More music

This is my favourite song right now - Farewell to the Fairground, by White Lies. Which is quite late of me seeing as it was released a year ago. Anyway, to do it justice (as with any song really), don't play this through your sissy little laptop speakers! Put it throught the loudest cabinet you can get your hands on :). The middle break reminds me of "All These Things I've Done" by the killers, but I like this better. Anyway, enjoy!!

For Heaven's Sake!

We've just been on a church weekend away, where we heard four talks from Revelation 20-22 (Thanks to James Fletcher, curate of St Nick's tooting for speaking so clearly and faithfully!)


At the end of it, he challenged us to come away with just one thing from the weekend. I thought about this on my return, and realised that I don't think about heaven enough! If I did meditate on my eternal home more, I think it would have the following effects:


1. I will love the world (and my idols) less
Once I realise the physicality, beauty, protection and perfection of heaven, I'll get more of an eternal perspective on my future. I'll realise that whilst all gifts here are good and to be enjoyed, they'll be nothing compared to an eternity of intimate fellowship with God. 


2. I will share the gospel more
Once I realise that through Christ, I have gained heaven, and shunned hell, I'll surely want the same for my friends, family and colleagues, and point them towards Christ more regularly, and more earnestly


3. I will grow in my humility
Revelation 20-22 talks about the "Lamb who was slain" being seated there. We need to remember (if we trust in Christ) that Jesus was slain for us, in order to bring us to God. We can't marvel at our own deeds, as they are just like dirty rags compared to this. Also, we'll be made perfect and new in heaven, and this means being without sin. Looking at my sin riddled life at the moment is a pretty sorry sight compared to what we'll be like in heaven.

Trust in...Yourself?

I was really convicted in the sermon at church on sunday. We were being taken through Luke 3:1-17, where John the baptist says to the pharisees in verse 8:

"Produce fruit in keeping with your repentance. And do not

begin to say to yourselves ' We have Abraham as our father'. 

For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up 

children for Abraham"

John is telling the crowds that they shouldn't trust in their status as God's chosen people for their salvation. They couldn't say "oh we are people of the covenant", continue sinning and rebelling against God, and expect salvation at the end. 

Now many of us aren't Jewish, but we have been grafted into God's kingdom by the death and resurrection of Christ. Nevertheless, John's warning applies to us too. We can't rely on our own self righteousness, and deeds of piety and devotion for God's favour. We may say with our lips: "Oh, I trust fully on Jesus for my salvation, he is my righteousness". Yes this is true, and we may believe this with our heads, but do we live it and breath repentance all day long? How many of us could be caught guilty of secretly saying to ourselves "Yes! I had a really good quiet time this morning, God must love me a little more!", or "I did well evangelizing to those people at the bar or in the street, God must have given me some credit". 

This is true, god is pleased when we serve and obey him, and we should be striving to do his will more earnestly every day, but don't let your works be your functional salvation! It's by Christ's blood that we are saved, not by our deeds! So although we do deeds, the are "in keeping with your repentance", not "for your salvation". This is difficult to live by, because we naturally want to earn things for ourselves, but it is much more liberating, assuring and comforting to know that I am freely saved, and free to serve