We had another August birthday to celebrate last night!

Mark spoke tonight on ‘TETIC’ – ‘taking every thought into captivity’, based on 2 Cor 10:5. This way of thinking can transform how we live and needs to be applied to every area of our lives (friendships, marriage, work life, home life, spiritual life.) It’s easy for us to be distracted in our thoughts (even during church services!) and our thoughts often reveal our hearts. We need to accept that God knows all our thoughts, but our part is to exercise control over our thought life, for it is out of this that all actions spring.

God’s Word has to be the guide as to what we should think (see Phil 4:8). We have to train ourselves to think according to God’s Word, refusing to entertain thoughts which are contrary to this. Doubt and disobedience must be reined in; we have to take these thoughts captive before they can develop into stubborn disobedience and wilful rejection of God’s Word. Rom 12:1-2 reminds us that our thinking must be transformed; we must not be conformed to the world, thinking in the way that it says is acceptable. We must get rid of the old way of thinking and adapt to a new way of thinking.

Thinking is not just something theoretical that has no effect on our everyday lives. Thinking dictates how we live, what we say, what we do. It’s worthwhile to take every thought captive to Christ!

Dave spoke this morning on gentleness and self-control, two of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). The word translated ‘gentleness’ is from the same root as that translated ‘meek’ in Matt 5:5; meekness and gentleness are synonymous and are qualities often overlooked in a world where over-achievers and loudness tend to be noticed more.

Jesus’ words that the meek will inherit the earth often seem incongruous, because meekness is, for so many, equated with weakness: it’s seen as being spineless, gutless, ‘as meek as a mouse.’ Meekness is, however, ‘strength under control’, and we need to see the connection beteween gentleness and self-control if we are to cultivate these fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

1. Be understanding and not demanding to those who serve us. (Phil 2:4-5) So often, we can be rude and demanding to those we meet in our daily lives (waitresses, receptionists, shop assistants, cashiers etc.) Gentleness helps us to deal with people as individuals, forcing our egos out of the way.
2. Be gentle, not judgmental, with people when they let us down. (Rom 14:1) Some of Jesus’s harshest words were for those who were self-righteous and judgmental. Forgiveness and kindness are qualities we need to show others, for there will be many occasions when we need these qualities to be shown to us!
3. Be tender without surrender with those who disagree with us. How we handle those who irritate us and rub us up matters enormously. We can either retreat in fear, attack in anger or respond in love. Prov 15:1 reminds us that a gentle answer turns away wrather; Js 3:16-17 reminds us of the importance of our speech in dealing with people. We have to learn to walk hand in hand with people even when we don’t see eye to eye. 2 Tim 2:24-25 reminds us that spiritual leaders must not be quarrelsome but must learn to gently instruct those who disagree, giving God room to work in these situations. This is good advice for us all!
4. Be teachable, not unteachable, when we are corrected. Meek people aren’t know-it-alls; they are quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. (Js 1:19) We need to be willing to learn from everyone, valuing and appreciating our differences.
5. Be someone who ‘acts’ rather than ‘reacts’ when you are hurt. Rom 12:12 reminds us that retaliation is not God’s way. Prov 16:32 reminds us that a man who controls his temper is better than one who takes a city. So often, we talk about people ‘making’ us do things, but we have to learn that we have the power to choose how we act rather than always reacting to others. God has given us a spirit of power, love and self-discipline (2 Tim 1:7); the patterns of reacitng in the same old way we always have can be broken by God’s Spirit, so that we have the power to react in love. Jesus shows us this example by praying for forgiveness for those whose actions had led to His crucifixion; He was not flustered by the situation but showed gentleness and self-control even in the midst of great suffering.

The recent Olympics in Rio have shown us great sporting highs and lows: the ecstacy of winning medals, when years of training, hard work, dedication and discipline seem to melt away in joy and the lows of missing medals, when it feels like nothing makes sense and all that hard work and dedication count for nothing.

‘Team GB’ has done exceptionally well in Rio, with veterans like Mo Farah retaining his gold-medal status in the 5000m and 10,000m and the Yorkshire Brownlee brothers claiming gold and silver in the triathlon.

‘Newcomers’ Jack Laugher and Chris Mears won GB’s first ever diving gold medal in the 3 metre synchronised springboard event. But for every triumph, there is disappointment for other competitors: Tom Daley failing to qualify for the 10m diving final, Jessica Ennis-Hill ‘only’ winning a silver medal in the heptathlon, for example. Sport highlights these ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ because of its focus on winners, which inevitably means there are also losers.

At the same time as the Olympics have been going on, ‘A’ level results came out this past week, with GCSE results due next Thursday. Thousands of teenagers feel that these results have the power to determine their immediate futures: which university they will go to, which course they will study, which job they will be able to pursue. For some, there is the ‘high’ of success; for others, there is the disappointment of ‘failure’ (though again, it is alarming to see how success and failure can be determined or defined.)

Maintaining perspective in the midst of all the highs and lows of life can be extremely difficult. We are conditioned to believe that hard work and determination will be rewarded by success: how, then, do we cope when we have given it our all and still not received the prize? How do we retain a sense of self-worth when we have not lived up to the standards we have set ourselves? How do we avoid arrogance and pride when we do achieve success?

1. We have to know that our identity is in Christ, not in our achievements, successes or failures. Rom 8:35-39 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is found in Christ. If Christ was willing to die for us while we were still sinners (i.e. still ‘failures’), we can be sure that no failure can ultimately destroy our identity. A healthy dependence on God also prevents us from arrogantly ascribing all success to our own intelligence, strength or determination.
2. Setbacks are able to refine and mature us. (James 1:2-4) Through the bitterness of disappointment, the pain of failure, the hurt of rejection and the confusion of loss, we can learn many lessons that success can’t teach us. Despair tells us that this is all there is, but it’s important to remember that God is the God of hope. (Rom 15:13) There are many avenues which would never have been even considered were it not for that initial failure. God is able to use every situation of life for our good. (Rom 8:28)
3. Our lives are in God’s hands. Life inevitably has mountain top experiences and valleys of despair. Keeping the long view is essential. Athletes have to do this all the time to persevere through the harsh realities of training, and keeping the long view is essential to running the race of life. (2 Cor 4:16-18) We may not receive the ‘prize’ we long for on earth, but God is preparing rewards for His children, an eternal glory which far outweighs the troubles of this life.

Wherever we are in life’s journey, we can rest secure in the fact that God loves us and is in control. (Ps 62:11-12) He is greater than our highs and lows!

To linger means ‘to stay in a place longer than is necessary because of a reluctance to leave.’ We usually linger in places we really like, wanting to spend more time there. Or we linger with people whose company we really enjoy because we just like being with them. Lingering is the very opposite of our normal day, which is tightly packed with schedules and ‘to do’ lists. Often, we feel like we move through the day with military precision simply to ‘get things done’, but so often, what we do is functional and leaves us dissatisfied and miserable. What we really crave is meaning, which often only emerges through seeing life at a more leisurely pace.

William Henry Davies wrote a poem called ‘Leisure’:

‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.
No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.
No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.
No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.
No time to turn at Beauty’s glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.
No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.
A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.’

The song ‘To Be In Your Presence’ talks of lingering in God’s presence (‘to sit at Your feet where Your love completes me, to rest in Your presence, not rushing away…’) Sometimes our times with God are rushed, hasty, perfunctory affairs: a quick prayer, a snatched Bible reading, as we gulp down our morning coffee, minds already wondering how we fill fit in everything else that day. Martha’s lifestyle is so much more the norm than Mary’s (Luke 10:38-42). Our days are filled with important tasks (and even the mundane tasks take time!), so the idea of ‘standing and staring’ seems positively criminal.

But lingering is critical to personal growth. Leisure is vital to balance and harmony, and time with God is far more than leisure. We need to carve out time to linger. The washing-up can wait. The exercise regime might have to find a new slot (‘physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.’ 1 Tim 4:8) Dinner might have to be served a little later than usual. God wants to spend time with us. It’s worth lingering a little longer with Him today than you usually do.

Like many people, I’ve marvelled at the feats of those participating in the Olympics and have particularly enjoyed British success. Max Whitlock‘s performance in the gymnastics, winning two gold medals and one bronze has been amazing (these were Britain’s first ever gold medals in artistic gymnastics in the Olympics, something the history books will always record!)

Simone Biles from the USA (all 4 feet 9 of her!) has also been astounding to watch. As someone who never managed to do a handstand or cartwheel properly even as a child, I’m in awe of gymnasts, whose flexibility, suppleness and strength make me wonder how it is physically possible for them to do the things they do!

All gymnasts learn the value of stretching from an early age. Stretching – straightening or extending one’s body to its full length – is a crucial part of maintaining and developing physical fitness; it gives an increased range of motion, helps to prevent injuries and is one of the best ways of keeping supple and fit. Animals do this naturally; I’m constantly amazed at how Thumper can either look fat when he is bunched up or sleek when stretched out (see below!)

God wants us to stretch our faith as regularly as gymnasts and athletes stretch their muscles or animals stretch out their bodies. Stretching our faith is not comfortable or easy, any more than physical stretching is easy. It requires determination and courage to keep pressing on in faith, just as these Olympians have had to persevere, train and forego many pleasurable things in keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Olympic gold. But God calls us to leave the safety of the shore and step out in faith. Kutless’ song ‘I Will Go’ captures the difficulties and rewards of this stepping out into the water. It’s the only way we will grow.