Creators or Consumers?

For a while I was pondering buying an iPad. The sleek design, the status symbol of the silver apple logo, the cool glass on your fingertips as you swipe your way through all kinds of apps. It was more than a want, it was a need, it felt like I would die without it.

But, I didn't get one. I was close, I went into the store with enough money in my pocket to buy one, but nothing ever eventuated. My 'need' was slowly surpassed by other 'needs' like a banjo or an ebook reader or a jazz guitar. 

My preparation for the purchase was huge. I looked at as many reviews I could find during my spare time, ranging from the "It will just be a dust magnet" to "It will flip your world upside down with its amazingness."

One review though was very interesting. It pointed out the difference between consuming information and creating it. It remarked that iPads were not meant to produce information, only to consume it. For instance, you could watch as many videos and read as many articles very comfortably on your iPad, but to go out and shoot film or to write stories, that was not what the iPad was designed for.

What about us humans? Are we designed to create or to consume?

In Ecclesiastes the writer makes this statement

There is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.

Cynical as it is, it is true. When we "create" things, all we are actually doing is rearranging atoms around that were already there. We are in a spiral of never ending consumption. Fulfilling our wants and needs.

Only God, who created from nothing, can be called the creator. Whether we choose to ignore him or to live for him, everything on this earth is supplied by him. In his grace, we are given the oxygen to breathe, the muscles to move, the earth to nurture, and so much more.

Another crushing blow to my pride knowing that I have no more independence than a child, but my response is praise and thanks knowing that God is love and his grace is never ending.

Spot the difference

"Dear God,

I always put it on my heart to seek you first, and seek the kingdom of God, knowing that you will provide for me. You have so far, I am school captain, I am doing well at school, you have provided everything. But I still feel dissatisfied. I get pressured, I live in a society where everything is about want. More more more!

You give peace, please give me peace now, peace that I may not understand, but that comes from the fact that you are God, and I am not.

Help me to dispel my worries, help me to get rid of sin, help me to become more and more like your son. Help me WANT to become more like your son.

I give my life as a living sacrifice to you, knowing that you know me better than I know myself, and you will ensure my life is lived to its fullest, real fullness. of Godliness, holiness and all for the glory of you.

Thank you for your love. Thank you that you ARE love. Thank you that you showed this love in sending your son to die for us, so I can now pray to you like this now.


Let this prayer and my whole life be lived for your glory.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen"

"You're an idiot.
I'm busy, you're the one who is on holidays.
Get out of my room, go away, I don't want to help.

I love feeling important. I want that new TV. Why do they get more than me?

I just want to fit in, who cares about anything else. its just a joke!

I have to go (I just don't want to talk to you).
Bye"

Near-death experiences.

Reading Lamentations (I recommend it), and I was challenged by how glorious God is, and how sinful I am. But we are still called to be God's friend and are welcomed into heaven, his kingdom.

Jesus did some serious saving when he died on the cross. And like all human beings, I forget.

We share near death experiences. We can't wait to boast about the day we were poisoned, or the day we nearly suffocated in our sleep, or the time we nearly went on a roller coaster that crashed.

My closest near death experience is having such a bad cough I couldn't breathe. Not much, but I really thought I would die then.

But we we've all had near death experiences that are way more serious than that. We were "dead in our sins" (Eph 2:1). We followed Adam in eating the forbidden fruit, severing our relationship with the giver of life, effectively ending our life then and there.

You say you aren't dead yet? That's just God being merciful. 

But that's where it becomes a "near-death" experience. Because Jesus saves us from that death, he grafts us back into the tree of life, so we can live again, and never fear death again.

So next time you're asked that question, "What's your near-death experience", try sharing that, and see what others think.

God bless everyone!

Christmas Letter

Dear Reader,

Merry Christmas!

How time flies so quickly! It's been over a month since we've last talked; I must admit, life overtook my desire to blog the last couple of weeks. But I miss talking to you, I miss sharing my thoughts, I miss being encouraged by your comments.

I'm writing this with one hand at the moment, because my left hand is a bit out of action. A broken Metacarpal (the thumb bone) means a cast for 6 weeks, all through my precious holidays! God is teaching me patience, dependance on him, and a whole lot more, as I have suddenly got a whole lot more time to spend with him, reading his word and praying.

It is also really annoying though. I planned to have a massive "holiday cleaning" of my room, do lots of study, write a lot, read a lot. Now knowing it will take 2 -3 times longer than usual, I just don't want to do anything! Just sleep and watch movies. 

It's still early stages in recovery (I broke the bone two days ago) so I know there will be even more negatives to come!

I just want to cry!

But then I laugh. Because in all things God is good, he gives me good things, and he teaches me good things.

So Merry Christmas whatever your circumstances. Remember with me that it is a time where we celebrate God initiating his amazing salvation plan that we needed so much!

In Christ,
Tree

Sunburn

Often people associate God with light, and use the sun to illustrate how he illuminates the world with his glory (It's a good pun on Jesus as the "son/sun" too). But, I just wanted to ask, what about sunburn?

There are other things in nature that are good, but have negative effects on our lives too. Rain helps plants grow, but it's annoying when your iPod gets wet. All animals are God's creation, but I don't want to risk my life trying to befriend a lion. Volcanoes help nurture the soil, floods help spread nutrients across the land, and some plants need the heat from bushfires to survive, but all these events do serious damage to human lives.

I've probably got you thinking, but in reality, I can't offer you any answers to these problems. I just got home today, sunburnt, and wondered, "Why am I in pain from God's blessings?".

I've been blessed enough to have suffered little so far in my life, which puts me in a tricky situation when trying to explore what it means to suffer from God's creation. I'm sunburnt, but there are people out there who have lost houses, lost lives, lost everything because of nature.

You might have noticed, but when I don't understand something, or feel I'm out of my depth, I go back to the simple things. I don't know the answers, but what I do know is this.

Jesus said, "God blesses those who grieve, for they shall be comforted."

Jesus acknowledges that people will suffer, but he blesses them, he is with them, and no matter how long it takes, even if it may not be during their life on earth, he will make sure they are comforted. Isn't that an encouraging thought?

Family

Colossians 3. A great passage I read with my friend the other day. The first half is great, but for us, the Holy Spirit engrossed us in the back half.

Firstly, verses 18 to 21. "It's just a bunch of stuff to do!" you say. "Nothing encouraging in there" you say. Well, I see it differently. Let's take a closer look at verse 20.

"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord."

Look! The first word. "Children". Paul is talking to me! He is talking directly to the kids in the Colossian church. The whole sequence, "Wives" , "Husbands" , "Children" , "Fathers" is one of a family unit. I think that is just great.

Great, because church, even at its beginnings was a family affair. All over the New Testament it talks of the gathering together of Christians. Brothers and sisters, united in Christ. I took that as an only spiritual familyhood until now. Christians are attending church as a family; encouraging, inspiring, and challenging each other. I've been learning that God's love breaks barriers, and this is another example. Imagine a non-Christian household where a younger brother can rebuke his older brother! Very rare. But in a Christian church, that is what we are called to do.

Now, if you look at what he says to each of the groups, you notice another great thing. His words are different for each member. Reading behind the lines you see that Paul is recognising the different roles we have in our family unit. Paul could have just said, "Christian families, love each other" and leave us to figure out how, but he doesn't. By being specific, he is making a statement that family members are complementary, and that our differences are part of God's plan.

My friend and I spent over 20 minutes on those 4 verses, but I'm glad we did. It showed me how families are another one of God's gifts that I would never have thought to ask for, but am blessed with anyway.

To end with, Colossians 3:23 "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters". I'm sure I can let you discover the riches in that verses for yourself. So dig in!

Growth

Q. How have you grown in faith in the past year?

A. You can see my growth in my posts I put up here. I've grown in my love for God.

Q. How have you grown in faith in the past month?

A. You can see here and here, the things I've learnt in the past month, which have kept me growing.

Q. How have you grown in faith in the past week?

A. Um... 

I was asked to answer these questions in a conversation recently, and the last question caught me off guard. I was tempted to say, "I was busy", or "It wasn't a priority" but I knew such excuses couldn't cut it. I had 'paused' my growth during the week.

You could argue that I've been growing enough lately, or if it's only for a week then it's fine, but that wouldn't be true. I am a tree, and I want to continue growing, even if it is by a little bit at a time. I never want to 'pause' growth in my love for Jesus.

A short post today, but only because I feel some other things I want to say need their own post to develop fully. So get excited for next week!

So, what will you do to grow in faith this week?