Beginning with God

Someone may well be asking - "Where do I begin, to be right with God?"

An old promise still hold good today:

"You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart"  (Jeremiah 29:13)

The Lord Jesus Christ repeated this:

"Seek and you will find"  ( Matthew 7.7)

Paul directed the people in Athens to " seek God   .... He is actually not far from each one of us." (Acts 17.27)

Let me share with you a promise 

"If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. "

Everyone  who believes in Him , will not be put to shame "   ( Romans 10.9-11)

In the quiet of your own soul, you can know HIM.

johnmckee@internode.on.net

The Blessing of the Lord

“God blesses those who realise their need for Him”

                                                 Matthew 5.3NLT

This first line of the sermon on the mount summarises the whole discourse. Other translations use “poor in spirit” and that is good. We ought not to be conceited, haughty or proud. But I think the NLT has captured the real point of the whole discourse. It is about a relationship with God as Father, that creates a reflection of God’s character along with a childlike dependence upon Him. This creates peace and stability as well as security.

The kingdom of God is characterized by this – a people who are insufficient of themselves, who look up to God as holy and God as Saviour and Lord. These are the ones He can teach to pray. The prayer the Lord taught the disciples was not about informing God concerning what He already knew, but expressing to God Almighty how much we need Him.

The blessing of God on ‘those who feel their need of Him’, leads to a walking with Lord.  To trust Him for every daily need, in obedience to His directions . This gives stability when the inevitable storms of life arrive. Such are ‘kept by the power of God.’ (1 Peter1)

I had thought that with study and age, I might have developed a sense of capability and confidence. And at times I have tried that position, only to fail. Rather I have learned the deep meaning of the simple prayer “ Lord help me” – whether in the details of everyday living , or in service for the Master. And thus this single line from the sublime teaching of Jesus Christ the Lord, has become very precious to me. I trust it will likewise be precious to you.

It is so much like the first line of Psalm 23 – “The Lord is my Shepherd,  I shall not want”

He becomes our all sufficiency, and ‘His strength is made perfect in our weakness.’(2 Corinthians 12)

J McKee

Trust in God

Mystery?

If the man, Jesus of Nazareth, was truely the Son of God, why was He so slow to let people know? He even commanded the demons not to speak about Him.

This is indeed the beauty of God’s character. He wants us to know Him, not through some public list of qualifications (as is done by celebrities and prominent people), rather He wants us to discover Him through the activity of His character. This is “knowing” God through personal interaction in the present.

When John the Baptist announced the presence of the Messiah, he said ‘He is among you, whom you do not know’’. This is just like God would do (in Old Testament appearing as an angel)  - in humanity taking up servant status – “He came not to be served but to serve.” (Mark 10, Philippians 2)

Study of the scriptures is good and essential to knowing about God, but more precious is the experience of ‘knowing’ God in the interactions of daily life. He loves, He reveals, He chastises, He cares and in His sovereign power overseas our lives.(1 Peter 2)  One we can trust in the big issues and the small issues of life.

If you don’t know Him, seek Him today. Discover His greatness and His interest in the small detail of your life.

John McKee

Who is this man?

The Son of God   - the Christ

These two terms seem interchanged in Acts 9:20,22.   In Psalm 2 , they are used together. Yet they have different meanings.

“Son of God” is the term expressing relationship. This is quite different to ‘child of God’ which refers to generation – having a beginning and created by God into the family with parental and childhood responsibilities. ‘Son of God’ refers to relationship with, and representation of God.

The Lord Jesus is the perfect representation of God, so much so that He is called the ‘image of God’. He is one who proceeded out from God (only begotten) to reveal the Father. The Bible never speaks of Jesus as a child of God (except for a translation error in KJV), but many times in Old and New Testament as the Son of God. He became the child of Mary by becoming a man, but always was the Son with God the Father. Reading the Gospel by John, confirms in detail that He who was the “Word”, was manifest to reveal  God as the Father.

“The Christ” is that beautiful expression linking the Old Testament prophecies with the New Testament events and also into the future.

‘Christ’ is the Greek, ‘Messiah’ is the Hebrew. The prophets in the Old Testament times foretold of one who would come, a king who would be revealed as the Son of God and the Servant of God and the Son of man and the Saviour of the world etc. It was anticipated that the child to be born as the Christ would be anointed by God to fulfil the mission given Him. This is exactly what happened beside the river Jordan, as the Spirit of God descended on Him in the appearance of a dove. Jesus identified Himself as the Christ at Nazareth  and on many other occasions.

When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin court, the vital question was asked “ Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”  - His answer was clear   “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven”  Mark 14:62.  Because He answered “I am”, they could respond in one of two ways – bow down and worship Him, or condemn Him to death as an impostor. They condemned Him to death. What is our response?

If He was who he claimed to be, then our reconciliation to God depends on Him. Our forgiveness depends on his sacrifice in His death. The hope of  the future is totally wrapped up in His return. Future accountability will be at His judgement throne.

How good it is that He the living Christ, seated at God’s right hand, is willing to receive, forgive, transform all who truely believe in Him.

Remember the words He said so long ago, are appropriate today:

“Come to me all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest...”  Matthew 11:28

johnmckee@internode.on.net