I have spent the last few days in a vacuum of spiritual despond, unproductive thoughts and a sort of coldness which i readily admit is due to my neglecting of the gift of prayer and Gods word.


This is something which all Christians struggle with though a song reminds us sometimes when we have our suits and ties on we hit the 'Christian Switch' and act lovingly and show care and concern yet when we get home we forget 'what manner of man we are' and start acting like bears with an itch on our shoulders.

So, anyway this article has a purpose after all, the other day I happened to see an advert on television which promoted fire safety, it showed a shot of a table with some items which meant much to the person who owned it.


Dull Green Converse: Our Walk

The first was a converse shoe maybe a dull green colour if I can remember, which reminded me firstly of my lack of taste since I have a shoe almost identically, I thought as it was placed on the table of where I had went in my body but also straightaway of my walk (which I readily confess is a shambles) with the Lord.

I thought of the words of the Saviour:

Jhn 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

You see since I am a Christian I should be following the Lord and not in darkness, I think of how often I walked and spent my life in relative darkness concerning what I should have done and the will of God though most times I am not willing to share my life.

The bible has more to say about our walk, it has implications on my life and how I have spent my time in strife with those I should love, and it also tells that I should be honest and not riotous in my behaviour. To my shame I was able to acknowledge all these things in my own life after conversion to Christ.

Rom 13:13 Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying.

The cure for strife:

Eph 5:2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us

Paul told those he was addressing to walk worthy of their vocation and calling and since there is no higher calling I should be different. Yet carnality, a fixation with the flesh and the pride of life all keep me back from even beginning my service for the Lord.

Eph 4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called

We think of those we come into contact with when we are not wearing our 'smart Sunday shoes', but our converse shoes the true person we are and how we should live before an unbelieving family, a friend, a work colleague a partner to win them for Christ.

Col 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

1Th 4:12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and [that] ye may have lack of nothing.

The image on the table in this advert reminded me of the days of my life and how eventually it will come to an end and how I will be with the Lord Jesus Christ the one who John the Baptizer said

Jhn 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.


The Photo frame: Conformity to his son

The next thing I saw on the table was a particularly versatile object 'a photo frame' whilst some of us have problems putting a photo in a frame correctly (a job made easier by my constant practice in a part time job, and the advent of digital frames) it is amazing to know that we have personal dealings with the one who framed the heavens.

Hbr 11:3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

A photo frame is a very versatile piece of furniture and something which may appear to be simple but can be extremely pleasing to its owner, perhaps it may remind a man of his son who he loves dearly and with digital photo frames the man can see many reminders and attributes of his son.

You get the picture I am sure (excuse the unintended pun) you see we were enemies of God yet we have been made the sons of God through the grace of God. So God has intended to use us and fill us with the Spirit so that vessels once fit for destruction are useful and can be used of God but:

1Th 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour

2Ti 2:21 If a man therefore purge himself from these(But shun profane [and] vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness), he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master's use, [and] prepared unto every good work.

You see without anything to put into the frame it is useless to the person that owns it, it will remain on the shelf and like a toy without a battery on Christmas day it brings no satisfaction to the one it has been bought for.

So, as the above verse shows we need to be meet for the master’s use not that we are like white-washed sepulchres (Mat 23:27) which appear to be beautiful on the outside but are empty of any power. The power in the life of a believer comes from a spirit filled life which is not a quick fix meeting with the supernatural but a life of learning obedience to the will of God (I must stress this is only academic to me).


Stained Glass Masquerade

And so we think of the spirit and how it can be quenched so easily with the things we do which grieve his presence (1Th 5:19, Eph 4:30) with us. It is easy for us all to pretend to be spiritual giants. The words of a casting crowns song come forcibly to my head:

Excerpts from Stained Glass Masquerade by casting crowns

“

Cause when I take a look around
Everybody seems so strong
I know they’ll soon discover
That I don’t belong

So I tuck it all away, like everything’s okay
If I make them all believe it, maybe I’ll believe it too
So with a painted grin, I play the part again
So everyone will see me the way that I see them

Are we happy plastic people
Under shiny plastic steeples
With walls around our weakness
And smiles to hide our pain

The performance is convincing
And we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching
Can we really fall apart

”

Perhaps, you have been sitting in your place of worship and noticed the clean and ever so dignified look on others faces and thought to yourself ‘I am alone’ and ‘I am the only one who feels fake’ and rather than seek for help and ask other believers of how we all feel we paint a grin on our face and talk in pseudo spiritual phraseology we all understand, to hid the weakness of not having that nearness first with the Lord and then with others. Ministry soon becomes the occasion simply for social exploits in which the word of God and its power are discarded over some craic and food.

I feel like I have the form of Godliness and not the manifestation in my life and this scares me greatly it reminds me of the verse:

2Ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

Whilst it is primarily in context applies to the unbeliever I see traits in these men which are in my life which will rob me of the power of Godliness.

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God (2Ti 3:4)


Filling our lives with…..

I was reminded at a prize giving the other night of something which frequently adorns the picture frame, whilst there is absolutely no problem with a boy of five and an image of a Lamborghini and a text, or a little girl with a picture of a pony and text.

Think of how this relates to the believer, in my teenage years and recently I think of the posters of bands and sports stars I had adorning my walls (I am not knocking this practise only applying) I remember with fondness the Red Hot Chili Peppers posters which were used to replace the more scary and dark Korn (metal band) posters with their devilish imagery or when I was younger the images of Eric Cantona with chest puffed out in pride as he had just scored an absolute belter for Manchester United.

I remember how at school I would eat, sleep and breathe football all my childhood days. I would discuss it at break, lunch and in class. I would kick anything even remotely spherical in shape simply because my mind was fascinated with the game. If someone could have taken a picture of my heart in those days I have no doubt with some cynicism it would have appeared to be an Adidas ball made from 32 hexagons stitched together.

But all it consisted of was a finely adorned pig’s bladder and truly there was no depth to the thing it was in fact empty in the middle and was just full of air. I am not knocking those who are Christians and pursue sport I am just stressing the need for balance in our lives to make the things of God number 1. I enjoy a kick a bout more than anyone else and waste time on a white 360 joypad but we must make sure that at the end the picture taken and put in the frame resembles Christ most since:

Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be] conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

I think of the image (reverently) that God sees of me now. He might see a mash of my favourite TV character, footballer, game character and celebrity but does he see his son in me. Will he delight to look at me?


Thou God seest me!

We remember in the old testament that Rahab knew full well that God saw the inner being and could say ‘thou God seest me’ (Gen 16:13) we could do with writing this on our hearts so that we may cleanse our ways (Psa 119:9) otherwise it will rob us of a life of fellowship with God.

There were other things on that table in the advert but I can’t remember them. Perhaps you could place something’s on your own table maybe theres an Xbox, a good novel, an ipod all legitimate things but the next thing that happened was startling.

Almost instantaneously they all exploded into what appeared to be dust like a dark grey palette of colour ascending upwards it reminded me of what some of the older men would call the ‘brevity of life’ and of earthly things.


All is vanity

All things after all will pass away yet the Word of God will endure after all that (1Pe 1:25), it reminded me of the Saviours words:

Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

2Pe 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

In the end all the things which we are building on down here are all going to be destroyed I know of one man who refers to things as ‘stuff that is for the burning’ and someone reliable tells that nothing down here is ours and we only have the ‘lend’ off them. I am not advocating a kind of spiritual communism or an abandonment of our requirement to provide for those we love but for common sense and moderation in all things.

The advert with the smoke reminded me also of the fact that man was formed from the dust of the ground after all and when he goes his spirit returns to the father.

Gen 2:7 And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Ecc 12:7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

We think truly of how Solomon when he wrote the book of Ecclesiastes wrote of the vanity of life and that it accomplished so very little in the light of the glory of God, the works done on this earth which were all just simply vain and without honour.

Ecc 1:14 I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all [is] vanity and vexation of spirit.


A higher calling

Since, we have a higher calling than the things of this earth as Paul knew full well (Phl 3:14) let us not continue to fill our lives with the things which are going to be burnt up but rather let us live in context of the coming judgement seat the bema of Christ. The time down here is short in light of eternity and is likened to vapour.

Jam 4:14 Whereas ye know not what [shall be] on the morrow. For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Consider vapour how often on a cold morning you wake and have to go out with a filled kettle to clear the ice which stops us from getting anywhere on our journeys. Apply this and we will realise we need the washing of the water of the Word which will warm us and help us to be zealous in our pursuits for God.

Eph 5:26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word


For the burning

The life of it all was soon over and immediately the smoke started to rise just like the vapour from the boiling water, and nothing was left on the table reminding me of the words of the Corinthian epistle.

1Cr 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1Cr 3:12 Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble;
1Cr 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
1Cr 3:14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
1Cr 3:15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Whilst wood and hay can be made useful down here it has no mention in the city four square, we must make sure that we are occupied with the things of eternal value and merit. Something I need to do more than others.

I don’t know where your bible is but make sure it is ‘on the table’ of your life open wide and let it manifest itself as the living breathing word of God because It will endure when all other things are gone and are past.