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I find that sometimes our God can talk to us using the lyrics from well-known songs. It is possible that we can see the lyrics having an entirely different meaning from that which is evident when listening to the song.

Maybe we should listen more closely to the words of a song and not just enjoy the melody. It is possible there might be a message in the song beyond what the lyricist intended. Take for instance the great Eagles song, ‘Take it Easy’.

The lyrics tell us of the singer’s quest to find true love in his life that has so far been unsuccessful. It seems it is true love which he desires more than anything else.

He tells himself to “take it easy” and to approach the situation with a cool head and not to ‘let the sound of his own wheels drive him crazy!’

It is a bit like our search for our God throughout our life. We generally recognise God or some higher being exists, but our busy life doesn’t always allow us the time or the inclination to really get to fathom out what this relationship is all about. We are told to ‘lighten up while you still can.’

While the lyrics refer to ‘a girl my Lord in a flatbed’ ute, they also raise the unanswered question of the Lord that ‘I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me’. And it is recognised that, ’we may lose and we may win, though we will never be here again’. And while ‘I may be ‘running down the road trying to loosen my load, I’ve got a world of trouble on my mind’.

While we may only find the peace we seek in our God who truly loves us, we are very conscious of our shortcomings and our worthiness so we are ‘lookin’ for a lover who wont blow our cover. We know ‘we got it easy’ but ‘I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me’.

And Jesus reaches out and tells us to come to Him all who labour and He will give us rest. He will give us the freedom we need to ‘Take it Easy’.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel

September 2021

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I enjoy listening to songs I love which I have included on various playlists. Recently, I was lying flat on the loungeroom floor with my feet up on a chair higher than my heart, (this position I am told is ideal for good circulation). I was listening to my ‘easy-listening’ playlist which contains 412 of my favourite songs.

I prefer the songs to play in alphabetical order and I found I was working through songs that start with ‘F’.

If you think it would be only possible to pray when listening to a playlist of religious songs, you would be wrong. I believe you are able to pray while listening to popular songs, because the words can become meaningful when, with a little bit of imagination, they can be heard as a two-way conversation with your God.

Let me give you an example: First up halfway through the ‘F’ List was ‘Fire and Rain’, a James Taylor song.

I’ve seen fire and I’ve seen rain. I’ve seen sunny days I thought would never end.

I’ve seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, but I always thought I would see you again.

Look down upon me Jesus, you gotta help me make a stand, just got to see me through another day.

I can’t make it any other way.

Then came ‘The Flame’ by Cheap Trick:

Wherever you go, I’ll be with you. Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you.

Whenever you need someone to lay your heart and head upon, remember after the fire and all the rain, I will be your flame.

Next up, ‘Fly Like A Bird’ by Boz Scaggs.

Now the years have past and memories come and go. He hears that voice.

There’s peace at the end of the darkest night. Sometimes I cry, sometimes I fly like a bird.

Then comes ‘Follow Me’ by John Denver

Follow me where I go, what I do.

Let a part of you be a part of me.

Follow me up and down, all the way and all around.

Take my hand and say you’ll follow me.

I’ve tried to find a way that will make you understand, the way I feel about you, just how much I need you.

To be there when I can talk to when there is no one else around.  

You see I’d like to share my life with you and show you things I’ve seen.

Places where I’m going to, places where I’ve been.

To have you there beside me I’ll never be alone.

Then came ‘For My Lady’ by The Moody Blues.

My boat sails stormy seas, battles all storms ahead. At last, my port’s in view, I’ve arrived, discovered you.

Set sail before the sun. Feel the warmth has just begun.

Share each and every dream, that belongs to everyone.

Then a bit of country with ‘Forever and ever amen’ by Randy Travis

I’m gonna love you forever. Forever and ever amen.

As long as old men sit and talk about the weather,

As long as old women talk about old men.

If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful, I’ll be happy to tell you again.

I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever Amen.

When it was time to get back up and into action, the blood circulation was recharged as also was my prayer life. Can’t wait to take up this same position again tomorrow as there are still more songs from the ‘F’ group to come, namely Four Strong Winds by Neil Young; ‘Fraction too much Friction from Tim Finn and ‘Bette Midler’s From a Distance.

I wonder what else awaits as I progress further through the alphabet. My God sure gets me going through my music.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel

May 2021

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I think we can better understand God If we could put to one side for a moment all we know in human terms of our God as 3 persons in the one Trinity; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (I assume we can refer to the Spirit as a person).  Having done this, let us now refer to our God as, ‘A Divine Presence’.

The first words in Genesis, the first book in the Bible, explain how God created the world as we know it. We should note that at no point does it refer to God not already being in existence. In John’s Gospel he refers to ‘The Word’ as Jesus being present at the ‘beginning’ with God and that he was God. This does seem a bit confusing, is it no wonder we have scratched our heads trying to understand the Trinity.

In our human understanding we like to see how everything has a beginning. However, we seem to be able to better comprehend what eternity is about. We write songs about loving each other forever and ever. We discuss perpetuity and even have a symbol for infinity. But attempting to understand a God consisting of 3 persons as not having a beginning is difficult. Hence, God as a Divine Presence is easier seen as ‘Always was and always will be’.

The prophets of old predicted the coming of a Messiah (‘The anointed one’). The Jews were looking for a great King and leader and as a result they couldn’t believe Jesus was the answer so they ran him out of town.

So why did God decide on creating a human to be the saviour of the world? This was how we humans would better understand his role. He would be one of us and grow up among us. He would have a beginning, his birth, and an end, his death on the cross. We are created to live. Jesus was the only person ever created with the express purpose of dying.

During his life he would be seen as the son of Mary and Joseph, yet at the Transfiguration, God was heard to say that he was His Son with whom he was well pleased. The father image was then easier to accept.

Jesus also used this image in teaching us to pray the ‘Our Father’. He also referred to his ‘Father in Heaven’ on numerous occasions.

While Jesus was on earth he had to rely on God to answer his prayers and provide the miracles often thought to be of his own doing. He took time out to pray and the night before he died he begged God to save him from what he knew would be his fate.

The resurrection was the proof he was sent by God to redeem the world. His return to heaven brought him into ‘The Divine Presence’ and when he returned he was seen to be different by his apostles. Yet he ate a fish breakfast which he prepared for them and appeared in front of them in a locked room.

Before the Ascension he promised he would leave them with his Spirit to sustain and guide them. It was this same Spirit that fired them into action at Pentecost. Once again it is easier to see Jesus and the Spirit as part of ‘The Divine Presence’ rather than the second and third ‘person’ of the Trinity.

The prayer “Glory be to the Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be forever and ever. Amen” might be a bit easier to understand if it was worded: “Glory be to God, The Divine Presence in our world who always was and who always will be. Amen”

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel.

30 November 2016

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I thought it might be a good idea to review the way I pray because I have followed a similar patten now for some years. I believe who we are is how we pray and therefore we all approach prayer in different ways depending on our personality, our upbringing and the life we are leading at the moment.

It wasn’t so long ago I accepted I felt more comfortable just talking to my God rather than reading pre-prepared prayers. I looked at how Jesus used to pray and realised that He would generally go off on His own to talk with His Father.

At the commencement of His discussion with His Father, He would praise and thank Him.

When the disciples asked Jesus how they should pray, Jesus gave them the ‘Our Father’ which, when you transpose today’s words for those used in Jesus’ time, follows that same pattern of greeting and praising the Father before asking the Father to ‘give us’ what we need.

So, I figured if Jesus gave us this prayer, who are we not to use this as our guide. However, while this prayer asks for our individual needs, it doesn’t specify any special needs we might want the Father to consider for others.

In the past, when I have particularly wanted to ‘pray’ for a friend, a family member or a situation I have developed a mental list which I have used in my talk with God.

As part of this review I now realise what a waste of time it is to be trotting out names and situations each time I pray. And even kicking myself when I realise afterwards, I have forgotten someone I have on my list. God doesn’t have to be continually reminded of who and what is on my man-made list. It is at this point I should point out the fact that the Holy Spirit plays a major role in assisting us with our prayer life. Because of our Baptism, the Spirit has an intimate internal contact with our lives, for it is the Spirit that helps us in our weakness and assists us when we pray (Romans 8:26). So, I just leave it to the Holy Spirit to do the negotiating with The Father.

 Jesus said, “The Father and I are one” and “You can only come to The Father through me”. So, who am I to argue? By virtue of our Baptism, Jesus lives within each of us and therefore, I don’t have too far to go to ask Jesus to lead me to The Father, or as I often do, ask Him to come with me and I call to the Spirit, “Come Holy Spirit”.

Another thing this review has made me realise is that The Father and the Holy Spirit are well aware of the reason why I specifically want to pray for each individual on my list. While I admit I can feel discouraged when my prayer is not answered in the way I would like it to be, I have learned it is wise not to question The Father’s decision. But one thing I believe is most important is to constantly thank the Father for sending us Jesus because, seriously, I just wonder where we would be if that had not occurred.

I recall when Jesus said to a paralysed man, “Your sins are forgiven” and the  Pharisees questioned His authority, his response was, “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven or get up and walk” (Luke 5:23).  While the Father knows full well what I might want, I feel I should leave it to Him to decide how best to help those for whom I am praying.

I remember how Jesus said, “Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven” (Matt 18:3). When your child cries you often know immediately what is wrong. It may be a hunger cry or a cry that says, I’m tired. Our Father in heaven instinctively knows what I need and hears my cry. It becomes obvious then that If I can be like a little child and just feel safe and secure in His presence, then He will care for all my needs.

My review seems to be simplifying the whole concept of my prayer. Because I realise the Father knows what I am coming to see Him about before I even arrive, It is now very easy for me to just sit at the Father’s feet and know I am there with Him, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. While it might seem simplistic it brings to mind what Jesus said to the disciples: ”Because I live, you also will live….You will know that I am in my Father and you are in me, just as I am in you”. (John 14:20). Just being there in the presence of the Trinity seems to me to be prayer enough.

I find it is easy to forget your daily prayer without having a trigger or prompt so, as we always enjoy two coffees each day, this then is time has become my trigger. When I am making coffee, my back is to the world and while the various actions become automatic, this leaves me time for my mind to be given over to prayer. Other people looking for a prayer trigger might feel cleaning your teeth or making the bed is a daily exercise that might work for them.

I have always relied on the words of Jesus, “Ask and you will receive”. However, recently I realise the lines following this in Matt 7:7 are just as important, “Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened”. I feel this whole group of 3 phrases refers to my prayer.

It is easy just asking to have your prayers answered and then going about your business knowing that the Father has heard your request.  However, when you look at the rest of the above sentence, in my opinion, I should

consider more than just the asking bit. It seems the seeking and knocking requires a certain amount of personal activity. In the Lenten lead up to Easter, we perform some regular activity to remind us of what Jesus went through for us, so I feel I could add to my prayer life if I not only asked for my needs but in addition, offered up something of myself to enhance my request.

My first reaction is to develop what I would call a ‘Mini Monday’ Lenten exercise. Each Monday I could take some personal action that would at least made me aware I was doing something additional to add to my prayers for the week ahead.

A simple example for me would be to give up devouring three of my favourite things each Monday. These are Coffee, Jam and Chocolate. Of course, they can be replaced by tea, vegemite etc. but this little restriction on self would form the basis of being a definite Mini Lent for me each Monday. This would be a personal way of offering up something I like to, in some small way, fulfill the seeking and knocking activity of my prayer.

I know this seems like a simplistic, even child-like approach, to what is really a form of prayerful self-sacrifice. But, it is something different from the norm and for me, a start at what I see as improving my prayer life.  If the idea were to catch on, I feel sure others would find more appropriate ways of engaging in ‘Mini Lent Monday’.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel.

April 2020

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(my take on the events surrounding the first miracle of Jesus)

Mary’s comment to her son at the wedding feast in Cana that, “They have no wine” you would have thought might have heard Jesus respond with, ‘That’s unfortunate mother.”

It was what Mary said with her eyes that evoked the response it did. “My time has not yet come,” said Jesus. This rebuff did not deter Mary at all. She told the servants to do whatever Jesus told them. The result of course, was the first miracle reportedly performed by Jesus.

Let’s go back a few nights prior to their attendance at the wedding when Jesus and Mary were eating an evening meal together. I can envisage the following conversation occurring:

Mary says, ‘Jesus, since Joseph died you have worked hard to provide for us and have put aside funds to ensure I will be comfortable even after you leave home to go about your Father’s work. When do you think this might happen’?

‘Mother,’ replies Jesus, ‘I am not ready yet. Why do you ask’?

‘I am very aware of the preparation you have already made by the earnest way in which you pray and your study that has made you conversant with the scriptures and the Jewish Law,’ replied Mary. ‘Besides, as your mother, I expect to be able to assist you in some way and I also need to prepare for this role and all the changes that it will bring to both our lives’.

‘The Father will tell me when the time is right,’ said Jesus. ‘And he will instruct me as to how I should proceed.’

Mary then said, ‘have you ever considered that maybe He might want you to feel confident enough to make the first move yourself’?

‘Mother, I feel sure the time is fast approaching when the reason for my existence will materialise and I must be guided by The Father.’  

It was at that moment that Mary determined within herself to find a way to help her son with this extremely difficult decision concerning his future, however daunting it might appear for him and for her. (She had not forgotten the prophesy given to her when Jesus was presented at the Temple that ‘a sword would pierce her heart’). That night she asked God for guidance and she recognised the answer to her prayer at the following day’s wedding.

Meanwhile, back to the wedding feast. What was going through the mind of Jesus? He knew his mother well enough to realise what she was suggesting, particularly after their discussion the previous evening.

Jesus immediately asked The Father for guidance but there was no response forthcoming. Since returning back home after being lost as a youngster, Jesus had always been obedient to both Mary and Joseph’s wishes. But in his mind this request from his mother was by far the most important request he had faced during his life to date.

Still there was no direction from The Father. But instead, he felt the overwhelming presence of the Holy Spirit filling him with the same power the apostles were to feel at Pentecost. The Father had sent him The Paraclete.

Jesus then immediately went to the servants and told them to fill the empty wine jars with water.

The witnesses to this miracle were the master’s servants, just as the witnesses at the birth of Jesus were the lowly shepherds. The Father was already making it clear that the humble would be exalted.

The dictionary defines humility as having a low estimate of one’s own importance. Maybe The father is telling us that to share in the miracle that is Jesus, we first need to become humble like He was.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel.

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Firstly, let’s get one thing straight. The opening words of ‘Genesis’ refer to God’s creation of the universe, not the beginning of God’s existence. In John 1:1 the words, “In the beginning was the Word” can only refer to Jesus as ‘The Word.’ Our God’s existence is eternal, without beginning and without end.

OK, now we have that cleared up let’s go back in time a bit before God decided to create the world and the first people. It seems fairly clear that God created the angels before the creation of the world took place. Satan was certainly around in the Garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve. (If there was such a garden with its fictitious apple tree).

It is understood there were around seven archangels. The book of Daniel refers to Michael as the ‘Prince’ protector of God.  Gabriel seems to be number two in the pecking order and is known as the messenger of divine comfort. He figures prominently in scripture. He interprets visions in the Book of Daniel and in Luke’s Gospel announces miraculous births to Zechariah about the birth of John the Baptist and to Mary, the mother of Jesus. There are many instances in scripture where we read of God’s angels and the messages they delivered on God’s behalf.

From what we read there were many thousands of Angels so the inner cabinet had seven leaders and as always if there is someone fighting for the top job there will be a confrontation. So Michael and his party based their policies on God’s love, whereas Satan and his followers were more interested in power and control.

Paul, a bachelor, sums up the concept of love in 1 Corinthians 13.4-7 when he writes: “Love is patient, love is kind; love is not jealous and boastful; it is not arrogant or rude.  Love does not insist on its own way, it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

So, the inner fighting went on well after God created us humans, for we read in Job (15/15) ‘In his own Holy Ones God puts no trust’. Earlier in the Book of Job we see how God allows Satan to test Job. Satan is asked “where have you been” and his reply is that he has been round the earth, roaming about (1/7).

It is not until we read the Book of Revelation (12.7-9) that we know who won the heavenly fight. ‘And now war broke out in heaven, when Michael and his angels attacked the dragon. The dragon fought back with his angels, but they were defeated and driven out of heaven. The great dragon, the primeval serpent, known as the devil or Satan, who had deceived all the world, was hurled down to earth and his angels were hurled down with him’. Jesus himself said,” I watched Satan fall like lightening from heaven” (Luke 10.18)

Michael and his mob might well have rid heaven of the devil but we have the blighter down here on earth with us. This is not a happy thought. ‘Let the heavens rejoice and all who live there; but for you, earth and sea, trouble is coming- because the devil has gone down to you in a rage, knowing that his days are numbered’ (Rev.12/12).

So where does Jesus fit into the picture? Well, it must have been obvious to God that as the population of the earth increased so Satan was becoming very active and that people needed to be reminded of the goodness of God and the need to love one another.

God’s response was to have a human live among the people and spread the message of love.  For years the Jews had talked of a messiah and pictured this messenger from God as being a mighty warrior and leader. No wonder they couldn’t accept that Jesus, the carpenter’s son from Nazareth was the Christ.

But there was also another dilemma facing God. If Mary was to give birth to a son and call him Jesus then everyone would see Jesus as the son of Joseph and this would reduce his credibility when it came time to eventually question his followers about “Who do people say I am”?  It was Peter who responded ‘You are the Christ’ he said ‘the Son of the living God’ (Matt. 16.16-17).

So, the penny dropped. Somewhere along the line Jesus had progressed from being the son of Mary and Joseph to being the ‘Son of God’. To make it easier for people to understand Jesus referred to his ‘Father’ in heaven. At the Transfiguration, God referred to Jesus as his Son. ‘This is my son of whom I am well pleased’.

Jesus the man proclaimed God’s message of love which has been the basic Christian teaching down through the ages. He suffered and died that we might live, that we might avoid the snares of the devil and be happy with him forever in heaven. But Jesus the man had to undergo another transformation before he returned to heaven. To prove he was also God, Jesus rose from the dead and showed himself to many before eventually saying goodbye to his disciples and returning to his rightful place in heaven.

But even after his death Jesus had work to do. In the intervening 3 days before Easter, we read how he descended into hell and not only opened Hells gates but he opened Heaven’s gates as well. (I am still not sure about the authenticity of these visits.) His suffering and death had not been in vain. Those who kept the word of God would be welcomed in heaven and those who chose to follow Satan would be banished to the agony of never being able to see God or enjoy the wonder of heaven. My mind is in a quandary about the whole concept of ‘hell.’ When I see The Father as a pure dispenser of ‘love’ I wonder whether he would even contemplate the creation of any place that we, as humans see as ‘hell.’

Jesus the Christ once again became one with God and He was God and His Spirit was one with Him. Jesus promised he would allow his Spirit to help us survive our life here on earth.  As the Spirit of Jesus is one with God then we are surrounded by our God here on earth. If we can only stop our busy lives for a moment, we can hear God speaking to us through our dreams, the wonderful nature that surrounds us and in the people we meet. There are angels whose role it is to support us. Let us not be frightened to call on their help.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel.

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Recently, I attended a funeral church service for a young man who had taken his own life.  It was a sad occasion for the young man’s family.  When the 83 year old minister of religion got up to speak I seriously wondered what he could possibly say that might bring comfort to the family and friends attending the service.

His words were a revelation to me and changed the attitude of many of those in attendance.  He recounted many of the good things the young man had performed during his life for his family and the community and concentrated his talk on the ways he had helped and served others.

He spoke of a loving God who had been with the young man throughout his short life and who would never abandon him because of a serious mistake he made at the end.  He recounted how Jesus had already died for our sins and wanted only to love us into eternity.

I left that church with a better understanding of a God who loves us rather than one who sits in judgement of our faults and failings and condemns us.

Since that day I have often thought back over that experience and have come to the realisation that we should not fear death and with some thoughtful advanced preparation actually embrace the thought of an eternal life.

Death is not something we openly talk about.  It is seen by many as a taboo subject and if we raise the concept in a conversation or discussion we are considered to be morbid and advised to pick on a brighter subject.

Some just see it as inevitable and prefer to put it out of their mind until faced with its reality.  Others either don’t believe in life after death or prefer not to think it might exist.  While others are just plain scared about the thought of being judged for what they have done during their life.

If there is a genuine sorrow in our hearts for the things in our life we could have done better, then our God sees and understands this. So there is no need for us to constantly remind ourselves of our shortcomings and live with a fear of the fires of eternal retribution.

There is no doubt we will be judged after death but what form will that judgement take?  A look at scripture can give us the answer (Matt.25:31-46).  Without wishing to make this process seem too simplistic, it appears that the only criteria we will need to address is the answer to the Lord’s question, “What have you done for me”.

Surprisingly, those chosen to enter heaven, the sheep, will be unaware of when they had ‘done things’ for God.  They ask; When had they fed him?  When had they clothed Him?  When had they welcomed Him as a stranger? 

The simple answer comes when we are told, “When you did these things even for the least of my people, you did them for Me”.

We are told that the Kingdom of heaven is a heritage prepared since the foundation of the world for those who have ‘done things for God’.  So it would seem that without even knowing it many of us are destined for the ‘sheep side’ rather than the ‘goat side’, providing we can satisfy the selection criteria.

The Process

What concerns me is that many people who are faced by death or even consider the subject become frightened of what they see as the ‘unknown’.  Many fear the Lord’s judgement, seemingly only remembering those decisions and areas in their past where they could have performed better.

By spending some time to look back on our life in a positive way I believe we can soon come to realise that on many occasions we have been ‘doing things for our God’ without even being aware of our actions.  Sure, there have been times when God would not have been happy with some of our actions but for starters let us just concentrate on the positive.

My purpose in suggesting this exercise is to let the individual see there will have been many occasions in their past life where they would certainly qualify to be one of the ‘sheep’ rather than the ‘goats’.  With some prompting and use of key words I believe individuals can be assisted in this exercise.  This would form the ‘Life As It Was’ segment of the process.

Having concentrated purely on the positive aspects of the past life, it would be good to look at what is happening in our present life that could fit into the ‘things I am doing for God’ category.  The same process could be used where key words and suggestive ideas could be used to assist the individual examine their current situation.  This would form the ‘Life As It Is’ segment.

Even though the whole process to date has focussed on how the individual has loved, helped and supported others, there still needs to be an opportunity given for contrition to complete the healing.  While I would not suggest too great an emphasis be placed on this aspect I believe it is necessary to complete the process by explaining how much our God loves us and desperately wants us to be part of the ‘sheep group’.  This would form the ‘Life As It Will Be’ segment.

The Logistics

Eligibility

Primarily the process is designed for Christians.  However, I would dearly love it to be re-worked so anyone who believes there is, or could be, a life hereafter can obtain some benefit and peace of mind from the process.

Presentation

It could be presented to an individual or a group.  Once the key words and thought suggestions have been documented for the presenter anyone could offer the process.  It would seem more suited to being presented by a minister of religion or lay chaplains and other religious.  These would probably have more credibility with older people.

Helping individuals to remember ‘Life As It Was’

Can you remember a particular time in your early childhood when you were particularly happy?  Think about the fun you were having and those who were present at the time.

Did you have a particular friend either at school or with whom you came in contact?  Why were you friends?

Growing up has its difficulties but can you recount a time when you were able to help someone?  What were you able to do for that person?

As a young adult did you ever come across a situation where someone was being treated unfairly and you were able to support them in some way?  What were you able to do?

As a member of a sporting team, was there an occasion when you were able to assist another team member?

Did you ever take a stance on an issue you felt was right?

Were you ever a member of a Community organisation or group?  What did you do to help the community?

If you were married, what were some of the ways you showed love to your partner?

If you were blessed with children think of a particular instance with each of your children where you were most happy and loved them dearly.

Looking at ‘Life As It Is’

Are you active in or support any community or church organisation?  How are you able to use the gifts God has given you?

Do you still love your children, their partners and any grand children?  Are you able to help them by doing little things for them?  Are you still part of their life’s adventures?

Do you have friends who rely on you for companionship?  How are you able to help them? 

Can you see ways of helping others that you haven’t explored yet?

Looking at ‘Life As It Will Be’

You can see from just this brief excursion into your life to date that there have been many times when you have befriended or helped others.  Remember the words of Jesus: ”When you do these things even for the least of my people, you do them for me”.

Here are the words from He who has already suffered and died for our sins.  He makes it very clear He has prepared a place for us in eternity.  He knows what we have done for Him and he encourages us to keep loving one another, to keep doing ‘good things for Him’ because he desperately wants us to be with the ‘sheep’ when our time comes to face His judgement.

Don’t try and remember those things you know you should have done better.  Just take a moment to thank God for remembering all the good things we have done and let Him know you are sorry for the not-so-good things.

Go away knowing that you are loved by a God who accepts our human failings but has a long memory when it comes to keeping a record of the ‘things we have done for Him’.  Do not fear death, for this can only  be the beginning of an exciting new awakening as you are welcomed into eternal life to a place that has been waiting for you since you were created.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel

March 2012

More ‘That’s how I feel’ stories.

Our thought processes tend to be restricted by our understanding. We feel safe in accepting scientific proven facts, but it is not until we allow our imagination to adventure into the world of the unknown that possibilities can seem like realities.

We don’t seem to have any difficulty accepting the word ‘forever’ in our language and our understanding. However, the word ‘always’ tends to indicate that there is a beginning which will continue.

Let us focus our imagination on the deity we call God. This spirit exists in whatever form we have accepted as a result of many influences during our lifetime. My exposure to God has been through the Christian tradition and as a result my imaginative processes are flavoured by my knowledge and experiences within this environment.

Because of my belief that there will be an eternity, I have no difficulty in understanding the word ‘forever’. It is my strong conviction that God as spirit has always existed and that ‘always’ means ‘forever’. My God encircles the universe as a ring where there is no beginning and no end.

My idea of God is that this spirit has always been a trinity containing a Spirit of Creation, a Spirit of Life and a Spirit of Humanity. The Bible supports my theory here when the creator made the world and everything in it, the Spirit then breathed life into creation.

We also read how when this creation took place ‘in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God’. The Word has always been seen as Jesus and this was confirmed at the Transfiguration scene when the voice from heaven told the apostles, ‘This is my son, listen to him’.

But I let my mind go back beyond the creation of the world to consider in my imagination God’s plan for the creation of humanity. I think the spirit world was a happy place and the Spirit of Creation had always planned to share this place with other created spirits.

The Spirit of Humanity would enable this to happen because unlike the birds, fish and animals that were to be created with a survival instinct, humans would be given a conscience to help them determine their destiny.

To get a firsthand look at how the conscience concept would work, God created spiritual angels to share the happy spiritual world. We read about how some angels had special duties and Michael was classified as an Archangel, which indicates there was some form of hierarchical structure in place. In Matthews Gospel (Ch. 18) we read how angels get to see the face of God whereas in Exodus (Ch. 33) man cannot see the face of God and continue to live.

These spiritual angelic beings were given a conscience. They could determine the difference between right and wrong, between good and bad. Eventually jealously and envy caused a revolt in the angelic world and Satan and his followers were banished forever from the light of the heavenly existence to the darkness of the void.

God must have been determined to give humanity every chance to spend eternity in a spirit filled heaven because he made sure everything was in place for us within this universe before humanity came into existence.

There is no doubt evolution exists within our world as we follow the historical progress of different species. However, humans were created with a conscience and this to me indicates the difference between animals and humans, irrespective of how closely related we may seem due to the evolutionally process.

Right and wrong

All of creation exists as a result of the intervention of our God. The miracle of human birth is constantly occurring throughout our world with the Creator ensuring each of us is a unique being. As we grow in age and understanding, we mature and become aware of the difference between good and bad, right and wrong. How we choose to honour this understanding generally determines the type of adult we become.

Satan and his followers seem determined to promote evil and thwart the Creator’s concept of having humans know, love and serve their God so they will eventually be happy with him in heaven along with the angels and saints. Hence, we are tempted to see the enjoyment and fulfilment of following the easy pathways in our lives that promote sin and eventual damnation.

Life does become a constant battle and we eventually learn that we need God’s help constantly just to survive.  Sometimes it may take years of seemingly fighting against evil and the temptations that surround us on our own. Sometimes our God doesn’t even feature in our daily lives. We seek to live in a state of happiness which we believe can be obtained with money, enjoyment, possessions and feelings of self fulfillment.

Often, it is not until the occasion arises when our world comes crashing down around us and we end up virtually at the bottom of the barrel, that we learn to reach out in desperation to our God who has always been there for us.  During our lives to that point many of us have never sought God’s intervention as we have always thought we can go it alone in this world.

Of course, this situation doesn’t go down well with the devil who thought he had us firmly in his grasp. Still, this evil spirit has a game plan all ready to enact that will have us rethinking our reinvolvement with our maker.

As we ponder the Jesus of our youth and early church attendance days, we are suddenly confronted by doubts and our unworthiness. It may have been many years since we were inside a church or chapel. We can’t remember the last time we prayed. Our thought processes tell us we would be seen as hypocrites by turning to God after years of spiritual inactivity. As for seeing God in our everyday life, this was just a fantasy.

The words, “Come to me all you who labour and I will give you rest” can become a reality as we reach out in desperation, seeking forgiveness and begging for assistance. Jesus said He is the way to the Father so let us ask Him to show us the way.

As Christians, we are encouraged to develop a close relationship with Jesus. How we go about doing this will vary with every individual but obviously, like any developing relationship, success will depend on the acceptance of each other ‘warts and all’, as the saying goes.

There is certainly enough documented material around to give us a good understanding of how and why Jesus spent His life on earth. He made it quite clear he would ‘never leave us orphans’ and gave us the New Covenant that insured us He would always be around for us. So, it seems it is up to us to fulfill our side of the relationship by allowing Jesus into our lives regardless of whether we feel worthy.

Everyone will go about this in their own way. I spent some considerable time seeing Jesus as the suffering saviour. The crucified martyr, in pain caused by our sinfulness. This vision only gave me much sadness and I had considerable difficulty even trying to form a balanced relationship. Perhaps Jesus was suffering for the harm and pain we would cause each other during our lifetimes as we failed to heed His message to ‘Love one another.’

It was not until I allowed my imagination to see Jesus through the various phases of his life from conception to death that I came to feel comfortable with the mature man with whom I feel I can easily relate.  He is aged around 29 years, just prior to His public life commencing. He is fully versed in the ancient scriptures. He has been raised by Joseph and Mary and understands the ways of the world. He is a bloke who listens.

While everyone’s imagination will be different, I find it helpful to seek out my Jesus in a quiet restful situation. Perhaps a bush setting in the shade under a tree where there is no interference from noise other than what might generally be heard in a natural environment. This type of location can be conjured up irrespective of where you might be at the time. Perhaps, lying in bed, sitting on a bus or walking in a park. Obviously, the least distractions around you will make it easier to meditate in this way.

I find a wonderful way of experiencing the greatness of our God is to just look up at the night sky. The stars, planets and even the circling satellites seem to put our existence into perspective. We are but a speck of dust compared with the enormity of God’s creation. Yet, we are part of that creation. We are loved as individuals and have been given complete access to our God at all times. How amazing is our God!

As an aside, I enjoy taking on small challenging building and construction projects and often refer to ‘my Jesus’ as son of Joseph the carpenter and a good general tradesman who can assist me in so many ways with thoughts and ideas that make the completion of my projects so much easier. From my experience it would seem that ‘my Jesus’ has kept up to date with modern trends, equipment and materials and also seems to have a fair understanding of today’s technology as well. It just seems less complicated completing tasks when He is around.

For me, it seems so much easier having a close relationship with the spirit of the 29 year old Jesus as a human concept. With hindsight I have often seen how events have turned out opposite to the ways I envisaged or wanted them when I prayed earnestly for what I thought was required. So, it seems that if my prayer requests are just a simple asking for help with specific problems, I can let God determine how that help might be administered.

However, we must always be aware that in talking with our God we need to do more than just keep asking for help in the way we think we need it. In our relationship with Jesus, we always need to recognise that we are relating to Jesus the Christ as a spirit and as such the spirit of the Father and the Holy Spirit are also present as one God.

Jesus told us that He was the way to the Father so we should ask ‘our Jesus’ to take us to the Father and ask the Holy Spirit to come as well, for we are told the Holy Spirit makes intersessions to the Father for us with our prayer. As we kneel at the Father’s feet, we can offer glory and honour to our God and ask forgiveness for our sins and apologise for causing Jesus to suffer.

It is interesting how the Blessed Trinity (or 3 components in our God) can be more easily understood when viewed as part of the spirit world rather than in human terms where we refer to the Trinity as ‘three persons’. Being Spirit, our God can be available to everyone at the one time and can take on many forms both seen and unseen. The apostles on the road to Emmaus walked with Jesus for the whole day and didn’t recognise him. Jesus appeared in locked rooms after His resurrection and had meals with His friends. He appeared in the human form they all recognised.

As Spirit, Jesus the Christ can converse with us through our thoughts, imagination and even those people around us. So often I have been engrossed in a handyman project and seemingly have the processes I will use all worked out when out of the blue, my wife might offer, to her, what might be a seemingly unimportant suggestion.  Providing I am prepared to consider this suggestion and alter my already firm plans, I might never get to realise that perhaps this suggestion may well have come via ‘my Jesus’.  After the idea is   incorporated into the project it often makes it easier to complete and even gives a better outcome. I have stopped questioning these occurrences and just accept them as an intervention by Jesus.

When these situations occur, I often think of the Transfiguration and this time the Father saying, “This is my daughter, listen to her.” Other times, information can be obtained from articles you might just happen to read, people you might meet or even media stories that all just happen coincidently.

Ha ha! I really don’t believe in coincidences.

I mentioned above how the Apostles on the road to Emmaus walked all day with ‘a stranger’ who turned out to be the resurrected Jesus, for ‘they recognised him in the breaking of the bread.’ This story is always in the forefront of my mind when meeting unknown people for the first time.

I find I am constantly asking myself the question, ‘is it possible that Jesus walks among us and we just don’t recognise Him?’ Perhaps, if we have this in mind, we might be more likely to treat others as we would like them to treat us. Perhaps we might be more intent on listening to what others have to say rather than promoting our own thoughts and actions. The Father made us all in His own image. He has only love to give to us.

Our individual Jesus is waiting for us. Maybe it’s time to say G’day.

I’m Peter Mack and that’s how I feel.

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