Outward signs

Doctors normally look at the outward appearance in order to determine the state of health of a patient. Pale lips, sweaty palms, flushed colour and yellowish complexion are all signs to the trained eye that there is some internal medical problem which is manifesting itself through the patient’s outward appearance.

Similarly, we are all familiar with the mannerisms that we show during conversations, sometimes indicating that our internal thoughts are at variance with the words coming from our mouths. A shrug of the shoulders can signal indifference or resigned acceptance of something we find unpalatable; a raised eyebrow may indicate disagreement or approval; a forced smile may attempt to conceal disappointment and so on. It is well known that liars often rub or tap the side of their nose as they speak. Psychologists are trained to observe these mannerisms and body language to learn more about the inner feelings of the individual and what drives them. I find that when I challenge students who have done something wrong, they avoid direct eye contact; instead, they stare at the ground and tend to shift their weight from one foot to another as they talk.

Our character, tells us a lot about our value system and about our faith. Jesus exposed the Pharisees and Sadducees as hypocrites as he saw through their character, seeing what was in their heart. A person who claims to be a Christian, but whose character is devoid of love and affection, is not only deceiving himself or herself, but is bringing Christianity into disrepute. A person who claims to be a Christian, but shows characteristics out of step with the fundamental principles outlined by Jesus destroys their integrity and that of the Christian faith. The New Testament authors stress that our characters should reflect our faith. Indeed Paul, in a number of his letters, to the early church, felt obliged to draw attention to the disparity between the behaviour of church leaders and the expected character of those who followed Christ.

In today's society, it is increasingly important to develop characters that reflect our Christian faith. For if we do not, our integrity is destroyed, and we are no better than those whose behaviour and moral standards we criticise. Jesus, has, through our faith, given us a commission to be witnesses to the world, and through that faith offer humanity, the opportunity to seek forgiveness for sins, and the promise of eternal life with our Father.

It is incumbent on each of us, therefore, to ensure that our characters give a true indication of our spiritual health and faith.

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.Titus 2: 7 - 8

Smouldering faith

To get a fire going requires a bit of patience. Usually small twigs, dried leaves and other combustible material are set alight, heat builds, and soon the kindling is licked by orange-red tongues. Once this has taken hold, larger pieces of wood can be added and the flames fanned, by blowing on them, so that the fire takes hold and maintains itself.

Started in this way, a fire can quickly spread, engulfing all the material placed on it. It only takes a very small flame to start a full-blown fire, in which the energy stored in the combustible material is released.

Nearly 2000 years ago, a match was struck in Palestine. At first, just a few in that corner of the world were touched and warmed; but the fire spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea out to the world beyond. In the Acts of the Apostles, Luke the physician, gives a chronological account of the birth and spread of Christianity, following the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Acts provides an eyewitness account of the flame and fire – the birth and spread of the church. Beginning in Jerusalem with a small group of disciples, the message travelled across the Roman empire. As Luke’s account unfolds, we are reminded of the courageous deeds of the early Christians, as they spread the good news to Jews and Gentiles.

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the courageous band of disciples preached, taught, healed, and demonstrated love in synagogues, schools, homes, marketplaces, and courtrooms, and on streets, hills, ships, and desert roads – wherever God sent them, lives and history were changed. We are reminded of the conversion of Saul, who later became Paul, on the road to Damascus, and the martyrdom of Stephen known for his spiritual qualities of faith, wisdom, grace, and power, at the hands of a hostile crowd of unbelievers. Acts concludes by reminding us of the imprisonment of Paul in Rome, awaiting trial for being Christian and later Paul will pay with his life for being a Christian.

The account in Acts describes how, from very small beginnings, Christianity spread throughout the world. An analogy can be made with the way in which a fire can take hold provided it is assisted and fed with combustible material. In a similar way, the spread of Christianity through the world over the past two thousand years has been the result of followers of Christ contributing and acting through their faith in Christ.

The world in which we live often underestimates the impact we can have on other people’s lives. Attention seems to be more focused on those who make the greatest noise, are rich and famous, or command positions of power. Yet the truth is, that inspirited by the Holy Ghost, we all have the potential of being messengers for Christ and Christianity. We too can act as kindling for lighting the fire of Christianity in our school, home and neighbourhood; indeed God has commissioned each one of us to do just this.

An unattended fire goes out; similarly an uncommitted Christian is of no use for fanning the flames of Christianity through the world.

Dreaming is part of every ones life. All of us, when we sleep, have dreams. Sometimes they can be vivid and exciting, at other times, they can be frightening and troublesome. Some people have recurring dreams, that is, they dream about the same thing over and over again. These can occur when they have particular concerns or problems in their life. Those who have experienced traumatic events in their life tend to relive the events through their dreams.

Apart from the dreams we experience during our sleep, almost everyone dreams about their future. These often centre round what or who we want to become or be. They are concerned with the aspirations we have about our future. For example, some may dream of becoming super rich or famous, whilst others will dream about being successful in their chosen career or getting married and having a family. Still others will dream about material possessions they would like to own. The difference between the dreams that we have as we sleep, and the dreams we have about our future ambitions, is that ambition is dependent on the way we conduct our lives.

In August 1963 Martin Luther King made a very famous speech called ‘I have a dream’. Dr King was a civil rights leader who fought for equal rights for all citizens of America. His dream was for a country where people had freedom of speech, equality of rights and liberty from oppression and discrimination. In part of his speech he wrote:

“I have a dream today that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”.

Like Joseph, of technicolour dreamcoat fame, Dr King was inspired by his faith in God. Whereas God communicated with Joseph through his dreams and the God given ability to interpret the dreams of others, God communicated through the scriptures and the Holy Spirit to inspire Dr King to achieve remarkable things. Both men had a strong faith in God, from which they drew considerable power to act according to their conscience; secure in the knowledge that they were translating the dream God had for them into practice.

How then, can we apply the story of Joseph and Dr King to our life today?

We can all have ambitions and dreams for the future, but it is what we do with them that count. We can just wait for success to come our way or we can make an effort to reach our goals and ambitions. We can share the dreams we have with God through our prayers, and we can ask Him for guidance and support. Although God spoke to Joseph through his dreams, and Dr King through scriptures, God can speak to us in many different ways.

Older people often recall events in their lives, which at the time were perplexing and confusing, but with hindsight recognise the hand of God at work in their lives. God is always present in our lives, recognising His existence, and calling upon Him for guidance and support is perhaps the first step we can take in achieving our dreams.

 The good times – and the bad

Life consists of contrasts. Moments when things are going well, when we feel good about ourselves and other times characterised by moments of difficulty when we feel depressed and downcast.

Yet, it is an interesting observation that we expect normality to be associated with moments that are going well, but at other times assume the system, people or events are conspiring against us when things aren’t working out as planned or hoped. We take credit for the times when things are going well, but blame others when they are not.

In general, people attribute success to self but blame failure on others despite being the common dynamic in both types of situation, and a contributory factor to them. For example, it is not uncommon to hear students blame the hardness of an exam, or the difficulty of a homework for their failure to pass or complete the assigned work. Conversely, when exams are passed, or homeworks successfully completed, the student rarely considers the contribution that others have made in achieving that success. They accept or reject accountability and responsibility according to whether they perceive it as beneficial to them or not. It is a human characteristic to seek out praise but shy away from criticism; because in accepting responsibility for failure, one has to accept infallibility and vulnerability.

Notwithstanding the tendency to perceive failure as someone else’s fault and success as self induced, there is an alternative perspective perhaps we should take into consideration. Fatalists assume that events are going to occur no matter what they do, they are predetermined and an inevitable consequence of life. Fatalists argue that a person is unable to change the course of events in their life and is powerless to alter their destiny. Conversely, those who place their trust and faith in God believe that each event in their life is part of the plan that God has for them.

Instead of holding a fatalistic view, Christians consider difficult times as part of God’s plan for them. A plan designed to develop spiritual maturity, a readiness to serve Him and to achieve the purposes of their life. Inevitably, that faith and trust is tested when events appear to conspire against them. It is not the good times, but the bad times that test the resolve to stick by ones faith and remain confident that God is in control.

This perspective has important implications for the way we respond to events and live our life. In accepting the power and authority of God in our lives, there is the suggestion that we should seek out that which God wants us to do through studying his word in the Bible and through prayer; whereas a fatalist will justify doing nothing in the face of difficulty and learn little from the situation, a person of faith will be proactive in assessing what can be learnt about themselves and God’s purposes for them.

In recognising difficult times as instructional periods in our life, brings with it new hope since rather than perceiving them as the end of the story, they signal the start of a new chapter in our life that brings us closer to God and heightens our spiritual awareness of Him.

Spring is always an interesting time in the garden. Over the winter months the ground has been left barren as the flowers of the previous summer have withered and died and the trees have lost their leaves. Yet, over a period of just a few weeks, the tops of plants begin to emerge from the soil, blossom forms on trees and the grass takes on a greener and fresher look. Suddenly the garden seems to be full of colour and plant growth, signalling the start of spring, triggered by lengthening days and the additional warmth from the Sun’s rays. The cycle of growth and decay is one of the wonders of nature we take for granted and which often goes unnoticed.

Yet the miracle of rebirth and growth of plants at this time of year conveys something of the intricacy and complexity of creation. It shows us how plants have adapted to the environment, ensuring their sustainability and continuance from generation to generation. And the fact that new growth springs from discarded seeds indicates that the blueprint for survival is contained within the seeds’ genetic structure, a structure laid down by the mother plant the previous summer. The form, colour and position of the new plant being perfectly adapted to the habitat it is in, thereby ensuring its survival and continuance over time. A seed contains the dormant ability to grow and develop into a copy of the plant from which it was formed; it contains the potential to become a seed bearing plant in its own right.

Whilst scientists understand how the seed supports plants, where the first seeds originated from remains a mystery. If plants originate from seeds, and plants are the sources of seeds, where did the first plants or seeds come from? Which came first, the plant or the seed? If there were no plants when the Earth was formed, where did the seeds come from to support plant growth? Conversely, if plants were formed first how was this achieved in the absence of seeds? These are perplexing and challenging questions and even though evolutionists may argue that over time plants have evolved to accommodate the varying habits found on the Earth, it still leaves the fundamental question of their origin unanswered.

No scientist has managed to create seeds in the laboratory from the raw materials that would have been present when the Earth was formed. Neither is it reasonable to accept an argument that suggests that through probability seeds were formed; especially when you consider the many millions of plant species that can be found on Earth. Indeed, the probability of producing one species of seed is many millions to one; to produce the many millions of species suggests improbable odds against it happening by chance.

In Genesis we are provided with an account of how God created the Earth and everything in it, including plant and animal life. The account outlines how God created seed bearing plants, from which future plants would evolve. If we are to be consistent in our belief in God then we must accept that in being the creator of the Earth, he was also the creator of the first plants. They did not occur by chance, but by design. They formed part of the blueprint that God had for the design of the Universe and everything in it. Spring is a time when we witness the hand of God at work and can marvel at the complexity and wonderful symmetry of the Universe he created. Let the new growth in spring be a reminder to you and use the opportunity to give thanks for being part of his creation.