The Invite

On this weekend of Pentecost I pray that we may come to a deeper understanding of the gift of the Spirit. God is so generous with his Spirit, that we are all invited to share in this amazing gift. May we not turn down this awesome invitation from Jesus.

"The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come!’ Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life." - Revelation 22:17

"O Holy Spirit, descend plentifully into my heart. Enlighten the dark corners of this neglected dwelling and scatter there Thy cheerful beams." - Saint Augustine
 
Blessed Pentecost to you all,

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Seeing beyond the pain

In this season of the Spirit (Pentecost) we may be tempted to forget how troubling it was for the discples, when they first heard Jesus was leaving. The followers of Jesus had grown accustomed to having him around - he was their leader, Rabbi, guide and friend. Suddenly they receive the news that he is not going to be with them much longer - wow, that must have been a hammer-blow for them. They felt uneasy and afraid. Yet, in the midst of this troubling time, Jesus gives them this promise:

• John 16: 7 – “Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

This is not a last minute offer from Jesus - an offer to appease their concerns. This is a FULL ON promise! A promise that offers incredible blessing and hope for the early disciples, as well as for us. The Spirit would be a gift to all of us, bringing help, counsel, guidance and comfort.

The next time you are faced with a painful time in your life, try and look beyond the pain. There may well be a blessing and promise waiting for us in the future.

Living in Grace

D3LM3  

Do you want it badly enough?

If you want something badly enough, you will make every effort to get it - that is how most people work! Often the things we 'want' are good and godly, but sometimes they are not. Many people have sacrificed their lives in the pursuit of that one thing (relationship, career, money, car, house) and have ended up devastated.

The Sherwood Baptist Church has a large banner in their Church that says: "Whoever wants the next generation the most will get them." This refers to the next generation of people and in case you didn't know, there is a war raging for them. The world desperately wants the next generation, while the Church seems content to sit idly by.

This challenges me greatly. We need to do something about this. How badly do we want people to experience the love and mercy of Jesus? How badly do we want people to know Jesus and the abundant life He offers us?

So what are we willing to do about it?

Just asking...

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The final word!

One of our readings on Sunday was from Revelation 22, which is the final chapter in the Bible. If you didn't know this, the Final word of the Scriptures is the word, 'AMEN.' This word has remained untranslated from the original Hebrew word. It can mean the following things:

'Let it be so'
'Truly'
'Oh Yes!'

So when John finishes his account of Revelation with the word 'Amen' he could be referring to the first part of verse 21, "The Grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people,' OR he could also be referring to the whole vision of Revelation, OR even the whole Bible.

Let it be so!.... Oh Yes!....Truly!

We worship a God who was, who is and who is to come again. That is the FINAL WORD!

Let us hold true to the promises of our Lord and Saviour. Amen.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The Power of Persistence

I started reading a really great book today, with the title "The Power of Persistence", written by Michael Catt (Executive producer of FIREPROOF movie and senior pastor of his Church). In the book he speaks mainly about the need for persistence in our prayer lives and he shares a number of powerful testimonies relating to this.

He reminds us that Christians can spend an average of 28 hours a week watching TV, but only 1 hour in prayer. If prayer is about Communion and relationship with God, then these stats tell us we are 28 times more likely to be in communion with our TV than we are with our Lord. This spells disaster for any relationship, but especially in our relationship with our Maker. It is no wonder we "feel" that our faith is average at best.

"Prayer is an admission of surrender.... An acknowledgement that I am not in charge of my life and that I am yielding to His will." - Michael Catt

Thought for today - who are you listening to at the moment? The voice of media and TV or the guidance of God? What is your average TV time versus prayer time?

Be challenged to do something today!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Predictive Text

Our phones are really smart nowadays! They can even predict what I want to say, so when I begin to write a message, the phone offers suggestions to me. The trouble with 'predictive text' is that sometimes the phone gets it badly wrong. Like the other day I was trying to type 'Spirit', but after 4 letters the phone offered me "SPUR" instead. On the surface this is not that bad, but it could change the entire meaning of my message.

"May God bless you with his SPUR today!" - ouch, that doesn't sound so cool?! (So here is a heads up - double check your messages before you send then otherwise you may send the wrong message.)

When God sends us messages, he doesn't use predictive text - God knows exactly what he wants to say and He has said it clearly and simple in His word. All we need to do is read it!

"It is clear to us, friends, that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special." - 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4 (the Message)

Be blessed today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

An idea of Happiness

What would be your idea of Happiness?

A relaxing holiday?
A good cup of coffee?
A special time with family?
Catching up with an old friend?
Helping someone in need?

This was Tolstoy's idea of Happiness -

“A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor — such is my idea of happiness.”

Augustine may argue that our true happiness only comes when our hearts find their rest in God:

“Thou hast made us for thyself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in thee.”


When you have 20 seconds, please let me know what your idea of Happiness is.... Thanks.


Living in Grace
D3LM3