Weak Enough for God to Use

"All God's giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they reckoned on His being with them."
Biography of James Hudson Taylor, 1973 edition, p349

It seems, rather than being strong enough for God to use, we need to become weak enough. A person fully aware of their weakness and fully aware of God's strength is one who relies totally on Him. They are less likely to push in their own strength, but rather cry out to God continually, knowing that they are destined to fail by themselves.

I do often wondered if God deliberately chooses people who aren't the obvious choice for this very reason. And I wonder if He may pick me for some task which I feel totally ill-equipped to complete in my natural self. My faith better be real enough!

Another quote from the biography of Hudson Taylor on this point:

"I myself, for instance, am not specially gifted, and am shy by nature, but my gracious and merciful God and Father inclined Himself to me, and I who was weak in faith He strengthened while I was still young. He taught me in my helplessness to rest on Him, and to pray even about little things in which another might have felt able to help himself."
p487

"For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.""
1 Corinthians 1:26-31

Hudson Taylor: Jesus is Lord of all

"And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
Mark 16:15 (King James Version)

"You are not your own; you were bought at a price."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
Luke 6:46

Hudson Taylor on Jesus as Lord of all:

"How are we going to treat the Lord Jesus Christ with reference to this command? Shall we definitely drop the title Lord as applied to Him, and take the ground that we are quite willing to recognise Him as our Saviour, so far as the penalty of sin is concerned, but are not prepared to own ourselves 'bought with a price', or Him as having any claim to our unquestioning obedience? Shall we say that we are our own masters, willing to yield something as His due, who bought us with His blood, provided He does not ask too much? Our lives, our loved ones, our possessions are our own, not His: we will give Him what we think fit, and obey any of His requirements that do not demand too great a sacrifice? To be taken to Heaven by Jesus Christ we are more than willing, but we will not have this Man to reign over us?

The heart of every Christian will undoubtedly reject the proposition, so formulated; but have not countless lives in each generation been lived as though it were proper ground to take? How few of the Lord's people have practically recognised the truth that Christ is either Lord of all, or is not Lord at all! If we can judge God's Word as much or as little as we like, then we are lords and He is the indebted one, to be grateful for our dole and obliged by our compliance with His wishes. If, on the other hand, He is Lord, let us treat Him as such. 'Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say?'"

Biography of James Hudson Taylor, 1973 edition, p439-40

Intricately connected to Christ

"I persecuted the followers of this Way to their death, arresting both men and women and throwing them into prison ... About noon as I came near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, 'Saul! Saul! Why do you persecute me?'"
Acts 22: 4-7 (edited)

I've always had thoughts float around in the back of my mind when I've read this passage, that Jesus's words are a little strange. And then I've always immediately dismissed them as unholy and irreverent thoughts! Saul is persecuting Christians, and yet Jesus says "why do you persecute me". Which can make you think "hang on Jesus, your taking this too literally. It's your followers who are being persecuted."

But if you linger on this thought instead of immediately dismissing it, it reveals something quite fascinating: everything you feel Jesus feels. It's like we're actually part of the same physical body. When we're persecuted he is persecuted. When we suffer, he suffers. When we sin, he felt it on the cross. When he was raised from the dead, we were given new life. And he was tempted in every way, just as we are.

When we become a disciple of Jesus Christ, we become very intricately connected to him.

"Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
1 Corinthians 12:27

If you don't have a budget, you won't have any money

Working on your accounts is like fine tuning an engine. If it's done well you can get an awful lot out of it. Life becomes much more satisfying and you have a real peace of mind about what you spend and what you give to God. When every penny is assigned as 'worship', suddenly, every day has a new sense of purpose behind it. A little bit of discipline can really free you up.

On the other hand, if you pay no attention to it, ignore it, bury your head in the sand; all sorts of problems develop. Your finances become wasteful and inefficient. Money is frittered away and you can easily accumulate debt. Your peace of mind goes out the window, your soul feels uneasy.

"A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest-
and poverty will come on you like a bandit
and scarcity like an armed man."
Proverbs 24:33-34

I've heard a lot of sermons on why you should give, but very few on how to give. I thinks there's a general assumption, somewhere along the line, that people actually know how to budget. For years and years I didn't have a clue. It's one of those things that seems obvious when you know how. But if no one has taught you, you're lost at sea. You're stumbling around in the dark.

But one thing that is clear – when you work so hard to earn cash, surely wisdom should govern its distribution. Hard earned cash that is frittered away on things that don't matter is a life consumed with toil, debt and fruitlessness. Effectively managing your accounts is one of the most important elements of your life's work.

At my life group, I plan for us to share effective ideas on how we give to God and manage our accounts. In this, I'm making the assumption that we know why we should give and that we want to be a cheerful give. Here are some of my own techniques I've used in the past, and the ones my wife and I are currently using.


1) Account for every penny.

When I first decided to really tackle my accounts head-on, I decided to write down every penny I spent. To my horror I realised that in that very month I had spent over £300 on socialising and convenience foods. Going out to pubs, eating out, trips to the cinema, drinking Coca-Cola. It honestly didn't feel like I had spent that much. It 'felt' like I had spent about £100. It's easy to forget what you did last week. And it's incredible how expenses add up.

Question: If an accountant was to examine your finances, would he find that Jesus was a priority?

In a lack of discipline I would spend too much on clothes and CDs. And then in a lack of finances I would fail to give God anything. If you're budgeting for the first time, going through the last 6 months of bank statements can be a real eye-opener, and quite painful.


2) Develop a list of averages.

Keep all your receipts and tally up average amounts on a monthly basis. Over the course of a year you can work out average expenses for pretty much everything. Here's a list of what my current averages include:

– Church Giving
– Food
– Clothing
– Socialising
– Rent
– Car Insurance
– Car Maintenance
– Car Servicing
– Car Tax
– Home Insurance
– Home Expenses
– Dentist
– Glasses
– Gym
– Car & Bike Repayments
– Life Insurance
– Mobile Phone
– Sky
– TV license
– Card Protection
– Holidays & Special Events
– Weddings
– Stag Do's
– Haircuts / Beauty
– Presents
– General savings

Developing this list helps you learn exactly what you need to budget each month and pay into savings. In particular, you need to work out all the seemingly random and unexpected expenses (such as weddings and stag-do's). Otherwise, you get caught out.

In this, highlight all the items on the list that you would regard as 'worship' to God. Interestingly, most of the items are necessary in life (most, not all!). And a lot have a question mark over them. These are the open-ended ones, such as food, clothing, socialising, holidays, presents, phone tariff and type of vehicle. They can all be governed with wisdom and diligence, or they can be self indulgent and reckless. These will make or brake the bank.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31


3) Determine the open-ended expenses.

– Food
– Clothing
– Convenience foods
– Socialising
– Presents
– Random purchases

These are the day-to-day expenses that can go off the scale if left unchecked. The most effective way that Lynsey and I have dealt with this is to have a weekly cash allowance. We worked out that we get £25 each per week, and out of that we have to cover all of the above. All birthday, Christmas, wedding presents, clothes etc come out of this. We have to save up in advance for lots of these.

We've found it to be a brilliant method as when the money in your wallet is gone, that's it for the week. You know you won't go over budget. And anything you buy, you know you can afford and you feel good!


4) Keep on top of it.

It only takes 30 minutes every week or so. Regular updates to your charts means you can remember what the expenditures on your bank statements relate to. Constantly updating your averages and budget keeps things in check. Apparently the very act of keeping accounts improves your spending, as you're mindful of your finances.


5) Find peace about your church giving.

It's not about 10%, it's about generosity. There's nothing in the New Testament about giving 10%. In reality, when you study the early church, they all appear to give much more than this. Old Testament tithing was effectively the Jewish taxation system, and was actually about 25% of their total income per year. The 10% figure is just a reference to the largest part.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7

Would you ever want a present off a friend who gave it reluctantly because they felt they had to? You would probably feel awkward, and wish they hadn't felt obliged. In stark contrast, how much would you love to get a gift from a friend who was really excited to give it to you, and couldn't wait to see the look on your face! You would love it.

I think each one of us has to find the right level of giving and the right heart that produces this excited attitude. In one sense, the cost has to be there. The gift has to be worth something to us to contain meaning; but not to the level that it breaks the bank and causes us to freak out.

What feels too low? What feels too high? I think you can home-in on a figure that your heart really feels at peace with, that makes your faith muscles stretch but not tear.

Any thoughts?

If you just stopped moaning you might actually be happy

I felt God really speak to me clearly this week. And he said that I ought to stop moaning about everything. Life is hard work, yes. And you don't get much time to yourself and you're often quite tired. All good points, but you constantly moan!

What sparked it off was watching an older work colleague of mine who's had a tough week, and was sick, but was cheerful all the way through it. I realised that if I can do what I do, but in a cheerful spirit, I would be an awful lot happier. And my works would be a lot more pleasing to God.

"If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."
1 Corinthians 13:3

It's like, if I short-curcuited that whole meditation process where I get really manked-off with everything, my whole outlook on life would lift dramatically. It's not so much the moaning, which is really just the symptom, it's the meditation process that's the real issue. The process of churning things in your mind over and over.

"As a man thinks in his heart so is he"
Proverbs 23:7

Anyway, a good bit of repentance is the order of the day. Which makes me think. Repentance almost makes sense to be done as a weekly habit. Surely lots of little acts of realignment with God are much better than the big dramatic acts of repentance that only occur when your whole life is devastated. A thought to dwell on.

The Unforgivable Sin

"Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven."
Matthew 12:31

On a very interesting note, my ESV commentary defines this sin: "this sin is committed today only by unbelievers who deliberately and unchangeably reject the ministry of the Holy Spirit in calling them to salvation."

I think what's interesting is that the commentary defines what the sin against the Holy Spirit actually is. That verse always scared the life out of me previously, because I simply didn't know what it meant, and whether or not I was guilty of it.

All very interesting stuff. Obviously the commentary is just one man's perspective on the verse and could well be wrong to some degree. But it does spark a lot of thought. Does the Holy Spirit work in all people everywhere, calling them to Him? Has everyone on earth been ministered to in some way by the Holy Spirit? And everyone who remains unsaved – have they all rejected the work of the Spirit in their lives?

I'm not sure you can definitely back those statements up with scripture (maybe I'm wrong!). But the following verses do hint at it. They state that God desires all people to be saved, and that it can only happen by the Holy Spirit.

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance."
2 Peter 3:9

"No one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit."
1 Corinthians 12:3b

Incredibly hard workers

One thing that's really come to mind from reading a number of biographies is that the people worth writing books about are always incredibly hard workers and very passionate people. None of them were slack. None of them were half-hearted. None of them started well, only to lose their way later on. They didn't backslide. They all persevered right the way through their lives to the very end.

A very interesting note I think. Although it's all about grace, to actually produce a life of meaning and substance requires hard work, diligence and real grasp of holiness. And these need to be sustained through all the years we live on earth.

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."
Galatians 6:9

"Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord."
Romans 12:11

"Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."
1 Corinthians 15:58

Is God outside of time? (Part 2)

I went to a seminar by Michael Ramsden (European director of RZIM Zacharias Trust) at Momentum and asked him if he thought God was outside of time. Interestingly, he was certain that He was, talking about the space-time continuum being part of creation, and that God was external to this.

Apparently Christians have been saying for centuries that time had a finite beginning (rather than something that always existed). And this idea had been ridiculed by secular thinking. Until, of course, the Big Bang theory. This initially scared a lot of scientists because it confirmed Christian thought on time. Many of them rallied against the theory because they didn't want anything that seemed to confirm the biblical account of creation.

Anyway – bible verses – always useful! Michael Ramsden mentioned that there are four verses in the New Testament that talk about God existing before the 'age of time', i.e. before time was actually created. I've done my best to find them:

1 Corinthians 2:7
No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.

2 Timothy 1:9
This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

Titus 1:2
a faith and knowledge resting on the hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the beginning of time.

Jude 1:25
through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.

A Theory on Fat

I've just been struck by a thought I've never had before. And it's this – literally everything you do should be to the glory of God; and literally everything he created was for his glory.

Lately I've been praying for God to make me less vain. It's this dumb little idol I have, and one I really struggle to shift. Basically, I just want to be a bit skinner and a bit more athletic than my current frame. Nothing wrong with that, I just hate the way it dominates my thinking sometimes. I blame TV. So here's a theory. What's my heart attitude? I'm blatantly on some self-glorifying mission to look good.

But if everything should be done for God's glory, then every area of your life is included: films you watch, sports you play, language you use, your finances, how you work your job, whether or not you have a string of ex-girlfriends etc etc. And if everything has been created for God's glory then, when we see athletic ability, an amazing talent or beauty (in whatever form), it should lead us to worship God.

I find that incredibly liberating. Ultimately, you can be doing the exact same thing: going to the gym and watching your diet. But realising that it's God's body (not yours) and seeking to honour him by being a good steward of it totally takes the focus off yourself.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do,
do it all for the glory of God."
1 Corinthians 10:31

I don't know why that never occurred to me before.