One thing is sure

In a year of much change, exciting new adventures, joy and heart-ache, it is always good to remember that God has been with us.

Haggai 1:13 - "Then Haggai, the LORD’s messenger, gave the people this message from the LORD: “I am with you, says the LORD!”

I can't predict what will happen in 2013, but the one thing I know for certain is this:
GOD WILL BE OUR STRENGTH.

May 2013 be a year filled with the presence of God in your life.

God bless you and thanks again for your support of this blog.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Habbakuk's prayer

Habbakuk prays an awesome prayer in Habbakuk 3. He ends off with these words of faith and hope:

"The Sovereign Lord is my strength;
he makes my feet like the feet of a deer,
he enables me to tread on the heights."

May God be your strength today - may He enable you to tread confidently in places of victory, as well as difficulty.

May you finish 2012 strongly and be aware of God's grace with you.

Living in His grace
D3LM3

Let's Remember

Let us always remember that Jesus came before Christmas. So, let us put him first this festive season. Enjoy the time with your loved ones and friends, but take time to honour the King.

"Let us remember that the Christmas heart is a giving heart, a wide open heart that thinks of others first. The birth of the baby Jesus stands as the most significant event in all history, because it has meant the pouring into a sick world of the healing medicine of love which has transformed all manner of hearts for almost two thousand years... Underneath all the bulging bundles is this beating Christmas heart." - George Matthew Adams

May Jesus be near you this Christ-mas time.
A Blessed Christmas to you all.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Do you want to be decent or dynamic?

"Many Christians have enough religion to make them decent, but not enough to make them dynamic." - Kenneth Guider

Now, I believe that we can be both DYNAMIC and DECENT as Christians, but our churches are filled with people who think they are decent (which they may be), but they have lost the spark of following Christ. Being a disciple of Jesus requires us to be dynamic - afterall we have the Spirit of the Living God dwelling inside us.

So, which do you want to be?
Decent....
or
DYNAMIC...

I know which I am choosing!!!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Day of Reconciliation

In South Africa we mark 16th December as the day of Reconciliation. This public holiday has a long history, changing it's name from "Day of the Vow/Covenant" to it's new name, a few years back. Personally, I think the name is an appropriate fit for our present circumstances in RSA and abroad.

There is so much brokenness in our time - many people live in relationships where there is unforgiveness, selfishness, hurt and a number of deep wounds. The day of reconciliation reminds me that there is always hope for us, especially if we belong to Christ. Jesus comes to reconcile us to His Father and in turn challenges us to be reconciled to one another.

How are your relationships today? Who do you need to be reconciled to this week? Are we willing to do something about it?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

What does it mean?

Those of you who are wise please tell me what it means when your kids start wearing your clothes?Declan turned 10 on Friday the 14th and he is already fitting into some of my old T-shirts. It could of course mean that I used to be "thinner" than I am now - which is true I guess. But, it really reminds us that our little boy is growing up fast.

Time is fleeting and it is best we enjoy every moment with our loved ones!

Live in the grace of God daily.

D3LM3

Bless someone today

In sharing on the story of Elizabeth (from Luke 1) I have to marvel at the way she chose to BLESS Mary. And not just once, but twice. If you want to check it out, go to Luke 1:42-45.

It takes a humble and secure person to want the best for others. Elizabeth wanted the best for Mary and she recognised that God had not just favoured her (Elizabeth), but that God had also chosen to bless other people.

May you be so blessed today, that your Spirit dances with delight! Here is an Irish blessing for you to read and pass on...

May there always be work for your hands to do
May your purse always hold a coin or two;
May the sun always shine on your windowpane;
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain;
May the hand of a friend always be near you;
May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you. 

Living in God's Grace
D3LM3 

Genuine

When John the baptist was lying in prison, awaiting his fate, he had a moment where he wondered if Jesus was the real Messiah. He asked his disciples to ask Jesus,

"Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (Matthew 11:3)

In a time, where there were many 'would-be' saviour's and Messiah's, John wanted to make sure that Jesus was the Real deal. Jesus let him know that he was the genuine Messiah and I am sure that this calmed John's nerves. Of course, we confront many things that tempt us to give them allegiance, but in the end, they are just fraud's. It is only Jesus who is the 'REAL DEAL.'

Don't be taken in by tricksters and fraudster this festive season - there is nothing that can meet our needs like Jesus can. Trust in Him.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

12.12.12

I am not that superstitious, but I realize that on a day like today (12th of the 12th month, 2012) there are many people who are. I am not that stressed if the world ends this year, as I don't really have much control over this. However, I do believe that we all need to be aware of our responsibility to make right with God, on a daily basis! Have you done this today? If not, perhaps this should be your first prayer today:

"Lord, help me to realize the selfishness of my ways. Help me to surrender to your mercy and grace. Lead me in your everlasting! May the Light of Christ shine in my spirit this festive season.Amen."

Just out of interest, the 12th verse of the 12th chapter of the 12th book of the Bible is a very plain verse. It reads,  "They purchased the timber and dressed stone for the repair of the temple of the Lord, and met all the other expenses of restoring the temple." (2 Kings 12:12)

May the Lord bless you today,

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Closer than you think

Most people still believe the mission field is far from where we live. In countries, like South Africa, we take for granted that everyone knows about Jesus and that it is only countries in Asia (or somewhere else) that need to discover who Jesus is. However, this is such a naive assumption to make.

 We had an interesting encounter this last weekend which challenges this mindset. A family that live just around the corner from our Church, decided to pop in to our Christmas Night Market and they started speaking to one of our members. It turns out that they knew nothing of the Christian faith, had not been a church before and did not know about Holy Communion. And this is a family living in walking distance from our Church. Wow, friends, we all have much work to do.

It is our responsibility to share the Good News with all people and it doesn't require us going to China to do this. Our Mission field is on our door-steps. Let's start to look out for opportunities to be God's ambassadors.

"Here is the test to find whether your mission on Earth is finished: if you're alive, it isn't. " -
Richard Bach

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Zechariah

I have enjoyed reading about Zechariah this past week - not the one from the Old Testament, but John the Baptist's dad. His story can be found in Luke 1, if you would like to read it sometime.

One of the awesome things about Zechariah, is that his name means, "Yahweh Remembers". In the midst of his own difficulties, God answers Zechariah's prayers, reminding us all that God remembers us.

We may feel as if God has abandoned us or that He is choosing to ignore us, but the promise of Zechariah is that God will answer!

May the God of Zechariah, Isaac, Jacob, be near to you today.

GOD REMEMBERS....

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Observers or followers?

The story of Christmas seems to catch the attention of many people - so much so, that billions of people will celebrate Christmas in some form or another. It such a pity that these same people can't count the cost of following Jesus - perhaps the life-story of Jesus is too hard for some to comprehend?
 
“How many observe Christ's birthday! How few, His precepts!”
― Benjamin Franklin

“Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....”
― Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas

What does Christmas mean for us?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

How things change

Now that I have come of age (nice way of saying "getting old"), I have been reflecting on how things have changed over the last 40 years. Take for example the price of things - one forgets how quickly things get more expensive. Here are a few examples of the drastic change in prices.

In 1972, these were the following costs:
Average house price - R17000
Cheeseburger - 28c
Cup of coffee -12c
Steak and chips at restaurant - R1.20
Glass of Coke - 12c

Wow!

Please tell me your stories of how prices have changed in your lifetime. I would love to know!

The point of this blogpost is to remind us of the fact that despite how things change over time, God never changes!

May you know the love and security of God's love today.

Living in grace
D3LM3

Advent

The season of Advent is all about preparation and anticipation for the birth of Jesus. It is not that we don't know about Jesus, but we need to be willing to be surprised by the "Word made Flesh." Our faith is never static and neither should our experience of Jesus be - every year our love and appreciation for the Christ-child should deepen and grow.

We cannot conceive how the Divine Spirit dwelled within the created and human spirit of Jesus.... What we can understand...is that our own...existence is...but a faint image of the Divine Incarnation itself - the same theme in a very minor key.
~ C.S. Lewis, Miracles, p147

Be blessed today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Birthday prayer

It is a blessing to celebrate Kim's birthday today (3 December) - she is such a gift to us all and I am blessed to be married to her.

Here is a prayer that I found, which may be a blessing for others who celebrate birthday's soon.

Thank you for all the experience of this past year;
for times of success which will always be happy memories,
for times of failure which reminded me of my own weakness and of my need for you,
for times of joy when the sun was shining,
for times of sadness which drove me to you.

Forgive me
for the hours I wasted,
for the chances I failed to take,
for the opportunities I missed this past year.
Help me in the days ahead to make this the best year yet,
and through it to bring good credit to myself,
happiness and pride to my loved ones,
and joy to you. Amen.

God bless you today and always,

Living in Grace
D3LM3