Choosing Truth


John 8:30-32

Society is full of vain philosophies that promise much but offer nothing. Capturing truth in a deceptive world run by Satan, the father of lies, is as unlikely as catching wind in a paper sack. The only place truth exists is in God and His inspired Word. "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me," Jesus says in John 14:6. When we become Christ's disciples, Satan's deceptive power is broken. Believers can be free from wrong thinking and evil lies.

Unfortunately, some people will never apply biblical truth to their lives. By choice, they will remain captive to the world's lies. Many believers fear changing their ways to follow God, while others refuse to seek and serve Him because living a true Christian life seems too difficult. Or, rather than allowing fear and laziness to defeat them, plenty of people arrogantly prefer relying on their own abilities. We might see small successes while living as we see fit, but satisfaction and joy will remain elusive. Conversely, recognizing God's truth about life situations - finances, relationships, rejection, or loss - guides us to make wise decisions that can be carried out with strength, courage, and the comfortable knowledge that the Lord is at work.

We cannot begin to build a truth-based life until we accept God's way as the only way. He honors our desire to make wise and biblically sound decisions. When we commit to applying truth, God accepts responsibility for revealing His principles through Scripture so that we can live righteously and triumphantly.

--------- courtesy from Crosswalk.com
Entrusted with a holy calling are we,
The light of the world to be,
To lift up the lamp of the Savior,
That others His light may see.

WHO was the woman with the alabaster jar?

Frank said I should include more photos... Here's a snapshot of him, one year anf four months ago.

WHO?
Turn with me to Luke, the chapter before 8.
Let's close our Bibles for a while and open your heart.

IMAGINE... you are a character in the story. One of the bystanders in the courtyard of Simon's house. Say, you are a cook, a servant, or one of Simon's friends who was invited. You are seeing a lesson of Jesus unfolding in front of you right now.

Here, it is customary to offer your guests a 'foot washing', simply because the roads are really sandy and it doesn't feel good to eat and stay with dirty feet. For Rabbis such as Jesus (who was VERY well known), they would be given olive oil as well - known for its cleansing properties, olive oil was also used to clean the face of grime. But when Jesus arrived, he was ignored. He was given the INVISIBLE TREATMENT.

WHY???
The Bible didn't say. Maybe Simon wanted to embarrass him. Maybe Simon was embarrassed to acknowledge him as a Rabbi in front of his guests. Or ...did he just forget that Jesus was on the guestlist?

If you were Jesus, how would you react to this treatment?

Everyone pretended not to notice. But... a woman SAW.

Not just any woman. She was a woman of 'ill repute', a immoral woman, a sinful woman, a prostitute. No one associated with her, no one wanted to acknowledge her presence or even that they knew her. Those men who knew her had to come to her quietly, at nightfall. Out of all the people present today, only she could feel how Jesus felt.

She had been feeling this way her whole life. But...she couldn't understand why they were doing it to a Rabbi, a teacher, someone highly regarded, somewhat like a university professor today. 'Why are they doing this to Him', she wondered in her heart.

You are there today. You know what she did for Jesus. The alabaster jar contains perfume. For most women, it was used as dowry, something you pour on yourself as a gift to your husband on your wedded night. For immoral women with her job, often involving carousing with dirty, smelly, men, the perfume was used to cleanse herself when she had finished. But today, there was a man that did not treat her the way all the other men did. He dared to look at her. He dared to associate with her. He did not chase her away. So she wept. Tears of freedom, of knowing she has been accepted by God. She just pours out, unable to speak, just sobbing at Jesus' feet.

If you are present today, as a bystander, a guest, a cook, a servant...You will realise one thing. Jesus has not spoken. All through the 'invisible treatment' he has kept silent. When the woman was at his feet, he kept silent.

Now it was his turn to speak.

He spoke addressing Simon, but not looking at him. "Look at this woman." Does Simon not see her? Of course everyone can see her, is looking at her and passing judgment on her. Jesus tells him a simple story of a man who was forgiven more. Who would be more grateful? This is a question that doesn't need Simon to answer, really. It's quite foolproof. The point Jesus is trying to draw here is a parallel between Simon and the woman. The woman is obviously, sinful. More so than Simon. Who has the larger debt? The parallel draws a contrast between the woman's sin - she is painfully aware of it - and Simon's sin - he is painfully unaware of his.

Yet Simon has sins too, the sins of the heart. How about a hardening of the heart. A natural criticism of 'immoral women'. A disrespect for Jesus. Even an attitude problem.

Jesus saw the woman with the alabaster jar as she is - someone who needed acceptance. In His eyes, she saw understanding without being judgmental.

==

Consider:

In many ways, we are like the woman with the alabaster jar. We are also like Simon.
a) What has the woman with the alabaster jar taught you about today?
b)In your VALUE system, what is one thing you gotta change?
c) Share an area of our life that we struggle with (Eg being judgmental, unable to show acceptance, etc.) WHAT IS YOUR ACTION PLAN?

Pray.

And remember the story of the woman with the alabaster jar. =)


Copyright mine.

Related with thanks from John Ortberg's book, courtesy of Penelope's library.

The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe

CS Lewis letter tells tales of Narnia

When a little girl wrote to CS Lewis asking him for an explanation of the Chronicles of Narnia, she never expected to get a reply.

But the letter Anne Jenkins from Hertfordshire received when she was just 10-years-old is to be displayed in Queen's University's new CS Lewis Reading Room.

Anne wrote to the Belfast born author in 1961 after being intrigued by a particular passage in The Silver Chair.

Recalling that time, Anne said she was fascinated by the books and the mystical world of Narnia.
"I just used to scrutinise them quite carefully and it was a little bit at the end of The Silver Chair, that I just didn't understand what he was saying," she said.

"It was where the dead king Caspian is brought back to life by Aslan the lion's blood and Eustace says 'hasn't he died' and the lion says 'yes he has died, most people have you know, even I have, there are very few people who haven't'.

"For some reason this stuck in my brain, so I asked my parents what does he mean by saying that most people have died?

"They didn't know, so they said that I should write and ask him."

Christian theme

There is a widely held view that CS Lewis' Narnian chronicles carry a predominantly Christian theme.

And as far as Anne is aware, her letter is the only known document from the author which supports the argument that Aslan represented Jesus Christ.

Anne said she has often thought about what exactly was in the author's mind at the time he wrote to her.

"I think it must have been the mood he was in at the time, his wife had died a couple of years before, maybe he was just thinking about it a lot at the time," she said.

"I see it as a coincidence, but maybe not."

In the letter Lewis simply states that the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe tells the story of the "Crucifixion of Christ and the resurrection".

He also explains that the story of Prince Caspian "tells the restoration of the true religion after the corruption".

"If you read the letter he wrote to other children, none of them are like this at all," Anne said.

Anne believes the letter is just too important a piece of historical literature not to be shared with the world.

"The letter could easily have got lost it is just lucky I have kept it safe all of these years, she said.

"The letter is so valuable and really needs to go into the public domain now rather than where I've kept it in a wardrobe, which is quite appropriate."

The letter will be displayed in Queen's University's new £44m library, which is due to open in 2009.

Until then it will be kept in the university library's special collection.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/5078462.stm

Light cell's first oikos themed bbq this sunday. Bring someone or sometwo.
Cheers.



copyright brudder geedeon. july 2007