To benefit from fearing God seems a contradiction in terms, for fear is often perceived negatively. In the Bible, however, fearing God (showing reverence and awe towards God) is seen as something positive which can be extremely beneficial to us.

We can fear God in a number of different ways:
(1) through praise (Ps 22:22-23)
(2) through our service (Ps 2:11)
(3) in obedience (Eccl 12:13)
(4) by avoiding evil (Prov 16:6) – again fear and evil are often perceived as negatives, but don’t forget that in maths, two negatives can make a positive, and avoiding evil through the fear of God has to be a positive thing!

Fearing God brings different benefits:
(1) wisdom (Ps 111:10 tells us that ‘the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and all who follow His precepts have a good understanding.’)
(2) long life (Prov 10:27 tells us that the fear of the Lord adds length to our lives!)
(3) love (Ps 103:11 tells us that the Lord’s love is with those who fear Him)
(4) salvation (Ps 85:9 tells us that the Lord’s salvation is near those who fear Him)
(5) protection (Ps 60:4 tells us that for those who fear God, He has raised an unfurled banner against the bow.)
(6) blessing (Ps 115:13 promises that God will bless those who fear Him)
(7) we will lack nothing (Ps 34:9). So often, natural fear protects us from danger and reveals to us that we are lacking in some way (perhaps lacking in strength or courage or boldness, for example). When we fear God, our inadequacies are met by His total sufficiency.

Proverbs 17:17 says “A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” The Bible has a lot to say about friends and friendship. Right from the beginning when God said ‘It is not good for man to be alone’, there has been strength, comfort, solace and love from friendships. Proverbs in particular has a lot to say about friends: how some friends are only attracted to easy times and wealth (Proverbs 14:20 19:4), how friendship requires love and forgiveness rather than hot temper and rash words (see Proverbs 22:24), how betrayal from a friend goes deep but even a friend’s wounds can help us (Proverbs 27:6).

This past week, I have seen the kindness of friends manifested in so many ways as they actively sought us out to give us anniversary gifts and ways to bless us. Their gifts reflected their knowledge of us, as they sought ways to express their love that would be meaningful to us. We are grateful beyond word for these acts of kindness.

One present was a book of proverbs about ‘Soul Mates’. Here are some of its words of wisdom on the subject of love:

* “Love, like a river, cuts a new path when it meets an obstacle.”
* “There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.”
* “Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.”
* “Love works in ways that are wondrous and strange.”
* “Love is a willingness to give with no expectation of receiving anything in return.”
* “You like someone when you learn what makes them laugh. You love someone when you learn what makes them cry.”
* “Don’t waste time looking for the perfect lover… spend time creating the perfect love.”
* “We can only learn to love by loving.”
* “Love is a glimpse of eternity.”

One of the last sayings in the book is “The moments we really live for are those when we have done things in the spirit of love.” To all those who helped us celebrate our silver wedding anniversary – with cards, presents, quizzes, texts, emails, photographs and time spent with us – we thank you for the things done in the spirit of love and are immensely grateful for the God-given gifts of friendship which add immeasurably to life’s wealth.

One of our lovely gifts

Today was the Macmillan Coffee morning at church, where all proceeds were donated to the cancer charity. We raised £137.26 from the event, so many, many thanks to all who contributed to this great success!

The poster says ‘We like a cuppa’ and that’s definitely true of Goldthorpe people!

We worked hard to decorate the outside with bunting and balloons:

Other people worked hard at baking buns and cakes:

… whilst others worked hard at eating them!

Some worked hard at making cards to sell:

… whilst others worked hard at buying them!

We had willing helpers in the kitchen:

… and people willing to have a cuppa in aid of a good cause:

Even the youngsters joined in the fun:

Once more, this was an object lesson in working together in love. We can all contribute something to God’s work and can all help others. So often, we feel daunted by the needs we see all around us, but as the Macmillan charity have proved through their ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’, by joining together in raising money we can all do so much more than we could individually. Our coffee morning was just one of many held throughout the world in aid of Macmillan, but we are sure that every little really does help!

We started tonight’s Bible study by looking at James 2:13, where mercy is said to triumph over judgment. Mercy is getting what we don’t deserve! We deserve punishment, judgment and wrath, but find instead that God, who is rich in mercy, offers us forgiveness, love and salvation. Because we know what it is to receive mercy, we should be liberal in showing mercy to others.

We then moved on to look at what has, historically, been perhaps the most contentious passage in James (James 2:14-26). Here, James talks about the relationship between faith and works. Some have said that these verses paint a picture of a religion that is all about doing good works; Martin Luther, for example, believed that these verses contradicted Paul’s teaching on justification by faith in the book of Romans. The key to the connection between faith and works is in verse 22 where we see that faith and actions work together, with works completing faith. Really, the two things are indivisible. It is possible to have works without faith, but true faith will always manifest itself in good works; as Garry said, ‘faith is the seed and works are the fruit of that seed.’ Obviously, a person can be saved without having to do works (think about the thief on the cross), but the normal outworking of a life of faith will be seen in good deeds. James is, again, eminently practical. Faith is seen in practical ways, just as John talks about love being demonstrated through practical deeds in his first epistle. This is simply the fulfilment of Jesus’s commands that whatever we do for the least of these we do for Him (see Matt 25).

It is possible to have ‘dead’ faith: to attend church meetings, to say we believe in God, but for that to have no real impact on how we live. Real faith has to be the motivator and the springboard for our everyday living. A church’s ministries need to include ways of reaching out to its local community in practical ways. These may not look particularly ‘spiritual’, but are the bridge to relationships that ultimately can lead people to ask about the motivation behind such actions. As St Francis of Assisi used to say, ‘preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words’. They say that actions speak louder than words. Certainly we need to ensure that our actions and our words match up – faith and works inextricably bound together.

Apologies for the alliterative title! But I have been reflecting further on last night’s concert and have such a lot to share from that!

For those of you who have attended the Bible studies on James, you know that congruence in living is something I’m passionate about. Living what we believe and practising what we preach are vital parts of what I strive to do and be on a daily basis. One of Michael Card’s earliest songs (recorded by Amy Grant initially, and sung by her on the link below) explores this theme. It’s called ‘I Have Decided’ and says ‘I’m gonna live what I believe.’ That takes a lifetime to perfect, perhaps, but it’s one reason I get on so well with his songs!
‘I Have Decided’, sung by Amy Grant

Then there is his amazing talent with words. Lyrics such as “A human baby bearing undiminished deity” (Immanuel) sum up the mystery of the Incarnation perfectly. “The power of paradox opens our eyes and blinds those who say they can see” (God’s Own Fool) captures the essence of paradox and the Gospel in one sentence. The Incarnation is all about ‘humiliating humility’ (A King In A Cattle Trough). I love the way he uses words.

Most of Michael’s songs have their origins in a Bible story or passage. His new album (‘The Beginning of the Gospel’) looks at Mark’s Gospel in particular. On that album is a new song on Bartimaeus which is called ‘The Paradigm’. A paradigm is a typical example or pattern of something. Michael Card spent time last night (and on the video below) talking about what we can learn from Bartimaeus. There were three main points:
1) We have to believe before we see (since Bartimaeus was blind, that may seem obvious to us, but so often we seek proof and signs, whereas what God is looking for is faith.)
2) We have to be willing to beg for what we do not deserve (grace, mercy and forgiveness are all things that we don’t deserve!) We deserve judgment, punishment and hell, but when we realise we can’t survive without God’s help, we are in the place where God can, in fact, help us.
3) We have to be prepared to leave everything behind. Peter left his fishing nets. Matthew left his tax collector’s booth. Bartimaeus left his cloak (the thing he used to collect the proceeds from his begging.) Jesus healed Bartimaeus simply by saying ‘Go’. Bartimaeus’s response was to leave his old way of life behind and to follow.
Michael Card on ‘The Paradigm’

Finally, what I perhaps most appreciate about Michael Card is his honesty in tackling subjects that most people would prefer to avoid. He has written songs on the subject of lament, looking at the anguish, grief, suffering and pain in life. He doesn’t avoid difficult passages (he’s written songs on Job, on Leviticus, on Revelation!) and he does not pretend that life is all about fake joy. He is very good at asking questions (he’s even written a song called ‘Why?’ which looks at three questions connected with the death of Christ and many others look at the questions of why we do what we do, how we respond to Christ and how we walk with Christ on a daily basis) – and questions, remember, were what Jesus Himself excelled at asking! One of my favourite lines is “Could it be that questions tell us more than answers ever could?” So often in life it seems to me that we couldn’t even understand the answer if God chose to give it, but there is never any sense in which we are restricted from asking questions. There is a lot to learn that way… Questions make us think, ponder, reflect. They are not always easy to answer; maybe we learn more from the pondering and reflection than from glib answers anyway.

During the summer I was able to watch some of the Olympics on television and I joined with many other Brits in cheering Mo Farah to gold in the 5,000 m and 10,000 m. I am fascinated by long-distance runners. They look so thin and under-nourished that I often wonder how they ever manage to last one lap of the track! “Exceptional levels of aerobic endurance” are required to win these races and it was amazing to watch these athletes.

Two things have made me ponder on longevity this week. The Christian life is more like a marathon than a sprint, I feel. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to ‘run with perseverance the race that is marked out for us.’ Running is an image Paul uses in 1 Corinthians 9 to talk about our race of life, but I don’t think he’s talking about sprinting. In all the verses on running, there is an emphasis on perseverance and endurance and the sheer agony of it at times. Any athlete will know all about pushing themselves to the limits and beyond. The Olympics have given us visible evidence of what that looks like.

Thw two things that have made me reflect on long distances this week are wedding anniversaries and a concert I attended last night.

Marriage is a lifelong commitment. It’s not about short-term thrills or a quick fix. This year I have had the privilege of sharing in the joy of a golden wedding anniversary and, last weekend, a ruby wedding anniversary. Today is my own silver wedding anniversary. I am immensely grateful to know people who have been loyal to their marriage vows and who have seen God help them through the pleasures and agonies of married life. God is interested in our perseverance and commitment. To have perseverance, commitment and love modelled in front of you is the easiest way to understand why God likens His relationship to the church to that of marriage. In today’s society we desperately need good role models for marriage and I salute those around me who have seen Christ’s love in their own everyday, practical lives.

Last night I attended a Michael Card concert in Maltby. Michael Card has been involved in Christian ministry in song and through Bible teaching for 32 years. I first encountered his music when I was a university student. His writing on the ‘scandal of the Cross’ and on paradox have shaped my life and helped me to understand some of the great mysteries of faith. Last night we listened to 23 of his 393 songs and I was touched by this sense that when we persevere with God, when we listen attentively to His Spirit over a number of years, when we give everything to Him, we can achieve so much that is beyond our wildest dreams.

For those of you who are interested, the 23 songs were:
* Soul Anchor
* El Shaddai
* God’s Own Fool
* Come Lift Up Your Sorrows
* At His Feet
* A King In A Cattle Trough
* A Better Freedom
* How Much More a Servant Could He Be?
* My Old Man
* How Can I Answer No?
* In Memory of Her Love
* The Things We Leave Behind
* Sea of Souls
* I Have Decided
* Why?
* Jubilee
* Immanuel
* Come to the Table
* The Paradigm
* I Will Not Walk Away From You
* All That Was Lost
* And Can It Be?
* Benediction

What I love so much about Michael Card (apart from his sheer ordinariness and lack of glamour!) is the fact that each song becomes an incentive to study the Bible more, to seep yourself in God’s Word and investigate for yourself these amazing stories and truths. Imagination and an amazing facility with lyrics (I can’t imagine any other writer entitling a song on blind Bartimaeus ‘the paradigm’!) open up a wider world of mystery for me. I feel immensely privileged to be able to listen in to these conversations.

So today, I would urge you all to persevere. Long-distance running is (if I’m brutally honest) quite often pretty boring. There must be stretches of the race when you feel that there’s little point in pounding your body so much and if it ever can be worth the pain just to reach the finish line. But as Paul says, “I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.” (1 Cor 9:27) The prize is worth it. Honestly. Keep running.