Thought for Monday, 26 February 2024

James 1:17-18

Whatever is good and perfect comes from God above, who created all heaven’s lights.  Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 

 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word.  And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.

Mondays can sometimes be a bit depressing but today is not like that.  The sun is shining, there’s hardly a cloud in the sky and I’ve just been reflecting on one of the best weekends I’ve had for a while.

I went to a Burns supper on Friday night which I hadn’t planned going to, and it turned out to be the best Burns supper I’ve ever attended and I’ve been to a lot.  After a run to Lanark on Saturday, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Scotland beating England at rugby for the fourth year in a row. On Saturday night I was watching my daughter’s new puppy, a cockapoo.  We had him overnight and he’s a wee star and we’ve all taken to him big-time.  Sunday worship went well with a good attendance and good hymns that Bill always picks.  In the afternoon, my wife and I attended a concert at New Wellwynd Church in Airdrie by the RSNO orchestra and the RSNO Chorus to raise money for the Beatson cancer charity which was absolutely fantastic, and followed this with an impromptu curry in a nearby restaurant which was lovely.

The curious thing for me was that nothing in this weekend was really planned.  You can never ever plan on any Scottish national team beating anybody at anything.  I’ve already said the Burns supper was unexpected and watching the puppy was very last-minute.  We’ve never been to a classical music recital from the RSNO so this was all new and the curry was also a spur of the moment thing, we hadn’t pre-booked.

One of the benefits of our faith is that we can turn to the Holy Spirit at any time of the day or night to pray for assistance, for guidance, for forgiveness and for any other help that we need or require.  We might sometimes realise and accept that this life does not suddenly become easy or less challenging because we are believers.  We know and are told in the scriptures that life will be far from easy.  The life that Jesus had in this world was not easy.  Even at the end of our lives, some will be taken quickly and for some it will be a more drawn-out process but if we consider the last days Jesus had on this earth, few of us I’m sure would have liked to have traded places with him.

Despite all the difficulties we experience in this life, there will also be happy times and we should remember that these happy times are God-given and we should remember this in a spirit of thankfulness in our prayers.  It’s nice to get, better to give, and at all times, be thankful – ‘Whatever is good and perfect comes from God above’ and much of the planning we attempt in this life might amount to nothing.  Even Burns recognised and commented that ‘the best laid plans of mice and men aft gang agley’. 

Prayer - Loving Heavenly Father and Creator God, we are thankful for all the blessings you’ve consistently given us. Your glory shines in the magnificence of your creation.  We thank you for not only giving us life, but for forgiving us for all the times we get things wrong.  Help us remember and appreciate that every good and perfect gift comes straight from you. May we praise your name.  We are forever grateful. Amen.