Sheep

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. John 10:27

I know many of you will not be at all surprised that my second blog post from New Zealand is about sheep, because there are so many here.  However, Jesus referred often to sheep so I am confident that it's fine for me to do the same!

This past week Colin and I were watching a TV program which follows the NZ Highway Patrol Police and incidents in their day.  Part of this episode was about a runaway sheep on a fairly well used road.  This poor sheep had become separated from the flock, perhaps by her own curiosity about the wide world, and escaped through a fence, or she may have been separated from a flock that had been driven down a road between pastures.

The Police officer tried to encourage her off the road but every time he would stop and try to approach her she would run off madly into the road causing traffic to have to brake to avoid hitting her.  She was a real traffic hazard and no matter what the policeman tried she ran off her own way.  Finally, and sadly, she had to be shot because she was exhausted and uncooperative.  Really, she determined her own end, though there are many reasons we could find to excuse her behaviour.

Jesus likened us to sheep and said that his sheep listen to his voice. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives a few definitions among which are "to hear something with thoughtful attention" and the one that I like for the context of my purpose here; "to be alert to catch an expected sound".

Jesus expects us to listen for his voice.  I have to admit I am not always good at doing this, so that is my challenge today.  He is speaking in so many ways; through his word; through our own spirit; through others; through the beauty of creation and so on.  We need to be alert and be prepared to follow his leading.  It may well be a lifesaver for us.  It will certainly keep us 'in with the flock' because we know from his word that we are to seek the safety and security of fellowship with other believers, and it is so much more important as we see the signs of his return (Hebrews 10:25).

Whose voice are you listening to today?

Prayer:  Dear Shepherd of my soul, help me to listen for your voice with expectancy and willingness to obey, today and every day.  Thank you that you are always communicating with us in so many ways.  Amen

Purpose

                                                            Photo by Jenny Williamson

 “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent."  Luke 4:43

Moving house and country has been a part of my life.  I was 5 when my parents emigrated from England to New Zealand; 11 when we moved to Fiji for 16 months; 20 and newly married when we moved to Singapore for 2 years; 30 when we moved to Papua New Guinea for 9 years; almost 40 when we moved to Australia; 48 when we moved to Hong Kong for 13 years.  We were back in  Australia for 6 years and a week ago we made what we believe to be our final move (this side of heaven), back to New Zealand.  You could call us the 'happy wanderers'!

In each place I have lived I can look back and see that God was working in my life and I am so thankful that now, in what some would call my 'twilight years',  I know that God still has a purpose for my life and it's for me to find and fulfil it, by His grace.

As Christians our part is to discover our God given gifts and then to find where and how God desires to use them.  I am a fan of The Voice talent programme and I have found some of the comments of the coaches to be challenging.  Last season one said, "You've got to be out of your comfort zone or you are not going to grow."  Just recently another said, "You've been given a gift, that is a privilege, now it's your responsibility to develop and refine that gift and use it wisely."  In a recent interview well known singer, Michael Buble, spoke about his life as a performer and how he couldn't go out with the crew after a concert when they were on tour, he had to go home and rest his voice and his body and spend time quietly in order to maintain stamina and keep his voice protected.  Discipline.

We are disciples and discipline should be a hallmark of our lives if we are to fulfil God's purposes in the places that he positions us.  Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 9:27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.   Yes, we miss it, life happens and disruptions come to throw us off key at times but let's be diligent to get back on track in our devotional life so that we keep in mind that today has a purpose.  Let's look to Jesus who loves us and equips and enables us to fulfil our purpose, by His grace.

Prayer:  Father, please help me to be faithful in my devotion to you and attention to your Word that I might fulfil your purposes for me today.  Amen

Confidence - 2

I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, …………. being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ…. Philippians 1:6

It is so good that we can have confidence in our great and wonderful God to complete His work in us, and to fulfil His purposes for us.  When we entrust our lives to Hi it's not about my wisdom or purposes, it's all about His.

I woke very early one morning thinking that it is 5months since I wrote or posted a Daydrops.  I knew my previous one had been labelled Confidence - 1, so I really needed to continue to #2.  I have had these thoughts before during these past months but have been very distracted with big changes in our life.

In August last year during a trip to visit our siblings in New Zealand, it seemed that God resurrected a desire we had loosely toyed with a couple of years before to return to NZ in our retirement.  We deposited on a lovely retirement villa in Nelson where my sister and her husband had moved to and things moved rather more quickly than we expected.  They poured the slab mid December and we were advised that building completion date was end of March....which, amazingly enough in the building world, happened.

So  in January we began a process of selling our house and a good bit of our furniture, arranging removal in late March, then relocating to a furnished unit for our last 3 months in Australia; time for Colin to finish work at the end of June.  We arrived in NZ early May to take occupancy of our villa and unpack our shipment.

It was an amazingly peace-filled process as we have constantly committed our way to God and trusted Him to lead and guide us through.  It has shown me again that I can have total confidence that when He leads and we follow, He will take care of the details.  I am reminded also of one of my favourite life verses, Psalm 37:5 which says Commit your way to The Lord, trust also in Him and He will bring it to pass. And another is Proverbs 3:5-6  Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths. 

In mid July we will take up residence in Nelson and I hope to focus more on writing.  I am trusting Him to may my way straight.

Prayer:  Dear Lord,  thank you that you order our steps as we confidently place ourselves into your hands.  Your faithfulness to us, like your mercy, is new every morning.  Amen

Confidence - 1

In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. Isaiah 30:15

Confidence or a lack of confidence will affect every area of one's life.  It can make or break a deal, a job opportunity or more importantly, be the thing that determines whether or not you succeed in life. The important thing though is the foundation of our confidence; whether it is our own ability or in Jesus, and the ability He gives us to do the job, and being confident that His desire is to see us succeed. 

As we have lived in different nations and I have observed cultural differences it has been interesting to see that some cultures are just better at instilling confidence in their children than others other. Be that as it may, as Christians we have our own culture but it is definitely one to be learned.

I have noticed that the trend in the workplace these days is to "talk yourself up"; make the prospective employer think that you are the best thing since sliced bread! Your performance at the interview is likely to get you the job (or not).  Some Christians even think they have to do that, but the apostle Paul is our great example of one who, although greatly qualified by birth, education and zeal for God, said that he put no confidence in all that (Philippians 3). It is not about where we come from and how much we know,  it is about knowing that "in my flesh there is really nothing good" (Rom:7:18) so I shouldn't be surprised when I make mistakes and disappoint myself. 

Our confidence should rest alone in the truth that through faith in Jesus Christ the righteousness of God is ours (2 Cor 5:21). The Mirror Bible puts it this way "He took our sorrows, our pain, our shame to his grave and birthed his righteousness in us.  He took our sins and we became his innocence."  That is surely worth a second thought.

Today will you choose to be at peace, resting in the confidence that the work is done?  Jesus did it!  You don't have to perform or measure up, Jesus finished all that.  Just relax, let your anxieties go and thank Him that His plans are good, to give you a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11).  Enjoy your acceptance in the Beloved (Ephes 1:6).

Heavenly Father, thank you for your great plan of salvation.  That you freed us from the slavery of performing to 'get it right'.  Thank you that I am accepted because of Jesus' work and not my own. Help me to think on that and rest confidently in that from this day forward.  Amen

Believe

Lord I believe, help my unbelief!  Mark 9:24

I found it interesting as I looked back at this Daydrops which I had written last year but not yet published, because it is a follow on theme from the one I wrote New Year's Eve and posted on New Year's Day.  It seems that the Holy Spirit really wants us to get the 'believe message'.

In a devotional I use I read these words, "God's deepest longing is to be believed, regardless of emotion or circumstance".   As I meditated on that I imagined what great sadness it would be for a loving father to make a promise to his son only for his son to say, "I'll believe it when I see it."  There could be good reason for such a response if the son was used to his father breaking his promises, or if it sounded too good to be true, but a good earthly father certainly desires to give his kids the best that is in his ability to do so.

How grieved God was when time and time again he 'came through' for His people in their wilderness wanderings yet when faced with a new challenge they became anxious and complaining instead of fearless and believing.  Moses certainly got fed up with them and angrily struck the rock he'd been told just to speak to (Numbers 20).  He represented God to the people and allowed his emotions to make a response that misrepresented God and so he lost privilege of entering the promised land.  (God did allow him to see it from a distance though. Numbers 27:12-13)

The father of the child in Mark 9 had brought his son to Jesus for deliverance.  He said "If you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us."  Jesus' response was, "...all things are possible to him who believes."  The man's response was honest, he says, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief."   God knows our weakness of faith and He is willing to help us to believe His promises. I have prayed that prayer a number of times. 

There is any number of books on positive thinking and how it can 'make things happen' that completely leave God out of the equation.  The power of our mind is  incredible because God has made us that way.  As believers' we have an amazing privilege of  relationship with God and a written record of his past miracles as a basis for our faith yet, like the Israelites in the desert, we still find it difficult to believe his promises to us.  How sad that must be for our heavenly Father.

David knew how to build his faith, he said, "Wait on the Lord, be of good courage and He shall strengthen your heart. Wait, I say, on the Lord." Ps 27:14  In the verse before this he states, "I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living."  David knew that his faith came from his relationship with God. 

We cannot manufacture faith, it is something that grows with the knowledge of God.  Romans 10:17 is the key; Faith comes by hearing the word of God. If we feed our spirit on God's word our faith in Him will grow.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father,  please help me to have a hunger for your word that will expand my faith in you this year.  Amen

Good Plans

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

It is always exciting to stand on the edge of a new year as we do right now, and wonder what it may hold for us.  As we reflect on the year past we can do so with feelings of regret at resolutions not reached,  sadness for loss, thankfulness for reprieve, protection, strength for tasks done, joys for new friendships made, new places visited and 'missions' completed.

This verse in Jeremiah is my all time favourite because it reassures me afresh of my God's truth;  that He thinks about me, and not only that, but He thinks about me in a positive way.  Also that He has good plans for me to bring me peace.  As I write, the words of the psalmist, so well known and often spoken, yet often glossed over without real thought, come to mind.  Surely, (without doubt), goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life...Psalm 23:6.

Do circumstances of life sometimes cause you to doubt that God has good plans for you?  Do you live with regrets of past mistakes or wrong choices?  Has calamity struck, health failed, grief and disappointments come?  Yes, they do.  Stuff happens, but it never ever changes God's plans of peace for us.  It never changes His plans to prosper us.  If you need an example just look again at Job.  He suffered more loss than any of us would want to think about, yet I believe his continued trust in God's goodness caused him to to be doubly blessed in his latter days.  In the King James Version of this verse it says that God's plans are to prosper us.  Believe it.

The God who says, 'Behold I make all things new.' (Rev 21:5) has been doing new things and good things throughout history.  He is our Creator and His creative nature is to do new things.  He doesn't look back at our past, He is looking to do a new thing with us.  He says, 'do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.  Behold I will do a new thing.' (Isaiah 43:18-19).  Are you ready to see it and cooperate in His plan?

This is a new year, renew your mind with God's truth: His thoughts toward you are of peace, not punishment and recrimination.  He remembers your sins no more (Jer 31:34).  His plans and purposes are for good, not evil, to prosper you, not to harm you.  The psalmist has a key for us.  He says 'I would have lost heart unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of The Lord in the land of the living,' (Ps 27:13), and again 'my heart trusted in Him and I am helped' (Ps 28:7). 

Prayer:  Loving and Creator God, help me to believe and trust in your goodness this coming year. May I delight you with a childlike trust that truly believes you have good plans for me, even more than an earthly father has for his children. Amen

His Plan

A man’s heart plans his way,  But the LORD directs his steps. Proverbs 16:9

 

In our fast changing world it seems that nothing is certain anymore.  We can so easily feel insecure and unsafe.  We make our plans, and so we should, but in the end we do not have the final say of how things will work out.  Colin and I decided earlier this year that he would retire mid 2014 and we would return to our roots.  We have deposited on a retirement villa in Nelson, New Zealand very near my sister. 

 

Yes, we have made a decision and put our home on the market and are working towards our desired end, yet always keeping in mind this verse above, that though we make our plans, in the end it is the Lord who directs our steps.  We are happy to leave it in His hands knowing and trusting His wisdom. We can do that because we have experienced His faithfulness and His ordering of our ways in all of our life.  This morning I thought of His wonderful ordering of lives in days gone by, and the LIFE that we celebrate this Christmas season.

 

Out of eternity God moved upon one woman to birth His age-old plan for our world.  Out of eternity God stirred the heart of one Roman governor to call a census in the foreign land he ruled; a census that would move His plan for that woman's child to be brought to the place of birth prophesied so long ago - Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).  A busy, overcrowded town full of visitors for the census.  A stable, a cattle trough, no nice furniture - not much of a place for Greatness to be birthed, but it was!

 

On a hillside shepherds had their evening conversation dramatically interrupted by a glorious heavenly chorus they would long speak of with wonder.  The birth, not announced to a waiting crowd outside palace gates, but to humble shepherds alone on a hillside.  And wise men watching for signs in the heavens were led from a far off land to worship this King.

 

Thirty years pass, shrouded mostly in silence; a growing, learning time, a training for reigning time.  This King was to experience what it was like to be part of a family, to learn a trade, to grieve the loss of His earthly dad, take responsibility for His mother.  All the time knowing that there was a master plan; and waiting patiently for that time to be revealed.

 

Then three short but highly significant, world-changing years came.  God living among mankind, not a conquering hero but a servant of love with a message of life.  Then, from what appeared to be shame, defeat and failure was born the greatest victory - victory over sin, death and the grave. His plan fulfilled - peace and relationship restored between God and man.  Sins forgiven, hope restored.

 

God was in it all and His purposes continue to be worked out through insignificant lives today because He came that dark night long ago and shone His light into our world, a light which overcame the darkness of centuries in a moment of time. A light and hope that we can choose to live in.
 

Today God continues to move, unseen by most, but those who look, expect and hope, will see and partner in His plan, a plan that will bring His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Each of us has a part to play in His scheme of things that is important, no matter how great or small our part.  Come let us worship and bow down again before our amazing Lord Jesus Christ, God made flesh, and in His presence find our purpose refreshed for the coming year.  He is still moving in eternity, to accomplish His grand plan of which you are a part.  In Him we live and move and have our being.  Hallelujah!

 

God bless you this Christmas and may He find room in your heart for that is where He wants to make His home and fulfill His plan.

 

Prayer:  Great and wonderful God, thank you for your amazing plan which you have included me in.  Come fill me afresh with the wonder of your plan and enable me to trust that you are directing my steps to fulfil your purposes and plans for me.  Amen.