Missions Paul

The Global Report on Food Crisis 2020 reported the highest global number of acutely food-insecure people on record. It revealed 135 million people in 55 countries and territories were in need of urgent food, livelihood and nutrition assistance as a result of conflict, weather extremes or economic shocks.

Can you imagine 135 million people in front of you?

I have had the immense privilege of visiting 2 famines with aid where on the minds of everyone were food, water and clothing. I will never forget both occasions. Would I go again if given the opportunity? Without a thought I would go, for many reasons.

Famine is the extreme. We must not turn a blind eye for in doing so we will be disadvantaged.

But on the hillside that day of Jesus’ sermon, though they were not in a famine, there were many worrying about tomorrow.

“So do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?” (Matthew 6 v 31)

They ate off their fields. What I planted will it grow?

They lived in a difficult terrain and there were areas of wilderness that made their journeys difficult. Will I be able to sustain myself for this journey?

They made their own clothes. Will what I made protect me for this next season?

Jesus’ instruction is how to live with uncertainty.

These questions are not from selfish or greedy people grabbing at more. These are people with needs but where their world is uncertain.

Are you living with uncertainty today?

Many can find themselves uncertain from all they knew, from people they loved and their purpose for life. Uncertain about their past and future whilst trapped in the grip of an enemy. Uncertain about who they are and where they fit into this life.

The things you face today and the uncertainty of your life may have chased you into a place where you are now surrounded by enemies of fear, doubt and of pain.

Those around you may not know how things will become certain for you or how you will get free from this enemy plaguing your life.

Why does Jesus tell us not to worry?

Whenever I have told my children not to worry about something it is because I have had a greater confidence in their future than they have. Basically I know I will be there for them. I will resource them. I will be there.

The voices around you and within you may sound an uncertain message and yet God is for you and with you and the One who saw your beginning will make a way to the end.

Finally, think on what the minister Matthew Henry (1662-1714) said after being robbed:

Lord, I thank You:
That I have never been robbed before.
That although they took my money, they spared my life.
That although they took everything, it wasn’t very much.
That it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

Right now, write down your needs based on: a) will what I have invested grow? b) will I get to where I want to be? c) will I survive the journey?

And know that the One who told you not to worry is alongside you and also waiting for you tomorrow.

And if it helps … be thankful you are not one of the 135 million today!

But even if you are … be thankful that if God is anywhere in the world right now He is definitely with you!

Every anxious thought is an attack on your faith that God cares for you.

It is absolutely essential that you build in and around your life the evidence that you truly believe that God cares for you. The Bible is packed full of verses that God cares.

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you – you of little faith? (Matthew 6v 30)

How much more!

A little while ago I felt inspired to write a message to myself from God. It is inspired by the many Bible verses I have either written down or underlined telling me that God cares for me. I simply entitled it A letter from God. I hope it encourages someone today …

I am one who comforts you. I bought you and complete you. I delight in you and claim you as my own, rejoicing over you as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride. I will never fail you or forsake you.

Your death is swallowed up in victory. I disarmed the evil rulers and authorities and broke the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Blessed are those who die in the Lord. Your citizenship is in heaven. Come, inherit the kingdom prepared for you where I will remove all of your sorrows, and there will be no more death or sadness or crying or pain.

You are worried and troubled about many things; trust me with all your heart. I know how to rescue godly people from their trials. My Spirit helps you in your distress. Let me strengthen you with my glorious power. I did not spare my Son but gave him up for you. Won’t I give you everything else? March on, dear soul, with courage! Never give up. I will help you. I will uphold you.

Trust in me always. I am the eternal Rock, your Shepherd, the Guardian of your soul. When you go through deep waters and great trouble, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown! When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you.

So, don’t worry. I never tire or sleep. I stand beside you. The angel of the Lord encamps around you. I hide in the shelter of my presence. I will go ahead of you, directing your steps and delighting in every detail of your life. If you stumble, you will not fall, for I hold you by the hand. I will guide you along the best pathway for your life.

Wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. I have overcome the world. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. I surround you with a shield of love.

I will make you fruitful in the land of suffering, trading beauty for ashes, joy for mourning and praise for despair. I live with the low spirited and spirit crushed. I put a new spirit in you and get you on your feet again. Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning. If I am for you, who can ever be against you?

I throw my arms around you, lavish attention on you, and guard you as the apple of my eye. I rejoice over you with great gladness. My thoughts of you cannot be counted; they outnumber the grains of sand! Nothing can separate you from my love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Your fears for today, your worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep my love away.

You sometimes say, “The Lord has deserted me; the Lord has forgotten me.” But can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for a child she has borne? Even if that were possible I would not forget you! I paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, my sinless, spotless Lamb. No one will snatch you away from me. See, I have written your name on my hand. I call you my friend. Why, the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are valuable to me.

Give me your burdens; I will take care of you. I know how weak you are, that you are made of dust. Give all your worries and cares to me, because I care about what happens to you.

Remember, I am at hand. Come to me when you are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. I delight in you, and I can be trusted to keep my promises.

I wrote it because I believe God cares for me but the attacks of worry challenge that truth.

This might shock some people but as a child my hero was Kevin Keegan and so I always wanted to play for Liverpool, preferably alongside him! Then I wanted to be a snooker player. After that came being a world famous actor. I remember dabbling with the idea of being a nurse but after being laughed at in school I ditched that.

You may think my desires were crazy. My brother at 16yrs was filmed on the BBC telling the world he wanted to be a millionaire by the time he was 21yrs! There was a context to that which doesn’t make it as humorous so I will leave it out.

We all have gone down the same path of wanting to be like our heroes.

It isn’t long into life that we experience the expectations of others of what we should be. I remember parents bringing their little boy to me at the front of a church to pray that God will make him a doctor. I bent down and whispered to the boy asking if he would like to be a doctor and he gently replied NO. So I prayed for the parents to be better parents!

One of the effects of worry is causing you to think you are not capable to deal with what may happen next. If you don’t know who you are and who you are journeying to become then you will always be disabled by the thoughts you will not have enough and be enough in that situation.

Let’s see what Jesus says next. Remember he is speaking about the flowers in the field.

“Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these.”(Matthew 6 v 29)

The following is a rather long passage but I have edited it. I’ve copied it from the Message as it might help such a long reading! 2 Chronicles 9: 13-29

“Solomon received twenty-five tons of gold annually… King Solomon crafted two hundred body-length shields of hammered gold—about fifteen pounds of gold to each shield—and about three hundred small shields about half that size… The king made a massive throne of ivory with a veneer of gold. The throne had six steps leading up to it with an attached footstool of gold… There was no throne like it in any other kingdom. King Solomon’s chalices and tankards were made of gold, and all the dinnerware and serving utensils … were pure gold… The king’s ships … made a round trip to Tarshish every three years, returning with a cargo of gold, silver, and ivory … King Solomon was richer and wiser than all the kings of the earth—he surpassed them all. Kings came from all over the world to be with Solomon and get in on the wisdom God had given him. Everyone who came brought gifts… parades of visitors, year after year. Solomon collected horses and chariots. He had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen in barracks in the chariot-cities and in Jerusalem.”

Jesus says NOT EVEN Solomon.

Not at any time of all his gold, or of him sitting on the throne, or him being adored by many or of him being the most powerful king there was. NOT AT ANY TIME. NOT EVEN. He tried but he failed to be better than the flower in the field. Every single time the flower in the field outdid him.

We may spend our whole lives trying to be somebody else, one of our heroes, or just one of our neighbours, or that perfect person in the church. We may view ourselves as just a flower in a field. Perhaps we are hard on ourselves and we are a wilting flower. Maybe we don’t feel useful anymore. The heart of Jesus says the flower, you, has more than the person who has achieved the most.

You are enough.

I don’t have to be Kevin Keegan. I can be comfortable being me.

It is time for more true disciples of Jesus to be small in the Christian culture of big is best.

My name is Andrew Paul. Andrew means man, masculine, macho. I am not that person. I have never been called Andrew except at a security airport desk. I have tried to be that person but I just look ridiculous. Some want me to be that person to fit their mould of leadership and they are disappointed. But when I try anxiety wins.

My name is Paul. I try to be small because that is its meaning. But also because I find Jesus leads me to the bruised reeds and smouldering wicks of which Matthew will write about later in his gospel. There are many bent flowers in the field. I am one of them. I sit in the fields with those who mourn today, with those who have nothing because the deceiver took from their life. I sit with the abused, the leper, the dying. I sit with the persecuted where corruption and cruelty are part of their daily life. I weep often. But as I try to decrease more and more, as I become smaller it is there in that place that I find a very big God and when I do I smile and laugh, for He is good and His love endures forever.

I am trying to be true to who I am. You may worry that you are not what people think you are. That is perfectly okay. The problem comes when you announce you are great but you are not great at all. Don’t do that. But don’t pander the needs of others who always need a guru in their midst. Resist. Be who you are. But come and be small with me, it is great down here in the field of flowers, God is great! We don’t have to be the Solomon’s of this world. We can be someone different. But write down who you want to be and when worry comes with its temptation then you can simply say I will not be that person, I will not give my attention to being the best, seen to be the wisest, the most blessed materially, the orator, the one with the most qualifications, the greatest stories. I will be a flower in the field and know that NOT EVEN all those titles and positions are dressed like me. God has made me who I am and that is more than good enough for Him.

And suddenly they were there! The snowdrops and the daffodils just came alive in the garden. Then I realised something profound. I hadn’t been worrying about whether they would appear! It’s what they do. It didn’t look like they had been worrying either. They look as good as ever.

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin.” (Matthew 6 v 28)

Worry can be prevented by being pro-active. If you know you have a habit of worrying then you must write down who you are. When worry strikes it aims at your ability to handle the situation; will you be enough; have enough; will you know what to do; how will others perceive you.

Worry won’t stop until you have lost all self-awareness of who you really are.

Let who you are be enough. Flowers just flower.

Take your eyes off who you aren’t and what you don’t have and be comfortable in your own skin.

How could Luke write, “David served God’s purpose in his own generation”? (Acts 13:36)  David had been a young shepherd boy, the youngest of 8 brothers, whose father thought little of him, and his brothers less. He was just a shepherd boy.

In his Psalms, his life is a constant battle with negative emotions describing his life as a worm not a man! (Psalm 22)

Why a worm? Because people had told him he was. What have people said about you? What have you believed about you?

David did not give in to these negative emotions, if he had he would have drifted into insignificance. He rose to defeat many Goliaths.

You don’t have to be a worm, worthless, no value and at the mercy of every worrying thought. You are here for significance. You may have had disappointments but your life is not over.

Write down who you are. Grab a hold of you and be a good steward of your life.

Write:-

What I have materially:

What I have in experience:

Who I am:

Who my priorities are:

Expect Him to do much. God does not care if you are young or old. He gave Abraham a big dream when he was 75 yrs old. “I’m going to make you a father of a multitude and a nation.”

It doesn’t matter if there is little on your paper. God specialises with little.

Make sure you refer to what you have written down.

When worry strikes, align those thoughts with who you are.

Jesus is saying why are you worrying? Look at the creation order. Flowers just flower. You are enough. Within you is the personality and the ability to get through.

The problem with worrying is that it is based hugely on theory. What if …? In our next verse Jesus asks a rhetorical question, “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6 v 27) I smile when I read the Message, “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch?”

Anyone wanting to get taller? If you have reached the age of 18yrs it is highly unlikely you will grow anymore. That’s it! The rest of your life you will be the same height and it matters not how much you worry about it.

So what about extending your life? It is interesting that if you were born in 1841 you could expect to live for only 40.2 years but now in 2021 as a male you can expect to live 79 years with approximately 16 of those years not in good health and 83 years if you are female with 19 years not in good shape. (kingsfund.org,uk)

So obviously either our world has got better and so we live longer or since 1841 we have done a lot of worrying and our answer to Jesus question is YES!

Jesus is not advocating a care-free, careless life. But he is saying anxiety will not change anything that cannot be changed.

So write down what you KNOW. Write down what is certain and what you can control and what is not certain and uncontrollable.

Living through the pandemic has created new anxieties. Anyone of us can catch the virus but we also know there are measures we choose to take which minimises that risk. We don’t have to be overwhelmed with anxiety we can take back control.

We may not control what other people do or say but we can control how we will respond to their actions and statements.

We may not control what people think about us but we can control whether we will be kind to them.

Similarly, we may not be able to add a single hour to our life but we can choose to do some exercise and eat better.

Writing down what you KNOW helps when these anxious thoughts strike sometimes over the same theoretical situation because you can turn to what you have written and reinforce what you have decided on and take back some control.

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?

Actually, who are we not to be?

You are a child of God.

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? (Matthew 6 v 26)

Let me continue with the poem I started:

Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.

There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fears, our presence automatically liberates others.

Source: A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson (as quoted by nelson Mandela in his inaugural speech, 1994)

It is a beautiful poem and so true.

In overcoming your worry the value you place upon yourself is crucial. Answering the question what does God say I am will help when perhaps circumstances and people are impacting negatively on your value.

Jeremiah 17:7-8. But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

What does the next 12 hours hold for you? Here are 12 scriptures for each hour:

I am His child, John 1:12

I am a friend of Jesus, John 15:15

I am not under condemnation, Romans 8:1

I am a temple of the Holy Spirit, 1 Corinthians 6:10

I am led in victory, 2 Corinthians 2:14

I am free, Galatians 5:1

I am forgiven, Ephesians 1:7

I have peace, Philippians 4:7

I am loved, 1 Thessalonians 1:7

I have clarity, Ephesians 5:8

I am called, 2 Peter 1:3

I have a future, Romans 8:18

Believe these words. Believe what the Bible says you are. Write them down.

For you will face many an attempt from the enemy of your soul to belittle you:

‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?” (Genesis 3) was a question to Eve regarding her identity with the whole aim of stealing it from her.

“If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread” (Luke 4) though not a question was certainly asked in order to bring doubt to Jesus regarding his identity.

In every circumstance of life that becomes a challenge to you then there will be a question posed about your identity in some roundabout way.

Are you really a Christian? Do you really belong to God? Is He bothered with you?

God has a question but it is given in a positive way, Are you not much more valuable than they?

In light of yesterday’s story of my anxiety I made a decision which will mean that doesn’t happen again! What about your anxiety stories? How do you help yourself not to worry? When you are worrying how do you stop yourself?

Anxiety often stops you from making the right decision because your focus is so exaggerated on what is going to go wrong.

Jesus says, ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? (Matthew 6 v 25)

Therefore …

The verses prior to this Jesus has instructed us on treasures, eyes and masters. There are decisions of the heart, the eyes and that of our lifestyle that will impact on whether we worry or not. This is an uncertain world we live in and the decisions we make are crucial.

• Stop making the wrong decisions regarding what your heart desires, your eyes focus on and how you live your life. Write them down. You will need to refer to these in the future.
• When the worry comes write down what it is, but also get a new rationale around that thought and then the decision you are now making. Keep on reading what you have written until the worry moment leaves.
• Decide to look at life differently. Get a new perspective. Research those who don’t have ‘food or clothes’ (or whatever you tend to worry about) but who have lives far better than you because of things like joy and peace. Decide to see life through their eyes. Write down your findings.

Have you ever sat alone on a zoom meeting wondering if something has gone wrong?

It was just a slight niggle. With 10 minutes to go there was not the usual number of Pastors online for the pre-meeting banter. In fact there was no one. Then it struck me. Panic! I hadn’t sent out in my usual way the zoom link to the Pastors. I hadn’t even sent it out to our guest who was speaking on Anxiety! How could that have slipped my mind?! That was 2 days ago. Anxiety had grabbed hold of me before the seminar on how to deal with it when it does!

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6 v 25-34)

Let us look at this passage of 10 verses as a whole and then over the next 10 days I will try and give 10 tips to not worrying!

Look at the birds:  Luke’s account says Jesus mentioned the type of birds, ‘ravens’.

A quick research shows this: As intelligent as dolphins, in tests of logic a raven had to get a hanging piece of food by pulling up a bit of string anchoring it with its claw. Ravens have pushed rocks on people to keep them from climbing to their nests, stolen fish by pulling a fishermen’s line out of ice holes, and played dead beside a beaver carcass to scare other ravens away from a delicious feast.

See the flowers of the field growing: Luke’s account says Jesus mentioned the type of flower, ‘wildflower’. A wildflower is any flower that is not planted by intentional human intervention. They can be seen in deserts, forests, meadows and fields. They are so beautiful here in the UK most gardeners actually sow a wildflower patch.

God doesn’t feed the birds and clothe the grass of the field.

But within them both is the ability to do what they need to do and be the best they are created to be. Survive and be beautiful.

So do not worry about stuff.

What you will get and what you will look like. Stop fussing over those things. Stop making life all about worrying whether you will have enough and look your best.

He has built in to you what you need. The ability and the creativity to live and the beauty inside that is more important than any make-up or designer clothes to wear, is in you.

The seminar on Anxiety? The panic was over. It actually turned out alright. It usually does.

I work all night, I work all day, to pay the bills I have to pay; Ain’t it sad
And still there never seems to be a single penny left for me; That’s too bad
In my dreams I have a plan If I got me a wealthy man
I wouldn’t have to work at all, I’d fool around and have a ball

A recent study last year by Paragon Bank revealed that a British person will think about their finances 4 times a day for a total of 28 minutes. This equates to 170 hours a year which is a whole week. So across a whole life the typical Brit will spend one entire year of it thinking about money.

Some of you reading this will roll your eyes and think how cheery this devotion is today! Others will nod their head and agree that their mental health is suffering because of such anxiety.

Often we do not seek help until the lack of money is crushing our minds and situation.

We actually need help on the rise upwards with money before any decline.

In The Testament of Judah, ancient Jewish texts from the patriarch’s last words to his children, he says these words, “My children, the love of money leads to idols; because, when led astray through money, men make mention of those who are no gods, and it causes him who has it to fall into madness. For the sake of money I lost my children…” (The Testament of Judah 19).

How sad. Many have lost family and friends for the sake of money. When this has happened it is easy to realise that money has a life all of its own. Jesus says this:

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6 v 24)

In this section of the sermon there has been 2 treasures, 2 eyes and now 2 masters.

The word ‘serve’ is doulos which is more an exclusive serving like a slave to their owner.

Who is the master? Who is bringing order into your life? Who truly leads you? God or Money?

To serve money is to abandon the frugal lifestyle of a previous generation perhaps in favour of realising it is money that will give a better life even if it means carrying a whole lot of debt.

To serve money means I will feel respected and valued once I have more.

To serve money can also mean you are fearful of not having it so are not generous.

To serve money is to truly believe you will never have enough. In the words of Bob and Larry of Veggie Tales:

Bob the Tomato: “Larry, how much stuff do you need to make you happy?”

Larry the Cucumber: “I don’t know. How much stuff is there?”

If you are in debt then seek help to get out of it as soon as possible.

If you are desiring money then bring it under the lordship of Jesus.

If you have money then be generous and help others.

A man like that is hard to find but I can’t get him off my mind; Ain’t it sad
And if he happens to be free I bet he wouldn’t fancy me; That’s too bad
So I must leave, I’ll have to go; To Las Vegas or Monaco
And win a fortune in a game, my life will never be the same

Money, money, money
Must be funny; In the rich man’s world
Money, money, money
Always sunny; In the rich man’s world
Aha aha
All the things I could do; If I had a little money; It’s a rich man’s world

You will have seen them on your travels in the many markets around the world. The charm is called ‘Nazar’ and more often than not it is a blue glass jewellery piece to ward off the ‘evil eye’ that comes from someone who is wishing bad-luck on you. If you have ever been to Turkey you will definitely have seen these amulets as they are everywhere! Even on their budget aeroplanes a Nazar was placed, though it didn’t help them as they went bust in 2007.

It dates back to at least 6^th century BC as drinking vessels have been found with Nazar engraved on them. But even today especially in some Asian and African cultures the strong belief that your soul can be damaged or even lost means that these charms are placed on people and their animals to ward off the evil eye.

The Greek Philosopher, Plutarch, who was born only 15 years after Jesus was the leading voice regarding the power of the evil eye so potent to even cause the death of children and small animals.

Did Jesus know of these traditional practices? They were certainly prevalent in the Jewish culture. In the Midrash Sarah casts an evil eye on Hagar causing her to miscarry her pregnancy. In the Talmud the descendants of Joseph are immune from the evil eye.

Here are the verses today …

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy,your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6 v 22-23)

It cannot be lifted out of the verses before where Jesus speaks about our treasure in heaven. Nor can we ignore the next verse which is about money. Simply put, Jesus is saying you will only be able to store up treasures in heaven and master money if your focus in life is good.

When our focus in this life is geared towards focusing on God and true value then our whole lives will be illuminated. But if we are chasing after things in this world that will never last, if our eyes are pinned on money, possessions and relationships then even the shiniest things that are on offer in the shop-windows of life are full of darkness.

Don’t wear Nazar’s or any other charms to ward off darkness from other people’s evil-eye instead makes sure your desires, your ambition, your gaze is not the evil-eye that others may fear or even entrap you into selling your soul for. Many have fallen because the evil-eye masquerades as the look of love. Stay healthy. Stay focused on the Kingdom of God not what this earth can offer.