Posted by: Jo | November 16, 2012

The Tender Heart Of The Father

“He tends his flock like a shepherd. He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those who have young.” (Isaiah 40:11)

imageOne of the most sensitive images we have of the Father is found in this beautiful verse from Isaiah (Isaiah 40:11). In his book “A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23”, Phillip Keller expounds on the qualities of a good shepherd and how our Heavenly Father deliberately allies himself with the caring role of a shepherd to give us a glimpse of his deep love for us. This Heavenly Shepherd is filled with tenderness and caring for the weak and helpless. Jesus himself equates himself with this verse when he exclaims, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (John 10: 11)

The other deeply comforting phrase in this verse is; “…carries them close to his heart.” (Isaiah 40:11)

The mental picture is one of complete harmony between the carrier and the one being carried. We have a new baby in the family and the surest way of calming him is carrying him firmly against our bodies, so firmly that he feels our hearts beating and this reassuring rhythm slowly allows him to relax. The Father is asking us to stay close to his heart so our hearts are in tune with his. image

I have a great sense that tenderness towards others is fast disappearing from our society. Do we get exasperated with the handicapped person holding us up at the Supermarket? How much tenderness is shown to our elderly? Are we tender in our dealings with our own family? Perhaps society sees tenderness as a form of weakness. The apostle, Paul urges his readers to be tender hearted,

“And be ye kind one to another, tender hearted, forgive one another even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32 (KJV))

The loving heart of the Father gives us a great example of those who need tender care and how he extends it to them;

“A bruised reed he will not break, and a smouldering wick he will not snuff out.” (Isaiah 42:3)

Perhaps some of us feel like bruised reeds at the moment, imageperhaps being battered by extenuating circumstances or harsh words that have wounded us. We may feel so down trodden by worries that we have reached breaking point. That is when we can take great heart in these words of the Lord. He will not let us be broken. He will swoop us up into his arms and carry us until we can cope again. Or perhaps we feel drained by life so there is no energy left; we feel we cannot go on any longer; we can only see things in a dim light. That is when our tender hearted Shepherd takes us into his care and gently leads us into his light.

This last Sunday we sang a beautiful hymn that spoke to all of us bruised reeds and smouldering wicks and reminded us of those comforting arms, ready and waiting for us. The chorus says it all.

Power Of Your Love

Hold me close

Let your love surround me

Bring me near

Draw me to your side

And as I wait

I’ll rise up like an eagle

And I will soar like you

Your Spirit leads me on

In the power of your love.

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Posted by: Jo | November 9, 2012

Spiritual Wealth

“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)

imageAs I grow older I am more and more aware of the diminishing power of my brain. Grasping the constantly changing of technology is proving an arduous task. At the urging of the family my husband purchased an iPad, Woe is me, I thought. I now have to learn how to sweep my finger across the screen just as I have mastered the mouse for our desktop computer. So when our local paper had a supplement enclosed just for seniors, I opened it with great expectation to an article entitled “How to Enrich Your Brain” I was a little disappointed at their suggestions. I was hoping to read of some marvelous instant remedy to recharge brain cells. What I did find interesting was their use of the word, “enrich”. It did imply that if something was lacking or if there was a paucity of a substance or if gaps needed to be filled, help was at hand.

I then began to speculate on how we use the word, “enrich”. We talk about an enriching experience. We can remark on an enriching seminar in which we have just taken part. We can think of a person who enriched our lives just by becoming part of our community. I then went to the dictionary and was pleased to find one of the meanings to be, “to heighten” and best of all the last definition of the word enrichment was, “mental or spiritual wealth” I decided to explore what “spiritual wealth” meant for those who belong to the Lord.

One of the most comforting qualities of our Lord is the abundance of his riches which he is so willing to share with us and enrich our souls. We are told in Psalm 145:8 that he is most of all rich in love;

“The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love”

Isaiah assures us that true treasure is found in the knowledge of the Father.image

“He will be the true foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge, the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure” (Isaiah 33:6)

Paul tells us in his letter to the Ephesians that he is rich in grace (Ephesians 1 :7) and in Chapter 2 that he is rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4) and again in Colossians he talks about his glorious riches (Colossians 1:27)

So how do we draw upon these glorious riches so we can be enriched and in so doing enrich others? Perhaps the first big step we have to take is to recognize our own poverty of spirit. In the Beatitudes Jesus talks about the poor in spirit as those who recognize they need God’s help;

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3)

Sometimes we need to check that our supply of love for others is not depleted. Perhaps our gracefulness in our everyday life is lacking in how we treat our loved ones. How merciful are we when we come across those less fortunate than us? Do we need enriching? We will be blessed for the asking.

imagePerhaps we are the needy ones and we ourselves are wounded and need an outpouring of love for our healing. Perhaps we need to be comforted by his grace when we stumble. Perhaps we have forgotten how abundant his mercy is. Do we need enriching? We too have access to his glorious riches.

His bounteous store of riches is available to all who call on his name. His generosity has no bounds his spiritual wealth is waiting and the key to this treasure is knowing the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Posted by: Jo | November 2, 2012

Responding To God’s Love

“He will respond to the prayer of the destitute; he will not despise their plea” (Psalm 102:17)

imageJust recently we received an invitation to a wedding. No there is nothing unusual in that and the invitation came from dear friends asking us to attend the marriage of their son who is also dear to us, but what was surprising to us was the way it arrived. It arrived in the mailbox of our e- mail site. It required much clicking on this link and more clicking on this icon even to discover what this mysterious message was all about. Then came the most difficult task of all. How do we respond?!!! As in most cases when we strike difficulties of this nature we call in one of our granddaughters. She very patiently tried to explain this was part of a package called “Create an Event” and that everybody (the “everybody” emphasized) now issues invitations this way and of course in her capable hands our response to the invitation was soon on its way. When we were young responding to any formal invitation was taken quite seriously. Even the wording of the invitation itself was couched in proper terms. When the invitation was sent the wording went somewhat like this; “The pleasure of your company is desired at…” The reply was equally gracious and went like this; “It gives us great pleasure to accept your kind invitation to…” Clicking the YES box somehow does not compare or give any indication of any feeling of graciousness.

While I was thinking about our response to the invitation, and the big changes that technology has brought about, I began to examine in my mind what “respond” meant in any situation. It is actually a very active word always embodying some definite action. We may say there was a positive response to the fund raising event. The man experiencing a heart attack responded well to treatment. The reverse is also used, we talk about accident victims being unresponsive, literally not breathing.

Our Gracious Heavenly Father is constantly issuing us loving invitations to come and spend time with him,

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3)

“…They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, “they are my people and they will say, “The Lord is our God”…” (Zechariah 13:9)

The Lord’s invitation is an open one. We don’t have to worry if we have made the guest list; our Savior has cleared any barriers that may hinder us having direct contact with our Heavenly Father. One thing does need to be done. We have to respond to his call. Respond does require some form of action.image

Response can take many different forms. One of the best known ways is prayer. When we actively set aside a daily time to speak and interact with him we are graciously responding to his invitation. We can respond in other ways in our daily life. We read in Hosea (Hosea 2:21) that God himself responds to nature. So can we. I love the mountains here in British Columbia and when we drive through some roads lined with huge maple trees and firs I respond in wonder often saying out aloud,

“O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 8:1)

We can respond with thankfulness when one of our prayers has been answered. We can respond with a willing attitude when we feel he is asking us to be his servant for a particular task. We can respond with praise and joy when we look into the eyes of that little new born grandson.

imageBrennan Manning writes in his book, “Reflections for Ragamuffins”

“We become like everyone else, fail ourselves and the community by failing to respond to the living, vibrant, magnificent image of Christ that is within us waiting only to be expressed”

Manning is urging us to respond to God’s call so we stand out as belonging to him. As we respond to him we will be expressing who the Lord is to all with whom we come in contact.

How will we graciously respond to that loving invitation this week?

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Posted by: Jo | October 26, 2012

Caring For One Another

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down his friend can help him up…..” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)

imageHere in Vancouver, this week, the media has been filled with a tragic story of a young teenage girl taking her own life as a result of consistent bullying in person and through Facebook. The story is a sad one and according to the rash of responses to it, all too prevalent in today’s society. The burning unanswered questions running through many of our minds were very troubling ones. Did nobody intervene to stop this bullying? Were there no friends to stand up for her? Did anybody challenge those bullies? The other startling fact that emerged through all the responses was that bullying was not just confined to schools or teens in particular, but it even occurred in work places and even more abhorrent with abuse of elders. We have been created by our Heavenly Father to live in companionship with one another. Our very natures cry out for love and understanding. We were not meant to live lonely lives in isolation and the passage in Ecclesiastes puts it plainly;

“..But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

So how do we, who know the God of All Comfort, react when we are made aware of these horrible happenings?

Jesus gave us the most noble of commands;

“A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34)

Jesus changed the original message in the Ten Commandments to one modified by his love. Now how we love takes on a whole new meaning. No longer just a bald statement, “love your neighbor”, but now love filled with the incredible knowledge of the pure love of Jesus extended to us so we can extend to others.

Out of all the ugliness of this sad story of our little teenager came a ray of hope. Suddenly new messages began to appear on Facebook. Teenagers who were horrified at this story began sending messages to their peers to wake up to what was going on in theirimage schools. I was thrilled to see one of my granddaughters urging others to look around the corridors and the playground. See if there is someone who seems to have no friends. Step in if you witness others taunting someone who is visibly different from them. Be brave about seeking help for a friend who seems depressed about a major problem. When I read these words I felt the true compassion that reflected Christ’s love for us, was overcoming the evil that had perpetuated this dreadful story.

Indifference to others around us does not just happen in schools. Sadly even in our church families someone can feel lonely and overlooked. Others may be carrying a heavy burden of worry that needs a caring listener to lift some of that worry. Paul urged the Galatians to be aware of this;

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)

imageWe may be in a work situation where we feel a fellow worker is not being treated fairly. We can observe and take no action, using that worn out old excuse, “I don’t want to get involved”, or we can extend Jesus’ compassion to the hurting ones and stand beside and support those unable to defend themselves.

What the young teenagers are promoting works in all sorts of different scenarios. It is amazing the strength there is in numbers when we need to stand up against injustices. Ecclesiastes has a very powerful message in these words;

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

When we know the God of All Comfort how much easier it is to let compassion and comfort flow through us to others and care for one another in the real sense of what the word “care” means.

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Posted by: Jo | October 19, 2012

A Shelter From The Storm

“You have been a refuge for the poor, a refuge for the needy in his distress, a shelter from the storm and a shade from the heat…” (Isaiah 25:4)

imageA few years ago my husband and our youngest daughter were travelling through the United States on holiday, when as we were driving through Wyoming and marveling at miles and miles of seemingly emptiness, no people, no animals , suddenly the sky darkened and within minutes we were engulfed in one of the most frightening storms we have ever experienced. The most frightening part of the storm were huge hail stones that came so rapidly the wind shield wipers could not keep pace with them and visibility was down to zero. The noise as the hail hit the roof of our car was deafening and then as my husband peered through the glass he was horrified to see big dints in the paint of (what was his pride and joy) his new Audi. We had no way of knowing if there was any safe place for us to seek shelter and to get off the road, but just as we were becoming quite nervous my husband spotted a very wide overpass with enough room to pull off the road and we gratefully pulled underneath to be protected from the hail and just as we did a huge semi-trailer raced past us and we breathed a sigh of relief as neither my husband or I had realized the dangers of staying on the road in such a storm and not seeing nor hearing other traffic. When we returned to Canada and my husband took our car in to be repaired he was greeted with incredulous looks and was forced to tell the story over and over again as the garage men were amazed that hail stones could do so much damage.

I imagewas thinking back to that trip when I read the beautiful passage from Isaiah 25 which tells us Our Heavenly Father is a shelter for us in what any form of storm we might be experiencing in our own lives. Storms often come with intensity through adverse circumstances. Sometimes they may entail health problems. Sometimes they may be a financial crisis. Sometimes they may erupt through malicious tongues of some who would like to see those who profess to be Christians, fail. King David was often the object of malice and abuse of those around him, they were jealous of his power and would long to see him fail, but he knew that his best plan was always to seek shelter with his Almighty God.

“I would hurry to my place of shelter, far from the tempest and storm” (Psalm 55:8)

Then and only then he would cry,

“He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me, even though many oppose me” (Psalm 55:18)

Sometimes just sheer exhaustion can feel like a battering of a storm, making one so weary that carrying on seems impossible. A list of tasks to be done can hover like dark clouds, blotting out joy and contentment. When we need shelter and rest the Psalmists knew where to go,

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

One of the lessons I learnt in our encounter with that savage storm we experienced, imagewas that during the worst of it, we were blinded to the real danger around us. We neither heard nor saw that semi-trailer which could have so easily hit us except we were under shelter and off the road. The same applies to the storms of life. If we concentrate on the storm itself we may miss the real danger around us. Seeking the wonderful and powerful shelter of the Father’s arms quickly ensures a barrier between us and the storm and then and only then can we deal with the problem.

The comforting thought that we all can cling to, is that the Lord’s shelter is always available. There is no need to make reservations. We do not have to stand in line waiting to see if there is any space. The Lord can deal with any storm known to mankind, we just have to accept his sheltering embrace and listen to his directions as he leads us to safety.

“I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.” (Psalm 61:4)

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Posted by: Jo | October 12, 2012

His Banner Over Me Is Love

“He has taken me to the banqueting hall, and his banner over me is love” (Song of Songs 2:4)

imageI have a friend who has been given a beautiful gift of creativity. Give this lady a piece of paper and with a few deft movements of her fingers a flower emerges, much to the amazement of those of us who are watching. She is a great asset at bridal or baby showers where she has been known to transform tissue paper into a blooming Easter Bonnet for the guest of honor to wear. Her other specialty is to create personal banners for parties. Our own family have been recipients of these, made with love, banners and they have been carefully taken down and kept as keepsakes. These banners make a statement about the person who is being feted in that special function.

Banners in all sorts of different forms are part of our daily life. Our city erects majestic banners for our city streets for special seasons of the year. They bring a feeling of joy to all who drive past. One of our city overpasses was recently covered with a giant banner announcing a coming festival. A great way to grab attention. Other banners are displayed to signify what a particular group believes and people march behind them to give support and uphold their cause.

Banners were used for quite a different reason in Biblical times. The banner of a king was a precious object and the carrying of such was a huge honor. The banner of the king was a sign for all the soldiers to keep constantly in sight so they did not stray away from protection/ a rallying beacon/ a reassuring that the king was leading/ a sense of heading in the right direction. Moses realized that the banner he would follow was the Lord God Almighty himself.

“Moses built an altar and called it The Lord is my Banner” (Exodus 17:15)

imageIsaiah prophesied that One was coming who was to stand as a banner for all peoples. We know that this Precious One did arrive and he has become the trustworthy banner for all of us to follow for complete assurance of protection.

“In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him and his place of rest will be glorious.”(Isaiah 11:10)

So how do we relate to those beautiful words, “His banner over me is love”?

The Lord always draws people to him by love. This beautiful verse is promising us that if we are willing we can be welcomed under his banner of protection just by following him. If we keep that banner always in sight and not be distracted by the outside world we will always be heading in the right direction. We will not be straying down dangerous paths not knowing where we are going frightened of what lies around the corner.

imageSometimes we may be asked to hold high the banner for our king so others may be drawn to him. How proudly would we do that? How willing are we to let others know that it is the Lord Jesus Christ we are following so closely? Perhaps we may be the only banner carrier in our work place/ our school/ our community. Will we raise high his banner with enthusiasm and joy so that others will gladly join the ranks of all of those who have discovered how life changes when the Almighty God goes before us and we are under his protection?

The verse in the Song of Songs has been turned in to a beautiful hymn of praise to our Savior and perhaps when we need to have the strength to raise his banner high we can sing it loudly, remembering that his everlasting arms are always there ready to help us at any given time

He brought me to the banqueting table

He brought me to the banqueting table

And his banner over me is love.

I am my beloved’s and he is mine

And his banner over me is love.

The one way to peace is the way of the Cross

And his banner over me is love

Click here for the lyrics to the kids version

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Posted by: Jo | October 5, 2012

Here Am I, Send Me

“Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8)

imageWe are studying the book of Isaiah in our Home Group and when we came to Chapter 6 one of the opening questions was this;

Have you ever been asked to volunteer for something you thought was way beyond your capabilities? Did you accept?

The answers were varied and fascinating and all of us could sympathize with Isaiah, when confronted with the full magnificent and awe inspiring glory of God cried out in terror, “Woe to me” (Isaiah 6:5) Some of us felt like crying out the same words even if it was a request to read the scripture passage in front of the church on Sunday. One lady shared with us that when she was asked to join a team who visited ladies in the Women’s Prison in her area; she was very nervous and felt totally inadequate to fulfill that role. She could sympathize with Isaiah.  Another was asked to give a report to the congregation on a mission dear to her heart and even though she was passionate about this outreach the thought of speaking in public filled her with panic. She could sympathize with Isaiah.

The answers to the second part of the question were the most surprising. Everybody who answered, “Yes”, in acceptance had first prayed! They had pleaded with the Lord that if this was what he wanted them to do they would need him to supply the courage and the strength to carry out his work. He did. Those who were most nervous found they loved doing what they thought they would never be able to do. Their faith was deepened. Their confidence in the Lord soared. They realized that when we are sure it is the Lord we hear calling, we can step out with boldness and he will do the rest. In fact God constantly had to ensure that even the great prophet, Isaiah, knew who was accomplishing these feats.

“..The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

imageEqually fascinating is the reading of the others called by God to be his spokesperson. Moses had no confidence in himself and kept reminding God that he was not eloquent and that he was slow of speech and tongue and eventually cries out

“But Moses said, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it” (Exodus 4:13)

(Perhaps we have been guilty of the same outburst)
We know that Moses eventually was able to be a wonderful leader for God Almighty, but it encourages our faint hearts to know that even great men can hesitate and worry about their abilities.

Jeremiah was another reluctant one when he heard God’s call. Jeremiah thought he was far too young to be any use to the Lord.

“Ah. Sovereign Lord, I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am only a child.” (Jeremiah 1:6)

imageWe know that Jeremiah became a faithful prophet speaking God’s word in a hostile environment, never losing faith despite horrendous opposition. Take heart from Jeremiah all of you who may think your youth will hold you back from serving the Lord.

Another excuse many of us use is old age. Surely the Lord doesn’t think we are of any use. Think again. These words spur on even those of us who are old.

“They will bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green,…” (Psalm 92:14)

Some may be saying, “But how do we know when the Lord is calling us?”

Joyce Meyer has written a wonderful book on just this subject, How To Hear From God, and ensures us The Lord longs to speak to us, we need to learn to listen to his voice. A book well worth reading.

One of our Home Group members did some research and he found the words of a beautiful modern hymn written in response to the call of Isaiah, a beautiful song we can sing back to our Lord God Almighty.

I who made the stars and night
I will make the darkness light
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am Lord
Is it I Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go Lord
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart. 

Are we ready to reply, “Here am I, Send me!”

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Posted in Challenge, Comfort, Exodus, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Psalms | Tags: , , ,

Posted by: Jo | September 28, 2012

Love Notes From God

image“…but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.” (Exodus 20:6)

When one of my four daughters was in those early teen years we experienced, what countless parents had before us and probably countless continue to do so, differences of opinions on many subjects and that is putting it mildly. These differences covered all sorts of topics, ranging from suitable attire/ suitable friends/ suitable activities etc. Some discussions became heated and diplomatic relationships often were broken off, quite abruptly, which left me drained and sad as I love all of my daughters deeply, then to my surprise an unexpected occurrence began to happen. After one of these painful episodes and as I was preparing to go to bed, I would find under my pillow a love note , often in the form of a poem, expressing on paper what my daughter was unable to voice. Those scraps of paper brought about incredible healing to our relationship. We both remembered that we loved each other and that knowledge helped overcome any obstacle in our relationship. The little love note was the key.

Notes from a loved one in any form can bring about great joy and as we live far away from our Australian relatives, seeing that familiar writing on the envelope can immediately lift our spirits. We know our family is thinking of us and we eagerly open the letter. Little thank you notes from friends keep our friendships alive and well. A Get Well card from our church when we are sick, comforts us . Our Heavenly Father knows that we often need to be reminded of how much he loves us and his word is imagesprinkled with love notes just for us. One of my favorites is found in Jeremiah.

“The Lord appeared to us in the past saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)

The Lord’s love for us is active. He doesn’t just tell us about his love. His love is shown in his actions; he binds up the bruises of his people, (Isaiah 30:26), he heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds, (Psalm 147:3) he upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down (Psalm 145:14).

One of his most beautiful love notes is found in Psalm 91

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.” (Psalm 91:14 – 16)

Of course if I had not read my daughter’s note or had not bothered to open my mail from relatives or friends, imageI would have been totally ignorant of the love expressed in their written words and how sad it would have been not to acknowledge that love. The same applies to all the sweet love notes directed to us from our Heavenly Father. We need to constantly read them for ourselves and so become bathed in his love and when we read just how great his love was for us we are so willing to acknowledge that love and love others in his name. His love for us was so great that he was willing to give up his precious son.

“For God so loved the world that he gave us his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

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Posted by: Jo | September 21, 2012

Remember Me

“Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced…” (1 Chronicles 16:12)

imageOne of those small irritating things that seem to beset those of us approaching old age is how often our memory fails us. Just recently I was reminded of this when I met an acquaintance who obviously knew who I was and greeted me effusively by saying brightly, “Remember me? “I was forced to lie and to reply just as brightly, “Of course.” and then had to spend the next ten minutes racking my brain for her name so I wouldn’t insult this sweet lady. My husband and I have resorted to making little notes and then placing them in strategic parts of our apartment so we are sure to see them and remember to phone that person/ make the doctor’s appointment/ buy the milk etc. Strangely enough some memories stay fixed permanently in our minds, especially happenings in our children’s and grandchildren’s lives and nothing pleases our family more when we are altogether to recount the funny ones. Often a granddaughter will prompt me by saying, “Nana, remember when I …” and will listen with rapt attention to hear me tell a story she already knows off by heart. These memories are so precious they are fixed in our minds and the telling of them over and over again just makes them more precious and as well, our grandchildren are acquiring a rich heritage of family traditions and stories that form the fabric of who we are as a family and gives them a great sense of being part of the narrative.

The Lord God Almighty knew the importance of precious memories and knew his children would need to be reminded of all his beautiful promises to them and equally important to know that he would never forget his promises to them.

“I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind…..” (Genesis 9:15)

imageThe psalmists knew that remembering the Mighty God they served and remembering his great works, was a great panacea when troubling times threatened to destroy them. I love reading the psalms as all the raw emotions known to man can be found within their words. They unashamedly admit their shortcomings, but also know who to run to when in distress.

Psalm 77 is a wonderful example of a man in distress, unable to sleep. Haunted by things in his past, thinking perhaps God has deserted him when he comes to his senses and remembers to go back to those memories to sustain him,

“Then I thought, “To this I will appeal; the years of the right hand of the Most High”. I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes I will remember your miracles of long ago. I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:10 – 12)

Just remembering how powerful his Master was proved to be the answer to this Psalmist’s troubled night of sleeping.

It is also so easy for us to forget how powerful our Lord and Savior is. When the terrors of the night attack us we can be swamped by despair. We begin to think we are helpless. We forget the many times the Lord has stepped into other situations. This is when we need to emulate the psalmist. Mediating on God’s word is a good place to start. Repeating his promises to ourselves, reminding ourselves of his great love, reminding ourselves of his faithfulness has an amazing affect upon our troubled minds.

When we have a store of memories of how a loving Savior has answered our needs we then need to share our memories with others in the family of Christ. imageJust like any earthly family, sharing of memories strengthens the whole body. Recounting the miracles in our lives fixes them firmly in our minds and how reassuring to exclaim, “Of course I remember now!!”

Jesus himself knew how important it was to remember and gave us the most loved of all our rituals, the Eucharist, to be a constant reminder of the huge sacrifice he made for us.

“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22:19)

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Posted by: Jo | September 14, 2012

Keeping the Fire Burning

“Is not my word like fire”, declares the Lord…” (Jeremiah 23:29)

imageWhen my husband and I bought a cabin on a lake in the interior of British Columbia, Canada, we had never lived in a place that experienced extreme winter conditions and where temperatures could drop dramatically. We had experienced the reverse when we lived on the island of Nauru in the Central Pacific, which was only five miles from the equator and where we spent the whole year just trying to stay cool, so imagine the learning experience it was for us that first winter. The cabin came equipped with a very efficient and sturdy wood stove which kept the cabin warm and, those inside, alive in the winter. We have all heard the expression, “it only takes a spark to get a fire going”, but we learned a much bigger truth very quickly. It might only take a spark to get the fire going, but a lot of kindling and hard work to keep it burning! We soon realized that we had to have plenty of split firewood close at hand and preferably near the back door so we could access it easily. Our stove was very trustworthy as long as we constantly checked it and fed it with a steady supply of wood and it was very handy to have a couple of husky son-in-laws top up our supply when they came to visit.

I was thinking back on those days and suddenly thought that our experience with our stove is similar to our walk with the Lord. The joy when we first get to know him does light up a spark in our lives. It begins a burning desire to know him more and more, but also we discover that the busyness of life, worries, work, health problems etc. can diminish the glow of our relationship. Just like our stove needed constant re-fueling so do we, to remain vibrant Christians, so that we are constantly on fire for him, and are able to spread his warmth to others.image

We found that our stove was most efficient if it was set properly in the first place. It was not a random throwing of the first log that came to hand. It required careful planning of paper/ kindling/ small pieces of wood to establish a good foundation for the heavier logs to ignite and give off the solid heat we needed to keep warm. It also needed regular removal of the ash that built up so our chimney remained clear of unwanted debris and the air was sucked in to keep the flames burning brightly.

So how can mature Christians keep that fire burning brightly in themselves and others? Firstly we need that strong foundation in the Lord Jesus Christ so we can constantly draw our warmth from him. Then we need to feed that desire and love for him by seeking to walk closely with him every day so that our love never grows cold and lifeless. We can find all the fuel we need in his word and our daily imageprayer time with him will feed the flames all day. Just as one log ignites another we need to stay close to fellow believers so our mutual warmth keeps each other brightly shining. Choosing one friend to be a prayer partner or perhaps a small group to meet with produces wonderful boosts to our faith. Sometimes we have to look closely at our own walk to see if debris and ash may have crept into our lives and have to be removed so the Holy Spirit’s life giving breath can breathe life into a flickering flame and we need to come before our Maker and cry out like David,

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

Our faith is so precious we would never want it to falter in any way and Peter writing to a group of believers gives them this advice;

“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. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:5 – 8)

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