Musings

My reading this morning was James 4:11-12: Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. He who speaks evil of a brother and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge. There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? When reading the epistle of James, we should keep in mind that James grew up with the Lord and saw perfect, divine behaviour first-hand. The word Christian means ‘little Christ’, therefore we are to imitate Christ’s walk as revealed in the New Testament and we are grateful to James for these practical guidelines. The Lord never spoke evil of anyone, yet He knew the intents of people’s hearts. He only spoke righteous words of judgement against the hypocritical religious leaders of the day with divine authority. The whole area of church discipline is another matter, but we as believers are not to judge. We often jump to wrong conc

C.S. Lewis wrote that joy is the 'serious business of heaven'. Could there be anything more joyous for us than Christ's coming into the world to procure redemption for mankind? The promise of His coming is found right at the outset of the Old Testament (Genesis 3:15). He would come to crush the head of Satan  and that is precisely what He did on the cross:   ...having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.   Colossians 2:14-15 (NIV) No wonder the angel proclaimed this message to the shepherds in Bethlehem that night: Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord! Luke 2:10-11 (NKJV) The people were to rejoic

Do you ever feel sometimes that you need a shake to wake up? Well, I do, and that is why I always go back to the Book of James to read words which have a rude-awakening effect. Perhaps James is addressing issues that he has learned from personal experience. He writes in ch 1:19 that we should be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath . What he writes about the tongue later are some of the strongest words in the New Testament. I wonder if he was somewhat vocal against the Lord’s teaching and that is why the Lord specifically appeared to him after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:7)? Every verse in James is packed full of practical truth and wisdom. This morning I was reading verses 22-27 of the first chapter and again I am deeply challenged by the LIVING Word of God: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after lo

It struck me as I started to read the Book of James that James describes himself as ‘a SERVANT of God and the Lord Jesus Christ’. We know from other sources that this James was the half-brother of the Lord. He grew up with Him in a normal family environment and would have shared many aspects of life with Him, yet he does not introduce himself as 'James, the half-brother of the Lord'. What made him use the word ‘servant’ when we read in John 7:5 that he and his other brothers did not believe in the Lord prior to His crucifixion? THE RESURRECTION of course! 1 Corinthians 15:7 tells us that James saw the risen Christ. What a revelation to the unbelieving James! Now it became clear to him that all the things Jesus had said were true and that He was indeed the Messiah. It is also precious to note that Jude describes himself as ‘a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James’! Again, an unbelieving half-brother of the Lord declares himself a ‘SERVANT’ of Christ. For tho

This is a beautiful song of hope. Just as I am reflecting this Sunday morning on God and this wonderful life of faith I have received as a gift from Him, my heart goes out to all who are struggling with doubt, diversity, conflict, oppression, illness, slander, the list goes on.... Maybe we humans tend to look everywhere else in life for comfort in tough moments other than in the presence of God. It is in the stillness that He comes to us and fills us with his serenity and peace. The way to God is through faith in Jesus Christ the Messiah. He patiently waits for us to turn to Him with all our hearts and acknowledge that He is the Son of God. He loved us so much that He offered Himself as a sacrifice in our stead so that we could be declared 'righteous' before a holy God. The apostle Paul, who once murdered Christians, wrote some of the deepest mysteries of the faith he once vehemently opposed. He attributed this dramatic change to a living encounter with the risen Christ (

What’s in a name? Some of us wonder what our parents were thinking when they named us. Others live up to their name and do the exploits of a Biblical Paul or a Deborah. In Macedonia, most people get a shortened form as an expression of endearment and friendship. Sometimes our names do not translate or transliterate well into another language (like mine, for example – something you put on a pizza... 😊 ) However, there is one name that is like no other! The Bible says: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved . Acts 4:12 What a name!  The name Yeshua in Hebrew comes from the root verb ‘to save, deliver’. It is a shortened form of Yehoshua , meaning YHWH (Jehovah) saves . We can only be saved through the name of Jesus the Lord. We come to God the Father through Him! I trust it will never be found in your mouth as a swear word. Do not abuse the most powerful name on ear

Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.                                                                                                          George Santayana Recently, I read Joel Rosenberg’s compelling novel The Auschwitz Escape and decided that a visit to Auschwitz was a must. The book, which tells a fictitious story based on historical facts, is one of the most vivid accounts I have ever read on the subject. Having watched Schindler’s List , The Pianist , The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas , Life is Beautiful and other films and documentaries on this subject, I was still not prepared for what I experienced last Friday. Nothing could ever prepare you for a tour of Auschwitz!  We followed our Polish guide under the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign, which means "work sets you free", and approached a row of barracks. These buildings have been turned into museum rooms containing documentation, pictures and displays behind glass. B

Blessed   is   the man who trusts in the   Lord , And whose hope is the   Lord . For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear   when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit. Jeremiah 17:7-8 Many of us often wonder how we can be blessed and lead successful lives on this earth. Yesterday, I came across the above verses in my daily reading and the imagery stayed in my mind. We often read that those who trust and hope IN the LORD are blessed, but as I reread verse 7, I realized it says ‘blessed is the man… whose hope IS the LORD.’ How wonderful! The hope of the believer IS the LORD who upholds all things and is eternal. The beautiful picture of a green, lush tree by waters portrays the believer who is firmly rooted in the Source of his faith. The depth of the roots of a tree depends on the quality of the soil. Are we pla