Deception

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.  Romans 12:6

Recently we toured an artistic workshop, a very unprepossessing place that produces all kinds of amazing props for many top movies.  It was fascinating to see how things are produced and the minute details that are attended to and to hear how people,computer programmes and amazing machines are used to produce such amazing (and often grotesque) results.

During our tour we came upon the workspace of one man who was crafting an amazingly intricate little warrior of days gone by. This figure was only about 3 inches (7.5 cm) high.  He was carving and molding his battle garments and we were in awe of his giftedness.  As we spoke with him, the man insisted that no one is gifted and certainly he was not.  He said that this was just "a muscle" that he had developed.  Anyone could do this.   A couple of us begged to differ! I don't know whether he he realised, but he was deceived.  God has gifted each one of his creation with a gift or gifts.  Yes, they certainly can be developed and honed but we are not all creative or administrative, we can't all sing, write or organise.  I am thankful we have people who willingly carry out the menial tasks in our communities that keep our world working well.

I wondered why this man would deny his giftedness, which I believe he was genuine about.  He wasn't just being humble.  Perhaps he would have had to acknowledge that his gift had come from God and he didn't want to do that.  He might have had to consider God.  Instead he unknowingly gave glory to his own tenacity to developing a certain "muscle".  Romans 1:25 says, They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise!
God has indeed gifted each one of us.  If you don't think yours is very obvious to you, ask Him to reveal that to you, explore it with a friend and above all use your gift for the glory of God, giving thanks to Him.

Prayer:  Great and mighty creator God I give you thanks and praise for the gifts that you have placed in my life.  Please help me to develop them and use them for your glory.  Amen. 

A Question

I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I will not be moved.  Psalm 16:8

What gives you peace?  Is it knowing that everything is okay in your world; all your ducks are lined up and everything is under control?  Are you at peace when your job is going well, your kids are doing the right thing and your marriage is working well?

It is relatively easy to be at peace when the waters are calm, the gentle breezes just right, and your boat is sailing well in the summer sun.  But what happens when that unexpected wind gets up, the clouds gather and suddenly you find yourself in the midst of a storm?  A storm of sickness, unfaithfulness,  children getting into trouble, problems at work, ..... the list could be endless.  Perhaps you find yourself in the midst of a storm right now.  How are you faring? To whom do you turn?

It is very easy to feel very alone in the midst of problems but Jesus has promised that if we have put our trust in Him then He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). Family or friends might let us down but Jesus never will.  If it's storm time for you then now is the time to step up and allow your faith to be tested and strengthened.  Prove God faithful:  to answer your prayers, to strengthen you through the storm, to give you joy amidst trials.  Yes it must be possible because James 1:2 instructs us to "Count it all joy when we fall into various trials....".   "Is he for real?",you ask. Yes he is.  He goes on to say, "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."  Patience is a fruit of the spirit.  Our lives are meant to bear fruit.  Fruit to bring glory to God.

I had recently planted a new shrub out the back of our home.  The wind was blowing it about and I got fearful for its welfare.  My dear husband reminded me that it is by getting blown about that trees become strong and develop a good root system.  Of course, now I remembered that!  It's the same with us, with our loved ones; we so often want to be rescued or to rescue when we see the storms but that's how we grow.  If we need strength, wisdom or courage for negotiating the storm we need only to ask.  Jesus stands ready to help because He is our peace (Ephesians 2:14) and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11). Perhaps it has been your habit when difficulties and trials come to run to the phone and call someone for comfort and wisdom.  Instead why not turn to your Bible and pray that God will be your comfort and your 'listening ear'.  You can find none better, none more faithful and kind.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, help me to thank  you in my difficulties.  Help me to see they have purpose  for my growth.  Help me not to fear what may come but allow you to be my shelter, my wisdom, my strength and my rock.  Amen

Rest

Jesus said, "Come to me all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. "Matthew 11:28

I wonder how many of you do life with an "I should"  mentality.  You do things because you feel you ought to rather than because you want to.  It's such an easy trap to fall into and it's often those 'shoulds' that keep us busier than we are meant to be.  Perhaps it's good to sometimes stand back and examine our own motives and ask ourselves "Why should I do that?  Do I need to do it?  Do I want to do it? Why don't I feel free to say that I don't want to do that without giving a reason?"

Often we do things because we fill gaps, take up slack that other people could just as well do.  If we are in the habit of doing that people will look at us and think that we think it's our job and they don't want to interfere.  It's good to include others when you can by encouraging them to help you instead of thinking, "I always get stuck with this!"

I am sure that Martha felt that way (Luke 10) as she slaved over food preparation for Jesus and his disciples while her sister Mary sat at Jesus feel absorbing his teaching.  Martha got so mad at the injustice that she took her complaint straight to Jesus. "Doesn't it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work. Tell her to come and help me."  Jesus reply would have surprised her.  "My dear Martha, you are distracted about all these details!  There is only one thing worth being concerned about.  Mary has discovered it - and I won't take it away from her."

Mary had discovered the rest of sitting at Jesus' feet.  She obviously wasn't into 'shoulds'.  I have to say that I would probably have been helping Martha in the kitchen, as much as I wanted to hear Jesus' teaching.  Mary was determined not to be robbed of that time no matter what her sister said.  She made an authentic choice and was comfortable with it.

Have you ever thought that coming to rest with Jesus is a form of worship?  It can be a real sacrifice when we see other things that should be done but it is something we (I)  need to learn to do better. Giving time to just 'be' in His presence pleases God so much.  It is a sacrifice that pleases him more than all our good works, because He knows that it will only do us good. Will you allow Him to help you prioritise your time in a way that pleases Him and benefits you.

Prayer:  Lord Jesus, forgive me for so often putting other things before spending time with you. Please help me to align myself with your priorities so that I don't get overburdened but learn to come to you and rest.  Amen

Juggling

Cast all your anxiety upon [God] for He cares about you.  
1 Peter 5:7

In the gym this morning (yes, that sounds impressive!), I was beside a conversation about how many commitments one lady was 'juggling' in a normal week.  Another lady said, "Don't even talk about it, I hang out for Friday!"  Now this was only Monday: oh dear!

As I thought about the juggling comment it occurred to me that 'managing' or even 'balancing' would have been a better word.  When you say 'juggling', it just sounds harder and what we tell ourselves by the words we use has a huge mental effect on us.  Juggling says 'tricky'  or even slightly out of control, whereas, to me, 'managing' or ' balancing' sounds more measured and controlled.

I know that it's just words but so often our words determine out mental and emotional state.  By just saying "I can't do this", "I can't wait till this is over"or "this is unbearable" we put more stress on ourselves, our anxiety levels rise and stress hormones course through our bodies with negative effects on our health and well-being.  It may be that we sometimes take on more than we should so it doesn't hurt to re-evaluate our load sometimes and see if we are doing things that we shouldn't be or that someone else in the family could be helping with.  Make sure your burden is YOUR burden and not someone else's you have taken up.  If that's all good then Jesus gave some sound advice in Matthew 6:34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today." Concentrate on today's stuff.

One day at a time; sometimes one hour at a time. is the best way to do life when things seem to be overwhelming.  If we get caught up in the stress of the week on Monday we won't enjoy the moments
or look for moments.  Sometimes we don't even recognise our anxiety, but we need to because it will only do us harm.  Take Jesus into your moments and allow him to manage them with you.  He has promised us strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.

Lord Jesus, forgive me for allowing my burdens and schedule to pull me down into a 'barely coping' mentality.  Help me to look for moments to enjoy, blessings you give, beauty to see and most of all help me to allow you to guide me and give me wisdom about how to do life. Amen

Direction

A man's heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

Has there ever been a time when you thought you had things all figured out, 'all your ducks in a row', everything planned out perfectly then suddenly everything changed?  Life was going along so well then someone got sick or died just as your long-planned holiday was underway, or perhaps you lost your job or were transferred to another town.  It was like your plans had been picked up and thrown to the wind and you thought "Why is this happening God?"

I have been reading through the book of Samuel which tells the story of King Saul's disobedience to God and God's rejection of him as king.  Samuel, the prophet had been directed to anoint David as the future king of Israel but the waiting time was a time of great testing as Saul became jealous of David and tried to kill him many times.  David's heart was tested greatly.  He had at least 2 opportunities to kill Saul and take the throne but he determined to allow God to order the timing of his kingship even though the wait was long and hard. The story makes very interesting reading.

During the time of keeping his distance from King Saul David lived for some years in Ziklag amongst the Philistines, who enemies of Saul, and would sometimes go to battle with them.  On one particular day the princes of the Philistines complained to their leader and objected to David joining them in battle. David complained, but was overruled and I'm sure he wondered why.  As it turned out there were 2 good reasons why this happened.  One was that when David and his men returned to their city they found that it had been attacked by the Amalekites and everything and everyone had been taken captive.  Because they were there soon after this happened they were able to pursue the raiders and recover their families and their goods.  The other very good reason for them not to be on the battlefield that day was that it was in this battle that Saul and his sons were killed.  David could not be accused of having any part in it because he wasn't there. (1 Samuel 29 & 30).

We may not always know why things don't go the way we plan but God will always have a very good reason why it doesn't.  We have probably all heard stories of people who should have been on a plane that crashed, or some who had been delayed on their way to work in the twin towers in New York on the day they were attacked but something had prevented them from being there which may have been frustrating as it was happening. If your plans go awry, see if you can take a moment to say a prayer of thanks that God is guiding and ordering your steps; he will have a good reason to have changed what you had planned.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father please help me to willingly submit my plans to you and trust you to order my steps.  Amen

Freedom

...and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

Are you a 'rule keeper'?  I guess I have grown up that way; I was expected to keep the rules and I was a compliant child.  Not because I wanted to be for the most part.  I envied friends who didn't mind taking a risk and getting into trouble.  I was always afraid of the consequences of making a mistake. But let me be clear straight up, I am not saying for a moment that we shouldn't keep the laws of the land because we should (Romans 13:1-3 NLT).  They are mainly there to protect us.  But there were rules, particularly religious ones, that Jesus obviously had a problem with.

When the disciples were asked if Jesus was avoiding paying temple tax Peter came and asked him if it was true.  Jesus used it as a teaching tool for Peter then told him to go fish and the money to pay taxes for each of them would be in the first fish's mouth. (Matthew 17:24-27).  The religious rules that Jesus had a problem with were because they had become so many as religious leaders had added more and more rules over the years, rules that had become a hindrance to the grace and freedom that God wanted for His people.  Dare I tell you that God is a religious rule breaker? Let me show you.

When Jesus, (God with us) was hungry on the sabbath he plucked grain and ate it as he walked through the fields.  By doing this he broke a religious rule.  You were not to work on the sabbath, and picking grain was considered work! He healed the sick on the sabbath and got into trouble, not just once. He tipped over the money changer's tables in the temple.  I'm sure that was against the rules and he rebuked the religious leaders publicly for their hypocrisy.  I'm sure that didn't go down well.

The best thing that struck me in my reading today in Mark 5:25-34  was that Jesus healed a woman who was blatantly breaking the religious rules.  In fact it was one of God's rules (Lev 15:19).  This woman was desperate; she had been haemorrhaging for years, had spent all her money on doctors and was no better.  Jesus was her last hope but she wasn't supposed to be in public with her 'problem'.  She broke the rules and was healed.  Jesus did not specifically pray for her healing, she was healed as she reached out and touched his garment in desperate faith. She was not the only rule breaker that immediately comes to mind.  There were also ten lepers who were supposed to keep themselves separate from people.  Jesus didn't rebuke them for coming near, he healed them.

You see Christianity is about freedom and grace.  If you find yourself bound up by rules and regulations you are not free to live and make your own authentic choices - even if you don't always get it right.  If you fear making a mistake you don't understand the love and grace of God. Just look at Peter (Luke 22:61 & Mark 16:7).  Jesus said that when we know the truth (about God's love and grace) we shall be set free.

God is nothing about control but all about allowing us the freedom to choose. He warns us there are choices that will bring life and choices which lead to death.  (Deuteronomy 30:19). Much as he would like us to make choices that lead to life, he gives us the freedom to choose.

Prayer: Thank you loving God that you have given me the freedom to make choices in my life.  Help me to make choices that bring life, joy and freedom, and please give me a clear nudge when I begin to become rule-oriented. Amen

Gifts - 3

Then the people rejoiced, for they had offered willingly, because with a loyal heart they had offered willingly to the LORD; and King David also rejoiced greatly. 1 Chronicles 29:9

In the past two Daydrops we have looked a little at the gifts that we have been given for the building up of the body of Christ, but I felt this time to look at a different angle;  another way we give into God's work.  My question is 'How much is enough?'

Jesus was a frequent visitor to the temple; teaching, challenging, observing.  Little escaped his attention.  I am inclined to think that he sometimes 'flew under the radar' as he sat with his close circle of followers.  The temple was a busy place with many comings and goings.  Recently my attention was caught afresh by a familiar story. Jesus was sitting near the treasury and visitors to the temple were putting their gifts into this box which would help with the upkeep and the work of the temple, rich and poor alike.

It was not those that were generous with their big gifts that he chose to make an everlasting example of.  The gift that caught Jesus' attention that day was that of a little lady, completely oblivious to the attention her donation was getting.  The sound of her two tiny coins (mites), falling in the box had a different sound to all the heavy coins that were more prevalent that day.  Did she feel ashamed that she could give such a small amount?  Perhaps she did, but Jesus commended her above all the others because they had given out of their abundance but she had given her last two coins.  Trusting that God would take care of her, she withheld nothing.

The work of the church costs.  It costs to pay our pastors and leaders and those who assist in administration.  We need money to feed the poor, help the needy, support our missionaries, run training, print literature and so on.  Churches can't run on fresh air.  That is why we are to give joyfully, not out of compulsion (2 Corinthians 9:7), recognising that all things comes from God and it is only of his own that we are giving back to him as David said. (1 Chronicles 29:14)

If we can give much then let us do it humbly and give God thanks and praise, but if we can only give a little it can be much more in the sight of God so we should also give gladly and not be ashamed. he will by no means despise the little.  Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust destroy and thieves do not break in and steal. (Matthew 6:20).

Prayer:  Heavenly Father thank you for your faithful provision of all that I need.  Help me to hold loosely the money you give and to be a joyful and generous giver, always thanking you for what I am able to give, whether much or little.  Amen