the ENd word
Do you listen in order to understand?
Lizzy Smallwood
In my last few articles we are looking at how the apostle James views the ‘respectable’ sins that we allow to take root and grow in us unchecked.
So, on to another of James’ diagnostic tests. I read something recently that hit a nerve: ‘One of the biggest problems with our communication is that we do not listen to understand, we listen to reply.’
Not a stingy God, a God of abundance
Tim Vasby-Burnie
Now and again I will give a recitation of 1 Peter from memory and I know when the first smiles will cross the faces of those listening: when I reach the end of chapter 1 verse 2: 'Grace and peace be yours in abundance'.
'Grace and peace be yours' – this is standard fare for an epistle. 'In abundance' adds a new dimension.
Have we forgotten the joy of obeying Christ?
Tim Vasby-Burnie
We've all had the experience of ticking 'Yes I have read and agree to the Terms and Conditions' as we install new software, take out some insurance or sign up for a new social media platform. Sometimes we are even forced to scroll through the small print before we can click 'Yes' - but do we ever actually read the text?
I did once, when agreeing to a cash-back offer that came with a new phone - I wanted to know exactly when I needed to send the company copies of my bill. It was a hassle, but worth it for the savings.
Am I in the right place?
Tim Vasby-Burnie
'What am I doing here?' 'Are we in the right place?' These could be the questions of a Christian in the public sector, trying to tread delicately but truthfully during Pride month. Or the Christian minister in a church that is resistant to Biblical truth. Or Christians in a village in India actively hostile to the precariously small Christian community.
Peter’s first letter is addressed to 'God’s elect, exiles scattered'. It seems almost a contradiction. To be God’s elect may bring to your mind associations with honour, glory, status, privilege. Exile has associations with shame, suffering, being overlooked or looked down upon. Peter brings both together throughout the letter, right the way to 5:15 where greetings are sent from 'she who is in Babylon, chosen together with you'. Exiled in Babylon, yet chosen, elect.
the ENd word
From fire without to fire within
Jeremy McQuoid
I was brought up hearing the message of salvation clearly and repeatedly, week after week, in such an unmistakable way that classic gospel texts like John 3:16, Romans 3:23 and 1 Timothy 1:15 are etched on my psyche to this day. And I am eternally grateful for that.
I heard a lot of preaching that painted fiery pictures of hell in such a way that every hearer was anxious to run to the cross of Christ for rescue. I was left in no doubt that I had an urgent need to ‘be saved’, and I’m very glad about that.
the ENd word
Sin’s ‘nice hierarchy’
Lizzy Smallwood
In our series on ‘Respectable Sins’, James uncovered our terrible favouritism and snobbery last time (James 2: 1-7), shown in the way we treat those we think are beneath us or above us in status.
‘My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism.’ Jesus is not interested in our definition of worthy. He is looking for sinners to save – be they rich or poor. He is looking for recipients of His grace; that includes all of us! Our worth is found – only in Him.
the ENd word
Favouritism & prejudice
Lizzy Smallwood
Here in Bodmin we run a free café off the back of the local food bank. Each week a Housing Advisor comes to offer foodbank clients help.
So, the other day a woman came and sat down with the advisor. She was pierced and tattooed to within an inch of her life. Her dreadlocks were phenomenal, and her clothes were eclectic – even for Cornwall.
the ENd word
Avoiding money’s pitfalls
Lizzy Smallwood
For a time in the endWord, we are receiving some spiritual heart surgery as we look at the letter of James. He uncovers some of our more insidious, respectable sins and cautions us from fatally wandering from the truth (James 5:19-20)
It seems that we are always facing a choice as we wander through this life: two pathways – the pathway of Obedience: faith and trust which leads to wisdom, or the pathway of Pride: a wilful double-mindedness that leads to folly and destruction.
the ENd word
How rich are you?
Lizzy Smallwood
For a time in the endWord, we are receiving some spiritual heart surgery as we look at the letter of James. He uncovers some of our more insidious, respectable sins and cautions us from fatally wandering from the truth (James 5:19-20).
When it comes to the big ones – ‘sex and drugs and rock ’n roll’ – we Christians often feel pretty good about ourselves compared to the world, and we may assume God feels the same way about us too.
the ENd word
Last of the Summer Wine?
Jeremy McQuoid
Jesus leaves the best ’til last! We need to remember that when the heat is on, fruit seems hard to come by, the bones are tired, and you perhaps question why you are in ministry at all – whether you are a full-time minister, or a sold-out lay member of a church that brings more trouble than triumph.
Jesus came to a wedding in Cana in Galilee, very early on in his ministry (John 2:1-11). The high expectations and joy of a wedding reflect the kind of expectation many of us enter ministry with: the joy of spending your whole life studying God’s word, shepherding His people, and seeing the gospel come alive in people’s hearts. What could be better than that?
the ENd word
When the going gets tough
Lizzy Smallwood
We are spending some time in the endWord having spiritual heart surgery from the letter of James.
Here is a reminder of Dr James’ diagnosis of us: ‘You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred towards God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God’ (James 4:4).
the ENd word
How big is your God?
Jeremy McQuoid
I have been wrestling with Romans 9 to 11 recently. If you are a preacher, you will no doubt relate to my problem.
Having preached through Romans a couple of times, I always want to stop at chapter 8, not just for the glory of that ‘no separation’ finish, but also because I want to avoid Romans 9 and all the pastoral complications it brings.
the ENd word
Rest your head on the ‘soft pillow of God’s providence’
Elizabeth McQuoid
Family, finances, the state of the church, the latest Bill being discussed in Parliament, war in Ukraine… the list of things we could worry about is endless.
I worry when I feel out of control, when the illusion that I can smooth out the wrinkles of life for myself and those whom I love shatters, when some event reminds me that I was never in control in the first place.
the ENd word
How God guides us
Jeremy McQuoid
‘… the Holy Spirit had prevented them from preaching the word in the province of Asia at that time.’ (Acts 16:6)
How do you get guidance from the Lord? As I write this article, I’ve been putting together messages based on Christmas nativity passages where divine guidance seems to come by way of angelic visitations, dreams and reading astrological charts. They are fascinating passages, but I’m not sure they are a ‘how to’ guide for discovering God’s will. It is important to remember that these dramatic moments of guidance came before God had poured out His Spirit at Pentecost.
the ENd word
I was God’s enemy too
Jeremy McQuoid
Opening my Bible,
the other morning,
looking
for
a
timely word
from
the
Lord, I turned to that memorable verse,
‘No Ammonite or Moabite may
enter
the Assembly of
the Lord. Even
to
the
tenth generation…’ (Deut. 23:3). I had
actually opened to verse 1, but that was too
inappropriate to quote in an en devotional!
Working your way through Deuteronomy
becomes hard work when you get to the legal
section. The next passage (v.9-14) is about
uncleanness and making sure you go outside
the camp if you want to relieve yourself –
not quite the heart-warming devotional I
was hoping for!
the ENd word
What is Jesus doing now?
Elizabeth McQuoid
Over the years my boys have perfected the art of procrastination at bedtime.
They know, without any shadow of doubt, that a carefully crafted question about God will guarantee extra time chatting with their dad, long after ‘lights out’. Last night’s attempt to derail bedtime was the question: ‘What is Jesus doing now?’ Chewing over the answer kept me awake long after my son had fallen asleep.
the ENd word
Answered prayer – not?
Elizabeth McQuoid
My friend was praying for a new car. He was
involved in itinerant ministry and clocking
up many miles. His car was failing fast but
he didn’t have the finances to buy another.
One day after church, a member of the
congregation said, ‘We are changing our car
and we’d like you to have our current one.
It’s three years old and has only done 15,000
miles.’ My friend was flabbergasted at such
an amazing answer to prayer. A few months
later, I asked him how he was enjoying his
new car. He rolled his eyes and sighed: ‘It’s
spent more time in the garage than on the
road. It’s the worst car I’ve ever had!’
the ENd word
How patient are you?
Jeremy McQuoid
How patient are you? The closer you get
to
the end of
the New Testament,
the
more the word ‘patience’ and its bedfellow
‘perseverance’ begin to dominate.
If you live your life purely in the book of
Acts, reading about church planting, city
riots, earthquakes
smashing open prison
bars, and the gospel racing from Jerusalem
to Rome at breakneck speed, you might get
the wrong impression of what faithful gospel
ministry looks like.
the ENd word
Uncomfortably good...
Jeremy McQuoid
The apostle James is an uncomfortably straight talker, but he’s exactly what our easily distracted souls need. His letter is deceptively simple, packed with pithy, hard-hitting proverbs, that challenge the day-to-day indolence of our sinful hearts.
As an example, James 1:26-27 covers the full gamut of our spirituality in just a couple of phrases. Firstly, James calls us to ‘bridle’ our tongues (v.26), like we might do a rebellious horse. Preachers and leaders say a lot of carefully chosen words in the pulpit. It is outside of the pulpit where we need to watch!
the ENd word
Thoughts for weary hearts
Elizabeth McQuoid
The end of lockdown has not been the panacea that most of us had hoped for.
We’ve emerged to find the world irrevocably changed – politically, financially and culturally. The need to be ‘salt and light’, to speak God’s truth and show His love has never been greater. But what does the Bible say to our weary hearts?
the ENd word
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Jeremy McQuoid
I remember the thrilling moment, in the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark, when the German soldiers opened the lid of the ark of the covenant, and Indiana Jones tells his leading lady not to look, as angels, turning into demons, emerge from the golden box to wipe out the soldiers.
Sadly, that is the image at the forefront of most believers’ minds when they think about the ark, because we hear very little about the ark from our pulpits! The ark of the covenant is brimming with meaning. It was part of the tabernacle whose exact specifications were laid out by God to Moses over about 15 chapters of Exodus (Ex.25-40). My guess is that we have spent more time unpacking the burning bush than we have the ark of the covenant. So let’s ‘raid’ the ark again.
the ENd word
How do you combat FOMO?
Elizabeth McQuoid
I’m at the embarrassing age where I often need to Google the texting acronyms my student son uses. (Do you know what CMB or AFAIK mean?)
The best one I have come across is FOMO – the fear of missing out. It is this perception that others are having more fun, living better lives, or experiencing better things than we are. Unfortunately, it is not just a trait I recognise in my teenagers. When I look at Facebook and see happy families enjoying holidays in the sun I sometimes feel myself turning an unattractive shade of green. More worryingly still, I recognise FOMO in my spiritual life. When life is hard I’m tempted to look at other Christians enjoying an apparently suffering-free life and to remind God, ‘That’s not fair!’
the ENd word
The one reliable resolution
Elizabeth McQuoid
New Year brings a flurry of talk about resolutions – the pounds we’ll drop, the exercise we’ll embrace and the hobbies we’ll master. Without fail, the turning of the calendar gives us an impetus to try again. It’s a collective opportunity for a fresh start, a clean slate.
Why do we love the idea of a ‘do over’? Because we all long to do better, to be better. Despite our failed attempts and unfulfilled longings we keep trying because we were made for something more. As C.S. Lewis surmised, ‘If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.’
the ENd word
An encouraging warning
Jeremy McQuoid
It may seem strange to build a devotional
on one of Hebrews’
famous warning
passages (Heb. 2:1-4), but I hope you will
see encouragement as well as admonition
here.
Being
confronted with
such
a
stark
warning – ‘how shall we escape if we neglect
such a great salvation?’ – reveals something
of the wonder of the gospel He has entrusted
to us.
