Don’t be a pen snatcher!

 

Don’t be a pen snatcher. I’ve been thinking about this today. If you’re confused, then that’s okay. Stay with me. I don’t have anything profound to share but I pray that you will be encouraged with what God has been working on me about.

In previous posts, I’ve talked about how God writes the script of our lives and how all too often, we are discontent with the story’s plot.

Sometimes in life, circumstances happen that throw our plans into disarray. We hit a bump in the road that sends us off the course we had planned. Unexpected things happen and before we know it, we wake up one day, realizing that this is not the life we planned and not the life we wanted. This is not the script we wanted written.

We had a totally different picture in mind. The picture of what we thought life would look like is vastly different than the reality.

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately with the trials our daughter has been facing and the unfathomable plot twists in her story.

The script of her life is definitely not playing out the way she expected and it’s not how we, as her parents, expected either. No one could have foreseen what she has had to go through these past few years. No one but God, that is.

Are you struggling today with the way your story is playing out? Are you discouraged because the script of your life is not at all what you had planned? Are you frustrated with the season of life you currently find yourself in?

Maybe you are facing illness. Or maybe it’s the loss of a friendship. Or a very busy season that just won’t let up and let you catch your breath. Are you riding a wave of emotions that range from sadness to hurt, to anger, to bitterness?

Can I encourage you today to refrain from snatching the pen!

This is something I find myself doing all too regularly. I find myself dissatisfied with the story God is writing and so I try and wrest the pen from his grasp, feeling sure that I can write better than he can. Surely, I can change the story to suit me. Surely, I can write a better ending.

But I can’t. And spoiler alert, you can’t either.

God has all wisdom and all power and all knowledge. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows the future and so he is more than capable at holding the pen and writing our stories.

Our stories are often messy and unpredictable, full of ups and downs, twists and turns, but don’t you think that the God who formed the universe with his voice, the God who catches our tears in a bottle, the God who knows about each sparrow that falls to the ground, don’t you think he can handle your life’s story?

Not only is he able to go above and beyond what we ask, we are promised that he will do exceeding more than what we even think! What a beautiful promise.  

Ephesians 3:20-21a KJV - Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory….

I want to remind you that although you can’t choose the life circumstances you go through, you can choose HOW you go through them.

Your peace, your joy, and your contentment are dependent on the choices you make.

If you’re struggling today with the circumstances you find yourself in, if you find yourself fighting against God as you try to snatch away the pen, if you feel as though you’ve reached the end of your rope, then don’t despair.

There is a simple remedy. LET GO OF THE PEN!

Stop fighting with the pen, stop tearing the pages out, stop adding pages in, stop changing the fonts, stop messing with the pauses, the commas, the chapter divisions.

Trust God with your story. Let go of the pen. Don’t try to change or rewrite it. Submit the writing to him and let him add in the plot twists and the joy and laughter, the hurt and tears.

God, the author of the precious Word of God we so casually hold in our hands, the Book of all Books, the greatest piece of literature ever written, inspired by God Almighty, penned by men of God, passed down through the ages, never able to be destroyed, the most beautiful love letter ever written, that same God can be trusted to write your story.

Let God take full control and rest assured that your story is in his hands.

He is the only one fully qualified to write the script of your life. Because of who he is, he is the only one that can write the story of your life and it be complete and according to his perfect will.

Just because the story we find ourselves in right now is not to our liking, doesn’t mean God is not working behind the scenes.

God loves to write the script of our lives and weave into it his love, his mercy, his compassion and faithfulness so that we will see him for who he is and it will drive us to worship and praise as we allow him to have first place in our lives, realising that but for him, we are nothing, and he alone is able to take our stories and make something beautiful of them.

He really is the best author there is. No matter what life looks like for you right now, God knows about it. He is writing your story. He knows the end of the story, and so he knows exactly what needs to be written in order to finish the book.

Don’t be a pen snatcher! Let go!

Trust in him. Delight yourself in him. Commit your way unto him. Rest in him. (Psalm 37)

Proverbs 3:5-6 KJV - Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t surrender your worship

 

Don’t surrender your worship. What do I even mean by this statement?

There are a lot of confusing and difficult things going on in our world today, and there are a lot of hard things happening closer to home at this present moment.

Life is never void of trials and trouble. We are reminded of this in John 16:33 - These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

In a sermon I listened to yesterday, I heard the story once again of the three Hebrew boys who made a stand against an egotistical King and chose to worship God. (Daniel 3)

The story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is such an amazing display of God’s almighty power, but it also shines the spotlight on three boys who refused to surrender their worship.

Before I get to that, let me just take a moment to speak about the choice they made when it came to their focus.

When these boys made the decision to disobey the King’s decree and refused to bow down to his golden image, their focus wasn’t on the fiery furnace. Their focus was on God.

How often do we find ourselves focusing on the trials in our lives? How often do we zero in on the circumstances we find ourselves in? How often do we speak of the giant instead of speaking of our God?

Do you remember the story of David and his face off with a giant? Read it for yourself and you’ll find that David himself never acknowledged how big Goliath was, he only ever acknowledged how big his God was! (1 Samuel 17)     (Talk faith not fear)

He didn’t talk about how dangerous or how large or how impressive, threatening or scary Goliath was? He only talked about how great his God was.

He knew the truth that his God, our God, is able to deliver us!

Yes, life gets hard. The unexpected happens.

We have a choice to make. We can’t choose what battles we face. We can’t choose the trials we go through, but we can choose what we focus on!

Both David and the Hebrew boys didn’t keep their focus on the mountain. They chose to focus on the one who spoke the mountain into existence. God.

Now, let’s come back to my opening statement.

Don’t surrender your worship!

In the story of King Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image, the three Hebrew boys refused to surrender their worship.

When it came to a choice between God or the King, they chose God. They chose to believe and worship.

Daniel 3:16-18 KJV - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego took their focus off the fiery furnace (mountain) and looked to God. They decided to worship before the miracle even took place and even more astounding, they didn’t even know if a miracle would take place.

They didn’t have a rock-solid guarantee that God would choose to rescue them from danger, but they knew that their worship of him and their trust in him was paramount.

These verses tell us that they were so sure of their God that even if he chose to let them perish in the fire, they would still worship. They would go down worshipping. They would go down singing his praises.

They would not surrender their worship!

Sometimes, as Christians, we worship because we see a miracle. God works, we witness a miracle, we see the circumstances change and we rise up in worship.

But it takes a lot more courage to worship before we see the miracle. It takes strength to sit in the midst of a trial and choose to worship through it.

For those of you who know me and my story, you may be tired of hearing it, but I will never stop telling it. It is my glory story.  (Do you have a glory story)

For those who don’t, here is a very brief mention of it so I can drive home my point.

A few years back I faced a giant. For 6 long months I fought an internal battle. An unexplained battle with depression, anxiety and panic attacks that literally took my breath away, threatening to take me out completely. It had made itself at home and nothing I could do seemed to shake it.

But while I was being pounded by waves of fear, while I struggled through days where I didn’t want to get out of bed, while I neglected friendships and often tried to put on a brave face hoping others wouldn’t notice, God was working. God was weaving threads of strength through my pain.

As I battled along, I made the choice to worship. I chose to worship through it. I chose to worship before I saw a miracle. I tell this not to bring any glory to myself, but to hold the Lord’s name high.

My first timid attempt at worship was through music. I listened over and over to worship songs that spoke peace to my heart. As the days went by, my lips mouthed the words and then those words made their way down into my heart and my spirits began to lift. Then I read through promise after promise in the Word of God and my worship spilled over into reading aloud and letting God’s love and goodness wash over me.

Long story short, God in his mercy and grace pulled me up out of a dark pit and set my feet upon a rock and helped me to walk again. (Psalm 40:2)

When the three Hebrew boys chose to worship God through their trial, and when they chose to focus on God’s power, you’d better believe that it changed them!

I am absolutely positive that they came out of that fire with a fire burning inside them that was all to do with God and nothing to do with hot flames. It changed them.

And I want to encourage you if you’re walking through something right now, your choice to worship will not only change you, it will help to change others.

YOUR FIGHT ISN’T JUST ABOUT YOU!

You never know who’s watching. You never know who you will affect by your worship.

Do you remember what happened after the King called the boys out of the fire, having seen 4 men walking in the fire? He was changed.

Daniel 3:28-29 KJV - Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king's word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged not only the existence of God but also the Almighty, power of God.

When you choose to worship through a trial, with no idea how it will turn out, not only is it pleasing to God, but it is encouraging to those looking on.

You can encourage someone else’s faith. You can encourage another brother or sister who is faltering, to stay strong, to keep trusting, keep worshipping, keep believing.

Sometimes our faith is weak, and we have to borrow some off a friend. Sometimes we need to borrow some strength to be able to stand stronger. As we see another brother or sister standing strong and choosing to worship although they are facing an ‘even if’ situation, it gives our faith a lift and encourages us to keep in the race and persevere.

My story, your story, may be just what someone needs to see and hear to give them the courage to keep on.

When someone realises that they are not alone, and others have faced similar situations and God has brought them through, it gives them the strength they need to make it through and Lord willing, they will choose to refuse to surrender their worship.

God is worthy of all our worship and all our praise. Our stubborn refusal of surrendering our worship will be like a beacon to those looking on. A beacon of light. A beacon of hope.

1 Peter 3:15 KJV - But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Focus on God, not your mountain. Be ready with an answer and a voice of truth and hope for those looking on.

 

Don’t surrender your worship.

 

 

 

 

 

Coffee Cups and T Shirts

 

Here in Katherine, we have a lovely Christian bookshop run by volunteers. In it you’ll find countless Bibles and Bible covers, pens, notebooks, books on Christian living, commentaries, music, Children’s books and games etc etc and the most beautiful collection of giftware with scripture verses on them.

I have a lovely turquoise coffee mug with the phrase “Be still and know” written in a flowing font across the front. It is one of my favourite cups, not just because of its pleasant shape and size, but because it is a continual reminder each morning, of God’s goodness.

Last night, as we had our fortnightly Bible study in our home, I had a lady ask to read what was on my shirt. And lo and behold, there the phrase was again. Be still and know.

Just last week I was reminded of this verse and wanted to take some time to write about it as I have done in the past, but time got away from me and so, finally, here I sit, hoping for some peace and quiet and distraction-free time to share some insight on this beautiful verse.

We find this verse in the Psalms.

Psalm 46:10 KJV - Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

This verse comes from a longer section of Scripture that proclaims the power of God and the security we find in his presence.

In verses 1, 5, 7 and 11, the Psalmist reminds us of God’s presence. He is ‘present’. He is in the ‘midst’. He is ‘with us’.

As you read through this Psalm in its entirety, you’ll see that the majority of it is written in the third person as the Psalmist speaks about God. However, when we get to verse 10, God’s voice is heard, and he speaks in the first person.

Be still and know that I am God.

So, what is this being still? Being still is not something I’m very good at. I have worked on it over the years, and I’ve come a long way from where I started in this area, but it still doesn’t come naturally to me. I don’t have any trouble being busy, crowding my days with activities and the like, but being still? Not so easy.

In this verse, God calls us to stillness.

”The word used here in the Hebrew - rapa - means properly to cast down; to let fall; to let hang down; then, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands: It is also employed in the sense of not making an effort; not putting forth exertion; and then would express the idea of leaving matters with God, or of being without anxiety about the issue.” Barnes.

So being still here carries the idea of being quiet and easy, not fretful and impatient or restless, content to relax into the will of God. It doesn’t mean to be inactive and unconcerned, but quiet. A quietening of the heart.

We find this phrase ‘be still’ in another place in the Bible that is worth mentioning.

Mark 4:39 KJV - And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.

The difference here though is that in the Greek, these words, be still, mean to be silent or be dumb. So, in essence, hush or shut up. The Lord told the waves and wind to shut up! And I think sometimes, we need to just hush and be silent and listen.

We fill our lives with so much ‘doing’ and not a lot of ‘listening’. We dart from one task to the next, always on the move, never resting, never stopping to catch our breath. But God requires us to come into His presence and just be still. To quieten our minds and our bodies and listen as he speaks to us.  

As I have thought on this verse, this phrase is continually on my mind in light of recent circumstances. As our daughter battles with cancer a second time, and lives with the unknown looming so large over her, I am reminded to be still and know.

Cancer is horrible. It is a ravaging destroyer. It is full of unknowns. Only God can bring peace and a supernatural rest in Him during a time that might otherwise be devastating. Only God can say, be still and know, and have the power and authority to back it up by his faithfulness and love so that we can fully trust that he holds life and death in his hands and only God can enable us to rest in the assurance that his ways are perfect. (Psalm 18:30)

God is not the God of chaos and confusion, but of calm. God is not the God of stress and anxiety, but of rest.

God knew all about what our daughter would go through, long before I ever carried her in my womb. (Psalm 139). He held her hand, long before I ever did.

God calls us to be still. To rest. To trust. To lie content in his will.

But there is something more than just stillness in this verse. We are told not only to be still, but also to know.

What are we to know? To know that He is God.

As one commentator puts it:

“And "know"; own and acknowledge that he is God, a sovereign being that does whatsoever he pleases; that he is unchangeable in his nature, purposes, promises, and covenant; that he is omnipotent, able to help them and deliver them at the last extremity; that he is omniscient, knows their persons, cases, and troubles, and how and where to hide them till the storm is over; that he is the all wise God, and does all things after the counsel of his own will, and makes all things work together for good to them; and that he is faithful to his word and promise, and will not suffer them to be over pressed and bore down with troubles.” Gill

We are not just to learn to be still, but we are to know who God is. The more you know God, the easier you will find it to trust in him.

During this time of trial in our daughter’s life and in the lives of those that love and care for her, it can be hard to be still and know. We want to rush about trying to find solutions and we continually cry out to God searching for answers. But his still, small voice whispers to our hearts, “be still, my child”. Rest in me.

So, what do you do when your life begins to crumble, and you can’t make sense of the path God calls you to follow?

You hold on to what you know.

I have said it before, and I’ll say it again. One of my favourite quotes is this:

“Don’t doubt in the dark, what you know in the light”

During those times when life doesn’t make sense, you have to lean in to what you know of God. He is good. He is loving. He is merciful. He is compassionate.

He is the same whether the sun is shining or the storm clouds form.

Let me give you three things to think on if you’re going through something right now and need a word of hope and comfort.

1.        God is faithful. No matter what is going on in our lives, no matter the circumstances, or the crumbling plans beneath our feet, God is still faithful. He is steady. He is stable. He is our rock. (Psalm 18:31) His compassion and mercy never fails. (Lamentations 3:22,23)

2.        God’s peace and his presence are real. Even when we have no explanation for what is happening, even when life doesn’t make sense, we can rest in the promise that God is with us and will never leave us. (Hebrews 13:5) And we can enjoy his peace. The peace that is beyond our human comprehension (Philippians 4:7)

3.        The body of Christ is and should be beautiful. The gift of community amongst believers is a precious thing and something we should work on developing. As a body of Christ followers and image bearers, we are called to service to one another. We are called to love and compassion. (John 13:34,35)

One of my greatest comforts as a mother watching, from afar, our oldest child go through such a scary, difficult season, is the love of the people around her. She is surrounded on every side not only by flesh and blood family, but also by the family of God. Her brothers and sisters in Christ who love and care for her.

I can rest in the promise that as I obey God’s call to be still and know, he will give me peace that passes understanding. He will be my refuge and strength. Though the earth crumble, though the mountains shake, though the waters roar, God stands immoveable. Steadfast. Strong. My help in trouble.

And if he can do this for me, as I only watch from afar as the days roll by, how much more can he do it for our daughter, in the very midst of the storm, tossed about on the waves.

It’s not about the strength of the storm, it’s about who you have in the boat with you!

If he can do it for me, he can do it for you.

When life begins to crumble, hold on to what you know. Lean into Christ, the solid rock, and take time to be still. Listen for his still, small voice that can carry even over the noise and tumult of the storm. If you’re listening for it, you will hear it.

Be still and know.

 

 

Worship is more than a Song

Most of my readers will know what our family went through at the start of this month with my Dad’s medical emergency and the closeness he came to Heaven. God decided that it wasn’t quite his time to go, and we are blessed to have him with us for a little while longer, however long that may be.

While Dad was in the ICU ward of the hospital, we, as a family watched as he struggled to breathe, talk and stay awake. As we gathered around his bedside, squeezed into a room not made for so many people, we bowed our heads in prayer, committing him to God’s care and we asked God to take him home if that was his will.

With the beeping of the many machines, the bags of fluid hanging above the bed, their cords tracing lines across the floor, the nurse watching on as she stood silently in the corner, we began to sing.

What a day that will be
When my Jesus I shall see
And I look upon his face
The one who saved me by his grace
When he takes me by the hand
And leads me through the Promised Land
What a day, glorious day that will be

There'll be no sorrow there
No more burdens to bear
No more sickness no more pain
No more parting over there
But forever I will be
With the one who died for me
What a day, glorious day that will be

Some sang with heads bowed, some with eyes closed, some sang through tears and as I stood, eyes closed, hands raised in worship I felt the very presence of God and knew in my heart that whatever the outcome, God was in control and as his peace washed over my soul I sang my song of praise to him, as if no one but him and I were in the room.

When I opened my eyes, I glanced at the little screen with its red and green lines zigzagging up and down and I waited. I waited to see that red line flatten out. But it didn’t. It kept moving up and down, up and down. Dad’s chest rose and fell in rhythmic motions and once again I felt God’s hand upon me bringing peace and comfort to my soul.

It wasn’t Dad’s time to go. God still had work for him to do.

Those few minutes in that room, where God made his presence known, was an experience I’ll never forget.

All this to say, that true worship is not confined to the four walls of a church building, a cathedral or on our knees in prayer.

True worship is the acknowledgement of God and his power and glory in everything we do. It is all of me responding to all that he is. Worship is glorifying and exalting God.

And this can be done anywhere. In a hospital room. On a rooftop staring at the sky. As you fold the washing. As you drive down the road. As you sit in the cool of the morning reading the Words of Life and calling out to God in prayer. And as you sing in heartfelt sincerity songs of praise.

As we sang in that cramped hospital room that day, we weren’t singing Christian karaoke. Our words weren’t empty of feeling and meaning. We sang because we knew in our hearts that there was coming a day when we would see Jesus face to face and we rejoiced in knowing that our Dad had run a good race, he had fought the good fight and he was ready and willing to meet his Saviour. We praised God for all that he is and for all that he was doing. Without knowing the outcome, we worshipped and lifted his name up for all to hear.

The purpose of our praise and worship to God, through music, was and is to glorify him. Spiritual music gives voice to our joy and adoration unlike anything else. When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs are the natural expression of our hearts, and we can’t help but sing them unto the Lord. In any place. At any time. In times of joy and in times of sorrow.

Growing up in a more conservative church setting, it was very rare to see anyone raise their hands in worship during the song service. I have since seen louder and more expressive ways of worshipping and also quiet and reserved forms.

What I have come to realise is that worship is deeply personal. And it is often a reflection of the journey God has taken each person on.

We never know the magnitude of someone’s testimony and what they’ve been through. And we are wrong to judge someone harshly because their way of worshipping is not like our own.

For some, worship looks like tears. For some it is raised hands. For some it’s silence. For others it’s shouts of AMEN. We don’t know what fires they’ve had to walk through or what storms they’ve had to weather.

Whether it’s loud or silent, visible or invisible, if it is done in sincerity and true adoration of God, it is beautiful to him.

But I want you to know, worship is more than a song.

We often associate worship with singing. But worship is more than that.

Did you know that the first mention of worship in the Bible had nothing to do with singing?

Genesis 22:4-6 KJV - Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together.

The first time we see worship in the Bible, there was no song. It was a very solemn occasion of obedience to God in the form of sacrifice.

Abraham had been commanded by God to sacrifice his son. His cherished, loved and longed for, son.

And yet, Abraham told the men that were with him, “stay here, we are going to worship”. Wow. His obedience led to sacrifice and yet he worshipped.

We know the end of the story and how God supplied a ram in the thicket and I’m sure there was more rejoicing in the camp that night for God’s goodness and mercy.

Worship really is more than a song. And if the only time you worship God is when you open your mouth to sing, then you are not living the Christian life like God would have you to.

The highest form of worship is through obedience to God and his Word. It is not limited to one act.

True worship is felt inwardly as we grow in the knowledge of who God is, and then it is expressed through our actions. Whether that be in song, in prayer, in reading of God’s Word, in communion and fellowship with others, all worship should be done for God and for his pleasure, because he deserves it and is worthy of our praise. True worship is God-centred.

Music can’t produce worship, although it certainly produces emotion. Music can be an expression of worship. It is an overflow of a heart that is in awe of God and his love for us.

Worship isn’t about how it looks on the outside. It’s all about the heart behind it.

As we sang and prayed around the bedside that day, our hearts were collectively filled with awe and gratitude to God for the blessings he had showered us with. We were thankful for the years of faithfulness and obedience and the Godly legacy our Dad had left for us, the example he had set and the testimony of Godliness he had shown us and others all around the world.

And yes, he is still with us, maybe for months or maybe for years to come, but let it be known that God’s presence and the opportunity to worship is always there. As long as you have breath in your lungs, let it be used to speak words of life over all you meet. And let it be used to worship and praise God as you let your life be one of worship as you walk in obedience to what God says. The sacrifice it involves will all be worth it.

John 4:24 KJV - God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Psalm 95:1-3 KJV - O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

Romans 12:1-2 KJV - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

 

 

 

 

Mind blowing, Eye-opening Words of Life

 

In my quiet time this morning, I literally had my mind blown!

And, in my opinion, mind blowing experiences coming from the Word of God need to be shared. It’s not enough to learn a great truth from Scripture and just keep it to yourself.

Okay, so I am no scholar or studied theologian, and maybe what I’m about to share is something you’ve already discovered, but for those who haven’t and are eager to learn something new, then keep reading!

I am currently studying through the book of Leviticus. Why? Because it’s not a book I have ever enjoyed or fully understood the significance of and one of my goals this year is to read the more obscure and less read books of the Bible and see what I can learn from them.

With all the talk of sacrifices and burnt offerings, my study took me to a passage in Hebrews 13.

Hebrews 13:15,16 KJV - By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

A few years back, I wrote an article on the first part of verse 15. (read it here Don't wait until you're happy)

It made sense to me that often praising God can feel like a sacrifice, because we just don’t ‘feel’ like praising God in the moment. We have to make a choice to offer up worship and praise to God. It costs us. We have to push aside our fears and our anxieties and sacrifice the feelings of dread and sadness we harbour and choose to put on a cloak of thankfulness and raise our hearts in worship to the only one worthy of our praise.

”The secret of joy is not to wait until you feel happy, but to rise, by an act of faith, out of the depression which is dragging you down and begin to praise God as an act of choice.” A.B.Simpson

As I read down further in the passage, I came across another sacrifice. In verse 16, we are told to do good and not to forget to communicate, because God is well pleased with these sacrifices.

Now, what blew my mind, you ask?

I decided to look up the word communicate. It means talk, right? WRONG!

This word in the Greek is the word koinonia. Does that ring any bells for you? This beautiful word koinonia is the word for fellowship.

(if you would like to read deeper into this topic, take a look at this post True Christian fellowship)

So, when this verse says that we need to do good, it also says that we need to not forget to fellowship. And it says that it is a sacrifice!

Hebrews 13:16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

Fellowship is often a sacrifice!

MIND BLOWN!

Yes, at times, fellowship can be a sacrifice. There are times when we just don’t feel like fellowshipping with others. We don’t feel like going to church. We’re just not up to making the effort.

True Christian fellowship involves getting together for spiritual purposes, for sharing needs, for prayer, for discussing and sharing the Word, for encouraging, for comforting and for edifying one another. (Read Acts chapter 2)

As Christians and fellow believers, we are in a partnership working together towards a common goal, that of reaching the lost with the gospel. We are to be a family. Looking out for one another, caring for one another, exhorting, serving, loving one another.

And sometimes, it all just feels too hard. We continually have to make a sacrifice to fellowship. We have to set aside our wants, our needs, our time, our desires in order that we can fulfill the law of Christ to love one another and encourage one another.

Fellowship requires participation. It requires our time, our energy and our resources. Each person bringing to the table what God has enabled them to do.

We are to pray together, to suffer together, to share together. Everyone carrying the load together by doing their specific jobs in order to get the gospel message of Jesus Christ out to the lost world.

When I read this with understanding this morning, I had an A-HA moment, but also an OUCH! moment.

I realised why sometimes fellowship felt hard. It often feels hard because I am making a sacrifice to engage in it. But I also realised that I am often guilty of putting it on the back burner purely based on how I feel. It really doesn’t matter how I feel. I am commanded to do it. I am commanded to not neglect or forget it. Why? Because God is well pleased!

Our goal in life as believers, should be to please God and bring honour to him. And one of the ways we please him is by praising him when we don’t feel like it, but just as important is making the effort to fellowship when we don’t feel like it.

Whatever that looks like to you, whether in a church setting, or in the home, or at a coffee shop, meeting together with God’s people with the view of encouraging and sharing and loving should be paramount!

Maybe my mind gets blown easily by little things, but this verse really jumped out at me the moment I realised that it was talking about doing good to others and fellowshipping and that these things could be a sacrifice at times, but we are not to neglect them.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but this is my interpretation of it, and it’s given me something to think about and also a new perspective on this subject.

Just a short thought this morning, but I pray that you will be encouraged to make the effort to pursue Christian fellowship as a sacrifice to God.

 

 

Are you too busy wishing them away 

or are you not letting them go?

 

Occasionally I will have someone ask me where I find my content for what I write or teach on. Usually, it is through my own personal quiet time with the Lord or through a sermon I’ve heard or a reel I’ve watched. But sometimes God brings a certain subject to my attention through what I am reading, or listening to and it comes up so frequently, and so loudly that I can’t let it rest without taking the time to study and write about it. And this is one of those times.

I rarely understand why God impresses certain topics upon my mind and gives me no rest until I study them out, but what I do know is that he has a reason. Someone somewhere needs to hear what I am going to say. Not because of any ability on my part, but because God’s Word is woven through it and God’s Word is powerful and can speak to the hearts of those who choose to listen.

So, without further ado, here it is.

Seasons. Their purpose. Their longevity. Their power.

This word has popped up in so many different forms over the past week that I can’t ignore it any longer. Maybe God is trying to work through some things in my own life through this, but maybe also, this is something that you’ve been pondering for a while.

We see some form of this word used in scripture 68 times. Seasons are part of God’s grand design for this earth we live on. Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall (Autumn). They are also part of God’s grand design for you and me. Joy and sadness, struggle and peace, birth and death, highs and lows.

All seasons have a reason. They all have a purpose. And we need to remember that all seasons will pass. They won’t last forever.

We will all go through seasons in our lives. Raising children. Building a career. Strengthening a marriage. Caring for a parent. Living out a calling on our life in the form of ministry.

Whatever the season is, we, as God’s children can be assured that he is not absent from any of them. He is always there.

New seasons can be scary. Our sense of identity and security is often wrapped up in our seasons. If we are going through a particularly good season, we might begin to dread the inevitable change on the horizon. We may be leaving behind what we know and love and stepping into an unknown future. And it’s scary. The problem with dreading change is that the only thing certain in life, is that life will change.

But you should know, that although circumstances will shift and change, God’s presence never will.

We need to realise the power and the importance of every season. Good or bad. There is purpose in our seasons.

So often, we spend our seasons strained, stressed and worn out because we are trying so hard to get out of the season we are in so that we can move on to the next one. But what we need to do is to relax into the current season and look for the beauty that lies within it.  

Let me break it down for you. This is often what it looks like.

When we are children, we long for the ‘teenage’ season. Then as we grow older, we long for the single, ‘young adult’ season. And then we want to skip to the ‘married’ season, and then the ‘I want to have children now’ season and then the ‘I can’t wait til the kids grow up’ season and then the empty nest season and on and on it goes. Hurrying things along, racing at breakneck pace until one day we look up and realise that there was beauty in each season, but we actually missed it because we were trying so hard to get to the next season.

Let that sink in for a moment. Have you been guilty of this? Be honest. I know I have.

There have been seasons in my life that I wished would have passed through my life a lot faster than they did, and then there were others I wished would have strolled through more slowly and taken their time lingering a while longer. And more often than not, I missed the beauty to be found in them. I simply wished them away.

Maybe you find yourself in a season of uncertainty or waiting right now. You don’t know what the future holds. You can’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. You feel lost and you’re floundering, not really knowing God’s plan or what he would have you do.

Or maybe you are struggling through a dark season of ill health, or turmoil in the form of negative thoughts that have taken over your life. Maybe you have just embarked on a new season that is fresh and yet full of fear because of the unknown.

Whatever the season is, whatever the circumstances, can I give you something to hold on to? The framework for the next season is being set up in the current season you are in. Whatever it is you are going through right now, is preparing you for what is to come next. If you don’t surrender to the season you are in right now, you are going to miss out on the building blocks, the learning, the teaching and the training that is a requirement for you to do well in the next season.

Let me give an example from my own life to help to try and make sense of what I’m saying.

Quite a few years ago, we ran a very large youth group every Friday night with the local, predominantly, indigenous children here in our town. Every week, we would tirelessly give of our time and energy spreading the good news of the gospel to these young lives. It was an entirely new endeavour for our family, and it was very unfamiliar territory because of the cultural differences. I often visited the mothers of these kids and learned to be comfortable with uncomfortable surroundings.

Five years down the track and God closed the door on that ministry. To be honest, part of me was devastated. My identity was so wrapped up in that season, and I felt it had become such a part of me, that I really didn’t see what I was going to do next. I felt lost.

But as God would have it, he had been refining me for a different purpose. A totally different ministry. As different as chalk and cheese, but in teaching me to be comfortable in uncomfortable surroundings, God called me into women’s ministry. Something I had never had a passion for before, became my new all-consuming passion and calling. Teaching, speaking, writing and encouraging Christian women in all walks of life and in varying seasons of life through what God shows me in his Word.

The first season of occasional discomfort was preparing me for my next season. He knew I wasn’t ready to jump into the next season, without first walking through the previous one. There were lessons that needed to be learnt. There were impurities that needed to be chipped away. Rough edges polished off.

I have been through some very hard seasons in my life, some of which I’ve shared in my posts. One thing I’ve learnt as I walked through the dark times, is that God always has a purpose, and his ultimate goal is to make me more like him.

His hard seasons are for refining. Look at these verses in 1 Peter.

1 Peter 1:6,7 KJV - Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

 The Greek word for season in this verse is oligos. It has the meaning of little, small, few. Small in number, quantity and size. Short in time. Light in degree and intensity.

Peter wrote this to remind us that our seasons are of a certain, God-prescribed duration. They are a season. A period of time. They are not forever. So, if you are walking through a hard season right now, be encouraged that it is not forever. And it has a purpose. God is working to refine you and mold you into his image.

The Apostle Paul reiterates this in 1 Corinthians.

2 Corinthians 4:17,18 KJV - For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

He reminds us that our seasons, although they may not seem like it at the moment, are light and momentary, and they are working for an eternal purpose.

I don’t understand why God works the way he does, but I trust his character and I hold to his promises, knowing that he has a plan and as the seasons come and the seasons go, I can breathe a sigh of relief – I don’t have to cling tightly to the seasons that I enjoy and wish away the seasons I don’t if I keep a firm grasp of his hand. The one stable and unchanging presence that will always be with me. Jesus Christ. The same, yesterday, today, forever.

Circumstances will change but he never will. Seasons will come and go but he never will. His presence will be there with you through the storm or in the sunshine, in the rain, or as you skip through fields of flowers or as you stumble over uneven ground.

The God who holds the universe in the palm of his hand is the same God who holds your hand.

Trust him in the seasons of your life. And don’t miss the beauty he wants to show you as you walk your way through them. There is beauty to be found. Open your eyes and ask God to show you. Don’t miss a moment or waste your seasons.  

In closing, I would like to say that I want to explore this topic a little more in a future post as there is so much more to be said. But for now, remember that it is possible to come through hard seasons and be better for it. If you go into it with a Heavenly perspective, and a heart devoted to God, he can and will work through you for his glory and for your good.

Romans 8:28 KJV - And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

 

 

Are you watering it?

 

I’m sure you’ve all heard the old saying, “The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.”

Can I give you a different take on this?

The grass is always greener where you water it.  

Sometimes in our lives, we go through seasons where we’re just not sure where we fit in the scheme of things. We feel stuck. Maybe we lack direction or maybe, on the flip side, we have all the drive and motivation but it seems those around us are sitting in a stagnant pool, content to let the algae form as a skin on the surface of the water, not willing to cause any ripples, raise the water level or rid the pool of slimy rocks and break the wall that holds everything in.

It's a hard place to be in where you long to see things happen, but you don’t know where to start or even if you should make a start.

Can I just be honest with you here? Sometimes in our churches, we can get in such a rut that we’re unwilling to take a risk on stepping out in faith with a new ministry that God has placed on our hearts. And so, begins our spirit of discontentment.

We start looking over the fence at other churches and other ministries and the grass looks so green and inviting. They seem to have it all. Drive. Motivation. Enthusiasm. And the means to propel it forward.

Social media has done a lot to put fuel on the fire of discontentment. At the touch of a button, we are able to view the lives of others, the ministries of other churches, the programs and events and all that others are accomplishing, and we begin to find ourselves longing for more. “The grass sure does look green over there. I’d love to walk through that garden for a while.”

Unfortunately, often all is not as it seems, and we can’t believe all that we see. The grass may very well look greener on the other side of the fence, but it could very well be fake!

So, how do we get our grass to be as green as what we perceive?

We have to water it! The grass is always greener where you water it.  

If we want our churches to thrive and build God-honouring communities within them, we have to get busy watering them!

If God puts something on your heart, and you’re sure it’s from him then you need to stop looking over the fence and start watering the grass you’re standing on.

I guess it’s a ‘bloom where you’re planted’ moment. If God has put you in a certain place for a certain season, then this is where you are meant to bloom. This is where you are meant to grow. This is the grass you’re meant to water.

If God hasn’t called you to go, then you are called to stay!

When we look at the towns we live in, the churches we are part of, the bodies of believers we fellowship with, we may find ourselves frustrated with what we see. And let me say that just because you are passionate about something, doesn’t mean that everyone else has to be just as passionate. God does give special abilities and callings that are unique to each individual and we should never force this on others. But we are also called, as believers, to be part of the great commission, and we should all be striving to build the kingdom of Heaven through our programs and our outreaches.

If we can just stop looking over the fence and look around at where God has placed us, we may begin to see what it is God is calling us to do and how we can best serve him.

If we don’t tend to our own gardens, they will dry up and die.

Too many churches are full of advice-giving, disgruntled, discontent members who want things to happen, and are critical when things aren’t happening, but then when they do happen, they don’t want to get on board or support them and instead they sit back on the sidelines, judging and letting the grass dry up under their feet, their hoses full of dried mud.

We need to get busy in working to make Heaven more crowded by living out what we believe and putting action to our ideas as long as they line up with the Word of God.

A word of warning though. Don’t go off half-cocked, running full tilt into something before spending a lot of time in prayer.

We need to spend time talking with God about the direction he wants us to take. We need to filter it through the Word of God. We need to take counsel of older and wiser men and women of God.

When you are sure that you are being led by the Holy Spirit to pursue a line of direction, and when the door is open in front of you, and you are sure it is your door to walk through, then step out in faith! And with God’s leading and guiding, take hold of it with both hands, not looking back, but whole-heartedly pour yourself into the ministry God as called you to do.

As you build friendships in your church community and as you walk close to God, you will begin to find other likeminded Christians who have the same drive and passion as you. Let God light a fire under them and work with them towards the common goal you now have.

Don’t be discouraged by humble beginnings. Start with what God gives you, with who he partners you up with to serve him. Don’t be disheartened when you don’t see the interest you hoped you’d have. Work with what God gives you and don’t let your heart fail with so called ‘keyboard warriors’ that like nothing better than to discourage.

If God has called you to it, he will give you the ability to carry it out and he will bless the work.  Although the grass may take a while to change colour, pretty soon you’ll begin to see tender green shoots and the other side of the fence won’t be so inviting anymore as you’ll be too busy tending to your own garden, that you haven’t time to be peeking over the fence.

The grass really IS greener where you water it.

If you want to glorify God and be a blessing to others, work on watering the grass you find yourself standing on.

Serve in your churches. Your communities. Your families. Your workplace.

Be a splash of colour in a colourless world. Be a light in a dark place. Be a ripple in a stagnant pool. Don’t be afraid to live out your calling.

If each of us individually can work on watering our own little patch of grass, we will soon see the fruit of our labours. It may take longer than we want, it may be harder than we expected, but God will give his reward, and his name will be glorified.

Hebrews 12:1b  …….and let us run with patience the race that is set before us

Galatians 6:9 KJV - And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.