If you have suffered from acid reflux, you will probably be at the very least grimacing now as the memory of the acute pain it causes comes to mind.

For those who have never suffered its ravaging effects or don’t even know of it, then let me describe what it’s like.  Imagine pouring neat sulphuric acid down your throat!

I mentioned in my last piece about engaging in an activity that’s so powerful it cannot be overstated, it fights, like a very strong disinfectant against Christian germs, otherwise called sin. The word is sincerity, of the Godly type.

This time I want to focus on the opposite, which is where the title of this message comes in, by focusing on an equally powerful word which could be considered to be the opposite of sincerity.  The word I am writing about is bitterness.

It came home quite forcibly to me very recently,  that it is something that I suffer from, by dwelling too long on an offence or sin, perish the thought, that I should have suffered in some way.

Acid reflux gets right inside of you and proceeds to literally burn its way in to everything it touches, leaving scarring which will help to ensure that its effect will be long lasting.

Replace acid reflux with bitterness and you will have the same outcome, only possibly in two ways, perhaps physically but certainly spiritually.

When bitterness strikes, am I not standing in judgement of a situation, usually without all the facts and therefore also judging at least one if not more people who are involved as well? Question, am I authorised to either replace God or share with him the responsibility in judging others?

Also, if bitterness is present, then rightly or wrongly I believe that my negative or should that be sinful interpretation of an occurrence is firmly established and this will indicate that I am not happy about an outcome and soon frustration comes in to the mix. A lethal combination for sure!

Result-acidity and consequential burning,  not of my inner body organs this time, but me personally, in my thinking and almost certainly my relationships with others.

People matter, you and I matter! It says in Isiaih 53 that by His stripes we are healed, Jesus promised at the end of Matthew 11 that we are to go to him and exchange our burdens for His which are light.

So next time you and I get the spiritual reflux of bitterness, we need to pause and then think how perfect we aren’t, before reaching for the spiritual medicine of sincere forgiveness. 

I am certainly challenged about bitterness, are you?

All blessings to you

Tony

 

All of us, whether we can read and write or not, will be able to use a variety of words through speech to communicate our thoughts, wishes or needs to others.

We may drop our h’s, have a dialect or use an intonation to emphasise a particular point, but normally we can make ourselves understood, even if a few pardon me’s, I’m sorry I didn’t quite catch that or say again are needed!

However, sometimes we can convey something we didn’t intend too, it may be out of ignorance,  a misinterpretation or lack of knowledge.  This may cause amusement, dismay or even offence which can occasionally have significant, even life changing consequences.

Words whether fully comprehended, pronounced correctly or not, or used in the right or wrong way can have a dramatic affect on both ourselves and our relationships with those around us.

Turning now to the Gospel of John,chapter 1 , verse 1, we learn that Jesus was the Word and who, in turn,was the creator that brought life. I often wonder if most of us, myself included, can really get our understanding around this fact.  The Word as in the Biblical meaning conveys the message of how to conduct our lives, irrespective of what we are going through,  and then how to come through, all that we face both humbly as well as victoriously. That’s the incredible importance of the Word to God.

I mentioned in my last blog about a particular passage tucked away towards the end of the bible in the New Testament, which is only one verse long, written by someone who had failed the Lord in a way that to many Christians would be too far to come back from, the passage is not particularly well known and yet has something extremely important to say to us all.  The passage is;

Therefore rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of every kind. (N.I.V.- 1 Peter 2 v1).

Challenged? I certainly am! It’s so easy, even if combined with good intentions  to fall in to these areas of shortcoming and that’s why it’s so important, without going to ridiculous lengths, to constantly check our thoughts, words and actions to prevent bad habits becoming the norm.

However, there is also I believe, an antidote to this unhappy state of affairs which can be described in a word, yes just one word and that is sincerity, which of course has to be Godly Holy Spirit inspired sincerity rather than being based on human attitudes!

What’s IN a word? If you take the trouble to look this word up you will find that Sincerity will have in its list of definitions all of the words that are completely opposite to those found in the 1 Peter passage I have just quoted.

By drawing nearer to the Lord, through an ever deepening loving relationship built on prayer, regular reading of the word to the point of understanding or revelation, and faithfulness rather than depending on my own abilities will surely convey Godly sincerity towards others.

You matter! I matter! All around us, matter! That’s why the Lord has gone to so much trouble from the very beginning to get us to see things His way rather than our failed way.  We may drop our h’s, talk in a different dialect or be hard to hear and even sometimes get things wrong.

BuT Do We TRULY want the Best For Everyone, AT ALL TIMES & IN ALL WAYS? That’S God’s Sincerity!

All blessings to you

Tony

 

 

 

 

Bread is a staple part of our diet,and thankfully something that most of us enjoy, for me the  aroma of freshly cooked bread as well as its appearance usually has one effect, hunger!

This food also comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes, from the standard white/brown sliced loaf to the baguette, batch or cob to name but a few variations as well as the more artistic platted versions.

Its diversity is continued through its many uses, sandwiches for the work lunch, toast for breakfast or used in entertaining with a buffet, where would we be without it?!

Unfortunately it can be so easy for all of these qualities to be wasted if  it is not eaten in time, the limp sandwich caused by its moist salad enclosures. Or just being simply left out for too long, gradually air makes the bread either go rock hard as it dries out or it becomes covered in mould, making it unfit for consumption.

I am sure that by now you will be aware of where I am going with this theme, since starting this blog I have become increasingly aware of what Jesus warned us about through using bread’s vital ingredient, yeast as an example.  I can see the lump of dough as being, representative of my Christianity but what makes it rise and is the final product fit for purpose?

Jesus in the Gospels warned about the yeast of the Pharisees and in 1 Corinthians we learn of the effects of spiritual immorality among those in the church, it doesn’t take a lot to spoil the batch comes the very clear warning and which I for one, find a sobering thought.

In 2016 I first became very aware of a passage in 1 Peter 2 v 1 which says;

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind

On first reading this particular verse it made me sit up and consider my ways, however since that time I have gradually begun to realise its true depth and  the consequential great importance of its meaning.

As we are all warned to regularly check ourselves physically for anything that should not be present, so we must be equally vigilant spiritually, as the effects of anything present in this area could be just as threatening, not only to ourselves but others as well.  Dough needs yeast to produce the end product, but if the yeast is polluted in some way, the end result will at best be off and at worst only fit for the bin!

So the question I need to ask, is my dough/christian walk tainted? Do any of these conditions apply to me? If so how, and then what do I need to do about it, ,most importantly of all, what’s the Holy Spirit telling me to do?

Whilst any faults present may not be one of the seven deadly sins, each of them can drive a wedge between myself and the Lord and over a period of time, be it short or long, become a part of me until possibly, I become a part of it.

All Christians want as close a relationship with the Lord as possible, myself included, however I wonder if this is more about being blessed, thereby meaning that we live peaceful lives with this world with the reassuring promise of eternity at the end?  

Just think, how often is the subject of sin mentioned in Christian circles nowadays?  

Also is my understanding of repentance correct? Look the true meaning up and decide if what you understand repenting to be, is actually correct, because I have to confess that my version fell well short. 

Also just think if someone died for you personally how grateful you would be,or  if the queen or the p.m. died for you  (what chance of that happening?), then how very grateful would you be? But if the creator, if God in the form of Jesus died for you, well I think you and I need to realise just how much we must matter to God.

So let’s all consider if we have any bad yeast in our dough and if so, get rid of it!!

Because you matter!

All blessings to you

Tony

 

 

 

One of the primary objectives for many of us is to get something, sometimes anything, for less than its normal price. The bigger the reduction, the greater the satisfaction. 

This objective can also have a major influence on where we shop, with a wide variety of choices ranging from Aldi for example, to Asda, Sainsburys and Waitrose before going all the way up to Fortnum and Masons.  If I asked you what the difference was between each of the stores, the answer would come back in most cases, cost, which of course would be right.

But and its a big but, is that the only difference? Well no, and I wonder if this quite often gets overlooked, the other factor is that the more you pay, the more quality you expect, if you occasionally get that quality at a lower price then even better.

Next question, if I had to go to a shop for my Christianity, where would I get it from?

Metaphorically speaking, is it from the cheapest store or from the most expensive? The deciding factor would be once again, what does it cost me?  Which will I choose? Low cost or the most expensive? The question I would now ask myself, am I really looking to get Jesus for the lowest price possible and thereby obtain  eternal life effectively at a discount assuming that this is a primary factor. Or, alternatively, am I happy to pay more, even top dollar. to give the best commitment to Jesus?

Putting the last paragraph in perspective and continuing to use the store theme, where do you think Paul, the apostle shopped metaphorically during his years of serving the Lord or what about Peter with his discipleship after Jesus’s crucifixion? Aldi or Fortnum and Masons? I would respectfully suggest  that either store’s prices would be dirt cheap in comparison to the cost and consequential sacrifice these men were readily willing to pay for their Lord!

Whoever can be trusted with very little, can be trusted with very much

(Luke 16 v.10)

Thinking about my own attitudes and in particular my shortcomings, this trust all starts with a thought about something that needs to be done, which will probably be a relatively small matter as the passage indicates and therefore seemingly insignificant.   I have to make a decision arising from a choice which is either, putting self  or obedience to the holy Spirit’s promptings first.

So, I am faced with;

My comfort or my sacrifice?

Do I firmly put my human desires on the cross or go for the lowest cost by putting these desires first?

One step back or one step nearer to Him?  

 

 

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Many of us, myself included want and certainly need, a closer relationship with the Lord and therefore we would do well to heed these very pertinent words from Paul;

……and let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us 

(Amplified Bible-Hebrews 12 1b)

 

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Like an athlete we need to have eyes focused straight ahead, train regularly (prayer as well as reading the bible) and then make the costly sacrifices necessary to win the race. 

For the greater the price we are prepared to pay, the greater the quality we will receive in return because 

You matter! That’s why Jesus died on the cross.

All blessings to you

Tony