Renew Your Mind

There is some confusion about whether Lent includes Sunday or not, so here on my blog I have decided to write a Weekend Post, to cover two days. Each weekend I shall be considering a person from the Bible, and asking what their story shows us about cultivating character. When you begin to ask questions about what a good person looks like, at some point you reach the realisation that you fall short. As Christians, we name this falling short ‘sin’, and one of the purposes of Lent is to make even more time than usual to consider our sin. Some of us don’t even need Lent to do this, as we spend most of our time feeling bad about ourselves and find it difficult to believe that we could ever be transformed. Some of us have had damaging words spoken to us, or things done to us, that have convinced us that we are unworthy and that we are beyond hope of change. Eugene Peterson directs us to the stories and Psalms of David. He writes “ The way of David is the way of imperfection. The ...

David's journey had begun with such promise. As the oil from Samuel's anointing dripped down his face, he might easily have believed that his life would change- for the better. But for the next chapters of 1 Samuel, we read again and again of Saul's jealousy and suspicion, of threats to his life, of David running to caves, deserts and foreign kings. How do we react when our journey is difficult? Do we complain that it is not fair- what have we done to deserve this? Do we harbour a belief that our life was supposed to be easier than this? Have we believed the myth that if we trust God, He will make our journey easy? David's story reminds us that even though we live as sons and daughters of the King, we live here and now in a world blighted by sin and our journey was never going to be easy. This weekend, read some of David's own words... O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good His steadfast love endures for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, Those...

Samuel the prophet has come to the family of Jesse on the Lord's business. He is to anoint the next King of Israel. The only problem he has is although God has told him where to go, he has not told him who to anoint, and Jesse had eight sons. So Samuel assumes that it must be the eldest son who is the chosen one- but God has other ideas. The Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7 We hear clearly here the truth that we saw played out in the story of Ruth- that we are all significant to God, and whatever the world around us might think, He sees our heart and has great plans for us. Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring ...