OCD & the Price of Perfection

We are human beings; we need more than food to satisfy us.  God made us complex, complex emotionally; we need to be excited and motivated by many things; music, art, films, hobbies, emotional highs and even lows.  We are ever restless, never satisfied and are always on the lookout for what will fulfil us or make us truly happy.

 

I have, and have had for a while, OCD: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  In the past, it was washing hands and checking oven gas taps for the 8millionth time.  Now it’s intrusive thoughts that I just don’t want.  When I was younger, much younger, life seemed so much easier; no ambition, no stress, little hassle and little real need for any plans.  This carried me through early adulthood, but then as I left my teens I was struck with depression; I had a calling on my life from God yet refused to heed that calling; what a pure unadulterated jerk I was!  But, we all make mistakes.

 

Ah what a life we could live if we had no troubles; but troubles seem ever to cling to us and make us less than we could; or do they?  God never promises anyone an easy ride, and life for many people can be very hard.  But, if we could most of us would rather not be troubled.  Life is full of stresses; most of us have to get on, make money, do a job, pay rent or a mortgage, fall in love and then plan to raise a family; that’s how the script usually goes anyway.  Some of us break the mould, for one reason or another.  We find ourselves in some ways cast adrift; we don’t have a job, we didn’t have a big plan, we’re not in love and far from married life and all that that entails and all we may have, the one thing that might separate us from those around us, is our faith in God.  A faith in God; a blessing, or a curse?  We have to listen to God, whether we like it or not, and we have to be obedient, whatever the world does or doesn’t do we have to be obedient.

 

When we plan a better life for ourselves, whatever the plan might be, to start a business, get a better job or even just get a job, be a writer, photographer or professional musician, or indeed anything that we do and want to make a living at, it’s certain that we have to be determined to be pro-active at pursuing a better life.  Many professions are by their nature lonely and solitary, especially the writing trade; it’s just you and a blank screen and a keyboard, or pen and paper for those old enough to remember!  Some of us are happy in our own company, other people need company all the time.  The one reality most of us pursuing a dream is that it won’t come easy; it’s 10% inspiration and the rest, well you probably know the story.

 

Sometimes, pursuing a dream can be the making of us; it gives us a purpose, it gives us a reason to get out of bed and it can define our lives.  Sometimes though, especially if our expectations are too high or overly unrealistic, we can set ourselves up for a fall.  Also, if we have big plans of any kind, we must let God into them by praying about them.  I must stress something; we should never be cruel about someone else’s ambitions, or even dismissive of our own plans, even if they seem far out of reach.  Better to be realistically positive in all ways rather than unrealistically negative.  What I mean is this; if you say ‘I want to be a billionaire’ and you have no business experience, have little money to back this up and in the end have no real idea what you want to do or how you are going to do it, the chances are you won’t achieve such an ambition.  As well as this, an ambition or dream has to come from you, not from anyone else or for any other reason than it is a burning desire and ambitions of yours.  Otherwise it will probably also not see the light of day either.  Be ambitious, dream big, but be realistic and honest too.

 

The Price of Perfection

‘I know, Yahweh, no one's course is in his control, nor is it in anyone's power, as he goes his way, to guide his own steps.’  (Jeremiah 10:23 NJB)  Some people are control freaks.  Some control freaks want to control and manipulate others, and many other control freaks just want to remain in control of their own lives.  In a chaotic, fallen and uncertain world, this can be understandable.  Who doesn’t want to remain in control, at least of their own lives?  In a deeply flawed and imperfect world, where so many people seem to be lost and many in the world live chaotic lives of one kind or other, it’s understandable that there are people who strive for perfection.  But does God want our perfection?  Can the desire for perfection be the actual catalyst for creating unhappy people who can never reach the goal of perfection?  Does the very aim of perfection help in fact to create imperfect people, people who are also unhappy because they have unfulfilled desires?  And perhaps the desire for perfection, whatever that truly means or amounts to, is the most unfulfilled desire of them all.

 

The price of perfection is always going to be unfulfilled because no human is ever going to reach perfection this side of Heaven; we all make mistakes, we all err, we all cock up now and again, no matter how much we try not to.  And the dangers of perfection?  One of the dangers of those proclaiming some kind of perfection is that they are often highly critical and highly judgemental of those they perceive as not being in any way perfect.  We see this in many countries and societies around the world.  God is not calling us to be perfect, He is in fact calling us to acknowledge our guilt before Him so we can seek forgiveness and redemption and begin to live truly Christian and holy lives.  Yes, He wants us to be as close to perfection as we can be, but in a fallen world we can’t yet be perfect.  ‘Yahweh says this, 'Let the sage not boast of wisdom, nor the valiant of valour, nor the wealthy of riches!  But let anyone who wants to boast, boast of this: of understanding and knowing me. For I am Yahweh, who acts with faithful love, justice, and uprightness on earth; yes, these are what please me,' Yahweh declares.’  (Jeremiah 9:22-23 NJB)

 

Just Another Thought

 

 

It has happened recently throughout Europe that processed beef products like burgers, lasagnes, shepherd’s pies and many other products supposedly containing beef are actually horsemeat or contain horsemeat.  To the British, who generally do not eat horsemeat, this has come as a shock to many people.  In Britain, we tend to look at the way Americans are often taken in by televangelists and we sort of feel smug because it doesn’t really happen in Britain.  At the same time though, Americans are often much more savvy about the powers-that-be and have a healthy suspicion of those from the ruling elites trying to cajole or otherwise persuade people to believe in them.  In the British Isles, it seems so many people are gullible when it comes to our ruling elites; because they are Upper class, or they are well-bred gentlemen or rather otherworldly and posh, when they say or do something, ordinary people in their droves seem to agree without question.  The horsemeat scandal is I believe the tip of the iceberg, and I think we need to be far more questioning and have a far healthier and balanced suspicion in the British Isles of the people who rule us and the MPs who are supposed to represent us and indeed anyone in positions of high office.  Mark my words, other scandals will break.  ‘…Yahweh said to Samuel, 'Take no notice of his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him; God does not see as human beings see; they look at appearances but Yahweh looks at the heart.'’  (1 Samuel 16:7 NJB)  We need very much in Britain to start questioning the nature of power, and why often certain groups of people seem to get the best jobs, the best education, the best housing and the best lives whilst usually the rest of us have to accept second best.  I am not condemning those who are wealthy and powerful, and those who make the laws and effectively rule over us for wanting decent lives and to have good careers, I am saying that more people have to be allowed to share in the prosperity of Britain; that’s all.

For those who have OCD, check out this website: http://www.ocdaction.org.uk/

Good and Evil

People have to understand that anyone can do evil things.  Some people might think that only German Nazis in the 2^nd World War could be bad, or Russians under Stalin.  The fact is that evil is part of human nature.  When bad things happen to us, we can say we’ll never do that ourselves or we can go down the other path and repeat what we have experienced.  No one is above good or evil, and we all have the capacity for good and evil.  I know myself, I’ve done things I am ashamed of; I hasten to add I’ve not killed anyone or done anything bad to any human being, but I know that I have the capacity for evil and I also have the capacity for good.  Most of us aren’t going to commit the atrocities of Hitler or Stalin, but as we are two steps away from good, we are also two steps away from evil.

 

I bore grudges, heavy grudges, against women I perceived had rejected me in some way, especially after chatting to them in pubs and nightclubs, really hating them and being deeply resentful; and really, I was supposed to be a Christian.  Supposed to be at any rate.  I hasten to add, I never beat a woman or anything like that, but often I was filled with hatred for the opposite sex.  It has clouded my judgement about women for a long time.  I am slowly learning to see that women, like men, are just human beings; some women are no doubt unpleasant and treat men appallingly, but some men are also unpleasant and treat women appallingly too.  And of course, many men and women are decent people; in the last ten years of my life I have valued simple friendships, of both men and women, and come to understand that all people are complex, we have complex relationships, we are complex emotionally and we live in a fallen world full of unhappiness and certainly full of misunderstandings.  We need love, all of us, but because we’ve been hurt, especially in this area, we become prickly and over cautious, we stop trusting people, and often men learn to hate women and women learn to hate men, because of the occasional unhappy experiences we all get now and again.  Most of us aren’t evil, we are just hurting somewhat; with the love of Jesus we can get over the worst of experiences and have a healthy and balanced outlook on the opposite sex, and indeed towards all the people in our lives.  I have made some great female friends, as well as male friends, in the blogosphere, women who are Godly and decent and whose opinions and judgements I both need and highly respect.

 

Being obedient to God’s will means we please Him, we won’t come to any real harm and we are being good.  It was disobedience in the very first instance that set God against man, and caused a rift thereafter between most of humankind and God.  The sin we do that displeases God merely follows on from being disobedient.  People must remember this.  Like many people, I have a struggle in my life.  My struggle involves the idea that I must be celibate as a Christian.  I struggle with this, as often I see women all around me who I like, all different types of women, tall, short, red haired, brunettes, blondes, green eyed, brown eyed, black women, white women, American women, British women, Irish women, Italian women… well you get the picture; there are indeed lots of lovely women everywhere; and so little time!!!  Hey, I’m joking!  But my joke is getting at a serious point.  God I believe implicitly and explicitly wants us to be married, to one partner, of the opposite sex, for life; one sexual partner, for life.  For many people, this seems almost an impossibility; the rich, the powerful and the famous, often have multiple marriages, simply because they can afford to quite frankly.  The rest of us, who live in that stark reality called the real world, often have little option.  But what is God telling us through all this; firstly, He is to be obeyed quite simply.  Secondly, marriage is an institution that in no way is meant to be taken lightly; you marry someone, you marry someone you love in all ways, someone you like and someone who is also your ‘best mate’, as we say in England.  Thirdly, love is more than marriage, much more than sex, it is holistic, that is, it is all-encompassing; we love completely the person we want to marry, not just because they are a good match or because they are wealthy. 

 

I am still single, with no girlfriend on the horizon, but I am confident that when the right time comes, when God is also ready, He has prepared for me the perfect person, even if I have to go on a few dates; well such is life.  I’m in no hurry though.

 

The Gay Issue

You may say as a gay person ‘I don’t believe in God anyway so why does being gay matter to Him, if He exists?’  Well, God might have a calling on your life, He might have called you specifically to be His servant, to live as a Christian.  If this is so, sooner or later, your life will unravel like the ancient Israelites lives unravelled when they refused to take God at His Word, and you might wonder why.  I wish to say this is the first time I have written about the gay issue, and I think that even some good Christians go on about it too much, when all sin is abhorrent to God, not just the gay lifestyle.  I don’t particularly have an axe to grind here either, because two people living together in a gay or lesbian relationship is not going to harm me one way or the other, but I wanted to make a point.  Living in any kind of sin, especially if God has a calling on your life, is going to catch up with you; sooner or perhaps later.  We should never be smug about our own perceived ‘perfection’, and other people’s imperfect sinful lives; sometimes we need to examine ourselves first before pointing fingers at others.  Sin isn’t just the thing we do that is wrong, it is more importantly because we disobey God in the first place.  If you are struggling in any way with this particular issue, or any other issue for that matter, then you are not alone.  As I explained, I struggle with the idea of celibacy a whole lot, as a straight guy incidentally, and like most men I think about sex often.  I’m not married and so remain celibate, but I sometimes feel like I am missing out.  Yet I found, in my wild days, that loveless sexual encounters left me feeling empty and never fulfilled.  I have learnt a lesson. 

 

If we are to condemn sin as genuinely concerned Christians, then we must focus on all sin, and focus on disobedience as the beginning of all sin.  Also, we might understand that no matter how perfect a Christian we think we are, we are all capable of sinning and doing something wrong.  It is just when we think that we have no sin, that this is exactly the time when we might need to examine ourselves more closely.  ‘Do you not realise that people who do evil will never inherit the kingdom of God? Make no mistake -- the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, the self-indulgent, sodomites, thieves, misers, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers, none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.  Some of you used to be of that kind: but you have been washed clean, you have been sanctified, and you have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.’  (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NJB)

 

Judging Others

The society we live in, the graded hierarchical ones like Britain and America, and many others besides, are often also highly judgemental; the poor, the marginalised, those living in rundown areas, the chronically long-term unemployed are there not because of a skewed social system or double standards, but because they deserve it!  I hope you detect my irony?!  It seems one of the ways those who exploit other people 'get away with it', is by blaming those they exploit for their own poverty.  It’s a neat trick that enables people with little conscience to get away with injustice whilst they make themselves wealthy.  ‘Listen, my dear brothers: it was those who were poor according to the world that God chose, to be rich in faith and to be the heirs to the kingdom which he promised to those who love him.  You, on the other hand, have dishonoured the poor. Is it not the rich who lord it over you?  Are not they the ones who drag you into court, who insult the honourable name which has been pronounced over you?  Well, the right thing to do is to keep the supreme Law of scripture: you will love your neighbour as yourself; but as soon as you make class distinctions, you are committing sin and under condemnation for breaking the Law.’  (James 2:5-9 NJB)  So it’s right there, in black and white; those who make class distinctions, far from being the great and the good, are adding more sin and injustice to the world.  Yes, every poor and oppressed person wants to see that.  Yet again, God is bringing to book the system many of us live under and showing it up for the illusion that it really is.  What is the answer to those who exploit others, or just look down their noses on other people?  ‘Do not judge, and you will not be judged; because the judgements you give are the judgements you will get, and the standard you use will be the standard used for you.’  (Matthew 7:1-2 NJB)  The world, and many people in it, often make all sorts of unjust distinctions between people, for their own selfish reasons.  It is to be understood that what goes around, may very well come around.  Christians should not judge other people for any reason.

 

 

Finally, each day God wants us to choose Him.  ‘'Look, today I am offering you life and prosperity, death and disaster.  If you obey the commandments of Yahweh your God, which I am laying down for you today, if you love Yahweh your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws and his customs, you will live and grow numerous, and Yahweh your God will bless you in the country which you are about to enter and make your own.  But if your heart turns away, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live for long in the country which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.  Today, I call heaven and earth to witness against you: I am offering you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life…'’  (Deuteronomy 30:15-19 NJB)

Equality, Fairness & Democracy

Because of the lowly background I come from, I have for a long time believed completely in equality, fairness and democracy; they are not just words, cosy platitudes bandied around by politicians on the make, they are or should be the very essence of the Western nations many of us live in.  Believing in such things such as fairness means very probably that we don’t otherwise harm other people, and we have a healthy and balanced outlook when it comes to our needs, and the needs of other people.  We don’t have to negate our needs and wants completely and just think solely about someone else, but we can be honest about them whilst accepting that other people have needs and wants exactly like us.  In Britain, we have lived for a long time under a class system, a system which heavily infers that the higher up the scale you are perceived to be, the more worthy and important you are.  As you go lower down the scale, the less important you are meant to be.  Anyone who is honest will say that class, like racism or in fact any division between humans, is institutionalised injustice.  If we turn a blind eye to one injustice, eventually we will probably turn a blind eye to others.

 

It’s not special rights most people want, it’s equal rights people want and cry out for.  The class system, just like racism, sexism and other prejudices is ultimately a hierarchy of worth, an unfair system imposed on people where those at the top and in the middle are seen as worthy of consideration but usually those perceived to be at the bottom are seen as unworthy.  Until we tackle this in Britain, we will remain a backward third-rate nation, forever losing any status in the world we might have.

 

My belief is that each person was created especially by God; there is in truth no inferior person and there is in truth no superior person.  Even this to some English people is a revelation!  But I believe that one of God’s gifts to those who live as Christians, is a genuine equality.  ‘There is no favouritism with God.’  (Romans 2:11 NJB)  Yes, often Christianity is about the seeming great and good, and about important affairs and important people; but often what we are seeing is the world appropriating religion, using what is good to excuse the vices and the abuse of power that makes up much of the reality of this often unfair, divided and unjust world.  But, is this really Christianity?  Kings and queens, popes and the high and the mighty?  It was in essence the powerful religious authorities who had Jesus put to death; yes, those who had power and claimed to be religious were the very people who rejected and murdered Him.  We should all remember that.  One day, God will fairly and completely impartially judge all of humanity; those who abuse power and harm or ruthlessly exploit other people may well come unstuck in the next life; we should all remember that too.

 

If we could talk about issues, if we could all talk openly about class, racism, all the differences that exist between people, we might all come to some truth, some real conclusions, we might all stop hiding behind masks, masks of superiority, masks of toughness, masks of anger, all kinds of masks that actually make us less than we could be; then we might find the truth, that we are all in fact only human beings.

 

Kind of Blue

I have written about this before, but as it is something often on my mind, I am going to write about it again.  I am a Christian, not a ‘holy Joe’ or anything like that, just an ordinary person who walks with the Lord on a daily basis.  I love secular things though, I love all kinds of movies, all kinds of subjects which I often read about and I love all kinds of music.  Once, I used to dislike Jazz a whole lot and had very little time for it; it seemed pretentious, overblown, often unmelodic and the sort of thing pseudo-intellectuals would go on and on about and bore anyone to death unlucky enough to encounter them!  Then came ‘Kind of Blue’ by Miles Davis.  This was a revelation to me.  The music is so profound, so rounded, so full of creativity and life and passion, that I was, and remain, hooked immediately.  I wonder whether I am loving things of the world too much, and yet at the same time feel that if we like something, be it a type of food, a particular climate or country, a person, or indeed a movie or type of music, we just can’t help the fact that we like it.  You can’t pretend not to like hot cherry pie and vanilla ice cream if you do, that would be silly wouldn’t it?  How can we pretend not to like Bacardi and Coke if we really like it?  ‘One person may have faith enough to eat any kind of food; another, less strong, will eat only vegetables.  Those who feel free to eat freely are not to condemn those who are unwilling to eat freely; nor must the person who does not eat freely pass judgement on the one who does -- because God has welcomed him.’  (Romans 14:2-3 NJB)  Perhaps it is all a matter of faith, of asking God about these things, and perhaps it is also a matter of all things in moderation too. 

 

We all have our own lives to live.  We should think about everything we do, everything we like, and even the things we don’t like.  Are we so certain when we condemn others for being this or being that, that we aren’t being hyper-critical or judgemental, when we should merely be kind and compassionate?  I believe that God created us for a life of genuine peace, happiness, joy unending and to live in harmony with other people.  It doesn’t mean we have a right to impose our will or ideas on anyone else.  There are many Christians who hold to different things, who belong to different denominations and different traditions; we are all different in fact; vive la difference!  ‘The one who makes special observance of a particular day observes it in honour of the Lord. So the one who eats freely, eats in honour of the Lord, making his thanksgiving to God; and the one who does not, abstains from eating in honour of the Lord and makes his thanksgiving to God…Why, then, does one of you make himself judge over his brother, and why does another among you despise his brother? All of us will have to stand in front of the judgement-seat of God: as scripture says: By my own life says the Lord, every knee shall bow before me, every tongue shall give glory to God.’  (Romans 14:6,10-11 NJB)

 

Que Sera Sera

Lord, Lord, what will tomorrow bring?

 Today I felt an arrow stinging in a wound so deep,

My eyes refuse to weep.

 What will tomorrow bring?

(Iola Brubeck)

 

No one knows what tomorrow will bring, and I believe this is a blessing.  The future holds many things for us, and for Christians who stay true to God, the future is bright with very good prospects.  Many of us in today’s economic climate however feel that there is no real future, and those like myself born to poor parents and the poorer Working classes may feel despair at ever escaping poverty and all that goes with that.  Even when a poor person does get a job it’s often that the wages are low, and so are the real prospects that go with it.  Life can be unfair; it’s the way the world and its corrupt system is. 

 

We must remember that though the world may write us off as of no account, God does not!  Even religious people might write us off because we are poor, or an ethnic minority, or not particularly cultured or urbane or educated, but God does not!  He is our Champion, our Saviour and He can move mountains for us, and give us a better life even when all seems lost and hopeless.  ‘Yes, I know what plans I have in mind for you, Yahweh declares, plans for peace, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’  (Jeremiah 29:11 NJB)

 

Sin

I pray about a fault of mine and ask God every day to help me with it.  Doing this, admitting I struggle with a sin, means I think that God is merciful to me.  When people have a sin in their lives, but pretend or otherwise feel they don’t, it’s then that sin may take root, and a person can become deluded they are perfect.  And when some people think they are perfect, they often think they have the right to judge other people they think are not perfect.  I feel that much of when Christians are judging other people comes down to this kind of false spiritual pride; we should always examine our motives when we judge other people.

 

We cannot live in sin, any kind of sin, and then expect God to be favourable towards us.  This goes for your common or garden Christian, or whether you are a vicar or priest, an archbishop or even the Pope Himself.  There are no special clauses for Christians who sin.  So, let us endeavour to leave sin behind, and to ask God to help us sincerely if we are struggling with sin in any area of our lives.

 

‘We are God's work of art, created in Christ Jesus for the good works which God has already designated to make up our way of life.’  (Ephesians 2:20 NJB)

What is Christianity?

It’s Relationship

Christianity is not religion, its relationship.  Let me say it again; Christianity is not religion, its relationship!  Some things need to sink in somewhat.  For many people, even it seems many Christians, Christianity can be everything but what it is really meant to be, which is an intimate walk with God, mediated by Jesus.  What passes for Christianity in the world is often watered-down, religion that presses some of the buttons, seems good if not examined too closely, but which in the end always fails to fulfil and truly satisfy.  This is why I think some very religious people can be very judgemental, can mix up what is in the world with their faith, and get caught up in things which God does not want those He calls to get mixed up in.  Christianity summed up is simply a relationship, yes even an intimate friendship with Jesus, on a daily on-going basis.  In British vernacular Jesus is meant to be our best mate!  ‘There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.’  (Philippians 4:13 NJB)
 

 It’s Reality

Christianity isn’t something that you put on or off as the mood takes you, it isn’t private faith, it isn’t something that kind of exists on Sunday, it isn’t a nice warm feeling, it isn’t feeling smug or superior, it is reality.  Some Christians, even those with important positions in the Church, have said before today that they don’t believe in the virgin birth, or they struggle with the Bible story, and so on.  When someone asks for proof of God, I suggest you tell them to look in the mirror!  We are an amazing creation; how could we have just evolved in some haphazard and uncontrolled way when most of us are physically perfect, a breath-taking creation, the crown of creation.   God is real, always present and has a role in the world right now.  He isn’t some far off bearded bloke in the clouds, absent-minded and forgetful, or a mere fantasy someone dreamed up to frighten us; He is a real being.  He is the one true God.  ‘Never has anyone heard, no ear has heard, no eye has seen any god but you act like this for the sake of those who trust him.  You come to meet those who are happy to act uprightly; keeping your ways reminds them of you. Yes, you have been angry and we have been sinners; now we persist in your ways and we shall be saved.’  (Isaiah 64:3-4 NJB)

 

It’s Truth

There are many beliefs in the world, many religious disciplines to follow, many religions seemingly to choose from.  Who do you believe, after all?  Are they all right, and if so how can they be?  Whose truth is the truth?  Some people claim that all religions are correct, they all lead to the same truth; sort of.  Some people say that most religions have something in them that is good.  Others dismiss it all as cosmic hogwash!  Yes, there are and have been many holy men and women, some forgotten now and others the prophets of diverse religions.  Only Jesus ever said He was the door to God, only He proclaimed to be truth, only He said He was life.  ‘Jesus said: I am the Way; I am Truth and Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’  (John 14:6 NJB)

 

It’s, Above All, Love

‘Though I command languages both human and angelic -- if I speak without love, I am no more than a gong booming or a cymbal clashing.  And though I have the power of prophecy, to penetrate all mysteries and knowledge, and though I have all the faith necessary to move mountains -- if I am without love, I am nothing.’  (1 Corinthians 13:1-2 NJB)  We sometimes see those who are powerful in the established churches and denominations, or important people who claim to be believers, doing and saying things that do not emanate from a position or standpoint of love.  Often religion, yet again, seems to be much more about powerful, important and even wealthy people, than it does about those who simply practise their faith everyday.  Religion can be impersonal at best, but what else could an intimate relationship be based on other than love?  So love is the answer.  ‘Now we see only reflections in a mirror, mere riddles, but then we shall be seeing face to face. Now I can know only imperfectly; but then I shall know just as fully as I am myself known.  As it is, these remain: faith, hope and love, the three of them; and the greatest of them is love.’  (1 Corinthians 13:12-13 NJB)
 

 It’s Not Religion

Religion might mean people involving themselves in things, rituals, performances, and doing things that they think God might want us to do.  A faith initiated by God on the other hand couldn’t be more different.  In the first place, He approaches us, He loved us before we even existed.  Instead of being religious, perhaps we need to understand what Christianity is all about.  Religion constricts, whereas faith in Jesus frees us.  We were always meant to live in peace, in abundance, in happiness and with joy unending.  God is our Father, who wants only the best for us, regardless of who we are, where we come from, whatever social status we might have and irrespective of any difference from any other person whatsoever.  ‘I have let myself be approached by those who did not consult me, I have let myself be found by those who did not seek me. I said, 'Here I am, here I am!' to a nation that did not invoke my name.’  (Isaiah 65:1 NJB)

 

It’s Not Controlling Other People

‘I urge you, brothers, be on your guard against the people who are out to stir up disagreements and bring up difficulties against the teaching which you learnt. Avoid them.  People of that sort are servants not of our Lord Christ, but of their own greed; and with talk that sounds smooth and reasonable they deceive the minds of the unwary.’  (Romans 16:17-18 NJB)  Let’s be honest here; there are many in the churches who seem to gravitate to positions of power simply because they want to control or manipulate people in some way, those who use religion to gain control of other people, or to gain power and even wealth.  This is what we are warned about quite frankly.  I’m not saying that every Christian leader is like this, because they aren’t, but we should always be forewarned about such things.  Not all people are as they seem. 

 

It’s Not a Cult or Sect

‘Thus says Yahweh: With heaven my throne and earth my footstool, what house could you build me, what place for me to rest, when all these things were made by me and all belong to me? - declares Yahweh. But my eyes are drawn to the person of humbled and contrite spirit, who trembles at my word.’  (Isaiah 66:1-2 NJB)  Some people think to pray they must be in a church, or even belong to a particular denomination to be a Christian.  It can sometimes appear that Christians, who are simply supposed to be brothers and sisters, are the most divided of people!  God does not necessarily want grand gestures, nor I think does He need us to build churches and cathedrals in His name, I believe that what He most wants from us is a humble spirit, a heart predisposed towards Him and other people and simply to be obedient.
 

 It’s Not Exclusive

‘I am coming to gather every nation and every language. They will come to witness my glory.  I shall give them a sign and send some of their survivors to the nations: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coasts and islands that have never heard of me or seen my glory. They will proclaim my glory to the nations, and from all the nations they will bring all your brothers as an offering to Yahweh, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to my holy mountain, Jerusalem, Yahweh says, like Israelites bringing offerings in clean vessels to Yahweh's house.’  (Isaiah 66:18-20 NJB)  Christianity, certainly in Britain, sometimes seems to be a social club for those who’ve got it all together, those with nice lives, good jobs, living in nice areas and sailing through life.  Many of us in Britain do not have perfect lives, we struggle, we endure hardships, and we fail to reach any kind of perfection.  God does not want an exclusive club for Christianity, He isn’t just about the terminally nice, He created every human being and calls every kind of person to be His and to serve Him with a whole heart.  Christianity is not the British class system!  Jesus came down to earth to save those who are lost, without faith, suffering, those who are deeply hurting and those who are often seen as unworthy and of no account.  ‘The spirit of Lord Yahweh is on me for Yahweh has anointed me. He has sent me to bring the news to the afflicted, to soothe the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, release to those in prison, to proclaim a year of favour from Yahweh and a day of vengeance for our God, to comfort all who mourn (to give to Zion's mourners), to give them for ashes a garland, for mourning-dress, the oil of gladness, for despondency, festal attire; and they will be called 'terebinths of saving justice', planted by Yahweh to glorify him.  They will rebuild the ancient ruins, they will raise what has long lain waste, they will restore the ruined cities, all that has lain waste for ages past.’  (Isaiah 61:1-4 NJB)

No Reservations

I had a planned post for this week’s blog post, but I thought I’d write something off-the-cuff and spontaneously; so there!  I don’t always watch a great deal of TV, I tend to cherry-pick and tape things I really want to watch.  Recently I’ve been watching a programme on a channel called ‘Quest’, which is called ‘No Reservations’ about the travels of a sassy and mouthy but always funny chef from New York called Anthony Bourdain, who has gone all over the world in search of new experiences and especially to eat local food and meet local people.  I’ve watched him visit China, Japan, South Florida, Peru to name but four places but he’s visited many more.  He’s even visited Scotland and England too, and in a book of his I bought off Amazon called ‘A Cook’s Tour’ he said, and I quote, ‘I love England’, which I thought was nice, as we tend to expect people will say they hate England and especially that people will usually hate our food!  Anyway, I’ve really grown to like this guy and his often wry and always funny observations, but in between the glib remarks and witty one-liners, there comes across a guy who is genuinely thrilled by his travels around the world and who loves different cultures and different cuisines with a passion.  Now and then, even he is lost for words; he visited Machu Picchu and felt that whatever he said wouldn’t be enough – so he didn’t say anything much and just left me feeling that this guy realised how lucky he is going around the world meeting nice people and eating different food, and getting paid for it too!  Another thing; I’ve always felt an empathy and affinity with New Yorkers, their toughness, their directness, their sassiness, their world-weariness and that important sense of humour too.  Some of my heroes are New Yorkers like Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney and John Garfield, to name but three.  I always felt that with New York especially, that people were direct and tell-it-like-it-is, not a characteristic generally noted about English people, or some English people anyway.

 

The Good Samaritan

Sometimes ordinary non-religious people can be kinder and have a genuine love for people, far more than some so-called Christians have, and opposed to the often rigid and intolerant views that some religious people can have.  I am brought to the story of the Good Samaritan.  Jesus was quizzed by a lawyer: ‘And now a lawyer stood up and, to test him, asked, 'Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'  He said to him, 'What is written in the Law? What is your reading of it?'  He replied, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.'  Jesus said to him, 'You have answered right, do this and life is yours.'  But the man was anxious to justify himself and said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour?'  In answer Jesus said, 'A man was once on his way down from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell into the hands of bandits; they stripped him, beat him and then made off, leaving him half dead.  Now a priest happened to be travelling down the same road, but when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.  In the same way a Levite who came to the place saw him, and passed by on the other side.  But a Samaritan traveller who came on him was moved with compassion when he saw him.  He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. He then lifted him onto his own mount and took him to an inn and looked after him.  Next day, he took out two denarii and handed them to the innkeeper and said, "Look after him, and on my way back I will make good any extra expense you have."  Which of these three, do you think, proved himself a neighbour to the man who fell into the bandits' hands?'  He replied, 'The one who showed pity towards him.' Jesus said to him, 'Go, and do the same yourself.'’  (Luke 10:25-37 NJB)  We see sometimes in life that people, not particularly religious, not particularly special, not particularly anything really, are more considerate, more caring and more compassionate than those who are supposed to have these qualities, the religious kind of person, who might talk about love and concern for others but when it comes down to it, is merely full of words.
 

 The Samaritans were a mixed race people, and because their views and practise of religion differed somewhat from the Jews, the Jews often held them in contempt.  But Jesus uses a Samaritan to make a point, a point that we should all heed.  Sometimes the outsider, the marginalised, those whom greater society often dismisses as of no account, can be the very people who have more love and compassion than those who pride themselves on being pure and religious.  The point also being, that what is the point of religious pride, or doing all kinds of ‘religious’ things, if you don’t have simple love for your fellow human?  I sometimes look at powerful people in the established churches and important people who just happen or claim to be religious , and wonder whether what they profess is genuine or heartfelt or whether such claims of religious piety are just a mask, a mark of respectability, or another marker of superiority to add to all the rest.  We have to be the people who don’t walk on by, but the people who are truly living as Christians every day.

 
Che, the Revolutionary

Like most people, I have a thing for rebels, for those hardy souls who challenge injustice or take on the establishment, or just blaze a trail in pop music or film making or some such thing.  Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara was said to be so moved after travelling around South America on motorbike with a mate called Alberto Granado that he wanted to help the poor of the many countries of this large continent.  In some ways, he may have been right, and in some ways, he may have been wrong.  But sometimes things only move forwards when brave people, be they individuals or groups, challenge blatant injustice and unfair situations, usually targeted at the poor and disenfranchised.  British society itself, far from being staid and lacking revolutionary zeal, changed many times when ordinary people began to fight for their rights.  Sometimes the rebels were peasants and the poor, and sometimes the rebels were more Middle class; there is in fact a rich history of civil disobedience throughout the British Isles against governments and all kinds of injustice.

 Even at their best though, many revolutionaries could be said to be somewhat egocentric, not all, but to do something for others takes real courage.  The only revolutionary that completely succeeded was Jesus, a man who knew He would be executed by the powers-that-be, the military and religious authorities of His day, but who still went out into the world, to challenge some of us, to chastise some of us, to show up religious hypocrisy for what it was but ultimately to save us.

 

Many people today, even many Christians, feel lost, feel that the harsh economic times we live in, with the constant closure of businesses and consequent loss of jobs everywhere, means that they won’t have decent lives and that they might have to struggle just to exist.  I feel like this myself some times.  For the believer, there are better times ahead.  We must have faith in God and we must not fall into despair; despair is an opportune impostor.  Read this, and take comfort: ‘You will be a crown of splendour in Yahweh's hand, a princely diadem in the hand of your God.  No more will you be known as 'Forsaken' or your country be known as 'Desolation'; instead, you will be called 'My Delight is in her' and your country 'The Wedded'; for Yahweh will take delight in you and your country will have its wedding.  Like a young man marrying a virgin, your rebuilder will wed you, and as the bridegroom rejoices in his bride, so will your God rejoice in you.’  (Isaiah 62:3-5 NJB)

God, The Creator of All

There’s a big difference between the God of the Bible, and all the other gods. All the other ‘gods’ are human inventions, created by the human mind; the God of the Bible, the one and only true God, is the God that rather than being created by humans, is actually the Creator of human beings. This is the only difference we need to know. Yes, the Greek gods are interesting, and the Norse gods are interesting, but after all’s said and done, they are only products of the human imagination. There’s about as much point as praying to one of these guys as there is to praying to a block of carved wood or stone or praying to the sun or the moon. There is only one God, one Supreme Being, that is above all and the Creator of all. Do you really want to put your faith or future in something that just isn’t real or that is in actual fact false? Likewise, there have been many supposed holy men (and even a few holy women too!) knocking around here and there at various times, and many people have put their faith in them. For a Christian, there’s only one man, one cool dude, that makes the grade; He leaves the rest behind in the starting blocks. Who is He? It’s Jesus! What did He say about Himself? ‘…I am the way, the truth, and the life…’ (John 14:6 KJV) No other person has ever claimed that, holy or not, and indeed no other person could because Jesus is the only way to God, He is the intercessor for us, the divine bridge between God and man. Jesus is the way to God, He is the truth of the world and the agent of creation, and He is true life, life that lasts and life that is abundant and overflowing.

Challenging the Status Quo

A yearning for things to stay the same, whilst living in societies where things keep changing, creates a dichotomy for many people. We yearn for good things to last, for all that is good to stay and all that is bad to stay away, but things are never static. We become nostalgia freaks, locked in the past and afraid of the future. The curious reality is that as things change they stay the same. What I mean is that society survives by changing; imagine a world without the Internet or mobile phones or supermarkets. We all change, get older, get more mature, get a little wiser (hopefully!) and we are not the same ten years down the line. In middle age, whenever that really is now, we take stock of our lives, we reflect on it all, the good and the bad, and we might feel that we could have done things, some things anyway, differently. Only a faith in God makes me feel that even the worst bits have something to teach me, that my life hasn’t been in vain and that the best is yet to come.

In many societies, even wealthy, progressive and democratic ones, there is a subtle notion, often heavily inferred, that those at the bottom should know their place, that only those who are already affluent or connected or powerful in some way should aspire to better things, should aspire to have better lives and money and nice things, the rest of us being merely grateful for the crumbs off the rich man’s table. In fact, the only way modern societies have genuinely progressed is when such notions are challenged by the mass of ‘ordinary’ people, whatever ordinary really means. Society progresses when we as groups of disenfranchised people challenge injustice, and when we as individuals don’t accept the limitations that greater society, and even other people, try to impose on us. In the past, only the wealthy Middle classes and Upper classes were supposed to prosper and have a future, and that is they key word: future. We all have the right to a future and we all have the right to better lives, better life chances and even to prosper. I don’t say we should plot revolutions or overthrow the government, but where we find injustice we should challenge it. ‘Yahweh says this: Act uprightly and justly; rescue from the hands of the oppressor anyone who has been wronged, do not exploit or ill-treat the stranger, the orphan, the widow; shed no innocent blood in this place.’ (Jeremiah 22:3 NJB) If we act uprightly, and refuse to prosper at someone else’s expense, God will guide our steps and He will see that no real harm comes to us. It seems to me that in many countries in the world, including many Western countries, people do indeed prosper at the expense of other people, even when such profiteering makes misery and creates rampant injustice. In this case, we should hope to be neither exploiter or exploited. ‘To absolve the guilty and condemn the upright, both alike are abhorrent to Yahweh.’ (Proverbs 17:15 NJB) We have to remember as Christians that though often societies, even the best of societies, can be skewed, corrupt, often unfair and partial to the rich and powerful, we must remain free of such things. I believe that we are all going to be judged one day; some of the people now prospering unjustly may very well find themselves on the wrong side of God, not a place anyone wants to be. Whatever we do, we should act justly and with a sense of fair play. ‘He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?’ (Micah 6:8 ESV)
 

The Waste of it All

In a report from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers recently, it was said that almost half, yes almost half, of all the world’s food, about 2 billion tons worth, is binned before it reaches the dinner table. What an insane world we live in! Whilst it seems half the world is eating itself to death, the other half is slowly starving to death. What we now see on a global scale, real inequality and skewed redistribution of wealth and resources, is what many European countries were like in the 19th century; the rich had an overabundance of wealth, land, power and resources, the Middle class had some wealth and resources, and the Working class and poor often didn’t have enough even for basic needs to be met, whilst often living in wretched rural and urban poverty in awful unsanitary housing. What is the answer to such overwhelming waste and unequal redistribution? The first answer is for those who have enough to stop carping on about what they haven’t got and learn to be grateful for what they have! We have all done it, we have all coveted what we haven’t got, we all seem never to be satisfied with what we have; perhaps we need to learn simply to be content with what we have. Saint Paul said this about contentment: ‘I know how to live modestly, and I know how to live luxuriously too: in every way now I have mastered the secret of all conditions: full stomach and empty stomach, plenty and poverty. There is nothing I cannot do in the One who strengthens me.’ (Philippians 4:12-13 NJB) It may be that you are wealthy; then be grateful. It may be that you are poor; then be content with what good things you have and then pray earnestly about your needs being met. I’m not suggesting that someone poor shouldn’t aspire to a better life, of course not, don’t we all want to get on after all? I am suggesting that whilst we plan for better things, we should simply be grateful for any good thing we already have, whether we are rich or poor.
 

Why Did God Create Life?

All is competition; we compete with others in everything without even being aware of doing it half the time, competing in every way and often for no good reason. Competition seems to create nothing but aggressive people, and some win and many others lose. This creates societies that can be filled either way with aggressive people that are not really happy unless they are competing with other people in some way and winning in whatever way they can. In my eyes, this often results in societies that are not working to their full potential. What’s more, I firmly believe that God wants us to win, but at the same time He wants us to be the best we can be, not minding anyone else’s business but being concerned with our own business.

So, why did God create life? Just what purpose were human beings created for? ‘I look up at your heavens, shaped by your fingers, at the moon and the stars you set firm-what are human beings that you spare a thought for them, or the child of Adam that you care for him?’ (Psalm 8:3-4 NJB) We know that God created everything, and He created us or I wouldn’t be typing this blog and you wouldn’t be reading it, but can we understand God’s motives? When we look at the mess the world is in, and human society in general, we might genuinely wonder what the purpose of life is when life for many is often nasty, short and brutal. I believe that God created mankind to share in His glory, to share in His love, to love and so be loved, by God and by other people. There is a purpose to life, and sometimes when we go to the supermarket or are doing a hundred other mundane things, we forget that we are extraordinary and magnificent, the crown of creation, the reason for all creation. Try and remember that on a cold, wet, rainy Monday afternoon.
 

Finally, do we have to hate each other? No, I’ll never be a Muslim, I’ll never be an Orthodox Jew, I’m a Christian after all, but why can’t we live in peace? We all have so much to learn from each other.