On saying ‘I do’

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”  God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.” (Genesis 9;8-16)

A covenant is a promise or a contract between two parties, in which God is either one of the parties to the contract, or a witness to it. So after the flood, God made a contract with all of creation, including me and you, through our ancestor Noah. He promised never to flood the world again, and he gave a sign that he wouldn’t. The sign being a rainbow.

When a man and a woman get married, and say “I do”, they are promising to have and to hold, forsaking all others, ‘until death us do part.’ And God is a witness to the promises they make (even if the couple aren’t Christians, for he sees and notes all things.) I remember hearing tell a story of a man who, for the last six years of his wife’s life, looked after her as she became crazier and crazier with dementia. And when she died, the vicar asked him how he had managed to love her throughout such a severe and long trial. And he replied “I made a promise. I made a promise, to love her in sickness and in health - and I aimed to keep it.”

When a man and a woman say, “I do” they leave their fathers’ houses, and start living a new life in a new world. She takes a new name, and has a new identity. And the ring on the finger is the sign of the covenant (just as the rainbow is the sign that God would never flood the world again).

Similarly, when a man comes to Christ, and is baptised, he leaves the house of his father (Adam), and starts a new life, and a new world, with a new home and new identity. He promises to love the Lord with all his heart and soul, strength and mind, and to love his neighbour as himself. And the sign of this covenant is the bread and the wine. A marriage covenant only lasts until death, which is why a woman is free to remarry if she is widowed, but she is not free to do so if her husband still lives. But the covenant God makes through Jesus, is better than all other covenants, because it still exists, even beyond death. Thus it is written:

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Jesus put it this way;
“Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:25-29)

So really the question which all men need to ask themselves is this:
“Do you take this man - Jesus Christ, to be your Lord and Saviour, your friend and guide, in sickness and in health? Do you promise to love him, forsaking all idols, rulers and authorites, obeying Him above all else?”

For me, the answer to that question is:
“I do.”

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Hey thanks once again for reading my blog. I really appreciate it. May the Lord bless you abundantly in all things today - may your soul prosper.

You won’t know who you are, unless you know who your dad is.

Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat…the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

I have been a son for 53 years, and a father for 18. As it happens, of my four sons, one of them is more like me than the others, both in appearance and in manner. He probably knows what I think better than the others too, although I can’t be too certain that he shares my thoughts, I think on many things he is at least aware of them.
Looking in one direction towards my father, and then the other way, towards my sons, I have been wondering to what extent a man can be like his father, whether intentionally or not. Since my dad lives 12,000 miles away from me, and we don’t talk nor write that often, I am no doubt less like him than I could be.

A good son wishes to honour his father, and one of the many ways he might do this is by knowing his father’s will, and doing it. Of course, if it were my father’s will that I drive him to town tomorrow, I can’t realistically do that, because we live in different countries. But of his will which I know can be done, no doubt I should do it. For instance, I imagine that he would want me to look after my mother when he’s no longer around to do it. How that would be best achieved will depend on circumstances at the time.

But the father I most want to be like is my heavenly father. Some people, Jesus says, have the devil as their father (see Matthew 13:37 & John 8:44), but it needn’t be so. After all, we are taught we can be born again and have a Father in Heaven.
And to be born again, we need to have God’s Spirit.

If my sons have something of my spirit in them, they will - to some extent - be like me. Likewise, if we all have God’s Spirit in us, and in increasing amount, then we will become more like our father in heaven. The more that happens, the more the world will be like the Garden of Eden, and less like a jungle.

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.”

John 14:23-27

In short, unless a man knows who his dad is, he won’t know who he is.

This is true for earthly sons, and it’s true regarding our heavenly Father as well.
Unless we know who our dad is, we won't know who we are.
Therefore, we need our Father’s Spirit, to know him better, and to become more like him.

And to get the Spirit, all we need do is ask Him.

“If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 Luke 11:13

Let me say it differently, you will know who you are, when you know who your dad is.

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Hey thanks for reading my post. I really appreciate it. I hope you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country.

Sometimes you can be so starved of something that it has a serious effect on your health. Affection is one of these things. Children who grow up unloved by their parents, perhaps forever in and out of foster homes, generally grow up to be maladjusted adults.
Land which doesn’t receive water is not productive, and over time water-courses may run low, causing animals and humans distress. Water is needed for fruit to come. Not only is this self-evident, Scripture affirms it:

Then he [Elijah] prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. (James 5:18)

One of the most helpful books I read in 2024 was “You’re Not Sick, You’re Thirsty.” The consultant doctor who wrote it observed that many illnesses which are common in Western countries are caused by dehydration. Dr. Batmanghelidj argues persuasively that many common illnesses, including headaches, eating disorders, diabetes, asthma and many other illnesses could be completely done away with, if we would simply drink more water. He advocated drinking 8 glasses of water a day (approx 2 litres of water), and said that coffee, tea, alcohol and other beverages (especially sweetened drinks) do not alleviate dehydration, but make it worse. Because it takes time for the body to dry out, many of these illnesses become apparent in middle-age. In one section he writes “I am of the opinion that cancer of the breast in the majority of women is the consequence of chronic dehydration, associated with stress.” (p.199)

I decided last year (2024) to follow the doctor’s advice (he also recommended a half-teaspoon of salt on your food) and was impressed by the results. I have had a lot more energy (which is what he said in his book would happen) and I feel much healthier. My sense of smell, which for years had been pretty poor, is much improved.  

I strongly recommend “You're Not Sick, You’re Thirsty” to everyone. But to be honest, you don’t need to read it. Just follow Batmanghelidj’s advice. Drink eight glasses of water a day (I usually start with two glasses first thing on rising, before grabbing for the coffee pot), and sprinkle some rock or sea salt on your food at dinner time. Try that for ten days, you will notice immediately an improvement in your health.

God is interested in all parts of your life, including your health. Jesus says 'even the hair on your head is numbered.' Your body, soul, and spirit are intertwined, what is happening in the one affects the other. The true living water comes from Jesus Christ, everything else is a cheap imitation. That which is true in the spiritual realm, is often reflected in the physical.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let All the People say Amen

Have you ever felt misunderstood?
Jesus knows how you feel.
And when his family heard it, they went out to seize him, for they were saying, “He is out of his mind.” (Mark 3:21)

Have you ever been so overworked and busy you don’t have time to eat?
Jesus knows what that feels like:
And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. (Mark 6:31)

Have you ever been keen to follow Jesus, but you don’t know where he’s going?
Well, you’re not alone.
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5)

Have you ever felt like your life was on “Pause”? That you’re waiting on an answer that is taking a long time to come:
Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. (John 11:5-6)

Why didn’t Jesus answer straight away?
Because God was going to be glorified differently from what Martha and Mary thought.
So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.”  But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:3-4)

Have you ever felt like you’re being left ‘on the bench’, not selected for the team, because people don’t believe in you? I reckon Jesus knows what that feels like:
So his brothers said to him, “Leave here and go to Judea, that your disciples also may see the works you are doing. For no one works in secret if he seeks to be known openly. If you do these things, show yourself to the world.” For not even his brothers believed in him. (John 7:3-5)

It’s pretty rough when even your family members don’t believe in you. The apostle Paul had a similar experience after he became a disciple of Jesus:
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. (Acts 9:26)

Lets face it, sometimes our past precedes us, and we are judged wrongly by those who should know better. What you need is someone to encourage you. And that’s what Barnabas did for Paul.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. (Acts 9:27)

Ever wondered why someone else seems to be having an easier run of things?
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” (John 21:20-21)

Comparison is the thief of joy. It makes no sense to compare ourselves with others. Jesus gives his disciples a simple instruction.

Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

If you’re feeling discouraged, you’re not feeling anything Jesus hasn’t already felt. And what you need to be, on the days when your soul is downcast, and you’re disheartened - what you need to be on that day is to be encouraged. But if nobody will encourage you, then go and encourage somebody else.

Be a Barnabas.

Be encouraged today.

A song to lift your spirits (Let All the People say Amen)

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Hey thanks for reading this far. I really appreciate it. God ever bless you.