Now is the time…… To Ask

If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

Recently our daughter Cathy arrived at our place for a “Dad please fix” visit. Col, always the willing handyman, confronted the problem – the catch on her car boot (trunk), would no longer lock. The problem had occurred the day before when she had inadvertently jammed a metal ring on her handbag into the boot fastener.

We made lunch while Col worked on the problem but we were finished and he was still not done so we joined him in the autumn sun and stood by to ‘help’. He had taken the catch off and it worked perfectly but when he put it back on it didn’t. There seemed to be no reason for it not to work. Frustrating, especially when we were ready to eat!

Some years ago, the Lord had told me that I was not just to pray about the ‘big’ things, but that he was interested in the small things and that he wanted me to bring everything to him. As a result I bring him in on everything. This problem certainly needed more wisdom than we had, obviously. Silently I prayed, “Lord give us wisdom to see where the problem lies.”

Suddenly I noticed that the whole panel of the boot lid where the catch was attached seemed to have been pushed up which meant that the catch was sitting too high to work properly. Sure enough when I pointed it out Col agreed and so was soon able to fix the problem and we could then sit on the deck and enjoy our lunch and some family time together, thank you Lord.

God doesn’t mind helping us out with wisdom when we need it. In fact this verse in James 1 tells us that he gives it liberally, generously and doesn’t say, “What did you ask me that for?” He cares about even the smallest detail in your life. He wants to be your Abba Father, your Daddy, the one who helps to fix problems. But, he waits to be asked.

How many hours have you wasted trying to struggle with something, a lost item, a computer problem, a challenge at work that feels a bit beyond you? If you would only bring it to your Daddy he will generously give you the wisdom to solve the problem.

I was speaking to an elderly lady this past week who told me that she is often misplacing things, but instead of getting frustrated she asks the Lord where to find it and he answers her every time. There is a wise woman. Take a lesson, don’t struggle on, take a moment to ask for help from the one who is all wise and ever willing to help.

Prayer: Dear Father, forgive me for trying to struggle on with things that frustrate me and waste my time. Please remind me that I can come to you with my request at any time, and like a good father, you are only too happy to help. Amen

Now is the time... To Look Around & See

Lift up your eyes, look around and see…. Isaiah 39:18

I had a visitor again today… probably because I threw him a tidbit of ham yesterday, and he figures he’s onto a good thing. I smiled as I looked out of the kitchen window and saw the Kookaburra sitting on the railing of the deck. It’s usually Colin with the soft heart who’s wanting to feed the kookas and me saying “no, they have to be wild birds and feed themselves”. I weakened and threw him a couple of scraps which he quickly pounced on with my admonition ringing in his birdy ears, “Now this is extra, you go hunt your own food.”

Finishing up in the kitchen I took my magazine and coffee and sat at the table on the deck in the afternoon sun. Soon Mr Kooka joined me again. He sat on the railing for a while then suddenly flew down to the ground. Our garden is a bush garden with a lot of woodchip mulch covering all the ground around the native shrubs. There is no bare earth to be seen. He poked his long sharp beak in through the chips and brought his head up, cocking it sideways to look into the small hole he’d dug. He waited a moment then dug again and flew back onto the railing. In his mouth was a large curly grub. It was as if he was proving to me that he still knew how to fend for himself!

The thing that baffles me is that I see this happen over and over again and I don’t have any idea how the kookaburra can detect movement of a grub underground yet come up with one every time. These birds sit on the fencepost, railing, or limb of a tree seeming to be just relaxing and enjoying the day but they are really on the lookout all the time. I think there’s a lesson for us here. The Bible tells us to be watchful for our enemy who is out to destroy us (1 Peter 5:8), but I think there is another kind of watchfulness we need to have too. We need to look around and see what God is doing and be ready to respond. We need to train our eyes to ‘see’ what cannot be seen to the eye. It’s hard to describe but it comes by revelation of the Holy Spirit at work within us as we tune into God.

It may be in the form of subtle changes you observe in someone or some situation you have been praying about. It may be practical help that you sense someone needing, or it may be a kind or encouraging word you feel led to speak to someone who looks despondent. God is always at work around us but often we miss it because we are not tuned in to his ‘radar’.

Let’s determine to be more watchful for opportunities to get in on what God is doing and do our part in working with him to accomplish his purposes in our world.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, help me to lift up my eyes from the busyness of life’s tasks and look around me to see what you are doing in my part of your world. Help me to be ready to serve you when I see opportunities arise. Amen

Now is the time ..... To Stand Firm

Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13

My neighbour and I were meeting to pray for the persecuted church and watch some DVDs of those dear saints who suffer so much at the hands of family and fanatics, who think they are doing God a favour by oppressing Christian believers. As I watched some of the scenes of cruelty and destruction it suddenly struck me afresh, the hatred that Satan has for Jesus and for all those who follow him.

These other religions seem to have one thing in common…………they themselves are not persecuted. And why would that be? Because they are false faiths instigated by man at the behest of Satan for his own purposes. He is a user of people, and look how he uses them. It is only he who could deceive people into such hatred that they would throw away their own lives in order to destroy others. Satan doesn’t care who he destroys along the way, so long as they do his work.

Satan’s destruction is not confined to persecuting believers. Remember that Jesus referred to him as ‘the prince of this world’ (John 12:31, 14:30). Satan surely is the ruler of this world, Adam and Eve ceded power to him when they sinned. All who are not believers in Jesus Christ, are living under Satan’s rule, and are controlled by him; his servants to do his bidding. Romans 6:16 says this, ” Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” We need to remember this truth as we look at our world. So much happens that breaks out hearts and many say, “How could God let this happen?” God has to let things happen because the world is Satan’s playground – but only for a time. Jesus referred to him as “the thief who comes only to rob, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). To combat that he taught us to pray, “your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Have you let the full impact of those words touch you. Do you realise that we can pray that heaven will invade earth and it happens through us as we yield to God’s purposes and pray his will.

The kingdom of God is a kingdom of love, Satan’s kingdom is a kingdom of hatred and destruction ……… it’s manifested in all it’s ugliness in the persecution of the kingdom of love. It’s manifested in the breakup of families, the violence on our streets and the self-centredness of the majority of the population. Our prayers can change things, one person at a time.

The verse that follows our key verse today says “Let all that you do be done with love.” 1 Corinthians 16:14.

Prayer: God of love and light, may your will be done on this earth, in my community, my suburb and my city, as it is in heaven. Amen

Now is the time.... To Press On

Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next. 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

Some of the least favourite times of my week are when I have to workout on the bike and weights for 20 minutes. I am fortunate that I only have to go to my garage to do this so it’s not even inconvenient; I can do it any time of the day or evening. I usually only workout every other day, but do you have any idea how difficult it is to put that time aside and do something good for my body!

I would rather clean in the kitchen, prune in the garden, or hang washing…… even wash windows if it meant I could put off the workout moment. Yet this is something I know that I need to do, because my body will benefit. As I do it I always thank God for a healthy body that is able to do physical exercise. Many would love that privilege.

Once I make it to the machine and get pedaling I find that 5 minutes into the regime I always think that today I won’t be able to hang in there for 20 minutes but I soon start adding the weights which involves counting the repetitions so my mind is busy and the time passes more quickly. The longer on the machine, the easier it becomes and soon I am into the last couple of minutes cool down where I can enjoy the ‘ride’ at a slower pace. One thing I find is that I need to exercise in the morning or I never get around to it. The other is that I always feel really good when I’ve disciplined myself to do it.

Today I got to thinking that the Christian life can be very much like a physical workout. If we don’t make time for God early in our day it’s very easy to fill the day with other things; things that are good and necessary in our busy lives, but things that have no lasting benefit.
The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that physical exercise did indeed have value but spiritual exercise brings a greater reward because it also has eternal value.

Yes, we live in a physical world here but as we come to Christ we have another life. Our spiritual (eternal) life is begun and our spirit man needs to be fed and ‘exercised’. That’s where our time with God, communicating into that spirit realm, and reading God’s word which teaches us about eternal values and promises hope for a future after life on this earth is done.

Sometimes it is difficult to press into God when we can’t feel him and we feel dry and stale in our spirit, but that is the time we need the refreshing which comes from time spent in his presence allowing his love to reassure us of our value to him.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to remember that my spirit receives refreshing as I spend time in your presence. Help me to press on even when it feels difficult so that I can feel the benefit later. Amen