Changed

This same Good News.......is bearing fruit everywhere by changing lives, just as it changed your lives from the day you first heard and understood the truth about God's wonderful grace.  Colossians 1:6

There is a great market in today's world for motivational speakers; people who are gifted in speech and have the ability to inspire and motivate people to change their lives in significant ways.  To attend one of their conferences usually costs hundreds of dollars for just a day or two of teaching. When people leave those meetings they are armed with a manual that will guide them into making the changes they want in their lives and businesses, but their motivator is gone, moving onto his next meetings.

Believers have a manual for changing lives and it's called the Bible; Paul refers to it as the Good News, and good news it certainly is.  It is the word of God's wonderful grace and it has the power to change our life as we read and digest what it says, so long as we make the appropriate changes in our lives.  However, there is a great difference between the motivator's manual and the Bible.  The Bible is the word of the One who created us, the One who knows how we are wired for life.  Not only that, our manual comes with the best Motivator in the world, the Holy Spirit.  He stays, he never moves onto another meeting.  He's around to guide, teach and encourage us every step of the way.

Colossians 1:6 speaks of hearing and understanding the truth.  Sometimes we don't fully grasp with understanding all that we have when we come to Christ.  The great gift of grace is available freely but often we think that we have to go home and do it all ourselves.  We forget to call on the grace of God which is available for all our needs.  It is the grace of God which changes us, not our own trying.  We don't need to 'get it all together'.  The best thing we can learn is to daily come to God's throne of grace where we can find gace and mercy for every need. Let's do life with His help, it takes all the stress away as we lean into Him and stop trying to 'go it alone'.  He loves us to be dependant on Him.

Prayer:  Heavenly Father, thank you for your mercy and grace and thank you for the Holy Spirit who guides me into all truth and understanding.  Help me to lean more on Him and rely less on my own ability to change.  Amen

Process

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, "This is the way you should go," whether to the right or to the left. Isiaiah 30:21

I often quote a phrase that I saw on a T shirt many years ago. It said, "Be patient with me, God isn't finished with me yet.". How true that is. But as we request patience of others towards our imperfections, faults and failings, we also need to extend the same grace towards others.

Recently I was thinking about the process my friend was going through to find a property to buy. She was not even sure where she wanted to live but was in the process and we had looked in various areas but had not found 'her place'. I was thanking God for the process because when we live in faith, we know for sure that God will show her the right place at the perfect time. In the meantime, our part is to learn to enjoy the journey. Sometimes that can be hard.

The process of becoming like Jesus is one for which we need much patience. So often we feel like we let Him and ourselves down along the way, but if we will just look into the word we can find many imperfect, 'in process' people:  God still used them. The time in process is not wasted. As we look back, we call it 'experience' and God uses our experiences along the way. Paul even managed to say that he took pleasure in infirmities, reproaches and persecutions and distress because through them he exchanged his weakness for Christ's strength. (2 Corinthians 12:10).

Out of our experience we can help others to find meaning in their difficulties; they can draw comfort from our stories of God's faithfulness. Our challenges are not meant to discourage or destroy us, they are meant to develop our character, grace and obedience. The word tells us that even Jesus learned obedience through the things that he suffered. (Hebrews 5:8) Embrace the process and be thankful for it. Something's happening!

Update:  My friend has chosen her new home and will soon move in...... the best part is that it is 5 minutes walk from my home!

Prayer:  Faithful Father, thank you that even in the difficulties, when I am impatient to be through them, you are doing something in me.  Help me to enjoy the process.  Amen

Friendship

After David had finished talking with Saul, he met Jonathan, the king’s son. There was an immediate bond between them..... 1 Samuel 18:1

Have you ever thought about your friends and recognized that some of your friendships may be truly God- ordained for his greater purpose? That is what struck me as I read these verses about David and Jonathan. This was a totally God-ordained friendship, absolutely designed for the greater purposes of God.

When you read further into the story of David & Jonathan's friendship it becomes more obvious that God had planned this with the future in mind. I wondered even if Jonathan, the son of King Saul and therefore natural heir to the throne, knew that he would not become king, for later in this chapter we read of Jonathan making a solemn pact of friendship with David by giving him his robe, tunic, sword, belt and bow. This was an unusual act. It was like Jonathan was symbolically giving up his position to David who was God's chosen replacement for disobedient Saul.

 Jonathan’s friendship saved David’s life when Saul wanted to kill him. It cost him his father’s anger when he covered for David and later warned him of the danger of returning to the palace (1 Sam 19). His friendship made way for David to move into his destiny. David’s friendship for David caused him to continue to honour the king and refuse to usurp his authority. He later honoured Jonathan by caring for his son Mephibosheth (2 Sam 9:6) who had only been 5 years old when his father died in battle. Mephibosheth had a place at King David’s table for the rest of his life.

Jesus said there was no greater love than laying down one's life for his friend. (John 15:13) Jesus, our greatest friend, proved his love for us when he died for us on the cross. To be a true friend costs us sometimes. One of the acts of love that we can do for our friends is to pray for them. Another is to forgive them when they hurt us. To sacrifice time when they need help. My mother used to say "A friend (when you're) in need, is a friend indeed."

Friendships will always go through ups and downs but there is nothing quite as good as an 'old' friend. They are the ones who have stood with us over the years and so know us at our best and at our worst. Friends are God's gift to us so let us value them accordingly. They have come into our lives for a reason.

Prayer: Father God, thank you for my friends, both old and new. Help me to love them and value them for the treasure they are. Make me a blessing in their lives, a true and faithful friend. Amen

Focus

.....greet no one along the way. Luke 10:4

These days I am finding that I need to be more and more mindful and intentional about tasks that I do. Speaking to friends of similar 'vintage', I am encouraged to find that I am not alone in this;it is too easy to get distracted along the way. Example: yesterday I put my porridge on to cook, (it only takes 5 minutes), then I went off and started cleaning the bathroom before my Bible study ladies arrived. Aagh! Suddenly, as I was about to move to yet another task, I remembered my porridge....just in the nick of time.

As I read Luke 10 today I was interested that when Jesus sent out the disciples in pairs to minister, he told them not to greet anyone along the way. I would have thought that they may have met 'the harvest' along the way!  Instead, he sent them to towns. They were not to stop and get distracted along the way. I also noticed that when Elisha's servant Gehazi, was sent to minister life to the widow's son, he also was told not to greet anyone along the way. In fact he was told not even to answer anyone who greeted him along the way.

When God assigns a task to us, he also gives us an anointing for the task.....his power and ability to carry it out. (We are never meant to operate in our own strength doing his work.) If we get distracted along the way, we may lose our focus. We can even get talked out of completing  our task, or at the very least, our distraction will certainly delaying it. The enemy will always plant 'good ideas' into our minds, or even put 'urgent needs' in front of us to distract us from our assignment. If we allow the distractions we may miss 'the moment', God's time.

The secret is to stay with what God has given us to do until the task is done. He has others assigned to meet other needs. Let's not rob them of their chance to serve by thinking we have to meet every need that comes before us.

Prayer: Father God, please help me to listen for my tasks today and do them without distraction. Help me to recognize distractions when they come and to resist the urge to 'greet them along the way'. Amen

Good Looks

But you  (are to) run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11

Recently two of these birds alighted on our balcony rail.  They make quite a picture, in fact they look great, so why did I rush out and shoo them away?  Because they can be very destructive birds.  In fact they chewed at a beam on a new house in our area and made a real mess.  They are not welcome guests at our house.  Something else about these birds is that they really make quite a raucous noise around the place.  There is never any doubt when a cockatoo is around, they shout to the world, "I'm here, I'm here!"  However, they can be fascinating.  It's quite possible that you've seen one in a zoo or aviary, you may even have asked it "Polly want a cracker?"  for the fun of hearing it mimic you.

This did set me thinking though, reminding me that just because something looks good doesn't mean that it is. The Bible tells us that the devil appears as an angel of light,i.e. beautiful (2 Corinthians 11:14).  Things are not necessarily what they appear to be. We can get onto something that seems like a good idea, yet it could be destructive.  The word tells us that "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is death" (Prov 14:12 & 16:25).  We only have to look around our world or watch the news to see the truth of those verses.

Having a good working understanding of the Bible will help keep us safe from harm.   If we can submit things we are not sure about to a trusted friend or a pastor, for a second opinion.  It is wise to check things out. (Prov 11:14) 

We have to flee from or shoo away things that will be destructive in our lives.  These can be habits, behaviour, thoughts and even relationships.  If we are plagued with thoughts of worthlessness and defeatist attitudes, we know that is not from God.  Find scripture verses that will speak of God's love for you, words that tell you how precious you are to Him.  If fear fills you and paralyses you, you can be sure that fear is from the enemy.  Fill yourself with God's words of love, draw near to him and bask in His loving presence.  Perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). The word of God builds our faith and dispels fear.   Sometimes relationships are not helpful.  If we are walking with someone who constantly tries to encourage us in ungodly attitudes or behaviour, we had better find a way of ending that relationship if we are not making good choices when we are around that person.

We are to flee from all that would lead us into sin, and to pursue godliness in every area of our life.  Why?  Because ungodly thoughts, attitudes and behaviour will prevent the blessing of God from invading our lives.  Always remember two things - 1. God will always love us, no matter what we do, AND 2. His grace is always available to help us change our ways.

Prayer: Father thank you for the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth.  Help me to listen to your word and follow your ways and not be seduced by things that look good.  Amen

Hidden Hurt

A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit.   Proverbs 15:13 (NIV)

As I read this verse today it caused me to think twice.  Yes, a happy heart certainly makes the face cheerful but often a cheerful exterior can hide a mountain of pain.  Just like this pretty window, one never knows just what goes on behind that glass. Underneath a cheerful exterior, heartache can be crushing the life out of a person's spirit and crippling them emotionally.

I have known, and probably still know, people who seem wonderfully happy, kind and caring people, yet their cheerfulness hides great anguish.  Sometimes it is possible to even hide our hurt from ourselves.  In fact part of the mind's coping mechanism for deep trauma is to blot out the memory of hurts when they are too painful to deal with. 

The thing with such hurt though is that at some time or another, it will come to the surface in some way.  It may be triggered by another traumatic incident, it could manifest as deep and unreasonable anger or, if that anger is stifled, it can turn into depression. It can also result in bitterness which prevents us from having healthy relationships.  Heartache is destructive; it crushes the spirit if it is not dealt with.

I was listening to a man on the radio telling his story of a terrible childhood with a mentally ill mother who rejected him and treated him so badly that he ran away and lived a very reckless life.  He was the life and soul of the party and he took great risks which made him a hero to his peers, but all the time his pain was lurking, ready to do him harm, and one day, in the midst of a normal and happy life many years later, he lapsed into a 12 year period of depression.  Obviously he has now dealt with his pain through counselling and learning to forgive the mother who greatly hurt him, and he now, thanks to God, he leads a happy and mentally healthy life.  But his story could have ended so differently.

If you have issues with past hurt, don't be afraid to bring them to the light and allow God to bring healing to you.  Talk first to Him about them and allow Him to lead you down a path of healing that will release you from all that can crush and even destroy your spirit.  If you know others who need God's healing love, encourage them, pray for them and support them, through prayer, back to wholeness.  God is able to use every experience of life, even if it is a negative one, to teach us and enrich our life.  Let your smile be genuine and your spirit strong so that the enemy has nothing hidden with which to do you harm.

Prayer:  God of love and comfort, help me to allow any past hurts to rise to the surface and be healed so that my spirit is strong and whole and my life free of hidden pain.  Amen

Winter

You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.  Psalm 74:17

Recently I was in the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges out of Melbourne in the southern part of Australia for a training weekend. I took this picture of the winter garden with trees bare of leaves allowing glimpses of the mountains which would be unseen during the summer. Where we live we have eucalypt trees, commonly referred to as gum trees. These trees are never without leaves unless they are dead. Instead they constantly shed their leaves all year round, making a lot of sweeping necessary around our house.

Winter is an appointed season in nature and it's a time of rest and renewal for flora and even some fauna in really cold climates. Animals actually sleep through the bitter, frozen months till spring arrives. In our walk with Jesus we can and do experience seasons of the soul and spirit. It is not spring or summer all the time. When winter comes we have to learn how to deal with it.

Winter's cool can come to our soul and spirit for a number of reasons.  We can experience the cold of winter if we constantly walk in disobedience to God's revealed will for us.  He allows us to feel the cool to make us long for the warmth of his presence again. When we repent and get back into obedience, we can begin to experience God's warmth again. Acts 3:19 says "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Notice where the refreshing comes from...... the presence of the Lord.  We need and must spend time in the presence of God.

Winter can come when we become unbelieving, fearful and discouraged.  When we find ourselves in such a place we need to get into God's word and determine to speak faith and believe God's promises and most of all His goodness and His desire to bless us.  Once again, a time for repentance which means to turn away from your fear, unbelief and discouragement and encourage yourself in the Lord as David did (1 Samuel 30:6).

Winter can also come as a gift from the Lord after a time of intense ministry. It is then a time when we get to rest from our labours and regain our strength and vigour for the next phase of our life.  We may feel like we've been 'put out to pasture' or passed over but we must resist such thinking and trust God through this time when we feel like nothing is happening in our lives.  We must resist the urge to 'light our own fire' (Isaiah 50:11).  Allow God to prune us, to rest us and then enjoy the spring when it comes.  Just keep in faithful fellowship with Him trusting that in His appointed time you will once again bear fruit for the Kingdom.

Going back to my first comments about the winter garden, the view can be further afield from a winter garden with all the leaves gone.  It can be the same for us.  When the 'leaves' of our works fall away for a time and we rest, we have opportunity to view new vistas with God and grow in our knowledge and faith in Him.  Enjoy!

Prayer:  Father of all creation, thank you for the seasons in nature and the seasons of the soul.  Help me to recognise when winter comes to my soul and to deal with it accordingly, always trusting in your desire to bless and refresh me.  Amen