Life spared

Last week's execution in Indonesia hit world headlines.

Firstly, there was a lady, Mary Jane Veloso who was given a reprieve.  Somebody turned herself in in the Philippines, claiming that she tricked Mary Jane into carrying drugs.  Her claim is presently under confession.  It gave Mary Jane more time to live, even so.

Why did she do it?  Was it her conscience?  Her generosity?

How would Mary Jane feel about it?  Relieved?  Angry?  That she deserves the reprieve that she has been given?  Or that the reprieve is a surprise, but great blessing?

When Jesus died on the cross for us, He not only gave us a reprieve, He gave us a new life.  How do we feel about that?  Relieved?  Angry?  That we deserve this?  Or are we grateful for the blessing?

Two others who did not get a reprieve were Australians.

1. Andrew Chan was a supervisor at a catering company in Sydney.  He felt that life was not going anywhere.  He was a drug usser.  When given the chance to join a gang and use his leadership skills in the drug trade instead of being a consumer, he he took the opportunity and became a ringleader in the Bali Nine.
2. Myuran Sukumaran worked in a mailroom at the Sydney Passport Office.  He was attracted to the nightclub scene, where his friends had access to women, booze and fast, expensive cars.  He saw that he could not have this lifestyle unless he had more money.  He was also a martial arts expert.  When given the opportunity to join a gang to quicken his money-earning ability, he took it.

These guys were tempted into the illegal drug trade as they wanted to expedite their careers and their earnings.  They got arrested and tried for these activities about 10 years ago.

Interestingly, the other members of the Bali Nine received life sentences - these guys got death sentences even though they had less drugs on them.  Andrew Chan did not have any drugs on him at the time of his arrest.

Might they have thought that their sentences were unfair?  That God was unfair?  Would you have thought like that if you had been in their shoes?  Would you have been upset and remorseful and hated the world?

Chan and Sukumaran later met Jesus while in prison, awaiting their execution.  This seems to make a world of a difference to them.

1. Chan used his leadership personality to serve his fellow inmates as a Christian priest,
2. Sukumaran completed an arts course at Curtin University.  He went on to introduce education courses to his fellow inmates.  He started computer classes for them, and was about to start accounting and legal studies for them also.
3. When executed, these guys and the others were singing "Amazing Grace" and "Bless the Lord O my soul".

They could have been in despair about getting executed.  They could have felt useless and unwilling to do anything helpful in their last days.  However, they chose to live to the max in their remaining days, and bless God and the people around them.

Is this what knowing Jesus is like?  Does Jesus make a difference to you like this as well?

Awesome, good

"I once preached a sermon in which I described a recent holiday as 'awesome'.  An earnest student came to me at the end. 'David, only God is awesome,' she said."

These words of David Bracewell in an early edition of "Daily Bread" set me thinking.  What is awesome?  How do we use this word?  Is it an attribute reserved to be used only for God the way "holy" is only reserved for God?  What do you think?  How do you use this word?

The passage reminds me of Jesus' response to the rich young ruler "why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone".  Jesus was not saying that He was not good.  Nor was He saying that "good" is an attribute of God that people cannot claim.  But He did make the point that God is good.  He also used that to point out to his audience that he (and we) are not good enough for eternal life, except that it be given to us by the grace of our good God.

Do you consider yourself to be good?  Do you think you are good enough to deserve eternal life?  Why or why not?  How good do you think is good enough?

What do you think about these attributes?  How do they relate to you?

Patience

"Can you wait for God's timing" was the challenging question that came from my devotion time this morning.

The Bible passage I looked at was 1 Samuel 26.  David and Abishai crept into Saul's tent and stole his spear and water bottle.  David did not kill Saul at this point.  It was against his conscience to do so.

However, David is a man who has killed before.  And he was a hunted man.  He could have changed his situation for the better if he had taken this opportunity to kill his enemy.

This wasn't his first opportunity either.  David had previously spared Saul's life in 1 Samuel 24, while Saul was taking a leak.

David was prepared to wait it out for an indefinite period, knowing that Saul would meet his demise at some stage, and he would take over as king then.  He did not need to rush into that.  He did not need to end his suffering early.  He would just wait, even if it was years before it happened.

Are we like this?

As I think about my aging, and what I wish to do before I became too old, I realise that I am not always patient.

As I think about the many roles I play, and the rush from one task to another, I think that I am often in a hurry.  I do not wish to remain at University for too long.  I do not wish to be idle for too long.

And when I think that Jesus is coming back again, I too wish that it would happen soon enough before the Church went into too much suffering.

How unlike the early church, who was willing to suffer knowing with certainty that it will meet Jesus!

How about you?  Are you looking forward to meeting your Master?  Can you wait for it to happen?  Or are you in a hurry to get there?

How do you feel about hard times?  Are you patient, allowing your suffering to prolong?  Or do you wish to end it quickly?

Meekness, weakness and wrath

What does the word "meekness" mean to you?

I have learnt that the word means "quiet, gentle and not willing to argue or state your opinions in a forceful way" according to the Cambridge Dictionary.  .It is associated with tamed horses - horses are meek when they control their strength and cooperate with their riders.  A horse that does not use its strength to get out of control.

The Greeks regarded meekness as a virtue.  Do you?  Or do you see it as a weakness?

In cultures where people are taught to be assertive and to fight for ones rights, one might associate the concept of "meekness" with "weakness".  However, the opposite of meekness can be to fly off in a rage whenever upset, and society does not really like that.  We also value the idea of having restraint and self control.

Was Jesus meek?  Did He practice self control?  Did He have all the power in the world, but chose not to use it?

Or was He a man of wrath?  Calling down judgement and condemnation whenever angered?

If we are to follow after Jesus' example, then how are we to behave?

WILLIAM BARCLAY TRANSLATES THE GREEK WORD PROATES TO HAVE THREE BASIC MEANINGS:

1. One who has the right kind of temper

2. A person in control of ones life, responsive to God

3. Knows ones limits and accepts them.

Are we meek like this?