by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
If I live to be 100 my tombstone will have on it 1957 – 2057. That’s a pretty poor record of my life really – when I was born and when I died. But what did I do in between those dates? How will I have filled up the dash in between those two dates? In morse code a dash is the letter “t”. Will my dash stand for trash or for treasure. And I trust there’ll be a minimum of tension, trauma and tedious toil.
Jesus said that he was the vine and we are the branches, and that we should abide (remain) in Him because apart from Him we can do nothing. The context was about being fruitful so “nothing” meant no fruit, nothing eternal. Our fruit is our character and our works. In fact fruitfulness is not an option because Jesus went on to say that our fruitfulness shows our discipleship.
Elsewhere in the gospels Jesus speaks of degrees of fruitfulness – 30, 60, and 100 fold. It’s God’s intention for each one of us that He would work in us to maximise our fruitfulness. Get connected to Jesus and make the most of your dash so that you, like Paul, will one day say “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
Ephesians 2:10 says (more or less):
For we are His working, worked in Christ Jesus for good works, which God worked beforehand, that we should work them. Or the short version: God did things so that I could do things.
Does that sound like a lot of work? Well it is so you’ll need some supernatural help, but that’s how God set it up. Unless you’re like Enoch who apparently got the ultimate golden buzzer and went straight through to the final, the rest of us have a job to do while we’re here on earth. It’s in doing those tasks and making daily consistent choices that God is able to work His character into our lives, and others are blessed along the way.
If you’re not sure of God’s will for your life then start with this: “whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might” (King Solomon, 3000 years ago). Or in the words of a more recent wise (?) man “do the mahi, get the treats” (William Waiirua, mahi = work).
Thank God for the special tasks He has designed just for you, then be diligent with what’s in front of you. God will rarely give you a detailed road map for your life but He’ll always give you enough clues to take you the next step – just make sure you keep seeking Him along the journey.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
When Jesus took the loaves and fishes and “looked up to heaven” He was transferring dominion of the meagre supplies from earth’s rule to heaven’s rule. Once the loaves and fishes were under the control and authority of heaven they were no longer subject to earthly rules. Earth’s domain has restrictions – heaven’s domain has no limits.
I once purchased a car off my employer. While it was my employer’s I had to book it from the vehicle pool and drive it only for work purposes and in a responsible manner. The conditions were restrictive but entirely appropriate. When ownership transferred to me I could then use the car however I wanted without restriction. Jesus was effectively saying “I’m transferring ownership of these food items from the inferior and restrictive earthly domain to my Father’s kingdom.”
Like a McDonalds $1 cheeseburger deal the lad’s lunch before Jesus got hold of it was “for a limited time only!” and “until supplies run out!” It was like Jesus was saying “I’m taking over the food franchise for a while. My shout – help yourselves!”
What circumstances or resources do you have that are not serving you well in their current form? With thankfulness, declare them to be transferred to the dominion of the kingdom of heaven. And make sure you get a few baskets ready for the leftovers.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
Jesus made it clear that God lives and operates in a different realm to ours. Heaven is different to earth and it has a different set of rules. It can be easy to unwittingly expect God to behave as if He was on earth.
Here’s an example: on earth we see then believe, but when we operate from the heavenly realm believing can come before seeing. That’s why Jesus said to Martha (the sister of Lazarus) “Didn’t I tell you that if you believe you will see” (Jo 11:40). When the words that we speak agree with the word of God which is “firmly fixed in heaven” (Ps 119:89) then our earthly circumstances become subject to the heavenly truth. Bill Johnson says: “Faith doesn’t deny a problem’s existence it denies it a place of influence.”
Don’t let that mountain influence you – your Father is in Heaven and He has a solution. Tell that mountain to go jump.
What expectations do you have regarding God speaking to you? Have you ever heard someone say “God told me this and that” and thought to yourself “Wow I wish God would speak to me like that.” The reality is that God is in heaven and may not choose to use the usual audible words we’re used to. More often He’ll give an impression, a thought, or catch your attention with a scripture. Prophetic words are handy also. Often God’s communication will be an accumulation of events, impressions and words over time that will bring us to a conclusion. God is always communicating but He’s not always “speaking” in the way your friends do. He’s in Heaven, you’re on earth – He already knows your language but you’d do well to learn His.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
A couple of despondent disciples were walking between towns on the Sunday after Jesus was crucified. Jesus joined them, although they were prevented from recognising Him. When they reached their destination Jesus acted like He was going further but they urged Him to stay. Did Jesus really want to leave them or was He waiting for them to ask Him in?
He came from Heaven on the initiative of the Father but now He politely waits for our invitation. Revelation 3:20 explains this as a door that we need to open to let Him in. Call to Him and He will respond, open the door of your heart and He will enter, urge Him to stay. He promises to come in to us, to live with us, and to never leave us.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
The story of Joseph and the way he saved Egypt from famine and welcomed his father Jacob and his brothers is fascinating. But a new Pharoah arose who saw that the Israelites were a mighty people so he put them in slavery to stop them leaving (Ex 1:8-11). Like this ancient Pharoah, Satan recognises that all of mankind, being made in the image of God, are mighty. So he enslaved mankind to prevent us leaving his kingdom. Are you breathing? Then as one who is made in the image of God YOU ARE MIGHTY. Has Jesus brought you “out of Egypt”? Then you are no longer a slave. In Christ you have left Egypt behind, you’ve changed location, and you’ve changed rulers. Don’t be one who lives in the Promised Land but acts like you’re still living in Egypt. You really are free. You really are mighty.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
When the Canaanite woman begged Jesus to cast a demon out of her daughter Jesus said He was sent first to Israel therefore she didn’t qualify. If there’s a first, then there’s a second and the desperate mother knew that she and her daughter couldn’t wait till her turn as a Gentile came. She was determined to jump the queue for a miracle. Jesus responded “Because of your faith your daughter is healed”. Sometimes we’re waiting for the goodness of God to show up when we should be pushing through based on our knowledge of God, His character, and His word.
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
It’s so easy to be like the disciples in the boat when the storm came up: “Hey Jesus, wake up! Don’t you care that we’re perishing?” When a problem arises why do we think God doesn’t care? The ultimate expression of God’s care for us was His Son hanging on a cross, carrying all of our pains, sorrows, griefs and sicknesses. God’s promise is that He sets a table for us in the midst of our enemies, not in the absence of our enemies. If you want to eat from that table, you’ll find it in the midst of an enemy or two and probably surrounded by slightly more than a strong breeze. The promise is that in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us (Rom 8:37).
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
Psalm 112:3 says that for the person who fears the Lord “wealth and riches are in his house”. God doesn’t say that this supply is outside, elsewhere or distant. No, the abundant supply is already in the house. Whatever we need is close, available, at hand.
When Moses was questioning God about his call God said to him “What’s that in your hand?” referring to his staff or rod. (Ex 4:2). When Elisha encountered a widow with a problem he questioned her saying “What do you have in the house?” (2 Kings 4:2). She replied “Just a jar of oil”. She could have said “a broken toaster” and the resources of heaven would still have been available to her to meet her need.
God’s solution is close – it just needs to be revealed. God is actually clever enough to have foreseen our situation and to have made a provision (probably several!) to meet that need. When we thank God for the resources that are already “in our house” then we set in motion the spiritual mechanism to release those resources to us.
“Thankyou Lord that you have given me everything I need. Your provision is already in my house. Your solution is there waiting. Open my eyes to see my part so that I can release your hand.”
by Alan Taylor | Jun 21, 2021
When Solomon was faced with a task that he knew to be too big for him – that of ruling over Israel – he cried out to God in a particular way. He asked God to give him a “hearing” heart. That’s a literal translation of 1 Kings 3:9 which most versions translate as a “discerning” or “understanding” heart. Solomon asks God “give Your servant a hearing heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil.”
[The first time that word is used in the Bible is when Adam and Eve HEARD the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). So I’m not stretching the meaning of the word here – the Hebrew word simply means “to hear”.]
In Ephesians 1:18 Paul tells his readers that he is praying for the eyes of their heart to be enlightened. So our heart has the capacity to hear and to see. We might otherwise call this hearing and seeing in the spirit, discernment, walking in the spirit, walking by faith and not by sight.
Isaiah prophesies of the Messiah that He will delight in the fear of the Lord and He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a decision by what His ears hear (Isaiah 11:3). Like Jesus, when we delight in the fear of the Lord (reverence for our Father) we will find ourselves giving preference to what the eyes and ears of our heart are picking up and not making an idol of what our natural senses are telling us. The senses of the body must always serve the senses of the spirit.
When Peter was walking on the water (Matthew 14) the reason he moved from walking to wallowing was because he transitioned from regarding the eyes and ears of his heart to giving regard to his natural eyes and ears. In verse 30 when it says that Peter saw the wind we understand that he would have seen the waves and heard the wind – then came that sinking feeling.
In Proverbs 4:20,21 we see again the link between ears, eyes and heart. My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart.
It’s encouraging that by practice our senses can be trained in discernment (Hebrews 5:14).
