Now is the time... To Release the Flow

….those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25

I recently had afternoon tea with a lovely elderly lady who is ‘long and strong’ in the Lord. She had previously shared with me her struggles with the weaknesses of aging; lack of sharp memory, deafness and a growing fear of venturing out of her home or inviting others in. Later in our conversation she shared how she spends considerable time reading her Bible and praying each day and yet she feels very ‘dry’.

There are good reasons for her difficulties but as I pondered on that today I thought that it is very possible and easy for us to get into that spiritually dry position ourselves. I remembered again the illustration of the Dead Sea in Israel; a sea which is so full of salt that it cannot be used for irrigation. What is the reason for this strange phenomenon? The Jordan River constantly flows into the Dead Sea, a salt water lake 8 times saltier than the ocean, but there it stays. It doesn’t have any outflow – nowhere for the water to go. It evaporates and also leaches into the soil (I suppose), and the minerals just build up in the remaining water.

I think this may be one reason for my friend’s dryness. She is taking in fresh ‘water’ by spending time in the word of God but by closing herself off from the world around her she is stemming the flow of God’s Spirit through her to others. We are made for relationship and the blessing comes from being a blessing to others. Jesus said, that in giving we shall receive (Luke 6:38). We have to receive from God and allow his Spirit to move in our lives in order to have something worthwhile to offer to others, but in order to keep the supply coming in we have to use what we’ve been given.

If you have been feeling drying lately perhaps you need to see if you have been releasing the flow of God out of you to refresh others. The world around us is hungry for love, acceptance, friendship, peace and joy, all the things God freely gives to us as we spend time with him. Remember he also said, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Matthew 10:8.

Prayer: Father God, thank you for the flow of your Spirit freely given to me to enrich my life. Help me to use it, not just for myself, but also to be a refreshing blessing to others. Amen

Now is the time... To Prepare for Disruption

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy! I look to you for protection. I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings until this violent storm is past. Psalm 57:1-2 (NLT)

Earlier this year I was sitting in Wellington airport with a $6 refreshment voucher to spend at one of the many cafes. Air New Zealand was buying me a coffee and a muffin in an attempt to placate me for disrupting my day through flight delay. Fortunately I was not in a hurry and I had a good book to read, a ‘must have’ when travelling.

I have to admit that I don’t always deal well with disruptions in my life. I like things to run smoothly but life doesn’t always go according to our plans. This reality had been brought home to me in the recent hours spent in the waiting room of intensive care and at the bedside of my niece. I realised afresh that one’s life or the life of a family can be changed forever in a moment of time. I watched anxious faces waiting for news of their loved ones, and wondered what lay in store for them in their future; whether they would have to deal with a disabled person, weeks of therapy or even a death.

Disruptions come when we least expect them. Some are just minor inconveniences, others, life-changing catastrophes. How can we prepare for them, or is it even possible to prepare for them? I believe it is possible to be somewhat prepared. It all depends upon the strength of the foundation of our life.

We were designed to live life in relationship with God. He wants to be our strength and our help in times of trouble. He is the one who can be our shelter in the time of storm. We can only know the depths of the benefit of his help if we have developed a trusting relationship with him. We do this through an acceptance of his love for us and developing a knowledge of his willingness to be there for us in the tough times. Such an understanding comes through reading the Bible and learning to believe that what God says, he can and will do. Jesus promised his disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring things that they had heard from his teaching back to their remembrance when they needed it. That can be our experience too. I have experienced it many times; but unless we have a storehouse of his word within us, we don’t have much to go on in times of difficulty.

Praying daily to commit ourselves and our loved ones into God’s care enables us to face our day confident that God is in charge and nothing can come to us that he doesn’t know about and won’t help us with. We are so blessed to know the One who holds us in his heart and shelters us in times of trouble. We have no need to fear disruption because we know that we have a place of shelter in him until the storm is past.

Prayer: Father in heaven, help me to hide your words in my heart and grow in understanding of your love for me. Then I will find help in my time of need as I trust in you. Amen

Now is the time.... To Embrace Your Place

Trust in the Lord in all you do and don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge him in everything you do and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

A question that we hear often is “How could God let this happen?”Recently I watched the movie “The Hiding Place’; the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family who hid Jewish people in their home in Amsterdam during World War II. They were caught and imprisoned for their kindness. As Corrie and her sister, Betsy “settled into” the horrors of Ravensbrook prison camp, Betsy began to share her faith in Jesus and read the Bible to anyone who would listen; this very same question came from their fellow prisoners. Betsy and Corrie could not give a satisfactory answer but stated their trust in God in spite of their surroundings.

Betsy was more able than Corrie to embrace the place they found themselves in. She didn’t like it any more than the others did, but she chose, in the midst of unbelievable hardship, to believe that God had a purpose for them there. Her gentle, faith-filled character drew many fellow prisoners to Jesus Christ and softened even the hardest and most selfish heart. Such was the result of her embracing these horrible conditions. Her peace and joy were evident to those around her. Corrie too came to see God at work in that place.

Do you find yourself in a hard place today? Has tragedy and heartache touched your family? Has sickness brought you low? Have doors of opportunity closed in your face and left you feeling rejected? Has age caught up with you making you feel that you have no more usefulness in God’s kingdom work? Each of these things marks a life change that we must deal with.
The challenge for each of us is to look through the eyes of faith and realise that each season of life is an opportunity for growth. As we embrace our new place, we will grow in grace and maturity, wisdom and faith. Never give up. Our usefulness on earth is never done till we move to heaven. If we can’t do anything but pray we are still useful. The busy, active people often lack the luxury of time to pray for long, yet the need for prayer is so great in our world today.

Why don’t you seek the Lord and ask him to show you what his plan is for this season of your life, and move into it with courage and determination, allowing God to work in and through you all that he purposes for your life………….. and the lives of others. Bloom where you are planted!

Prayer: Lord Jesus, please help me to embrace this season of my life. Help me to give you the frustrations of it so that I can receive your grace to do what you want me to do this day. Amen

Now is the time.... To Regain Your Excitement

For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.. Jeremiah 29:11

My alarm was set for 6.30 but at 5.20 the raucous cries of the kookaburras heralded the first light and they were soon joined by a multitude of other birds, all excitedly greeting the new day. It was the excitement of their chatter that got to me and I decided to join them rather than sleep away the first light of the new day.

My mother was an early riser and always said that it was the best time of the day – try telling that to a teenager!! But as I sit looking out on the beauty of God’s world, listening to worship music, I have to agree that it is something special; and now as the sky begins to change from almost colourless to a beautiful shade of blue, the joy and expectation of a new day cannot help but rise within me. I’m so glad I’m not still snoozing!

In the busyness of life it is so easy to lose the sense of excitement and expectation that each day can hold. Instead our minds get overwhelmed by the burdens or drudgery of the day. ‘Stress’ is probably the most used word in our world today. Sadly I have even heard young children using this word. But it’s not surprising because children get caught up in the craziness of their parents’ busy lives as well as having their own full schedule of extra curricular activities. The days of just playing in the yard, a family walk or a quiet swing in the park seem to have mostly gone. I’m so pleased that my own grandchildren still know how to be happy with these simple pleasures.

Taking time to worship the Lord, read the word and talk to him about our concerns is a key to de-stressing. The old hymn said ‘Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care, we should never be discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer.’ Time in the quiet of the day before the household starts to buzz can be time that restores excitement, anticipation and purpose to your life; all these things can and will work to de-stress you.

God has a purpose and a plan for each of us that will bring us joy and fulfillment. Tune into his heart and draw your daily strength from him along with peace and hope. He is always waiting to fellowship with us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, giver of abundant life, please help me to come into your presence and seek you early for refreshing and strength for each new day. Amen

Now is the time.... To Do the Taste Test

Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in him. Psalm 34:8

The makers of our much-maligned Vegemite have come up with something new; it has been in the stores with no name; the company has been running a competition for someone to come up with a name for it. That’s one way to get people to buy and try! I would have thought that one would have to taste it to come up with some enticing, tasty name but in this day of technology it seems not. The name that won the competition was – you’d never guess it – iSnack 2.0. Since that time there were so many people that objected that it is under review which is good because that name conveys absolutely nothing to me except that if I want to know what it’s like I have to taste it. So it is with God. We have to 'taste' him and his presence to know that he is good.

David, a young lad who went from singing praises to God in the sheepfolds to giant-slayer on the battlefield to king of Israel to ousted monarch and back to the throne again, experienced God in so many different situations. He knew the highs of life but he also knew what it was like to be in the depths of despair. It is he who wrote about the goodness of God to those who trust him. In the midst of singing the praises of his God he cries out “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good”. It was as if he was saying “I can’t really tell you just how good he is, you just have to taste his goodness for yourself”.

How do we taste anything? We have to put it in our mouth and try it. We can’t do that with God of course but we can get to know what kind of a God we have by coming near to him, allowing him to have a say in our lives. By allowing him permission to come and forgive our sins, heal us of our hurts, our sickness; allowing him to give us guidance in our daily lives. We taste him by walking in obedience to his Word and following his way and finding out that it is the best way, the way to life in all its fullness (John 10:10).

Today I needed to ‘taste’ God afresh. For me that meant becoming still in his presence and allowing myself to feel him again. We were worshipping in church and many people were being touched by his spirit, but I felt a little apart from him. That is when I deliberately moved closer, received again his forgiveness and love. He met me.

It’s so easy in the busyness of our world to become a little hardened to his presence unless we make a special effort. We can ‘do Christianity’, we can ‘do church’, but he wants us to move closer so we can feel that refreshing breath of his beautiful presence. Yes, taste and see that the Lord, in all his fullness, is definitely good.

Prayer: Lord thank you that you are close to me even when I can’t feel you. Help me to realise when I need to make that special move towards you and taste again that you are good. Amen

Now is the time ... To Do Your Heart Good

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly. Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

I don’t know how it is in your part of the world but here in Australia there is a lot of emphasis on ‘heart smart’ foods and exercise. This is all well and good, but what amazes me is that more and more young and fit people are dying suddenly of heart attacks. My own father died of a massive heart attack at the young age of 45. He was under a lot of stress at the time.

I do know that stress is a main contributor in most types of sickness and disease, because when the body is stressed it doesn’t function as it was designed to do. Our bodies have been ‘marvelously and wonderfully made’ (Psalm 139:14), with such fine-tuning that stress throws the body into a state of self-protection, changing chemical balances. This is okay for the emergencies it is designed to cope with but we are not made to live in a long term state of anxiety which is really just fear. Remember Paul’s words to the Philippians ‘Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto (God)’. (Phil 4:6). Also 1 Peter 5:7 says ‘Cast all your cares upon him, for he cares about you.’

Dr Caroline Leaf has studied the brain and it’s working for more than 20 years and she says that when the brain chemistry goes awry through fear, over time it actually rewires the brain making it impossible, or at best very difficult, for people to live in the fullness of life that God intended for us. They become attuned to living in a state of anxiety that leads to depression unless a deliberate and concerted effort is made to study and follow God’s way of living and doing things. This may require the intervention and help of others to make these changes.

In spite of God’s encouragement to give him our troubles, we sometimes still manage to put pressure on ourselves. We can so easily turn from the joy and peace that first came from knowing the grace of God in our lives, and go back to trying to do things to please God out of duty instead of out of love for him. Personally I have struggled with that performing to please thing for years, which is why it did my heart so much good to hear The Message version of Matthew 11:28-30. There is no stress with God. There is just an ‘unforced rhythm of grace’ constantly flowing, that if we allow it to flow through us will cause us to live ‘freely and lightly’. Do you want to join me in trying it out?

Prayer: Precious Jesus, thank you for the example you gave us by the way you lived out a life of grace, free from stress and strain. Help me to cast all my cares upon you…. and leave them there! Amen

Now is the time.... To Check Your Heart

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel 36:26

In June my niece gave birth to her second child, a good sized little girl. At the time she had not been feeling well for some time but put it down to the pregnancy, she was wrong. Two weeks after the birth she found herself in hospital having a battery of tests and 3 days later she had open heart surgery. When the surgeon spoke to us after the very long operation he said that Tracey’s heart had been “an ugly mess”. Life threatening infection had entered into her heart and had eaten away at her aortic valve which had to be replaced.

The surgeon, fortunately, was able to save her life, but it was a very dangerous situation. After many hours sitting at her bedside, my sister and I were very relieved to watch her begin to progress back to health and now, 3 months later, she is doing really well. However, Tracey now requires a lifetime on medication to ensure that her blood doesn’t form clots and her heart continues to function properly.

As I thought about this it made me think of the health of our spiritual hearts – the part of us that is influenced by God’s Spirit. God has offered us a ‘heart replacement’ – a soft heart in exchange for a heart that has become hard from sinful attitudes which lead to sinful actions. When we accept that new heart, it still needs to be maintained with spiritual ‘medication’. Reading and obeying the word of God regularly keeps us on track. Also asking God’s forgiveness when we revert to our old ways. This, together with regular fellowship with other believers, worship and prayer are all needed to help us live a truly healthy life which will give us peace and make us a blessing to those around us. Nothing clogging up our system.

Why not do a quick heart check up and see if there is any hardness sneaking in. Are you grateful for what you have? Are you open to God’s leading and correction? Is there any unforgiveness lurking that will prevent the blessing of God from resting on you? Are you allowing God to lead and direct you in your daily life or do you only involve him in the ‘big decisions’?

Remember that abiding in the vine (John 15) is the safest way to maintain a healthy spiritual life for apart from Jesus we can do nothing. He is our very life, for ‘in him we live and move and have our being’ (Acts 17:28). A good relationship with him is the key to our heart health.

Prayer: Lord, search my heart and see if there is any sinful way in me. Forgive me and cleanse me and lead me in the ways that please you. Amen