life would be in danger if she did. She knew that the glass was ridiculously thick and that she’d never fall through it but her body would not let her consciously walk out on it.
In the end she had to stand with her back to the glass, look up in the air and then begin walking backwards. Once she had taken five or so steps she looked down and it was the most amazing view she had ever seen. Try it out for yourself some time :o)

She ‘knew’ that the glass would hold her but her body [or subconscious] did not ‘know’ for sure that it would. Sometimes this sort of thing disables our relationship with God. We ‘know’ all about God, that He will never let us down, but we struggle to ‘know’ it and so we don’t step out in trust; staying in our safe little religious pigeon-hole.

No matter how we do it, we must remind ourselves just who God really is:
He’s our Father.
He loves us.
He created all and is in all.
He died for us.
He forgives us.
He blesses us unreservedly.
He is utterly amazing.
We need to know this, because when we do it will influence how we live. Knowing means believing; believing means trusting; trusting often means waiting.

“Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things we hope for, being the proof of things we do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].” (Heb 11:1 AMP)

- Lois Bennett (& Andrew Carey)

Relax – He’s God! Pt1

“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Ps 46:10 NIV)

This is probably one of the most quoted verses in the Bible; think about it, how often have you quoted it or had someone say it to you? It seems to be a handy verse in almost any situation. But sometimes I wonder if we haven’t used it so much that it has lost some of its poignancy; it feels like it has become a faded water colour painting rather than retaining the punchy vibrancy of a fresh oil painting.
This reminded me of something I heard on the news just the other day where the NSPCC was being criticised for desensitising people by barraging them with deliberately shocking adverts. So much so that people have lost sight of the good work they actually do for children in danger!

We have heard the words of this verse so often that we have become desensitised to its power [and the release and victory it brings]. We may hear it regularly, but how often do we actually listen to it, never mind obey it?!
Saying that, what does it actually mean? If we break it down perhaps we will unlock something inside of us.

Be still
When I was younger my dad used to take us all out for long walks in the woods near us [no matter what the weather was like]. I don’t know why mum allowed this because more often than not we’d return muddy and covered in cuts and scrapes… it was great.
On one occasion I recall us finding a fantastic rope swing which [when jumped upon bravely] swung us out over a deep gully – for a moment it felt like you were flying! When it came to my turn my sister, overcome with helpful enthusiasm [wanting to see her brother go higher than anyone else], gave me a hearty push. Unfortunately I had not grabbed hold of the swing and so dived into the gully with great momentum. Thankfully my fall was broken by a thorny bush, the downside of this was a rather stomach turning injury. When I had climbed out and thanked my sister appropriately for her assistance in my [mis]adventure I realised that I had a 2 inch long thorn sticking in the wrist. When I say ‘sticking in’ I mean it was deep in my wrist, how it had not hit a vein I will never know. I went to pull it out but I couldn’t because every time I touched it I could feel in move inside my wrist! I just couldn’t pull it out and this began to panic me.
Dad then turned up to help. He tried to assess the situation but I wouldn’t let him anywhere near it (by then it was really hurting).
“You have to be still.” He said.
“I can’t! It really hurts!” I wasn’t going to cry but I wanted to – the thorn was really freaking me out now!
“Stand still!” Dad grabbed my arm in such a manner that I could move it and with no trouble at all plucked the thorn from my wrist. Even though it hurt loads while I was fussing I don’t actually recall it hurting when Dad removed it. I can’t remember whether we told mum about all of this.

Often when we pray about something that’s troubling us we want a quick response from God. We want to get out of the situation quickly, so much so that if we think that God is being slow or ‘unhelpful’ we will try to wriggle our way out even when it hurts more to do so. What is more we openly reject the notion that perhaps we are in a situation so that God might teach us something; we become impatient and frantic, constantly worrying, even doubting that God can hear us at all.
However, in this Psalm we are told to be still. Still. Quiet. Calm. At peace. God is in control.

- Lois Bennett (& Andrew Carey)

Week in week out.

What a fabulous week I have had; no work, just time spent with my little family – this has involved a grand amount of cuddling my baby girl :o) It has been a week of smiles and tensions; smiles provided in copious amounts by Hannah (aw, bless) and tension from the antics of Jack Baur in the TV show ‘24’ (we are watching season 5 on DVD).

While my week off has been relaxing it has also given me such a lot of time with my daughter. She may be able to speak, or even control her flailing arms :o) but I have learnt so much from spending this time with her, I feel as though I know her better. I have got to know her characteristics, likes and dislikes, and little habits better. I know how to make her laugh. I have discovered that when we are playing in the garden she prefers me pretending that she is a spade more than a lawn mower (although both make her laugh).

I have learnt all of this from just being near her.

“Come close to God, and God will come close to you.” (Jam 4:8 NLT)

By the end of the week I had begin to appreciate the necessity of spending time with God, getting to know Him more than knowing about Him. I have started this week with as much of a burning desire to spend time with God as I do with my daughter.

"If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "…get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer…” (Ps 91:14 MSG)

-Andrew Carey

Are you listening to this? Really listening?

Here, in ‘the west’, we are part of a vast consumer empire. Our culture is based on ‘want’ which does not readily value to concept of sacrifice; we avoid saving and use credit, we always want to add and never subtract, we want things now not then. We are taught never to give anything up. Perhaps it is this attitude which has capped Revival in our culture? Who knows.

“Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.” (Rom 12:2 MSG)

Last night I was watching Grand Designs… I was watching it last night because we only have S4C at home and they love trying to hide good shows at mysterious times in their schedule!
I love this show; it enthrals me, humours me, inspires me… and all from the comfort of my sofa.

Anyway, back to ‘last nights’ show.
There was this couple. Deep down they have always loved castles and dreamed of living in one… of course it was all a dream because no-one lives in a castle. But it was still engrained in the psyche; even their wedding cake was in the shape of a castle, it even had knights jousting rather than a bride and groom!
They carried on their daily lives working hard, raising a family etc until something disrupted all of that; a castle came on the market! Not a ‘move in and enjoy the views’ castle but a ‘don’t breathe because these walls might fall down’ castle. Without any further thought they sacrificed everything for their dream; they sold their home and put their lives on hold so they could invest the time required!
Now, despite being at risk of collapse, the castle they now owned was not just a listed building it was also an ancient monument and so the red-tape and regulations that had to go through before they could even begin restoring was unbelievable. It was enough to destroy anyone’s dream, but they had sacrificed everything; they had weighed up the cost and it was all or nothing.

One day when large groups of people were walking along with him, Jesus turned and told them, "Anyone who comes to me but refuses to let go of father, mother, spouse, children, brothers, sisters—yes, even one's own self!—can't be my disciple. Anyone who won't shoulder his own cross and follow behind me can't be my disciple.
"Is there anyone here who, planning to build a new house, doesn't first sit down and figure the cost so you'll know if you can complete it? If you only get the foundation laid and then run out of money, you're going to look pretty foolish. Everyone passing by will poke fun at you: 'He started something he couldn't finish.' …Are you listening to this? Really listening?" (Luke 14:25-30, 34 MSG)

The question is this: What are we willing to sacrifice to receive a blessing? The blessing of knowing and following Christ.
We want God’s blessing but not the bill. I don’t mean that He charges us, but our discipleship has to be wholehearted – and that is costly. There is a line in a David Crowder song I was listening to this morning that goes “… by letting go I get a better grip.” This is movingly true.
Here Jesus warns us that unless sacrifice is an integral part of our faith we are on shaky ground. This may feel counter-cultural but this is what Revival is built upon.
“So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?'… your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt 6:31-33 NIV)

I will be on ‘Paternity Leave’ for the next week, enjoying time with my gorgeous little daughter and so I will probably not be updating this blog for a week or so. In my absence, enjoy yourselves :o) lap up God’s blessings and delight yourself in His company. And if you fancy a sneak preview of something that is going to impact the next Fusion prayer event click here :o)

-Andrew Carey

Less is more.

They do say that sometimes ‘less is more’.
I am often told this when being served pudding or quiche (both of which I love beyond all measure). I am suspicious of this saying especially when used to justify the size of the portion presented to me. However, it is certainly true when it comes to the shortest verse in the whole Bible: Jesus wept. (John 11:35 NIV) This may be short but it is full.

Preceding this verse we read:
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. (John 11:33-35 NIV)

Jesus appeared on the scene knowing that Lazarus was going to be raised from the dead; he was full of faith. Despite this he was moved by grief. There is so much conflict contained within these two words; how could Jesus be full of faith and grief?! Surely if he was so confident of Lazarus’ return to life he should be brimming with anticipation and not grief. It is such a confusing verse but it also reassures us.

Sometimes I struggle to reconcile my feelings of desperation and trust; I trust in God but still feel a sense desperation as I wait for Him to answer my prayers. You would think that trust is the antidote, the remedy for these ‘negative’ feelings but it appears not to be the case. In Christ we are made whole but this does not mean we are conflict free; it simply means that the conflict will not divide, destroy or conquer us. Here we see Jesus consumed by both grief for the dead and faith to raise the dead. Did it hinder the miracle? Not one bit!

Let this shortest verse constantly remind you that it is OK to feel the way you do and still believe in God for a miracle. It is Christ who holds us together.

-Andrew Carey

Called.

“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God.” (Eph 4:1 NLT)

When I read this it made me stop in my tracks and think; is my life worthy of my calling?
Sometimes… or perhaps more often than we’d like to think, we get so caught up in ‘life’ that we forget that we are ‘called’; more than that, we forget we’re “called by God.”

In some daily reading notes the other day I read about this ‘famous’ baseball player (although not famous to me!). He grew up in a rough neighbourhood but knew, from the first time that he held a baseball bat, that he was called to this sport. This remained with him. In fact when various gangs fried to recruit him he rejected their lifestyle because he knew his calling and he remained focused on it. Then, once he made it into a major league team, he stuck with them for his entire career even though he was offered more lucrative deals; it was the team and his calling that occupied him more than money.

How many attitudes, actions, activities etc occupy space in your life which are not worthy of your calling?
We each have our own answer, but no matter what the list may look like it does not mean we are ruined:
Then I said, “It’s all over! I am doomed, for I am a sinful man. I have filthy lips, and I live among a people with filthy lips. Yet I have seen the King, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.”
Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?”
I said, “Here I am. Send me.” (Is 6:5-8 NLT)

No matter what our age, failures, circumstances or anything else, our most productive days in God’s calling are yet to come. Failure to believe this will verify your doubts to be true… but true only because you have let it be true. We are called of God until our last breath. Even when bound to a chair by ill-health we are still called to live worthy of our calling. Would you not want your epitaph to read, ‘Even his last breath was worthy of his calling’? I do.

“In light of all this, here's what I want you to do. While I'm locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don't want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don't want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.” (Eph 4:1-3 MSG)

-Andrew Carey

Fusion Devotional

Don’t forget that if you have not acquired your copy of the new Fusion Devotional you can order one TODAY – still just £3! Waste no time – it is too precious. The first Devotional is also available just in case you missed out or want to get another one for a friend.

The Fusion Devotional 2 takes you on a journey in which you can live the Lord’s Prayer rather than just recite it.

Encounters with Jesus #7

Our encounters with Jesus [in Matthew 9] come to a close today.
Well… when I say ‘close’ I mean, of course, ‘begins’!

Jesus travelled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” (Matt 9:35-38 NLT)

There are no encounters with Jesus that are simply dead-end encounters; they will always lead somewhere… after all he is the Good Shepherd and what shepherd worth his salt doesn’t lead.

Here Jesus doesn’t encounter just one person [full of faith] but a whole crowd.
Now, on first reading, you may not think that the crowd are demonstrating faith in the same way as the characters who have encounter Jesus so far in this chapter. In some ways you are right, but they are still full of faith. They are lost, confused and helpless but they stand in front of Jesus because of faith. Perhaps not faith in Jesus being the Messiah or anything like that, but faith that there is something ‘out there’ that makes sense of this life, that cares if they live or die. Deep down this is the ‘faith’ that fills everyone we meet every day; no-one, no matter what their conscious beliefs, are looking for something that says ‘you are noticed’ when you pass away. Most people place all their hope on a grave stone, something ‘immovable’ that says they are beloved of someone. Something that says they were here, that someone noticed. But those who noticed will someday fade too.

As Christians we have someone who noticed us, someone who will never fade; we have an empty tomb rather than a gravestone that assures us of this.

“It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first instalment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.” (Eph 1:11-14 MSG)

When Jesus saw the crowd full of [a desperate] faith, looking for something to hope in, something that won’t fade, disappoint or disappear, he looked to his disciples and said, “…pray to the Lord… ask him to send more workers into his fields.”
This is a delightfully dangerous prayer that he gave them [and us] because the answer to this prayer is always praying the prayer; it is a call to us first and foremost. Whether we are timid or bold, extraverted or introverted, eloquent or tongue-tied, out of [eternal] compassion we are called to ‘clock in’ for work, to play our part [whatever it may be]. Once we respond to this prayer God adds to us.

Our encounter with Jesus [always] calls us to share; to give something to those who are hungry for hope. Will you clock in for ‘work’ today?

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #6

Right after that, as the blind men were leaving, a man who had been struck speechless by an evil spirit was brought to Jesus. As soon as Jesus threw the evil tormenting spirit out, the man talked away just as if he'd been talking all his life. The people were up on their feet applauding: "There's never been anything like this in Israel!"
The Pharisees were left sputtering, "Hocus-pocus. It's nothing but hocus-pocus. He's probably made a pact with the Devil." (Matt 9:32-34 MSG)

When you step out and reveal who God is [and how much He loves] in what you say and do, it will not always be understood or appreciated by everyone.

Here the relentless pace of this chapter in Matthew continues as we read about Jesus performing another miracle. On this occasion the people cannot help but applaud God declaring that not only had they never seen anything like this before but God had never been revealed [as being so close] like this in the whole of the country! Despite this obvious and amazing revelation of who God is through actions, others [who should have be trained enough to know better] get it all wrong and assume Jesus to be in a “…pact with the Devil.” It is almost too unbelievable to be true.

Once again the dynamic of Matthew’s writing does not give us much of a clue as to the Pharisees motivation for criticising Jesus in this manner. Had they genuinely misinterpret Jesus as being demonic? Or did they feel that Jesus was encroaching on their God-given role? Were they concerned about their occupation or the spiritual wellbeing of the people?
We could spend all day double-guessing their motivation, but while we can clearly see how damaging [to themselves and others] their words were, we must be careful not to dismiss this danger in our lives. We may think that since we are not ‘anti-Jesus’ we would not fall foul to the same mistake. How many times has God answered your prayers in a way you had not expected [or been ready for]? While you can now see God’s hand at work in it you can also remember at the time praying against God’s answer, assuming it to be ‘an attack of the enemy’ because it was so different from what you expected. You viewed it as the enemy trying to tempt you away from waiting for the ‘right’ answer [the one you want]. Sometimes we have been guilty of attributing God’s response to our prayers to actions of the Devil because it is not what we want to hear.

But, if it is not us who misunderstands God it can be others too. When you are on a ‘spiritual roll’, having a mountain top experience, your motives and experience may be questioned, and not always by those hostile to your cause but those who would want to join you but may be struggling themselves (perhaps even for the above reason). Even though everything you do God honouring and you speak only of salvation, you may well as many people who question your motives as those who will encourage you. Don’t let this dent your stride or limit your faith-filled enthusiasm: “Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.” (John 15:20 NLT)

You may be slap-bang in the middle of the will of God, seeing God do amazing things all around you, and someone will criticise you saying that you are doing it all out of a selfish ambition. They may even say you are evil. How should you react?
What did Jesus do after being so brutally criticised? He just carried on and “…travelled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom.” (Matt 9:35 MSG) This [destructive, reputation ruining] criticism didn’t even cause Jesus to stumble! Stay close to God so that you can discern the difference between godly advice and destructive criticism.

Through out this series we have seen faith overcome experience, expectations, emotions, misguided duty, low self-esteem, and even being ‘ignored’ by God. And now we are taught how faith can overcome opposition, but this isn’t spectacular attention drawing finale; we are just told that Jesus carried on. Faith was in charge, not emotions, self-image or anything else. When we start to live by faith [only in God], God become unstoppable in our life. We begin to live as we have always wanted to live!

“That's why we live with such good cheer. You won't see us drooping our heads or dragging our feet! Cramped conditions here don't get us down. They only remind us of the spacious living conditions ahead. It's what we trust in but don't yet see that keeps us going. Do you suppose a few ruts in the road or rocks in the path are going to stop us? When the time comes, we'll be plenty ready to exchange exile for homecoming.” (2 Cor 5:6-8 MSG)

-Andrew Carey

Encounters with Jesus #5

Have you ever been ‘blanked’ by someone? You know, completely ignored?
[Someone say something! Don’t ignore me! hehehe]
Not only is it hurtful and insulting, but it generate a certain amount of paranoia – you start to analyse your every action, trying to establish a possible reason! Your head begins to spin; why would someone ignore you!!!

Now here’s a horrifying thought: Imagine Jesus blanking you!

After Jesus left the girl’s home, two blind men followed along behind him, shouting, “Son of David, have mercy on us!”
They went right into the house where he was staying, and Jesus asked them, “Do you believe I can make you see?”
“Yes, Lord,” they told him, “we do.”
Then he touched their eyes and said, “Because of your faith, it will happen.” Then their eyes were opened, and they could see! (Matt 9:27-29 NLT)

The faith of these two men can encourage us today; they can almost represent us. Like them we cannot see Jesus either. We may hear evidence of his nearness just as these guys did, they could hear the cries of grief turning into joy and tears into giggles as children began to play. However, despite this they could not see him; they had no evidence for themselves that Jesus was there to influence their life.

Does this echo something deep inside you?
We hear about testimonies of people being healed etc, real life miracles, but it is not happening to us. We may be in a meeting where people all around us are ‘feeling the presence of God’ but you sense nothing. What do you do? Maintain a religious face so that no-one sees how much it hurts you inside not experiencing what everyone else has?
Questions creep in: Did people really encounter Jesus? Why would Jesus ignore me, what have I done?
Our ability to reason a response to these questions is often fogged by emotion, doubt and guilt. Our only hope is to throw faith on them because it is faith they are attacking.

Our blind friends in Matt 9 did not just sit by as Jesus ignored their loud cries. They got up, carried on shouting and followed the crowd even though they had no reason to believe that Jesus was at the head of the crowd or that he had any desire to heal them (after if he did want to heal them why didn’t he when they first called out to him?!).

Faith becomes unstoppable when we decide to pursue Jesus even when all we feel is emptiness.
Why did Jesus ignore the cries of these blind men? Was he testing their faith? Was he increasing it? Was it something else? We are never going to know because this is their story – between them and God – but it does serve to encourage us. It is hard to understand or appreciate the way in which God responds to us at times, especially when it seems like He is ignoring us, but God never tries to destroy our faith; everything God does is to strengthen and develop it.

Keep yelling, even when there is no response.
Keep following, even in the darkness.
Burn with faith, so that when the question comes you can respond with certainty.

“Do you believe I can make you see?”

-Andrew Carey