November
Revd Alastair writes…...
Meanwhile, the saints stand passionately patient, keeping God’s commands, staying faithful to Jesus. Revelation 14.12
As it is approaching All Saints, a few words on how the lives of the Saints teach us to keep Christ close and to walk with him daily. You see, every day of our lives we are faced with a number of choices. One of my favourite books is written by Richard Templar entitled `The Rules of Life’. In this book he talks at one point of it usually being a simple choice between being on the side of the angels or the beasts. Which are you going to pick? Let me explain. Every action we make, thing we say, has an effect on those around us. And that effect can be positive or detrimental – it’s usually our choice. And sometimes it is a difficult choice. We get torn between what we want and what is good for others. But then no-one said this was going to be easy. And making the decision to be on the side of the angels is often a tough call. You have to consciously do this. This can be what we dedicate our lives to – angels not beasts. If you want to know if you have already made the choice, just do a quick check of how you feel and react if someone cuts in front of you in a line of traffic in the rush hour. Or when you lend a friend money and they fail to pay it back. Or your neighbour’s trees start to encroach on your property. Or, or, or. As I said, it is a choice we have to make every day, lots of times. And it has to become a conscious choice to be effective.
Now, the problem is that no one is going to tell you exactly what constitutes an angel or a beast. Here you are going to have to set you own parameters. But that cannot be too difficult, can it? Are you part of the problem or the solution? You have to make this choice for yourself alone. It is your interpretation of what is an angel or a beast that counts.
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Romans 12.18
“I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.” ― Nelson Mandela
Your friend, Alastair Whyte