Tools for Effective Living, and other stories

 

Tools for Effective Living

  What a brilliant name for a book on Christian life! Tools for Effective Living would easily find a place on my bookshelf, alongside ‘Basic Christian Living’, ‘Keys for Spiritual Growth’, ‘Growing your Faith’ etc. etc. I can see The Good Book Co. stocking Tools for Effective Living.

  Tools for Effective Living, however, is not the name of a Christian bestseller. It is, quite inappropriately, the tag-line for a brand of dishrack.

  I marvel at the audacity of the kitchenalia suppliers to imagine that life simply cannot be effective without a system to organise the dishes while they are draining. Admittedly, I am not a master chef. Nevertheless, I do do my fair share of washing up and know that life can be lived effectively without a dishrack.

  As appose to a dishrack, there is a vital tool for living effectively, according to the will of our Heavenly Father:

    Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.
   
(2 Timothy 2:15 ESV)

  Its easy to talk about reading the Bible, its a lot harder to actually read it! That said: you won’t regret the effort.

A bad workman will blame his tools, but we have no excuse for bad workmanship because we have the greatest tool on this earth!

Why is the Bible such a powerful tool? This is how one author explains it:

“The strange thing about scripture is that it does not aim to make us understand doctrines in a systematic way. Perhaps it would have been better if Paul and the others had got together to provide a detailed handbook of Christian doctrines. But God did not permit this. How easily He could have settled some of our theological arguments, but it seems he loves to confuse those who only approach the Bible intellectually. He wants to prevent men from merely getting hold of doctrines. He wants  the truth to get hold of them.”

  There is little more for me to say than this: take the time to read your Bible every day! You will never regret it.

  You may, however, regret buying a dishrack.

 

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Jubilations!

   I realise that, as I write this, the Jubilee celebrations have all ended. But then again, when is a better time to review a Jubilee than when it has all concluded?!

   Perhaps its hard for some to understand our love for our Monarch and for Britain in general. The Queen, I think, symbolises something much greater than we realise. She is a picture of the perfect monarch and prince: Jesus Christ. I believe the British constitution was created to reflect that. The Queen portrays glory and power, but also shows humanity and compassion.

    Historically, monarchs have never been appreciated by the majority of their subjects. But in the last 100 years, our Kings and Queens have lost the vast bulk of their political and civil responsibilities, thus allowing them the opportunities to take on a whole new role. Today’s Royal Family exists to stir up many noble endeavours and passion. The Royal Wedding last year did more for the UK’s Eurovision score than any political scheme ever achieved! The Prince of Wales is the patron of many charities, and HM The Queen has pulled together many states into the Commonwealth- a community of diversity!

   Ironically, the Queen never expected to become Queen. Her father, King George VI never wanted to become King. When his older brother, Edward, abdicated, George went to see his mother and cried. The recent award-winning film The Kings Speech tells the tale of his early years as King. At the age of 10 Elizabeth became Heir Presumptive- meaning that, unless her parents had a son, she would one day become monarch. In 1952/53 that became reality.

   60 years later and our Queen continues to serve the nation. Despite her old age, and the ill-health of her husband (the Prince of Edinburgh) her workload is as high as ever.

   I was away for the weekend, so I didn’t get to see the river pageant and some of the other celebrations. I did enjoy the Jubilee Concert in the Mall (via the BBC, of course!). --Did anyone else find the lighting and projections onto Buckingham Palace amazing?!-- Yesterday’s procession and flyby were great British traditions which many people watched.

   We were reminded at Church on Sunday that the Israelites also had a Jubilee to celebrate. The Lord commanded that every 50 years the nation would rejoice! Any slaves would be freed. Any debts would be cancelled. Any property would be returned to its original owners. These rules, if kept properly, would have kept poverty and bankruptcy in check.

   There is an interesting example given in the Bible about the freeing of slaves.

Exodus 21 says,

    “But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.”

   I think you will agree: if a slave wants to remain a slave then his master must be wonderful!

   As a Christian, I have also declared “I love my master, I will not go out free!” Jesus Christ loves me beyond my comprehension: he died to save me from my sins. It is my earnest desire that I should serve him my entire life and spend eternity in his presence.

   Despite our happiness at Queen Elizabeth’s long reign and her good health, we must realise that no human King 0r Queen will live forever. It is a wonderful thing to be reminded that King Jesus will reign for all eternity.

   In the years during the Wars of the Roses (a late-medieval English Civil War) it was a dangerous thing to support either side. Who knew who would be King in 5 years time? What if you supported the losing side?

   Our King, however, is victorious. He will never be defeated. He has vanquished death.

   Lets enjoy this Jubilee time. Lets thank God for our Queen, and never cease praying for her.

   Lets thank God for Jesus Christ and lets praise him that King Jesus will reign for ever and ever!

 

God save our gracious Queen,
Long live our noble Queen,
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen!

Not in this land alone,
But be God's mercies known,
From shore to shore!
Lord make the nations see,
That men should brothers be,
And form one family,
The wide world ov'er

From every latent foe,
From the assassins blow,
God save the Queen!
O'er her thine arm extend,
For Britain's sake defend,
Our mother, prince, and friend,
God save the Queen!

Thy choicest gifts in store,
On her be pleased to pour,
Long may she reign!
May she defend our laws,
And ever give us cause,
To sing with heart and voice,
God save the Queen!