Will the Real Conservative Candidate Please Stand Up!

Eagle eyed readers of the blog will notice that the last blog has disappeared! In it I gave chapter and verse on a series of emails between myself and 'Ruth Whitfield' and concluded that she didn't want to meet me! Well that's right! But the reason she didn't want to meet me is that she has nothing to do with politics and isn't standing in Airdrie and Shotts! This poor innocents email address has been included in a whole range of political websites including 'your next MP' and 'Westminster Declaration' among others and wait for it! She is the wrong Ruth Whitfield! So egg on face all round! Apologies to the wrong Ms Whitfield and apologies to the right Ms. Whitfield. I'll look forward to talking to the genuine Ms. Whitfield in the near future.

Watch this space! If nothing else you'll have a laugh!

Decisions, Decisions – Who should I vote for?

A few years ago I decided that I was finished with party politics. I decided that what was more important than a party machine was the person who was actually going to be representing me in the Council, in the Scottish Parliament or in Westminster. In practice, what this has meant is that after years of voting for the same party, since making this decision I have voted for three different parties based on the individuals representing them. This has been a major challenge because it is really difficult to find out anything about the people behind the parties!

So I have decided to try and do something about that and share what I find with you. So far in Airdrie and Shotts Constituency we have 4 candidates who have declared:

• Sophia Coyle – SNP
• John Love – Liberal Democrats
• Pamela Nash – Labour
• Ruth Whitfield – Conservative

I have contacted 3 out of the 4 of them (still trying to source an email for Pamela Nash) and asked to meet them to discuss their polices and personal political philosophy. On top of this I have asked them to consider taking the pledge! The Westminster Declaration 2010 pledge that is! The pledge is as follows, “I will respect, uphold and protect the right of Christians to hold and express Christian beliefs and act according to Christian conscience.” You can find out more about the Westminster Declaration 2010 here. I got one really quick reply, but we’ll save that for the next post!

Performance Treadmill

Hi


I thought I would share some thoughts that have been of great release to me in my Christian walk and also just as challenging.

The easiest way to summarise it is I have been trying to work through the following Question,

How am I going to live in a God Pleasing and Glorifying way today?

I know that if we were all to be asked do we want to live that way today we would in the blink of an eye say darn right or maybe Amen or yes even. However that is a totally different question to How am I going to do that! I have to say that with the help of a nice wee book called Transforming Grace by Jerry Bridges, I have become aware of danger of what he Calls the "Performance Treadmill".

Bridges looks at the 3 stages of our Christian lives, Salvation, Life after salvation and then life in eternity, or if you want the theological terms, Justification, Sanctification and Glorification. He makes the point that we all sound Evangelical Christians would agree that we are both saved by Grace and enter in to heaven by grace but how do we live our lives between the 2?

It is Bridges premise that we our natural sinful predisposition to legalism often ends up with us trying to earn our growth in God, or blessings, or even answers to prayer. That well known feeling to us all I am sure, of when we have been "good" and read our bibles daily and prayed and even put out the bin for the next door neighbour we have this sense of invincibility that God is soooo pleased with us and will surely be itching to shower blessings on us. However, just as familiar I am sure is the feeling of woe that comes with giving in to that so familiar temptation and how we want to hide from God and feel unworthy or of no use to Him at all, until, that is, we are "good again for a while, and there you have it, you are on the performance treadmill.

Bridges has a good way of helping us check our hearts, and suggests that we think of the following scenario, if we have fallen to that old familiar sin that is our battle, and then in the next minute had the perfect opportunity to witness for God to our long time friend, would we do so with gusto and faith or would we maybe even pass it up due to our failure before God and His disapproval with us. If you can relate to this then as Bridges says you better check you are not living on the performance treadmill.

Well, how do we live our lives between Salvation and Heaven? How do we live today for the glory and pleasure of God? Well it is the answer to that question that has been so liberating and challenging to me recently, you live it by the same faith in God's Grace that Saved you, and that you believe will see you through to Heaven. You look to eternity and then look to your heart, feel that faith that believes that by the Grace of God you will one day spend eternity in heaven, it is that same Faith you are to live for Christ today. Believing that by the Grace of Jesus Christ and the grace for today he supplies you can live for Him.

I now wake up and each morning look at the day ahead and acknowledge that I am bankrupt before a holy God, and that even the good things I would attempt are as filthy rags, I then throw myself on His grace believing that through the cross Jesus' grace will enable me to be more like Him the same way I throw myself on His grace for the forgiveness of my sins and for my Hope of eternity with him.

Why don't we this Easter resolve to live in the power of God's Grace. Gal 2:20-21

Jim

Idol Prayer

Hi,

I thought that since we are looking at shaking idolatry from our lives in our evening services, it would be good to pass on this prayer that I read on another blog:

Heavenly Father, in Rome I saw the statues of various gods that filled the temples and lifestyle of that great ancient city. In London, I visited the biggest Buddhist temple in the city and wandered from station to station as worshippers offered prayers and gifts to deities that looked so strange to me. In Israel, I studied decaying remains of various idols which competed for the worship of the people of God.

Yet for me to obey John’s command to keep myself from idols requires so much more than simply staying away from ancient sites, pagan temples and man-made idols. Father, I’ve never been more aware of the invisible pantheon of idols that are constantly angling and clamoring for my heart’s worship.

Sometimes the approval or rejection from people has more sway over my heart than what you think about me. Sometimes my need to be right is more compelling to me than being righteous in Christ. Sometimes my desire to be in control of my world and circumstances claims much more of my time and energy than seeking you and basking in your love.

Have mercy on me, Father, and free my foolish heart from giving anything or anyone the attention, allegiance, affection and adoration you alone deserve. That I am your “dear child,” forgiven, secure, righteous and beloved in Christ, should be all the motivation I need to keep myself from any form of idolatry. May the gospel of your grace relentlessly expose and dethrone all “empty nothings” from my heart. So very Amen, I pray, in Jesus’ name.

By Scotty Smith.

Amen I say!

Jim

9Marks comes to Scotland

Charlotte Chapel are hosting 9Marks Scotland 2010, a conference aimed at Building Healthes Churches. The speakers are Mark Dever, Pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church, Washington D.C and founder of 9Marks ministries, together with Paul Rees of Charlotte Chapel and Liam Garvie of St. Andrews Baptist Church.

This is a really welcome development in Scotland and Paul and Liam are to be thanked for making it happen. The Conference will take place on the 12th and 13th February 2010 and full details can be found here