Thursday 16 June

1 Kings 1:1-2:12

In David’s charge to Solomon we hear echoes of Moses’ charge to Joshua - be strong and courageous, be strong and show yourself a man.  I don’t think this was David telling Solomon to get down the gym though.  I don’t think David pushed over to Solomon some protein drinks and and a set of chest expanders.  Being strong today (whether physically or emotionally) often seems to me to be a way of showing that you have got what it takes; that you don’t need any body else’s help.  Being strong today seems to be  a status symbol that leads to pride and a sense of superiority.  I certainly feel superior to all the people who can’t bench-press as much as I can (what do you mean 4 year olds don’t count?? What about my granny?  Surely I can feel superior to my granny, especially after I beat her 4-3 in that arm-wrestling contest?).  But the strength that David and Moses both urged upon their successors was a strength of attachment, not a strength of attribute.  The strength wasn’t so much something they should have within themselves but a strength to hold onto something outside of themselves - strength to grip and then hold fast to the glorious covenant of love with the Lord.  So as we look at this I think the mandate for us is not to focus upon our own inner-beings but to focus on his being, not to focus on our abilities but to look at his ability. Even more so as we know that we stand on the other side of Pentecost from Solomon.  We now have the law of God written on our hearts, we have the glorious Spirit residing in us, leading us into all truth and empowering us for ministry,  Being strong for us is not asking “how good am I” but to keep on declaring “how great is He”.

Acts 10:23b-11:18

“Who was I to think that I could oppose God?”  A good question indeed dear boy.  At the core of the apostle’s faith was a deep-seated, stomach-squeezing fear of the Lord.  They knew he was the main man and what he says goes.  They started out regarding the Father that way - they hadn’t even heard of a Son.  Then Jesus showed up and astounded them with his being and they realised he was the real deal too.  And now, at about this point in Acts it seems to dawn on the apostles that the Holy Spirit is the third part of the Fearful Three, the Three-in-One divine being who warrants awe and obedience and worship.  In the Vineyard I love the fact that we try to take seriously this example of fearing the Holy Spirit, of seeing what He is doing and then trying to follow suit.  As we do it, we need to hold fast always to the example of Peter; of submitting what we believe the Spirit is saying or doing to the greater assembly, of bringing it to our leaders for their confirmation or rejection.  Guidance from God is really not something that can be understood alone.  And, of course, the words of the Spirit will never go against the testimony of Jesus as recorded for us in the New Testament - but we all know that so there is no need to go on about it.  Jesus (and indeed the Old Testament) had pointed to a mission beyond the Jews but no-one had quite grasped it until this revelation from the Spirit.  If the Spirit hadn’t said it and Peter hadn’t obeyed then I would still be lost in darkness.  What an amazing thing the ministry of the Spirit is.

Psalm 74:10-17

This bit sounds a bit like Job.  I’m a bit naffed off though that it says God made both summer and winter.  Does that mean I have to enjoy cold, damp mornings waiting on the platform for the train to appear out of the darkness?