Binding the strong man

Come to this table, not because you must but because you may, not because you are strong, but because you are weak. Come, not because any goodness of your own gives you a right to come, but because you need mercy and help. Come, because you love the Lord a little and would like to love him more. Come, because he loved you and gave himself for you

‘On the last Sunday that we were in Rwanda we were sat in a Pastor’s house after a wonderful service followed by a wonderful traditional African meal. When the Pastor, Charles, who most will know who have visited Rwanda, spoke about a new threat which he felt was threatening the country and the church. After many years of reconciliation and mutual forgiveness the country had worked through the worst of the problems created by the genocide but he saw a new evil which was not so easily dealt with. That was a growing materialism and lack of Love for Christ, which was manifesting in a falling away of Sunday observance and the disintegration of marriages and unfaithfulness particularly on the part of the husband even in Christian circles.  This was especially true in the capitol with its increasing wealth and materialism. Sadly this is being imported from the wealthy countries such as our own where materialism is so widely entrenched that we hardly notice it as a problem.

In the Sermon on the mount Jesus presented us with a stark choice we either love God or money he used the term the god Mammon. 

Recently Steve preached   on the fruit of the Spirit and how we overcome our evil desires. Our problem is that we tend to love ourselves There are many things in our lives which are not ultimately bad but the problem is that we love them too much.

Ultimately the issue is who do we love and who or what do we worship.

While we are alive we have a mighty battle on our hands, but we can choose our battle ground. Jesus does not want us to feel guilty and defeated by our lack of love for Him. If we stop trying to pull ourselves up by our own bootstrings and focus on worship and adoration of Jesus, inspired and assisted by the Holy Spirit we find ourselves drawn more and more into His love. 

If we meditate on the love and self-sacrifice that Jesus showered onto us by His loving self-giving of His own life on the cross for each of us as individuals, we will be drawn into the circle of perpetual mutual self-sacrificial love, which the three persons of the Godhead have for each other.

As the old hymn has it :

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
  In the light of His glory and grace.