Vindicate Me, O God

Vindicate Me O God

Posted: 05 Sep 2011 04:00 AM PDT

By Erik Retallick

1 Vindicate me, O God, and defend my cause
against an ungodly people,
from the deceitful and unjust man
deliver me!

Psalm 43:1-5

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A short while ago I wrote an article about Psalm 42 and mentioned that Psalm 43 follows on very closely with its thoughts and tone.

However, on taking a closer look, I think you will see a much brighter spirit emerging from the gloomy preoccupations of Psalm 42 with its small glimmers of hope here and there.

Those who have suffered depression or mental health disorders which have become so prevalent in our modern world know that it can sometimes seem like a long tunnel they are going through, and at first there appears to be no light at the other end.

After a few bends in the road and maybe some lighter moments, it is glorious to emerge once again into broad daylight, to feel God’s love, peace and joy returning as a reality in our daily experience.

God has been there all the time of course, but we’ve been looking in the wrong direction or become too preoccupied in a cycle of gloom and negativity.

The first thing the Psalmist asks for in this Psalm is vindication and defence, emanating from God. He knows that he has to constantly deal and cope with ungodly people, just as we have to in our contemporary world.

He requests deliverance from the unjust and ungodly man, something which many of us long for when dealing with the current ways of carrying out business.

Some would say it has ever been thus, but I have noticed a definite slippery slope as money becomes scarcer and business becomes harder to maintain. Honesty and integrity, certainly in the UK, seem to be very much lacking in so many areas of business, but especially in the worlds of finance and politics.

Isn’t it a comfort to know that we have a God in whom we can take refuge (verse 2), yet despite this it is still possible to feel that God has abandoned or rejected us.

When the Psalmist asks the question, “Why do I go about mourning because of of the oppression of the enemy?” I believe it is because He feels something of the way God must feel when people abandon His commandments and decide to do things their own way.

It makes us feel oppressed and as though we are swimming against the tide when we try to follow and keep to God’s laws in a society where they have been abandoned.

Verse 3 is a prayer which all those who know and love Jesus, desiring to follow Him, must want to echo. “Send out Your light and Your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your dwelling!

The nearer we draw to God, the nearer He will draw near to us (James 4:8). We will then reflect His light towards others and they will see that we have been with Jesus and the radical difference it makes to us as His chosen people.

The Psalmist is then led to go to the altar of God, the place where sacrifices are made and where thanksgiving and praises are said and sung.

Do you enjoy praising and thanking God, for who He is and what He has done by saving us from the world, the Devil, flesh and the last enemy, death itself ?

In Psalm 122, David begins this Psalm of ascent by saying “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” You’ve probably heard the story about the husband who wakes up on a Sunday morning and says to his wife “Oh no, it’s Sunday again, I really don’t want to go to church,” to which his wife replies, “but you’ll have to go, my dear, because you’re the pastor and you’re taking the service!”

I don’t know whether it’s because of the (polite British) persecution we are experiencing here now, or people’s apathy to anything that is spiritual, but I always go to worship God together with His people with a sense of excitement and anticipation, because I know He is going to meet with us, to love and enjoy our praises and hearts being led out to Him in praise and worship.

We can bring the needs of our world, friends and brothers and sisters to Him and hear and put into practice what He has to say to us! To me it is party celebration time, and the way things are going, we don’t know for how much longer we will be free to have this privilege, which is a foretaste of Heaven, where we shall be able to praise and serve Him for ever!

Although Psalm 43 ends with the sad “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” refrain which we see several times in Psalm 42, we see an amazing positive outcome.” The Psalmist ends by saying that if he hopes in God, He will praise Him again and know His salvation.

Salvation, wholeness and healing are still available to all who put their faith and trust in Jesus, seek His forgiveness through confessing their sins (1 John 1:9) and choose to follow Him as their Saviour and Lord.

You can know God’s salvation today, maybe by inviting Him into your heart and life for the first time. In John 1:12 it says “To all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."

My prayer for you is that you may know with certainty today that you are a blood-bought child of God through knowing that Jesus died to save you from sin and have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

If you already know Him my prayer is that you will walk ever closer with Him and draw others to Him. As St. Augustine said, “preach the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.”

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Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul?

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[Translate]

Psalm 42

Why Are You Cast Down, O My Soul

by Erik Retallick

To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food
day and night,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”
These things I remember,
as I pour out my soul:
how I would go with the throng
and lead them in procession to the house of God
with glad shouts and songs of praise,
a multitude keeping festival.

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

My soul is cast down within me;
therefore I remember you
from the land of Jordan and of Hermon,
from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep
at the roar of your waterfalls;
all your breakers and your waves
have gone over me.
By day the LORD commands his steadfast love,
and at night his song is with me,
a prayer to the God of my life.
I say to God, my rock:
”Why have you forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning
because of the oppression of the enemy?”
As with a deadly wound in my bones,
my adversaries taunt me,
while they say to me all the day long,
”Where is your God?”

Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.

Many people can probably identify with many of the anguished feelings the Psalmist expresses here, with all the turmoil going on in the world at large, the Middle East and African unrest and their own personal uncertain circumstances and relationships.

Do these things give us a thirst for God, as expressed here (verses 1-2)? Or do we become bitter and say, why should this be happening to me? As one of my mother’s Christian friends who is very ill, and has been for many years responds when people say, “Don’t you question why God lets all these things happen to you?” with the reply, “Why shouldn’t these things happen to me? Like Paul, she seems to count it a privilege to share in the sufferings of her Lord, to be counted worthy enough to suffer.

In between the overwhelming moments of feeling downcast and depressed, the writer of this Psalm expresses some wonderful thoughts, which we would do well to take to heart in these turbulent times.

1) In verse 2 he longs to come and appear before God, to be in His presence, to take delight in being with Him!

2) In verse 4 he recalls the days when he felt liberty in praising God, making his way with a crowd of God’s people singing with joy as they anticipated a forthcoming festival celebration. Do we feel like that on our way to worship the Lord with our brothers and sisters, or is it a case of sighing and thinking, “it’s that day of the week again, I suppose I ought to go.”

3) Verse 6 brings in the hope factor, that essential ingredient of our lives, that helps us to get up in the morning and motivates us to serve the Lord with gladness! He obviously had a real sense of God’s presence in the land of Yarden and the Peaks of Mount Hermon and the hill of Mizar. It does us good when we are downcast to recall those precious moments in our lives where God has touched us in a special way and reminded us how special He is to us and how important we are to Him; even the very hairs of our head are numbered.

4) In verse 9, even though the Psalmist questions why God has deserted him, he refers to God as his Rock, the one and only firm foundation in his life. Again, it does us good when we are going through overwhelming problems, to recall that God is our Rock, whose ways are perfect. Deuteronomy 32:4 says “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all his ways are just. A trustworthy God who does no wrong, he is righteous and straight.”

5) This amazing Psalm, which expresses so many depths of sorrow and anguish, ends with a reaffirmation of faith in our trustworthy God, our Rock. “Hope in God, since I will praise Him again for being my Savior and God.”

Without the walks through the dark valleys and the steep climbs up the rocky mountainsides, how would we ever get to appreciate the mountaintop experiences in our lives? Sometimes the mountaintop experiences may seem far and few between, but they are then all the more precious. Even when his friends and family questioned “Where is your God?” the writer of this Psalm knew deep in his heart that He was there all the time. Likewise, He has promised to “never leave or abandon us” (Hebrews 13:5)

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I'd Rather Have Jesus

"Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is crooked in his ways." Proverbs 28:6 (ESV)

Billy Graham preaching the Gospel

George Beverly Shea in action!

I remember as a young 11 year old in 1966, Billy Graham came to London, capital of the UK, where he held a Crusade, I think it was for 10 days, in the great exhibition centre, Earls Court, the last night moving to Wembley Stadium, our largest football ground. Night after night, people came in their thousands to hear the Good News of Jesus preached simply and plainly, with an appeal at the end for people to come to the front of the hall to commit or recommit their lives to Jesus. Many people came to know Jesus as their Saviour as a result of that great event.

It was my privilege to be taken by my parents to hear this great American preacher. There was no reason for me to go forward after the appeal at the end. I had already committed my life to Jesus at the age of 8 and been baptized at the age of 10. What made a tremendous impact apart from the fact that the man who spoke seemed so normal even though he came from America and said a lot of things that seemed to relate to a young boy living on a tiny island thousands of miles away, was the music. There was a singer called George Beverly Shea who sang the following words with great feeling and an obvious 100% commitment to their message.

I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,

I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,

I'd rather be led by His nail-pierced hand

Than to be the king of a vast domain

And be held in sin's dread sway;

I'd rather have Jesus than anything

This world affords today.

The simplicity of the tune was such that it didn't detract from the words being conveyed by a man in his mid 40's who was well dressed and obviously meant every word which he sang. It certainly made an impact on someone who came from a poor background in a small village where we lived a contented and care-free life playing outside without any fear and knowing that we were safe and loved by our parents and extended family.

I think something became ingrained in my thinking at that point, and that is that there are two very distinct sets of values, involving earthly treasures and wealth and heavenly treasures. During our life time on earth, which is short, we have to make a choice about which we are going to set our hearts on, because, as Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21 (ESV).

So the choice we have to make in our life is to follow Jesus who took on Himself the form of a servant and owned nothing or to hanker after the things that are for this life only. We have been taught a salutary lesson about earthly investment in the last few years, and many of our bankers, financiers and wise investors are looking for alternative investments.

Those of us who follow Jesus as our Saviour and Lord have effectively chosen an alternative investment, one that involves laying up treasures in Heaven. The way in which this is contrasted with the world's way in the opening Proverb quoted is very stark, it is better to be poor and walk in integrity than rich and crooked in our ways. I have to challenge myself on a regular basis, with the last two lines of the verse in this hymn. Can I honestly say today, here and now, "I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today?" If we are involved in the King's work, serving Jesus and reaching out to others with our hearts and lives to share His love and compassion, then the King will provide for our needs according to His riches, and He owns everything.

The Future Glory of Israel

ISAIAH 60:1-6

The Future Glory of Israel

1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. 2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and His glory will be seen upon you. 3 And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. 4 Lift up your eyes all around, and see; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from afar, and your daughters shall be carried on the hip. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and exult, because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Epha; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the LORD!

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From the events we have witnessed in so many of the countries surrounding Israel during the last few weeks, we can see the truth of verse 2, darkness covering the earth and thick darkness the peoples. Let us pray that God's people will enable God's light to be seen across the world and shine out even brighter as the days grow darker. It is generally believed that the darkest part of the night is just before dawn breaks through.

It is wonderful reading these words to see people coming from all over the world to see and worship the King of kings, king David's greater Son. We can witness this happening and long for the complete fulfillment of this part of Isaiah's amazing prophecy to the people of God. Don't we just long to see God's glory filling this place as we offer our gifts and sacrifices of praise and worship to Him for all that He has done in and through the work of Jesus!

Some Thoughts and Comments on Psalm 145

David playing the harp

PSALM 145

1Praise. By David: I will praise you to the heights, my God, the king; I will bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you; I will praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is ADONAI and greatly to be praised; his greatness is beyond all searching out. 4 Each generation will praise your works to the next and proclaim your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on the glorious splendor of your majesty and on the story of your wonders. 6 People will speak of your awesome power, and I will tell of your great deeds. 7 They will gush forth the fame of your abounding goodness, and they will sing of your righteousness. 8 ADONAI is merciful and compassionate, slow to anger and great in grace. 9 ADONAI is good to all; his compassion rests on all his creatures. 10 All your creatures will thank you, ADONAI, and your faithful servants will bless you. 11 They will speak of the glory of your kingship, and they will tell about your might; 12 to let everyone know of your mighty acts and the glorious majesty of your kingship. 13 Your kingship is an everlasting kingship, your reign continues through all generations. 14 ADONAI supports all who fall and lifts up all who are bent over. 15 The eyes of all are looking to you; you give them their food at the right time. 16 You open your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 ADONAI is righteous in all his ways, full of grace in all he does. 18 ADONAI is close to all who call on him, to all who sincerely call on him. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 ADONAI protects all who love him, but all the wicked he destroys. 21 My mouth will proclaim the praise of ADONAI; all people will bless his holy name forever and ever.

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I was greatly blessed by hearing some excellent exposition and comment on this Psalm yesterday whilst visiting my mother's church and what a wonderful Psalm it is in uplifting and exalting our great God high above everything and all principalities and powers that ever have been, are now or ever shall exist. David declares here that he is resolved to bless God every day for ever and ever. As followers of Yeshua, are we resolved in our hearts to do the same as the example set by the Psalmist King of Israel who most likely wrote the original musical setting to this Psalm? How I would love to have heard that original performance, but unfortunately the CD hadn't been invented then.

We learn from this Psalm that David praised God for His work in Creation, abounding goodness, compassion and righteousness. Here David declares in verse 10 that all God's creatures and faithful servants will bless Him. He then goes on to declare His kingship and the fact that His Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom, in stark contrast to the passing and fading governments of the kings and presidents of this world. Do you know and recognize the Kingship of God in your life today?

We then discover in verse 14 that God is a support to all who fall and lifts up those who are bent over or stooped. In verses 15 and 16 we see that He is our provider of food and clothing and satisfies the desires of every living creature. Have you experienced His provision in your life, particularly during hard times?

In verse 19 we see that He fulfils our desires and hears the cries of those who call out to Him, and responds by saving them, as He did when the Israelites needed deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Have you known His saving hand and deliverance in your own personal experience? Do you know what it is to be set free from sin and slavery to sin, addictions or bad habits of one kind or another?

If you cry out in your need, whatever it may be today, God will bring deliverance, salvation, healing and wholeness through the perfect sacrifice of Yeshua who died to take away our sin and reconcile us to God. You will then be only too willing and prepared to praise God and bless His holy name for ever, day after day, just as David declared he would in this wonderful Psalm.

This article was originally written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy group on Facebook.

For to Us a child is born

ISAIAH 9:1-7

1 But there will be no more gloom for those who are now in anguish. In the past the land of Z'vulun and the land of Naftali were regarded lightly; but in the future he will honor the way to the lake, beyond the Yarden, Galil-of-the-Goyim. 2 The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned. 3 You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice in your presence as if rejoicing at harvest time, the way men rejoice when dividing up the spoil. 4 For the yoke that weighed them down, the bar across their shoulders, and their driver's goad you have broken as on the day of Midyan['s defeat]. 5 For all the boots of soldiers marching and every cloak rolled in blood is destined for burning, fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace], 7 in order to extend the dominion and perpetuate the peace of the throne and kingdom of David, to secure it and sustain it through justice and righteousness henceforth and forever. The zeal of ADONAI-Tzva'ot will accomplish this.

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When Isaiah wrote this prophecy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, it was not an unusual historical situation. Isra'el were being attacked and oppressed by neighbouring enemies, notably the Assyrians who were attacking the Northern Kingdom. Naphtali and Zebulun were on the northern border in NE Galilee, West of the River Jordan and were the first part of Isra'el to be invaded by the Assyrian King. An account of the events that occurred can be read in 2 Kings 15:29-31.

Isaiah wrote this prophecy somewhere in the years 735-715 BC, but if we look at Isra'el now we can see that there has been little change in her vulnerability to the enemies she has in the world. Not only is she being almost daily attacked by rockets from Gaza but the posture and attitude of many of her surrounding neighbours is in opposition to her very existence as a nation. On the world stage she is being adandoned by one nation after another. Countries which once supported Isra'el such as Turkey, USA and the UK are tending now towards support for the opponents of Isra'el, where they are tempted by worldy riches and power and the material assets which can be gained from this political stance.

Isra'el has been preserved and protected by God from the enemy hordes surrounding her, and today, so long after Isaiah's prophecy, against all the odds, she stands as a symbol of God's care and preservation of His own, of His salvation and deliverance. Similarly, we as the children of God are individually and collectively kept and preserved by a loving and caring God who in His mercy has promised to never leave us or forsake us.

We go on to read in verse 3 of isaiah 9 that "The people living in darkness have seen a great light; upon those living in the land that lies in the shadow of death, light has dawned." We know that this points forward to the coming of Jesus into the world, who referred to Himself as the light of the world. We are called to reflect that light to others, to be like beacons set on a hill. As the days we live in grow ever darker, the light of Christ shines out all the brighter in a dark world.

After explaining how Isra'el will overcome the opposition, we come to the words which are so relevant to us as Christians, and which we so often recall during the Christmas season as we celebrate the birthday of our Lord Jesus. In verse 6 we read, "For a child is born to us, a son is given to us.; dominion will rest on His shoulders, and He will be give the name Wonder of a Counsellor, Mighty God,, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace."

If you feel you need a Counsellor, it's fine to talk to fellow Christians and professional counsellors, but if they are any good they will point you to the most Wonderful Counsellor, Jesus Himself.

Jesus is also Mighty God, emptying Himself, becoming flesh and being found in the form of a servant. This is the wonder of the Incarnation, that God could become a man, He who is the Father of Eternity. Have you ever wondered how He finds time to answer all our individual and corporate prayers? He doesn't need time, because He is eternal and doesn't have to work within time constraints like us.

The final title given here, Prince of Peace, is the most significant one to me. In the same way way as Isra'el needs peace and we are told to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, we need it now more than ever before. Jesus has produced peace and unlike earthly elements or commodities, it is priceless and available in endless supply. Jesus has bought us Peace with God through His perfect sacrifice for sin which is effective for all eternity. May you experience peace with God this Christmas as you allow Him into your life, and let Him impart His peace to your troubled soul and mind.

We read finally in this passage that the son of God, born to make us whole and reconcile us to the Father through dealing with the problem of sin which was nailed to the cross when He died, is establishing a Kingdom which will be an everlasting Kingdom. This is a work under construction, we often say that the Kingdom of God is "now-and not yet." Where you see God at work today, saving people, reaching out to those in need, healing and delivering people from those things that have enslaved them, the building blocks of that Kingdom are being put in place. I don't know about you, but I get really excited when I see the work and purposes of God being manifest day by day across the world.

I wish you a very happy and Christ-filled Christmas and end with a quote from a well-known carol, "Where meek souls will receive Him, Still the dear Lord enters in."

Daniel's Prayer for his People

DANIEL'S PRAYER FOR HIS PEOPLE

DANIEL 9:3-19

3 I turned to Adonai, God, to seek an answer, pleading with him in prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4 I prayed to ADONAI my God and made this confession: "Please, Adonai, great and fearsome God, who keeps his covenant and extends grace to those who love him and observe his mitzvot! 5 We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled and turned away from your mitzvot and rulings. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our ancestors and to all the people of the land. 7 "To you, Adonai, belongs righteousness; but to us today belongs shame - to us, the men of Y'hudah, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim and all Isra'el, including those nearby and those far away, throughout all the countries where you have driven them; because they broke faith with you. 8 Yes, ADONAI, shame falls on us, our kings, our leaders and our ancestors; because we sinned against you. 9 It is for Adonai our God to show compassion and forgiveness, because we rebelled against him. 10 We didn't listen to the voice of ADONAI our God, so that we could live by his laws, which he presented to us through his servants the prophets. 11 Yes, all Isra'el flouted your Torah and turned away, unwilling to listen to your voice. Therefore the curse and oath written in the Torah of Moshe the servant of God was poured out on us, because we sinned against him. 12 He carried out the threats he spoke against us and against our judges who judged us, by bringing upon us disaster so great that under all of heaven, nothing has been done like what has been done to Yerushalayim. 13 As written in the Torah of Moshe, this whole disaster came upon us. Yet we did not appease ADONAI our God by renouncing our wrongdoing and discerning your truth. 14 So ADONAI watched for the right moment to bring this disaster upon us, for ADONAI our God was just in everything he did, yet we didn't listen when he spoke. 15 "Now, Adonai our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand, thereby winning renown for yourself, as is the case today - we sinned, we acted wickedly. 16 Adonai, in keeping with all your justice, please allow your anger and fury to be turned away from your city Yerushalayim, your holy mountain; because it is due to our sins and the wrongdoings of our ancestors that Yerushalayim and your people have become objects of scorn among everyone around us. 17 Therefore, our God, listen to the prayer and pleadings of your servant; and cause your face to shine on your desolated sanctuary, for your own sake. 18 My God, turn your ear, and hear; open your eyes and see how desolated we are, as well as the city which bears your name. For we plead with you not because of our own righteousness, but because of your compassion. 19 Adonai, hear! Adonai, forgive! Adonai, pay attention, and don't delay action - for your own sake, my God, because your city and your people bear your name!"

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It is interesting to see how in this prayer Daniel intercedes on behalf of his people, confessing that they have forsaken His mitzvot and as a result God has brought upon them the disasters and the defeats and captivities which He said would occur if they neglected His ways. He acknowledges that they have not listened to Adonai, God speaking through His servants and prophets to all the people of the land, including the kings and princes as well as ordinary people.

In verse 7 he says that righteousness belong to Adonai, God and yet all Isra'el flouted His Torah and turned away, unwilling to even listen to His voice. In verse 14 Daniel reinforces that God is a God of Justice and again confesses that His people would not listen to Him. He then asks God to turn away His anger and fury from Yerushalayim, His holy mountain.

As followers of God we are called to intercede on behalf of the sins of our land and to pray for the peace of Yerushalayim, just as the example given to us by Daniel in this prayer.

In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read "if my people, who bear my name, will humble themselves, pray, seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land." What greater need has there ever been for such intercessory prayer than in our modern world? In the same way as God's people were delivered from captivity and resettled in their land, the walls and temple subsequently being rebuilt and the law being re-established, so when we pray now God will return and resettle His people in His land, set captives free individually from sin through the sacrifice of His Son and bring healing to our broken communities, societies and nations. May we all be called to prayer, confession and repentance, that God's purposes may be fulfilled to His glory.

This article was first written for the Messianic Faith and Public Policy Group on Facebook.

At the beginning of a New Year, may I first of all wish everyone a Happy and joyful New Year, filled with God's presence and blessings.

I would like to share a few thoughts with you about encouragement. It's a word we use a great deal in Christian circles but what significance does it have to God's people or anyone else, and what exactly does it mean and involve?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, there are three different senses in which we can use the word "encourage" as a transitive verb, (encouragement being the noun).

1) a. means to inspire with courage, spirit, or hope as in the phrase, "she was encouraged to continue by her early success.

Here it would mean that we hearten (lift up the heart in someone) when we give encouragement.

b. means to attempt to persuade, as in the phrase, "they encouraged him to go back to school."

In this sense it means to urge someone onwards in the wonderful and positive actions they are engaged in, when we encourage them.

2) Another definition is "to spur on" as used in the phrase, "warm weather encourages plant growth. In this sense, encouragement implies stumulation to someone else, an energizing and motivating force.

3) Another sense in which the word "encourage" is used is "to give help or patronage to someone or a cause." The government grants designed to encourage conservation" is a phrase which uses it in this way.

In this way it is like fostering someone or something.

None of us would be the people we are currently unless we had received some form of encouragement in at least one of these meanings of the word, especially through our parent(s) and education, however basic either our up-bringing or education may have been.

Very often in our lives and even in our walk with God we need to encourage ourselves or get through by encouragement we have received in the past. It's rather like a car needing fuel to run, it has to be tanked up regularly or it grinds to a halt!

In his first letter to the Thessalonian church Paul says, "Encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV). In other words, it was a work that was already going on and he encourages (urges) them to keep on encouraging (heartening and stimulating) one another. In verse 14 he goes on to say, "And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all." (ESV)

Paul's letters in the New Testament were written mainly for the encouragement of Christians who were going through all kinds of difficulties, temptation, persecution, suffering, materialism and over-indulgence, false teaching to name some of their problems. In other words, they were human, just like you and me and we are no strangers to the same things 2000 years later. Technology may advance, the spread of information and travel are faster and more widespread, but human nature and the effects of sin unfortunately remain the same.

If you want to have a go at a bit of "Do-it-yourself" Bible study and you are a good mathematician, it would be interesting to see how many references to the word encouragement are made in the letters Paul wrote to the early churches. Then add to this total the number of times he encourages them to do good works and encourage one another.

I want to pinpoint one particular exhortation, which can be found in Hebrews 10:24-25. " Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." The day he refers to is obviously the return of our Lord Jesus and he underlines the need for us to draw closer together by gathering for fellowship in church services and smaller groups, rather than become more isolated as Christians. In today's world there is always the excuse that we can watch a Christian TV broadcast, listen to internet radio or a podcast. However, we may be depriving ourselves of the opportunity to give and receive fellowship and have meaningful human interaction.

I wish you every encouragement for 2011, and you can take this to mean being "heartened", "spurred on" in your walk with God and service to Him and "given help" by others and by our great Lord Himself who equips us to carry out the service He has called us to do.

Jesus came to earth to live with us

This is the time of year when everyone goes on a mad spending spree in the UK and embarks on a season of festivities and celebrations which seem to last from just before 25th. December until well into the New Year. The following link will give you a snapshot of the sad situation we find ourselves in here, and my guess is that many European and other nations around the world are in a similar position.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8170637/Lord-Carey-Christianity-being-airbrushed-from-society-as-Christmas-is-rebranded.html

I don't know what it is like in the country where you live, but Christmas is always the time of year which is completely different from any other time in the yearly calendar. Why is this? Has it real significance and how do react to it, celebrate it or think about it?

To me the significance of Christmas is the fact that we are celebrating the Incarnation of Christ, that is, God sending His only son into the world to be born as a man. By God becoming a man in the form of our Lord Jesus, He was able to experience temptation, suffering, strained relationships and all the brokenness of a fallen Creation brought about by the rebellion of man against God, which is called sin or wrongdoing. Paul puts the wonder of the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus most succinctly in the following passage in a letter he wrote to the church at Philippi in about 60AD, which was situated in an urban city which was then a colony of the Roman Empire.

Pictures of Philippi today Amphitheatre at Philippi

Many of you reading this probably live and/or work in urban communities and may also worship regularly in an urban church fellowship. Whether or not that is the case these words are as relevant to us today as they were then, being a part of the eternal truth of the Bible.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5:11 (ESV)

In this passage we note first of all that we are called to have the mind of Christ. We then see that Jesus as a man didn't seek to be equal to God but took the form of a servant. He could have taken the form of a superman type hero, strong man or an angelic appearance, but in Isaiah 53:2 it says "He had no form or majesty that we should look at Him, and no beauty that we should look at Him." I don't believe this means He was ugly looking but if you or I were to walk past Him in the streets of London, New York or Djakarta He would have looked like any ordinary man of His time and location.

However, if He had stopped, smiled and greeted you, He would have known your need and the right words to say to you, He would have sought to meet you at your point of need. Why? Because He was a servant of His Heavenly Father! As followers of Him we are called to have the same mind and attitude in our lives. In our natural human condition this is impossible, but when we come to know Him as our Saviour and Lord, He comes to live within us by His Holy Spirit who gives us the gifts and ripens spiritual fruits within us to enable us to become more and more like Him as we walk day by day with our Lord.

Not only did Jesus humble Himself by leaving the heights of glory in Heaven to come to a world full of conflict, war and sin, but there was no room for Him to be born in. The only place found was the corner of a stable at the back of a hotel for Him to be born. In the same way many people have no place for Jesus in their lives today or just find a small corner in their lives, maybe an hour in church on a Sunday from time to time.

We then read that after three years of serving others, meeting their needs, healing them and teaching them about His Father, and being misunderstood a lot of the time, Jesus the Lord of glory was subjected to a trial (where the judge, Pilate, could find no fault in Him) and extreme torture before being nailed and hung on a cross to die. This willing sacrifice of the servant King, as He is described in a Graham Kendrick song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBd3ThCResI was accepted by His Father as the ransom price for our sins, if we put our faith and trust in Him and His finished or completed work.

While He was on the cross, our Lord Jesus said "It is finished," this was not referring to His own life, which is what some may have thought, who heard Him say it, but it meant that no further animal sacrifices were required for the forgiveness of sin, as practised under the Jewish temple requirements (sometimes known as the Old Covenant). Jesus had covered them by offering Himself as a perfect sacrifice for sin.

We know with hindsight that this was not the end of the story, because three days later Jesus rose from the dead after being placed in a sealed and guarded tomb. He had conquered death, sometimes referred to as the last enemy, as well as sin, the world and Satan.

As a result of His humility and service, which we are called to follow, it says, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name." This occurred after Jesus ascended to Heaven where He is forever interceding for us at the right hand of God. In 1 Peter 5:6 we are urged to "humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you." We are called to humbly serve God; when we serve with one another we are therefore serving with the greatest, humblest and most perfect servant there has ever been.

What a wonderful Lord we have, who put in place a plan to save us and enable us to serve Him despite our own shortcomings, troubled lives, sad upbringings and sufferings. When we look at what He suffered as the perfect example of humility in service to His Heavenly Father, nothing that we can offer can be compared, He has given us everything.

Christmas is the time when we celebrate the birthday of Jesus. We spend a lot of time choosing and giving one another presents and He gives us His presence. What are we going to give Him as a present this Christmas time?

I Thank Thee, Lord

I have just been given a collection of my late father's writings which include poetry, sermon outlines, Bible study notes and many other items, some of which were used in his preaching, teaching and pastoral ministry, others of which were written expressions of his personal reflections and thoughts.

I have been given complete freedom by my mother to use this material in the way God leads me by His Holy Spirit and am seeking the best way forward in what may be quite an absorbing adventure in my walk with the Lord.

My father, known as Allan Retallick or R.E.A. Retallick may have been known to some of you who read this article. I would love to hear from you if you want to share any memories or accounts of your meetings with him or experiences of his ministry. To me he was not only a wonderful father seeking to live a Christ-like life serving his Heavenly Father, having first preached at the age of 17, (I waited until I was 22), but a polymath, good at history, painting, composing and playing music (self-taught), writing poetry and fluent in a host of European languages, being able to preach in Dutch and French as well as his native English (of course). In the Netherlands many thought he was Dutch, but it was my mother who came from there, she was born near the banks of the Rhine not far from Leiden, in what was a village, but is now a large town called Alphen aan de Rijn.

When my father went to be with the Lord in June, 2002, we had a tomb stone put over the grave with an abridged version of his favourite text, in the King James Version, his favourite and mostly used Bible translation: "The Son of God loved me and gave Himself for me." ~ Galatians 3:20.

My father was my spiritual mentor with whom I often led church services before he preached, or I would provide the musical accompaniment on organ and perhaps sing a solo accompanying myself on the guitar. I can remember occasions when I was younger, on which he would play the organ, lead the service and preach as well!

I mentioned the King James Version earlier partly because you will see from the following poem he wrote that it permeated his style of writing and he was most particular to ensure that the scanning of lines, accented words and poetic metre were correct. To him I owe elements of perfectionism in my character, but they don't extend to poetic details like iambic pentameters or trochaic whatevers!

In a few recent videos I spoke a little about worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth, and one very important ingredient of this is thanksgiving to God, for all that He has done in creation and redemption and his tender care for our ongoing daily needs in His world. He has placed us here as witnesses to His love and grace and to reach out to hurting people with the Good News that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever!

I Thank Thee, Lord.

I thank Thee, Lord, for all that Thou hast given,

For every token of Thy changeless love,

For earthly joys, ambassadors of heaven,

To teach the greater worth of things above;

For all the lavish bounty of the sun,

For dawn, for day, for floods of golden light,

For evening shadows and for duty done,

For healing rest, for soft caress of night;

For treasures yet in undiscovered mines,

For riches to be found in flower and tree,

For shafts of sunlight 'twixt the scented pines,

For cloud shades floating on a summer sea;

For crimson apples at a cottage gate,

For harvest glory, with its wealth untold,

Its nodding ears so full they scarce can wait

The coming of the blade that claims their gold;

For woodland glade, whose ever-changing hues

To man a parable must always be,

Its peace, for all who have a heart to muse,

Its beauty, there for all with eyes to see;

For vale and hill, for river broad and clear,

For drowsing cattle on its grassy brink,

For little things, from bank and hedgerow near,

That, shy, yet unmolested, come to drink;

For autumn colours in the sunset's gleam,

For lovely things aloof from haunts of men,

The purple heather by an upland stream,

A curlew's call across a misty fen;

For flowers that bud, and bloom, and bud again,

For shells, immaculate, on cavern's floor,

For sweet refreshment of the summer rain,

For waves that break upon a rocky shore;

For earth and sea and sky, for breath of morn,

For songs of birds, for lark upon the wing,

Sun, moon, and stars, and blessings yet unborn,

For life and love and home--for everything.

And yet for mercies on a higher plane

I fain would bring my thanks, O Lord, to Thee,

For all the sorrows and the bitter pain

That Thou didst bear so willingly for me;

The cross, the grave, that moment when for me

Thy dying vanquished all the hordes of sin,

For gates flung wide, for welcome back for Thee,

For shout of joy when Thou didst enter in;

For all the good Thy work has wrought for me,

For everlasting life, the gift of heaven,

For reconciliation made by Thee,

For peace with God and trespasses forgiven;

For all Thine understanding of my needs,

For Thy dear presence as I tread life's road,

For all the gracious words and tender deeds

That help me upward to the throne of God;

For faith that leaps all barriers in a breath,

And grasps the Power that guides the farthest star,

For hope that looks beyond the vale of death,

And sees the glory in the land afar;

For that triumphant moment when these eyes

Shall see Thee come to meet me on the way,

When loved ones, watching for me in the skies,

Shall greet me at the dawning of the day;

For long, eternal ages in the light,

Where Thou alone for ever art adored,

For voice to sing, for heart to praise aright,

For everything I owe--I THANK THEE, LORD!

Worship Songs Piano recital from Erik Retallick on Vimeo.