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THOUGHT - "God's Style" |
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When we spend time with people we get to know
a bit about their style, about how they operate. Some people are bold and think
on their feet, whilst others are more the quiet and slowly-but-surely type.
It's interesting to note that God too has a very distinct style. If we look at his way of operating with many different types of people across the whole of the Bible, we can see a consistent pattern emerging. This pattern can also be recognised in his creation and through how he works in the modern world. God is extraordinarily patient, the apostle Peter had to remind people who were expecting to see God's kingdom to come NOW, "With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day ... He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:8) God has a hands-off approach. God is not "in your face" or interfering. He will not force himself upon us if he is not wanted. Yet at the same time God is eagerly watching us and his heart wants us to turn to him. Paul notes that God's purpose in creating us is "... that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:27) Prepared is God's middle name, you'd have to get up very, very, very early to be more prepared than him! For example, Jesus talks about a kingdom that has been "...prepared for you before the creation of the world". (Matthew 25:34) The prepared and hands-off features of God's style are easily recognisable in his creation. The natural world around us goes on and on in cycles and with many self-regulating systems that have been prepared and established long ago. Do you think you know God well enough? There are many ways you can get to know him better. Although he is patient and non-interfering, it's vital that we realise there is a lot more to him than this. We must not mistake God's patience for indifference and we must not interpret his hands-off approach as a licence to ignore him. He is currently preparing something big. Our lives will depend upon making a response to him now. |
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IN FOCUS - "The Meal-a-Day fund" |
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The Meal-a-Day fund is a charity run by Christadelphians, it was established in 1976 when a small group got to together with the aim of addressing the needs of others, especially in the developing world. The U.S. secretary of state, Henry Kissenger,
had made a speech around that time concerning the need to try and provide at
least one 'meal a day' to every person on earth. Thus the Meal-a-Day fund was
born... Further information about the Meal-a-Day fund can be found on its website at www.meal-a-day.org |