Who are you working for?

In the concluding verses of Daniel chapter one, we read that the four friends were not only healthier than other candidates, but were also wiser. The king found them to be "ten times" more capable than his other advisors or even his magicians. They may have been in "forced labour," but these men were good at their jobs and were well respected for that. Daniel also had a God-given ability to interpret the meaning of dreams and visions - which played a key role in his interactions with a succession of Babylonian kings over many years.

In fact, a footnote to this account (Daniel 1: 20) lets us know that Daniel worked in royal service for a period of around 60 years - from the early years of King Nebuchadnezzar's reign (the events in this chapter happened around 605 BC) to the first year of King Cyrus's reign. (539 BC)

That's a long time to be stuck in a job that wouldn't have been your first choice of profession. Yet Daniel did his job well - with the result that people noticed that and some began to open their hearts to his God.

What about us, when life places us in a job or in circumstances that wouldn't have been what we hoped for? (An unfulfilling job, a difficult boss, a challenging neighbour, a handicapped family member...) Do we nonetheless give our best and serve well, knowing that our life might very possibly be the only way that those people can see the reality of God?

Centuries later, the early Christians were encouraged to serve with all their hearts and give their best (Colossians 3: 22 - 23) no matter how hard their circumstances - as if they were serving God and not simply working for people. It's a principle that Daniel modelled for us many years before and we can be inspired to see the good fruit that it brought in his life and the lives of those around him.

Does God care what we eat?

Still in chapter one of the book of Daniel, the diet chosen by the teenagers raises a number of questions for us. Some have seen it as endorsing the case for vegetarianism, as the four boys ended up looking healthier than those who ate the other foods. Fruit and vegetables, after all, were the original diet of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden.

Arguing for vegetarianism on moral grounds (against the killing of animals) doesn't hold water if we remember who was the very first to kill an animal. It was God, in Genesis 3: 21. Granted, this was to make clothing for Adam and Eve; food isn't specifically mentioned at that point. But it does seem likely that meat eating also began around then. Otherwise, how can we explain that Abel's offering (of portions of dead lamb) could be more acceptable to God than Cain's offering from his crops?

We may not know all the factors involved in the Cain and Abel episode of Genesis 4, but it certainly doesn't uphold the viewpoint that God was against the killing of lambs. 

Meat is not specifically mentioned in Daniel chapter one, but it is one of the most likely foods that the teenagers felt would "defile" them - not because of the food itself, but because of the laws about how it should be killed, so that the Hebrews didn't eat meat with the blood still in it. Perhaps the Babylonians also ate different kinds of insects, as still happens in parts of Asia today. (I know people in 2019 who won't eat pork or prawns for health reasons because they respect the dietary laws (in the book of Leviticus) which forbade the Jews from eating the meat of such scavengers.)

So, were Daniel and his friends healthier because they ate a vegetarian diet or because God was honouring their choice not to defile themselves? It's more likely to be the latter. (This doesn't deny that vegetables are good for you, or exclude the option that some people might choose to avoid meat for reasons of personal conscience.) 

So, where does that leave us in terms of decisions about what we eat today? Most of the meat in our supermarkets is not kosher, and Christians in general tend to eat a variety of meats that were forbidden to the early Israelites. Should we be concerned about that?

It seems not, because the early Christian believers were advised that nothing is unclean: all food is acceptable if it is eaten with thankfulness. This raises the question of whether the Hebrews' early food laws concerning what was "unclean" were more about health than about religion.

The New Testament letters do contain a considerable number of warnings about gluttony - so it does seem that God cares a great deal about whether we're eating too much, and whether the demands of our stomach are becoming like a god to us. (Philippians 3: 19) Otherwise, it seems that New Testament teaching leaves us a huge amount of freedom. 

Can we conclude, then, that God doesn't care any more about what we eat?

Well, that might be too simplistic a conclusion, because even though no specific foods are outlawed for the early believers, there's another recurring principle in the New Testament: that our physical bodies are the temple or dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and that we are responsible for how we look after them. (1 Corinthians 6: 19 - 20 - which was written in the context of urging believers not to defile their bodies with sexual immorality.)

So what does that mean for us today? It might not mean avoiding meat or totally ruling out "rich" foods, but it might possibly mean being alert to what could damage our body or our health. How much sugar or fat is too much? How safe are those colourings or artificial sweeteners? What effect does it have on the human body when food is genetically modified or cows are pumped full of antibiotics? How much nutrition is left in a loaf of bread that's packed so full of chemicals and preservatives that it can sit on a shelf for a month and not develop any mould? Why are so many pre-packaged foods full of MSG flavour enhancer, or have more E numbers than real food in their list of ingredients?

Other sobering questions of our day might be, Why are incidences of cancer, even in relatively young people, so much higher than they were in the past? Why is there suddenly so much gluten intolerance and lactose intolerance in the western world - things that were almost unheard of in previous generations? The answer would seem to lie in what human beings in some parts of the world are doing to the food we eat.

When Daniel and his friends reached Babylon, they faced things they'd never had to encounter in Israel. And people in the western world of the 21st century face food choices that simply didn't exist for their grandparents in the 1950s.

The Bible is clear that God doesn't want us to fall into legalism about what we eat and drink. Legalism was a mistake made by the Galatians in New Testament times. And Paul warns Timothy about false teachers who were urging people to abstain from certain kinds of food. (1 Timothy 4: 3)

But perhaps it's worth being a little more informed about our food choices in the modern world and reflecting a little on what might have a negative impact on our health. Perhaps it's worth choosing food that is as close as possible to the way God created it for us to enjoy.

How to raise up a world changer...

In yesterday's post, I wrote about a book that I've begun reading: the story of four teenage boys who had to face an incredibly difficult situation at a relatively young age. We saw how their relationship with God prepared Daniel and his friends not only to survive, but also to thrive in those challenging circumstances.

Apart from the fact that they had God on their side, Daniel and his friends had a lot going for them from the human standpoint. They were chosen by the Babylonians (Daniel 1: 3 - 4) because they were:
- strong
- healthy
- good-looking
- intelligent
- educated
- from noble families.

Yet, despite all these wonderful qualities, they still needed to go through a 3-year training and preparation programme before they would serve in the royal palace. This might seem a bit over the top, until we remember how young they were; the Hebrew word used was translated "children" in earlier Bible versions and indicates that they were probably around thirteen or fourteen years old at the time. They were still developing physically, and the king wanted them also to be trained in the language and literature of Babylonia. (vs 4) 
No doubt he hoped that they would still be young enough to have their belief system shaped and would soon become "like a native" (as do many people who move overseas at a young age and soon become completely assimilated into their new language and culture.)

What the king and his staff hadn't counted on, however, was that these teenagers, even at such a young age, were already personally committed to their own God and to His guidelines for how to live. Someone (their parents, presumably) had done a good job of introducing them to the God of Israel, so that, faced with a hostile environment with lots of delicious, tempting new things to eat and drink, we read that Daniel stood strong and was "determined" not to defile himself. (vs 8)

Our kids today may not literally be carried off as prisoners of war, but something very similar happens to them at that same age of 13 - 14, and they find themselves in a hostile environment, a war zone of sorts. It's called secondary school, and it's full of new pressures to take drugs or alcohol, to look at pornography, to get involved sexually... and other things that would "defile" them.

The question to be asked is, how well have we prepared them? Have we given them enough opportunities to experience God in a real, personal way? Enough to make them loyal to their God and "determined" not to defile themselves?

The good news, of course, is that our teenagers are not suddenly isolated from their home environment as Daniel and his friends were. There's still lots of time for parents to guide them during their teenage years. But that parenting will be more challenging if it didn't already begin many years before, if it didn't understand the importance of the critical pre-teen years (age 10 - 12), and if the teenagers haven't experienced God's reality to such an extent that they have truly begun to personalise and embrace their own faith in God.

One of the best things we can do for our kids is to do what the parents of Mishael, Azariah, Hananiah and Daniel did: introduce them to the God who made them, loves them, and cares for every detail of their lives. That's the only thing that will protect and guide them in the hostile world of 21st Century society.

See the post below for further reflections from this Bible passage about training for royal service.

Is training really necessary?

Isn't it interesting that the Babylonians felt three years of training were needed to equip those boys for "royal service," and yet many people today believe they can step out to serve the King of kings without any training at all? How presumptuous of us!

Especially in the area of youth and children's ministry we see people getting involved without taking time to get even a basic level of understanding and equipping first. No wonder we sometimes don't have a good track record when it comes to raising up a generation of world changers like Daniel and his friends.

Of course, the flip side to this is that God is able to to use anyone who is willing and has the right heart. We don't need three years of Bible college before we can share our faith with our next door neighbour.

Even so, we would be wise to seek equipping for the kind of ministry we feel called to - whether that's working with kids, leading a house group or being part of the prayer team. And let's not forget the importance of allowing God Himself to keep shaping us as we spend time daily in His presence and His Word.

What's in a name?

I started reading a book this morning, a book that begins with the story of four teenage boys who were captured and carried off as prisoners of war, taken to a foreign country to spend the rest of their lives there as slaves.  I can already tell that this book will have a lot to say about how to remain faithful to God, even under extreme threats and circumstances. It's also a book that tells of God's faithfulness to protect, defend and give insights to his people. Perhaps you've already read it; it's the Old Testament book of Daniel.

It was a time of war and everything changed overnight for these young boys. In one blow, they lost everything that was familiar to them: their homes and families, their own nation and customs, and even their names... because the King of Babylonia gave new names to these teenagers who were beginning a time of training to be royal servants.

To make things even worse for these Jewish boys, their new names were names that implied allegiance to foreign deities - to the gods of Babylonia.

Daniel was renamed Belteshazzar, which means, "May Bel protect the king." Bel was the chief god, the national deity of Babylonia.
Mishael's name was changed to Meshach, which means, "Who is like Aku." Aku was the Babylonians' god of the moon.
Hananiah was renamed Shadrach, probably meaning, "Command of Aku" or "at Aku's command."
And Azariah was called Abednego, which might mean, "slave of the god Nebo." (Nebo was the Babylonian god of wisdom.) Or it might mean "slave of the god Nergal." (Nergal was an ancient god of death and the underworld.)

What a traumatic experience for these four young teenagers - not only to lose their whole life as they'd always known it, but also to be given new identities that linked them to foreign gods.

But their true identities remained as a reminder of who God was and could still be to them.

Daniel means, God is my Judge, and even from those youthful years, we see this man living a life of integrity, with the awareness that God's eye was always upon him.
Hananiah means, God is gracious - not only something he experienced in his own life, but also a firm reminder that he was not at the command of the god Aku; he was safely in the hands of Yahweh.
Mishael means, Who is like God/Yahweh - a reminder that his true identify was to be like the Creator God of the universe and not like the heathen god of the moon.

Azariah, like the name Ezra, means God has helped, and already in the first few chapters of the book of Daniel we see this teenage boy and his friends experiencing God's help and deliverance in various ways, even in  a terrifying crisis situation.

And so the experience of these four young teens is a reminder of a fundamental truth: our identity is not shaped by the names the world calls us. They may call us weak or foolish or worthless; they may tell us we're a failure, that we're insignificant or that our life doesn't count for anything...

But that's not our true identity in God's eyes: He tells us that we're loved and valuable to Him, that we have unlimited potential, that we can make a difference in our world as we draw on His wisdom, help and strength.

So, what's in a name?  A lot! The amazing stories of Daniel and his friends were determined not by who people said they were, but by who they knew themselves to be. They weren't simply servants of the King of Babylonia; they were children of the King of the Universe.

Walking for health... and for medical research...

If you read my December newsletter, you'll know that I try to walk daily with the dogs in order to keep mobile and overcome my own challenges with osteoarthritis. So you can imagine my interest when a number of well known Spanish celebrities began appearing on weekend television in a publicity campaign telling people that they could support medical research - simply by walking.

In an initiative called "Yo doy mis pasos" (I donate my steps), participants are encouraged to use a mobile phone application that measures the routes you cover while walking, running or cycling. Then you can "donate" those steps to the charity that sponsors research into multiple sclerosis. Depending on the effort required for your walk (which is measured by combining the difficulty of the route with your level of health and fitness) a number of businesses throughout the country will make financial contributions towards research into MS. If you actually have multiple sclerosis, the "effort" level is higher, but you can still donate your steps even if you don't have a physical disability. This past week (despite only slowly getting back to normal strength after eleven weeks of pneumonia and bronchitis) I was able to donate 32 kilometres. That's 20 miles!

It's a pity that Nelson (the black Labrador) or Hugo (the German Shepherd) couldn't wear the tracker around their neck, because those two run about so much that they probably cover twice the amount of kilometres walked by Buba, Bonnie and myself. But it's my kilometres that count, and so I have to wear my mobile phone in a pack around my waist.

I've always been thankful that my walking with the dogs is helping me to maintain my own health and strength. Now I can be thankful that it is, in a small way, helping others too.

My prayer for 2019

Journalling with a cat on your lap is not the most comfortable thing to do... but the insights are still valuable :-) This morning, reading in 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, I was praying for myself the things that Paul prayed for the Thessalonian believers: that I would live my life in a way that's worthy of God's calling, and thus bring honour to His name; also that I would have the discernment to know the assignments He has for me in 2019 and that I would always do them in His strength, not my own.

If you're one of the people who pray regularly for me, that prayer from 2 Thessalonians 1: 11b would be a wonderful way to pray for me in 2019. Thank you!

Small sentences... big differences

This past weekend, as I was reading in 1 Thessalonians chapter five and writing some notes in my journal, I was struck by the incredible simplicity of biblical truth, yet with an awareness of how life-changing it can be. In that last part of Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, there are some very short sentences but, if taken seriously, they can make a very big difference in our lives.

For example, there's a section that speaks about how we should relate to different kinds of people. Each sentence is only a few words long, but I couldn't help wondering what a difference it might make if I were to put them into practice, even just for one day. What would it look like if I really did encourage someone who was feeling fearful and timid? What would happen if I made a point of caring for the weak instead of judging them? What difference would it make (to me and to others) if I was honestly patient with everyone that I meet today?

A little later, there's another section made up of very short sentences, some of them only three words long. Yet it would be totally life-changing if we were to make it our goal to obey these short instructions diligently and truly make them part of our lives on a daily basis.
Always be joyful? How would it impact my life if I made a daily choice not to let life's challenges and circumstances rob me of the joy that God wants to give me?
Never stop praying? What would happen if I refused to let discouragement or seemingly unanswered prayers make me give up and stop praying for people or situations?

Be thankful in all circumstances! I know from personal experience that this one is truly life-changing. I could start this year feeling sorry for myself because I still have a cough after ten weeks of respiratory infections... or I can be thankful that I'm now feeling well enough to go out walking with the dogs again, thankful that the mild sunny weather is making those walks so pleasant, thankful for the beautiful scenery around me as we go.
I could complain because a bad fall this week (see previous post) added even more muscular pain to the arthritis stiffness that I live with anyway... or I could be thankful that no bones were broken when I fell,  thankful that I'm still able to write despite having a huge, swollen purple thumb.

One of my goals for 2019 is to start the day by speaking out at least half a dozen things that I am thankful for. I can pray those prayers of gratitude while I'm in the shower or having my coffee or going out for our walk. There are so many things I feel thankful for, and taking a moment to remember them not only makes a difference to how we experience life, it is also God's will for each one of us who belong to Jesus. That's the way I want to live my life this year.

First love or not ?

You probably recognise the scenario  or have experienced it at some time in the past. At church this morning, we sang a song called, "First Love," and one or or two people responded with prayers of repentance, telling the Lord that they wanted to return to their first love for Him. 

I understand where those prayers come from; the whole idea of having abandoned our first love for God is drawn from a letter written to the church in Ephesus; we can read it in Revelation chapter 2 verse 4. But I have to confess that I always feel a bit uncomfortable when the pastor or worship leader urges us all to "return to our first love," as that's something I don't want to do.

You see, the longer I know the Lord, the more I get to know Him and discover what He is really like, the more I realise that I love Him so much more now than I did in the beginning when I first gave my life to Him as a twelve year old. 

So when we sing songs about Jesus being our first love, I don't think of "first" in terms of time; I like to think of it in terms of priority or importance - asking myself, "Is Jesus truly first in my life? Is He more important  to me than anyone or anything else?"

It's so easy to allow other things to become the main focus of our affection or attention. It could be our work or our hobby, our family or our friends, our own reputation or wellbeing. So, even when we can honestly say that our love for God is more now than it was in the beginning, it's still worth pausing to ask ourselves if He is truly our first love; genuinely our number one.

The bad news and the good news

When I was a kid in primary school,  "bad news - good news" jokes ; were all the trend. You no doubt remember them; they went something like this.
Doctor: I have some good news and some bad news.
Patient: Okay, well... give me the good news first.
Doctor: You have 24 hours to live.
Patient: How is that good news?!? What's the bad news, then?
Doctor: I've been trying to call you since yesterday.

Yes, they were a pretty infantile form of dark humour, but I couldn't help remembering them last week as my life began to feel a little bit like a bad news - good news script.

The good news: I feel so much better now than over the past months of pneumonia and bronchitis.
The bad news: I still have an annoying, lingering cough.

The good news: we've had relatively mild sunny weather, and that has allowed me to start going out for gentle walks with the dogs again.
The bad news: on my way home, I had a bad fall while walking down my street.
The good news: it's amazing that no bones were broken.
The bad news: I have two huge purple thumbs, bruised swollen knees, and painful pulled muscles down one arm and shoulder.
The good news: I can still write, despite the monster thumbs.

No, seriously, even my little misadventure had a funny side to it. I had just dropped off the dogs and was turning the corner into my street, when I heard a woman's cry, as if someone had fallen or hurt herself. I quickened my pace to see if I could help, and before I knew it, I was lying on my stomach! 

I, and the woman in front of me, had both been tripped up by a hole in the pavement, where electrical workers had broken one of the paving stones. Although I was on my way to help her, the other lady had managed not to fall, and she was the one who had to help me get up again.

I fell pretty heavily, so I'm incredibly thankful that no bones were broken and there don't seem to be any serious injuries. I have pulled muscles all down one side of my body, though, so a nurse friend recommended I take diclofenac anti-inflammatories until the sensitivity settles down again.

The good news? It hasn't prevented me from being able to walk, so I'm still enjoying our mild January weather this year and taking the dogs for an afternoon walk in the sunshine. One day, I ran a 4-dog taxi and my canine friends helped me pick up sticks to supplement my firewood.

The postscript to the story is that I wrote an email to the town council, asking them to repair the broken pavement before someone else gets hurt.

A natural outflow...

On Sunday at church, I was sharing from 2 Timothy 2: 3 - 7, which compares the Christian life to that of a soldier, an athlete and a farmer. A recurring theme in all three pictures is the need for patience, faithfulness, hard work and perseverance. (See picture below.)

This morning, I began meditating in the first chapter of Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, and I was struck by a verse (see picture above) which has long been a favourite of mine. The Bible translation I was reading (NLT) spoke of the Thessalonians' faithful work, loving deeds and enduring hope. But I especially like the NIV translation, which speaks of their:

• work produced by faith
• labour prompted by love
• and endurance inspired by hope.

In this verse, we see those characteristics that are exemplified by the soldier, athlete and farmer, but we also see the root or source of them. Those qualities that could perhaps seem more challenging for us to acquire - like hard work and perseverance - are actually the outflow of the faith, love and hope that we have in Jesus. That is a big encouragement, as we see Him giving us all we need to be all He invites us to be.

A new year begins...

Yes, it's already 2019. We're already almost two decades into the "new" millennium. Whenever a new year begins, I take time in prayer to evaluate the year that has just ended and to set goals with the Lord for the year that lies ahead. One of my goals for 2019 is about discovering or creating community, here where I live. With the closing of our leadership retreat centre last year, my local team of missionaries dispersed to different parts of the world, and so I need to invest in new relationships and create life-giving Christian community for this new season. Another of my desires for the new year is that I would have  wisdom in making decisions about travel. The closing of our local centre has meant that I receive a lot more invitations to travel and teach in other parts of the world, so I need wisdom to get the right balance between staying at home and being "on the road."

I love this photo, above, taken by a Spanish photographer and border collie owner in the early hours of the new year. She calls it, "The first sunrise of 2019." I love the way the cross rises up above the clouds and mist, and the sun appears to light up the day and allow a clearer vision into the distance. So often we enter a new year without really knowing all that lies ahead, but it's good to remember that the future is in God's hands and He is always there to show us the way.

I'll be turning sixty this year, and the photo reminds me that one of my longstanding dreams was to get a dog again, a border collie, before my 60th birthday. Now that the time is drawing closer, however, I realise that it's probably going to be an unfulfilled dream; I still have quite a few ministry trips in the diary, and this wouldn't be a good time to have to think of caring for a puppy. I guess I'll have to content myself with walking various neighbours' dogs, as I've done for the past few years. 

I just arrived back in Spain today, after spending Christmas and New Year with my family and local church in Scotland. I had also been in Scotland for just a few days at the beginning of December, as we all gathered to celebrate my Dad's 90th birthday (see photo below.) If you were reading this blog back at the end of 2011, you'll recall that he had many brushes with death during an extended hospital stay, and it's truly a miracle that he is still with us to celebrate this milestone birthday.

You may be wondering why this blog has been silent since mid-November. Well, it's because the last few weeks of 2018 were a bit of a roller coaster ride in terms of my health. Having come down with bronchitis in early November, I really thought I was okay again and I set off for a ministry commitment in Belarus... only to discover after I got there that my lungs weren't really improving and that I actually had pneumonia. It dragged on for around six weeks, and I was only finally feeling okay again as Christmas approached. So you can imagine my disappointment, after a healthy Christmas, to be struck down with bronchitis again as the new year approached. I (and my parents) coughed our way through the first week of the new year and had to keep a low profile while church friends were getting together for hogmanay.

I'm gradually beginning to feel better again now, and the doctor says my lungs are infection free, but there's a horrible lingering cough and I'm using a couple of inhalers to help my breathing recover and return to normal. I'd value your prayers for better lung health in 2019.

As we enter the second week of 2019, let me wish you God's richest blessings and encouragements, as well as His guidance in this new year.