Dr Margaret's Treasure Chest

One of my bible study groups is currently walking the Romans' road. Last week, we focused on chapter 13, and Judi walked in with a brilliant smile on her face. "I have a health tip for you!" she announced. "Do you want to hear it right now or wait until we have read the chapter?" The consensus was that we read the chapter, but no one could find Juli's health tip! Can you?   Paul wrote, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves...Therefore, you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake." (Romans 13:1-5)    There it was, our health tip. Of course! You have probably heard about the mind-body connection, i.e. how much our mind influences bodily activities (I might write a bit more on...

H ave you ever thought about the meaning of the word 'blessed'? Eph 1:3 (NKJV) reads: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." People use this word so easily. "Bless you," they say, or "Blessings," at the end of a letter. I assume they understand blessed in the sense of being made happy , being enriched , or having something good bestowed upon you. This interpretation may fit when God blesses people, or when people are blessed in the sense of being happy, b ut how does it apply to God? How can we bless Him? I have often wondered about passages where people bless God, but the answer is actually quite simple: the predominant meaning of bless is to speak well of someone, i.e. to praise. It is the same word we transliterate as eulogy. Hence, Eph 1:3 would better read, "Praise (laudation) be to t he God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wh...

  I n Christ... Have you ever considered the real meaning of being in Christ ? The first chapter of Paul's letter to the Ephesians encourages us to understand the riches we have been given if we belong to the Son of God. Read it and count the number of times you find the words in Christ and similar; you will be utterly amazed. My Bible is highlighted and marked on almost every page from years of study, but despite my other markings in this particular chapter, the red highlights of in Him etc. still stick out like a beacon of light. Some people think that writing in a Bible is akin to desecrating it, but I don't believe that. God wants us to know His Word, understand it, remember it, use it and work with it. And being a visual person, I can't do that unless I mark it and write notes in it of things that I found and want to remember (unfortunately, I don't have the memory of an elephant). No matter how you may treat your Bible, I would encourage you to take note of the...

Life in Christ and Black Forest Cake, what do they have in common? Both are rich and wonderful beyond measure :-) Yesterday, a big red book came to light from the depth of our 'old book box'. I almost threw it out because it looked like a ledger without a title. But on its pages I discovered a mixture of old German recipes (some of my totally forgotten favourites from childhood) and bible study notes from long ago. I was glad for both and will share one of each with you today. LIFE IN CHRIST - Colossians 2:6-15 Scripture: As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complet...

What do people see when they look at me? Who do I reflect? Do I draw people to myself, or do I draw them to God? Dr Harry Ironside used to tell a story about a man who lived in a small country town in England. One day, he went to London, where he would need to stay for several days. He was glad to be there on a Sunday because that gave him opportunity to hear some of the great preachers of that day. He wrote home to his wife, and he said: “Last Sunday morning I went to hear Dr Jones, and in the evening I went to the Metropolitan Tabernacle to hear Charles Spurgeon. I was greatly impressed by both of them. Dr Jones is certainly a great preacher, but Mr Spurgeon has a great Saviour.” That was an astute observation and led me to thinking… Who are people impressed with when they have been with me? Are they impressed with me, or are they impressed with my Jesus? How authentic is my life? How much impact for God does it have on the world around me? These are sobering questions b...

Today's texts are Luke 7:47, Proverbs 10:12 and 1 Corinthians ch. 13. Sorry I've been away for so long. Busy, busy, busy, which isn't good. I keep thinking about Mary's sister Martha, who chose not to sit at the Lord's feet because of her many (though very necessary) chores. And so I've been thinking. My waiting room wall displays a pictorial chart of 1 Corinthians ch. 13. It shows Noah building his ark, followed by different animals acting out love's manifold character in various scenarios. A brilliant object lesson, and many people comment on it. But what about the motivators for this love and its connection to understanding? Consider the following statements and keep chewing the cud... Love without understanding is blind. Understanding without love is legalistic. The right kind of understanding generates the right kind of love. Jesus once said, "To whom little is forgiven, the same loves little." (Luke 7:47) "Hate stirs up ...

Sweetness - what feelings and images does that word evoke? For me, it brings to mind something pleasant, something pure and innocent, something true and reliable, something with round edges rather than sharp ones. Last week I had much occasion to dwell on this word. You see, I met two ladies at our new church who symbolise the word 'sweet'. I have only spoken with them a couple of times so far, but each time they left me with a fragrance of sweetness. And no, it wasn't their perfume; it was their gentleness, their sincerity, their kindness yet directness, and their general behaviour toward others. Then, when I encountered some very frustrating difficulties during this past week, my mind kept drifting to Jill and Emily. I kept asking God, "Please make me sweet!" My intellect can easily exert itself and go into battle, but I realised that I needed to reflect Christ's Spirit - I needed to be 'sweet'. The result, of course, was very positive. Th...

Throughout history, the involvement of conscience in the affairs of mankind has been enormous. Many men and women suffered for what they considered to be right rather than taking the easy way out. They fought for justice and sought to help the oppressed. They spoke out against what they considered to be wrong and influenced the laws of their land. Some even gave their lives. And then there is each one of us. Don’t we expect our brothers and sisters in Christ to have a conscience when dealing with one another? After all, we are supposed to have the mind of Christ. Just imagine what the world would be like if people did not have a conscience! But then, what exactly is that conscience? Do all people have it, or only some? Is it a part of us from birth (nature), or is it acquired through our upbringing (nurture)? Why do some people have extremely sensitive consciences while others seem to have no conscience at all? These are interesting questions. Allport, for example, wrote of...