Be Still And Know

2 Corinthians 7:5-7 I was once chatting to two friends when the subject of encouragement came up. One worked in a bank and the other was an engineer. They both said that they couldn’t remember the last time their bosses had given them any word of encouragement. I was shocked. They were both great people, and I can only imagine that they were diligent and effective workers, but they had been denied the oxygen of encouragement, which is needed by us all. Paul had clearly been going through a really tough time. He had been working in Macedonia (what we now know as northern Greece). In Acts 17, we read about some of the opposition that Paul had encountered. He felt attacked on all sides. The arrival of Titus was a very welcome encouragement – not least because he brought news that the Corinthians, in southern Greece, had been an encouragement to him. Result! Paul knew that God encourages the discouraged, and that’s exactly what happened. Everyone needs encouragement. Today, we will all have opportunit

2 Corinthians 6:11-13 It is possible for our relationship with other people to be incredibly superficial. Our words can often be a way of pushing other people away rather than revealing anything significant about ourselves. A friendly, smiling face and a warm greeting can easily be used to mask deep sadness and confusion. This happens in churches as easily as anywhere else. We can skate over the surface without ever really getting to know one another. Paul, in typically robust style, pierces through such superficiality and says exactly what he thinks! He has opened his heart to the Corinthians, and they have done exactly the opposite to him. He appeals to them as if they were his children. Paul established the church in Corinth, so it isn’t surprising that he looked at them with a father’s love, and is desperate to have a close relationship with them. It’s so important for us to have people with whom we can open our hearts. This is what true fellowship is all about. It is only as we get to know

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 We all take things for granted, but it’s a strange fact that often, it’s the most precious and amazing gifts. The love of our family and friends for example. Or the reliable supply of clean drinking water and nourishing food. Or the freedom to worship God and to declare publicly what we believe. Our lives would be very different if any of those privileges were denied us. But, honestly, how often do we consciously give thanks to God for these amazing gifts? Now let’s step it up a gear. Let’s talk about the amazing gift of salvation and the promise of eternal life with God. It doesn’t get better than that. Any gift you have ever received must pale into insignificance alongside the amazing gifts of God to us. But, all too often, we receive this marvellous gift of God’s kindness and ignore it. Paul’s intention was to wake up his Corinthian hearers and remind them that God’s gift of salvation is not a vague and distant reality. God wants us to be awake to his gift of salvation right now

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 If you have ever visited an embassy you will know what a strange experience it is. Suddenly you find yourself in another country! You will see the flag of that country and find yourself looking at pictures of their royalty or head of state. In most instances, you will also hear a language that is different to that spoken on the street outside. That is, of course, the whole point. An embassy represents a country internationally, no matter where it is located. Paul tells us that this is precisely our job. We are ambassadors of a different country, representing the kingdom of God wherever we are. And, in common with all ambassadors, we have a message to share. Ambassadors are carefully trained to faithfully represent the views of their government and forge strong relationships with the country to which they have been posted. That precisely describes our role. This world is not our home. We are just passing through and so, in all we say and do, we must ensure we are faithful repr

2 Corinthians 5:16-17 I’m sure you can think of many moments in life when, suddenly, everything changed. Your first day at school, your wedding, the birth of your children, when you started your first job or moved into a new house. From that moment, everything looked slightly different. But those moments are nothing compared to the complete change that happens when we become a Christian. No part of life is left untouched. Jesus told Nicodemus, one of the Jewish leaders, that he had to be born again (see John 3). I don’t think that Nicodemus was playing games with Jesus when he showed incredulity at what Jesus said. His words sounded like nonsense to Nicodemus. How could he possibly go through the process of birth all over again? But Jesus was clear: no doubt Nicodemus was a good and godly man, but he needed to start out on a completely new spiritual journey. His physical birth obviously couldn’t be repeated but, if he wanted a spiritual life, he would have to experience a spiritual birth. We all h

2 Corinthians 5:4 Our society tries to avoid talking about death. Paul could not be more different! For Paul it was an incredibly exciting subject because he was convinced that his life was in God’s hands. Therefore, he was completely confident about the future. Paul uses two pictures in his teaching about death. First, he speaks of our bodies as being like a tent. Tents are temporary. The day will come when our earthly tent is taken down, and we will go to our eternal home in heaven. Paul also talks about our bodies as being like a set of clothes. They will do for the moment – and we may be quite comfortable wearing them – but God has a much better set of clothes waiting for us. We should look forward to the day when we will be able to wear them. Our temporary human bodies will be swallowed up in glorious life! As Christians, the best is yet to come. Understandably, we may be very unsure about the future. The idea of death and what lies beyond it is, by definition, outside our experience and

2 Corinthians 4:16 Have you ever been tempted to give up? Paul talks about this twice in this chapter and concludes that he will never give up, despite having a very demanding ministry. There must have been many occasions when quitting seemed extremely tempting! We don’t know about every challenge he faced but we do know that he was (in his own words!) hard pressed on every side, perplexed, hunted down and in constant danger of death. It must have been incredibly tough. But Paul was clear: he would not throw in the towel! And here, he gives a firm reason why. Every single day he was being renewed. Our bodies can’t keep going for ever. From about 25 years old, all of us are in a state of physical and mental decline. From about 18 to 25 years, the number of newly formed cells in our bodies balance the dying ones. However, after 25, the number that are dying are greater than the number of new ones being made. That’s the ageing process. There’s no way of avoiding it. I’m sorry if that isn’t the word o

2 Corinthians 4:7-9 I wonder how strong or weak you think you are. It can be hard to admit our vulnerabilities but here Paul does so in the most open way. He lays bare the way in which he has been knocked about in ministry. He faced pressures from every direction and was happy to admit how weak he felt. But, through it all, he had not been defeated and was clear that the reason for this was the power of God. He was just a fragile clay jar. All credit for his survival in ministry must go to God. When things are difficult, it is easy to conclude that we are in the wrong place. We make the assumption that, if we
are in the place God wants us to be, everything will go smoothly. However, God has lots of tough work to be done. As Paul discovered, when we are obedient to God, we may be pushed to our absolute limits. It is important in all of this to know ourselves and God. We must recognise that we are all fragile, and that God
is able to strengthen us whatever the circumstances. Paul’s candid testimony

2 Corinthians 4:5 Whatever you are doing today, it’s vital to have a clear objective. Being unclear about what you are trying to achieve is frustrating, confusing and exhausting. Paul did not suffer from this problem! He was absolutely certain that his role was to preach about Jesus, pure and simple. In a church that was very interested in the different personalities of their leaders, Paul made it plain that he didn’t want to be the focus of their attention. The word ‘Christocentric’ – or centred on Christ – sums this up well. This is the calling of every Christian. In our everyday life, we seek to put Jesus at the centre of our thinking, our relationships and our activities. Paul, as a preacher, was determined not to impress people with beautifully polished sermons but to ensure that they met with Jesus and understood that he died on the cross for them. But whatever your calling, you can live a Christocentric life. If you are a shopworker, you can ensure your care for customers and staff radi

2 Corinthians 3:18 Nothing stands still for long. If you need proof of that, take a look at a photo of yourself from ten years ago. We are constantly changing, whether we like it or not! Here, Paul speaks about the way in which we change as Christians. As followers of Jesus, if our lives look exactly the same as they did in the past, something has gone desperately wrong. Being a Christian is very different from belonging to a club, where you can normally tailor your involvement
to suit yourself. Many people belong to gyms but never attend. By way of contrast, Christianity is a relationship within which God’s desire is that we change. Paul talks about the importance of growing in faith and becoming more mature many time. Here, in 2 Corinthians, he speaks of us changing so that we look more and more
like Jesus. We may have a long way to go, but the Holy Spirit, day by day, is working the miracle of changing us into Christ’s likeness. Often, the best way of seeing this process at work is by looking

2 Corinthians 3:4-5 Qualifications are important. You can’t deny it. If I catch a train, I want to know the driver is qualified! When a surgeon operates on me, I want to know that they have passed all the appropriate exams. Paul addresses the crucial question of what qualifies someone to work for God. His work is of eternal importance, so we need to know exactly what kind of qualifications are needed. There are any number of excellent courses in biblical study, theology and Christian ministry available to us today, whether online or in person. It is wonderful that there are so many ways we can train to work for God. But don’t for a moment imagine that those paper qualifications are all you need. Ultimately, you need to know that God’s hand is upon your life and that he is directing, inspiring and enabling the work you are doing. Paul sums it up neatly: “Our qualification comes from God.” I thank God for the privilege of studying at Bible college and for able scholars who helped me to understand

2 Corinthians 2:14-15 Smells are powerful. I can still remember some of the smells from my childhood. Many of them are associated with summer holidays, when we would visit the Isle of Wight and smell the sea, the wildflowers and the beautiful fresh bread. Most of the smells I recall are sweet, although I can’t quite get over the boyhood memory of the smell of a French fish market! I love the idea that, as we speak about Jesus, we are spreading around sweet perfume. When a Roman general won a military victory, there would be a triumphal procession through the city. The general wore a crown of laurel and a specially- embroidered purple and gold toga. He rode a four-horse chariot through the streets with his army, prisoners and spoils of war. Along the route, perfumes were sprinkled – a sweet smell of victory for those on the general’s side and the smell of death and defeat for those he had beaten. Paul uses this powerful picture to remind his readers that, as Jesus leads us in triumph, his fragr

2 Corinthians 1:21-22 I wonder what you really make of your Christian brothers and sisters. Honestly. Let me suggest that you find them mixed. You feel incredibly close to some of them and know that you could share anything with them. And then there are others who you find hard work. You just don’t easily see eye to eye with them. Their approach to life and the Lord is so different from yours. That was certainly Paul’s experience! The Corinthian Christians were very mixed. Some were his close friends and others were doing everything they could to destroy his ministry. What I love about these verses is that Paul addresses the whole Church and celebrates the way in which God has blessed them – all of them. He is so gracious with his accusers and those who are trying to obstruct his ministry. He reminds them all that they are standing firm in Christ and can all be sure of God’s blessings in the future. Paul speaks of the blessing of the Holy Spirit at work in every single believer. He says the Holy S

2 Corinthians 1:12 Life isn’t always easy. It certainly wasn’t for Paul, whose ministry often came under vicious attack. His relationship with the church in Corinth was, at times, particularly painful, especially as he had helped to establish it. He loved the Corinthians passionately and was desperate for them to grow and thrive in the Lord. However, time and again, they were a great disappointment to him. It got even worse when they started making cruel and unfounded accusations against him. Nothing is harder than people falsely accusing you. It is so incredibly painful. When you know that you have acted out of love and concern, it is agonising to be accused of acting out of self-interest. Paul’s response is that he is absolutely convinced he has acted in the right way towards God. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what other people make of our ministry. What matters is what God makes of it, and Paul is utterly convinced that he has ministered in the right way. I have had the privilege

Proverbs 11:11 Following God is an intensely personal matter. But it mustn’t stop there. Living God’s way affects every part of our life. It needs to flow out from our personal walk with God to the community in which we live. The writer of Proverbs was eager that his readers should understand that they had vital responsibilities towards their society. He knew that the cohesion of their community depended on their personal contribution as upright citizens. Nothing has changed. Our society also depends on the contribution that we make, so let’s explore for a moment what it means for us to be upright citizens. This has to begin with our willingness to submit to the civic authorities, and do what they tell us to do. Paul told the Christians in Rome that they should submit to the governing authorities because their authority came from God. He warned his readers that if they rebelled against the civic leaders they were actually rebelling against God and would be punished for it (Romans 13:3). We also ha

Proverbs 11:1 Dodgy dealers are nothing new. Since the dawn of time, humankind has been involved in trading and there have always been people who have acted dishonestly. For thousands of years, weighing scales have been used – and it is easy to see how traders could adjust them to their advantage. The prophet Amos was well aware of this practice. He wrote: “You measure out grain with dishonest measures, and cheat the buyer with dishonest scales. And you mix the grain you sell with chaff swept from the floor” (Amos 8:5-6). What troubled Amos the most was that the people who cheated their customers were also very religious. However, Amos observed, these religious people couldn’t wait for the Sabbath to be over so that they could get back to the business of cheating people. Amos declared that God hated this and would judge the people who were responsible for it. Indeed, God detested the fact that these people worshipped him. He said that he was not willing to accept the burnt offerings and grain offering

Proverbs 10:25 We used to live very close the Met Office in Exeter. One day I was taken to see the vast computers that work night and day to forecast our weather. The present system was installed in December 2016 and is capable of making over 14,000 trillion arithmetic operations per second. That’s more than 2 million calculations per second for every man, woman and child on the planet. The Met Office is able to take in 215 billion weather observations from all over the world every day. Their ability to predict the weather is all very impressive, but the storms of life are different. They often come without any warning at all. It might be a road accident, an illness or a death, but suddenly everything is different. Our world has been turned on its head. Jesus specifically addressed this issue when he told his readers the parable of the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-27). One of them constructed his house on rock and the other on sand. When the sun was shining, the houses probably looked i

Proverbs 10:20-21 Francis de Sales, a much-loved Bishop of Geneva in the 17th century said: “Our words are a faithful index of the state of our souls.” Whether we like it or not, our words give us away. They reveal for all to see what is going on in the core of our being. That surely means we should focus our attention on ensuring that we speak well. How wonderful to think that well- chosen words could be like the purest silver and bring encouragement to many. Our verses today also say that “the words of the godly encourage many”. Other translations refer to our words as “nourishing” or “feeding many”. I have to conclude from this that it is important we reflect on the way in which we speak. We shouldn’t open our mouths and simply hope that we get it right. May I suggest two positive things that we could all do to help us to speak in a more encouraging and helpful way? Firstly, we need to pray before we speak. When we know that we are meeting up with someone, let’s pray that God will give us t

Genesis 22:2 This is an incredibly tough passage to cope with. My wife and I have three children. The thought of offering one of them as a sacrifice is well beyond my power to comprehend. I really struggle with every part of it. But Abraham agreed to do exactly what God had asked him to do, as terrible as it sounded. I feel sure that, if I had been Abraham, I would have assumed I had misheard God, eaten too much cheese or spent too much time in the sun. Not Abraham. God told him to offer his precious son, Isaac, as a sacrifice, and off he set. This account tells me a great deal about Abraham’s faith. He was absolutely convinced that God could be trusted and that, if God called him to do this hideous thing, it must be for the best. No wonder Abraham was seen as the father of faith! He set the benchmark. To everyone’s relief, God didn’t actually ask Abraham to kill Isaac. But he took him right up the point where Abraham had the knife in his hand and was about to do the dreadful deed. Abraham had no

Genesis 18:13-14 I love laughter and I am sure you do too. It’s a pleasure to see people really letting rip and having a good laugh. Laughter can be sparked off by any number of things, but it is often sparked by absurdity. We laugh at clowns because everything they do is ridiculous and turns our normal expectations of life upside down. Sarah’s laughter was for precisely this reason. She was about 100 years old, decades beyond child-bearing age. Although she had wanted to have children, she had long since got used to the idea that it wasn’t going to happen. Then three mysterious visitors arrived at Abraham and Sarah’s tent in the desert and informed them that she would give birth. The very thought was hilarious because it was so completely absurd. But Sarah was going to have a baby. And the explanation takes us to the heart of the nature of God. Nothing is too hard for him. For us, such a thing would stay on the list of impossibilities, but God is the creator of heaven and earth. For him, such thi