Tag: sin

The west is not the best

We live in a global village: news is broadcast to our phones as it occurs, wherever in the world it may be happening. The influence of Western thinking still touches the corners of the globe. But people in the majority world need to be informed by those of us in the West who see the bankruptcy of Western scientific philosophy, that the West, dominated by secularistic thinking that ignores the God of creation, is not the best. 

There is hope of an upturn in Western thinking, however, as the hopelessness of atheistic philosophy becomes more and more apparent, bringing in its train all kinds of moral, social, and mental ills. A better story is being sought, though the passing falsehoods of relativistic atheism still hang in the air we breathe and sadly infect lands further away. People in those lands should realise: the West is not the best. To those who look from afar thinking that the West is Christian, I would say that the general life-style of the masses in the west is godless, not Christian. True, there are many Christians in the West, and in past ages they have gone throughout the world proclaiming the Gospel; but as their influence in society waned in the West, vain and futile godless philosophies have risen to supplant the Christian consensus. 

This state of affairs is due to change, however; the West needs a revival of Christianity, and believers need to regain the confidence to proclaim afresh the life-enhancing truth of the Gospel. This Gospel message speaks of world history in four stages:

First, Creation. God made all that is, and he declared his creation “good”. There was no fault in his working: he made man and woman to reflect his own nature as they were made in his likeness. He made them in relationship with himself where they found deep joy and fulfilment.

Second, the first couple turned away from God’s will, expressed in his commandment. Thinking (as many still do today) that they knew better than God what was right and wrong, they chose to disobey, and in doing so their nature – human nature – became twisted, corrupted, sinful. Banished from enjoying close and friendly relationship with their Creator, they founded their social order independently of God, even antagonistic to his will. All the people of the world suffered from that original perversion; all are born sinners, out of fellowship with God – indeed, under his holy displeasure.

Third, God set in motion his major opus – the salvation of lost men and women. Beginning with revealing to Abraham promises that through his posterity all the world would one day be blessed, God spoke to men of old through the prophets until finally his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, was born, an incarnate human revelation of God. Jesus grew up to teach God’s truth and ultimately to give his life for the redemption of humankind. Thanks to his atoning sacrifice, as the Gospel is proclaimed throughout the world, millions find, through faith in him, the forgiveness he promised and new life, eternal life, in renewed friendship with God.

The fourth stage is still to come, foretold by the prophets whose predictions of the first coming of Christ proved true. Jesus himself revealed that at the end of the age he would come in glory to judge the world in righteousness, ushering his believing flock into eternal life, and punishing the unrighteous with the just penalty that is their due.
Throughout the world, this Gospel message gains believers who escape that ultimate judgment. Will you be among them?

Clive Every-Clayton

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Ultimate human fulfilment

The fullness of human happiness – or blessedness, which means the same – is to be found only in a harmonious relationship with the Creator God and Saviour, who loves us with infinite tenderness, warmth, compassion, and wisdom. If you’re looking for an authentic answer to our human predicament – be forgiven and get into that relationship. That is to “know God”, which is how Jesus defines “eternal life” (John 17.3). It means hearing Jesus’ call to repent, deny our selfishness, and commit to following him. Having taught his disciples for three years, Jesus said to them, “If you know these things, happy/blessed are you if you do them” (John 13.17). The obedient disciple is the fulfilled human being; the holier you are, the happier you are.

As Jesus began to delight his hearers with his passionate proclamations, from the very start in his famous Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew’s Gospel chapters 5 to 7), he cried out, “Blessed are those who…” followed by virtues to acquire. By these beatitudes which include being “pure in heart”, and “hungering and thirsting after righteousness”, he was indicating the way to true happiness. The word Jesus used in the Greek original for “blessed” means “most fortunate” – but not just because of good fortune or luck. Rather, this is the greatest human fulfilment that God himself grants to those who come into that intimate personal relationship with him, where we receive and follow his wisdom, spurn the sins that he hates, entrust our whole lives into his loving hands, share our joys, our sorrows and our worries with him, and seek to please him in all that we do. 

I can say that this is no mere theory; I have lived this way as best I could from my youth, and can testify that in the good days as in the bad days (like when I had cancer, when my daughter was long in hospital, and when my wife died) God’s goodness and love upheld me.

True, at the beginning I struggled to yield all of my life without reserve to do the will of God, because I thought my way was best; but the day I did surrender was one of the happiest days of my life. If you’re afraid of totally submitting your will to the will of God, so was I. What helped me was to realise just how much God’s love, shown in the total self-dedication of Christ on the cross, dying to save me from hell, was the same attitude of love God has to me all the time. And it is from that kind and loving heart that my Lord and Saviour in his wisdom would choose what he considered would be the very best path for me. So I trusted him, and gave him my all, without reserve, and have kept that attitude all my life.

My recent blog posts have spoken about heaven. Why is heaven a place of supreme happiness and blessedness? Because the will of God is done perfectly there! Jesus indicated this when he taught us to pray, “Father… your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. On earth, we see a lot of terrible things that sin and wickedness do, and that God allows, as he respects our freedom. The prayer asks God to prevent the worst and instead see his holy will accomplished, “as it is done in heaven”. In heaven there will be no sin or evil, that’s why it is a place of supreme happiness.  

Will you be there? 

Clive Every-Clayton

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Is there a hell?

When a well-known criminal monster, whom I will call Y____, much hated for his horrible and widely publicised wickedness, died in prison, the headline filling the front page of a tabloid shouted: “Burn in Hell, Y_____”. That not only expressed disgust at evil, it also revealed the positive human requirement of punishment for crimes committed. Hell would be the just penalty for sin.

Is there a hell? The question is rarely discussed openly; it may deeply perturb our hearts, as it did mine when I was a teenager. It deserves a clear answer, and as I have said before, only God knows the answer, so only he can tell us. When his Son Jesus came as his spokesman into the world, he left us in no doubt. He spoke of one sinner, who “died and was buried, and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torment…” complaining, “I am in anguish in this flame” (Luke 16.22-24). He taught that at the last judgment, the lost “will go away into eternal punishment” (Matthew 25.46). More than once he warned, “in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8.12, 13.50). He insists that “it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God, than… to be thrown into hell” (Mark 9.47). However you may wish to interpret these passages, you cannot escape the fact that Jesus taught there would be severe pain suffered after death by unrepentant sinners. This is a most solemn warning.

Would you rather I said, “It’s okay – we’ll all get to heaven”? From another context, the words of a political advisor are relevant: “If you want to help people, tell them the truth; if you want to help yourself, tell them what they want to hear”. If God has given us such a serious warning, preachers must faithfully teach the truth he has revealed, not alter it in the vain hope of helping people. 

What I can say, however, is that even if you’re the worst offender, you can escape hell and go to heaven if you receive forgiveness from God in this life. That is why I have written a lot in previous blog posts about forgiveness: everyone desperately needs it!

When the Son of God came to earth, he wept over the unrepentant masses and urgently warned us: “Unless you repent you will perish” (i.e. in hell – Luke 13.3). He so wanted to save us from hell that he suffered the most horrendous agony on the cross for us. On the cross he was bearing your hell and mine – the punishment that we deserve – in our place. He died for you because he loves you; he wants to save you from hell. His death made atonement for our sins so that God, in all justice, may forgive us. If there is no hell, we cannot understand why the Son of God should have suffered such an agonising death.

The cross is the supreme measure of Jesus’ love for you. As awful as was his suffering, so strong is his love, bearing it for you. So you can be forgiven, redeemed, transformed, and made ready to go to heaven – if you repent and turn in faith to Christ your Saviour. Ask Jesus to forgive and save you from hell – and he will! “Whoever calls on the name of the Lord Jesus will be saved” (Romans 10.13). 

But if you would spurn Christ’s love and reject God’s wondrously merciful offer to free you from hell and grant you heaven, what do you think you would deserve?

Clive Every-Clayton

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Be reconciled to God

For us to enter into the fullness of life that God desires for us – in harmonious relationship with him – we need to hear his call. This call comes to us through the biblical appeal: “be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5.20).

Friends who are already in agreement with each other do not need to be reconciled; it is enemies who need to be brought together! This call therefore takes as given that there is enmity between God and us, the human beings he calls. This is indeed the situation – whether our attitude towards God is one of quiet indifference to what he wants of us, or one of open rebellion against all he stands for. Either way, we are sinners in his eyes – and yet he calls us! He desires us to be reconciled to him.

It is true that on his side, there is displeasure as he views our life-style of careless disobedience. This means we cannot experience the warmth of his approval, but rather may rightly fear his ultimate judgment.

That’s why it is so wonderful that God, full of love, takes the initiative in reconciliation: He took a giant step towards us in sending his dear Son: “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself” (2 Corinthians 5.19). He thus showed his love – “not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 John 4.10). It was not that we were so good that God is pleased to welcome us; rather “it was while we were yet sinners” that “Christ died for us”. Only on that basis can we be forgiven and accepted into a warm relationship with God. So the first step towards reconciliation with God happened twenty centuries ago!

Now we are called to respond: “be reconciled to God”. This involves two things. First, we turn to God with gratitude that through the death of Christ all our sins and evil deeds may be totally wiped away, cleansed and forgiven, and God’s loving arms may embrace us. We thank Him for such mercy and pardon, purchased for us at the cost of the cross, where Christ’s love was shown as he gave himself in our place.

Secondly, to be reconciled to God, we have to give up our rebellion – be it tacit or open – and embrace our Saviour as the Lord who we will henceforth seek to please. It is this repentant submission to Christ as our Lord, and trust in him as our Saviour, that effectively reconciles us to God. And that is what introduces us into a good relationship with God.

This new relationship with a loving heavenly Father will develop as we grow in faith and obedience. To commit our lives to Christ is only the beginning; but there must be that first commitment – hence the call: “Be reconciled to God”.

Once you have made that commitment – to the risen Lord Jesus Christ himself, in prayer – you can share the believer’s faith expressed in Romans 5.10: “When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son” – and “now having been reconciled, we shall be saved” – saved from the punishment that our sins deserved, through Christ having washed them all away. 

Then you can also take part in the believer’s mission: God “reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” … so “like ambassadors for Christ”, we call out to others: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5.18-20).

Clive Every-Clayton

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Good, evil, and sex

As we think about our major existential preoccupations, sex is not far from our thoughts. If you’re just zeroing in on this blog without the context of what I have written already on a more general note, it would be well if you looked back on those earlier posts. 

Those who read the one about distinguishing good from evil, will have noted that in the biblical lists of sins, “sexual immorality” holds a predominant place. Now, God is not against sex: let us be clear – he invented it, after all. He it is who has endowed us with this most powerful – and pleasurable – of instincts; God is not against sex per se. In fact, our wise and holy Creator made us as sexual beings – indeed, from the moment of the creation of our human species, he ordered humans to have sex: “Be fruitful and multiply” were his words. 

So right from the start, our intelligent Creator had in mind the ordering of this precious gift of human sexuality. Not only did he encourage sexual intimacy, he set in place guidelines that lead those who follow them into the fullest enjoyment of sexual pleasure. So when Jesus and the New Testament include “sexual immorality” in a list of sins, the reference is to the misuse of this wonderful gift that God has given us. 

The original Greek word used by Jesus was porneia which basically covers all sexual activity outside of heterosexual marriage. According to much-loved biblical scholar William Barclay, it is “quite a general word for unlawful sexual intercourse and relationships”. He refers (in “Flesh and Spirit”, a book published in 1962) to the “unnatural vice” of incest, such as that of Caligula and his sister Drusilla. Furthermore, “From the highest to the lowest, society was riddled with homosexuality”, Barclay informs us, “which was a vice which Rome learned from Greece”. Furthermore, “evidence… for the unspeakable sexual immorality of the world contemporary with the New Testament”, Barclay tells us, comes “not from Christian writers, but from pagans who were disgusted with themselves”.

But let’s be positive. The marriage union between one man and one woman is God’s prescription for blessing, deep satisfaction, and joy in bringing into the world little humans made in the image of their parents. Every engineer who creates some technology or machinery has in mind its functioning, and writes instructions for its proper use. So it is with our Creator whose very clear instructions channel the human sexual impulse for the good of the couple and of society. Jesus quotes Genesis chapter 2 to teach that God instituted marriage in which “a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh”. They are a couple whom “God has joined together” and therefore, he adds, “let not man separate” (Matthew 19.5-6).

This ideal remains the best way to use and enjoy the wondrous gift of sexual instinct that God has given us. Obviously, there is a lot more that could be said. But let me close with something important: since this is an area where many are tempted to launch out into ways not prescribed by God, and consequently may feel – and try to repress – a deep and serious burden of guilt, we should know that our gracious and wise God has made a way for our sins – yes, even our sexual sins – to be wiped away, totally forgiven, and a new start to be offered to those who turn to the Saviour whose sacrificial death makes forgiveness possible.

Clive Every-Clayton

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Understanding the human condition

One element of our human reality is our moral awareness. We are able, albeit imperfectly, to distinguish right from wrong. There is another more perturbing element of our reality, however: we are obliged to acknowledge at times a degree of “wrong” both in our conduct and in our inner feelings and desires. To face up to this reality is not a pleasant exercise – but it can be salutary.

The experience of well-known writer and Oxford don C.S. Lewis, when he was a young teacher at the university, shows exemplary honesty. He had a deep antagonism towards the Christian faith, but little by little he saw himself obliged to yield to the unremitting evidence of “Spirit” (as he called God at that time) and he discerned that God was coming closer and closer to him. He admits he was no more in search of God than a mouse was in search of a cat. But he was blessed with a conscientious spirit; where others would have shrugged their shoulders and carried on, he realised he must face reality and he needed a deep remedy. An important step came when, as he wrote in his biographical account, “For the first time I examined myself with a seriously practical purpose. And there I found what appalled me; a zoo of lusts, a bedlam of ambitions, a nursery of fears, a harem of fondled hatreds.” Rare are those who have such insight to the depth of their human reality.

The fact is that all humans suffer from a strange dual reality: we are capable of great compassion and devotion to duty, pouring out our energies into assisting the sick, the needy, the dying. Yet we also feel at times such fury when our wills are crossed that we could seriously harm those who antagonise us. Our inner being is deeply self-centred, imperiously requiring the fulfilling of our selfish desires, claiming the freedom to do as we wish and ready to overcome anyone who stands in our way.

I have previously quoted Blaise Pascal’s brilliant analysis of this dual reality; he says it is dangerous to explain to man his beastliness without pointing out his greatness also. But he adds, “it is also dangerous to make too much of his greatness without his vileness. It is still more dangerous”, he concludes, “to leave him in ignorance of both, but it is most valuable to represent both to him” (Pensée §121/418). 

Maybe now is the time to consider this more personally. We are not, of course, obliged to deny the positive aspects of our reality. But we all need the honesty of a C.S. Lewis to admit how deep evil runs within our hearts. When we acknowledge this, we should know that we are not alone in this destabilising discovery; “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way”. This is the universal human condition, and we must understand it, humbling though it is. 

What makes us willing to face it, is knowing that there is a remedy – and there is! If we are “lost sheep”, we may know also that there is a “Good Shepherd” who gave his life to deliver his sheep from the horrors of their unfortunate condition.

Clive Every-Clayton

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A new direction

Another way of speaking about repenting, is to see it as an about turn. Instead of carrying on in the wrong direction, you turn around and go the right way. 

In the Bible, God himself uses that very word, “turn”: “Thus says the Lord God: Repent and turn away from your idols, and turn away your faces from all your abominations” (Ezekiel 14.6). “Turn away from evil,” is the counsel of Proverbs 3.7. “I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord God; so turn, and live! Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 18.31, 32). There is a turning away – from all that God disapproves, from our evil ways. 

Then, positively, there is a turning towards the Lord himself. He calls out: “Turn to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God and there is none other” (Isaiah 45.22). It was said of the early Christians, when they heard the good news about Jesus, that they “turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1.9).

The essence of human wrong-doing is summed up as exchanging the truth about God for a lie (Romans 1.25); so the way to put right our human condition is to relinquish the lies we have been tricked into, and embrace the truth that God in his wisdom and kindness has revealed by his Son and in his word, the Bible.

As we listen to Jesus and realise who he is, we can verify if we have been ill-informed about God, about our Creator, about the true purpose of life that the Creator had in mind for us. As we read the Bible, we see why Jesus came – not only to teach us truth – vital though that is – but to bring us to see and know God as he really is: kind, loving, holy yet forgiving, merciful and wise, desiring to lead us in the good way.

We are wise when we recognise that God is truly good, and he has the right to our obedience; it is a “good riddance” to turn away from all evil. It is an edifying challenge to decide to live a new life following Jesus as Lord and Master, learning from him, seeking to resemble him in his love, purity and holiness. To be called to be a follower of Jesus is a high calling – an immense privilege. And Jesus accompanies his disciples, calling them his friends. His ears are open to our prayers; his presence as the risen Christ gives us confidence and courage. He promises he will never leave us or forsake us: in whatever situation we may be, we can count on his help. If we fail and repent again, he will forgive and comfort us. If we face tough challenges, he promises us renewed strength.

The Christian is thus called to a life-long positive relationship with God through Jesus Christ. As we repent and believe, he takes us on as his followers and he stays with us through both the good days and the tough times, ever present to encourage us, lift us up, strengthen us in doing what is right and making us a blessing to others. A whole new life opens up to the one who commits to following him in trust and obedience.

Clive Every-Clayton

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The big rethink

When we look for authentic answers to our deep existential questions, we normally rely on our wits: we read books, we follow lectures, we discuss with those more informed than ourselves, and we think it all through. We seldom pause to realise that all this happens on a purely human level; we probably weren’t looking for divine in-put anyway.

When we open the New Testament, however, and start seeking there for potential answers, we may well be struck by an unusual word, a challenging call. Whether it is Jesus (Matthew 4.17), or John the Baptiser (Matthew 3.2), or the apostle Peter (Acts 2.38) or the apostle Paul (Acts 20.21) – the same challenge rings out: it is the call to “repent”. Jesus is radical: “Unless you repent,” he affirms, “you will perish” (Luke 13.3, 5). 

This call has a double meaning, requiring a double dose of humility. Firstly, Jesus calls his followers to have a big re-think. It’s as if he knows that whatever anyone thinks (about the big questions), they’ve got it wrong! Another way of saying it is that Jesus brings the true answers that everyone needs to listen to. By nature we do not have the correct grasp of things – we are ever seeking, often very conscious of how far we are from getting good answers. If you’re in that frame of mind, be happy! You’re on the right track. You need light from the One who said, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8.12). As you rethink and put faith in the true answers that Jesus brought, you will be wisely led: as Jesus said, “he who seeks, finds” (Luke 11.9).

Secondly – and this is even more humbling – we have to re-think the way we are living. To repent means to turn away from all that is wrong, to reject sin in all its many forms, and to commit to learning how to live what Jesus would call a good life. This can be quite radical – depending on how deep one may have gone into various ungodly life-styles. But it is absolutely beneficial! Jesus’ answers to our existential questions are not merely theoretical: they demand to be heeded and to be translated into how we live. He teaches us what true fulfilment really is – how human beings find the deep happiness we long for (not the frothy gaiety that always leaves a hang-over, a deeper emptiness, an aching void). Jesus came, he said, “that people might have life – abundant life” (John 10.10). He speaks of joy and peace that he gives. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11.28). “If anyone is thirsty,” he cries out using another metaphor, “let him come to me and drink”; “the one who drinks the water that I give him will never thirst – it will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life” (John 7.37, 4.14). Great promises! And Jesus honours them!

So his call is both to believe in him and to repent. This double commitment may take but a moment, but it leads to the most fulfilling life possible for a human being. Obviously it needs to be nourished, informed by the reading of Jesus’ teachings, but here is the key to the kind of life that we all, deep down, long for but cannot find. 

Clive Every-Clayton

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God calls people

When God comes to call us, he doesn’t softly say, “Do you mind if…? Rather, he comes as the sovereign Lord that he is, rightful supreme master of the universe with all the weight of his glory… yet, for all his rightful power, he does come asking a question. This is specially his approach when he comes to a person who has sinned: “Adam, where are you? … Have you eaten of the forbidden fruit?” (Genesis 3.9-11). God doesn’t ask such questions to get information, of course. Rather it is his way of gently inviting a response of humble admission of sin.

When a woman taken in the very act of adultery was dragged by the Jews before Jesus, he first deals with the accusers, and when they leave, duly humbled, his first words to her are, “Woman, where are they? Has no-one condemned you?” Then he sets her free: “neither do I condemn you” (John 8.3-11).

When God “arrested” the fiery aggressive persecutor Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus road, yet again he asks a question: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9.4).

Isn’t that astonishing? How would you expect God would come and speak to you? You may be afraid of his almighty judgment; you may expect him to come down on you like a ton of bricks and condemn your moral failings. But no: he would ask you a question. Like: “How are you doing?” If God asked you that, it would make you think, wouldn’t it? Well, how are you behaving? Do you need God’s forgiveness? Would you like God to wipe away those things you have on your conscience from the inglorious days of your past?

Jesus actually asked people, “What would you like me to do for you?” So maybe God would ask, “Would you like the forgiveness, the peace, and the joy that I would like to give you?” Or again, “Are you finding life tough going?” Or, “would you like to know the way to real human fulfilment?”

After giving us pause for thought by posing questions like those that make us conscious of our need of God’s mercy, then he would come with his imperious advice – which is more of a command than a suggestion!

Maybe God is coming to you right now, saying: “The time is ripe: mercy is available. I love you in spite of how you have behaved: turn right around, ‘come to me and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11.28) – the inner rest and peace you’ve always longed for. You’ve been looking in the wrong place. I will welcome you if you repent and turn to me. I will make you anew”.

Clive Every-Clayton

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What is faith?

Faith is essentially very simple, though it is deeply profound. We all have faith in people every day – we have faith in the bus driver, in our teacher, in our doctor, in the lady down the road who passes on the latest gossip, though we may sometimes doubt her.

The young couple about to get married have faith in the love and faithfulness of each other, so they make their commitment “until God shall separate them by death”. 

The scientist has faith that the world runs – and will continue to run – according to consistent order; he has faith in the scientific research papers he reads, without knowing how truthful the academic who wrote them really is.

Even the atheist has faith in his ideas – for his atheism is a “faith system” according to one-time atheist Alister McGrath.

Whatever religion people may have, they have faith in it. The question is: is that faith well placed? How do they know that what is proposed is reliably true? People who always ask that question can end up totally sceptical, because it is not easy to find a basis for our trust that is 100% watertight. In fact, the only basis that qualifies for that degree of truth would be a God of absolute truth.

I have set forth that basis as we looked at Jesus, who affirmed, “I am the truth” (John 14.6) and that he “came down from heaven” to “teach just what God the Father had taught” him to say; so “whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say,” and his “word is truth” (see John 6.38; 8.28 and 40; 12.50; 17.17).

As we listen carefully to Jesus’ words, and consider the purity of his life and the wisdom of his teaching, we are led to believe that he could indeed be the unique incarnation of God and the Saviour of the world. As we consider what he taught about salvation and forgiveness through his death for us, and examine the evidence for his resurrection from the dead, we are logically led to the conclusion that he must indeed be who he said he was. This is the first step of faith.

On that basis, we must go further, because real faith goes beyond simple belief in facts; it must lead us to trust. Faith as trust is essential in every human relationship, and so it is in our relationship with God. When Jesus calls people to follow him, he makes promises, and invites us to trust him to fulfil them. His promises are recorded in the Gospels and are open to “whoever believes in him” (John 3.16). 

Even if we’re not fully convinced that he came from God, as we pay attention to his words, faith and trust grow in our hearts. Jesus promises rest of soul, spiritual new birth, forgiveness of sins, abundant life and eternal life – the full, true meaningful life we deeply long for. All this and more is included in the restoring of a harmonious loving relationship between the forgiven sinner and God our gracious Saviour. This is – I keep repeating – the human fulfilment in life that we were created for, and we come to experience it as our faith expresses itself in trust.  In a prayer of commitment, we receive Jesus as our Saviour, to forgive our sins; we acknowledge him as our Master whose teaching we will believe and follow, and we commit ourselves to him as our Lord whom we will learn to love obey from now on.

Have you expressed your faith in that kind of prayer? 

Clive Every-Clayton

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