“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” –John 13:35 (NIV)

Studying church history is quite fascinating. Yet it is also interesting to learn just how many times the church had to overcome factionalism in its history. Even from its early days the church had to deal with discord and schisms which erupted within its ranks on more than one occasion. Some of these disagreements even turned violent, and were in most cases motivated by personal or political reasons. As I read through the annals of church history I sometimes wonder whether I am reading about the same people who have been called by Christ Himself to love one another just as how He has loved us. It is no wonder that the disparity between the example of Christ and the behaviour of His children at times has become a source of confusion for many; prompting us to ask the question why does this happen?

If one thing can be said of the church it is that it has not survived for over two millennia because of the efforts of man. On the contrary it is because of the love of Christ and the grace which He shows to His church that it still stands strong today. The truth of the matter is that every single human being on this Earth is fallen. It is our pride embedded within us which leads us into sin and compels us to become embittered and fight against our fellow man. However, Christ came so that through Him our fallen nature will be cast aside and we will be restored to the people which He intended us to be. To this end He has given us a new nature through His resurrection characterized by His love and righteousness. But because we were slaves to our old nature for so long, we need to allow Christ’s Spirit residing within us to train us in our new nature and perfect His love in us. This means desiring to know Him and to know His heart by spending time reading His Word and being in His presence. Disagreements will happen, but if we choose to not keep in step with the Spirit of Christ, then factions and sin will be the result. It is only when we constantly submit ourselves in humility to Christ and allow Him to work out our His love through us that we are able to love others and maintain unity. The choice is ours. Will we allow sin to taint our witness for Christ, or will we allow Him to use us so that we may be His lights in a world which needs hope?

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Many a man claims to have unfailing love, but a faithful man who can find?”-Proverbs 20:6 (NIV)

Have you ever bought something that soon proved its faultiness? I know that I have on more than one occasion. Initially we are drawn to the advertisements for the product. Such endorsements attempt to convince us about how the product is perhaps the latest in cutting-edge technology, or has undergone tests which have proven its reliability when compared with other brands. However, when we have bought the product for ourselves and tried it out, it fails on us when we need it the most. We soon find that those assurances of its quality were nothing more than empty words and we lament over the fact that we have wasted our resources on something that would bound to shatter our expectations.  It is no wonder then that we are wary of advertising and take their messages with a grain of salt.

Humans, flawed through sin, prove to be untrustworthy more than they like to give themselves credit. They may advertise themselves as being faithful and claim to have that unfailing love which we seek. Thinking that we can place our trust in them, we now depend that they will put their words into action. Yet when we need them the most, we find that they have failed to deliver on their assurances in our critical hour. Like one who has found out the flaws in a product advertised to be flawless, we mourn over the fact that we have been deceived and wonder if there is anyone out there who is steadfast in his love. Before we give into despair, the truth is that there is such a person. Christ has shown His unfailing love for us through His death on the cross for our sins and assures us that He will always remain faithful when we call upon Him. He is God and thus He is perfect in His love and faithfulness. When we have allowed Christ’s Spirit to reign in our hearts and surrender every area of our lives to Him, we will experience His love and be strengthened in Him as He uses our lives to prove that His promise to be faithful to us are more than just words. Allowing His Spirit to perfect his restorative work in us, He will train us to act in perfect love and steadfastness. Through Him we will be refreshing to others and pour life into them; drawing those around us to the hope which is only available through Christ.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” –Ephesians 4:15 (NIV)

We do not like confrontation. It is messy, uncomfortable, and often creates conflicts that we would rather avoid. When faced with the destructive lifestyle or erroneous thoughts of a loved one, we may know deep down that something is amiss and want to speak up. Yet we refrain from doing so out of fear that we will create unnecessary tension and end up hurting the other person. We try to justify our silence by saying that it is an act of love; that refusing to say anything about the behaviour of the person we love is proof of our concern and sympathy for them. However, in truth it is the exact opposite. It is not an act of love to remain silent for we will simply be letting them go down a road that will bring them pain and misery.

True love will warn someone when they are going in a direction that will end with regret and despair. Such love goes beyond a simple concern for the other person’s feelings, and finds itself caring for their well-being. When driven by such love we will not cease to speak the truth to our loved ones, even if they ignore our words and find us annoying, because we do not want them to go down that path to total oblivion. However, if we try to do this on our own we will find ourselves lacking the courage to speak boldly and the wisdom to use our words well. It is only when we are enabled by Christ’s Spirit that we will find the wisdom and courage to act in love. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts and seek with humility to abide by His Spirit, we will be careful to walk according to His leading. Guided by Him we will find that He will give us the strength and tact to boldly speak the truth in love so that those who hear may find life abundant.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.”- Psalm 119:142 (NIV)

Today as I was traveling on the bus, I came across an interesting advertisement. Amongst images of everything pretty, cute, and pleasant on could think of was written, “Dressing it up doesn’t make it true.” It was an advertisement for an organization which helps to expose false messaging in advertising and take them to task. What was more striking was that the sub-heading said, “Truth matters”. In this world it seems that truth has become little more than a personal preference on the lines of a favorite color or what feels good for the moment. But looking at that sign on the bus it was encouraging to know that people still care about objective truth and whether something is universally right or wrong.

As the world comes closer together and new ideas are being constantly churned out, there are many philosophies and worldviews advertising themselves as truth. Wanting to minimize conflict between the plethora of ideas, our culture has taken the position that one truth is just as valid as any other truth. But if truth is simply reduced to something that is dependent on individual preference, we will end up living in an internal contradiction that will lead us into hypocrisy. We will find ourselves condemning a horrendous act in one context yet in the same breath justifying that same act because it took place in a different context. Two contrary ideas cannot exist side by side and there will come a point where we will have to be honest with ourselves and discover what is that objective and absolute truth.

There is only one truth in the world which brings life, and that is found in Christ Jesus. He has revealed His righteousness and law to us through His Word and wants us to be restored through Him. When we have allowed His Spirit to enter our hearts and desire to seek after Him by reading His Word, we will know that His truth is the only way through which humanity can find true hope, healing, and life abundant. If our faith in Christ is based on simply because it feels good for us, then our faith is weak for it is based on human feelings and sentiments that are prone to change and ignore the truth. But when our faith in Christ is based on understanding the truth, our faith in Him will be stronger; having the knowledge to know what is right and wrong so that we may bring life to others by His Spirit.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’” –Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I remember the first time that I had to leave home and be away from my parents. As part of an elementary school trip I would be away for one whole week at an outdoor camp. Though I was looking forward to the exciting adventures that were to be had, I was also nervous and afraid. A child’s imagination often runs wild and knowing that I would be spending the week in a heavily forested area, there was the fear of the dangers that could be lurking in the woods. But before I left my father recited this verse to me and it brought me so much comfort and joy. Knowing that the all-powerful God who created the Heavens and the Earth was going to be by my side was a huge confidence boost. Even to this day when I feel that I am stepping into the unknown, this verse comes back to me reminding me that God is with me wherever I go.

Situations will come along our path that make us quake in fear. Uncertainty grips our minds and our hearts sink with despair. We wonder how we will ever pull through these situations in one piece. In desperation we cry out for strength and the wisdom to navigate through the storms which we find ourselves sailing into. However, there is hope! No other navigator will suffice expect for Christ Himself. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts, He will strengthen us in our hour of need. By staying in tune with His Spirit He will guide our steps towards the fulfilment of His perfect plan for our lives. With Him as our Captain, we will have nothing to fear resting in the assurance found in Romans 8:31 that “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. We will be able to stand fearless before our situations and circumstances knowing that it is God who gives us victory and who in His omnipotence will work all things together for good.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” –Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

Waiting can often be unbearable. When something does not work out as planned or things do not get done when and how we want them to, it is easy to become frustrated. Part of our frustration is that when we are forced to be patient, it seems as if we have lost control of our affairs. Instead of us dictating what needs to be done and when, it seems that we are at the mercy of our circumstances. This loss of power over our lives makes us feel weak and plunges us into despair. We lose hope and feel as if we will forever be slaves to our situations, bending to their every whim, and feeling insecure when we compare ourselves with others who seem to have it all together.

In Christ however we are made secure. We fail to see that those moments of waiting are opportunities to develop our strength in Him. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and seek to live according to His Spirit, we will quickly come to understand that His schedule is better than ours. Though with our fallible eyes we cannot see it, He has a wonderful plan in store for us and He will not rest until He has seen it fulfilled in our lives. He is able to use our circumstances and turn them around in order to display His power over our situations and His faithfulness to us.  However, He will do this not according to our timing, but by His flawless wisdom. When we choose to grasp his hand and patiently wait upon Him, He will strengthen us by His promises that everything is under His control. By constantly submitting ourselves to Him and trusting in His wisdom, we will see how good He truly is. Our faith will be strengthened in those moments of waiting and we will remain firm and confident before all that we face knowing that in Christ we have the final victory.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.” –Proverbs 10:25 (NIV)

I once used to walk through a forested path in order to go to school. It was great fun because it felt quite relaxing to walk underneath the boughs of the trees and I could see all manner of wildlife in the forest. One evening however there was a major storm which lasted throughout the night. When the next time I took the forested path, I was surprised to find that it had been obstructed by many fallen trees! What surprised me most is that these trees certainly did not look weak. They appeared to be healthy and rooted firmly in the ground, and I felt safe walking under them. But as I looked at their roots I could see that perhaps they were not grounded firmly enough. For all their appearances of strength they actually proved to be weak in the face of the storm.

When the winds of temptation blow, will we stand firm? Sometimes we may feel as if we are powerless in our fight against sin. Trying to overcome our wickedness by our own strength our initial tenacity turns into discouragement in the face of countless defeats and wonder why we even bother. Thus we give into sin and allow its destructive grip to crush us and toss us about. But this does not have to be our fate. There is victory over sin and we can remain strong under the pressures of temptation. This victory and strength does not come from within us, but solely on our reliance in Christ. When we have allowed His Spirit to enter our hearts and seek to live by His power in us, we will not be shaken. To be rooted in Christ and in His Word is a sure defence against being uprooted by temptation. By choosing to remain in Christ we will find a strength that will never be taken away from us. Though the winds of temptation may buffet us, we will remain unmoved as Christ works out His righteousness through us when we choose to abide in Him.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.