Are you Experiencing Life to the Full?

We all have a sense of longing in life and to achieve great accomplishments.  We want our homes and families to be happy.  We desire the best for our children.  We want to have money; lots of it so we need not worry about the future.  We ultimately wish for the easiest life possible because we think if we attain all this it is going to make us completely happy and satisfied; nothing lacking & nothing wanting.

It is a human response to want many of the things given above. I agree, I want to achieve some of the these things on this list - do you?  There is nothing wrong in wanting good things for our lives, however, will they ultimately curb our longing for something more satisfying?  

Studies have suggested that winning the lottery does not help with our long term happiness.   Short term, there is euphoria but after an amount of time, everyday activities that were once enjoyed by the person become mundane and they start to live up to their new level of living.  It's not really giving the person deep satisfaction but an ever growing pursuit for more (known as hedonic adaptation). 

Many things in this world give us short lived happiness.  No matter what we attain, deep down in our hearts their is a deep desire for something so much more!  I've heard it said that even our children are only given to us as a gift for a short time to nurture and care for until they fly the nest!  Obviously, we will always be parents and love our children whatever age but the family unit will ultimately one day change.  

Even if we had everything we could ever want, would it honestly satisfy us, would we be truly happy & satisfied or would we just want more and more?  I don't know the answer but it's good to ask it. What and who is going to fill our longing above all other things and why is it important?  We certainly become more happy when we know a deeper purpose.  Can we even know a deeper purpose?

Let's hope it not so, but for arguments sake let's imagine everything we value is gone, our spouce, our jobs, our money, where does our satisfaction and value come from? What if we don't have any of these things?  Are we going to sink into despair and depression?  May be we aren't married or have a partner, may be we don't have trusted family members and may be we have broken friendships.  Is there still value or meaning to our lives when we are down to nothing?  

As a Christian myself, the bible tells us that Jesus came so that we may have life and have it to the full.  Jesus said, "My purpose here is to give you a rich and satisfying life". Wow, there must be something in this - God wants to give us the most satisfying life.  If we have everything or down to nothing we can find ultimate purpose and meaning - I love this! Psalm 34 v 10 says; Young lions lack and go hungry, but those who seek the Lord will never lack any good thing.  When our souls are tired, God can pick us up again.

Knowing God gives us purpose and meaning, despite our worldly failures and fantasies, we can have a deep meaning and satisfaction beyond things this world can ever offer us. Certainly, we can live a life that has a greater cause than just our own.  It becomes about God and about loving others, this includes obviously our families and friends.  A quote I love from a well known worship leader put it like this, "What does it mean to be a history maker, it's not about our riches, talents or anything else we can attain, but about our hearts; its about honouring our friends above ourselves, loving our families and walking humbly with the King of Kings".  It's about unfailing love! 

When Jesus died on the cross, God was saying, look I am doing this for you, I love you more than anything and want to build a relationship with you, it's not just religion that doesn't mean anything, it's a real life that you can live.  If I created the world, then I know what you need to live a full life and that is to be in communion with me.  Psalm 23, 5-6 says; My cup completely overflows with blessing, and God your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.

This Easter as we remember the cross, don't forget the person on the cross; Christ.  Everything was done in order for us to live a great life with meaning and satisfaction, yes even when we are down to nothing, God is ever present with us.  Even when we face death, nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God's love - now that is true satisfaction.    

Romans 5 6-10

Christ arrives right on time to make this happen. 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. We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.9-11Now that we are set right with God by means of this sacrificial death, the consummate blood sacrifice, there is no longer a question of being at odds with God in any way. If, when we were at our worst, we were put on friendly terms with God by the sacrificial death of his Son, now that we’re at our best, just think of how our lives will expand and deepen by means of his resurrection life! 

The Power of a Simple Prayer

Certainly, prayer is such as huge subject and only look to cover a few points on this blog.  I want to begin by saying that anyone can pray, you don't need to understand everything about the Christian faith or be religious.  Prayer is open to everyone, despite our differences.  I love to see the Anglican churches opening their doors, so people can light a candle that represents their personal prayer. It's a powerful way of getting our thoughts together, ponder on life and on others.

What if this kind on pondering was available daily to us?  It's fascinating to note that science has now proven that meditation is good for us; to actually stop for about 20 minutes of the day and just allow our thoughts to form.  It can help clear our heads and keep us focused.  It's interesting then when we realise that prayer is the very act of meditation, thinking on our life, our worries, our concerns, our family, our friends and saying prayers for them which can be done anytime, anywhere, we don't have to wait until we are in church! There is nothing we are going to lose from prayer as many people can be touched by it as I will explain further. 

So why would there be any power in a simple prayer?  I want to discuss for a few moments about the character of God himself. God does not exist within space and time.  Time is not something He is bound to.  Humans can only know for sure the past and present and we do not know the future.  Can you imagine a person who knows the future; someone who has already seen it, wow that would be amazing, a person that could access all time zones of our lives! Well we know from the bible that it says that God is omniscient, meaning He knows everything that can be known in time and outside of time!  This is getting heavy I know, as well as that we know that God is omnipresent, meaning He can be everywhere all at the same time, as well as omnipotent meaning he has all power.  If all these things are true about God then surely when we pray he has already seen our prayer in the future, and therefore could have already answered our prayer before we ever pray it, he could have already set events in motion to answer our prayer. It means, as we pray for our friend or family member, He can be with that person we are praying for.  It means that He can access any moment of time and as we ask Him, can alter the course of history!  As God operates outside of time, we can be sure that our prayers do too. As our prayers are not affected by time, then prayers could be answered straight away or some prayers may even out-live us, being answered when we have already left our earthly life.  Wow!!

This is why prayer is powerful; I hope you can understand what I am saying. I don't know if any of you have seen the film 'Interstellar', there is a poignant moment at the end where the main character gets sucked into the centre of a black hole; a place where time does not exist as we know it, it was a kind of 4th dimension.  He could suddenly see His daughter's life moment by moment and could access those moments, it reminded me so profoundly of the characteristics of the Christian God.  If anyone knows anything about quantum physics we know that it talks about energy and that energy can move anywhere and be in several places at the same time.  We suddenly get a glimpse of this God we are talking about; it's not as fairy tale as one may think when we start looking at the science.  Someone living in a 4th dimension would know so much more than we could ever know; a God-like being.  I'm not suggesting God is living in the 4th dimension, but trying to make the point that He is so much bigger than we could ever imagine with the understanding of our human minds and when we pray He is already there! Psalm 18 v 6 says, "In my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. He heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears" and Psalm 34, 15 - "The LORD looks on the righteous, and he listens to their cries". Also if you believe that God created us to love and be loved, then surely it is important that we care and pray for each other which thankfully is still a big function of the modern church today. 

There are a few limitations on prayer however.  Firstly it says in the bible that prayers should be said in faith, believing that God is able to do what you have asked. Prayer is also linked with the will of God.  Even when Jesus was going to be murdered on the cross He prayed to His Father, 'I would rather this cup be taken away from me, but even so not my will but yours'. This is even in the Lord's prayer so it must be a very important aspect of prayer.  Finally, I believe prayer should be sincere and not just a list of wants for wants sake. God sees the heart of the prayer and whether the prayer is honest, genuine and coming from a good place. 

A small prayer therefore, is not a meager one but powerful, when we realise who we are praying to.  Let us not become weary of praying, but get excited again that prayer can really change things.  

Bible verses on prayer (although the word pray is mentioned over 300 times in the bible)

Luke 11 v9-13 - And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Phil 4 v 6 - Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Matt 21 v 22 - And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.

Matt 18 v 20 - For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

(Some of the scientific ideas in this blog have been researched & discussed by by Dr Robi, http://www.drrobi.com and Dr Caroline Leaf http://drleaf.com/)

Dealing with the tides of love & suffering

Recently there has been a ever deepening sense of tragedy and sadness of what is happening in our world, as well as hearing about many friends who are struggling and those who have suffered illness or have continued sickness.  I also recently lost both my Nana's - it's so hard to say goodbye to those we love and hold so dear.  

What can we do with our grief? Do we stop looking at the news, do we hide ourselves away and rather not face the realities of suffering? Do we carry on with work and get busy to make sure we don't have time to think about it? When we see others suffering do we go out of our way to ask them if they're coping or do we walk away not knowing what to say?

One positive we can look at, is that through grief we realise how much love means to us.  We start to get a real understanding about the people in our lives and the love we hold for them.  Because of hurt and suffering, we can understand what love means in a far deeper way.  We suddenly become much more aware that love and happiness in our lives is more important than we once understood, realising that at times we've taken it for granted. Oswald Chambers once wrote, "Sorrow burns up a great amount of shallowness". Suffering produces bigger character and strength, it stretches us and makes us more aware when others are struggling.  Suffering also prepares us to minister to others who may be going through sorrow; we are able to reach out to friends who may be going through the same thing we have experienced and it gives us greater empathy towards other people's difficulties. 

Ultimately, in the end some good can come out of our grief.  When we run into problems and trials, in some ways we can know that they teach us endurance. Endurance develops strength, until finally in its good time, our hope and faith is restored again. In life it is inevitable we are going to go through some difficulties and problems, we know well it's not a perfect life!  But life also come and goes in seasons, there may be a season of struggle or pain, followed by a season of happiness; this is what is meant by 'sorrow may last for a night but joy comes in the morning', so if you are going through a time of difficulty, keep holding on until you see hope again! If we are going through a long term sickness, this is not so easy....carry on holding onto those loved ones who care for you and make you smile again, giving you a reason to find hope again.  If we sense others going through a season of difficulty it's important we ask how they are doing, such a simple question can make a real difference.  

Christian faith thoughts:

I thought it good to mention that the Christian Easter story was all about love and suffering too. The bible story shows us that God loved the world so much that He wanted to restore His relationship with people.  He did this by sending Jesus, who suffered at the cross. 

God has walked in our shoes as a human; Jesus came as a man, he's seen suffering, he himself went through hardships, struggles and disappointments and even death! He had to deal with being misunderstood, being told he was a liar and was eventually killed, although a good man, because of what he stood for and claimed to be. 

There's nothing that God doesn't understand about being human and I believe this is why God chose to come this way, not as a king robed in splendor and riches but a normal man (fully God, but fully human) who gave his life to serve others in their need. Firstly, so we can relate to God himself and know the life he lived was a difficult road, but secondly so we can learn from his life and his urgency to help those in need around him.  One thing the Christian can know for sure is that God loves, and through suffering he understands and will help us through it when we ask. He will give us strength and hope for a new day.  It is written in Isaiah 41:13 - “For I am the LORD your God who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, do not fear; I will help you.”

Christian's believe even death is not the end.....for it says in Romans 8, "What can separate us from the love of God? Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below; indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord".

Keep holding on, keep moving forward, keep the hope of a new day as 'sadness will last for a night but joy comes in the morning'. xx

Is belief in God only for the simple minded?

We all believe in something, whether true love, friendships, family, values, morals etc.  We all take truth from something we've heard or learnt about.  Through the internet knowledge can be accessed at a click of a button and we are all subject to information overload; whether truth or deception.  

We are not always sure that what we are reading is the truth or a writer's spin on the subject. So what is truth today? Wow, now that's an interesting question isn't it!  What do you believe and why? What has made you come to those conclusions; through something we've read, from the media, it's what my parents told me, it's what my friend told me etc? Media is so powerful today, it can sway us without any one of us realising it.  We all have reasons to believe what we do.....and finding out what we truly believe is really important. 

I have heard it said many times that Christian belief is to be simple minded and naive.  Talking to fairies in the sky and their imaginations what could be more simplistic and stupid than this notion, especially in the light of evolution and scientific knowledge today.  This may be the perception of belief in God, but is it the truth of the matter?  I challenge this thought,  in that actually most Christians have faith but are not naive to evolution and scientific knowledge. They actually welcome scientific breakthrough and are interested in finding out information. However, this comes with checking out details and understanding the truth of something before jumping to any conclusions either way. 

If you truthfully analyse the data on the universe, it is so finely tuned that it would be impossible for the earth to exist, yet we happen to be here!  The only conclusions scientists can find is the theory of the multiverse (meaning we happen to live in the universe that happened to throw out a win!), or that there may be a higher alien life form that created us (even Richard Dawkins has said this). 

I completely understand that many do not believe in 'God' at all and I respect that completely.  I am only writing this blog to help those who do not believe understand why we do.  So, is it so outlandish and wrong to believe in a creator of all things? Is it so wrong to believe there is something greater than ourselves, giving us purpose to our living?  Is it naive to believe that we are here on earth to get on with the 'greater good'?  The opposite belief is believing we are all here for nothing and we came from nothing - is this also an easy hypothesis to believe in?  People say "oh I can't believe in God, how do we know which God to believe in"; I understand this dilemma but it doesn't take away the fact that God could exist, it is only people that have made it complicated. 

It is historical fact that a man named Jesus once came to earth and claimed he was God's son.  I look at the life of Jesus and he came here to earth to show us an example of what God was like.  He came to help those in need and to heal the broken hearted, he came to show us how we should live.  He came to show us freedom from religion and bureaucracy; to bring life and not slavery.  Jesus came to seek and help those who were crushed.  As we see how Jesus lived and God's heart for people, it spurs us on to take up His example of God likeness. To take on the example of the life He lived.  If this person claimed to be God himself then surely we should be taking this seriously and look into this 'Jesus' with great interest.  With Christmas coming ever closer, it's a great time to ponder on who this Jesus was?  What is the truth of the matter?  Is it time to take a closer look?  Many churches are in existence today across the globe helping people find fresh faith and to understand who this Jesus really was. 

xxx

To infinity and beyond.....thinking BIG

Ever tried to think about something beyond our human understanding? Could you try and think of something that has always been there, it's infinite? There is no beginning or no end, wow this is quite mind boggling and is difficult to get our heads around. As humans we only know things to have a beginning and an end; to think in terms of infinity starts to scare us somewhat!

Infinite, what is the definition?........Limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate, boundless, unlimited, without end, 

cosmic, measureless, immeasurable, fathomless, bottomless, extensive, vast, countless, inestimable, indeterminable, innumerable, numberless, enormous, immense and very rare!

It's interesting to note that cosmologists have suggested that parts of space, certainly within black holes, may warp time, causing time not to exist or exist in completely different ways. Therefore you may see time as one whole part rather than as we know it - past, present and future. Wow, can you image that - no time at all and being able to see everything from beginning to end all at the same time. So what may pass as 50 years on earth may only amount to 5 minutes else where in the universe; such a place would have a very small aging process (take me there please)!

This reminds me of what the bible says about God; that He is infinite and that He is timeless. Rev 1 v 8 - I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord God. “I am the God who is, and who was, and who will come". I can't help but notice that God puts the description in a way we can understand. I am the one who is - present / I am the one who was - the past / I am the one who will come - the future. He exits within all time frames, all at the same time and He is the beginning and end.  If God is infinite and timeless, then it makes sense that His home, heaven, would also be infinite and timeless, so now we can start to get an understanding of what God is saying when He talks about a life everlasting.  It also excites me to know from the bible that heaven is described as a place, where there will be no death and no more sickness, a place I believe where time or age are not important; a place of infinite time. From what we know already about space and time from cosmologists and what the bible describes as the third heaven, this heavenly place may well be somewhere else in the cosmos, in a different dimension and where time is non-existent; where earthly rules do not apply - something to ponder on don't you think?  I suddenly feel very small indeed against infinity and beyond! 

xxx

Enter into worship and enter into healing

Apart from the vast evidence of healings that have taken place during praise and worship services, there is also evidence in the bible that praise and worship can be the environment for healing.

King Saul was distressed by an evil spirit and called for a musician to play so that he could be delivered from his oppression (1 Samuel 16:16, 23). David the young worshiper was called upon and played his harp in Saul’s presence. When we are distressed and down, worship can be a means of renewing our spirits and minds. It's a place where heaven and earth converge, a place where the Holy Spirit (God's presence) can work among people. As we praise God, there is a power that comes. I believe it's a place we can become empowered too for works of service.

New people that come to church for the first time often cry, not in a negative way, but I believe it's because in God's presence, our hidden hurts come to the surface - this is a means of facing our past, a start toward our healing and enables us to move forward! When we express our emotions, God starts healing us pretty quickly. I've had to explain to some about this unexpected emotional journey, because they are not always sure as to why they feel the way they do. In God's presence everything becomes exposed, only for our good not to harm us and in order for us to heal from the inside out! God wants us well, not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. We can feed our bodies, but what about our souls? We live in a world where our souls are becoming desolate, it's a no go zone.

May be it's time to address matters of the heart and soul. Make a pact to become well from the inside out, as we do this our hearts can start to live again. The saying goes, 'we are what we eat'. What are you eating today; what are you taking into your heart? What are you believing today? Make sure what you are taking in, is good for you, is feeding you, is nourishing you, is helping you, in making you well from the inside out - not just outwardly but inwardly. Then you can live again and move on from past hurts.

God is in the business of healing us utterly and completely in order to journey this life exceedingly well. I've been in many worship meetings and lead worship myself, in my experience God is definitely in the business of restoring us little by little to be all that we can be. I have been renewed many times during worship sessions! As we open ourselves up to God, we are inviting Him to change us and heal us.  Reach out today to God, call out to him, find your local church - get yourself into a worship service. Many churches offer free pastoral care too, where you are free to talk to them in a confidential manner about issues you face in your life.

Finally, here are some verses to encourage you. xxxx

Psalm - 103, 1-5: Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Psalm 71, v 20:  Though I have seen troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. You will increase my honour and comfort me once more.

Psalm 34, 18:  If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.

Psalm 23, 3 - He restores my soul.  

The Universal Symbol of Hope

You can't get away from it. It's everywhere. Not just in churches & cathedrals but in homes, in hospitals, in art, films and music videos. We see it around us all the time, at funerals, in the church yard, when remembering war heroes and when remembering our loved ones who have gone before us. And of course, we wear it too, around our necks, on our t-shirts or tattooed onto our skin, it's the symbol of the cross. What would some huge companies do like Starbucks or McDonalds give to own a symbol that countless millions of people acknowledge and recognize, and even wear?

I can think of smiley faces we put on our text and facebook pages and symbols of hearts when we think of love, but I don't think there is a symbol more powerful than the cross.  It is probably one of the few symbols known worldwide. It became a symbol of the Son of God in the 4th Century, once crucifixions were abolished as a form of punishment.  

Although it may draw us to think on death, it is also a symbol of hope. Hope can be scarce in today's world; is there anywhere we can find it?  The cross is a symbol of comfort, but the symbol alone does not give us hope, only the person who went to the cross carries the hope we long for, Jesus Christ. At Easter we can remember that Jesus promises the hope for a better way of life and a better future to come.  So next time you look at a cross, don't forget to think about the man who died there. John 3 v 16 For God so LOVED the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes on Him, will not die but live forever'. The power and significance of the cross was ultimately God's signature of love to the world.

I will leave you with words from C S Lewis about Jesus Christ. "But supposing God became a man, suppose our human nature which can suffer and die was amalgamated with God's nature in one person; then that person could help us. He could surrender His will and suffer and die, because He was man; and He could do it perfectly because He was God.  But we cannot share God's dying unless God dies; and he cannot die except by being a man. That is the sense in which He pays our debt and suffers for us".  When Jesus suffered, God himself shared in our own sufferings, he shared with us in sorrow and in dying. Therefore, He is a God who understands us and knows what it is to be human, knows what it is to suffer and knows what it is to die.  He is a God who can share with us in our sufferings.

EASTER BIBLE READINGS:

John 11 v 25 - Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though they die, yet shall they live."

1 Peter 3:18 - For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

John 10, 17-18 - Jesus said, "For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

1 Peter 2, 24 - He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed."