DAILY BIBLE NOTES - THE CHRISTIAN's HOROSCOPE

 by adam harbinson

There was an old man I used to know who was a farmer. He was born in County Fermanagh, where he lived and worked and died. My father and I were with him one day when his wife sent one of the farm hands to tell him that there was trouble at the farm; ‘Come home immediately!’

It didn’t suit the man to drop everything and run, so he told the farm hand, ‘You get back to Mary and tell her to sort it out herself. And if she’s not sure what to do, tell her to find her Daily Bible Notes. The answer will be there.’

But Mrs Farmer lady had given her Daily Bible Notes away, and there was pandemonium with phone calls to friends and relatives all over the County to find someone, anyone who had a copy of the book.    

Now that’s not unusual, for you know as well as I do that Word for Today or Every Day With Jesus is looked upon by many as the Christian’s Horoscope, but it’s appalling. Why are so many of us prepared to be second-hand people; God speaks to Selwyn Hughes or Bob Gass or whoever, and the ‘Great Man’ speaks God’s wisdom to me. What’s the problem? Do I think God doesn’t want to talk to me? Am I afraid he might in case he asks me to do something I don’t want to do – how absurd is that? And why do I need a mediator anyway? Didn’t God say, ‘… there is only one mediator between you and me, the man Christ Jesus.’?

My view, for what it’s worth, is that many people who call themselves mature Christians have such a superficial relationship with Jesus, whom they claim to worship, follow even, that they haven’t a clue how he would have them deal with, or respond to situations that require a little thought.

It seems to me that many of us have a relationship with him that resembles the early political talks at Stormont. Loyalists in one room, Republicans in the other with government officials running between them with little messages scribbled on scraps of paper.

Obviously God can, and sometimes does speak through the Pastor, sure he even spoke through a donkey once! But I don’t think God is content with that. You are loved by him as much as anyone is. Cut out the middle man.