Posted by: Jo | August 8, 2014

Trademarks

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)

image My eye caught a clever advertisement as I was skimming through the newspaper the other day, it was a Dental Ad which featured a photo of a man with a big smile but what was very obvious to the reader, he was missing a tooth. The caption read;

 

You should stand out for the right reason

This started me thinking about what it is about people that stands out for others. We could call it “trademarks of others”. When I was a child we saw lots of photos of Winston Churchill in the news as the war was raging at the time and in several pictures he was either smoking or holding a cigar in his hand. The cigar is what I remember; his trademark so to speak. I began to think of how others stood out for me. The uncle who had that loud hearty laugh, the gentle smile of an aunty, the crazy hats of another. When I checked the dictionary, this is what I found;

Trademark – a distinctive characteristic associated with a person or a group of people

Of course the business world knows how important trademarks are. They are often the visual attention getter for whatever is being sold and consequently they are placed in strategic places for the public to see, so logos are emblazoned on runners T-shirts, arm bands of golfers, hats of bike riders. The company wants its trademark to signify excellence, to stand out as reliable trustworthy, implying that the customer also will stand out if they buy / wear / use their product.

As I was pursuing this thought, I wondered how the world would classify the trademark of a Christian. Fortunately we who love the Lord have been told by Jesus himself what will be our distinguishing mark.

LOVE

image When others see how love defines how we behave, they will associate that love with the one who prompts our loving actions.

“A new command I give you; Love one another, As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34 – 35)

So what is the definition of that distinguishing trademark. Fortunately again Scripture gives a very clear picture of what that looks like. We find it in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7. The list is an important one to read regularly so we keep that trade mark in full view of all we come across in our daily life.

“4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Corinthians 13:4 – 7)

This beautiful song sums up what will truly be the outstanding trademark for all the world to see

They Will Know We are Christians By Our Love

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

We are one in the Spirit

We are one in the Lord

And we pray that all unity may one day be restored

And they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes they’ll know we are Christians by our love

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Posted by: Jo | August 1, 2014

Preparing

“A voice of one calling in the desert, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Matthew 3:3)

image Our family is very much into preparing this week. We are eagerly awaiting relatives from Australia to visit and expectations of joyous times together are running high. To ensure that everything will be perfect from just the right food / to who is going to host family parties/ where will we take our guests etc. is very much a part of all our thoughts, as all family members want our loved ones to enjoy every moment of their stay, and of course we are also anticipating enjoying them! Eating together is always a wonderful way of fellowshipping with those we love and as I was yet again going over a menu that I had planned to give during the visit I was reminded of how often in Scripture we find verses where the Lord is describing how much he loves us by painting a beautiful picture of dining with him and how eagerly he awaits our visits.

“On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines.” (Isaiah 25:6)

And again David marvels in the fact that the Lord prepares to dine with him even though foes may be around;

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” (Psalm 23:5)

He is willing to spend lots of time in preparing the very best for those who love him and whom he loves. He also expects the invited to this sumptuous feast to do some preparing so they also will enjoy the image beautiful time of fellowship, just as our guests had to do quite a bit of preparing to come to see us. They had to make the conscious effort to be available to make the journey. Time had to be set aside/ air plane tickets had to be purchased/ setting up just the right time to visit. It would have been foolish to just think about being with us; steps had to be taken to ensure it happened. I think this was the message that John the Baptist was bringing to the people when he was announcing the wonderful arrival of the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ

“…Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” (Mathew 3:3)

Even guests invited to any dinner party must prepare in some way to accept the hospitality. As I was reading the other day a card fell out from my book. It stated that if I brought this card to a local coffee shop I could have a free coffee. I had neglected to do so and now as I examined the card I found it had expired. I had not been prepared to make the effort to take the card to the shop. I had missed out!!

Jesus tells a very graphic picture of missing out in the parable of the king who prepares a beautiful banquet (Matthew 22:1- 14) and those invited are not prepared to give up other image pursuits to attend. How sad for them and how sad for the king.

Accepting the Lord’s beautiful offer of fellowship with him is so easy, all that is needed to prepare is a willing heart and the ultimate result will be this;

“…’Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’…” (Revelation 19:9)

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Posted by: Jo | July 25, 2014

Small Things

“Who despises the day of small things?” (Zechariah 4:10)

image Just recently a friend gave us a fascinating, challenging and yet a most rewarding book by Ann Voskamp, entitled “One Thousand Gifts” The theme was a most unusual one. The author had challenged herself to record a thousand small gifts she noted in her everyday life that had been sent by the Heavenly Father and to react to those gifts with gratitude, which she found became a wonderful way of changing any darkness of despair, whatever form it takes, to the joy of thanksgiving. At first I was surprised by what she noted e.g. the smell of warm cookies, or this strange one, rainbow colours in the soap bubbles while washing up, but as I began to follow her beautiful reasoning I realised that a day steeped in gratitude and recognising the Lord in the small things, certainly reduced the large difficult challenges of living.

Psychologists will agree that thoughts have a very powerful effect on our attitude to our everyday living and when we allow negative thoughts to remain in our minds it has a profound effect on our speech/ actions/ general demeanor, but the good news is that the opposite is also true. Allowing our minds to be filled with good thoughts and feelings of gratitude dispels anxiety/ fear/depression.

Paul was way ahead of any psychologists when he wrote to the Philippians these wise words;

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, – if anything is excellent or praise worthy- think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

image Most of us lead fairly ordinary lives and sometimes it is easy to feel we don’t experience outstanding miracles happening like those we read about in other’s lives and we wonder if we are really in touch with the Lord. What I liked about Ann Voskamp’s book, was the emphasis on how God wants all his children to feel his presence through the small gifts he is always surrounding us with, but often go unnoticed, unless we consciously look for them. I decided to try to put into practice what she was advocating. The next time I was out walking I tried to remember Paul’s words and to control my thinking as he had advised us to do and as I passed a toddler riding in a stroller I gave him a little wave and he rewarded me with a smile that spread right across his face. I suddenly realised God had sent me a little gift with that smile. I surprised myself by finding lots of little gifts; a new bud on a plant on my balcony/ a hug from a friend I hadn’t seen for a while/ a lovely complement from one of the family. When we actively decide to choose to think of what is praise worthy we are showered with the best gift of all. God promises to be with us and surrounds us with his peace.

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:9)

image It becomes a delightful activity for each day to look for the special gifts the Lord has sent specially for you, it just takes a little searching, but the rewards of doing so are astounding in their power to dispel any gloom or darkness and to bring light and joy in their place.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me.” (Proverbs 8:17)

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Posted by: Jo | July 18, 2014

Well Done!

“His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness.”” (Matthew 25:21)

image June, in North America, is the month of celebrating graduates and this year our family was blessed with three graduating granddaughters. As we had several family gatherings, one particular phrase was often heard, “WELL DONE”. It was said with sincerity in acknowledgment of the hard work each had applied and recognizing the effort it took to achieve their goals. Basking in this love and praise was one of the wonderful results of faithfully staying on course and not losing heart or straying from the real purpose. When I was a girl, every school had a school motto, usually in Latin and ours, translated meant, “If it is worth doing, do it well”.

Jesus was talking about doing things well when he uses the phrase, “well done “in the parable of, The Tenants, in Matthew 25:14 – 30, and it is a wonderful message for all of us who love the Lord, to absorb into our own lives. The parable which is about the kingdom of heaven, begins with a master leaving and entrusting his property to his servants.

“Again it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them.” (Matthew 25:14)

What an awesome thought to grasp as we realise this story Jesus is telling is about us. He has entrusted the good news of his kingdom to us and has given us all we need to accomplish what he has designed us to do. imageThe sad part of this story lies in the fact that one servant did not realise the honour bestowed upon him by the master and fails to put every effort into increasing his master’s property.

When we realise that honour bestowed upon us we then have to stop and evaluate our walk with the Lord. When I think about evaluating, I think back to that school motto. If walking with the Lord is worth doing, let us do it well. As most students will tell you, all the effort they have expended is worth it all when that moment arrives of hearing loud and clear… Well Done!

Jesus tells us there are great rewards in following him;

“Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honour the one who serves me.” (John 12:26)

No earthly scholastic achievement could ever exceed the wonderful feeling of being the recipient of the honour award from Our Heavenly Father!

image The other great benefit of putting all our effort into serving the Lord is also found in that parable. When the master acknowledges the “few things” the servant has tried to do, he encourages to do more, “I will put you in charge of many things” and the ultimate joy will be; “Come and share your master’s happiness.” (Matthew 25:21)

So as we strive to make our walk a worthy one we too will hear that whisper.

“Well done, good and faithful servant!”

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Posted by: Jo | July 11, 2014

Getting To Know The Lord

“I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.” (Jeremiah 24:7)

image I was reading an article recently about how isolated we are becoming in this present generation where people are more attached to their smart phones than to “face to face” friends. I was surprised and dismayed to read that our city, Vancouver, BC was high on the list of the most unfriendly cities in Canada and the survey noted the number of people who admitted to not even knowing their neighbours, particularly those living in high rises, and how newcomers had great difficulty in making friends. Getting to know people was obviously not high on most people’s priority lists. While I was reading this, a song from that sweet movie “The King And I” popped into my head, it was called, “Getting To Know You!” The song was always a favourite of mine and its theme of deliberately setting out to learn all about new friends and to learn to like them and hope they would like you, was such a powerful message in breaking down barriers between people.

Getting to know people does always require effort on one’s part. It is very easy to know, “of” somebody, even to know their names, without really having any intimate knowledge of that person. imageOur Heavenly Father is very anxious that his relationship with us is a deep and meaningful one. He even tells us he has designed our hearts to want that relationship. (Jeremiah 24:7) He doesn’t want us to know of him or even just to know his name, he wants so much more than that. The first most important thing to know is that he made us, loves us and protects us

“Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.” (Psalm 100:3)

One of the verses in the song, Getting To Know You, uses these words:

Getting to know you

Getting to feel free and easy

When I am with you

Getting to know what to say.

When you have an intimate relationship with someone, one of the blessings is complete freedom of words between each other, and feelings can be honestly expressed. This only happens when both parties know each other deeply. Our Heavenly Father already knows us in this way, what he really desires for us is to know him so our friendship flourishes. How do we do this? Get to know him. We need to pursue our knowledge of him.

“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord, our Saviour, Jesus Christ…” (2 Peter 3:18)

imageDavid, was a man after God’s heart and he craved to know the Lord in a real and personal way. His prayer is a wonderful one for us to use in our next conversation as we get to know the Lord.

“Show me your ways O, Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour and my hope is in you all day long.” (Psalm 25:4)

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Posted by: Jo | July 4, 2014

The Lost Will Be Found

“I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak…” (Ezekiel 34:16)

imageLast week my husband and I were having lunch with two of our granddaughters, when the elder of the two, now a young lady, reminded me of a sweet story about her when she was a little girl. All our family love storytelling so of course I obliged by retelling this story. When she was a little girl, we owned a holiday cabin and she and her family spent lots of happy summers there and although it was a remote area, travelling on a very busy highway was part of the journey, and the story involves one particular drive back to the city. Our, then little granddaughter, was playing with a set of tiny zoo animals and lifted one for it to look out of the crack at the top of the window and it fell on to that busy highway. She was at first horrified that her father did not stop immediately to retrieve it, but then said confidently, “That is okay. I will ask Nana to find it when she next drives down.” You can imagine how confident I felt when that message was relayed to me!

We can have confidence though, in Our Heavenly Father, who specialises in finding the lost and pledges to not only find any that may have wandered from his care, but to restore them and build up their strength. (Ezekiel 34:16) His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, promises also to safeguard all those entrusted to his care.

“And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.” (John 6:39)

Being lost can take on all sorts of different meanings and doesn’t always mean lying on a busy road with cars streaming past like the little toy in my story, but a “lost” feeling can be equally terrifying. We can lose our self-confidence and feel lost, just like being on that highway, with life rushing past us and nobody noticing. We can feel abandoned and believe that nobody will find us and restore our self-esteem. We can lose heart in striving for our goals. We can lose face when we make mistakes. We can lose hope when circumstances overwhelm us. We can lose our faith in mankind when we are badly hurt by others and lose our own self-respect when we hurt others even when it was unintentional. Jesus knew of all these “losses” that can assail us and make us feel lost, and I am sure that is why he told the crowds that listened to him, and left behind for us to read the beautiful parable of The Lost Son. (Luke 15:11 – 32) He image wanted them and us to grasp the incredible love of the Father who wants none of his children to be lost. None of his children to feel abandoned. None of his children to go unnoticed. None of his children to feel unloved. In fact we are described by him as his “treasured possession”.

“They will be mine,” says the Lord Almighty, “In the day when I make up my treasured possession…” (Malachi 3:17)

No way will Our Heavenly Father allow us, his treasured possessions, to ever remain lost.

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Posted by: Jo | June 27, 2014

Love, Laughter and Tears

“A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.” (Proverbs 17:17)

image This week we had wind up meetings of the two Bible Study groups that meet in our home. The special times we have together throughout the year can hardly be described in the sterile term, “meeting”. When we get together the atmosphere first of all is filled with love, wrapped in laughter and sprinkled with tears. Years of sharing our lives with each other has changed our relationship from just friends to being loved ones. We are so comfortable with each other that laughter erupts frequently. We all know intimately, the joys and heartaches of every member. We know of the pain that hides behind brave smiles. We have shed tears together over loss of loved ones. We have also shed tears together as we come before the Lord and seek healing/ help for broken relationships/ asking the Lord for guidance for our children our grandchildren/ all the worries that seem to beset all of us. The one overriding factor that keeps us all together in such a powerful way, is our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the reason we are able to love one another in this way. He binds us together. He is the best friend we will ever have and this is how he thinks of us; his friends

Jesus invites us into a personal walk with him when he calls us “friend” He welcomes us into an intimate relationship where we can share love, laughter and tears with him.

“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:14)

imageThis relationship is the safest we will ever embark upon. There is no need to be careful not to offend. No need to pretend that we are somebody different. No need to apologize for who we are/ our background/ our status in the community etc., but with complete confidence we can relax in the knowledge that when we accept Jesus’ offer of friendship, this is one friendship that will last forever.

What we can also expect to happen, and we have seen this in our groups, is that when we take seriously our friendship with Jesus, our own walk with others becomes so much easier. There is a softening in our approach to those who become our friends. We are less judgmental. We become more forgiving. We are more compassionate when friends confess their failures, we are more ready to weep with those who are drowning in sorrow.

“A time to weep and a time laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” (Ecclesiastes 3:4)

We stop taking ourselves too seriously. We learn to laugh more. God has given us this beautiful gift, like exercise, that researchers have found releases endorphins. Laughter has also been accredited with relieving pain. Laughter has also been known to reduce anxiety. Our groups have learnt that laughing together has bound us more securely in love. The psalmists knew the imagegreat joy laughter can bring

“Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:2)

So let us embrace our friends with love, laughter and a sprinkling of tears as we learn true friendship through being friends with the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Posted by: Jo | June 21, 2014

Rest A While

“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while…”” (Mark 6:31 ESV)

image I was reading a very interesting article, just recently, about the terrible effect stress was having in our frantic, busy lives that seem to be the norm in this present day society. The article was discussing the harmful results stress filled lives had on health, marital relationships, work places etc., on teenagers as well, even drifting down to small children who were living with stress driven parents. I was thinking about this article when my daily Scripture reading included the story of Jesus feeding the five hundred, only this time as I was reading, I was made more aware of what preceded this incredible miracle rather than the miracle itself. Jesus and his disciples were so overwhelmed by the huge crowds they didn’t have time to eat, they were exhausted, tired and hungry.

“Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat…” (Mark 6:31 NIV)

Jesus immediately realised that to be effective servants of the Heavenly Father and to be prepared for what was to come, they needed to rest

“And he said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while…”” (Mark 6:31 ESV)

image I was interested to see that Jesus did not say; we cannot think about how tired we are/ we must keep going/ we have to forget about how we feel/ let us carry on regardless, he realised that stopping to be recharged would make them all more effective. I also noted that Jesus talks about going to desolate place. I checked the meaning of “desolate” and one of the meanings was described as devoid of matter. Jesus chose this special place so all distractions to being completely rested were nowhere to be found. What a wonderful example for us all to follow. Choosing deliberately to rest and be refreshed with no blaring music, no idle chatter of others, no texting, no checking that smart phone, only seeking one companion, the Lord to be with, is a sure way of relieving stress. One of the sweetest stories of resting awhile, is the one I read about this old man who frequently excused himself from noisy gatherings by saying, “I am going to sit awhile with Jesus.”

Stress can sometimes feel like a heavy burden that somehow stays firmly around our shoulders, preventing us from enjoying any daily activity, draining us of joy, destroying peace, filling us with fearful thoughts. Jesus offers us a beautiful solution to ridding ourselves of this ugly load;

“Come to me, all you, who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28 NIV)

image It is very easy to agree we all need to rest awhile, but putting it into practice is another thing. Our first thought may be, “My life is so busy I have no time to sit quietly with the Lord.” One lady told me that she used to think that her life was too frantic to set aside a quiet time, until she realised her life was so frantic she would never be able to survive without first making sure she spent that all important resting time with the Lord.

I always go back to the Psalmists for their wisdom and Psalm 91 is one of my all-time favourites. The writer begins with reminding himself that perfect peace of mind, complete tranquility or stress banished, is to be found in the shelter of the Heavenly Father;

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1 NIV)

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Posted by: Jo | June 13, 2014

Remembering To Thank God

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

image Our little grandson, who is nearly two years old, is just beginning to learn those all-important words, “Thank you”. His parents and all the extended family realize how necessary it is to emphasize that every time this little one receives something he remembers to say thank you. We probably all have had similar training when we were children, but in our present day society this one small evidence of good manners is often sadly lacking, so much so that the other day as I stepped aside to allow someone to pass me I was surprised to hear, “Thank you, that was kind of you.” I was not only surprised I felt a warm glow at hearing those polite words.

A very poignant story about giving thanks, is found in the book of Luke where we read of the amazing healing of the ten lepers. Jesus meets these men who are suffering from this terrible disease, which at that time was incurable, on the road to Jerusalem, and they cry out to him to have pity on them. Jesus does exactly that and all ten are healed, after they go to the priests to show they are cleansed. The sad ending to this story is that only one returns to thank Jesus and give praise to God.

“One of them when, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him- and he was a Samaritan.” (Luke 17:15 – 16)

Jesus notes this, with sadness I am sure, as suddenly he is now forgotten and now no longer is needed by the other lepers;

“Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”” (Luke 17:17 – 18)

image Perhaps we see ourselves in a little way in this story, we may not be dealing with a horrible disease like these lepers, but we too may have called out to God to have pity on us for all sorts of everyday problems that beset us. It is so easy to seek the Lord when we need his help, but the all-important spending lots of time thanking him and praising God is overlooked. I noticed this when I have been part of several prayer teams. Requests flood in for genuine needs, but there doesn’t always seem to be an equal abundance of thanking and praising for prayers answered.

Many years ago I was introduced to the beautiful simplicity of Celtic prayers. These prayers emphasize a close daily walking beside the Lord, chatting and sharing every part of the day with him. The prayers begin on waking, lighting the fire, milking the cows, etc. the Lord shares in every mundane task. One of the ones I love is a prayer on waking and the very first word uttered is “thanks” It comes from the book, The Open Gate, Celtic Prayers for Growing Spirituality by David Adam

Thanks be to thee O, God,

That I have risen today

I have risen to life

I have risen to love.

Thanks be to thee O, God

You have opened my eyes.

You have given me breath

You have made me move

Thanks be to thee O, God

For you walk with me.

For I dwell in you

And you dwell in me

Thanks be to thee O, God

For this day and my rising.

What a beautiful way of beginning every day with the very first word being spoken as “Thanks” to the Heavenly Father, Our Creator.

image The Celtic prayers truly embody the message of these verses written to the Thessalonians, and encourage us to do likewise.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18)

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Posted by: Jo | June 6, 2014

Forgetting What Is Past

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining forward to what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13 – 14)

image As I grow older, forgetfulness is becoming an increasingly annoying part of my everyday life. I constantly leave one room for another, to retrieve an object, and within a few minutes what I was looking for has totally escaped my mind. Remembering names and places seems to tax my brain and is an increasing problem even disturbing my sleep until deep into the night the name I have been trying to recall all day, springs into my mind. Strangely enough some things do stay in my mind and these are usually things I regret. Over and over again I can go through in my mind my thoughtless remarks that when I look back on them should never have been said. Sometimes my foolish decisions and the outcome of them will not leave my thoughts. I ask the Lord to forgive me, but somehow cannot let go of the thought that I failed God somehow. Other thoughts that plague me are remembering slights from others and some hurtful comments that for some dreadful reason replay over and over in great detail. God uses the prophet, Isaiah, to give these beautiful words of advice to his children and as I read them I realise I need to take them to heart.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18 – 19)

When we dwell too much on those former things that plague us we may miss that exciting new thing the Lord wants to reveal to us. He tells us it is there, if we are looking back we may miss it.

imageWhen Paul is writing to the Philippians he urges then to look forward, not to waste time on former things that might hold one back from growing closer to the Lord. There was a very graphic description of the folly of looking back in the old farmer’s advice to the young ploughman, just beginning to learn how to plough a field. This was the warning,

“Don’t turn your head and look back once you start, you will lose track of where you are going and go off course”.

What wise words for us even today. We may not be ploughing a field, but we certainly want to stay on the path that leads us heavenward (Philippians 3:14)

After I began to think more deeply about Paul’s words about straining forward to what is ahead I began to grasp the graciousness of God’s forgetfulness.

“…For the past troubles will be forgotten and hidden from my eyes.” (Isaiah 65:16)

I realised I too have to be gracious about forgetting what will hinder my walk with him. He not only forgives us our sins, he will banish them like the morning mist and remember them no more. I too have to practice letting go image of what is not helpful.

“I have swept away your offences like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.” (Isaiah 44:22)

How liberating it is to forget what is behind and strain forward to what is ahead.

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