Aug 10, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
False accusations. There is nothing worse than feeling falsely accused. In the courtrooms of our everyday lives we would never accept any accusations that falsely accused us of something we did not do. We would take up arms and defend our positions like a fearless warrior chanting victory ahead of the battle.
Yet the Bible tells us we have an enemy who hurls false accusations at us every day. These false accusations are fuelled with malicious lies and fired at us as missiles of destruction. Revelation 12:10 tells us that the enemy of our souls accuses us day and night before God. To throw us off his own stench, the accuser sugar coats these false accusations with words that appear to have a hint of truth; words that the enemy uses to hook into thoughts we have about ourselves that may have been shaped by brokenness or faulty self-beliefs that were shaped in our formative years. The enemy camps on any opportunity where we are vulnerable and becomes a persuasive orator when falsely accusing us. Some of the enemy’s false accusations include us being unworthy, inadequate, unlovable, never measuring up, being guilty, never being able to please God, being unacceptable, undesirable, deserving of the rejections we experience, that perhaps God loves others more than us; false accusations that roll on and on, creating spiritual scar tissue from all the cuts and abrasions of his vile false accusations, intended to dislocate us from the truth. Notice the pattern? Nothing that brings life; only false accusations designed for our destruction. Bit of a backdoor bandit if you ask me.
Lisa Bevere, recently shared a quote that said, “if you feel you are inadequate, worthless or not enough, you didn’t get that idea from God.”[1] As we stand in the courtroom of God, we see that these false accusations have been thrown out by the ultimate Judge. The case was settled when we entered into relationship with Jesus. God debunks the lies by setting us free as a final act in the drama of our salvation. He declares we are enough and nothing we do or don’t do can make us more or less acceptable to God. How about being described as the apple of God’s eye? Not only is there NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, He has discharged us from everything we were ever guilty of and every future offense as well (Romans 8:1-2). The most powerful Judge in the universe declares me worthy, acceptable, loved, forgiven, adequate, and completely stamped with His approval. On top of this God gives us weapons of the Spirit that we can fight with “against the principalities, powers, and rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12). God speaks truth and we must fine-tune our spiritual ears to listen to His declarations above all others. It is not God who falsely accuses us; it is God’s enemy; but his days are numbered.
So, friends, get your “truth” on today.
Best days to come
Wen
[1] Lisa Bevere
Back to TEC Thought of the Week
Aug 3, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
How fragile is life? I grew up in a home where our mother gave us a taste for the finer things in life. At a very young age my sister and I were enchanted by the delights of drinking tea from our Mum’s elegantly crafted fine bone china teacups. It’s every little girl’s dream to sip daintily from these exquisite porcelain pieces, pinkies turned out and feeling like royal little ladies. Tea simply tastes better in your Royal Albert “Old Country Roses” teacup. Yet the enjoyment of the fine-bone china always came with a warning: “never pour boiling water directly into the teacup or they may crack because they are so fragile”.
As we look at life through the eyes of an epidemic, we find ourselves asking “how fragile is life?” Prior to this crisis, the landscape of our lives had been definable. Our days were sunlit with the delights of routines and freedoms that created a sense of security and normalcy. We could make plans and return home to the safe harbours of our lives, anchored comfortably in predictability. Yet all of a sudden we have become acutely aware of the fragility of life and we are left asking, “how fragile is life?” We are brutally conscious of how little control we have when the boiling water of devastation is poured out into the fine cups of our lives, The fragility shows as life cracks under the pressure. One moment we seem to be in control and the next we are not.
The reality is that life has always been fragile, and ultimately, we need someone who transcends these delicate realms. In asking the question “how fragile is life”, it begs a greater question: “is there a sure foundation?” Here is the deal breaker for living coherently, with hope in our fragile frameworks. YES! We have a sure foundation. Isaiah 33:6a says of God “He will be the sure foundation for your times” and 2 Timothy 2:19 says “. . . nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are His . . .”. This places what is fragile into a hope-filled context; into the hands of the very One who fashioned us and secures us on a firm foundation. God Himself is our sure foundation! If this season has taught us anything, it is not only how fragile life is and how little control we have, but what a difference God makes in the midst. We have a sure foundation that bursts past the vulnerable walls of this life. Right there we have hope, security and confidence that no matter what, our times are in His hands and as He takes what is easily broken, He gently moves us through the passage of life that is ultimately not bound by what is fragile but rather what becomes eternal. Eternity therefore frames fragility as God remains our sure foundation forever.
So, friends, get your “God foundation” on today.
Best days to come
Wen
Back to TEC Thought of the Week
Jul 27, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
Planted in the garden of God. A flower garden is place of created beauty. Some of us love to tend our gardens and others simply enjoy the bouquets of beauty. From the beginning of creation to our 21st century villages, with our suburban back yards and balconies, gardens remain a feature of human life; for humanity was born in the most magnificent, flourishing, abundant garden of God. The Bible speaks metaphorically about God as the ultimate Gardener and gardens embody some parallel realities with our journey as Christians as we are all planted in the garden of God.
So, what are some of our parallel realities we find in the garden metaphor? Eden was created as a place of exquisite beauty and delight; it was a Kingdom garden. As a perfect, holy sanctuary for life, it was the meeting place of humans with their God. Humanity was the rarest, most exquisite and unique creation of God. They were planted in perfect union with Him. In this magnificent garden we find God as the ultimate Gardener, tending his creation. Tragically, humanity “uprooted and overturned” the garden of God by trying to garden their way through life on their own terms. They rejected the ultimate Gardener and were expelled from their creational home. Thankfully, God is a passionate Gardener who set out to redeem His garden and every human that was ever to be planted in His grand garden of life.
Even in our wilted state, humanity yearns to be restored to the ultimate Gardener and be securely planted in the garden of God; it’s where we belong; in relationship with Him. It is in God’s garden we find truth, meaning, beauty, purpose and fulfilment.
We cannot go back to the original garden, but we can remember Eden and the promise it originally held. The promises of God have not changed. What God deposited in the seeds of our original creation, He longs to bring to fruition through our salvation. In God’s garden, this side of the resurrection, we find a far more extravagant garden. Being planted in the garden of God is utterly dependent on the utmost sacrifice of the Gardener, and this time, the design of the seed of salvation is a little different. In 1 Peter 1:23 we read about a new kind of seed that still holds the DNA of original creation, but is now imperishable. God replants us into His garden with an imperishable seed, which is tended by His grace, cultivated by His forgiveness, watered by His kindness, and nurtured by His love. We cannot perish in this garden, even though the weeds of destruction may come and try to ruin us. This imperishable seed allows us to bloom and flourish in response to our grand Gardener. Being planted in the garden of God means we can put our roots down in the garden bed of grace and become all God created us to be.
So, friends, get your “garden” on today.
Best days to come
Wen
Back to TEC’s Thought for the Week
Jul 20, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
I am who God says I am. We are all so familiar with the fairy tale quip “mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all”? The magic mirror in this fairy tale was used as the source of truth to answer the ultimate question of the evil queen. In today’s world there are so many mirrors that claim to be the source of ultimate truth, defining who we are. Yet the mirrors that hang on the philosophical walls of this age do not have the prerogative of truth. If we stand in front of these mirrors they reflect a distorted view of reality. They cannot authentically and coherently answer the question of who we are. There is only one mirror that is the source of truth, and that is God’s mirror. When we look into God’s mirror, we see our true humanity. I am who God says I am.
The philosophical mirrors of the age not only reflect a blurred image, they boldly attempt to redefine who we are. Depending on which mirror you gaze into, the distorted reflections can include “you’re not good enough; you’re not valuable, you are not unique; you’re not attractive, you are just part of the sum total of all things; a merging into matter, you are just a by-product of biology, you are a highly advanced machine; you need to prove your worth, you’re not enlightened (but your reincarnation can fix that) or no one could possibly love you”. The reflections in these mirrors are based on false worldview assumptions. They turn our gaze inward and call on us to define and prove ourselves. But, I am who God says I am and that is a relief. When I gaze into God’s mirror I can see exactly who I am, because the One who created me has the right to determine who I am. I am who God says I am. At a first glance into God’s mirror, we see our true identity as made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27). We cannot reinvent ourselves or ascribe our own worth because our Creator has already made us valuable, worthwhile, chosen, royal, a child of the King, the crown of His creation, the apple of His eye (just to name a few). The identity God gives us is ascribed and it is not earned. But God’s mirror does more because it points us beyond ourselves to the image of our creator. God’s mirror is not a magic mirror, it is a miraculous mirror. The more we relate to God and look into His mirror, we will notice the reflection progressively becomes an image of the One who truly is the fairest of them all; Jesus. We reflect the glory of Jesus as He transforms us more and more into His likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18). I am who God says I am!
Best days to come
Wen
Jul 10, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
When the “what if” question is whispered into our spiritual ears, Jesus always answers “I’ve got this”. Lurking below the surface of the “what if” question is doubt and fear. Doubt calls into question the truth and fear anticipates the worst possible outcomes. Both exclude God’s ability to impact our circumstances. The enemy regularly takes these two vicious “dogs” for a walk in the shadowy park of life, unleashing them to prowl around and prey on vulnerable people, hungry to sink their teeth in to get a grip. If we stay too long in this shadowy park, there is another “dog” that gnarls and bears its teeth called despair. Despair declares there is no hope. Yet there is one thing about the shadowy park; it is but shadows and the “what if” bite of the dog is only real if we let it bite. But when we turn and face the real master, He whispers, “I’ve got this” and He walks us through and eventually out of the shadowy park and into the light.
We live in a broken world and encounter pain and suffering. Doubt and fear can get a grip. CS Lewis noted that we can trust God and not necessarily doubt Him, but fear can be birthed when we begin to wonder how painful the process of coming into God’s best may turn out to be. Herein lies the tension of living a life of faith that drives doubt back to truth and fear into faith. God is truth and faith rests in the truth of who God is. God is not surprised or offended by our “what if” questions. He understands our fears. But He calls us to stand firm in our faith and not to doubt His declaration, “I’ve got this” (1 Corinthians 15:58). When God says “I’ve got this”, it does not mean that we have a painless passage through life. What it does mean is that God is faithful and He will bring good out of what is poised to harm us. Our role is to acknowledge the doubts and fears, and (in Jesus Name) bind their capacity to bite us and lead us to despair. We intentionally place our faith in God by embracing what we know to be true about Him. The focus is God and not our ability to muster up enough faith to extinguish doubt and fear. What frames our perspective is the faithfulness of God. If God is exactly who he says He is and is perfectly wise and good, that is the landing pad for faith. This journey is not always easy but when we realise God loves us perfectly, then fear is expelled (1 John 4:18). No matter what, God will ever so kindly take our “what if” questions, gently hold them at His heart and with the greatest compassion, whisper back “I’ve got this”.
So, friends, get your “Jesus has got this” on today.
Best days to come
Wen
Jul 1, 2020 | Wens Pen
Hello Everyone,
Jesus meets us right where we are at and He changes everything. This is an incredible thought. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of the universe, lives in unapproachable light, is seated on His Kingly throne, yet willingly and intentionally enters the realm of our humanity in all our brokenness, frailty, failures, sickness, loss, and desperation. This supreme, majestic, all-powerful, transcendent King is not aloof and does not hide behind the royal gates of Heaven. He actually stoops down, enters the dirt and grit of our messy lives, meets us right where we are at and He changes everything. Imagine, a royal King in your very space. This King, Jesus, personally seeks us, intimately leans in with utmost love and kindness, gives us His full attention and in one encounter He exchanges our issues with all He is and that changes everything.
Think of the numerous stories in the Bible that tell of people trapped in their cycles of life. Zacchaeus, the tax collector, trapped in a cycle of exploitation; the woman at the well, trapped in a cycle of moral failure; the man with leprosy, trapped in the grip of disease; the woman who had haemorrhaged for 12 years, trapped by the stigma of being unclean; the blind man trapped in cycle of darkness; Mary and Martha, trapped in the cycle of grief after their brother Lazarus died; Thomas, trapped in a cycle of doubt, with all his philosophical questions; the young lad who was trapped in a cycle of demon possession. Many of these people lived in a deeper chasm of marginalisation, exclusion, rejection, disadvantage, longing, searching, and hopelessness. But Jesus met them right where they were at and He changed everything. Jesus removed their gavels of judgement, stripped them of their false identities and restored their dignity, value, place in community, their rights to be human, their meaning, purpose and joy. In each encounter, Jesus pointed them beyond themselves and to Himself, and when they encountered Him, they were awakened by this radical transformation, resulting in their worship and service of Jesus. For example, Jesus met Zacchaeus right where he was at, in the slums of his exploitation. This one encounter changed everything. Zacchaeus was no longer driven by greed and deceitful collaborations. His encounter with Jesus awakened him to his true self and he exchanged his life of materialism for generosity, by extending his resources to the poor and restoring four-fold to those he defrauded. The Samaritan woman’s encounter with Jesus was so powerful she started an evangelism campaign, and so on.
We walk in parallel tracks with many of these Biblical characters as they collectively represent the themes of our lives and the deeper chasms that undergird our tracks. No other person can inhabit our humanity like Jesus and make such an impact. Through His incarnation, He knows exactly what it was like to live as a human and to walk in our shoes. He is aware of the deepest cries in our hearts, He knows the road of suffering, He knows rejection and marginalisation, He knows brokenness, grief and loss. So, when He walks right up to us, meets us right where we are at, He changes everything, and our transformations not only result in our awakening but in how we worship and our serve Him.
So, friends, get His exchange on today and worship Jesus, our wonderful King who changes everything.
Best days to come
Wen
