EEC Blog

In the UK, the average person (whoever he is) spent nearly £400 on Christmas presents last year and I don’t suppose it’s that much different here in Ireland (even if the Celtic Tiger has gone walk about).

At a time when we ought to be hearing the Good News, mankind seems hell-bent (an appropriate expression?) on acquiring ever more New Goods!

So what is this Good News?  Well, first of all God has made a way for us to be ‘right’ with Him.  This means we no longer have to look forward to an eternal, conscious death, but can know that we will be with our loving Father for all eternity in glory!

He did this by coming to earth in the person of Jesus to show us the way:  "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” (Jn 3:16)

If it stopped there, you might think that would be Good News enough, but Jesus said: “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (Jn 10:9).  Not only are we saved from a lost eternity, but we are set free (we can go in and out) and our needs provided for (we will find pasture).

God in His mercy, love, compassion and inexhaustible goodness has promised us so many blessings once we are adopted as His sons and daughters.

Here are just a few to hang onto when you feel hopeless, tired, unloved, unable to continue, lost, inadequate, disheartened, unworthy, fearful, alone, in fact whenever you need lifting up -

“What is impossible with men is possible with God." (Lk 18:27)

“but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength”  (Isa 40:31)

“ I have loved you with an everlasting love” … (Jer 31:3)

“My grace is sufficient for you” … (2Co 12:9)

… “He will make straight your paths.” (Pr 3:6)

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” (Php 4:13)

…“we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Ga 6:9)

…“God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph 4:32)

… “God will supply every need of yours” … (Php 4:19)

… “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power” … (2Ti 1:7)

“Cast your burden on the LORD, and He will sustain you” … (Ps 55:22)

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God” … (Jas 1:5)

… “’I will never leave you nor forsake you.’“ (Heb 13:5)

Good News indeed!  What (more) do you want for Christmas?

But the Lord is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silent before Him. - Habakkuk 2:20

As God’s people, we are so often confused that we could be known as God’s poor, stumbling, bumbling people. That must be true of a great number of us for we always think of worship as something we do when we go to church.

We call it God’s house. We have dedicated it to Him. So we continue with the confused idea that it must be the only place where we can worship Him.

We come to the Lord’s house, made out of brick and wood and lined with carpeting. We are used to hearing a call to worship: "The Lord is in His holy temple—let us all kneel before Him."

That is on Sunday and that is in church. Very nice!

But Monday morning comes soon. The Christian layman goes to his office. The Christian school teacher goes to the classroom. The Christian mother is busy with duties in the home. . . .

Actually, none of us has the ability to fool God. Therefore, if we are so engaged in our Saturday pursuits that we are far from His presence and far from a sense of worship on Saturday, we are not in very good shape to worship Him on Sunday.

Lord, I want to kneel before You in worship not only on Sunday, but on Saturday and the rest of the week as well. Accept my entire life as a sacrifice of worship to You, I pray. Amen.

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." — Ephesians 2:10

To understand the relative importance of work and worship it is necessary to know the answer to the familiar question, "What is the chief end of man?" The answer given in the catechism, "To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever," can scarcely be improved upon, though of course it is an outline only and needs to be enlarged somewhat if it is to be a full and satisfying answer.

The primary purpose of God in creation was to prepare moral beings spiritually and intellectually capable of worshiping Him. . . .

Without doubt the emphasis in Christian teaching today should be on worship. There is little danger that we shall become merely worshipers and neglect the practical implications of the gospel. No one can long worship God in spirit and in truth before the obligation to holy service becomes too strong to resist. Fellowship with God leads straight to obedience and good works. That is the divine order and it can never be reversed.

Draw me deeper into fellowship with You, Father. Lead me to focus on worship so that I can then, as a result, be useful in service. Amen.>

And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)

Now, I freely admit that it is impossible to hold a Christian service without an agenda. If order is to be maintained, an order of service must exist somewhere. If two songs are to be sung, someone must know which one is to be sung first, and whether this knowledge is only in someone’s head or has been reduced to paper, there is indeed a "program," however we may dislike to call it that. The point we make here is that in our times the program has been substituted for the Presence. The program rather than the Lord of glory is the center of attraction. So the most popular gospel church in any city is likely to be the one that offers the most interesting program; that is, the church that can present the most and best features for the enjoyment of the public. These features are programmed so as to keep everything moving and everybody expectant. . . .

We’ll do our churches a lot of good if we each one seek to cultivate the blessed Presence in our services. If we make Christ the supreme and constant object of devotion the program will take its place as a gentle aid to order in the public worship of God. If we fail to do this the program will finally obscure the Light entirely. And no church can afford that.

Like the apostles, Lord, I want to see the resurrected Christ in all His glory. Help us to focus not on the program of our -worship but on the Lord of glory who is the object of our worship. Amen.

I am sure it is no coincidence, but that God had chosen to use Ephesians and Colossians so prominently at our weekend away, subsequently in Stephen’s Bible study on 13th October and in our recent newsletter devotional.

Ephesians is addressed to a group of believers who are rich beyond measure in Jesus Christ, yet living like beggars, and only because they are ignorant of their wealth.  Paul begins by describing in ch. 1-3 the contents of the Christian’s heavenly “bank account”: adoption, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, wisdom, inheritance, the seal of the Holy Spirit, life, grace, citizenship - in short, every spiritual blessing.  In ch. 4-6 the Christian learns a spiritual walk rooted in his spiritual wealth.  “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus [1-3] for good works, … that we should walk in them [4-6]” (2:10).

What did Jesus mean by such a statement? What would a Pharisee think of such a radical statement? The Lord Jesus, because He was God Himself, was speaking of spiritual realities. The problem is that the dull, hardened heart of a sinner cannot grasp the import of this statement. It needs the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the spiritual significance forcibly home to the heart. All life comes from God, even the natural life that we have. But Jesus is speaking here of entering into a new realm of life, a new living experience, not just a natural experience of life but to experience spiritual life, the very life of God. As a result of such life, we then have the ability to experience God, experience a living and real relationship with God. The stunning part is, that for the first time in our lives we come to realisation that God is actually real, He exists and we know this because now we have this life within that communicates this reality to our souls. Wonder of wonders, we find our true purpose in life, to know God and to experience Him (or fellowship with Him). No wonder Jesus said that He and the Father would come by the Power of the Holy Spirit within to make their abode in us, the union of the Godhead dwelling within us so that we may know and experience God (John 17:21). This is why Jesus said in John 17:3 “this is life eternal; that they may know You the only true God and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

(Devotional by C.H.Spurgeon)

Many Christians remain stunted and dwarfed in spiritual things, so as to present the same appearance year after year. No up-springing of advanced and refined feeling is manifest in them. They exist but do not “grow up into him in all things.” But should we rest content with being in the “green blade,” when we might advance to “the ear,” and eventually ripen into the “full corn in the ear?” Should we be satisfied to believe in Christ, and to say, “I am safe,” without wishing to know in our own experience more of the fullness which is to be found in him.

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ - Eph. 4:15 (ESV)

It should not be so; we should, as good traders in heaven’s market, covet to be enriched in the knowledge of Jesus. It is all very well to keep other men’s vineyards, but we must not neglect our own spiritual growth and ripening. Why should it always be winter time in our hearts? We must have our seed time, it is true, but O for a spring time - yea, a summer season, which shall give promise of an early harvest. If we would ripen in grace, we must live near to Jesus - in his presence-ripened by the sunshine of his smiles. We must hold sweet communion with him. We must leave the distant view of his face and come near, as John did, and pillow our head on his breast; then shall we find ourselves advancing in holiness, in love, in faith, in hope-yea, in every precious gift.

As the sun rises first on mountain-tops and gilds them with his light, and presents one of the most charming sights to the eye of the traveller; so is it one of the most delightful contemplations in the world to mark the glow of the Spirit’s light on the head of some saint, who has risen up in spiritual stature, like Saul, above his fellows, till, like a mighty Alp, snow-capped, he reflects first among the chosen, the beams of the Sun of Righteousness, and bears the sheen of his effulgence1 high aloft for all to see, and seeing it, to glorify his Father which is in heaven.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." - John 3:16

If we were to judge John 3:16 on the basis of its value to the human race, we would have to say that it is probably the most precious cluster of words ever assembled by the mind of an intelligent man; a twenty-five-word compendium in which is contained the eternal Christian evangel (gospel), the message of genuine good news! . . .

We learn in school that diamonds are made from native carbon which has been placed under tremendous pressure which in time brings about the process of crystallization.

If we will just let our imaginations soar a bit, we can properly say that the Holy Ghost has taken the redemptive evangel and has placed it under the emotional pressure of the triune God, so unbelievably strong and powerful that it has been crystallized into this shining diamond of truth.

Using our imaginations again, I believe that if we could place this John 3:16 text on one side of some vast eternal scale held in space by some holy one to measure its value to mankind, it would prove to be more precious than all of the books that have ever been written by men.

I worship You today, Lord, for the truth of John 3:16, a precious nugget that expresses Your saving grace. Amen.

“But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.” (Matt 6:20)

As Christians we look at everything differently. …

People of the world, for instance, hope for life, health, financial prosperity, international peace and a set of favourable circumstances. These are their resources—upon them they rest. They look to them as a child looks to its nursing mother.

Christians do not despise these temporal blessings, and if they come to them, they sanctify them by receiving them with prayers of … gratitude to God. But they know their everlasting welfare is not dependent upon them. These blessings may come or go, but true Christians abide in God where no evil can touch them and where they are rich beyond all the power of their minds to conceive—and this altogether apart from earthly circumstances. …

The world’s resources are good in their way, but they have this fatal defect—they arc uncertain and transitory. Today we have them, tomorrow they are gone. It is this way with all earthly things since sin came to upset the beautiful order of nature and made the human race victims of chance and change….

If the world’s foundations crumble we still have God, and in Him we have everything essential to our ransomed beings forever.

Thank You, Father, for the eternal treasure that can be mine when I serve You. Keep me from the lure of transitory treasure and focused on that which is eternal. Amen.

"Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them; for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." (Deut 31:6)

To many Christians Christ is little more than an idea, or at best an ideal; He is not a fact. Millions of professed believers talk as if He were real and act as if He were not. And always our actual position is to be discovered by the way we act, not by the way we talk. . . .

Many of us Christians have become extremely skillful in arranging our lives so as to admit the truth of Christianity without being embarrassed by its implications. We fix things so that we can get on well enough without divine aid, while at the same time ostensibly seeking it. We boast in the Lord but watch carefully that we never get caught depending on Him. "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it" (Jer 17:9)?

Pseudo-faith always arranges a way out to serve in case God fails it. Real faith knows only one way and gladly allows itself to be stripped of any second ways or makeshift substitutes. For true faith, it is either God or total collapse. And not since Adam first stood up on the earth has God failed a single man or woman who trusted Him.

(By A.W.Tozer, †1963)

Thank You, Father, that my faith rests in an unfailing God. Help me remember that I don’t need a backup plan, "’just in case. "I rest in Your faithfulness today. Amen.

"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God." (Ro 14:12)

What we need very badly these days is a company of Christians who are prepared to trust God as completely now as they know they must do at the last day. For each of us the time is surely coming when we shall have nothing but God. Health and wealth and friends and hiding places will all be swept away and we shall have only God. To the man of pseudo-faith that is a terrifying thought, but to real faith it is one of the most comforting thoughts the heart can entertain.

It would be a tragedy indeed to come to the place where we have no other but God and find that we had not been trusting God at all during the days of our earthly sojourn. It would be better to invite God now to remove every false trust, to disengage our hearts from all secret hiding places and to bring us out into the open where we can discover for ourselves whether or not we really trust Him. That is a harsh cure for our troubles, but it is a sure one. Gentler cures may be too weak to do the work. And time is running out on us.

(By A.W.Tozer, †1963)

Lord, may I indeed live this earthly sojourn in such a way that I have no fear or dread of standing before You, giving account of my life and having nothing but You. Amen.

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it, but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it." (Luke 9:24)

A Christian poet of a bygone generation wrote a rather long hymn around a single idea: You can, by three little words, turn every common act of your life into an offering acceptable to God. The words are "For Thy sake.". . .

All this seems too simple to be true, but Scripture and experience agree to declare that it is indeed the way to sanctify the ordinary. "For Thy sake" will rescue the little, empty things from vanity and give them eternal meaning. The lowly paths of routine living will by these words be elevated to the level of a bright highway. The humdrum of our daily lives will take on the quality of a worship service and the thousand irksome duties we must perform will become offerings and sacrifices acceptable to God by Christ Jesus.

To God there are no small offerings if they are made in the name of His Son. Conversely, nothing appears great to Him that is given for any other reason than for Jesus’ sake. If we cannot die for Christ we can live for Him, and sometimes this is more heroic and will bring a larger reward.

"For Thy sake." These are the wondrous words which, when they are found in the heart as well as in the mouth, turn water into wine and every base metal into gold."

(by A.W.Tozer, †1963)

Lord, whatever seemingly small thing I am called on today, let me do it joyfully for your sake. Amen.

(by Afolabi)

The Making Of A Star!

There is no mystery about recovery; recovery is simply a result of discovery.  The Word says when you have found wisdom, there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be hindered (Pr 24:14). So, it is your discoveries that validate your expectations.
The Bible is not a religious book; it is the Creator’s manual for living.  God is the sole Creator of man.  We are His creatures, and the Bible is His manual (Isa 34:16).  The Word is a manual for maximized destiny (Jos 1:8).  Whatever is too big for your mind is too big for your hand.  As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he (Pr 23:7).  Until your mind is renewed by the Word of life, your life cannot be transformed in truth and in deed.
Read on…

“My praise shall be continually of You” and “I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth”
(Ps 71:6b & Ps 34:1-2, NKJV).

What amazing words, so easy to read, so hard to do!

As I was recovering from my recent surgery and having experienced some days with bad headaches and a feeling of great weakness, the LORD God challenged me.  I was challenged to question whether I just praised God when I was feeling well and when life was going well, or did I praise HIM when I was in pain, weak, lonely, poor or going through the valley.

He challenged me to realise that He is the same God whether I am well and happy or when I am in pain - or whatever my circumstances might be.  He still is a good, loving and just God, He still loves me and is caring for me.  I was struck by the story of Job when he lost his family and then his health.  He said, “How can we accept all the good things that God gives us and not accept the problems?”

But he said to her, "You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. (Job 2:10)
Read on…

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God.  Conscience accuses no longer. Judgment now decides for the sinner instead of against him. Memory looks back upon past sins, with deep sorrow for the sin, but yet with no dread of any penalty to come; for Christ has paid the debt of his people to the last jot and tittle, and received the divine receipt; and unless God can be so unjust as to demand double payment for one debt, no soul for whom Jesus died as a substitute can ever be cast into hell.  It seems to be one of the very principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this gives us our terror at first; but is it not marvellous that this very same belief that God is just, becomes afterwards the pillar of our confidence and peace!

… so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. (Ro 3:26b)
Read on…

Our regular bi-monthly feature, ‘Message from an Elder’ brings you something from the heart of one of our Elders. This month Barry asks: To flee or not to flee?

We have all been through times when it feels as if the whole world is against us, and doubtless we’ll go through such times again! We don’t always understand why this is so, especially when we may not be the direct cause of the problem, but we do feel threatened nevertheless.

It is at times like these that we need to find our refuge in God, as man does not have anything to offer. Psalm 118:8 tells us “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

God is our shelter, our protector - Psalm 34:6-7 says “This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

David goes on to say “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!”. We have to participate in the process of tasting else we can never know the flavour of food, likewise we have to put our trust in taking refuge in God and only then will we taste/experience the goodness and protection of God in our lives.
Read on…

Dr Afolabi encourages us not to boast of our earthly heritage, but to focus on our eternal citizenship in Christ Jesus.

Hello folks, don’t wonder too much about what I am about to share with you. God never fails!

Countries, banks, businesses, organizations, families and loved ones may fail you but I have come to agree with a preacher of the Truth who said not too long ago that the hope of man is not in a nation but in God.

I have recently returned from a week’s annual leave in Nigeria and I promised myself that I would share some of the joy and refreshing I encountered there.

I bless the name of the Lord for His journey mercies! My flight was a good one: leaving Shannon airport at 6.30 am I transited at CDG Paris and, after 5hrs 45min in the air, landed at MMA Lagos at 4.20 pm on the same day - Saturday 21st June. My brother conveyed me from the airport and as we drove through the city traffic, I was overwhelmed by joy unspeakable as I began to sing in my heart a song that plays over and over whenever I’m on the road in Clare:
“the great love of God, Jesus is his name, He is the Only one, my salvation …”
Read on…

The key word in Proverbs is wisdom, “the ability to live life skilfully.”  A godly life in an ungodly world, however, is no simple assignment.  Proverbs provides God’s detailed instructions for His people to deal successfully with the practical affairs of everyday life: how to relate to God, parents, children, neighbours and government.  Solomon, the principal author, uses a combination of poetry, parables, pithy questions, short stories and wise maxims to give, in strikingly memorable form, the common sense and divine perspective necessary to handle life’s issues.

Because Solomon, the pinnacle of Israel’s wise men, was the principal contributor, the Hebrew title of this book is Mishle Shelomoh, “Proverbs of Solomon” (see Pr 1:1).  The Rabbinical writings called Proverbs Sepher Hokhmah, “Book of Wisdom.”
Read on…

Seeking the Lord means seeking his presence. “Presence” is a common translation of the Hebrew word “face.” Literally, we are to seek his “face.” But this is the Hebraic way of having access to God. To be before his face is to be in his presence.

But aren’t his children always in his presence? Yes and no. Yes in two senses: First, in the sense that God is omnipresent and therefore always near everything and everyone. He holds everything in being. His power is ever-present in sustaining and governing all things.

And second, yes, he is always present with his children in the sense of his covenant commitment to always stand by us and work for us and turn everything for our good. “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). But there is a sense in which God’s presence is not with us always…

Read the rest of the article. (external link)

By: John Piper

Don’t you just love the way that the Lord keeps bringing little insights which lead to an ever-deepening understanding of something He wants to show you?

‘Act in faith and trust in the Lord’ is a little phrase He gave me quite a while ago, yet it seems to keep coming back as I notice that most things God has for us require we take a step of faith first.

Persecution can cause either growth or bitterness in the Christian life. Response determines the result.  In writing to Jewish believers struggling in the midst of persecution, Peter encourages them to conduct themselves courageously for the Person and program of Christ.  Both their character and their conduct must be above reproach.  Having been born again to a living hope, they are to imitate the Holy One who has called them.  The fruit of that character will be conduct rooted in submission: citizens to government, servants to masters, wives to husbands, husbands to wives, and Christians to one another.

Only after submission is fully understood does Peter deal with the difficult area of suffering.  The Christians are not to think it “strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you” (1 Pet.4:12), but are to rejoice as partakers of the suffering of Christ.  That response to life is truly the climax of one’s submission to the good hand of God.

God’s great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory. Any aim less than this were unworthy of Himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are?

Man’s eye is not single, he has ever a side glance towards his own honour, has too high an estimate of his own powers, and so is not qualified to behold the glory of the Lord. It is clear, then, that self must stand out of the way, that there may be room for God to be exalted; and this is the reason why He brings his people often into straits and difficulties, that, being made conscious of their own folly and weakness, they may be fit to behold the majesty of God when He comes forth to work their deliverance.

He whose life is even and smooth, will see but little of the glory of the Lord, for he has few occasions of self-emptying, and hence, but little fitness for being filled with the revelation of God. They who navigate little streams and shallow creeks, know but little of the God of tempests; but they who “do business in great waters,” these see His “wonders in the deep.” Among the huge Atlantic waves of bereavement, poverty, temptation, and reproach, we learn the power of Jehovah, because we feel the littleness of man.

Thank God, then, if you have been led by a rough road: it is this which has given you your experience of God’s greatness and lovingkindness. Your troubles have enriched you with a wealth of knowledge to be gained by no other means: your trials have been the cleft of the rock in which Jehovah has set you, as He did his servant Moses, that you might behold His glory as it passed by.

Praise God that you have not been left to the darkness and ignorance which continued prosperity might have involved, but that in the great fight of affliction, you have been made ready for the outshinings of His glory in His wonderful dealings with you.

The thought occurred to me the other day how different soccer would be if it had been developed and played in a Christian ethos.

For a start there’d be no toss of a coin to see who kicks off and which way the teams would play - the away team would allow the home team to both kick off and choose which way they wished to play - it’s their ground! At half-time, the away team would be asked if they were happy playing the way they were, or whether they would like to change ends. The home team would kick off the second half whatever - it’s their ball!

Free kicks would never be ‘bought’ by feigning injury or conning the Ref, who’d be a leader of the local FC (Fellowship of Christ). There’d be no need for the yellow/red cards used in today’s game. Players committing an offence (most likely by accident rather than with malice of forethought) would be given the opportunity to repent (and so wouldn’t do it again anyway!)

If someone was to get injured, the rest of the players (from both sides) would form a huddle and pray for healing.

There would be no violence on the terraces and chants would comprise praise & worship songs; the managers would be genuinely nice to each other; oh, and the result wouldn’t matter.

Or is that just Fantasy Football?

Every follower of Jesus Christ wants to live the way that pleases our heavenly Father. What is this way and how can we live it? We can only please God by living in the Spirit, this is clearly seen by faith in Jesus and obeying the Bible. It is by allowing the Holy Spirit His way, creating the character of Christ in each disciple, that we will please our God. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Word of God we come to understand that our faith, our life, our future - in fact all spiritual blessings - are ours in Christ Jesus. Without the Spirit’s work we would not know the reality of Christ in our experience.

This article, then, is about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and the importance of the Spirit-filled life. Read on…

Rich were the blessings of this day if all of us were filled with the Holy Ghost. The consequences of this sacred filling of the soul it would be impossible to overestimate. Life, comfort, light, purity, power, peace; and many other precious blessings are inseparable from the Spirit’s benign presence. As sacred oil, He anoints the head of the believer, sets him apart to the priesthood of saints and gives him grace to execute his office aright. Read on…

"… and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8b)

Why bother with tracts?

Christians are to be witnesses for the Saviour. What a calling and what a privilege! Are we like Isaiah who said, "Here I am! Send Me"; or do we prefer to answer, `Here I am, send someone else!’

Giving out tracts is a very simple way of witnessing and is effective on at least four counts:

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works (Heb 10:24)

Spurgeon’s challenge …

Spurgeon was never a man to hold back when he felt Christians needed to be stirred into action. He once delivered the following rebuke and challenge:

‘Behold, how many professing Christians there are that are asleep in this sense! They are inactive. Sinners are dying in the street by hundreds; men are sinking into the flames of eternal wrath, but they fold their arms, they pity the poor perishing sinner, but they do nothing to show that their pity is real. They go to their places of worship; they occupy their well-cushioned easy pew; they wish the minister to feed them every Sabbath; but there is never a child taught in the Sunday school by them; there is never a tract distributed at the poor man’s house; there is never a deed done which might be the means of saving souls.

by Charles R. Swindoll

No one can deny the importance of nutrition. Our level of energy, our ability to cope with life’s challenges, and even our mental attitude are directly linked to the proper intake of the right foods eaten regularly and in proper amounts.

We’ve all experienced times when we have not eaten a balanced diet or we’ve eaten too many sweets or we’ve been in a hurry and completely skipped a meal. Invariably, we have endured the consequences of feeling sick, light-headed, and occasionally depressed, or we became irritated and jumpy, sometimes we got a little shaky—in our family, we call that “getting the jitters.” It’s the body’s way of letting us know that it’s lacking nourishment. It’s a fact: “optimal healthrequiresoptimal nutrition.”

The same is true spiritually speaking. Without sufficient and regular nutrition, our inner life begins to suffer the consequences. Our souls long to be fed, nourished, and energized on a regular basis. When we fail to set aside time to absorb healthy spiritual food, it isn’t long before the consequences kick in . . . and it’s not a pretty sight. We start to operate in the flesh rather than under the control of God’s Spirit. We get shallow and selfish, more demanding and less gentle, quick to react impatiently, rashly, angrily. These are all signs of inner malnutrition.

For the next few moments let’s think about what’s needed to maintain a healthy level of spiritual nutrition.It isn’t rocket science.

1. We need a regular diet of God’s Word. Just as we must eat each day, so we must take the time to read the Scriptures each day. Our souls must be “nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine” (1 Timothy 4:6).

2. We need topray regularly. In reading the Bible, God speaks to us; in prayer, we speak to Him. Prayer helps us realign our lives to the Lord’s timing and direction. It also shifts the load off our shoulders and onto His. David wrote, “Cast your burden upon the LORDHe will sustain you.” (Ps 55:22)

3. We need time to be still, to meditate on the things of God. Such moments of quietness calm our nerves, clear our thinking, and enable us to refocus. After directing Joshua to structure his life around God’s truth, the Lord added, “you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it” (Joshua 1:8).

Tragically, meditation is a lost art of the twenty-first century. How few truly take time to “cease striving and know that [He is] God” (Psalm 46:10). How seldom do we make deliberate plans “to do according to all” that we have observed.

There is no other way to experience the reality of Jesus except through the work of the Holy Spirit applying the Truth of the Gospel to believers. Since the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died, risen again and returned to rule victoriously from heaven’s throne, it is the Holy Spirit who continues the work of redemption now on earth. Equal with the Father and Son and deserving of our worship, the Spirit works in the world and the church to glorify not Himself but to glorify Christ the Saviour and King.
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As a teenager in this ever pressurised world it is difficult to reconcile the desire to be accepted with wanting to share one’s faith.  When asked what we believe, why do we find ourselves tongue-tied and worried about stumbling through some inadequate explanation?
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In the first part, we asked: What is the "pattern of sound words"? (2Tim.1:13) And is that pattern (or form, outline, example) of higher or lesser importance than the content? We said that if we want to live our life according to God’s Word i.e. if we "desire to live godly in Christ Jesus" (2Tim.3:12), then we need not only to know the Word of God, but also to understand the "pattern". That will allow us to apply it whenever there is no direct instruction for any given situation.

Remember that toy for toddlers with various forms and a box with the corresponding holes in it? Only the pieces with the right outline will fit into certain holes. If I throw in some strange, new form, the toddler will not be able to find a matching hole, even if the colours or other features otherwise were right. - When we continuously read and learn from the bible, it will give us examples for our daily life. We will understand not only the direct message, but also the underlying principle and this will enable us to apply it to another context and different situations. Read on…