Start at the end.

 Today I am delighted to welcome a guest blogger to these pages, Chris Townsend , who has been the most faithful follower of all the blogs over many years and has now bravely offered to submit his insights for our delectation and delight.   Enjoy.


I remember playing snakes and ladders with my grandparents often as a kid. In the innocence of childhood it was fun.

But when you grow up, you realise that life is a bit like this game. A lot of ups and downs, slippery snakes trying to cause you to slide, and climbing back up the ladders is really hard work, not to mention losing your footing always being a real and present danger. 
 


I have to admit that I've seen the Christian life like this too. The pushing on to attain the goal, to somehow win and reach the finish line, no matter what the enemy or circumstance throws at you. Of course, Paul exhorts us to do this. But he also reminds us that we are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. That means EVERY spiritual blessing.

It doesn't matter how hard we try or how many ladders we climb, we can't get any more! It's finished! So, once we're born again, we don't begin at the start of the snakes and ladders game, hoping one day we might reach the finish. We start at the finish with everything we need spiritually for the rest of our lives on Earth! This is something Francois du Toit, author of The Mirror Bible spoke about recently.

The challenge is both to believe we start at the finish and to stay in this place of complete trust and faith that we have all that we need, any time, anywhere.

We've been reading Daniel in our Men's Breakfast group, Zoom of course! And I've concurrently been reading God of Covenant, God of Grace by Colin Symes (a must read in.my opinion). Towards the end of the book, Colin references Daniel in a chapter that spoke to me and challenged me a lot.   He writes about Daniel's commitment not to compromise with the Babylonian culture, meaning his life is 
threatened. "Daniel chooses to act in harmony with God's covenant, knowing that to step away from that commitment would be more unsafe for him, even than facing the lions in their den''

It amazes me that Darius, having seen Daniel and Co survive Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, thinks a lion might do better. Although he secretly hopes it won't, of course. Maybe that's the point.

To me, Daniel epitomises someone who knows His God and His promises so well that he is able to start at the finish and stay there despite everything kicking off around him.. Yes, make me more like Jesus, but make me more like Daniel too.

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