The Tower of Babel

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The Tower of Babel

Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

Genesis 11:4

If you’ve been to London in the last few years, you will no doubt have noticed ‘The Shard’ a recent office development near London Bridge station. You may even have caught a glimpse of it if you’re watching The Apprentice on BBC1 since it features heavily in the programme’s title sequence. This vast building is over a thousand feet tall, and is, at present, the tallest building in the European Union. I have to admit that when the design was unveiled, I was sceptical. Skyscrapers are all well and good in New York, but do we need them in London? Since its completion, though, I have have grown to quite like its graceful lines and what it brings to London’s sky line.

Humans have always wanted to build tall buildings. In today’s reading, we see perhaps the human race’s first attempt to build a skyscraper. Known to us as the Tower of Babel, the designers wanted to construct a building that would reach to the heavens, and demonstrate the ingenuity of humans. Another important factor in the decision to construct this tower was to try and keep people together, and prevent them from being “scattered over the face of the earth.”

Of course, if you know this story, you’ll know that it ultimately ended in failure. The tower displeased God; he changed human speech so that rather than speaking just one language, as had previously been the case, humans spoke lots of different languages. Not only that, but God scattered the people far and wide, he “dispersed them from there over the face of the earth.”

Why did God act in such an extreme way? He responded the way he did because humankind was not interested in honouring God, and placing him first in all they did. Rather, they were only interested in trying to “make a name” for themselves. They were trying to demonstrate that they had no need for God anymore, that they could get by on their own. God was also disappointed because they were openly disobeying the command he had given them to “fill the earth.” They were concerned that if they dispersed, they would be weak and so decided that the best thing to do to keep everyone together in one place was to build upwards.

Are we like the builders of the Tower of Babel? Do we openly disobey God’s commands to us? Do we place our trust in our own abilities, or in God? Are we more concerned about making a name for ourselves, or about trusting God? Why not reflect on these questions today, and pray that God will help us to lean on him, not on ourselves.

Originally published 19th July 2011. Modified 30th January 2015.

Fill the earth and subdue it

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Fill the earth and subdue it

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 1:28

When I was teaching at a school in London, my Head of Year arranged for the whole year group to visit the London Wetlands Centre. None of the staff were particularly enthusiastic about the trip, and when it turned out to be a wet and windy day, the prospect of leading our Year 7 tutor groups around the centre was rather depressing. As it happens, we we all surprised about how much we enjoyed the day. Seeing so many different birds up relatively close in a beautiful wetland environment was really rather special. Even the weather didn’t prevent our enjoyment.

Even though I enjoyed my visit to the Wetlands Centre, the picture I have in my mind’s eye of the Garden of Eden is even better. I imagine the Garden of Eden to be a beautiful, warm, sunny place, teeming with natural beauty and phenomenal wildlife. It was here that God uttered the words in today’s verse. He commanded Adam and Eve to have lots of children and to “fill the earth and subdue it.” Humans were given the task of spreading out across the globe in order to look after God’s creation as his appointed representatives. God wanted every square mile to be tended by the pinnacle of his creation – namely us, the human race.

Since those days, we’ve been very good at filling the earth, but not so good at looking after it. Particularly since the industrial revolution we’ve been harnessing the earth’s resources, particularly coal and oil, at an ever increasing rate. We’ve been burning fuels faster and faster, and pumping more and more pollution into our atmosphere. At the same time, we’ve been cutting down the rain forests that act as the planet’s lungs, absorbing the carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into oxygen.

Let’s all take a moment today to look around us and marvel at the beauty of God’s creation. Let’s stop and reflect about the impact that our lives are having on our planet and think if there are ways that we can honour God by making changes to our lifestyles. Can we use our cars less, and perhaps walk more, or use public transport? Are we leaving lights on unnecessarily? Are we throwing things away that could be reused or recycled, such as glass bottles or plastic bags?

Let’s remember that our planet is a wonderful gift from an incredible God, and make sure that we treat it appropriately!

Come, Lord Jesus

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Come, Lord Jesus

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.

Revelation 22:17

I love going on holiday. Having recently been on two holidays in close succession, however, I find myself in a position where I have no more holidays planned. When that’s the case, I find I get itchy feet. Part of the joy of a holiday is having something to look forward to. The sense of anticipation is almost as good as the holiday itself.

There’s a real sense of anticipation in today’s verse. It begins with the Holy Spirit and the “bride,” a term often used to describe the Church, urging Jesus to return, as he promised he would. The bride (the Church) is looking forward to the arrival of the bridegroom (Christ) so that the relationship of love that has been fostered during their engagement can reach fulfilment. The Church waits with eager anticipation the return of Christ, so that those who love Christ can enter the house of the Father, heaven, where there is no fear, no hatred, no illness and no death.

In the second part of the verse, the call goes out to “the one who is thirsty.” Yesterday we considered how Jesus will quench the thirst of all those who believe in him – not a thirst for water, but the spiritual thirst that is within us all. Here again we have a call for “the one who is thirsty” to come. We are invited to take the “free gift of the water of life.” This water, the water that is Christ, is life-giving; if we drink it, we will have eternal life in heaven with Jesus. The best thing about this water is that it is free, a gift offered to us all. There is no cost to us for receiving this water. Like all gifts, it has been paid for by someone else, in this case by Jesus. He paid the greatest price possible for this gift; he paid with his life on the cross. We are not forced to accept this gift; we can refuse it if we wish. “Anyone who wishes” can accept it, there is no restriction or limitation, but it is up to us whether we choose to accept it or not.

Reflect today on whether your voice is amongst those of the wider Church urging Jesus to return. Are you excited about Jesus returning? Do you feel that sense of anticipation? Or do you not give it a second thought? Have you accepted the free gift of living water that Christ offers? Do you marvel at the price that Jesus paid for this gift, for us, for me, for you? Are you eager to share this gift with those you know and love, or are you ashamed about it, and keen to hide away from this amazing revelation? Join with the Spirit and the Bride today in calling for Jesus to come!

Thirst No More

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Thirst No More

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

John 6:35

Have you seen some of the ridiculous claims manufacturers put on the side of bottles of so-called sports drinks? These drinks claim that they will rehydrate you for longer, or faster. They’ll make you faster or more focused. One brand even suggests that by drinking their particular product you’ll be lured into trying sky diving, or water skiing or any number of other crazy sports! The one thing that they never claim is that if you drink their product, you’ll never be thirsty again. Indeed, it would just be impossible for such a claim to stand up. If such a product existed the manufacturer would quickly go out of business.

This is just the claim that we find Jesus making in today’s verse. He says that whoever comes to him will never be hungry or thirsty again. When we see people starving around the world, and read about the millions on our planet who don’t have access to clean water, does this claim really stand up?

The kind of bread and water that Jesus offers is not literal, physical food and drink. He is, he tells us, the Bread of Life. The appetite that he will satisfy is not for the food that we might eat and the water that we might drink, but our spiritual cravings. St. Augustine famously spoke of a “God-shaped hole” within all of us. For many, that hole manifests itself as a sense of emptiness, a feeling of lack of purpose, and a striving to find meaning of some kind. But that hole, like a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle, is a very precise shape. There is only one piece that will fit, there is only one thing that will go into that hole. Until the hole is filled, though, we will hunger for that missing piece.

In today’s verse, Jesus says to us, “look, I am that missing piece! The spiritual longing you feel, I will quench. If you follow me, your spiritual hunger and thirst will be satisfied.” If we strive to follow Jesus, we will, spiritually, never hunger or thirst again. As we live out the Christian life, we will discover purpose and meaning that cannot be found anywhere else.

Today, give thanks that Jesus is that missing piece in the puzzle of our lives that fits the God-shaped hole within us all. Give thanks that he alone quenched our spiritual hunger and thirst, and pray that as we strive to follow him more closely, we will feel increasingly satisfied.

The greatest feast

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The greatest feast

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.”

Isaiah 55:1-2

My friend Ian works at Harrods, the world-famous department store in Knightsbridge.  Sometimes, if I’m meeting Ian after work, I’ll have a browse in the Harrods Food Hall.  If you’ve never been, it’s well worth popping in if you should ever find yourself in that part of the world.  The food is just unbelievable.  From the finest handmade chocolates, to the world’s best caviar, fish like you’ve never seen to meat pies you’d sell your grandmother for, everything is simply exquisite.  Of course, if you wanted to do your weekly food shop at Harrods, you’d eat well, but you’d also need to be a multi-millionaire; the price tags are just as unbelievable as the food itself.

Imagine what would happen if one day, the Qatar Investment Authority (the catchily-named owners of Harrods) decided to fling the doors of the shop open, and give away for free all the stock in the food hall, there’d be a stampede.  Thousands of people would descend on Knightsbridge to try to grab anything that they could.  The police would have to be called in to control the crowds, and no doubt there would even be casualties.

In today’s verse, we are called to a feast by God.  The food at God’s feast is even more incredible than any you’ll find in Harrods.  It’s described in today’s passage as “the richest of fare,” the best there is.  What is even better, though, is that this amazing food and drink won’t cost us anything.  We won’t need money, because what we’ll receive at the banquet is priceless.  The food that we’ll receive at this banquet will satisfy in a way that no food here on earth could possibly do.

This feast, of course, awaits us in heaven.  Whilst it will cost us nothing, someone obviously has to pay for it.  Banquets like this don’t come free.  Our admission to this feast, to heaven, has been paid for by Jesus, by God himself, who took on human form and died on the cross to pay the price that would otherwise be required of us.  In doing so, God flung open the doors of heaven and invited us all in.  We’re all invited to the feast, to the party that will never end!

What an amazing invitation this is, and how fantastic that it will cost us nothing!  Let’s praise God today for all that he has done for us.  Let’s give thanks to Jesus for paying the ultimate price, so that we could attend this feast!

There is no condemnation

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There is no condemnation

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1

If you commit a crime, you can expect to be punished. You might not be caught initially, but  eventually your illegal activities will catch up with you. You might be spared a custodial sentence the first time, but if you carry on breaking the law, sooner or later you’ll end up in prison. That’s how a legal system works. In a developed, pluralistic society, this is true no matter what your position is; according to the Rule of Law, everyone is equal before the law. There are no special circumstances. You could be a President of Prime Minister, but if rob a bank, you’ll face the same penalty as everyone else.

In God’s eyes, the same is true. Due to the Fall, in which Adam and Eve disobeyed God, all people are sinners. There is no one walking around today who is anything but a sinner. Not a day goes by when we don’t break God’s laws, neglect him, or worse. The Bible is absolutely clear that sin deserves punishment. Paul himself tells us in this same letter that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). We are all condemned by our sin, and therefore face a very bleak future.

Or we would do, if it were not for Jesus, and his powerful intervention. Jesus, as the Son of God, was entirely free from sin. He did not deserve to die, but did, in a gruesome, horrific way. In doing so, he took the punishment that should belong to you and me. He died, but then, in an amazing show of the power of love over hate, of light over darkness, of life over death, he came back from the dead, conquering death once and for all.

In today’s incredible verse, Paul tells us that those of us who are “in Christ Jesus” are saved from the punishment that we deserve. For those who follow Christ, who accept that he is the Son of God, and who strive to live out his teachings, there is no condemnation. We should be condemned to death, but instead, we have new life through Jesus. We should be condemned to eternal separation from God, from love, from all that is good in creation, but instead we find ourselves promised an eternity of love and goodness in God’s heavenly kingdom. We should be condemned to live in a world in which evil triumphs and all hope of a better future is gone, but instead we live in a world where, even though things may seem bleak, love triumphs over hate, and we can have hope in a better tomorrow.

Rejoice today that through Jesus we have been saved from condemnation. Give thanks that love has triumphed, that evil cannot win, and for the future hope that we can all have that Christ will one day return, and we will be with him for all eternity!

A light on my path

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A light on my path

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

Psalm 119:105

Have you ever been somewhere really dark, somewhere so dark that you can’t even see your hand in front of your face? Very few people have these days. A recent survey revealed that nine out of ten British school children have never seen the Milky Way because of the light pollution produced by our towns and cities. I’m lucky enough to spend time in one of the few places in the UK where it is truly dark. It’s so dark that it’s almost impossible to see more than a few feet ahead. If I go to a friend’s house in the evening, it is only because I know the way back to my house so well that I can get back at all. If I’d didn’t, there’d be no prospect of getting back at all. The narrow road between our houses is black, with no lines painted, and no street lights. It would be very easy to walk off in completely the wrong direction!

Our lives are like that in some respect. It can often feel that we have no idea the direction we should take. There’s that big decision we all have to take as we near the end of our childhood; what should I do for a living? Once that choice is made, there are other big decisions: should I get married? Where should I live? Should I change job? Should we have children? How many? Should I take early retirement? When you think about it, life is fraught with difficulties! I’ve often felt that it would be really useful if there was someone who would just tell me what decisions I should make. Life would be so much easier!

Today’s verse addresses some of these concerns that we all have. When we are fumbling around in the dark, trying to decide which direction we should head in, God’s word can be a beacon of light, illuminating the way ahead. Since the Bible is God’s word, we can find many of the answers we seek within it’s pages. We might not find specific advice of the kind “Simon, take the job you’re going to be offered on 11th July 2011,” but we can find guidance regarding how God wants us to live and the qualities he wants us to cultivate, as well as plenty of case studies of people before us who have sought to serve God. The Bible also helps us to see the ultimate purpose for our lives (for example, in Mark 12, Jesus says that the greatest commandment is to love God, and the second is to love our neighbours).

One of the purposes behind this website is to provide a forum in which Christians from around the world can study God’s word together. We’ll be publishing Daily Readings every day this week, so why not take a look each day, reflect on what the passages we select say to you, and leave your thoughts, comments and reflections in the comments?

Let’s strive together to use God’s word as a light to our paths!

Finding inner peace

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“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

It’s easy at the end of a week to feel absolutely exhausted.  The pressures of work that have built up over the course of the working week often seem like a weight around the neck, which, as the weekend approaches, we can’t wait to throw off and relax a little.  Add to that the other pressures that we find ourselves under – from family and friends, from Church and from other commitments, and life can feel like a bit of a struggle sometimes.  In that context, today’s verse is a great encouragement.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking in the context of the religious legalism imposed on the Jewish people by the scribes and the Pharisees.  They often spoke of taking on “the yoke” of the law.  Jesus, whilst affirming that he had not come to abolish the law (Matthew 5:17) had a rather different take on the message.  His kind of faith is not one that forces followers to live by a prescriptive list of rules and regulations that must be obeyed; instead, it is a faith of personal commitment to him.  If we strive to follow him and to honour him, everything else will fall into place, and we can be sure of our salvation.  In Jesus we can find rest, for he is “gentle and humble in heart” and by following him we will find rest for our souls, that sense of inner peace that all humans long for.

Jesus might not be able to take away all the commitments of work and family life that we feel can burden us, but he can give us true inner peace.  By knowing Jesus, the rest of our lives take on a different focus.  By seeking to live out his teachings in our workplaces, no matter how good or bad our bosses are, we know that we are living for Christ.  When things get tough at home, we can draw comfort from the knowledge that we, and our families, are loved by God.  And ultimately, by knowing Jesus, all the stresses and strains of our modern lives are put into an eternal context; yes, life in the here and now but be busy, stressful, and at times painful, but if we honour Jesus, we are promised eternal life with him in heaven after death.

So as you prepare for the weekend, reflect on the fact that real peace, that inner peace that we can feel in our souls, is found in Christ. Let’s pray that we will feel that inner peace in the days ahead.

Safe from death

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Safe from death

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:24-25a

I do enjoy picking a scab.  I have no idea why.  I know that the best thing to do would be to leave it, and then the wound will recover quickly.  Sometimes I find myself thinking that actually, perhaps I’d prefer it if the wound didn’t recover, because then I’ll get another scab that I can pick off.  I know, I know, I’m disgusting.  But admit it, you’re the same, aren’t you?  We all do things that we know we shouldn’t because they’re bad for us, whether it’s picking a scab, eating at McDonald’s, or teasing the dog.  We just can’t help ourselves.

Today’s verse, taken from a very complicated passage in Paul’s letter to the Romans, applies this same principle to the idea of sin, or wrong doing.  We all do things that we know that we shouldn’t because they dishonour Christ.  Despite this, we go on doing them.  Earlier in this chapter, Paul says that this is partly because we know that we’re specifically told that we shouldn’t.  The Ten Commandments, Paul says, forbid coveting, yet this commandment produced in him “every kind of coveting.”  Paul believes that this is because we all have sin living in us, a consequence of the Fall, when Adam and Eve ate the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, despite being specifically told by God not to do so.  Since the punishment for sin is death, this puts us all into a rather unfortunate position.  Sin is within us all, we all sin, and therefore, we are all destined to die.  In other words, as Paul says in today’s verse, our bodies, which are the instruments through which we commit sin, are all “subject to death.”

There is good news, however.  There is hope.  Paul asks who will rescue him from his body that is subject to death.  He knows the answer, of course.  We have all been rescued from the death that we deserve as sinners by Jesus Christ our Lord.  He was entirely free from sin, and took on the punishment for all of our sin himself.  He died in our place.  Since he is God, however, he died, but then rose again three days later, defeating death.  Death is not something that we, as Christians, need to fear, therefore.  Whilst our bodies might be subject to death, our souls, the essence of our being, are safe.

Give thanks today, as Paul does in this verse, that we have been saved from sin through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Give thanks that even though we sin, offend God and disobey his commands, we have nevertheless been saved.  And in recognition of all that Jesus went through in order to save us, why not also strive to eradicate sin from your lives as much as is possible?

Great is the Lord!

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Great is the Lord!

Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.

Psalm 145:3

A few years ago, the BBC commissioned a survey to find who people believed to be the greatest Briton of all time.  The winner of this particular poll was the Prime Minister who saw the country through the war, Sir Winston Churchill.  Similar polls have been conducted in other countries, most notably Russia.  In the Russian poll, Alexander Nevsky and Pyotr Stolypin narrowly beat Josef Stalin, the wartime leader who was responsible for killing over 20 million of his own people.

Polls such as these are fraught with difficulties, and are highly subjective.  A hero in one person’s eyes might equally be a villain in the eyes of another.  Stalin is a case in point; he may have been a mass murderer, but he also led Russia through a period of great success in the international arena and oversaw some highly effective economic reforms.  Even Churchill, who is more generally regarded as a hero is not without his controversies; he was, after all, responsible for the disastrous Gallipoli Campaign during the First World War, in which there were nearly half a million casualties.

That’s the thing about ordinary people: positive attributes are balanced by negative attributes.  It’s equally possible to see someone as a hero and a villain, depending on one’s perspective.

Unlike ordinary people, God, and by extension Jesus, “who, being in very nature God,” (Philippians 2:6), are wholly good.  Jesus, who was free from sin (1 John 3:5), was unaffected by the Fall, which is responsible for the negative aspects found within our characters.  God, therefore, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, is truly good; there is nothing whatsoever within God’s character that is bad, negative or nasty.  He loves unconditionally, provides for all people, and took the incredible step of sending his son to die so that we might be saved from our sin.

The Psalmist has seen for himself God’s tremendous love for all people, and it is for this reason that he is able to proclaim, “Great is the Lord!”  Unlike Churchill or any other earthly hero that we might admire, God is truly great, and worthy of praise.  He is so great that the Psalmist states that “his greatness no one can fathom.”  God is so great that his greatness is beyond the scope of the human mind.  It is beyond comprehension.

Reflect today on how you have seen God’s greatness in your life.  Perhaps you’ve recognised God’s greatness in creation all around you.  Maybe you’re amazed by God’s greatness in sending Jesus to die for you.  Perhaps you’ve seen God’s greatness in your own life as you’ve felt the power of the Holy Spirit working in you, or known his guidance, or experienced his healing.

Let’s join together today in our praise of God’s greatness!

Header image: Photograph from the Army Signal Corps Collection in the U.S. National Archives., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons