Steven Colborne's Blog, page 17

Blossom Where You’re Planted

In all honesty, I have been struggling with a desire to leave this ward. There are new challenges every day, though God is always abundant in mercy.

As I’ve been reading the Bible I have been reminded not only that we should take each day as it comes and not be anxious about the future, but also that God surely has plans for us wherever we find ourselves.

I have been experiencing some quite strange mental states, probably attributable to Satan, which are the main reason why I’ve felt eager to be discharged. But I must stay grounded and faithful until the disturbances pass and peace is restored.

May God bless this ward and all who are here, both staff and patients, and may the peace which surpasses all understanding characterise my time here, on both a personal level and a ward level.

Surely the forces of darkness will be brought into submission if Christ is honoured on this ward. May it be so. Amen.

Everyone Wants the Same Thing

Greetings, friends. Part of the human condition is that we are imperfect, and we suffer. No one enjoys suffering, though as Christians we understand suffering to be part of our calling.

When we experience earthly suffering we endure it with the hope that we will experience joy in eternity. We recognise that earthly suffering is fleeting, and that the joy of being with Jesus in eternity will far outweigh it.

Those who don’t have faith are also seeking joy. They may find it in wealth, in promiscuity, or in work, for example. So, in a sense, we are all seeking the same thing.

Another aspect of suffering is that we endure it to please God. We recognise that He has all power, and so we submit to His will, simply because He is all-powerful. God deserves our fear because He is sovereign over all events and we are merely as puppets in His hands.

Intending to suffer, purely for the sake of suffering, wouldn’t make any sense. We are all motivated be a desire for happiness, because it’s happiness that makes us feel complete and fulfilled.

The Christian Gospel is so wonderful because in it God has made a way for us to be joyful, not only through hope in the future but also in our present circumstances. We can receive the peace which surpasses all understanding that comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ.

We all want to be happy, but the greatest source of happiness on Earth in our time is to be found in the Christian faith, which gives us not only the hope of paradise but also peace and joy in our trials while we are on Earth.

Thanks be to God for this indescribable gift!

In Your Anger, Do Not Sin

Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. (Romans 12:19)

This afternoon I have been feeling angry. I see no reason why I have been kept in hospital for over two months. I miss the freedom of being in the community.

There are many frustrations associated with being on a psychiatric ward. For example, I asked around eight times today if I could take my leave without success, and they have been giving me the wrong medication. Worse still, the consultant is a total nightmare to communicate with.

The above scripture reminds me that I have to be patient. God sees everything and knows the thoughts of every heart. It is not my role to administer justice – God will take care of that. I just have to hang onto His promises and rest in the peace of Christ.

Thanks be to God. May He increase my humility, my patience, and my love of those who I feel have mistreated me. Amen.

So Wretched, So Blessed

Truly, our God is great. So mighty, so forgiving. Because He suffered for us, we can walk in hope and in freedom, and when we make mistakes (as we all do) we can come before the throne of grace and receive forgiveness, and the strength to persevere.

Glory to God and to our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ – His is the name above all names. Thanks be to God.

Resting in Your Calling

Sometimes we go through seasons of striving. We struggle to work out what is the will of God for our life, and how can we be obedient to our calling?

A simple prayer asking God to ground us in our calling goes a long way – in fact, this is all that is required of us. We need to have faith like Abraham, who believed God and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.

Life is full of ups and downs; highs and lows. So knowing our God-given purpose is essential if we are to truly flourish and blossom where we’re planted.

I ask you today: Have you asked God to reveal your calling and to make you steadfast in your pursuit of that calling?

God sometimes causes some people to doubt their calling. This is all part of the Grand Game that He is unfolding. But if we have repented and offered God our life to serve Him, we can be confident that He will never leave us nor forsake us.

Through the twists and turns of life, our Creator is an ever-present help, and a beacon guiding the way at all times. He is most gracious, forgiving, and merciful. Thanks be to God.

Praying ‘without ceasing’

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, the apostle Paul instructs Christians to ‘pray without ceasing’. How should we interpret this?

It’s obviously not a literal instruction, as it would be impossible for anyone to pray all day every day.

In Matthew 6, Jesus says the following:

“This, then is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

In light of the above, it seems to me that obeying Jesus and saying the Lord’s Prayer is certainly what we should do, and if we make this a daily practice, that would constitute ‘without ceasing’.

We may have prayer requests that arise throughout the day, and hopefully God doesn’t mind us taking these to Him. But by committing to saying the Lord’s Prayer every day, it would seem to me we are honouring the instructions of both Paul and Jesus.

What are your thoughts on Christian prayer? Feel free to leave a comment below.

When we sin

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

We are in the season of lent, a time when we remember Jesus fasting for forty days in the wilderness. We make a sacrifice, if God prompts us to do so, and hope that we will keep up our renunciation for a term matching that for which our saviour abstained from eating.

I decided to give up coffee for lent. I was going to give up vaping instead, but being on a hospital ward that would have been harder. It’s important that when we observe lent we remember that we are not competing with Jesus, we are only trying to imitate Him, in some small way.

We will inevitably slip up. We are sinners, whereas Jesus was sinless. But we can find comfort knowing that Jesus suffered for our redemption and justification, and that God will therefore not be angry with us when we make a mistake.

The Christian walk is a walk of freedom, we don’t sin on purpose but we don’t have to worry about condemnation when we do slip up. I stupidly took a sip of coffee today without giving it a second thought, such is my fallen sinful nature.

God will not forsake His saints, so we thank our heavenly Father for His faithfulness even when we do things that defy reason.

Peace, grace, and mercy from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

Ask, Seek, Knock

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.

Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:7-12

The Absolute Sovereignty of God

I am a Christian, and I do believe there is only one God and that He is sovereign over the unfolding of all events. Every created being is subject to Him, and He does whatever He pleases.

There can only be one eternal agent, and it’s debatable whether or not Jesus Christ should be understood to have an eternal nature. Was Jesus really fully God?

I do believe it’s possible for a created being to be ‘fully God’, if God chooses to incarnate in a particular being. So I believe Jesus is as the Bible declares Him to be. Can there only ever be one incarnate deity? That’s another question. God is infinitely wise and has existed throughout all ages, after all.

What intrigues me personally is that in the Bible it says Jesus will be seated at the right hand of the Father in the judgement. Does this mean God the Father will have a human form, or is this metaphorical or symbolic language?

Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Jesus is Lord

Friends, after a long season of questioning, I am fully embracing Biblical orthodox Christianity, and I sincerely apologise for any confusion I have caused.

Unfortunately, my mental health condition causes me to sometimes get lost and carried away in my thoughts – this always happens when I spend too much time alone.

I realise that there are different Christian denominations and Christian faith isn’t always straightforward, but a personal relationship with Jesus is the most important thing, and my hope is that my relationship with Jesus will endure until my dying day, and beyond.

Peace and good will to you all. Amen.