Even Old People Need a Father. God is our Father.

 It is said that elderly people can become like children, weak, dependant and in need of support. I am nearly 76. My mother died at that age, but I am still mentally and physically active, and I expect to live past 80 at least.

When I turned 70, I started to think about the limited time I have left in this life. It didn’t frighten me. 

I had been reading a lot about near death experiences, in which people were clinically dead, talked to Jesus or even visited heaven. I am looking forward to the next life. Every year is a year closer to a much better life that never ends.

I am looking forward to seeing my parents and other believing friends and loved ones. I am looking forward to pursuing my passion for music and art.

It is wonderful not to have to go to work. I don’t have to comply with stupid bureaucratic procedures that contributed nothing to the effectiveness of my work. I don’t have to deal with fastidious managers and stressful deadlines. I don’t have to get up at 6 in the morning, deal with peak hour traffic, and keep working in the afternoon when I am getting tired.

 Some things are better, but some things are distressing.

I miss the social stimulation of working with students and colleagues. In the last few years I have also lost some dear friends. People get sick. People die. Even if they are believers and went to heaven, I miss their friendship.

Recently I was praying. I felt that I was still a young person in an ageing body. I no longer had parents to love me, although I was happy that they are in heaven. I felt like I needed a father. Although I am devoted to God, the fatherhood of God is something I have never fully emotionally connected to.

I lay in bed and repeated over and over.

“I need a father. God, you are my father.” Even though this was not an overwhelming feeling, it was a reaching out to my real heavenly Father. We all need a father, no matter how old we are.

A couple of days later, I was reading the psalms. I came across a familiar promise of God, and it was an answer from heaven to my prayer.

Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me. Ps 27:10 NIV

This verse took on a new meaning for me. I know Christians whose parents abused or deserted them, but that was not my experience. My parents cared for me long after they reached old age. They never abandoned me.

I did not grieve when they died, because both of them became believers on their death beds. I was relieved and happy they were safe in heaven.

But now I realise I need a father. And God spoke to me through psalm 27. God is my Father and he will never let me down.

Strong and Weak Believers

 Do you trust Jesus with all your heart? Are you determined to live in a way that pleases God? Then you will be completely forgiven, not partially forgiven.
Are you saved then?

Absolutely.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jn 3:16 NIV

You are either on your way to heaven or on your way to hell.

But Jesus preached not only forgiveness, but repentance. God doesn't just want to forgive you, he wants to free you from sin.

When sinners are converted, we often see dramatic changes, but in other cases the change seems slower, but if your character does not begin to change, your faith is nothing more than religion. Religion does not save.

My father gave his life to Jesus when he was 88. He lived another 3 years after that. He was demented and helpless, but we saw a change. Before his conversion, he was desperate and hopeless.

How are you doing? ‘Still alive.’

But afterwards we saw no trace of despair.

Paul was very strict in some respects.

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men
nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor 6:9–10 NIV

But he recognised that some Christians are strong in faith and others are weak. We need to remember that it is not a sin to desire something forbidden. It is only sin if we give in to temptation.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, Paul recognises Christians as saints, although he then writes in the letter about their sins and character flaws, which they have not yet overcome.

There are Christians who regard sex before marriage as normal, and these Christians should recognise their danger.

But there are also Christians who condemn themselves for every misstep and see themselves as hopeless failures and damned sinners.

It is for these Christians that Paul wrote the marvellous promises of God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:1–2 NIV

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, Rom 8:1 NIV

Too Good to be True?

 A woman had lost her sight. Her eyes were badly injured and no doctor could help her. She attended a church service where the preacher prayed for healing.

She began to see again and was thrilled, but when she shared her miraculous news with her family, they didn't want to believe, even though they clearly observed how she could see.
Then she began to doubt herself and after a short time she could no longer see.

God wants to bless us beyond comprehension, but often we don't want to believe it. A negative thought is firmly rooted in our mindset.

‘It's too good to be true.’ With this thought, we often block the wonderful gifts that God wants to give us.

After Jesus died on the cross, the disciples were traumatised. They had believed that Jesus, as the Messiah, would free Israel from Roman occupation, and then he died.

It was supposedly too good to be true. The time for Israel had not yet come, but God had even better plans for his disciples.

So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?”

He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:6–8 NLT

Thank God the disciples believed. We read in the Acts of the Apostles how the disciples ministered with the same miracle-working power as Jesus himself before his death on the cross.

Then, in the Gospel of Mark, we see Jesus authorising and empowering his disciples to continue his miracle-working ministry. Was this only for the apostles? No. It was for all who believed.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: by using my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

they will pick up snakes in their hands, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Mk 16:17–18 NRSV

But some Christians do not want to believe that this promise still applies to our time.
Some doubt whether this passage really belongs to the Gospel of Mark because it may not have been written by Mark himself.

It is possible that Mark did not write this last passage. So what!

The first five books of the Bible are attributed to the authorship of Moses himself, but the last chapter of Deuteronomy 5 was obviously not written by Moses.

So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor; but no man knows his burial place to this day. Dt 34:5–6 NASB95

When I read this verse, I burst into tears. This is not normal for me. The Holy Spirit communicated to me in this way how God himself felt when Moses had to die. He wanted to bless Moses even more.

Then I heard the voice of God as a clear but inaudible thought.

‘Please don't limit God.’

Please open your heart to many more blessings and miracles from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Eph 3:20 NLT

God Will Restore Lost Beauty

 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.” Rev 21:4–5 NKJV

I saw her face, and she was no longer beautiful, but I still loved her. I could read her trauma in her face, and I could not hold back my tears. Love is much stronger than the beauty of youth.

But despite much suffering and loneliness, she couldn't help but love Jesus. She is waiting for her new life in a better world.

In God's new world, the crippled will leap and dance.
The blind will paint beautiful pictures.
The deaf will play beautiful instruments.
Faces disfigured by sorrow and illness will be young and beautiful again.

‘And he said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and certain.

I see her face, and I cry, but I must write too.  

No matter how your life has gone wrong, Jesus sees His beloved child in you. He sees your sorrow and He weeps, but He also sees the beauty He will restore in heaven and He smiles with an unimaginable tenderness.

Beautiful Thoughts are Therapeutic

I felt discouraged and a little depressed. It was only ten days after a life saving operation and didn't  feel strong. That's normal. I was grateful for the operation.

But I'm human and I have dark moods sometimes. I wanted to write a blog post to encourage others, but I had no inspiration.

Then I took a shower and suddenly a song came to mind. Intuitively, I knew it was from God.

When the dog bites,
When the bee stings,
When I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my favourite things,
And then I don't feel so bad.

This is from the film, ‘The Sound of Music’.

Fond memories came to mind. I saw my grandmother's house, which I loved so much. I saw myself in the living room of my parents' house when I loved playing chess with my father as a child.

There are some strict Christians who disapprove of daydreams, but Paul said we must always be thankful and let beautiful thoughts shape our minds.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Php 4:8 NIV

Only God is the Judge

 “Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. Mt 7:1 NRSV

What does that mean? Are we supposed to gloss over all sin? Are we to think that Hitler or Stalin were only mentally ill?

What is God trying to say? Should we differentiate between good and evil? Absolutely.

Should we confront and resist sin? Of course.

If you are a church leader or pastor and someone in the church is causing trouble or abusing children, should you passively allow it? God forbid.

On the other hand, if a pastor or priest becomes arrogant and authoritarian and causes trouble in your family, are you allowed to rebuke that man even though he is the leader?

What does Jesus say?

“If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. Mt 18:15 NIV

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. Eph 5:21 NIV

We must confront other Christians strongly, sometimes.

But we must never forget that only God sits on the heavenly judgement seat, not us.

If you correct another Christian, you must first bow before God's judgement seat. We are all flawed.

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Mt 7:3–5 NIV

We must sometimes confront other Christians, but if you're acting like a policeman always on the lookout for sins in the community, then you've really gone astray.

It is sometimes all right to correct other Christians. Sometimes.

But am I appointed by God to correct all the faults I see in other Christians? Christians who think this way are proud and self righteous.  

Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfil the law of Christ.

If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves. Gal 6:1–3 NIV

“You who are spiritual” is an important qualification. People who think they are always right are not spiritual. Spiritual Christians are humble, gentle and loving.

Heal the Sick, Raise the Dead

 I have only heard God's audible voice once, and that was not with my natural ears, but in my spirit. That is, it wasn't just thoughts, but a voice.

Actually, it wasn't just one voice, but a few voices speaking together. I assume it was the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The voices were not loud but very clear.

‘Tell the church: Heal the sick, raise the dead.’ ‘Speak to the church: Tell the church: Heal the sick, raise the dead’

When God speaks, he can question our traditions. He may challenge us to change our perspective, but He will never contradict Scripture.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.” Mk 16:17–18 NIV

Who is to release these miracles? Only the apostles? Only the Christians in the New Testament?

No. ‘Those who believe.’

And these signs will accompany those who believe: … Mk 16:17 NIV
 
In the New Testament, only Jesus and the apostles brought the dead back to life.

But Jesus has given us a blank cheque for all time.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14:12 NIV

I was in a Pentecostal church for years, where I saw and experienced miraculous healings. The Christians in this church told of a miracle in a service in this church where I was unfortunately not present.

A man was sitting in the service and had a heart attack. He died in the middle of the service. One of the women in the congregation was a nurse. She confirmed that the man was really dead, but the preacher prayed and commanded the dead man to come back to life, and he came back.  

The pastor had been a child in a church in England where Smith Wigglesworth preached. Smith Wigglesworth brought the dead back to life several times through his gift of faith.

We cannot work miracles on our own, but God has given us his Holy Spirit, just like in the New Testament.

Did Jesus raise the dead? Certainly. Did Peter and Paul raise the dead? According to the Bible, yes.

Should Christians do the same works? According to Jesus, yes.

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. Jn 14:12 NIV

This statement by Jesus is open-ended. Jesus did not say a word about a time limit.

I have not personally seen a dead person revived, but I once prayed and someone I knew made a full recovery after a lethal overdose.