F A I R

Thu, 05 Nov 2020 12:09:08 +0000

Fairness—or equity—is integral to God’s character and His dealings with humanity.

"With righteousness He shall judge the world, And the peoples with equity." - Psalm 98:9.

If evolution were true, then fairness would not exist as it is based on survival of the fittest, and good moral behaviour only counts as an expedient to 'perpetuate the species’. So the fact that there is a sense of ‘fair play’ points to a higher calling for humanity than just living out animal instincts.

The enemy of God on the other hand is intrinsically unfair. He doesn’t play by the rules. He distorted the Word of God to Adam and Eve. He inspired false accusations against Naboth, John the Baptist, the Apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus. And against William Tyndale and the many saints described in Foxes Book of Martyrs. And against many Christians today accused of hate speech for faithfully testifying to the gospel of salvation from sin through repentance.

There is another dimension to God’s fairness which goes beyond human reasoning. God is more than fair. He gives us salvation we don’t deserve (definition of Grace) and does not give us the judgment we do deserve (definition of Mercy). He receives the prodigal son back home. He pays the worker a full day’s wage when he has only been hired at the end of the day. He credits righteousness apart from works. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." - 1 John 3:1

So, how should we react? Like the unmerciful servant who has been forgiven much but then goes back and throttles someone who owes him little? No, we should adopt God’s measure of fairness. Forgive 70 times 7. Love our enemies. Shout from the rooftops the gospel of salvation. To do any less would not be fair.

OPTIMISTIC

Thu, 07 May 2020 09:47:58 +0000

Let’s be honest, we are living in a scary time. Aside from the fact that there is a global pandemic, there is also upheaval, change in lifestyle and routine, inability to be with loved ones, concerns for the health of people and the health of the economy. Because the current generations have not experienced anything like this, there is a lot of uncertainty and a feeling that maybe the world will be different when we come through it – whenever that will be.

Now, with all that in mind, we must make a choice. Do we choose to be overcome by the negative, or do we choose to be optimistic?

Optimism, by definition, is – hopefulness and confidence about the future or the success of something.

There are so many factors that can push our thinking over to the side of pessimism. Those factors have loud voices that can take over our minds and cause anxiety and fear and hopelessness. In order to combat this, we need to be actively and continuously focusing on the things that give us hope and security.

The truth is, scary things do happen, and we have to take them into account. But we also need to bring them to heel. We can accept things and also not allow them to control the way we feel in our lives. Sometimes this is a battle, but it is a battle we should fight.

Anxiety and desperation can be debilitating and harmful to our own quality of life and the lives of those around us. By actively choosing to be optimistic, we are facing our fears with hope. We are saying, “Yes, the times are uncertain, but I won’t sacrifice my joy and my energy to be overcome by fear.”

The Bible gives us one very big reason to be optimistic – Jesus.

Jesus came in order to crush the hold of death over us. So, even though our earthly bodies have an end, we are eternal. And one day we will not die, but rather, we will go to be with Him, in a place of inconceivable beauty, full of purpose, without pain and loss and fear.

All we have to do is look to Him, and we have a reason to hope, a reason to be optimistic.

The Bible is FULL to the brim with content and reminders to BOOST your optimism –

Remember the bigger picture:

Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. - 2 Corinthians 5:5-8 (ESV)

When you feel anxious, enter into His presence:

Why are you in despair, O my soul?

And why have you become disturbed within me?

Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him

For the help of His presence.

- Psalm 42:5 (ESV)

Keep informed, but look at the world through the eyes of someone whose hope is in Jesus:

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

- 1 Peter 1:13 (ESV)

Fill your mind with positive things, and speak positive and uplifting things to others. Try to relieve anxiety rather than feed it:

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.

- Proverbs 12:25 (ESV)

Find the joy in every day you have been given:

This is the day which the Lord has made;

Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

- Psalm 118:24 (ESV)

We have reason to look forward to the future with great hope:

Hope for a world drawn closer to God.

Hope for the body of Christ to come closer together.

Hope to see our friends and family again.

Hope for positive new things to emerge from a world that has been changed.

And ultimately, hope for a glorious eternity together with countless people and the Lord.

You have the choice. Do yourself a favor and choose to be optimistic.

Christian Education Europe - Weekly Blog #christian

F A I R

OPTIMISTIC