Posted by: Jo | March 21, 2014

Powerless

“See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and his arm rules for him.” (Isaiah 40:10)

image As I grow older I am very much aware of how life can change in an instant. We had such an example of this in our own family this week when in the middle of the day the apartment building where my daughter and her husband live, suddenly burst into flames. My daughter was at work, but my son-in-law and all the other residents in the building were forced to immediately vacate the building. Grabbing only his wallet and his cell phone my son-in-law found himself out on the street, feeling absolutely powerless as he watched the fire engine and the firefighters swarm over, what was now, a structure too dangerous to enter. When we are confronted with our own inadequate strength to change circumstances, it can be a very scary moment and when we realise that a situation is developing over which we have no control, the feeling of weakness overpowers us. This is when we need to remember where we can turn to for help

“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” (Isaiah 40:29)

Somehow or another we all feel like we are in control of our own lives and when life throws at us an occurrence that we have no way of handling, we need to go back to God’s word to check how many before us coped.

image Paul is a wonderful example of coping with extenuating events. Once he decided to follow the Lord Jesus Christ life changed for him dramatically. He had led the life of a wealthy well educated Jew, proud of his heritage, proud of his education, proud of his position in the Jewish community, but now he is attacked by the very people he once associated with. The amazing result of walking closely with the Lord is, that Paul is able to realise that, yes, lots of situations leave him powerless and weak, but allowing the Lord’s power to take over, liberated him;

“…Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10)

Perhaps admitting we are powerless and needing help from anybody, is a difficult thing to do. We may pride ourselves on being ready and well prepared for anything that may happen to us, but when we have this attitude, any calamity that appears without warning can leave us helpless, but being aware that even in the worst situation we have the mighty arm of God to help us out, brings about a peace and helps us trust in his protection. We do not then have to be trapped in that helpless feeling of being powerless.

image The outcome for my own family was a good one. Although 6 apartments were damaged and the occupants had to find somewhere else to live, my daughter and her husband’s apartment was spared water and smoke damage, but it was a good lesson in trust as they waited three days before they were allowed to check their belongings.

The Lord is always ready to lend his strong arm to those whose strength has gone and to give his mighty power to those who feel powerless. I love this chorus that reminds us of this.

Let the weak say I am strong

Let the poor say I am rich

Let the blind say I can see

What the Lord has done for me.

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Posted in 2 Corinthians, Comfort, Encourage, Isaiah | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Jo | March 14, 2014

Transforming And Renewing

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

image One of my favourite casual reading, which doesn’t challenge my brain too much, is found in popular magazines in which the articles feature a dramatic transformation of some kind, whether it be in homes or with people. I love to look at the before and after photos and marvel how that dingy basement becomes a light and airy, charming living room, or that rather plain lady with the help of hairdressers/ makeup artists/ clothes stylists, emerges as an elegant model. Lots of us ladies desiring the same result, scour the ads for anti-wrinkle cream, moisturisers etc. hoping our skins will be renewed and transformed into youthful glowing looks. The media is always offering all sorts of ways, not only to transform looks, but to transform one’s very way of life. Not happy the way your life is going, hire a life coach. Not happy about your business, hire a business coach. Not happy about your body, try a plastic surgeon. The promises of transformation and renewal go on and on, but true renewal and transformation, offered by our Heavenly Father is quite unique and of a very different nature. Renewal under his hands starts from the inside.

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

David knew the importance of starting any renewing from the inside and his words in Psalm 51:10 can become our prayer and in fact after studying this Psalm many of us in our Home Group have done just that and we say those words on waking, even before we leave our bed to start our day.

“Create in me a pure heart, O’ God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”

We know that outward appearances are not important to our Heavenly Father, in fact he reminds us;image

“…The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

The world is busy sending forth quite a different message, encouraging us to think that what we present to those around us is going to impress, constantly urging us to work hard on transforming what we look like so we command more respect, urging us to assume that special look (especially aimed at teenagers) so others will like us/ be our friends/ look up to us. Again scripture holds quite a different view. Paul reminds the Galatians not to be deceived by those who assume an air of importance;

“As for those who seemed to be important, whatever they were makes no difference to me; God does not judge by external appearances, those men added nothing to my message.” (Galatians 2:6)

I love how Paul ended that verse, “those men added nothing to my message” this is the true message of inner renewing, not that we are impressing others/ not that we have a image beautiful exterior/ not that we have an imposing demeanor, but how by being transformed we can spread the wonderful message of Jesus Christ to others.

All we have to do to be part of the renovations, is to offer ourselves to the capable Father to transform us into the creatures he wants us to be and I am sure we will be thrilled with the “after picture”!

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is…his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:2)

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Posted by: Jo | March 7, 2014

Who Really Won The Battle?

“It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them.” (Psalm 44:3)

image One of the joys of being a school teacher for me, was being able to tell stories to children and when I became a Sunday school teacher, this became even sweeter as I was able to tell real stories from God’s word. I have always found the stories to be so exciting from the Old Testament and with such powerful messages for us today, even though the events took place so long ago. Before I became a committed Christian I always, mistakenly, assumed the Bible was about good men and women and that we read about them to learn how to behave, not realising that the main character, Our Heavenly Father, was the only true example of goodness, and everyone else was only a thread woven into the tapestry to display the amazing glory of our God in his supreme and perfect goodness.

One of my favourite stories I loved to tell children, is found in the book of Judges, Chapter 7, in which Gideon, a Judge of Israel was about to engage in the battle of a lifetime. Israel had been overrun by the Midianites who were described like this,”…as thick as locust. Their camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore.” (Judges 7:12) imageA formidable enemy! But wait God tells Gideon to send 22, 00 men home. (The eyes of little boys listening grow wide with disbelief) Gideon does what God tells him. But wait, another twist to the story. God tells Gideon to send more home! He is now left with 300 hundred men to fight against thousands of the enemy. (Oh no, cry my little Sunday school listeners, he will never win). The clever ruse that God uses, yet again amazes the class. Now they are sitting on the edge of their seats wondering will it work. All Gideon uses is 300 hundred men, horns, jars and blazing torches. Victory for the Israelites. Even all the little children I have told this story to, easily grasp the astounding fact that it was God who really won the battle.

We may be facing a formidable challenge that looks a little like the battle facing Gideon. We may look at the resources we have, to try to overcome the obstacle and find them woefully inadequate. We may find ourselves equally unprepared to offer any resistance at all to overwhelming circumstances. We may have been discouraged by attempting our own methods and to have seen them fail. It is then we need to call on our Great Defender for his strength to fight the battle and he assures us he is able;

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27)

imageSome of us may believe, to ask the Lord to intervene on our behalf is a form of weakness and feel that somehow we have to prove to ourselves and others that we can deal with whatever life throws at us. We can also falsely believe that if we have in some way caused the approaching challenge, God is not willing to step in for us, but he has promised that whatever the challenge is that we are facing, if we ask for help he will provide a way out.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

The one thing we have to remember is to acknowledge who it is who is capable of winning the battle and to allow him full control of the situation. A dear friend of mine just reminded me of the danger of hanging on to our challenges and told me how she has coped remembering these words.

LET GO

LET GOD

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Posted by: Jo | February 28, 2014

Casting All Our Anxiety On Him

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

imageMy husband has loved any sort of fishing since he was a little boy and when we came to Canada he indulged in every kind of fishing offered here in British Columbia, from salmon catching in the open ocean, to trout fishing in streams, to ice fishing on frozen lakes. Eventually he was able to live one of his dreams when we bought a cabin which was beside a beautiful lake stocked with trout. He longed to pass on this passion of his to his grandchildren and when each child was able to hold a fishing rod, he taught them the delicate art of casting for trout. Many beautiful summer days were spent practising just the right movements to catch that elusive trout. One particular day, there was a shriek of excitement as one little one caught her first fish. Her grandfather explained that it was a small fish and he would release it back into the lake, but she was horrified!! She wanted to hold on to her catch, eventually he relented and gave her the fish to hold and hold it she did. She would not let it out of her hand and by the end of the day it was stiff and dirty and not very pleasant to look at.

I was thinking about this day, when we read the verse from 1 Peter in our Bible Study, about casting our anxiety on the Lord. Casting means to throw as far as you can, and away from you. The Lord is asking us to take hold of all our fears, doubts, worry and allow him to take care of them, but time and time again we are like my little granddaughter, we are reluctant to release our anxiety, and keep taking it back so it festers and becomes worse than before.image

Most of my anxiety seems to lodge in my mind, and troubling thoughts override my peace and tranquility. I was fascinated to find that King David, thousands of years ago, was beset by the same problem;

“Listen to my prayer, O’ God, do not ignore my plea; hear me and answer me. My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught.” (Psalm 55:1 – 2)

As these intrusive thoughts take over David’s mind he tries to escape them using his own methods.

“I would flee far away and stay in the desert; I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm.” (Psalm 55:7 – 8)

I, and I am sure countless others, have tried to deal with anxiety in our own way. We read the health magazines and try all their suggestions of training the mind to think of peaceful thoughts and David was away ahead of them when he tried this;

“I said, Oh, that I had the wings of a dove, I would fly away and be at rest.” (Psalm 55:6)

Flying through the air like a dove does sound quite peaceful, but David eventually realises there is only one sure way to rid himself of ugly thoughts and suddenly remembers these wise words;

“Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.” (Psalm 55:22)

The trick here is to practice our casting. Unless we are prepared to let go of all that is weighing us down, we will be left at the end of the day with our stale and ugly thoughts still with us.

One of the best way to cast, is to allow the Master to show us how, and we can do this by letting him teach us. He can only teach us if we seek his wisdom. Share with him in prayer what is troubling us. Be honest in front of him. Come into his presence with an open mind. Listen to what he is saying to us. Learn to trust him.

image After all his agonising in Psalm 55, David is able to confidently conclude like this;

“…But as for me I trust in you.” (Psalm 55:23)

And when we perfect our casting, we also will say those words confidently.

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Posted by: Jo | February 21, 2014

The Ultimate Coach

“Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly…” (1 Corinthians 9:25 – 26)

image The Olympic Games is a worldwide event which is eagerly anticipated by thousands of people around the world and with much excitement and equal anticipation, is viewed on the television by masses of others who strain to see the athletes compete for those coveted medals. Just like countless others I have been watching with fascination the daring ski jumps, the terrifying speed skating, the exciting hockey games and then my favourite viewing of all, the graceful couples who glide like beautiful ballet dancers across the ice. As I was watching, I began to notice the important role the coaches played in the lives of the athletes. The last person to speak to the athlete before he or she embarked upon the performance of a lifetime, was the coach. Family were often seen willing on their loved ones from the stands, but the coach seemed to have precedence over them. I noticed whispered words and in some cases hugs. There seemed to be an incredible bond between the performing one and the one who had trained them.

Some coaches I learned later had once been star athletes themselves and were willing to pass on all they had learnt to the younger athlete. Occasionally during a race or a performance, the camera would zoom in on a coach’s face and the expression on that face was quite startling. It seemed that every muscle was silently urging the athlete to remember all the skills, all the arduous practising, all the wonderful tips on how to execute their particular gift, so that they would satisfy themselves that they had done the very best they were capable of doing and of course to satisfy the coach that nothing had been left out to achieve excellence.

Life itself is often referred to as a race, in Scripture, and we are described as the athletes running in that race;

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

image To prevent life from becoming an aimless wandering with no direction; an unfulfilling ramble with no fixed goal; wasted talents not being honed, we all need that ultimate coach. Our ultimate coach, Our Heavenly Father, is already waiting to fill that role. He is available to all those who call upon his name. Our ultimate coach knows exactly each skill he has personally bestowed upon us and knows the exact spiritual exercise we need to follow to perform as he created us.

“His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” (2 Peter 1:3)

image Just as those Olympic athletes need to heed their coaches so too do we need to listen carefully and to check out what parts of our spiritual life need exercising. How much time do we spend with our coach in prayer? Do we seek him when we come to a fork in the road and are confused as to which way to go? How often do we put into practise the gifts he has given us for his glory?

Many of the Olympic athletes’ faces shone as they confidently crossed that finishing line, knowing they had given everything they had to be victorious. We too can experience that wonderful feeling of success when we allow ourselves to be coached by the Ultimate Coach and we will be able to exclaim like Paul;

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me- the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:24)

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Posted by: Jo | February 14, 2014

Under Construction

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14)

image Just recently I was walking through a busy mall in our neighbourhood and noticed that one of the stores was totally boarded up with these letters emblazoned over the side, “We Are Under Construction.” As I was wondering what was to emerge when the siding was taken down, a sudden thought struck me that we should have the same words printed on us somewhere. As I was pursuing this thought, I remembered a sweet story I heard.

In a small Italian village lived a famous artist who was well known for carving beautiful sculptures from marble. A little boy who lived in the same village would pass by his place on his way to school and would always stop to watch the man at work. Finally one day the little boy stopped to peek in and to his amazement, instead of a huge piece of marble, a majestic lion stood in its place. He cried out to the artist, “How did you know the lion was in there?

I can see ourselves in that story. On the outside we may appear to be nothing out of the ordinary, and it is only in the hands of our Heavenly Sculptor and his knowledge of image the beauty contained deep within us can we really emerge as he planned us to be. We may have begun to think that we are nothing special, that nobody would notice us in the crowd. We may have begun to think that we have no special talents or gifts. We may have been told by others how worthless we are and have begun to believe them, this is when we have to have the confidence to put ourselves, “under construction”

Our Heavenly Father is the one who moulds us and shapes us into the beautiful creature he knows is within us. Unlike human sculptors, who work from the outside, our Lord does his major work from the inside. He often begins with the heart that has become calloused and hard

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

David realised that he certainly needed to have some repairs carried out on his heart and calls out to his Heavenly Father;

“Create in me a pure heart, O’ God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” (Psalm 51:10)

When we totally allow the Lord to be the fashioner of our inner spirit an amazing transformation takes place. A new self emerges;

“To be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:23 – 24)

We were created to be the image of God;

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)

image Sin and self-centeredness have caused a lot of disrepair in humans. Our Heavenly Father is offering to take away the ugliness by smoothing off the rough edges and just like our little story, allowing the real child of God to be plainly seen. We need to accept his generous gift and offer ourselves to be moulded under his hand. We need to see ourselves as his beloved, just needing his skilful hands to bring to light what he has already destined us to be.

WE ARE UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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Posted by: Jo | February 7, 2014

The Spoken Word

“…so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11)

image When my granddaughters were little girls, they loved me telling them stories in which they featured. I would make up all sorts of exciting adventure stories and of course they were the brave heroines who were able to rescue the little elf or discover a hidden village of little people deep in the forest, or find that lost kitten who was trying to find its mother, etc. One evening I was minding two of them and when it was time to go to bed, I asked them if they would like me to read them a story. Immediately one of them cried out, “No Nana tell us a story from your mouth.” They were not able to put into words that a story about themselves spoken by somebody who loved them was far better than one read from a book. We have someone who loves us and longs for us to hear the words from his mouth, our Heavenly Father.

The words coming from the mouth of our Heavenly Father are the most powerful in all creation. When God spoke the universe came into being;

“And God said, “Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)

God chose to speak to Abraham and opened the door by doing so for all mankind to hear the words from his mouth.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.”” (Genesis 12:1)

God also chose to place his words into the mouths of those he knew would be faithful in telling others of his great love for them.image

“I will raise for them a prophet like you from among your brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.” (Deuteronomy 18:18)

We too, have been given the incredible privilege of being able to access God’s word and then a gift, we often overlook, of being able to allow those words to fill our own mouths. Being able to speak Scripture is a powerful tool against evil. It is a powerful way of bringing about healing in broken relationships. It is a powerful way of asking for forgiveness. We need to absorb the word of God so we can call on its wisdom when we most need it.

The Psalmists knew how important it was to know and heed the word of God;

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11)

imageLearning Scripture gives us a reservoir of strength we can keep within ourselves to dig into when we most need it. When we pray back Scripture to the Lord, in prayer, we unite ourselves with his thoughts. Many of the psalms are in the form of a prayer and when we use them as prayer to the Father we are uniting with countless believers before us. Many years ago a committed Christian friend shared with me that to have a verse from the Bible on your bedside table to read on waking, was an incredible way of starting the day with God’s word in one’s mouth.

Praying God’s word over your children or grandchildren provides them with a cover of blessing. Praying God’s word together with others strengthens everybody’s awareness of who the Mighty God is, just by having his word in our mouths. Even reciting Scripture out aloud has a calming effect on the speaker and praising the Lord with his own words is the ultimate praise.

“May my lips overflow with praise, for you teach me your decrees. May my tongue sing of your word, for all of your commands are righteous.” (Psalm 119:171 – 172)

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Posted in Challenge, Deuteronomy, Encourage, Genesis, Isaiah, Psalms | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Jo | January 31, 2014

Meet Your Relatives

“As a prisoner of the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1 – 3)

image Just recently my husband and I were invited to attend an afternoon session aimed at bringing together Christian believers from different denominations; Grassroots Ecumenism at its best. The title on the front of the program we were handed as we entered, summed it up beautifully “MEET YOUR RELATIVES”. I was very impressed with this title as it stressed we belong to the family of God. We are not little pockets of isolated groups who meet each Sunday, we have a huge loving family who share our Heavenly Father with us. The bond we all share is recognizing the incredible gift of salvation we have been given through Jesus Christ. The fact that we worship in different ways should not be a barrier to us meeting together and to affirm what we have in common

The early church in Corinth, was having similar problems facing denominations today. Divisions in thinking, were beginning to divide the believers. Division in any church is the quickest way to weaken it and Paul knew he must write and urge reconciliation between different groups, which were already beginning to form.

“My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this; One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ”. Is Christ divided?” (1 Corinthians 1:11 – 13)

Of course Paul was reminding them they must remain united as followers of Jesus.

The psalmists knew that God was able to richly bless those who chose to live in unity with one another;

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1)

The psalm ends like this;

“…For there the Lord bestows his blessing, even life for evermore.” (Psalm 133:3)

After an inspiring interaction with others at our grassroots ecumenism afternoon, we were all sent forth with this question;image

What one step can you take so we may grow together in unity?

We were discussing our experience with our Home Group and some of us confessed that perhaps ignorance of other denominations’ beliefs caused division. Make an effort to learn about another denomination would be a good step. Others suggested that visiting other churches helped to strengthen what we had in common. Choose a church in your area and join in a Sunday service. Others thought that making friends with a neighbor who you knew went to another church would break down misunderstanding. Ask them to go for a cup of coffee. Try not to think of your way of worshipping as the only way. Be open to new ideas. Join a Bible study group with others from different churches. We had lots of good suggestions to make us all think how we in our own small corners could take steps to please the Heavenly Father as he saw his children happily co-existing under the shelter of his hand. One of my favorite hymns of all time, really sums up this thought.

Bind us together, Lord

bind us together

with cords that cannot be broken

Bind us together, Lord

bind us together, Lord

Bind us together with love.

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Posted by: Jo | January 24, 2014

Answer Me God

“Answer me when I call to you, O’ my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; be merciful to me and hear my prayer.” (Psalm 4:1)

image I know modern technology has brought about incredible changes in how business is conducted, but I was thinking wistfully, the other day. About those long ago days when if you picked up the telephone and dialed a number, you could be certain a human voice would answer you. I was reminded of my naive expectations when it was necessary for me to check a business transaction via the telephone. Certainly a voice came through , but this peculiar automated message spoke before I could say my rehearsed speech and began giving me a series of options as to why I was calling and kept telling me to press 1 or press 2 etc. I wanted to be polite and interrupt and say that none of those countless options suited my particular problem, but the voice gave me no choice. At last the voice stopped telling me which number to press (I suppose annoyed at no response from me) and said if I stayed on the line an operator would speak to me. Success at last I thought. No!! Another automated voice then told me that my call was important to them so please hold. After holding what seemed for ages my husband was startled to hear me shouting, ANSWER ME!! ANSWER ME!! I gave up holding, my patience had evaporated.

I was fascinated to see that often the psalmists were pushed to frustration just like me and shouted at God to answer them.

“Give ear to my words, O’ Lord, consider my sighing. Listen to my cry for help. My King and my God, for to you I pray.” (Psalm 5:1 – 2)

The wonderful outcome of these plaintive cries to the Heavenly Father, have a surprising outcome. We do not serve a capricious God who does not listen to his children, but a loving Father who even knows our prayers before they are formed on our lips. He knows our every thought, but longs for us to share those thoughts with him. Often we struggle with situations which are obviously out of our control, but we image pursue, in our human frailty, to somehow fix them our way, that is when in desperation, we cry to the Lord for an answer. The loving nature of our Lord is evident when he doesn’t say, “About time you came to me”, but gently comforts us in our distress. David learnt this after railing against all the wrongs in his life, suddenly realises the Lord is right there with him and what is more, peace about all his troubles suddenly fills his heart as he realises the terrors of the night have ceased and he can again get a good night’s sleep

“You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.” (Psalm 4:7 – 8)

Part of any cry for help is the willingness to listen for the answer. We have often heard a child pestering a parent with, “Please, please, pretty please”, and is so busy with the request, does not hear the parent’s answer, often assuming the answer is going to be, “No”, so they do not hear the “Yes”. We also can be so caught up in our own cries for help we neglect to listen to the Lord’s reply. Sometimes the plea seems to be taking a long time to be answered, that is often a signal for us to be quiet before the Lord and to wait for his timing. Again the psalmists knew in their hearts that every prayer uttered was heard by the Heavenly Father.

“…for the Lord has heard my weeping. The Lord has heard my cry for mercy; the Lord accepts my prayer.” (Psalm 6:8 – 9)

image If you are waiting for an answer, this sweet chorus brings great comfort

He Knows My Name

He knows my name

He knows my every thought

He sees each tear that falls

And hears me when I call

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Posted by: Jo | January 17, 2014

Making Every Effort

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith…” (2 Peter 1:5)

image As I grow older, remembering important dates/ what did I promise to bring to the potluck dinner/ who was I to call today/ doctor’s appointments, has become more and more difficult. I have to make every effort to be disciplined about writing everything down which means my kitchen becomes decorated with post-it notes and my refrigerator groans with shopping lists and my calendar has scribbled messages on every day. The biggest problem I have in keeping my life running smoothly is to remember to read those written messages!!! Making lists is a good way to start, but forgetting to read them destroys the whole exercise.

While I was contemplating this, I thought of how many lists are recorded in Scripture as a way of keeping us all on track. Probably the best known list is the Ten Commandments which God wrote down on the tablets with his own finger. (Exodus 20:1- 17), but many of the New Testament writers also use this important way of focusing attention on the important messages they want to convey to their readers. Peter does exactly this in his second letter, which is directed to those who have been scattered around the known world and whom he knows definitely need a check list to see how healthy their faith is. Here is his list;

“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith; goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance, and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.” (2 Peter 1:5 – 7)

I have decided that this list is definitely one to place in good view in my kitchen, but I also know that I will have to make every effort to read it regularly if I want to experience the wonderful result of taking heed of Peter’s words;image

“For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 1:8)

I have begun to realise more and more that to follow the Lord Jesus Christ does require effort on our part and if we read Peter’s list he emphasises “every effort”. Many of us have made New Year Resolutions about making this year, the year we get fit, and we know that doesn’t mean studying a list of exercises, or reading about this amazing person who lost a hundred pounds, or telling others of how you are going to do it, we know it will require us to do something about it! Most exercise programs urge you to be realistic about setting goals for yourself, and they tell you not to expect to run a marathon in the next few weeks. I believe solid growth in our faith also takes time. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by statements like Peter’s, but if we take the approach of being in training, it becomes feasible. Choosing one of the qualities to work on becomes a very rewarding exercise. Perhaps “self-control” is a problem for us in an unpleasant office situation; perhaps “brotherly kindness” is hard to extend to that irritating neighbour; perhaps “perseverance” drains us in an unhappy relationship. Choosing to make every effort, with the help of the Holy Spirit, brings about remarkable results.image

When I finally complete the task on one of my lists, I gain a great sense of accomplishment and when we add to our faith as Peter urges us, we are drawn closer to the Heavenly Father and we will hear him whisper, “Well done”

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