In 1998 there was a country song called “Ordinary Life” by Chad Brock. Now I don’t listen to country music anymore, save for some classics—I prefer classical. However, the message of this song bears sketching. In the song, a man grows tired of going to church, cutting the grass, going to work, etc. He tires of his ordinary life. So he leaves his family only to realize his ordinary life was pretty good and he missed it.

Some Christians tire of the ordinary life in following Jesus. They long for something great or some great extraordinary experience. Someone once said, “unlike those most useless persons in Christian circles who are always waiting for great things to do, and who neglect the opportunities which lie to their hand, …let us do the little which lay to hand, and find that by doing the ‘next thing’ life becomes rich in opportunities for usefulness.”

Now to be clear, Christianity is by nature extraordinary, conversion is a miracle, our life is lived by the Spirit. Yet at the same time, following Jesus is a cumulation of ordinary things. Even Jesus, when instituting the Lord’s Supper, took bread and the cup and gave an OC festival (itself instituted on ordinary things), new meaning. We call these ordinary things like Baptism and the Lord’s Supper ‘means of grace.’ In them the Lord has taken something ordinary and clad it with meaning so when we in faith do them we are blessed. The Lord’s Day, prayer, reading the Bible, pursuing holiness, serving, fellowshipping with believers, etc, these all are ordinary and yet yield much fruit over time.

A recent question by a guest preacher reminded me of this growth. He asked what the church had looked for when they called me. Only one couple could answer because everyone else had come during those 5 years. One by one, ordinary growth, preaching 100 sermons a year and other ordinary ministerial duties of our people.
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So do not tire of the ordinary means of grace. They are how the Lord ordinarily works and blesses His Church. Let us do them faithfully and regularly and see what the Lord will do.

Godlessness is the absence of God and godly values, even a confusion in them (e.g. calling good evil and evil good). It is thinking yourself God and thereby determininig right and wrong).

In Genesis we see the origin of many things. Particularly we see how a close relationship with God produces godliness whereas a separation and distance from God produces godlessness.

*A relationship conveys saving knowledge/grace and a proximity conveys common grace/general benefits.

 We were created to worship and serve the Lord in love/humility and obedience in accordance with His Word (blessing and life). This is godliness. Godlessness is pride and rebellion (curse and death).
We see this pattern unfold in Genesis. Adam and Eve succumbed to the Serpent’s temptation and fell from grace. Cain didn’t stay close to God and so his descendant, Lamech, was even more wicked than Cain (and society sunk to new depths in Gen 6). Noah’s son Ham uncovered his father’s nakedness, his offspring—Nimrod—likely was involved in Babel, and the Canaanites epitomized godlessness with their evil ways. We see this amongst God’s people too. In the time of the Judges ‘everyone did what was right in their own eyes’ resulting in sin. A good King was sometimes followed by a mediocre son and then a wicked grandson. When David wasn’t after God’s own heart he strayed.

Think of the ungodliness produced by godlessness in cultures throughout the ages. There is a reason the light of the Gospel lifted untold millions around the world (even merely culturally speaking) from darkness and into civilization. The West often baulks at the present blessings we enjoy (c.f. the cut flower society) yet those blessings derive from our Christian heritage. The Gospel has always been salt and light in a culture as it is in individual lives. The West foolishly thinks it can cast off its Christian roots without dire societal consequences. Christianity is the immune system of the West. Destroy the immune system and instead of life you will have death.

I heard a story recently of a great-grandfather who was a Christian, grand parents who were Chreasters (they attended church at Christmas and Easter), grand-children who were atheists and a great grandchild who attacked his grand-mother for drug money. While not all athiests are so ungodly without God godlessness will increasingly prevail.

What is the solution to the great and present ungodliness? No matter how far from God we are (or are in our walk with Him if we savingly know Him) we are called to turn and trust. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (Ja 4:8). Repent of sin that causes death and trust in/follow Jesus who gives us life, who enables us by His death, Resurrection and Spirit to live godly lives; not only us but whole cultures.

It used to be a statistical reality that if you were from a Judeo-Christian background, your experience of stress would be significantly less than all other groups. The reason was that in your worldview, even if you were only a nominal Christian, had an awareness of the sovereignty and goodness of God.

Sadly today, for many Christians, I suspect this may no longer be the case. Our trust in and Biblical understanding of God’s sovereignty has been diminished and this has had serious implications for faith and life. As a result many Christians today are given to worry. We have even made worry a respectable sin. Worry, to not trust in God’s sovereignty, is a sin. We miss the mark, we take our eyes off of Him, we see Him as less than we should, our gaze becomes divided, we struggle to take Jesus at His words (Matt 6:25–34).

Closely linked to God’s sovereignty is His providence. His providence is His superintending activity over His creation. You might say it is how He works out His sovereignty. Question 27 of the Heidelberg Catechism reminds of this, but in a devotional quality:

"Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A. God's providence is his almighty and ever present power, whereby, as with his hand, he still upholds heaven and earth and all creatures, and so governs them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, food and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, indeed, all things, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand. "
 
 If we cease to believe in a good and sovereign ruler who gives us all things “by his fatherly hand,” including trials, which He uses to deepen our faith, strengthen our character, to make us “perfect and complete” (Ja 1:2), we are left with the uncertainty of a God who is not all-sovereign and the possibility what we face might be all for naught. Yet Ro 8:28, which is more than cliché resounds: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good,[a] for those who are called according to his purpose.”

John Newton (the author of Amazing Grace) wisely said these words:

“[One of the marks of Christian maturity which a believers should seek is] an acquiescence in the Lord’s will founded in a persuasion of his wisdom, holiness, sovereignty, and goodness….So far as we attain to this, we are secure from disappointment. Our own limited views, and short sighted purposes and desires, may be, and will be, often over-ruled; but then our main and leading desire, that the will of the Lord may be done, must be accomplished. How highly does it becomes us, both as creatures and as sinners, to submit to the appointments of our Maker! And how necessary is it to our peace! This great attainment is too often un-thought of, and over-looked; we are prone to fix our attention upon the second causes and immediate instruments of events; forgetting that whatever befalls us is according to his purpose, and therefore must be right and seasonable in itself, and shall in the issue be productive of good. From hence arise impatience, resentment, and secret repining’s, which are not only sinful, but tormenting; whereas, if all things are in his hand, if the very hairs of our head are numbered; if every event, great and small, is under the direction of his providence and purpose; and if he has a wise, holy, and gracious end in view, to which everything that happens is subordinate and subservient; - then we have nothing to do, but with patience and humility follow as he leads, and cheerfully to expect a happy issue…How happy are they who can resign all to him, see his hands in every dispensation, and believe that he chooses better for them than they possibly could for themselves!”[1]

Consider Jesus’ words as He approached the cross in Mk 13:36. Jesus did not shrink from asking His Father what He humanly may have desired as advantageous (the removal of the pain of bearing God’s wrath because of our sin, the passion and the cross) but conceded that that which came from the Father’s hand was best and said “but not my will but yours be done.” Jesus knew, to liken it to Paul, that “my grace is sufficient for you” (2 Cor 12:9).

And when we find ourselves in the midst of a difficult providence we lean on Him asking for more faith in Him, we cling to promises of hope and comfort, we sing, we rely on the help of God’s people, we remind ourselves of God’s providence and find peace.

May the Lord grant us His grace to remember His providence and mature in our understanding of it. May this solace in a chaotic world be a witness.


[1] Newton, John. Letters of John Newton. (Carlisle, PA: The Banner of Truth Trust, 1960), 137.

This is a favourite shot in my photo collection from the English Channel; a rock out from shore being battered by these impressive aqua-blue waves. The rock is firm though the sea rages. This always reminds me of peace and that the Biblical principle of peace is actually synonymous with “order.”


Everyone is searching for peace in a troubled world. Many people look for it in unhelpful places. Such places give the allusion of calm waters for a time but when the waves roll in again those quiet waters are churned back into chaos. Sometimes we seek peace in our comforts and vices. Other times we proactively seek exercise, vacations, lifestyle changes and meditation, which are all examples of our attempts to find peace through the latest fad: inner peace, relational peace, societal peace, peace in the transcendent. Eastern religions (i.e. Buddhism, Zen, Yoga, etc) are very popular ways in which people seek peace. Hard work, meditating to “empty oneself” and to find nirvana (literally soul extinction) and to balance your “zen” with the world. Such “new age” religious attempts to find peace are very attractive to many westerners. My friend once said, “It meets their needs to believe that they can deal with their own difficulties by technique and hard work; it tickles their interest in the esoteric and it removes the need for them to relate to a God who might break into their [self-satisfied, God denying] mindset” Accordingly, many Christians are led to mix religions and find the Hebrew term shalom an easy Christian bridge to link the Church with the new-age.


The noun שלומ (shalom), often translated as “peace,” comes from the verb שלמ (Sh.L.M). The verb shalam means to “restore” in the sense of replacing or providing what is needed in order to make someone or something whole and complete. The noun שלומ (shalom) is one who has, or has been provided, what is needed to be whole and complete. Scripture speaks of God being the primary agent for such peace and thus Biblically speaking peace is not something we attain to or even find but something that we are given. True and lasting peace comes not from within but from without. People, interested in the concept of shalom (minus God) crop the word to suit their selfish wants and desires for a spiritual completeness and high without Him. Yet to find true shalom means to get real with God. Peace is synonymous with order. The reason our lives have chaos is because we have rebelled from God and are not living under his good order and rule. No God, no peace, no shalom.


The Bible actually says that God is a God of peace. In 1 Cor 14:33 we find that “God is not a God of confusion but of peace [or order].” (This echoes Ro 15:33, 16:20; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5:23; Heb 13:20, etc, etc). Peace is an attribute of God! If God is peace then it would follow true peace can only come from Him. Isaiah 48:22 is the key to understanding how we can find true peace. It says, “There is no peace,’ says the LORD, ‘for the wicked.” Humans are not at peace in our hearts or with our neighbours all because we are not first at peace with God. We have all “sinned and have fallen short of the glory [character/standard] of God” (Ro 3:23) and are enemies of God (Ro 5:10, Col 1:21). Thankfully God provided a remedy for our disorder, He sent His Son. At Christmas we often read from Isa 9:6, “for unto us is born a child…and He shall be called prince of peace” and from Lk 2:13, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.” How nice, all is now calm, all is now bright! I can continue to placate God with my selfishness and disinterest in Him and all will be well, NO. The reason why Jesus is called the Prince of Peace is because He came to die on a Roman Cross to pay the penalty of our rebellion before a holy God so that by believing in Him we might have peace with God (Ro 5:11) and eternal life instead of death (Jn 3:16–18). Our rebellion against God has led to the disorder of our hearts, relationships and society. Believing in Jesus is the first step to submitting our lives to Christ’s benevolent rule and finding peace.


Further to dying so believers might have peace with God Jesus promises to give believers the gift of His Spirit (Eph 3:17). In Gal 5:22 we see that the result [fruit] of the Spirit being given to us is that it will produce peace in our life: peace with God, peace with others and peace within that comes from our conscience being freed from the guilt of sin and delighting in God and His ways. So much more could be said of the wonderful benefits and workings of such peace!
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When we receive peace with God through faith in Jesus, and through the gift of His Spirit we grow in peace and can peacefully say that in such wisdom “are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” (Prov 3:17).

Who are you? This is one of the great questions of our existence. If we are a Christian it becomes, who am I in Christ. What wondrous identity has Christ given to us! This list would be long but Gal 3:26–29 narrows it to three dimensions: height, width and depth.

Height: In Christ we are “sons of God” (v. 26). As His children we now have a loving heavenly Father whom we did not have before as children of wrath. We have an upward identity in our relationship with God. We are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Width: In Christ we are “baptized into Christ [and his body]” (v. 27) we are “one in Christ Jesus.” (v.28). We are adopted into a diverse family yet united in Spirit, purpose, love and destiny. Whether you go to Tokyo, Cape Town, Helsinki or San Francisco you will find brothers and sisters in the Lord. Indeed, while Christianity may be a minority in the West it is the majority in many parts of the global south. We are part of something bigger than ourselves.

Depth: In Christ we are also “Abraham’s offspring” (v. 29), which means we have a heritage. We stand as part of God’s people throughout history, the people of faith. Before us is the great hall of fame of faith (Heb 11). Though it be our turn to run the race they cheer us on. We are part of something bigger than ourselves, which not only looks backward but even forward into eternity.

Sadly, the world does not have this height and width and depth in identity, certainly not in a comprehensive sense. God does not exist or they worship a false god. As a result they have no height in their identity. No real transcendence. Community, people, nation either no longer exist because of individualism or are twisted by sin or at the least merely physical vs. spiritual. They have no width in their identity, nothing they belong to. We are all descended from goo or so woke that history is irrelevant. What matters is today for tomorrow we die. As such there is no heritage and no hope for the future. They are part of something very small, themselves.

Christian, praise the Lord for the vast identity you have in Christ! May this be something the Lord might use as we share the Gospel to help the world desire something that they cannot have. 

A devotional from our Members' Meeting, May 31.

Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory? (Lk 24:26)
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The darkness of Good Friday can be difficult to swallow. Understanding why it was necessary, to use Jesus’ own words, is helpful to move from a foul stench to a pleasing aroma.

Jesus’ death was necessary for a few basic reasons:

1. To demonstrate God’s love and justice; how they met with a kiss. In other words it enabled God to extend grace without compromising His justice or holiness.
2. To propitiate God’s wrath toward our sin (turn wrath into favour).
3. Because the wages of sin is death (Ro 6:23a). If God was to show us mercy, then someone would have to pay the penalty our sin deserved.
4. It was also necessary because sin itself needed to be atoned for. We are guilty. Jesus the innocent, took the place of guilty sinners so that we could be pardoned.
5. So that Christ’s perfect obedience in His life, would not only allow Him to be a perfect sacrifice, but impute His righteous perfect to our account. Not only is the believer forgiven, they are declared righteous.

Why the Cross? Love, Justice, appeasement, substitute, pardon, righteousness and more. This is why it was necessary for Jesus to die on the Cross to make atonement. 

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” —Ephesians 5:4

*As a disclaimer, I believe humour is a gift of God and even that God has revealed He has a sense of humour in Scripture. Nevertheless, Christian humour is to be clean and godly and filled with true joy. We’re not called to be prudes.

I recently heard the following on a Christian podcast interview about education, “Who knows if there would have been a homicide if I had actually homeschooled my kids, the world will never know. [Laughter]” The individual demeaned her children and trivialized murder. She might rather have said, “I don’t think I was cut out to attempt homeschooling,” or “Because I’m naturally irritable it was by God’s grace that another option was presented to my family, etc.” Anything would have been better than this crude joke.

This is certainly an area for growth I have been seeking to address in recent years (and facetiousness or sarcasm) and it is likewise one that I’ve picked up on in Christian circles. Christians have room to grow when it comes to joking.

What is a Crude Joke?
A joke is something that is funny, that makes one laugh. Something that is crude is offensive or coarse. A crude joke essentially makes light of something God condemns. (Hence the saying a clean joke).

The Greek (eutrapelia) is a compound of good or easy and to turn, hence easily turning, witty, in the negative sense.

Examples of Crude Joking
A good clean joke that will make you laugh your pants off.
Jesting in marriage: “I might have to upgrade to a newer model.”
Jesting with children: “You must act that way because you’re adopted.”
Jesting in the worklife: “If you don’t get this right you might have to find another job.”

These of course are milder versions.

Solutions to Crude Joking
Crude jokes spring from our hearts.

When we passionately come to love what God loves we’ll hate what is evil. Loving God and yielding to the Spirit’s work produces godliness, truthfulness, discernment and self-control; all necessary to combat crude jokes.

Possible Responses to Crude Joking
You don’t need to necessarily disapprove but we shouldn’t show approval (e.g. don’t laugh even if you see the twisted logic that could be seen as humorous).

Ignore, walk away or limit time in their company.

Respectfully express your concern for what was said (and why), counter with a better turn of phrase or smoothly suggest having better taste.
 
Let our speech, including our jokes, always be seasoned with salt.

Sept 28- A devotional on discipleship presented at our recent Members' Meeting.