Well, I don't think so anyway!

Sometimes it seems like an assault course, (Just complete the course without coming to grief); other times it's an obstacle race, (Beat the others whatever comes along). But whatever your view, there are obstacles on the path and you have to handle them somehow.

Here's one obstacle that you might well encounter later in life. You are recognised for what you are, not for what you used to be. And that's a surprisingly tough one too!

Do you see that elderly, balding, slightly stooping man sitting in Church? He needs quite a bit of help now to get about; he is frail and prone to forgetfulness. You just take him as you see him, not knowing that in earlier years he was a dynamic senior executive in a multinational company, a keen sportsman and a graciously effective Church leader. Or do you see that grey-haired, bent over lady, struggling with her stick? Hard to realise that she managed her home with 5 children, offered hospitality to countless visitors, and still had time to teach in the Sunday School and go out to lead meetings in other churches.

The fact is, they and many others no longer have a reputation for active and effective service in the world or the church. You only know them as you see them now and find it hard to comprehend what once they were.

Graciously letting go of such a reputation is far from easy. Something inside each of us wants to shout out 'But I used to be...' Learning to let go of 'Self in the past' is just one more step on the pathway to becoming more like Jesus. Remember the Bible says that Jesus made Himself of no reputation and became a servant. Of His own free will He relinquished His divine status - 'God as He used to be' in order to live as a man and then, unrecognised by most around Him, bring about our salvation.

John Rowland

My guess is that if you are reading this it is because you read Part 1 of the story in The Messenger for June/July (or last week's Thought on this site)! I hope you got the point – and will now see where it leads.

You will recall that most visitors to the Great Estate never actually spent time on the Estate itself. They simply called in to see the exhibitions set up by estate guides. They went away thinking they knew about the Estate, but in reality had only seen a few aspects of it. By not exercising their freedom to wander over the whole estate they missed two vital things.

First, they missed the big picture – the sheer wonder, size and beauty of the Estate. They missed the splendid views, the quiet spots for picnics and the exhilaration of walking the hillsides and finding their own treasures amongst the flowers and other wildlife.

But, more significant by far, they missed meeting the Laird who Himself walked the Estate. The Landowner thoroughly enjoyed meeting visitors to the Estate. He would talk with them, point out the best places to see, and even guide them along pleasant footpaths or through the rockier places.

Let Jesus explain it! He said to the Pharisees "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life." (John 5 vv 39 - 40) The whole point of Bible Reading is not to gain knowledge, but to meet Jesus. The Pharisees (and some of us?) studied the Bible, or sections of it, and had a great deal of knowledge about its laws and its history. Tragically, they missed out on meeting the Saviour and Lord to whom the Scriptures point!

John Rowland

This item is reproduced from the UBBC magazine, The Messenger, for June/July. We'll have an exclusive follow-up next week.

To what shall I compare Bible Reading in this day and age?

It is like when a wealthy landowner established a Great Estate in Scotland. The Estate had mountains and moorland, rivers and streams, quiet shady places and challenging rock faces. The landowner allowed people to walk anywhere on his estate. He even built picnic places and Visitors' Centres and trained guides to take people on exploratory walks.

One of these guides noticed the existence of small glittering quartz rocks here and there and gradually collected a number. These he arranged tastefully in his garden and encouraged some of the tourists to stop and examine the rocks. Another guide collected tiny Alpine flowers and established a collection for visitors to see; yet another guide built up a collection of all different rocks to show the geological history of the Estate.

As time went by an increasing number of visitors just spent time admiring these collections and had no time to walk around the Estate and enjoy its variety, or experience its many moods and places of beauty. Fewer and fewer people used the picnic sites, or went on the challenging walks. Whole coach loads of visitors would view a couple of the guides' collections and declare to their friends "Yes – we visited the Great Estate. What a wonderful collection of alpine plants there is, and what a fine Visitors' Centre!"

The guides developed very specialised knowledge of the Estate and were pleased to lecture about their speciality; but few of them ever took visitors on general tours of the Estate to show them its scale and beauty. Even the printed guidebooks only described the special and well-known parts of the Estate. Only the most intrepid walkers ever enjoyed the waterfalls and spectacular mountain ridges.

But those visitors who came and explored on their own were rewarded with spectacular views and fascinating glimpses of nature. They returned again and again and were delighted at what they found. They picnicked by the streams, felt the wind on their faces as they climbed, and never ceased to be amazed at the generosity of the Landowner who gave them such free access to his Great Estate.

Do you understand what reading the Bible is like?

John Rowland

In many cultures, the aged are regarded with respect, and are valued on account of their experience and wisdom. Our western society seems to have gone down a different path. It is the age of the younger person, and the older ones frequently feel sidelined and ignored.
I have just come from a funeral. The deeds and exploits of an older man were recounted - and what a story lay behind his life! The tragedy is that most of a person’s past lies forgotten until the funeral! What a story some of our older people at UBBC could tell if only occasion permitted. The experiences many of them have been through, and the joys and sorrows that have befallen them would cause many of us to marvel if only we knew!
And there is wisdom in those old heads; not the wisdom of using marvellous technology, but the wisdom of living and experiencing. Peter encourages hot-headed youth to listen to that experience – and even submit to it.

This is the final week for some time that I am writing the ‘Thought for the Day’ on the website. The bald statistics of website use show that very few people ever visit this area of the site. ‘Thought for the Day’ will still appear on the site, but it will lead you to the daily material provided by ‘United Christian Broadcasters’ (UCB). You have already sampled the UCB material as our site featured it a couple of weeks ago; I trust you will find the different approach and comments useful.

Peter is not writing about suffering due to illness or accident, but rather the pain that comes through ill-treatment because of our Christian faith and witness. Earlier, he has written in 1 Peter 4:14-16
‘If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.’
That is the kind of suffering to which we have to submit and commit our lives to God. Frankly, it is not the kind of suffering which many of us have to endure. But it was in this way that Jesus suffered, and He warned his disciples that the same suffering might befall them. Even today, there are many Christians around the world who suffer in this way. Pray for them that they will have the grace to commit their ways to God and not take the path of retaliation.

This is the final week for some time that I am writing the ‘Thought for the Day’ on the website. The bald statistics of website use show that very few people ever visit this area of the site. ‘Thought for the Day’ will still appear on the site, but it will lead you to the daily material provided by ‘United Christian Broadcasters’ (UCB). You have already sampled the UCB material as our site featured it a couple of weeks ago; I trust you will find the different approach and comments useful.

We live in an age that encourages self-assertion, self –promotion, and self-interest; that is applied in relationships as much as in work. Submission generally has a bad press; it seems to signal weakness or powerlessness. To submit is a sign of failure or subordination.
The reality is quite different. The freedom to submit joyfully and accept the authority of another is a sign of immense inner strength and personal discipline. It is the ill-disciplined person who shrieks to get his own way and then be seen and viewed as important.
When Peter was writing, a wife was little more than part of the furniture, a bearer and carer of children and domestic slave. Indeed, there are some husbands that still need to note 1 Peter 3:7 ‘Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect ..’ So every thoughtful Christian couple has to work out the meaning of submission in this context.

This is the final week for some time that I am writing the ‘Thought for the Day’ on the website. The bald statistics of website use show that very few people ever visit this area of the site. ‘Thought for the Day’ will still appear on the site, but it will lead you to the daily material provided by ‘United Christian Broadcasters’ (UCB). You have already sampled the UCB material as our site featured it a couple of weeks ago; I trust you will find the different approach and comments useful.

The workplace is another area where a Christian is expected to behave in an exemplary fashion. In fact it is often in work that faith is most challenged. When you consider how many of our waking hours are spent at work it is hardly surprising that God has quite a lot to say about it! Honesty in business practices; hard work and respect for the hours for which we are paid; care for the employers’ property; and consideration for other employees, should all feature prominently on the Christian’s list of priorities. What is more, says Peter, even if the employer treats you badly, you have no excuse for slipshod work and an indifferent attitude to what is expected of you. Work is an important place for Christian witness – please pray for one another in this often-neglected area of the Christian life.

This is the final week for some time that I am writing the ‘Thought for the Day’ on the website. The bald statistics of website use show that very few people ever visit this area of the site. ‘Thought for the Day’ will still appear on the site, but it will lead you to the daily material provided by ‘United Christian Broadcasters’ (UCB). You have already sampled the UCB material as our site featured it a couple of weeks ago; I trust you will find the different approach and comments useful.

For the good of human society God has ordained that there should be the rule of law, in the hands of properly instituted authorities. The Christian is expected to exhibit exemplary behaviour under the laws that are established. However petty the laws may seem (Parking regulations?), or costly (Taxation?), or even unhelpful in the Christian sense (Sunday Trading?), we have to accept them and live by them as good citizens. No Christian can claim that some laws and regulations set by Parliament or a local Council are trivial and need not be observed! God’s plan for society is that the authorities have the right to deal with wrong-doing by punishment of some kind. So don’t moan about parking fines and speeding tickets; it’s what you should expect when you break the law!

This is the final week for some time that I am writing the ‘Thought for the Day’ on the website. The bald statistics of website use show that very few people ever visit this area of the site. ‘Thought for the Day’ will still appear on the site, but it will lead you to the daily material provided by ‘United Christian Broadcasters’ (UCB). You have already sampled the UCB material as our site featured it a couple of weeks ago; I trust you will find the different approach and comments useful.

I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees.
I call out to you; save me and I will keep your statutes.
I rise before dawn and cry for help; I have put my hope in your word.
My eyes stay open through the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promises.
Hear my voice in accordance with your love; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your laws.
Those who devise wicked schemes are near, but they are far from your law.
Yet you are near, O LORD, and all your commands are true.
Long ago I learned from your statutes that you established them to last forever.
Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.
Defend my cause and redeem me; preserve my life according to your promise.
Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek out your decrees.
Your compassion is great, O LORD; preserve my life according to your laws.
Many are the foes who persecute me, but I have not turned from your statutes.
I look on the faithless with loathing, for they do not obey your word.
See how I love your precepts; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your love.
All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal.
Rulers persecute me without cause, but my heart trembles at your word.
( Verse 162 )I rejoice in your promise like one who finds great spoil.
I hate and abhor falsehood but I love your law.
Seven times a day I praise you for your righteous laws.
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.
I wait for your salvation, O LORD, and I follow your commands.
I obey your statutes, for I love them greatly.
I obey your precepts and your statutes, for all my ways are known to you.
May my cry come before you, O LORD; give me understanding according to your word.
May my supplication come before you; deliver me according to your promise.
May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees.
May my tongue sing of your word, for all your commands are righteous.
May your hand be ready to help me, for I have chosen your precepts.
I long for your salvation, O LORD, and your law is my delight.
Let me live that I may praise you, and may your laws sustain me.
I have strayed like a lost sheep. Seek your servant, for I have not forgotten your commands.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.
I have taken an oath and confirmed it, that I will follow your righteous laws.
I have suffered much; preserve my life, O LORD, according to your word.
Accept, O LORD, the willing praise of my mouth, and teach me your laws.
Though I constantly take my life in my hands, I will not forget your law.
The wicked have set a snare for me, but I have not strayed from your precepts.
Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart.
My heart is set on keeping your decrees to the very end.
I hate double-minded men, but I love your law.
You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word.
Away from me, you evildoers, that I may keep the commands of my God!
Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.
Uphold me, and I will be delivered; I will always have regard for your decrees.
You reject all who stray from your decrees, for their deceitfulness is in vain.
All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross; therefore I love your statutes.
My flesh trembles in fear of you; I stand in awe of your laws.
I have done what is righteous and just; do not leave me to my oppressors.
Ensure your servant's well-being; let not the arrogant oppress me.
My eyes fail, looking for your salvation, looking for your righteous promise.
Deal with your servant according to your love and teach me your decrees.
I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.
It is time for you to act, O LORD; your law is being broken.
Because I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold,
and because I consider all your precepts right, I hate every wrong path.
Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them.
The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple.
I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands.
Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name.
( Verse 133 ) Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me.
Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts.
Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees.
Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
Righteous are you, O LORD, and your laws are right.
The statutes you have laid down are righteous; they are fully trustworthy.
My zeal wears me out, for my enemies ignore your words.
Your promises have been thoroughly tested, and your servant loves them.
Though I am lowly and despised, I do not forget your precepts.
Your righteousness is everlasting and your law is true.
Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands are my delight.
Your statutes are forever right; give me understanding that I may live.