2 Chronicles 33:21-35:19
We always need Hilkiahs. Not people who wear turbans, ephods and hang around in temples but rather people who give us the book. And who once they have given it to us will enquire of the Lord about what is written in it. I think the pure act of reading the bible can often cause many of us to tear our robes. Not, like Josiah, in a fit of repentance, but rather in a fit of boredom or frustration. All of my smart clothes have suffered a fate in that way (at least that’s what I tell my mum when she asks me about my Christmas present...). In truth, purely reading the bible can feel a bit out of touch with the modern world. It’s fine if you’re a fisherman or moonlighting as a demolisher of carved idols, but what has it got to say to my stresses with my relationships and my desires for my career or my wife’s issues with my money (joke)? Isn’t the bible just a little bit irrelevant? Well, not if we follow Hilkiah all the way to Huldah. Huldah brings the text to life, she calls us to specific actions in our specific situations to bring conviction and hope into the reality of our world. Huldah shows us the prophetic application of the bible - she shows us the step by step route to the celebration of faith. And, in our day, Huldah is replaced by the Spirit. The Spirit leads us into all truth. The Spirit is on hand every time we open the bible, ready and waiting to show us how to live. Every time we open the book we can ask the Spirit to show us the application. In every passage, perhaps every verse, he is ready to speak into our identity and call us to a more fulfilled way of life. We are not just people who are given a book, we also have a prophet inside us helping us find life in it.
2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6
Humans have an incredible capacity to influence one another. It’s a miraculous and dangerous part of God’s creation. Whether we know it or not, we are affecting people around us every single day. Some are affected just by looking at us - they see us smiling and are refreshed by it or they see us stressing and are bothered by it or they see us dancing and are appalled by it. But others - and these are the significant ones -are affected by our direct interaction with them. We live under the same roof as them or work in the same room as them or go to the same house group as them. The degree of influence we have on them is enormous. To a greater and lesser extent we cause them to adopt new practices, develop certain perspectives and display certain characteristics. Every person does this. Every person makes their own impact on the world. Every single person writes a letter to the world through the people they influence. So what letter are you writing? And what letter would you like to write? Before you answer just have a think about Paul. Paul brings a twist to the concept. He fully buys into the idea of influence - he’s sold on the idea of people being letters, but he has handed over his authorship. He believes the letters he writes are actually authored by Christ. And that is an awesome idea. To think that the influence we impart could actually be Jesus’, that the characteristics we inspire could actually be the Spirit’s, that the actions we promote could actually be from the Father. Paul really believed that we, as people, could be Jesus to people. And this is how I think he did it. Just asking a simple, constant question “Lord, what would you have me do for this person”. And then choosing to follow through on the answer. If we could do that then our influence will be monstrous. And the letter we write will bear all the hallmarks of Christ.
Psalm 104:1-18
What the heck is a conie. I wish there was a crag around so I could go and have a look.
No comments:
Post a Comment