The debt relief counsellor

Have you ever got into what seems like an endless loop of correspondence and telephone calls with Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs - the income tax people? Two years ago I informed them of a change to my circumstances, meaning that certain tax returns would no longer be applicable. A few weeks ago, I received a warning of an imminent penalty for not submitting a tax return for 2016-17. As the letter was received a fortnight later than it was dated, time was pressing. The letter was somewhat intimidating, threatening a ten pounds a day additional penalty if the initial penalty was not paid in time. I found the whole thing frustrating and a cause for concern!

I needed to hear that HMRC had declared my account was cleared. Thankfully, after not too long and in a response to my petitions, I received a letter from HMRC saying, ‘this is confirmation… that there are no outstanding returns and the penalties for 2016-17 have been cancelled.’ That brought me the relief that I was seeking.

I was never in debt to HMRC; the threatened penalties were the result of a confusion in administration. Nevertheless, I had a sense of the weight of a debt that I could imagine escalating like a snowball rolling down a hill!

Last weekend was Easter, when millions considered the death of Jesus on a cross and his subsequent resurrection. How many people, I wonder, realise that these critical events were all about dealing with a debt - a debt that we each owe to God? When we live as though God and his ways for us were of little or no consequence, then we are liable to receive the due penalty. Unlike HMRC, however, His administration is faultless and so we are given advanced notice of our problem. What is more, He has provided the best of debt relief counsellors to help us. That counsellor is Jesus, who died to take the weight of the debts that we have no hope of paying off ourselves.

If we will put our trust and confidence in Jesus who was crucified, we are told in the Bible that, ‘He forgave us all our sins, having cancelled the charge of our legal indebtedness which stood against us and condemned us. He has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.’

I experienced relief when I received the cancellation of penalties from HMRC; how much more so the cancellation of the debt owed to God!

This week sees the start of the new tax year. Hopefully you’re not having issues with HMRC. How about Jesus and the cross?

#trust #thecross #resurrection #forgiveness

Child-like trust

The period of Lent is traditionally the time of humbling oneself expressed through the ‘giving up’ of something, an act of self-denial. Humility before God is what it should really be about. Allow me to explain…

‘Children should be seen and not heard’ was a term the older generation used. It dates from the time when children were expected to know their place; a father’s discipline was feared; the teacher’s word carried the day and, if, as a child, you were stuck, ‘Ask a policeman’!

I have always imagined that the position of children in the culture of Jesus’ day was not dissimilar. When some mothers wanted to bring their little ones to Jesus for a blessing, his disciples first reaction was to shoo them away, a thing Jesus countermanded.

With this in mind, it is interesting to see how Jesus used a child in order to illustrate a pressing point.

This arose on one occasion when his disciples were arguing amongst themselves as to which of them was the top of the pecking order. Aware of what was going on, Jesus called a little child and placed him in the very midst of them. Here was this small chap, seemingly of little consequence in this gathering of grown-ups, and now Jesus was elevating him, making him the centre of attention. ‘Truly I say to you, unless you turn and become like children you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ The self-promoting disciples must have felt pretty small at this point.

All who want to start experiencing life as God intends it to be are being told here that the humbling of one’s self is necessary. Jesus’ words will touch a sensitive spot for each of us. For some it will address intellectual pride; for others their self-sufficiency. A natural response to the call of Jesus is a reluctance to trust and the felt need to keep control of how one chooses to live both morally and ethically. This is why he pointed to the child by way of example. Jesus had called the child and he responded, coming forward in innocence and trust.

I believe that the key phrase in all of this is, ‘Unless you turn and become like children…’. A turn towards God, asking him to get to work on our objections, questions and other issues, will be an expression of childlike trust in God, as well as humility.

Have you given up anything for Lent? First and foremost, it seems to me that Jesus is calling us to ‘give up’ our hearts to God by turning from self-trust to child-like trust. Then we can really know him as our Heavenly Father.

#trust #father #KingdomofGodHeaven

A declaration of love

February, the month of St Valentine’s Day. Hardly anything is known about Valentine himself. It is believed that he was a Christian martyr who was buried on 14 February 269 A.D. Evidently, the romantic celebration that we recognise came about in the 14th century and is linked to Geoffrey Chaucer. Anyway, whoever St. Valentine was, I personally should be grateful. It was a particular Valentine’s Day, some years ago, that my now-wife sent me two Valentine cards. The first was signed cryptically PFD269M. In the second, she used her Christian name, which is just as well because the cryptic one was lost on me! It was actually her car registration... I took the hint and we started going out. As they say, the rest is history.

The Bible frequently uses the concept of declared love, consummated marriage and faithfulness when speaking of God’s love for people. In the Old Testament, God likens himself to a husband having to deal with a wayward wife, that is, his chosen people Israel. In the role of husband, God is seen to be justly jealous and angry when his wife goes after other lovers - foreign gods or idols. When his people are faithless however, God remains faithful.

In the New Testament, God develops and broadens this theme. He is seen as a father choosing a bride for his much loved and only son. The bridegroom is, of course, Jesus, but who is the bride-to-be?

She is not just one individual but many. Bride, in this context, is a corporate name given to include all men and women who declare their love for Jesus and, by God’s grace, intend to worship and obey him, forsaking all other gods. (‘The Bride’ as defined here is what is meant by the term ‘The Church’.)

It took two Valentine cards to alert me to my wife’s love towards me. For many of us, God’s declaration in the Old Testament can, at first sight, appear cryptic. In the New Testament however, it is as though he has signed his declaration of love with his name - Jesus. Next month will include Easter Week, where we see demonstrated the lengths that Jesus was prepared to go to in order to secure his bride.

Whether or not you receive a Valentine card this year, here is a declaration of love paraphrased from the New Testament and may it be a blessing for you:

‘We see real love, not in the fact that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to make personal atonement for our wrongdoings.’ Do you feel able to insert your own name where it says ‘us’ and the word ‘my’ where it says ‘ours’? If you can, then these words are indeed a personal declaration of God’s love for you.

#OldTestament #atonement #church #grace #idols #marriage #wedding #Father #NewTestament #Israel