Brighter Horizons : jesus

Mene Mene Tekel Parsin

walshy — Thu, 31 May 2007 12:07:00 GMT

I was reading through Daniel 5 today.

In the story, a hand comes down out of nowhere during a feast that the King of Babylon is having, and starts writing on the wall. Daniel is called to interpret the words, which he does:

Mene: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it to an end.

Tekel: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.

Peres: Your kingdom is divided and given to the Medes and Persians.

And that very night, the Medes and Persians invade, and King Belshazzar is slain.

The writing on the wall is a warning. The words are an affirmation that God is in control, that we will all die, and that we will all be weighed on God's scales and found wanting - and none of the things we have stored up for ourselves in this life will be able to save us from that.

In fact, Jesus says exactly the same thing in the Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:13-21):

"God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'"

As I thought about being weighed on God's scales, I realised that I am in no way ready to bring an account for the things I've said and done, or failed to do. And while I know that by the blood of Jesus I am saved from God's wrath (praise God!), I know that I will still be weighed, and called to account for my actions (Rom 14:12, Heb 4:13).

And so, like the Babylonians, I too need to see the writing on the wall, and take heed. So often I forget that how I live now matters. I see the grace, I embrace the forgiveness, but I forget that it all came at such a cost.

Mene - Know that God has numbered your days.
Tekel - Remember that on God's scales you will be found wanting.
Peres - Forget the things of this world, for you can't take them with you.

Do these things, and I guarantee, you will see the true wonder of the cross.

A Broken and Contrite Heart

walshy — Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:07:00 GMT

Recently I came across these verses in Psalm 51:

You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
       you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
       a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.

These are verses that I'd heard before. But this time I decided to look at them more closely. Specifically, what does it mean to have a contrite heart? Being an accountant I wasn't quite sure, so I looked it up:

con·trite: adj. Deeply affected with grief and regret for having done wrong

Here are my conclusions:

To be contrite is to be cut to the core by my own depravity.
To be contrite is to be brought to tears by my continual failings.
To be contrite is to beg for my own damnation.

For it is only when I fall at God's feet, with a broken spirit and a contrite heart, that I can, but for a moment, glimpse the world (and myself) through God's own eyes. And it is only as I cling to His cross, that I can start to fathom the true meaning of grace.

Following God is not about my personal sacrifices.
Following God is not about my words nor my works.
Following God is about never forgetting the cost.

Why don't we Defend Jesus?

walshy — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 04:06:00 GMT

Today Tubby posted about the Muslim world's reaction to the Pope's comments about Mohammed. It's definitely worth a read if you have the time.

The whole thing reminds me of the comics saga earlier this year. I was amazed then, as I am now, at how fired-up Muslims get when their prophet is mocked.

But this got me thinking - why don't we defend Jesus? Every day Jesus is mocked on the radio, in the media, on The Simpsons, and by our friends. But we don't do anything.

Ok, so we shouldn't go running around burning the houses of everyone who disagrees with us. But surely we should be willing to say something!

Tubby says:

"Their aggressive reaction is based on fear. But I refuse to live in fear, for I am a disciple of Jesus and I have nothing to prove.
The apostle John wrote:
‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.'"

And I agree with that entirely. But I wonder, do we say nothing because we have nothing to fear? Or do we say nothing because we fear what our friends will think of us?