The Bible Guide to Investment

The Bible Guide to Investment

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There's a great story that Jesus told about a rich guy who thought he had made it, but discovered that by only preparing for this life he'd made the worst investment decision possible. He was not a success, he was a fool! The story is brilliant in how it exposes how foolish many of our own investment decisions are and gives us the necessary correction. It was also perfectly timed. Just when Jesus was challenging His followers to not allow their fears to prevent them from choosing to give up everything in order to follow Him, along comes a guy whose only concern was for the money he felt he was due. Money is something we often turn to for security instead of trusting in God. It's also something we turn to to provide for the things we want, rather than submitting our desires to God. We chase the things we think money will buy not realizing that they will never truly satisfy and they won't even last that long. However when we teach ourselves to value eternity and make the decision to invest ourselves most in the things in what will last longest, our hearts begin to be less controlled by fear and less enticed by earthly desires. We discover freedom and joy in the present and confidence in the future. Loving others becomes easier because we don't need to look out for ourselves any more.

Taming the Inner Uproar: The Story of Martha & Mary

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The story of Mary & Martha in Luke 10 is a great help to anyone who has ever felt overwhelmed, flustered and even just a little bit resentful. It's a story about how one woman's strength - her awareness of others' practical needs and her willingness to serve them - almost grew into a weakness that threatened to steal her joy and damage her relationships. By diagnosing the issue and dealing with it Jesus doesn't do what most of us would and simply try pacify the agitated person. Instead, He gives Martha a chance to gain a right perspective and find freedom from her inner uproar.

God Breaks His Silence

God Breaks His Silence

In the time of the prophet Malachi God answered people who struggled with the question of why He is seemingly silent while evil people prosper and the prayers of the righteous go unanswered. At that time God promised to come and make things right. This coming would be preceded by a messenger - Elijah the prophet - who would prepare the people to receive Him. 400 years passed and if anything things have gotten worse. Where is God? Why do the evil still prosper and the righteous still struggle? Suddenly God broke His silence in dramatic fashion. Luke 1:5-25 describes for us the way God remained true to all His promises and teaches us to put our faith in God who can do anything and will always remember His people. He continues to act not in our time but in His perfect time for His good purposes.

How to Have a Christ Centred Christmas

 
How To Have a Christ Centred Christmas

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In this message we take a brief look at the top 4 Christmas stresses identified by a recent UK poll. In contrast, we take a look at 4 responses to Christ that we see demonstrated by each of the characters described in Luke chapter 2. We find that celebrating Christmas the way our society does it can be enormously stressful and leave us dissatisfied despite all we've invested. However if we learn from the example of the first people to experience Christmas, we find it can fills our lives with joy, peace and hope that is infectious. What kind of Christmas will you choose, and how will you protect it from the influence of a society determined to kick Christ out of Christmas?

Walking the Walk

One Step Closer pt 3:

Walking the Walk

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In Luke 9:23-26 Jesus speaks some stern words of warning about judgement to come. They are not easy words to hear nor are they easy to repeat, but they are words of eternal life for those who will listen.

In these verses Jesus warns people who reject His lordship and try to live on their own terms that the end result will be judgement resulting in eternal separation from God - what the book of Revelation calls "the second death". 

As Jesus explained in Matthew 7, there are people who claim to be 'religious' and even do great things in His name but yet do not personally know Him and have not received eternal life from Him. They rely on their own works instead of trusting in what Jesus has done for us. They seek to control their own lives and pursue their own sinful desires instead of living a new life with Christ as Lord. Genuine followers of Jesus are people who have been converted - they have believed the truth about Jesus, received new life from Him and now live differently as a result. 

The second warning is to those who have received eternal life through faith in Him, yet have held back from living out that life and speaking about Jesus among those who do not yet believe. They are ones who are ashamed of Jesus and His words, even though by them they have received eternal life.

To these people Jesus says that while they will inherit eternal life they will do as ones of whom He is ashamed, ones who have selfishly kept their wonderful salvation to themselves instead of sharing it with others.

As we explore these passages we are again reminded that it is one thing to talk a good talk, but if we want to be sure of our salvation and if we want to be confident of how we will be received by Jesus when we stand before Him, the essential thing is to know that in this life we have also 'walked the walk'.