Anita Mathias: Dreaming Beneath the Spires

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The Silver Coin in the Mouth of a Fish. Never Underestimate God!

By Anita Mathias

Mosaic in a Roman Villa in Pompeii

I’ve recorded a podcast meditation on Matthew 17: 24-27  below (and would love you to listen 🙂

So the taxman comes for Peter: Does Jesus pay the voluntary,

but expected tax for the upkeep of the grand temple and its

priests (like today’s tithe)? And, as he often does, Jesus asks

Peter what he thinks because, as a friend, he’s interested, and

as a brilliant teacher, he wants Peter to think for himself.

 

Sons do not pay tax to their fathers, they both agree. Then, Christ,

who repeatedly referred to his powerful body as God’s temple on

earth, decides to pay temple tax anyway to avoid a skandalon, offence.

 

Christ was unafraid of offending the legalistic Pharisees; he healed

on the Sabbath; he allowed his disciples to pick grain on the Sabbath;

he overturned the tables of profiteering temple moneychangers: brave

stands against legalism, greed, and hardheartedness. However, since

his blazing eyes, which see into our eyes, hearts and souls, saw silver

in a fish, to refuse to pay tax would distract from his message. And,

if we, his followers, must sometimes offend our friends, church, or

community, let’s ensure it’s on spirit-guided, God-directed issues.

 

And Jesus instructs Peter to cast a line and a hook–as amateur

fishermen did–insulting for a professional with boats and nets.

And Christ again demonstrates that he knows best even in Peter’s

one area of professional expertise. And Christ knows best in our

areas of giftedness. His call often involves working just outside

our zone of competence, forcing us to function with the magic of

God’s spirit and energy. The grain of pride must die for resurrection.

 

And Peter finds silver in a fish. When you lack the money to fulfil

the dream God has placed in your heart, do not rule out His

wonder-working power. Pray for God’s miraculous provision, or

for Christ’s surprising strategies to create wealth, rather than work

yourself to a breakdown, or manipulate or use others to get money.

 

Will God tell us, on request, which fish in the multitudinous seas

has swallowed silver? He sometimes might, for he hates waste. But

not always. Tim Keller writes, “People think if God has called

you to something, he’s promising you success. But He might be

calling you to fail to prepare you for something else through the failure.

 

To work all night and catch nothing, as Peter did, strengthens our

character and endurance so that we are capable of becoming fishers of

humans, and, if God pleases, sometimes, perhaps even fishers of money.

 

Filed Under: random Tagged With: blog through the Bible project, fishers of men, fishers of money, Matthew, Pharisees, scandal, skandalon, tax, The Apostle Peter, Tim Keller, tithing

Following Jesus Is Costly and the Very Best Thing We Can Do

By Anita Mathias

 

Stations of the Cross mosaic

 
(I have read this meditation on the podcast above. I hope you enjoy it. Feedback welcome!)

 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” Matthew 16:24-25

Jesus is blazingly honest about the cost of following him. It’s our

most brilliant, golden choice, though it does mean we can no

longer follow ourselves, and our self-indulgent or prideful desires. We

dance instead to his other-worldly, life-changing music, asking at each

transition point of our day or life, “Jesus, what is your assignment?

How do I do it your way?” And we accept the sacrifices necessary to

beautifully live the particular life God has given us, with its responsibilities.

and boredoms, to develop our unique gifts, and to fulfil our unique calling.

 

For me (descriptive, not prescriptive), shouldering my cross includes

eliminating sugar and starchy carbs (to lose excess weight!), not

watching TV (extreme!), endeavouring to keep my house and garden

organised and pretty enough, and using internet blockers to limit time

spent on social media or news sites. And, also, taming my anger and

outspokenness! And refusing to sing a song of worry, or linger in anger,

training myself to sing instead a song of trust, praise, and gratitude.

 

While following Jesus is meaningful, electric, and joyful, following

ourselves could entail ruining our health with addictive foods, caffeine,

overwork, or the siren-call of our phones. Following Jesus does not

mean relinquishing our goals and ambitions, but surrendering them

to Him. We do not own our work; God does. And so, we must repent

when we overwork, get too intense about success, or try to impress

others with it. For competitive cravings for success, fame, money,

or popularity wreck relationships, and mental, spiritual, and physical

health, and never satisfy, for the ladder of success has no end, and

climbing it means exhausting ourselves for nothing. We’re still restless.

You have made us for yourself, Oh Lord, and our hearts are restless

until they find their rest in you, St. Augustine wrote. If we do not try

to obey the Great Commandment: to love God, and Christ’s second

commandment:  to love our neighbour as ourselves, we could, one day,

open the treasure box of our lives and find only ashes. Nothing!

 

C.S. Lewis writes, “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favorite wishes every day, submit with ever fiber of your being. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”  

Following Jesus means discipline, and staggering rewards.

The restlessness-quenching streams of the living water

of the Spirit flowing from us. And Christ himself, living bread,

to help us feel alive inside, not dead.  Besides, He occasionally

guides us to the one fish with a silver coin in its mouth,

or shoals of 153 fish when we’ve laboured fruitlessly for decades.

And, sometimes, he converts our water to wine, and multiplies

our efforts a thousand-fold, giving us, in his phrase,

all the things non-believers run after. Jesus, following you

is so worth it. Spirit, help us to do so. Amen.

 

If you’d like to listen my previous recorded meditations, they are here.

They are also availabe at  Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts,  Amazon Music or Audible.  Please subscribe to read them the moment they appear, and I would be very  grateful for reviews and ratings!!

And, of course, I would love you to read my memoir, Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India in the UK, and in the US, here, well, and widely available, online, worldwide 🙂 Or my book of essays, Wandering Between Two Worlds, UK or US,  or my children’s book Francesco, Artist of Florence in the UK, or the US.

Filed Under: random Tagged With: Absolute Surrender, blog through the Bible project, C. S. Lewis, Gospel, Great Commandment, Matthew, rewards of following Christ, Saint Augustine, self-discipline, singing a new song, The Cross

Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to “YES!”

By Anita Mathias

From Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

(The transcript to the recorded podcast meditation is below, here).

Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to YES!

Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to YES!

So, a Gentile Syro-Phoenician woman comes to Jesus, crying out,

“Lord, have mercy on me. My daughter is suffering terribly.” But

Jesus remains silent. Undeterred, the woman keeps crying out.

 

And Jesus snubs her: “I was sent only to the lost

sheep of Israel.” But she can’t believe “No” could be

his final word. “Lord, help me,” she says simply. And

then, a crushing rebuff. “It is not right to take

the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” But hitting

rock bottom makes your prayers strangely powerful. “Yes,

it is right, Lord,” she contradicts him, “Even  dogs eat crumbs

that fall.” Dogs, never entitled, hungry, humble, grateful, happy.

 

And Jesus praises her dogged faith in his goodness and

power. Her faith catalyses the miracle she longs for. He

says, “Woman, you have great faith. Your request is granted.”

 

Never passively accept any apparently intractable situations.

Reality is infinitely malleable in the hands of God. We pray,

and people change, circumstances change. We change. So

keep praying until little drops of the kindness of God

soften and change the impossible situation and your heart.

 

So take your little mustard seed of mountain-moving faith in the

goodness of God, and pray, seeing the kind Jesus in your mind’s eye.

Continue praying, past God’s silence, his “No,” and “Absolutely Not,”

until Christ, charmed, says, “Yes. It’s time! Go, girl, go. This way.”

 

Dream big and wide like childless Abraham stepping outside,

dazzled by an immensity of stars, and believing God’s power

could give him as many descendants. But don’t waste your

passion and dream-energy. Pray for things that will bring you

joy, yes, but will also bless myriad others, creating something,

in Milton’s phrase, that the world will not willingly let die.

 

Each of Jesus’s prayers were not answered affirmatively; neither

will each of our requests be granted. We are not wise enough

to know what best to pray for. But prayer, incredibly, does change

things. So keep praying for the shimmering dream which makes

your heart burn and quiver; pray past apparent impossibility until

the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and you live and work

and create with God’s spirit energising and filling you. Amen.

(Matthew 15: 21-28)

 

If you’d like to read my previous recorded meditations, they are here.

If you’d like to follow these meditations the moment they appear, please subscribe to Christian Meditation with Anita Mathias at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Google Podcasts,

Amazon Music or Audible. And I would be very  grateful for reviews and ratings!!

And, of course, I would love you to read my memoir, fruit of much “blood, sweat, toil and tears.”

Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India in the UK, and in the US, here, well, and widely available, online, worldwide 🙂

 

Filed Under: random Tagged With: abraham, arguing with Jesus, blog through the Bible project, Dogs, Faith, Matthew, Prayer, Syrophoenician woman

Grab Christ’s Hand When You Are Sinking

By Anita Mathias

Hi friends, I’ve recorded a podcast meditation, which I hope you’ll enjoy. Feedback welcome 🙂

Sometimes, the little boat of your life is tossed in

the darkness, in a storm-swept lake, far from shore,

It’s buffeted by waves, with the wind against it. And a dark

figure looms, walking on water, and you cannot see his face,

and you do not know his name, and you are terrified.

 

And in the encircling gloom, Christ always speaks the same

magnificent words, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”

 

He comes to us in the darkness, a future that looks bleak,

with unsolvable relational difficulties or financial difficulties, or

when intellect, energy, and organisation feel puny, matched with

our dreams and calling. But it is Christ. Do not be afraid.

 

And Peter, the risk-taker, from an overabundance of love and

impulsivity, says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on

the water.” And Jesus speaks another of his great words, “Come.”

 

Jesus, the merciful, did not ask Peter to do something that

transcended the humanly possible and Peter’s faith, but

since Peter wanted to get to Jesus as quickly as possible, and to

do whatever Jesus did, he gives him permission to walk on water.

 

We sometimes yearn to do things for which we know we don’t

have the money, time, abundant gifting, or even the character.

Never begin them before you’ve prayed, “Lord, tell me to do it.”

If he says, “Come,” start tackling the impossibility, immediately.

 

And Peter walks on water, until he sees the almost visible wind,

is afraid, and begins to sink. Fear paralyses, sinks, and destroys.

 

And Peter prays a powerful prayer, “Lord, save me.” And

immediately, Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him,

scolding, “Oligopistos. You of little faith. Why did you doubt?”

 

And the wind dies down, and Peter learns to keep his eyes

on Jesus and his power when he attempts the impossible,

and to cry out for Jesus’s help when he begins to sink.

 

Help us, Jesus, you who control the wind and waves,

and all things, when we are sinking in the darkness,

and all seems impossible. Tell the wind to be quiet.

Take my hand, precious Lord. Lead me on. Let me stand. Amen.

Filed Under: random Tagged With: blog through the Bible project, Faith, Gospel of Matthew, Matthew, Peter, Trust, walking on water

How to Find Life-Changing Hidden Treasure

By Anita Mathias

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy, went and sold all he had and bought that field. Matthew 13:44

 

The Kingdom of God is within you, Jesus says, as

he suggests that making him the King of all our minutes

and activities is treasure worth trading everything for. It’s like

being in constant radio contact with Jesus, placing yourself

in the torrent of his love and wisdom and the power of his Spirit.

It’s promised deep peace, even amid direness, because we know

God’s power and goodness. It’s the Holy Spirit teaching us all

things, guiding our work and financial affairs, guidance that’s

brilliant, timesaving, and (a fringe benefit!) often economically beneficial.

 

Trading everything to follow Jesus, who said he’d live in us, as

a vine floods its branches, will, like literally selling everything

we own, take time. It happens inch by inch until the Spirit and Jesus

and his power and glory gradually invade every square inch of our lives.

 

And, progressively, everything will shift–the way we work, our

family relationships, friendships,  what we read and watch,

the time we spend on exercise, diets, and food preparation,

on maintaining our homes and gardens, on prayer and scripture reading,

on church activities and volunteering, on social media and the news.

Some of us will spend less time on these things; others will spend more,

for we are each created with a unique shape and purpose and calling.

 

And what am I trading to live more in Jesus’s Kingdom? Well, Rick Warren,

of The Purpose-Driven Life, suggests that those who want to change

anything should begin by changing their bodies. So I am walking and

running while praying and listening to Scripture, gradually increasing mileage

so I don’t regain the 82 pounds I had lost. And I’m prioritising

decluttering and bringing order and beauty to my home and garden

while getting my goal steps and burning my goal calories.

 

It’s costly to follow Jesus, for sure, but far, far costlier to decide not to,

and instead chase what Tim Keller calls “counterfeit Gods:” “money,

the seduction of success, the power and the glory,” to climb

a cruel ladder which has no end and never satisfies for long.

 

Bill Bright, founder of Cru, describes his surrender to Christ

as abandoning his puny little plans, and embracing God’s

magnificent plans. Once done, he said, the future seemed brighter

than ever. As we invite Jesus into each square inch of our lives,

he promises that the things the unbelieving world runs after

will also be added to us. May it be so. Amen.

 

If you’d like to read my previous recorded meditations, they are here.

If you’d like to follow these meditations the moment they appear, please subscribe to Christian Meditation with Anita Mathias at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or  

Amazon Music or Audible. And I would be very  grateful for reviews and ratings!!

And, of course, I would love you to read my memoir, fruit of much “blood, sweat, toil and tears.”

Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India in the UK, and in the US, here, well, and widely available, online, worldwide 🙂

 

 

 

Filed Under: random Tagged With: Absolute Surrender, Bill Bright of Cru, blog through the Bible project, Counterfeit Gods, Jesus, Matthew, Rick Warren, the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of heaven, Tim Keller, Treasure, treasure in a field

The Spirit Helps Us Speak Creative Words of Energy and Life

By Anita Mathias

The Spirit Helps Us Speak Creative Words of Energy and Life

Matthew tells us: Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him so that he could both talk and see. All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”  Matthew 12: 22-24

 

Demonic activity robbed the man of sight and speech. And Jesus,

whom the Apostle John calls the Word, restored speech to him.

 

In Genesis, God’s first words, Let there be light create beauty

and life. And Satan’s deceitful words cause sadness and strife.

Our words, too, can be creative, bringing energy and inspiration,

or destructive, bringing discouragement, defeat, and misery:

word-swords which cut down, millstones which grind down.

 

The Apostle James writes, Consider what a great forest is set on fire

by a small spark.  The tongue also can set the whole course of one’s life on fire.

Fire! I’ve seen people lose precious friendships and relationships

through angry words and emails. I have done so myself.

 

So how do we use our words to bring light, energy, and life,

not darkness and heaviness? We must pray for the promise

in Ezekiel, “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit

in you.” “The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon

you, and you will be changed into a different person,” Samuel

promises Saul. ‘And God changed Saul’s heart.” Just like that.

 

The Spirit comes when we are hungry, and we ask for him,

Jesus says, and he changes our minds, emotions, and spirit. For

He is, as the prophet Isaiah writes, the Spirit of wisdom,

of understanding and knowledge. His fruits are love, joy, peace,

patience, kindness, faithfulness, and self-control. A new personality.

 

We can accelerate our experience of the Spirit through the ancient

practice of breath prayers as we go about our errands, housework,

gardening, and walks. Exhale: “Lord, I confess my anger and faithless

stress.” Inhale, “Come Holy Spirit of peace.” Exhale, “Lord,

I give you my turbulence.” Inhale, “Come, Holy Spirit of wisdom.”

 

Use simple practices to control your words. I’ve started using a

count-up timer when I am feeling critical and naggy in family life,

waiting seven minutes before I speak, which, then, I often don’t.

I now take 24 hours before responding to stressful emails.

 

The Spirit may graciously fill us in response to our prayers

faster than we imagine. God blessed Aaron’s staff in the Book

of Numbers; it budded, blossomed, and bore fruit overnight.

Come, Holy Spirit, fire of energy and love, change us. Amen.

Filed Under: random Tagged With: Aaron's Rod, blog through the bible, Book of Numbers, Book of Samuel, breath prayers, fruits of the spirit, Genesis, Jesus, Matthew, Saul, the Apostle James, The Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the tongue, words

Jesus Promises Us Rest (and an Easy Yoke!)

By Anita Mathias

He was the cleverest human who ever lived, a master of

humour, and of literary devices such as paradox, as when he

offers the weary and burdened, rest. Rest–by bearing his yoke.

 

Bearing the yoke of Jesus means developing the habit of checking

in with him before we speak, act or commit ourselves. For he

always has a surprisingly better, more efficient way of doing things

and will show us all the things that simply do not need to be done.

 

Jesus promises us rest if we learn gentleness and humility

from him. As we never fully master a language, gardening

or writing, we, the naturally fiery, cranky, worn-out and

hot-tempered, will keep learning gentleness all our lives. “Oops,

I’ve slipped again. I will arise and go to Jesus. Jesus, please

help me for the next minute.” Desperate arrow prayers!

 

Jesus is too kind to demand massive behaviour modification

to layer onto the burdens he promises us deliverance from—many

self-imposed, stemming from our pride and desire to impress.

 

He promises us the Spirit, a helper, a seed, and living water within us,

whose fruit is gentleness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,

faithfulness and self-control, as the Apostle Paul writes.

 

We acquire the Spirit’s power to change, firstly, by asking for it.

Jesus says that as a good father wouldn’t deny his hungry child

food, his Father will not refuse us the Spirit when we ask.

Does praying for God’s spirit work? Yes, it does. Will he come?

He will. But it takes daily prayer, for we leak.

 

Secondly, we must prioritise praying for the Spirit.

The apostles were given the greatest, biggest commission:

To preach to all nations. And Jesus recommended their first

move: To remain exactly where they were until they were “clothed

with power from on high.” So perhaps we, under Jesus’s easy yoke,

should also remain where we are, not taking on any new great things

for ourselves, for God, or for the world, until we have been clothed

with the Spirit’s power which makes difficult things easy and light.

 

As we quieten down and progressively pray to be filled with God’s Spirit,

and God answers our prayers as He promised, our personality changes.

We become ever gentler. May it be so. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.

Filed Under: Blog Through the Bible Project. Tagged With: An easy yoke, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, blog through the Bible project, Christian Meditation with Anita Mathias, gentleness, Humility, Jesus, Matthew, paradoxes, rest, the gifts of the Spirit, The Holy Spirit, the Spirit's power

Believing Is Seeing (Miracles): “According to Your Faith, Let It Be Done to You.”

By Anita Mathias

Matthew records, As Jesus walked on, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

He asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith, let it be done to you”; and their sight was restored. 

 

According to your faith, let it be done to you, is among Jesus’

most life-changing, startling, almost terrifying statements.

 

The sightless eyes of the two men could not physically

see Jesus any more than our sighted eyes can. But they sensed

his kindness and his power.  They prayed a simple, potent prayer,

“the Jesus Prayer:” Jesus, have mercy on us. And they were healed.

 

Faith is to see God as He is, the prodigal father, running

to hug you when you return repentant, ashamed, and weary.

It is to ask him for mercy. Faith is to see the Lord Jesus who

calls us his friends, stand beside you, power radiating from him.

Faith is knowing that, on request, the Spirit comes to you.

Faith is to ask these three to lay their healing hands on the

neurons of your burnt-out, agitated, distracted, looping mind,

and to heal your overwrought emotions, which can swerve into anger.

Because of the goodness and mercy of God, you know this

healing has, of course, started, right now, because

you prayed, and you can go on your way, whistling.

 

Faith is to refuse to worry, or to fear but to put our problems

into the hands of Christ, who changed the molecular structure

of bread and fish, multiplying them a thousand-fold. Faith is to

know his power extends over the nitty-gritty of our lives, “for there

is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence

over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, “Mine.” ”

 

As we pray with faith, seeing Jesus, we are often given

the very thing we ask for. The transcript of our prayers

becomes the transcript of our lives, as Mark Batterson says.

 

BUT. We live in an already, not-yet kingdom. Not every prayer

will be answered affirmatively. We are not the best writers

of the thriller of our lives. Our plot would have us ascend

the ladder of success, fame, wealth, and being praised which has

no ends, and brings only more striving, disappointment, and exhaustion.

But though Christ can sovereignly multiply the fruits of our labours,

following is not about success, wealth or fame. It is about

learning to love God, and to love people. And God’s Noes

and Not-yets develop our strength and character as surely

as his Yeses do, and through it all, through it all,

his love envelops us, and, on request, we can sip his joy.

 

If you’d like to read my previous recorded meditations, they are here.

If you’d like to follow these meditations the moment they appear, please subscribe to Christian Meditation with Anita Mathias at Apple Podcasts, Spotify or  

Amazon Music or Audible. And I would be very  grateful for reviews and ratings!!

And, of course, I would love you to read my memoir, fruit of much “blood, sweat, toil and tears.”

Rosaries, Reading, Secrets: A Catholic Childhood in India in the UK, and in the US, here, well, and widely available, online, worldwide 🙂

 

Filed Under: Matthew Tagged With: already-not yet, Faith, healing, Kuyper, Mark Batterson, Matthew, sight to the blind, the Jesus prayer

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  • For Scoundrels, Scallywags, and Rascals—Christ Came
  • How to Lead an Extremely Significant Life
  • Don’t Walk Away From Jesus, but if You Do, He Still Looks at You and Loves You
  • How to Find the Freedom of Forgiveness
  • The Silver Coin in the Mouth of a Fish. Never Underestimate God!
  • Following Jesus Is Costly and the Very Best Thing We Can Do
  • Persistent Prayer Turns Christ’s Silence, His “No,” and “Absolutely Not” to “YES!”
  • Grab Christ’s Hand When You Are Sinking
  • How to Find Life-Changing Hidden Treasure
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Link to post with podcast link in Bio or https://a Link to post with podcast link in Bio or https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/22/dont-walk-away-from-jesus-but-if-you-do-he-still-looks-at-you-and-loves-you/
Jesus came from a Kingdom of voluntary gentleness, in which
Christ, the Lion of Judah, stands at the centre of the throne in the guise of a lamb, looking as if it had been slain. No wonder his disciples struggled with his counter-cultural values. Oh, and we too!
The mother of the Apostles James and John, asks Jesus for a favour—that once He became King, her sons got the most important, prestigious seats at court, on his right and left. And the other ten, who would have liked the fame, glory, power,limelight and honour themselves are indignant and threatened.
Oh-oh, Jesus says. Who gets five talents, who gets one,
who gets great wealth and success, who doesn’t–that the
Father controls. Don’t waste your one precious and fleeting
life seeking to lord it over others or boss them around.
But, in his wry kindness, he offers the ambitious twelve
and us something better than the second or third place.
He tells us how to actually be the most important person to
others at work, in our friend group, social circle, or church:Use your talents, gifts, and energy to bless others.
And we instinctively know Jesus is right. The greatest people in our lives are the kind people who invested in us, guided us and whose wise, radiant words are engraved on our hearts.
Wanting to sit with the cleverest, most successful, most famous people is the path of restlessness and discontent. The competition is vast. But seek to see people, to listen intently, to be kind, to empathise, and doors fling wide open for you, you rare thing!
The greatest person is the one who serves, Jesus says. Serves by using the one, two, or five talents God has given us to bless others, by finding a place where our deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. By writing which is a blessing, hospitality, walking with a sad friend, tidying a house.
And that is the only greatness worth having. That you yourself,your life and your work are a blessing to others. That the love and wisdom God pours into you lives in people’s hearts and minds, a blessing
https://anitamathias.com/.../dont-walk-away-from-j https://anitamathias.com/.../dont-walk-away-from-jesus.../
Sharing this podcast I recorded last week. LINK IN BIO
So Jesus makes a beautiful offer to the earnest, moral young man who came to him, seeking a spiritual life. Remarkably, the young man claims that he has kept all the commandments from his youth, including the command to love one’s neighbour as oneself, a statement Jesus does not challenge.
The challenge Jesus does offers him, however, the man cannot accept—to sell his vast possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow Jesus encumbered.
He leaves, grieving, and Jesus looks at him, loves him, and famously observes that it’s easier for a camel to squeeze through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to live in the world of wonders which is living under Christ’s kingship, guidance and protection. 
He reassures his dismayed disciples, however, that with God even the treasure-burdened can squeeze into God’s kingdom, “for with God, all things are possible.”
Following him would quite literally mean walking into a world of daily wonders, and immensely rich conversation, walking through Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, quite impossible to do with suitcases and backpacks laden with treasure. 
For what would we reject God’s specific, internally heard whisper or directive, a micro-call? That is the idol which currently grips and possesses us. 
Not all of us have great riches, nor is money everyone’s greatest temptation—it can be success, fame, universal esteem, you name it…
But, since with God all things are possible, even those who waver in their pursuit of God can still experience him in fits and snatches, find our spirits singing on a walk or during worship in church, or find our hearts strangely warmed by Scripture, and, sometimes, even “see” Christ stand before us. 
For Christ looks at us, Christ loves us, and says, “With God, all things are possible,” even we, the flawed, entering his beautiful Kingdom.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/07/how-to-find-th https://anitamathias.com/2023/09/07/how-to-find-the-freedom-of-forgiveness/
How to Find the Freedom of Forgiveness
Letting go on anger and forgiving is both an emotional transaction & a decision of the will. We discover we cannot command our emotions to forgive and relinquish anger. So how do we find the space and clarity of forgiveness in our mind, spirit & emotions?
When tormenting memories surface, our cortisol, adrenaline, blood pressure, and heart rate all rise. It’s good to take a literally quick walk with Jesus, to calm this neurological and physiological storm. And then honestly name these emotions… for feelings buried alive never die.
Then, in a process called “the healing of memories,” mentally visualise the painful scene, seeing Christ himself there, his eyes brimming with compassion. Ask Christ to heal the sting, to draw the poison from these memories of experiences. We are caterpillars in a ring of fire, as Martin Luther wrote--unable to rescue ourselves. We need help from above.
Accept what happened. What happened, happened. Then, as the Apostle Paul advises, give thanks in everything, though not for everything. Give thanks because God can bring good out of the swindle and the injustice. Ask him to bring magic and beauty from the ashes.
If, like the persistent widow Jesus spoke of, you want to pray for justice--that the swindler and the abusers’ characters are revealed, so many are protected, then do so--but first, purify your own life.
And now, just forgive. Say aloud, I forgive you for … You are setting a captive free. Yourself. Come alive. Be free. 
And when memories of deep injuries arise, say: “No. No. Not going there.” Stop repeating the devastating story to yourself or anyone else. Don’t waste your time & emotional energy, nor let yourself be overwhelmed by anger at someone else’s evil actions. Don’t let the past poison today. Refuse to allow reinjury. Deliberately think instead of things noble, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.
So keep trying, in obedience, to forgive, to let go of your anger until you suddenly realise that you have forgiven, and can remember past events without agitation. God be with us!
https://anitamathias.com/2023/08/16/the-silver-coi https://anitamathias.com/2023/08/16/the-silver-coin-in-the-mouth-of-a-fish-never-underestimate-god/
I've recorded a podcast on how Jesus guided Peter to find the necessary tax money in a fish.
The Silver Coin in the Mouth of a Fish. Never Underestimate God
So the taxman comes for Peter: Does Jesus pay the voluntary,
but expected tax for the upkeep of the grand temple and its
priests)? And, as he often does, Jesus asks Peter what he thinks because as a friend, he's interested,and as a brilliant teacher, he wants Peter to think for himself..
Sons do not pay tax to their fathers, they both agree. 
Then, Christ,who repeatedly referred to his powerful body
as God’s temple on earth, decides to pay temple tax anyway
to avoid a skandalon, offence.
And Jesus instructs Peter to cast a line and a hook–as amateur
fishermen did–insulting for a professional with boats and nets.
And Christ again demonstrates that he knows best even in Peter’s
one area of professional expertise. And Christ knows best in our
areas of giftedness. His call often involves working just outside
our zone of competence, forcing us to function with the magic of
God’s spirit and energy. The grain of pride must die for resurrection.
And Peter finds silver in a fish. When you lack the money to fulfil
the dream God has placed in your heart, do not rule out His
wonder-working power. Pray for God’s miraculous provision, or
for Christ’s surprising strategies to create wealth, rather than work
yourself to a breakdown, or manipulate or use others to get money.
Will God tell us, on request, which fish in the multitudinous seas
has swallowed silver? He sometimes might, for he hates waste. But
not always. Tim Keller writes, “People think if God has called
you to something, he’s promising you success. But He might be
calling you to fail to prepare you for something else through the failure.
To work all night and catch nothing, as Peter did, strengthens our
character and endurance so that we are capable of becoming fishers of
humans, and, if God pleases, sometimes, perhaps even fishers of money.
Hi, I've recorded a new podcast. Here's the link. Hi, I've recorded a new podcast. Here's the link. https://anitamathias.com/2023/08/06/following-jesus-is-costly-and-the-very-best-thing-we-can-do/
Jesus is blazingly honest about the cost of following him. It’s our most brilliant, golden choice, though it does mean we can no longer follow ourselves. We dance instead to his other-worldly, life-changing music, asking at each transition point of our day or life, “Jesus, what is your assignment? How do I do it your way?” 
For me (descriptive, not prescriptive), shouldering my cross includes eliminating sugar and starchy carbs (to lose excess weight!), not watching TV (extreme!), keep my house and garden organised and pretty enough. And, also, taming anger and outspokenness! And refusing to sing a song of worry, or linger in anger, training myself to sing instead a song of trust, praise, and gratitude. 
While following Jesus is electric, and joyful, following
ourselves could entail ruining our health with addictive foods, caffeine,overwork, or the siren-call of our phones. Following Jesus does not mean relinquishing our goals and ambitions, but surrendering them to Him. We do not own
our work; God does. And so, we must repent when we overwork, get too intense about success, or try to impress others with it. For competitive cravings for success, fame, money,
or popularity wreck relationships, and mental, spiritual, and physical health, and never satisfy, for the ladder of success has no end, and climbing it means exhausting ourselves for nothing. We’re still restless.
You have made us for yourself, Oh Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you, St. Augustine wrote. If we do not try to obey the Great Commandment: to love God, and Christ’s second commandment:  to love our neighbour as ourselves, we could, one day,open the treasure box of our lives and find only ashes. Nothing!
C.S. Lewis: “Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/19/persistent-pra https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/19/persistent-prayer-turns-christs-silence-his-no-and-absolutely-not-to-yes/
So, a Syro-Phoenician woman comes to Jesus, crying out,
“Lord, have mercy on me. My daughter is suffering terribly.” But 
Jesus remains silent. Undeterred, she keeps crying out.
And Jesus snubs her: “I was sent only to the lost
sheep of Israel.” But she can’t believe “No” could be
his final word. “Lord, help me,” she says simply. And
then, a crushing rebuff. “It is not right to take
the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.” But hitting
rock bottom makes your prayers strangely powerful. “Yes,
it is right, Lord,” she contradicts him, “Even dogs eat crumbs
that fall.” Dogs, hungry, humble, grateful, happy.
And Jesus praises her dogged faith 
which catalyses the miracle she longs for. 
He says, "Your request is granted.” 
Never passively accept any apparently intractable situations.
Reality is infinitely malleable in the hands of God. We pray,
and people change, circumstances change. We change. So
keep praying until little drops of the kindness of God
soften and change the impossible situation and your heart. 
Take your little mustard seed of mountain-moving faith,
and pray, seeing the kind Jesus in your mind’s eye.
Continue praying, past God’s silence, his “No,” and “Absolutely Not,” 
until Christ, charmed, says, “Yes. It’s time! Go, girl, go. This way.”
Dream big and wide like childless Abraham stepping outside,
dazzled by an immensity of stars, and believing God’s power
could give him as many descendants. But don’t waste your
passion and dream-energy. Pray for things that will bring you
joy, yes, but will also bless myriad others, creating something,
in Milton’s phrase, that the world will not willingly let die.
Each of Jesus’s prayers were not answered affirmatively; neither
will each of our requests be granted. We are not wise enough
to know what best to pray for. But prayer, incredibly, does change
things. So keep praying for the shimmering dream which makes
your heart burn and quiver; pray past apparent impossibility until
the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and you live
and create with God’s spirit energising and filling you.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/08/grab-christs-h https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/08/grab-christs-hand-when-you-are-sinking/
LINK in profile
Hi friends, I’ve recorded a podcast meditation. Pls listen should you have time.
Sometimes, the little boat of your life is tossed in the darkness, in a storm-swept lake, far from shore,
And a dark figure looms, walking on water, and you cannot see his face, and you do not know his name, and you are terrified.
And in the encircling gloom, Christ always speaks the same magnificent words, “Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid.”
He comes to us in the darkness, a future that looks bleak, with unsolvable relational difficulties or financial difficulties, or when intellect, energy, and organisation feel puny, matched with our dreams and calling. But it is Christ. Do not be afraid.
And Peter, the risk-taker, from an overabundance of love and impulsivity, says, “Lord, if it’s you, tell me to come to you on the water.” And Jesus speaks another of his great words, “Come.”
Jesus, the merciful, did not ask Peter to do something that transcended the humanly possible and Peter’s faith, but
since Peter wanted to get to Jesus as quickly as possible, and to do whatever Jesus did, he gives him permission to walk on water.
We sometimes yearn to do things for which we know we don’t have the money, time, abundant gifting, or even the character. Never begin them before you’ve prayed, “Lord, tell me to do it.” And if he says, “Come,” start tackling the impossibility, immediately.
And Peter walks on water, until he sees the almost visible wind, is afraid, and begins to sink. Fear paralyses, sinks, and destroys.
And Peter prays a powerful prayer, “Lord, save me.” And immediately, Jesus reaches out his hand and catches him, scolding, “Oligopistos. You of little faith. Why did you doubt?”
And the wind dies down, and Peter learns to keep his eyes on Jesus and his power when he attempts the impossible, and to cry out for Jesus’s help when he begins to sink.
Help us, Jesus, you who control the wind and waves, and all things, when we are sinking in the darkness, and all seems impossible. Tell the wind to be quiet.
Take my hand, precious Lord. Lead me on. Let me stand. Amen.
https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/01/how-to-find-li https://anitamathias.com/2023/07/01/how-to-find-life-changing-hidden-treasure/
Podcast link in profile
Hi Friends, I've recorded a new podcast meditation on Jesus's statement that following him is like discovering priceless treasure hidden in a field. The finder would joyfully sell everything to buy it, as should we!
Jesus speaks of living in the Kingdom of God, living with him as our High King and Lord, as a treasure, worth selling everything we have to gain.
He describes it as experiencing peace, joy, and operating in the power of the Holy Spirit.
As literally selling everything we have would take time, so too will adjusting our lives to living in Christ's invisible Kingdom.
It requires a slow, steady but definite adjustment of each area of our lives: relationships, what we read and watch, consumption and production of social media, travel, leisure, our spending and giving, time spent on food prep and exercise, on prayer and scripture, on reading and the news, on home and garden maintenance, on church activities and volunteering. Some of us will spend less time on these, others will spend more, for we each have a unique shape and calling.
Entering into the kingdom of God is a very individual pilgrim's progress; we each have a different starting point. Rick Warren of The Purpose Driven Life suggests that those seeking to change anything change their bodies first, by getting their exercise and diet under control... which is where I am starting!!
While following Christ is costly, for sure, it's costlier to follow what Tim Keller called Counterfeit Gods --“money, the seduction of success, the power and the glory,” climbing a cruel ladder which has no end, and never satisfies for long. 
In a remarkable account, Bill Bright, founder of Cru, describes his surrender to God as abandoning his puny little plans for God's magnificent plans. Once done, he said the future seemed brighter than ever before... And it undoubtedly was! Jesus's promise that the things the unbelieving world chases will added to those who seek his Kingdom first came true in Bright’s life, as it will in ours as we pursue Christ.
I’ve seen these Pre-Raphaelite paintings in Tate I’ve seen these Pre-Raphaelite paintings in Tate Britain several times, and they delight me each time. What a gorgeous museum!
And here is this week’s podcast meditation-- https://anitamathias.com/2023/06/18/the-spirit-helps-us-speak-creative-words-of-energy-and-life/ (link in Instagram bio)
On how we need the Spirit’s help to speak creative words of energy and life, not darkness and devastation.
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