Knowing that it applies to all - a step on the journey

NORSK
... and this step will be the last in this reflection series. Easter week confirms that Jesus includes everyone.

Maybe some of the readers were a little bit puzzled when I yesterday wrote that we need the rich. It was not to exclude the poor or anybody else - rather, my intention was to include the rich as well. When I today read the resurrection message once again, it is the women who are entrusted with the marvelous mission to convey that Jesus is risen. The angel said to them:

“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
Matthew 28:6-7

I have never understood those who dare to challenge God's commissioning of women as messengers of the gospel’s most important confirmation that life has triumphed over death. Therefore, I have to be very clear when I address people in cultures where old gender roles affect women's rights to equal ministry with men inside the church.

But it is not just women and rich that are included in the Easter gospel. When Jesus came to Jerusalem, he went directly to the temple and I read that the children shouted in the sanctuary: “Hosanna to the Son of David.” The scribes were indignant and asked if Jesus heard what they were saying, and Jesus replied:

“Yes, but have you never read, ‘From the lips of children and infant you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?” (1)
Matt 21:15-16

The children were included, so were the sick, the robber, the roman soldiers who crucified Jesus, Mary and the disciples. All are included! 
However, it is my choice whether or not I want to be included.

‘Manna’ for today:

I am included in the new life. I have made a very good choice!

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(1) Psalm 8:2

Knowing that we need the rich - a step on the journey

NORSK
When the disciples asked Jesus, "Who then can be saved?" the question came after Jesus had explained how difficult it was for the rich to be saved (1). Jesus’ conclusion is that it is impossible for everyone, but that which is impossible with men is possible with God. 

The Easter Story makes it evident that God is able to touch the hearts of the rich people:

As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
Matthew 27:57-58

I believe God loves all irrespective of social status, and for assignments he needs people who are rich. With regard to the burial of Jesus, a rich man was just what he needed. One of the most known prophecies about the suffering and death of Jesus is found in Isaiah 53. Perhaps Isaiah had seen some strong visions? I do not know what he heard or saw, but he did notice that:

They intended to bury him with criminals, but he ended up in a rich man’s tomb
Isa 53:9a

Fortunately, God would have needed Josef on his team even if he had been the poorest of the poor, because then he would have been able to contribute with something else. However, in this situation it was “a rich man's tomb” he needed, and it so happened a man with a burning heart happen to have that. Everyone with a burning heart has something to contribute, and sometimes God needs something we never thought that he would ask for. 

In The Salvation Army, there are many who will not be counted among the rich on ‘goods and gold’, but they are infinitely rich on many other ‘values’. It is good that we can work together with those both in our movement and outside who are rich in assets who have a burning heart to share in order to build the kingdom of God. I thank God that also in our time of need, God has people from all social strata in his great herd of disciples, whose hearts burn for the fulfilment of the Great Commission.

What these disciples have in common is that God has touched their hearts with fire so that they do what he wants. Each and every one of us, are rich on something we can contribute with.

‘Manna’ for today:

Thank you Lord for including my contribution!

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(1) See "Who can be saved and how"

Knowing that there is someone who sees more than I do - a step on the journey

NORSK
It's Good Friday and we are in a way at the destination for the journey up to Jerusalem. Along the way there has been ongoing teaching with a content the disciples had difficulties understanding. However, there was at least one who understood what was going to happen in Jerusalem: The woman who anointed Jesus. The disciples did not understand her actions either, so Jesus had to explain:

“When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”
Matt 26:12-13

I am a disciple. I've lived with Jesus for many years. My knowledge and insight has grown, but at the same time the mystery has grown even bigger. I am not pretending to be humble when I say that people without the same knowledge and experience may have seen much more of the mystery of salvation in Christ than I do. Actually this truth is a part of the mystery, because such insight is something that can only be revealed with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The woman was preparing Jesus for the suffering he was about to enter into during Easter. Therefore, this anonymous woman is presented as an example when the gospel is preached. I think the disciples eventually understood it - otherwise it would not have become a part of the gospel. As I've written previously, it increases the credibility of the Bible that they admitted their mistakes. It's liberating to be allowed to confess our faults to God and fellow men - and it is exactly what happened at Calvary.

‘Manna for today:

I see enough of the mystery to grasp salvation!

Knowing that it is possible to ask him - a step on the journey

NORSK
The disciples showed that they had learned important lessons when they arrived in Jerusalem. They were keen to know what Jesus wanted and they were ready to serve him. The simple question confirms this assumption:

“Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
Mark 14:12

To ask for the Lord’s will is an important part of the everyday life of a disciple. Then it is also important to listen so that I serve in the way he wants me to serve. He was ready to give them very clear directives for that which was going to be his last meal, an event we remember today:

“Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.”
Mark 14:13-15

This is yet another delightful proof that the Lord is in full control. After a few very chaotic days it's a wonderful confirmation that I will take with me into this day. Blessed Easter!

‘Manna’ for today:

Lord, what do you want me to do for you? I am ready to serve!

Knowing who can be saved and how - a step on the journey

NORSK
I have discovered that there are many people who wish that they could say: ‘I am saved!’. It may even be that some of them have made several efforts to gain salvation. 

However, to gain salvation by achievement is just as impossible as threading a rope through the eye of a needle - or a camel through the same eye if you prefer to try that option (1). When Jesus taught his disciples in this way, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”- an entirely human and understandable reaction, and I think it was exactly what Jesus wanted in order to present his point:

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matt 19:25-26

The big challenge with salvation is that I cannot come to God with my private solution to salvation, but I have to commit myself totally to his salvation through Jesus. To confess that I am saved is therefore not "bragging" because of something I have done, but an expression of gratitude that I am included in what Jesus did when he came to Jerusalem to die on the cross. In spite of the fact that it is impossible for men to be saved, I know that whosoever will can be saved because God has made it possible. My contribution to my salvation is to accept the sacrifice he made, he made for me and then tell him and others that I have accepted this salvation.

‘Manna’ for today:

What Jesus did is enough!

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(1) In the original language, the words for rope and camel are almost identical - but it really does not matter which translation we choose since both options are impossible.

Knowing what 490 means – a step on the journey

Forgiveness is a difficult, but very important topic. In light of what was going to take place in Jerusalem, I am convinced that it was essential for Jesus to teach the disciples about forgiveness before all the evil happened. Again, it was Peter who gave him a golden opportunity to do so by asking the question: “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

“I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.”
Matthew 18:21-22

Actually, Jesus could have raised the number to 8 and laid it down so that it became the sign for 'infinite'. With regard to forgiveness, 490 are infinitely many times. If I manage to forgive many times forgiveness becomes a natural reaction, because I will soon enjoy the benefits.

When I've talked with people who are struggling with being able to forgive, the argument is often that the offender does not deserve to receive forgiveness. But it is primarily the one who forgives who deserves to be set free from the negative effects of hate and the destructive thoughts of revenge. I have experienced so much forgiveness in my life that I want others to experience the same. Forgiveness is a central part of the Lord's Prayer, and generosity is as previously mentioned, a strong part of the DNA of God.

It was important for the disciples to learn this before Easter so that they should not fall in the temptation to seek revenge for that which was going to happen to Jesus.

‘Manna’ for today:

I will forgive so that I can be free. 

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Knowing what agreement is - a step on the journey

NORSK
I have always argued that the agreement is not a prerequisite for unity. The reason is that unity endures disagreements, because unity is about something that is more and bigger than to be in agreement in a specific case. I know many Christian leaders with whom I experience a strong unity despite of the fact that we have different views in some matters of faith.

Nevertheless, there is an area where it is also important to be not only in unity but also in agreement. It is very clear in this teaching on the journey up to Jerusalem:

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Matthew 18:19-20

As a young Christian I often heard the adults speak about the importance of ‘praying things through’. Eventually, I understood a little more of what this means. Sometimes I can find that prayer is a real fight. In such cases it is good to know that there are some who agree that ‘I will fight this battle together with you until we have an answer’. As often is the case when I write my blogs, I feel the desire to write much more about the subject, but this is only a small step on the journey. I believe it is possible to have unity despite diversity in opinions, because that is also the prayer of Jesus:

I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.
John 17:22-23a

This unique unity will be strengthened through consensus in specific prayer subjects. I've experienced this many times, and when it happens, it confirms that Jesus is really with us.

Today 'manna':

Agreement in prayer brings results

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Knowing what the mission of Jesus was and is - a step on the journey

NORSK
A couple of weeks back I had the following manna: ‘To get to know the mission takes more than one step’, I did not think that I would write more about the mission in this relatively short 'Up to Jerusalem'-series.

However, today's verse is definitely one more step in the understanding of the mission:

For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost
Matt 18:11

"You and I, Jesus, always you and I!" was another manna not long ago. This includes complete identification with his mission. For soldiers in the Salvation Army this identity should be part of our DNA. We wear two ‘S’-insignias on our uniform to remind ourselves that we are “Saved to save”.

Sometimes this can be quite hard. In Eastern Europe we are frequently confronted with people whose purpose seem to make life difficult for us. Last Friday on a border crossing in the pass-port control they demanded that I should give up my car because the required travel document in the car (who is filled out by the secretary each month) lacked the letter ‘u’ in Hyundai. 

When I did not agree to giving up the car, I was threatened because I opposed authority. In such situations it is good to be able to be calm, give them time and pray a little, and once again it worked out in the end. Even among people who represent regimes and systems there will be people who are lost and who need to be loved back into the kingdom of God. Like a shepherd looking for a lost sheep that has gone astray, Jesus will be looking for souls who need him. That's why I'm here too.

‘Manna’ for today:

I share the mission of Jesus

Knowing that God's kingdom is different - a step on the journey

NORSK
The laws of God’s kingdom are completely different to the laws of this world. Take for example the world's growing demand for energy. To avoid destroying ourselves, the necessity to find renewable energy sources that do not influence the Earth’s ecosystem becomes increasingly urgent.

In the kingdom of God all energy sources are renewable, and if we use them they will produce new and constructive energy. Love gives energy, and the more I love – the more love is generated.

“Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” the disciples asked Jesus. I do not know what answer they were expecting, but I do not think anyone had foreseen what happened:

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
Matt 18:1-4

 'You Got to Be a Baby' was one of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar to accompany my own singing. The song came to Norway with the Jesus Revolution. Although the song was biblical, it was perceived as a protest against the established church-hierarchy, in the same way Jesus was perceived in his time. In combination with the 'One Way - button' on our jackets, we sang it both indoors during the ‘Gospel-nights’ and out on the street when we evangelised.

It was true 45 years ago, and praise God how effective it was! It is just as applicable today as it was when the disciples learned it on their journey up to Jerusalem 2000 years ago – a child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven. Therefore, a church without children will never be a real church.

‘Manna’ for today:

God, help me to keep the confidence and enthusiasm of a child!

Knowing that we are together - a step on the journey

I have kept my word and remained in the “sweet little story about Cod Cap” for a few days. The simple reason is that the story has several aspects that deserve to be reflected on separately. Peter got clear instruction what he should do with the silver coin he found in the mouth of the fish's mouth:

“Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”  

Matt 17:27b 

That Jesus did not only ask Peter to something for him, but included Peter ‘in the deal’, must have been like sweet music in the ears of Peter. It was not so long since he had heard Jesus say, "Get behind me Satan" after Peter had said something with the very best intentions. Now he was asked to do something for Jesus that concerned them both.

The journey is all about an intimate relationship. What concerns Jesus, concerns me, and what concerns me, concerns Jesus. We work together, not separately.

 A fine line goes from these small events up to the 'Great Commission', which concludes the Gospel of Matthew. Perhaps it even captures the author's understanding of what the Gospel is all about?

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”    

Matt 28:20b

‘Manna’ for today:

You and I, Jesus, always you and I!

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Knowing what magnanimity is - a step on the journey

NORSK
In Norwegian we have a very nice word describing generosity taken a step further. I have tried to find it in the other Scandinavian languages, but struggle to find an equivalent. To be magnanimous, is as close I get in English. It covers to do generous act which is not expected and which I do not have to do. I choose to do it motivated be a desire to please or help others. Peter learned this lesson on the journey up to Jerusalem. Tax-collectors came from the temple about asked Peter if his ‘Master’ paid tax to the temple. Peter confirmed that Jesus did, and Matthew continues in this way:

When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?” “From others,” Peter answered. “Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him.
Matt 17:25-26

The conclusion is that both Jesus and the disciples (his children) are exempt from paying. Nevertheless, Jesus wanted to pay the temple tax with the following justification “…so that we may not cause offense.” v 27a (1).

The attitude of magnanimity and generosity to please rather than to offend others, is a virtue that have been held in high esteem among the Christians down through the centuries. And I agree with them who consider it to be part of God's DNA. 
In his letter to the Romans, Paul used two full chapters on this challenge (2).

I'll pick a verse from these writings to describe this magnanimity, and use it as my

‘Manna’ for today:

“Love does no harm to a neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of the law.” (3)

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(1) See yesterday's reflection
(2) Rom 13 About Submission to Governing Authorities and Rom 14 About the weak and the strong
(3) Rom 13:10

Knowing that God has full control - a step on the journey

NORSK
Today’s reflection is a biblical example of finding “hidden treasures, and riches stored in secret places” (1) which I quoted yesterday.

The event took place just after the disciples had been filled with grief because Jesus again had told that “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised to life.” (2)

After a conversation about paying tax to the Temple, Jesus gave Peter the following assignment:

“But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”
Matt 17:27

I love this story, and I am thrilled when I get the opportunity to tell children and adults about the prying little fish called Cod Cap who wanted to taste everything he saw. One day, Cod Cap discovered a treasure chest on the seabed. It was filled with something that shone bright and enticing. Do you think he wanted to taste it? Of course he did. But the shiny coin fastened in Cod Cap’s mouth, and God observed it ... and because he is God, he used it for something constructive that even ended up in the Bible.

"Simplified theology and bad rhyme, but true nonetheless!" was the title of a song by the Norwegian evangelist Kåre Skuland whom I have been fortunate to work together with a couple of times. It does not have to be complicated to be true. God has a full overview. He even knows when a fish is swimming around with a coin in his mouth. This is good to remember as I travel up to Jerusalem.

‘Manna’ for today:

God has full control and he knows what I need

PS - I will remain in this story for a few days.
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(1) Isaiah 45:3
(2) Matt 17:22-23

Knowing what fasting is - a step on the journey

NORSK
Three weeks back I mentioned ‘fasting’ and wrote that I would return to the subject later in the Lent period. Today, there is a little glimpse of fasting because it is part of Jesus' explanation why the disciples were powerless.

“However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”
Matt 17:21

Fasting is normally associated with abstinence from food, but the concept of fasting can be extended to a conscious determination to give up a benefit in order to say that I am in charge in my "own house" and therefore free to hand over the control to the Holy Spirit. Fasting involves a cost, and therefore it remains a strong signal that what I want to achieve, is important to me.

For me, the act of fasting is not a target in itself. If the act becomes the sole aim, it is the kind of fasting that God does not want. The goal of fasting must be that it makes me better able to be led by the Holy Spirit to do God’s will, and in that way give him the kind of fasting in which he delights (1).

Blogging has also become a kind of fasting for me. I renounce the time I could have used for other purposes with the goal to try go deeper into the mystery of the spiritual reality that Jesus once opened the door to.

Fasting is therefore closely linked to the journey of discovery (the ‘seek-aspect’ of prayer), which I mentioned yesterday. It helps me to discover new aspects of myself and opens the senses for the spiritual so that I can find treasures otherwise hidden:

I will give you hidden treasures,
riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the Lord,
the God of Israel, who summons you by name.
Isaiah 45:3

Today 'manna':

Fasting means that I am serious about God’s mission

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(1) Isa 58:6-12

Knowing what prayer is - a step on the journey

NORSK
It may be that some will think ‘Doesn’t everyone know what prayer is’? 

If you would ask if I know what prayer is, my answer is: ‘Yes, I know a little bit’. This is because the subject of prayer is boundless, and I have so much to learn about prayer and contemplation through living close to Jesus, and I also learn from other believers from the whole spectre of denominations.

Jesus touched many important topics when he taught his disciples as they walked up to Jerusalem, and I have constantly repeated that it does not take only one, but many steps to get to grips with each subject. It's definitely so when it comes to prayer. For me this journey has been long and it is not finished yet.

“…this kind does not go out except by prayer…”
Matt 17:21

Jesus gave this as part of the reason why the disciples ‘could not drive out’ a demon. Earlier in their ministry the disciples had been with Jesus while he was praying. Afterwards one of the disciples said: “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (1)

Jesus answered by teaching them the Lord's Prayer, and continued:

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Luke 11: 9-10 (2)

Bible-readers will be familiar with these verses, but many think that they are three expressions of the same matter - a so-called 'pleonasm'. I think this presumption is a fallacy. Already in the first teaching about prayer, Jesus gave a clear message that prayer is so much more than 'just' asking, which very often will be what we limit our prayers to. However, prayer is also about

Seeking

I really dislike to seek for things I cannot find, but I love to discover new things. Therefore, it becomes much more interesting to think that: Prayer is to be on a journey of discovery, and on this journey I will all the time find discover new things that are important for my development. Moreover, prayer is about

Knocking

Jesus was very concerned about perseverance - also in prayer. The parable of the persistent widow is a typical example (3). I have often used the image of “Knock and run!” a game we sometimes played as children. We knocked on an unknown neighbour’s door, ran and hid.
Prayer is knocking on the door and remain by the door until it opens. In many ways, knocking takes place on both sides of the door (4). It is also part of praying that the Lord will enter me. Fortunately, he too is persistent!

‘Manna’ for today:

I have always more to learn about prayer

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(1) Luke 11:1
(2) Matt 7:7-8
(3) Luke 18:1-8
(4) Rev 3:20

Knowing what faith is - a step on the journey

NORSK
“Why couldn’t we …?” the disciples asked Jesus, and the question triggered several reflections. 

I shared the first one yesterday, and today I continue with the immediate response Jesus gave:

“Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matt 17:20

A week ago, a young mother brought to me her son and asked us to pray for him. He has microcephaly (Zika virus disease) and the disease was visible on the gorgeous little boy. I know that I can do nothing, but I also know that God can. The mother showed her faith by bringing the boy to be interceded for, Magna and I used our faith in praying. I believe Jesus was in the room and that he was very close to us. 

I wish that I could tell "and then the miracle happened!". But there was nothing to indicate that something happened there and then apart from the fact that we shared the pain. I continue to pray and I have shed many tears for the boy and his mother. I admit the feeling of emptiness caused by the feeling of shortcoming, because I have many times seen God intervene with healing. Yet I have also many times seen how he has joined in the suffering. There are no simple explanations or answers to the problem of suffering; However, with regard to the subject of faith I think the explanation is simple:

Faith is not an achievement, it is a response of love. Faith is taking God into the world so that people who suffer can meet his boundless love. “Why couldn’t we …?” the disciples asked. "For you have so little faith," Jesus replied. Maybe Jesus called it little faith because it was not a response of love to a situation of suffering, but solely a technical response: 'we’ll fix this, let's do a miracle!'?

I do not know, but again I am reminded about Paul’s statement: if I do not have love, I am nothing. The Jesus-quote from yesterday, “apart from me you can do nothing” supports the perspective if I switch ‘me’ with ‘love’. Since the Bible confirms that ‘God is love’, I would say that the switch is legitimate.

‘Manna’ for today:

“apart from love you can do nothing”

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Knowing what I cannot do - a step on the journey

NORSK
I'm not afraid to say that there are a few things that I can do really well, followed by a few more things I can do reasonably OK, and then there are some things I can just manage if I have to. Then comes a big bag of things I cannot do, but maybe I can learn to do them, and finally the things I certainly cannot do, nor can I learn to do them.

To the latter category, there is a lot of things that I cannot learn simply because life is too short, but there are also some things that actually cannot be learned.

I'm still on the pilgrimage together with the disciples on the journey to Jerusalem, and they had to learn a lesson on what they could:

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we …?”
Matt 17:19

The reason behind the question was that a man had approached the other disciples with his boy who needed healing while Jesus was on the mountain together with Peter, James and John. Jesus responded with an explanation which I believe was aimed for the future, and I will come back to it later. Today I would like to think that “they could when Jesus was with them”.

The focus of their question was in fact wrong: “Why couldn’t we?” They simply could not do it because it was not about them. On another occasion, Jesus told what it was all about. That was when he told his disciples that he is the vine and they are the branches, and concluded in this way:

apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5b

I suspect that the disciples thought they could do it without him, because they had done it before (1). I have fallen into the same ditch several times myself. I 'can do it' so well that I do it as a routine. But, I cannot give the life that only He can give.

The advices Jesus gave to his disciples are about how I can avoid falling into the ditch again. More about that subject tomorrow.

‘Manna’ for today:

I know what I cannot do and that makes me dependent on him who can.

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(1) Matt 10:5-8

Knowing when it is time to tell - a step on the journey

NORSK
Two years ago we got the call notifying us that we were appointed to Eastern Europe. However, the ‘appointment’ was a secret until it was officially announced five days later; - which happened to be 1 April, and therefore, many people thought it was somebody playing ‘April-fool’. Still, it was good to be free to talk about the news to others than our closest family.

On the way up to Jerusalem, Jesus took a detour together with Peter, James and John up on a high mountain. There Jesus was transfigured in front of them. The strange vision also included Moses and Elijah; it was so special that Peter wanted to build three huts for them. Although I love doing carpentry I am puzzled by Peter’s crazy proposal; perhaps he thought that it was the only thing he could contribute with. Fortunately, he was interrupted by the voice of God speaking from a bright cloud, confirming that Jesus was his son.

Peter, James and John had been witnesses to a powerful revelation. But they had to return to reality, and reality is where the people are:

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matt 17:9

There is no point in telling about visions and spiritual experiences if it is not confirmed by the new life in Jesus Christ. I'll never forget a conversation I had when I 44 years ago was evangelising on the streets of Tromsø (Northern Norway). “I do not believe in what you say because 'you' say it” the young man whom I had approached replied, “but I believe it's true because I see what has happened with Gøril!" Gøril had experienced radical salvation in a meeting in the basement of the Salvation Army some months prior to my encounter with the young man. As a new creation in Christ, Gøril was a testimony of the new life to her old friends.

When I know that the new life lives in me and around me, I can boldly tell about what has happened, and people will believe it because the new life makes the words trustworthy.
 
Today 'manna':

I want to tell about the new life

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(1) Evangelising in the streets of Tromsø 1 May 1974 - yes, it is I who face the camera, and yes, the 'slumsister' gave me clothes that no-one else would wear - 'squares' were 'out' in 1974 - who cares (?) - and yes - I was able to tell about the new life through the loudspeaker I carry - and yes - I was alive in Christ and so were the people around me - many of them new Christians.

Knowing the value of my soul - a step on the journey

NORSK

If my soul is worth more than the whole world, the same value must also apply to every individual soul. It means that the soul is irreplaceable, and Jesus put it all in perspective:

What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?    

Matt 16:26

I do not know if the Norwegian artist Ole Paus was thinking about this verse when he several years ago said: ‘We have it all, but that's all we have’. Anyway it belongs in under the same label, and at least two prime-ministers have used the quote in their sermons to the nation. The theme is familiar and it appears frequently in old evangelical songs, like “I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold; I'd rather be His than have riches untold”

Jesus himself had to resist the temptation (1), and preserved his soul through worshiping and serving the Lord God. Materialism has a huge influence on us humans, and unfortunately a Christian confession does not always include the virtue of "godliness with contentment". When Paul wrote on this subject to Timothy, he warned even against those who 'believe godliness is a means of gain' (2).

With all my heart I want to quote:

'Manna' for today

 My soul is not for sale!

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(1) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

Matthew 4:8-9

(2) see the reflection: “…and along comes the money issue”

Knowing what to ‘lose my life’ means - a step on the journey

NORSK
On the journey to Jerusalem Jesus is intensifying the teaching of the twelve disciples. He gives them glimpses of deep spiritual truth, but they fail to understand (1):

For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
Matt 16:25

For me this is one of the key-verses in the Bible with regard to finding rest in the mystery of what the life in Christ really is.

The Greek word translated 'life' in this verse, is the word 'psyche', which can also be translated 'soul' - and some translations choose the variant or introduce it in the next verse (2). I do not think Jesus primarily made reference to the 'physical life'. Therefore, I prefer 'soul', for the soul is the seat of my understanding, my emotions and my personality – including my will. I do not think I am much different from other people. I want to understand, I want to feel, I want to have control over who I am. It is a basic human need to want to save his life. 

According to Maslow's pyramid of needs (see illustration), safety is what I seek as soon as my physiological needs are covered. The feeling of having control makes me safe and belongs to our most basic needs. To hand over control to God, is really to lose my life, fortunately to be able to find it again as a new creation in Christ. When I handed over the control to God, this also included surrendering my claim to understand or feel everything that happens, and I entrusted to him the transformation of my personality and my will.

This is not 'one' step, but 'a' step, because it is a step I have to take every day until I reach his destination for my journey.

‘Manna’ for today:

I am so happy that I lost my 'life' and found a new life in Him

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(1) The understanding was revealed to them by the Spirit after Pentecost
(2) Matt 16:26

Knowing what discipleship means - a step on the journey

NORSK
Two days back I wrote that Jesus gave his disciples a threefold calling:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matt 16:24

I have already reflected on self-denial and cross-bearing. Today's topic is about discipleship = following Jesus. Diedrich Bonhoeffer is a theologian who really challenges me. I return to his book: “The Cost of Discipleship” (1) again and again. Bonhoeffer focused on the fact that discipleship comes with a cost: God’s grace must result in following Jesus. Therefore, he warned strongly against ‘cheap grace’.

I agree with those who claim that we for a long time made it hard for people to enter a church and easy to be a disciple. Today I think that it has become easier to be accepted into many church-communities. The challenge is if we are offering discipleship with a discount. Again it is time to reflect on yet another Bonhoeffer-quote: "Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life" (1).

When I became a soldier in the Salvation Army (1970), it was a tradition that the new soldiers sang a dedication along with the other soldiers in the meeting:

I will follow Thee, my Saviour,
Thou hast shed Thy blood for me;
And though all the world forsake Thee
By Thy grace I’ll follow Thee!

‘Manna’ for today:

By Thy grace I’ll follow Thee!

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(1)

  Bonhoeffer's book: "Nachfolge" (in German) literally translates "After-following". This works very well in Norwegian  translation "Etterfølgelse", while it does not work in English. The English title of his famous book is: "The Cost of Discipleship".