Lead Me To The Cross

Easter, a day that the majority of people associate with chocolate and hot cross buns.  A day that is the only day (apart from Christmas) that some people attend church.  A day that many people look at as nothing more than an extra-long weekend.

To me Easter is so much more than that.  It is the weekend that we as a community of born-again Christians all over the world remember Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross for our sins and celebrate the fact that He rose again.

I remember one day years ago, when Easter was almost upon us, my son who was about 7 or 8 at the time was chatting to me in the car. We were chatting about what Easter buns and Easter eggs represent in relation to Jesus dying on the cross and “the empty tomb”. It was at this stage of the conversation that he went a little quiet as if he was pondering something important. I waited, and a few minutes later heard a little voice say to me “Ma, because we are friends with Jesus we shouldn’t be thinking about Jesus dying on the cross only at Easter but we should be remembering it every day.” What a beautiful simple thought from a child. And he was right.  I need to be meditating and thinking about this every day, not just at Easter time. 

Why should I be thinking about Jesus dying on the cross every day? Simply because Jesus died for you and for me. It is because of Jesus’s death on the cross that we are able to approach God’s throne with confidence.  Jesus washed us clean with His blood – our sins are no more, He took the punishment for us so that we may have eternal life:-

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17 (NIV)

It is because of this fact that I am exceedingly grateful for Jesus’s sacrifice each and every day. I remember so that I never become complacent or ungrateful for what He has done for me. 

One interesting thing I have noticed about Easter time is that this is one of the times when people in my “every day” life are more open to hearing why the death and resurrection of Jesus is so precious to Christians as a whole.  A perfect opportunity to share that Jesus died for them too!

So, on this Easter long weekend as I prepare myself for Resurrection Sunday, before I partake in  the celebration service rejoicing in the fact that Jesus is Alive. I leave you with a beautiful passage from Max Lucado’s book “No Wonder They Call Him The Savior” which paints a powerful picture for us to ponder:-

“Like a master painter God reserved his masterpiece until the end.  All the  earlier acts of love had been leading to this one.  The angels hushed and the heavens paused to witness the finale.  God unveils the canvas and the ultimate     act of creative compassion is revealed.

God on a cross.

The Creator being sacrificed for the creation.  God convincing man once and for all that forgiveness still follows failure……………“It is finished.”

The mission was finished.  All that the master painter needed to do was done and was done in splendour.  His creation could now come home.”

I pray that you realise the depth of God’s love for you during this Easter time.
                                                                                                                                               

References:              Image:      https://skiingthroughlife.wordpress.com/2011/04/25/lead-me-to-the-cross-easter-2011

                                Quotes:    Holy Bible: New International Version. (2011). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan

                                                “No Wonder They Call Him the Savior” by Max Lucado

The True Thirst Quencher

Have you ever experienced true thirst?  You know, the type of thirst that comes from spending too much time in the sun on a hot day without hydrating at regular intervals. The type of thirst that makes you gulp down a whole 600ml bottle of water in 60 seconds flat.

When my body sends me the signs that it is thirsty, I know that it is time to rehydrate with water.  What I sometimes forget is that our soul thirsts too. Our soul thirsts for time with our Creator, time to praise, time to pray, time to listen and time to reflect. This is the type of “spiritual rehydration” that our soul desperately needs.

David describes this type of thirst in book of Psalm:-

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.  My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Psalm 42:1-2a (NIV)

There is a danger though, one that I must admit I hadn’t given much thought to before now.  The danger is that I might rehydrate my soul with “water” that will keep me thirsty. Jesus talks about this in the story of the woman at the well in the book of John:-

“Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” John 4:13-14 (NIV)

The water that keeps us thirsty of which Jesus is speaking of here is described in The Wieserbe Bible Commentary as “…anything the world has to offer”.  The commentary then goes on to say “How true it is that the things of this world never completely satisfy”.

I know that if I am not careful I can get distracted by everyday life and my unending “to do list”.  I know that sometimes I get caught up with an endless cycle of work, socialising, planning meetings and family commitments - so much so that my quiet time becomes a rushed 10 minutes squeezed in “wherever I have a moment”. Living like this only causes me to dry up, to dehydrate my soul because I am hydrating with the things of this world which always leave me wanting instead of making my time with God a priority.  It is in God’s presence as I am kneeling at His feet and devouring the wisdom He is eager to give me, that my soul can be truly replenished with the living water that never runs dry.

Courtney Joseph in her book “Women Living Well” expands on this concept further:-

“The Word of God is full of living water. We need to drink deeply from this living well so that we can be women living well…………God wants us to drink deeply of His living water every day.  He wants us to find refreshment, comfort and satisfaction through His Word…… Are we thirsting for Jesus, or have we made ourselves so busy that we don’t even know our soul’s greatest need – solitude with God?”.

I have found that the more I schedule in time with God to rehydrate my soul, the more I yearn to be in His presence. The more I spend time with God the more I yearn to meditate on His Word each and every day, morning, noon and night. How wonderful it is to know that there is a never-ending supply of God’s living water, all we have to do is pause to drink and drink deeply.

I pray this week that you take time to pause and drink deeply from God’s living well.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

References:       Image:     http://www.care2.com/greenliving/thirsty

                            Quotes:    Holy Bible: New International Version. (2011). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan

                                              “The Wiersbe Bible Commentary” Published November 1st 2007 by David C. Cook

                                              “Women Living Well” by Courtney Joseph

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are Goals Necessary?

Are goals necessary? It depends on who you ask.  A goal to a soccer player would be very necessary.  A goal to a business owner that will help them reach their billable target is also important.  But what about personal goals? Why is it that so many of us (myself included) balk at the thought of having to set them?

For a chunk of time I avoided setting definite personal goals. In fact I made a decision that I would not because, to be totally honest, I hated the thought of failing.  In the past I had a habit of making grandiose unachievable short-term goals. For example - “This year I am going to become fluent at German again”, “This year I am going to update my sign language certificate so I can translate our praise and worship time at Church without having to rote learn each song”, “These next four months I am going to work so hard that I will get to my goal weight”.  Suffice to say, not one goal was achieved.

How disheartening it is to set goals and fail.  What a ridiculously high standard I had set for myself, no wonder I fell into the habit of being content with pottering along in life. Thankfully God brought to my attention the following verse:-

“Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.” Proverbs 4:25-26 (NIV)

Instead of seeking God’s direction for each step ensuring that I was taking “only ways that are firm”, I had been focused on where I thought my path should be going. With no goals set, my life did not have momentum and it felt at times like I was at a standstill. I was “living” but not living life to its fullest as I had no direction to head. In fact there is a verse that talks about a life that does not have any direction or instruction to enable it to move forward:-

“Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint; but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.” Proverbs 29:18 (NIV)

I honestly believe that it is important to set goals.  I have come to learn that in order to move forward I need to constantly work at growing in my Christian walk. In order to grow I need to set myself daily/monthly/yearly goals which will stretch me and cement my reliance on God. Applying this truth can be quite challenging. Imagine my relief when I read the next verse:-

“Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward 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

In fact Charles R. Swindoll (Author) shares a “living insight” in the Living Insights Study Bible (NIV) in relation to this verse which sums up the truth found therein:-

“God has called us to be in a spiritual growth pattern.  Sometimes were up… sometimes down.  Sometimes we’re more victorious than other times.  But the progress is a movement forward and higher.”

I now understand that there is no “quick fix”, my life is a constant process of growth and one that can only be lived to the full when my eyes are fixed firmly on Christ.  How comforting it is to know that if I set my goals with my eyes fixed firmly on Christ then not only will my life have momentum, not only will my life have meaning but I will eventually, reach the ultimate goal and claim my reward which is  living out my eternity with Him.

So this is my challenge to myself this week, I am going to seek God’s wisdom and set one spiritual goal and see where it takes me.  I pray that you take time to pause, reflect and maybe join with me in doing the same.
                                                                                                                                                                                               

References:      

 

Image:     http://www.connectionsacademy.com

Quotes:     The living Insights Study Bible New International Version – Charles R. Swindoll, General Editor(Zondervan Publishing House Grand Rapids, MI)

 

 

 

Let Me Think On It

 

 

 

 Sometimes we can be our own worst enemies – just because of the choices we make. 

I can’t tell you the amount of times I have made a decision “spur of the moment”. Not because I feel pressured, not because I have to “people please” but just because it felt right at the time.

More often than not, when I go into “act before I overthink” mode, I commit myself to an overabundance of activities that leave me exhausted, frustrated at myself for not pausing before accepting the tasks and at times a little resentful at the fact the activity existed in the first place (because it couldn’t possibly be my fault *cough*).

I can honestly say that until 2015 I would burn out at least twice a year, my health would hit rock bottom and I would have to withdraw from people just to rejuvenate. 

Thankfully I have re-discovered the secret to being wiser in living my life and making decisions.  In fact there is a whole book in the Bible full of gems of knowledge that I have been drawing on this year. These gems of wisdom have made such a difference to my decision making process and can be found in the book of Proverbs.

One verse in particular spoke volumes to me in regards to my spontaneous decision making:-

“The wisdom of the prudent is to give thought to their ways, but the folly of fools is deception.” Proverbs 14:8 (NIV)

This verse made me stop and reconsider how I was going about things, I could see that there is wisdom in giving extra thought to the opportunities that come my way. 

I must admit that my worst “spontaneous” decision making occurs when both of the options offered to me are something that I know would make God happy.  Due to lessons learnt because I have over committed myself too many times to count, I have come to realise that just because both options are “good”, doesn’t mean it is what I am meant to do right now.

In order to be truly wise I need to pause to think, gather all the facts of what is actually required of me, marry it up with my schedule (which means wait until I get home and check what’s on the calendar), pray over it with God and then stop to listen for His guidance.

I know that discovering wisdom and applying that wisdom is a lifelong process.  I know that there will be times that I will slip into “spontaneous mode” and at times I may still make the wrong decision but I draw comfort in the promise that God will give wisdom to those who ask for it:-

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” James 1:5 (NIV)

What a relief to know that God promises to give wisdom to those who ask. What a comfort to know that we don’t have to doubt ourselves when making decisions when we recognise that God is truly in control, pause to think after gathering all the facts and stop to listen for God’s guidance.

I pray that you too will draw on this comfort on your decision making journey.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

References:       Holy Bible: New International Version. (2011). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan

                         Image: www.orion-partners.com

                        

 

                        

 

There's Always a Silver Lining

 

http://pictify.com/13657

Last weekend was full of “firsts”.  My first trip driving into Sydney CBD, my first stay in a 4 star hotel all to see my first Dr Who Symphonic Spectacular which happened to be my son’s first concert. The planning for this weekend had been 2 months in the making.  40^th birthday money carefully spent on accommodation and advice sought from the hotel concierge regarding parking and timing of travel. I even ensured the weekend was covered with prayer, in particular for wisdom, good health and a smooth run.

On the day, everything went like clockwork, I found the carpark first go, things were looking up! But it didn’t take long for my stress free carefully planned trip to become a “where’s the paper bag I’m about to hyperventilate” afternoon, all because there were no parks.

It turns out the concierge had forgotten that a One Direction concert was on and there would be no parks, anywhere.  This is when my praying went into hyper mode, I prayed with every breath in and every breath out.  The driving around was only for about 2 hours which is tiny in the scheme of the entire weekend but being overtired and stressed made it feel like forever, the tears were flowing, I was calling people for help and yet my son and I never stopped praying.  Why you might ask? Why in the midst of the disappointment and crazy meltdowns did we keep on praying? Because there is one thing we knew for sure and it can be found in the book of Romans:-

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” Romans 8:28 (NIV)

I know that in the midst of whatever comes my way God already knows how I am going to react, He already knows what I need before I ask, He is always there for me to talk to, He knows exactly how my day is going to pan out and He knows what is best for me.

I don’t know why God waited.  I don’t know why I had to drive around praying for 1 hour in the final car park.   All I know is that even when I was in meltdown mode, never once did I forget that God had his hand on the situation.  I love the way Max Lucado writes about this in his book “A Gentle Thunder”:-

“Though you hear nothing, he is speaking. Though you see nothing, he is acting.  With God there are no accidents.  Every incident is intended to bring us closer to him.”

I am happy to say that God not only provided the carpark, but He blessed us unexpectedly when our tickets were “upgraded” enabling us to have a better view of the stage.  The blessings continued the following day when the parking station charged $20 instead of the $49 as quoted which ended up being $10 cheaper than car park we first went to.  A confirmation of God going ahead of my circumstance and putting into place what was best for me. 

I pray that throughout this week, no matter what comes your way, you are able to draw on God’s promise in Romans 8:28.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

References:       “Grace for the Moment: Inspiration for Each Day of the Year” Max Lucado

 

 

 

I Can Do All Things

 

 

I have believed for many years that I was hopeless at memorising verses from the Bible.  No matter how many times I would repeat a verse I just couldn’t seem to remember all the words or the reference.  In fact, I still remember how disheartened I was in Girls Brigade to watch the other girls getting their rewards for remembering the weekly memory verse while I froze and stumbled over the few words I could recall.

Isn’t it curious how we often label ourselves from the beliefs we form during childhood. 

Sometimes I spend so much time focusing on what I can’t do that I don’t stop to think about how far I have come.  The reality is I am no longer a child, I have a wonderful job that requires me to remember details about federal and state legislation that changes regularly, I can remember hundreds of songs, I (most of the time) remember all of my friends children’s names and I can remember the road rules. Just because I struggled when I was young over certain things doesn’t mean that is who I am now. 

This realisation came to me at Church last Sunday as I was listening to our Senior Pastor read God’s word.  He began “In the beginning……” whoop there it is! The words came flowing back to me “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God” John 1:1.  It didn’t matter that I needed the first three words for the verse to come flooding back - It was a precious verse stored in the filing cabinets called “my memory” which was recalled at the right time.  I can no longer say that I can’t memorise verses because I just proved myself wrong!

In fact, given the right environment, there are many things I am capable of doing now that I have stated I am hopeless at doing in the past. The Bible has a great verse to meditate on in this regard:-

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” Phillipians 4:13

Lysa Terkeurst the author of “The Best Yes” has a helpful way of memorising this verse, it is the ten finger method – one word for every finger. What a great verse to remember every time we look at our hands!

You see, while it may take me longer than others to memorise God’s word, while I may have to use a concordance (or “google”) to help me find the book and verse reference, the wonderful fact is that any verse that I recall and can quote is God’s truth.  Looking back on all the years I had believed that I couldn’t learn verses off by heart, I can now see that all along God had been writing them on my heart and bringing them to mind when the time was right.

I pray that when you face a challenge or have to make a decision this week that you look at your hands and use your “ten fingers” to remember that you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you.

                                                                                                                                                                                               

References: Image: https://laurencaroll.wordpress.com

 

 

 

Like It or Not Change Comes

 

 

I am a creature of habit. I like things occurring in a way that makes sense to me.  When something slips out of place and forces me to re-arrange my routine, or when I come to a fork in the road where I have to decide where I am supposed to be, I don’t particularly enjoy the process.  This happens even when I am prompted by God to try something new before I feel I am ready.  It’s at these times that I feel like I am back at square one, starting again, just like a baby taking their first steps. You know, I think that this is a big reason as to why change causes discomfort for so many of us.  When you are well into your journey of life and like to think you are an expert in your field, to have to start something new, when tragedy occurs or when you have to go somewhere that was never in your “life plans”, it is an uncomfortable and at times humbling experience. I have had to do this many times and it has taken me quite a while to be able to ignore the internal voice which starts making me doubt.  You know that tape recorder that plays in your subconscious making statements such as – “Have I chosen the right path“, “Was it really God speaking to me?”, ”Can people see how uncomfortable I am?”, “Does it look like I know what I am doing?”,  “Why me?”, “I am just going to fail or make a fool out of myself!”. To drown out this internal voice I draw on God’s truth, repeating one of my favourite passages in the book of Jeremiah which cuts through this doubt with words of reassurance:- “For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.” Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NIV) What a comfort it is to know that when I stumble across hurdles on my path, when unexpected detours come my way, the God of the universe knows the plan, my life has meaning and I am not alone.  What peace it brings in the midst of troubling or changing times in my life to know that I can call on God and He will listen. I pray that the next time change comes your way you will remember this truth and that it will bring you peace and reassurance.

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References:  Image: http://parentingrenewed.com