David's blog

Life can be very lonely. Whether you are in a crowd or on your own. There is a longing for acceptance and understanding. A place or a person to turn to when things are not going so well. Family can provide a certain comfort if the relationships are good. I do believe myself that there is a personal force behind the universe which we call God. God created everything including us. So I believe that because God made us, God also understands and cares about us. So I talk to God, knowing an answer will come, and a feeling of belonging.

When Jesus came, being the son of God, He could have had an attitude of a King, where people served Him. But He took on the form of a servant.

How do we look at others? If someone has been really bad throughout their lives and didn’t care who they hurt, what happens to our attitude when they truly say sorry and repent. Do we keep on holding onto resentment especially if we have been wronged by them. Could we be guilty of sitting on our thrones passing out judgement. And worse still, think God supports our position. A very dangerous place to be. Jesus never did it, then why should we. Try going through your day and assess your reaction to each person you meet or see. If your reaction is not good, ask why and is it justified.

How do we view God? We seem to build up our opinions on what we have been told rather than what is written in the Bible. If we look at the prodigal son, we get a different picture.

We start with the fact that we have a relationship with God. Then God allows us to choose to either include or exclude Him in our lives. Those who call themselves Christians choose to speak to God through prayer and learn about this relationship through reading the Bible.

The prodigal son shows how two relationships initially go wrong – the young rebellious son and the stay at home son.

This story is very much about choosing a path and getting lost. This story is following the parables of the lost sheep and coin.

The story shows a God that allows us to live and choose what kind of life we lead. But it also shows that God is active and searches for us, and when we are found or return to God, there is a big party to celebrate our return. Is this the image we have? Imagine a God who is actively looking for our return, and before we even return God runs out and gives us a huge hug. There are no conditions and no anger, just an overwhelming joy of our return. Where are you on this journey? Do you feel a need to return to a loving God who will accept you back. (Luke 15: 11 − 32)

I have struggled with this Christian thing for many years now. I thought I had worked it all out and I was in a safe place.But looking at my life over the past few years, I have entered a desert. I’m in a place where I am lost and unsure what side I am on. On one hand being very uncomfortable with the views and opinions of Christians who almost think that everyone should fit a specific model. On the other hand seeing the breakdown of so many structures and people expecting me to accept their perverse standpoint. I was struck a few years ago by someone saying, just leave the pitch, stop playing these pointless games. I think perhaps I want to get back to the basics of just following Jesus, and understand His teachings. to start building relationships with people, and being kind and caring for their needs. I have given up on the idea of either being in or out. I think it is either moving towards Jesus or away from Him. There is no magical solution to salvation, that once I become a follower of Jesus everything will be fine and perfect. It is getting up in the morning and say I am going to make a difference to the lives of those around me whether they are friends or enemies.

What is the view of the public when Christians stand up again other pressure groups? I see that we do not do ourselves any favours by going on a campaign against an advert or an opinion of someone who does not believe in God, we damage Jesus and what He stood for. He mixed with the these type of people. Salvation is about a relationship and about grace. If someone has same sex attraction then we do not condemn them. We give them the greatest gift we have and that is Jesus. Jesus taught us to love our neighbour and our enemies. I do not see much of this and I am tired of people saying we are right and the opposition are wrong.