He first loved us

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He first loved us

God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

We love because he first loved us.

1 John 4:16(b)-19

I’ve been married to Claire for seven years. If you asked me why I loved her I’d struggle to condense my answer into a brief sentence. I love her because she’s kind, because she’s thoughtful, because she’s smart, because she cares about me. My love for my wife isn’t just something that I accept, however; loving my wife is an action, an intention. Each day it is something that I work at, and which some days I am better at than others.

In the gospels Jesus tells us that the most important commandment is to love the Lord our God. Some might question this rule and ask why we should love God. Why should we love a God who at times can feel so distant from us? Why should we love a God who we cannot see, who allows pain, suffering and injustice to exist in the world?

The apostle John, writing in his first letter, provides us with an answer to these questions. He says that the reason we love God is because he first loved us.

If we adopt John’s thinking, it becomes much easier to love God. Sometimes we just need to stop and reflect about all that God has done for us. When we think of all the ways that God has demonstrated his love for us, loving God becomes much more straightforward, and something that we can work at doing every day.

It might be that we think about the fundamentals – that God has created us, placed us into a world of stunning beauty, sent his son to die for us, and promised us an eternity with him in a new creation. It might be that we think about specific things he has done in our lives, perhaps giving us guidance, healing us, granting us children. All of these good things are examples of how God has lavished his love on us, and give us cause to love him back.

However much you feel that you love God this morning, remember that loving God is something that we need to work at. Loving is an action as much as a frame of mind. Why not today try to think of all the ways that God has loved you, and try to love him back with all of your heart, your soul, your mind and your strength?

Originally presented as a Thought of the Day on the Premier Christian Radio ‘Inspirational Breakfast’ show.

Love the Lord your God

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One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’

Mark 12:28-30

If you were asked what the most important rule is, how would you respond? Perhaps you’d say something like, “do not murder,” or “do as you would be done by.” I work in a school where we have lots of rules, but for us the most important is “be kind.”

Jesus was once asked this by a teacher of the law. His answer, as recorded in chapter 12 of Mark’s gospel, was “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”

Jesus believes that the most important thing that we can do in our lives is to love God. He makes it clear that we are not to love him just a little. Instead we are to love him with every fibre of our being. We are called to love God with all of our heart, with all of our soul, with all of our mind, and with all of our strength.

How do we feel that we live up to this rule today? Sometimes, when we look at our friends we can see love radiating from them in how they speak to and act towards their loved ones. It is clear to anyone who sees them the depth of the love they have.

If we are Christians, then the love that we have for God should be visible to everyone we come into contact with too. When our friends, families and colleagues see us, it should be clear that our love for God is limitless. Just as we might speak lovingly about a husband or wife, or a parent, or a sibling, or a close friend, we should speak of God. Hardly an exchange should go past without us speaking fondly of our relationship with God.

As we begin this new week, what challenging words for us to reflect on. Can we genuinely say that we love God with our hearts, our souls, our minds and our strength? Why not challenge yourself to spend more time with God this week so that you might deepen your relationship with the God who loved us so much that he sent his only son to die for us.

Originally presented as a Thought of the Day on the Premier Christian Radio ‘Inspirational Breakfast’ show.

Favouritism, anger and hatred

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Favouritism, anger and hatred

Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Genesis 37:3-4

It’s funny, isn’t it, how it is easy to regard a sibling as the ‘favourite’ of our parents. Over the course of many years, one can misread the actions or words of our parents as suggestive that a brother or sister is more important to them than we are. Our mind can make personal slights out of comments that were never intended as such. We tell ourselves that this is irrational behaviour, yet it persists, even when we should know better. Of course, the reality is that our siblings may well think the same way!

Pretty much as soon as we meet Joseph in the Old Testament, we see that he has a rather difficult relationship with his siblings. They feel that he is their father’s favourite; Genesis tells us that Joseph’s “brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them.” Far from being irrational on their part, however, they were spot on; Genesis states that “Israel [Jacob] loved Joseph more than any of his other sons.” To make it abundantly clear, Jacob made Joseph “an ornate robe” – the so-called “coat of many colours” that most of us probably sang about in primary school.

Is it really Joseph who should feel the brunt of his brother’s anger and hatred, however? He couldn’t help being born to his father when Jacob was old. He didn’t choose to be given a coat by his father. Whilst his brother’s anger is rational, it is probably misdirected; they would have been better directing it at their father.

Joseph’s brother’s anger got the better of them and they ended up plotting to kill their brother before selling him into slavery. Joseph, who had not courted the favouritism of his father, ended up suffering as a result of it.

There is much than we can learn about our attitude towards others from these few short verses. Firstly, if we find ourselves in a position of care over others, perhaps our own children or groups that we work with, we must be conscious of being perceived to have ‘favourites’. The story of Joseph shows that favouritism can cause great problems and have ramifications that are far from desirable. Secondly, we must be careful not to misdirect our anger towards others who can not help the position they find themselves in, whether they be our siblings, those born to rich parents, those who we encounter begging in the streets. It is easy to get angry but much of the time our anger is unjustified. Thirdly, we must ensure that we do not let our anger get the better of us. Jacob’s sons’ anger led them to a pretty bleak place, their plot to kill Joseph, and whilst we are unlikely to find ourselves plotting to murder our siblings, anger has the potential to lead us into situations and circumstances that are best avoided.

Of course, ultimately, as we shall see, God worked through the anger of Joseph’s brothers. Perhaps the best situation at the time, however, would have been for the brothers to rise above their father’s blatant favouritism, and to strive to love Joseph. In our own lives this will inevitably be the best option. We must ensure that we don’t allow anger and hatred to contaminate our own lives, but strive to love instead, even those whom we feel have aggrieved us.

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Love keeps no record of wrongs

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Love keeps no record of wrongs

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

In my day job, working as a teacher, the end of term is always a busy time. At the end of the summer term I found myself writing 150 end of year reports for my pupils. This was a particularly arduous task this year since my school has recently moved to a new management information system. This complex computer programme keeps details of all of our pupils, including records of all their good and bad behaviour.

As Christians we are fortunate to have a loving father in heaven who, unlike my school, does not keep a record of every time we do something wrong. Although we all sin many times every day, we can be confident that God has not only forgiven us, but that he wipes our slate clean every time. Since Jesus took all of our sin on himself on the cross and settled our debt with God, we are seen to be pure and blameless in his eyes.

If we are to live out one of the greatest commandments, to love our neighbour as ourselves, we should learn from the example God gives us. Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, describes some of the characteristics of love. One of these is that love keeps no record of wrongs.

If we love our neighbour, we must accept that there will be times when they wrong us. Once we have suitably dealt with their wrongdoing, we must wipe their slate clean too; we must forget that they have ever wronged us and move forward in loving friendship. If we do not, our relationship with our neighbours will deteriorate and we will find ourselves burning up inside with anger. We must forgive and forget and not allow any actions they take to leave a permanent scar on our heart. This is by no means easy, but it is what we are required to do as Christians. It is an important part of loving our neighbours.

I pray today that we will not allow our hearts to be scarred by the actions or words of others. I pray that God will help us to forgive and forget, just as he has done with us.

As featured on Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’.

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Love does not dishonour others

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Love does not dishonour others

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I found myself perusing the newspapers and magazines at my local supermarket recently. I’m always amazed when I check the front pages of some magazines. They seem to be obsessed with the state of celebrities’ marriages and the size of women’s waists.

The reason that magazines publish this kind of material though is that we, their potential readers, have a great interest in celebrity gossip. Of course, it’s not just celebrity gossip. When I go to work, my colleagues are always keen to share the latest rumour surrounding someone we work with.

Quite often, there is little basis of truth behind these stories. They’re often based on an overheard whisper, or a comment taken out of context. They’re not out and out lies, but such stories could best be described as half truths.

It can be very easy to become a conduit for gossip. If we hear something potentially interesting about someone else, we can be quick to pass it on.

As Christians we have a responsibility to rise above rumour and gossip. Jesus tells us that one of the most important commandments is to love our neighbour as ourselves. The apostle Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, helpfully tells us some of the characteristics of love. One is that love does not dishonour others.

If we discuss the lives of others, without knowing the full truth behind any story, that is precisely what we are doing; we are dishonouring them. What is more, if we pass on a story that we know know to be untrue, we are guilty of slander. Jesus himself described slander as ‘evil’ and said it ‘defiles a person’.

Let’s resolve this morning to steer clear of gossip and rumour. Let’s be sure that we do not dishonour another person with our words. And let’s ensure that we do not defile ourselves by slandering others. Instead, let’s aim to bring glory and honour to Christ with every word we speak.

As featured on Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’.

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Love does not envy

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Love does not envy

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

My wife, Claire, and I recently welcomed our first child into the world. Our son is a smiling, happy little boy who seems to bring joy everywhere he goes.

Prior to his birth, Claire and I enrolled on an NCT course. We found the course very helpful, not least because we met a group of good people who have become friends.

A few weeks ago we found ourselves at a barbecue at one of our NCT friend’s houses. I have to say, I was rather envious of their home. Whilst we live in a small flat, they have a large, detached house with a substantial garden.

I’m sure I’m not alone in envying what other people have from time to time. I’m sure that at some point you will have found yourself envying your friend’s home, or their car, or their summer holiday.

If we are to live by Jesus’ teaching to love our neighbours as ourselves, however, we should aim to steer clear of envy. In chapter thirteen of his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul tells us that love does not envy. If we find ourselves envying others, then, we are lacking in love for them.

Envy is like jealousy. It suggests that we are not happy with our own lives and the blessings that we have received from our heavenly father. It indicates a wrong attitude, suggesting that we are focused on acquiring ‘stuff’.

Rather than envying others, we should be glad for what we have, be grateful to God for his provision, and pleased for the success of others. We should give thanks that ultimately our treasure is heaven, secured for us by Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection three days later.

I pray today that our attitude towards all those we encounter will be one of love, and that any envy we feel towards others will be eradicated by the Holy Spirit.

As featured on Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’.

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Love is Kind

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Love is Kind

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

Life is full of rules. Stick to the speed limit, return your library books on time, put the loo seat down after you’ve finished.

As a teacher rules are a significant part of my life. As Head of Year 7 it is my job to ensure that rules are enforced. Thankfully in my school we don’t have hundreds of rules. We have one main rule, and that is simply Be Kind.

I think that’s a pretty good rule. I think that the apostle Paul would agree. In 1 Corinthians chapter 13 he tells us that ‘love is kind’. If we strive as Christians to love our neighbour, as Jesus commands his followers to do, one of the simplest ways of doing so is simply to follow my school’s most important rule, to ‘Be Kind’.

It sounds simple enough. Yet if we are to Be Kind to everyone whom we encounter, it can require a bit of effort. It’s easy to Be Kind to those whom we like, but what about our irritating neighbours, the person at work who routinely mocks us because of our beliefs, or the person at church who bores us over coffee after the service every single week? Being kind to people that we don’t really like can be a challenge.

Jesus is the ultimate example of kind living. For him, being kind was not just a thought or an attitude, but an action that defined who he was. He demonstrated kindness to all those whom he encountered through his compassion. Even as hung on the cross, dying for you and for me, he demonstrated kindness to those who crucified him by praying for their forgiveness.

Let us strive today to be kind to all those whom we encounter, displaying Christ’s compassion even to those we dislike.

As featured on Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’.

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Love is Patient

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Love is Patient

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Do you have a favourite day of the week? If you do, I’d guess that Mondays wouldn’t be your top choice. For most, Monday is the beginning of another hard week at work. But the beginning of the week presents us with the opportunity for a fresh start, a chance to put away our failings of last week and to resolve to do better this week.

As we begin this week, why not reflect on Jesus’ words in Mark’s gospel, chapter twelve, when he states that one of the greatest commandments is to love your neighbour as yourself.

Have you stopped to wonder what it means to love your neighbour? In chapter thirteen of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians he describes the characteristics of love. The first is that love is patient.

In the whirl of twenty-first century life patience is often in short supply. When our train arrives late, or our computer won’t start, or a colleague is late for a meeting, we can be quick to anger and hatred may build up within us. When things don’t go smoothly we can sometimes feel anger and frustration bubbling up within us, just waiting to explode.

This is not the way that we are called to be. Patience is a characteristic of love which should not just be evident to those around us, but should flow out of us towards all whom we encounter. According to Psalm 145, ‘The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love’. We should aspire to emulate this.

I pray that we might be full of patience today and in the week ahead.

As featured on Premier Christian Radio’s ‘Inspirational Breakfast’.

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You are the light of the world

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You are the light of the world

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

Matthew 5:14-16

I have a little place in the country that I enjoy staying in during summer weekends and my holidays. It is on the shore of a river estuary and is stunningly beautiful but rather isolated. At night, it is very dark with no street lights and few other lights. Occasionally, on very dark nights when there is little or no moon showing, we see the sweep of a lighthouse across the river. This always amazes me; the nearest lighthouse to where we live is 34 miles up the coast. It shows just how powerful the lamp in the lighthouse is as well as how dark the night is!

In the verses in today’s Daily Reflection, Jesus talks about his followers being the “light of the world.” Jesus understands that the world is an inherently dark place, desperately in need of illumination. This illumination it needs comes his followers; they have a vital role to fulfil in breaking light to the world. They are to shine out in the darkness of the world, bringing love and hope into a depressing world.

Christians must ensure that their light shines a brightly as possible. Indeed, Jesus says that ” a town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” Christians, if they live as Christ did, and if they strive to live according to the standards laid out in the beatitudes, will be visible to all; it will be impossible for them to blend into the darkness, since their lights will shine so brightly. Their way of living, their standards, will be so radically different to those of the people around them that their distinctiveness will be evident.

Why is it so important for Christians to shine brightly as ‘the light of the world’? Jesus explains that by doing so, others will ‘see [their] good deeds and glorify [their] Father in heaven’. In other words, shining as lights in the darkness of the world will bring people to faith. This makes sense since it is Christ’s light that shines through us when we follow his commands. Like moths, people living in the darkness will be drawn to the light, initially to the light that we cast, and then to the source of that light, Jesus Christ.

Of course, it is important that we ensure that we do not attempt to hide our light by blending in to the society in which we live; we must maintain the brightness of our lights at all times. If we do not ‘shine before others’ not only are we failing Jesus by not taking seriously our responsibility as the light of the world, but we are also risking extinguishing the light within us. After all, if you hide a lamp by placing it under a bowl, the light will eventually go out.

Why not think today about how you live as the light of the world. Is your light shining brightly? Are your good deeds evident to those around you? Are you pointing all those with whom you come into contact towards the source of the light, to our saviour Jesus Christ?

A wise man who built his house on the rock

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‘Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.’

Matthew 7:24-27

Some friends of mine recently built a new chalet on the beach close to where I go on holiday. The building replaced an old chalet that sadly burnt down. The construction caused a few headaches, not least because the building was to be constructed literally on the beach, raised up on stilts to prevent the tide flooding it twice a day. They had hoped to use the tried and tested construction method of sinking a few feet of concrete into the beach and then bolting wooden piles onto these strong foundations, before building a base on the top of the stilts. The council, however, had other ideas. They required my friends to sink piles thirty feet into the sand before starting work on the chalet. This clearly had cost implications on the build as well as extending the time taken quite considerably. Still, at least they can sleep confidently in their smart new chalet, firm in the knowledge that nothing short of a cataclysmic event will bring their holiday home down!

Jesus points out several times in the gospel that true faith needs to be firmly rooted in the word of God. A faith that is not built on firm foundations will soon come crashing down as soon as trouble or hardship is encountered. A faith that is rooted in scripture will endure through life’s difficulties and disasters. When a person bases their faith on the teaching in the Bible they will understand that being a Christian does not mean that we won’t face difficulties, that God will not test someone beyond their capabilities, that problems are the means by which faith gets deeper and we become more like Christ, that God never abandons his children but sends his Holy Spirit to protect and guide believers, and that ultimately, if we share in Christ’s sacrifice we will be rewarded with a place in God’s heavenly kingdom. And that’s just the start of it!

In today’s passage, Jesus states that it is not enough even to hear and believe the word of God. He tells his listeners that it is those who hear his words AND put them into practice who will find their faith able to endure the hardships of this life without falling with a great crash. Coming at the end of an extended section of teaching, known as the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is evidently imploring all those who have listened to him to pay careful attention to all that he has said and to apply it to their own lives. For us today, who read this teaching, perhaps this is an opportune moment to flick back through the preceding two chapters of Matthew’s Gospel, and to pray that we will strive to apply all that we learn from this important text in our own lives.

Has your life been transformed by the Sermon on the Mount? Do you strive not just to read and understand Jesus’ teaching but to build your life upon it? It is a wise person who puts Jesus’ teaching into practice, but a foolish person who reads it, yet fails to act on it. Are you wise or foolish?