Happy Birthday

On the 28 June 1703 John Wesley was born. The influence of this man has been felt over the last 300 years and even despite his faults, Wesley left an incredible legacy for the Christian faith. To honour his birthday I want to share a few of his lesser known quotes with us today:

"Prayer is where the action is."

“Let your words be the genuine picture of your heart.”

“God grant that I may never live to be useless!”

"It cannot be that the people should grow in grace unless they give themselves to reading. A reading people will always be a knowing people. ”

May God bless you today
Living in Grace
D3LM3

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/john_wesley

r is where the action is.
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/authors/john_wesley

Press On

"Press on. Obstacles are seldom the same size tomorrow as they are today." - Robert Schuller

I think this quote is self-explanatory and so may God give us the strength to PRESS ON and to gain new perspective into the obstacles that present themselves to us. God be with you.

Philippians 3:13-15 - No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Lord help me

Eddie Askew has written some phenomenal poems and prose over the years. In his book Disguises of Love he writes a lovely piece on praying - the last part of this prayer goes like this:

Lord, help me.
When I pray for peace, help me not to create dissension.
When I pray for my neighbour stir me up to help him.
When I pray "Your Kingdom come" inspire me to
share in its building.
Help me put my will where my mouth is.
And not to shift onto your shoulders
the things I can do something about myself.

Eddie Askew
(Disguises of Love)

May this prayer guide you through your activities today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Prayer is not inaction

Many people make the assumption that prayer is something we resort to when we don't know what to do and in a way that "prayer makes us lazy." This couldn't be further from the truth and if you listen to the words of R.A. Torrey he would agree:

"By praying more, we will not work any less, and we will accomplish vastly more."

Praying should spur us into action and not towards inaction. In our times of prayer we are made aware of the massive task before us and that God wants to work through us to achieve his purposes.

Nehemiah 6:9 - “Their hands will get too weak for the work, and it will not be completed.”
But I prayed, “Now strengthen my hands.”

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Don't give up HOPE

^{We were reminded of the story of David and Goliath this morning and this is the part of the account that struck a chord with me:
 
"}The things David was saying were picked up and reported to Saul. Saul sent for him.
 “Master,” said David, “don’t give up hope. I’m ready to go and fight this Philistine.” - 1 Samuel 17:31-32

There are times in our lives when we need someone to whisper into our ears "Don't Give up Hope!"
Perhaps you need to hear those words today.

"Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up." - Anne Lamott


Living in Grace
D3LM3

Perpetual Light

Today marks the Winter Solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, where we experience the longest night and shortest day of the year. Some countries, closer towards the North Pole, are currently having perpetual daylight - where they can have no real darkness at all. It is amazing to think of living in a world where there is no darkness at all.

In a spiritual sense this is what we long for - we long to be in the presence of Christ for eternity, where there is no 'darkness' at all. We get a glimpse of what this can be like when we read these words from Leviticus.

Leviticus 24:1-4 - God spoke to Moses: “Order the People of Israel to bring you virgin olive oil for light so that the lamps may be kept burning continually. Aaron is in charge of keeping these lamps burning in front of the curtain that screens The Testimony in the Tent of Meeting from evening to morning continually before God. This is a perpetual decree down through the generations. Aaron is responsible for keeping the lamps burning continually on the Lampstand of pure gold before God.

 

May the Light of Christ fill your heart today.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

What would you say?

Have you ever thought about having a conversation with a younger version of yourself? What I mean is this - if you had a chance to speak to a 'teenage you', what advice and wisdom would you pass onto that person, taking into consideration everything you have experienced up until now? If you are interested in reading what I wrote to a teenage Delme, then click here. Hope it makes sense.

God bless
D3LM3

Watch out for the mule!

›   

 

“A mule dressed in a tuxedo is still a mule.”-Traditional saying.

   Our society is so focused on the 'visual' that we seldom take time to get to know the true

   character of other people. We can make quick judgements of others and then live to regret those  snap

   decisions. 

     The saying above, also reminds me that sometimes people try to disguise who they truly are, but in the

     end their true character still shines through. Of course this doesn't mean that 'mules' can't be changed

    through the grace of Christ, but we should exercise caution when only noticing  the outward

    appearance of people.

1 Samuel 16:7 - But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Living in Grace

D3LM3

 

Height of Stupidity

What is the height of stupidity?
Of course there are a million different answers, some of which wouldn't be appropriate to list on this blog, but I like the following suggestion:

“Too many people spend money they haven't earned, to buy things they don't want, to impress people that they don't like.” - Will Rogers

This may sound stupid, but it sadly plays out in many communities on a daily basis. We put ourselves into greater debt to try and impress people that don't care about us; and in the end the things we buy aren't truly an expression of who we are.

Jeremiah 31:19 - I turned away from God, but then I was sorry. I kicked myself for my stupidity! I was thoroughly ashamed of all I did in my younger days.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The measure of courage

"Speed is measured in seconds. 
Time is measured in days,
but courage can't be measured!" - unknown

I think this quote is a very interesting take on courage, because how do we measure something like courage? We don't have a unit of measurement to help us, but in some way we ARE able to recognise courage when we see it.

Think about it for a moment - what do you recognise as being courageous?

"So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you.” - Deuteronomy 31:6

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Howling wind

At the moment I am listening to the wind howling outside my office window and it conjures up all kinds of thoughts, most of which make me imagine myself hiking through Antarctica (although I have never been close to the place). It is funny how a sound can spark off some random thoughts in our minds. On a related note, I checked to see if there were any scriptures that related to the 'howling wind' and this is the closest one.

“For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;
    Jacob is his special possession.
¹⁰ He found them in a desert land,
    in an empty, howling wasteland.
He surrounded them and watched over them;
    he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.
¹¹ Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
    and hovers over her young,
so he spread his wings to take them up
    and carried them safely on his pinions." - Deuteronomy 32:9-11

Even though we may find ourselves in a 'howling' wasteland, God still watches over us and he still comes to find us. Rest assured in that amazing promise.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Choosing to be hurt

Most of us try to avoid getting hurt. Being hurt is not pleasant and it leaves all kinds of physical and emotional scars. On the topic of hurt, Philip Yancey wrote:

"Whatever else we may say about it, the atonement fulfils the Jewish principle that only one who has been hurt can forgive. At Calvary, God chose to hurt."

I find those words deeply moving and they remind us that God chose to HURT for our brokenness. When Jesus asked his Father to forgive us, it was from his place of incredible pain.

Luke 6:28 - Bless those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Asijiki - no turning back!

The theme for Comrades 2018 is ASIJIKI, which means 'No turning back.' I think that this not only a good motto for running the Comrades marathon but also for life in general. Turning back can be seen as a sign of defeat and losing ground. Whatever you are tackling at the moment keep looking forward and don't turn back!

As we follow Jesus, let us not turn around and long for our previous lives, but let us look forward to what God has in store for us all.

Galatians 4:9 -So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world? 

Please also say a prayer for us as we run the Comrades today. We need all the prayers we can get.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Anxiety

When I first read this next quote I wasn't sure how I truly felt about it. Initially I was indignant, but then I thought about it a bit more and recognised some of the profound truth in it.

"Anxiety is the mark of spiritual immaturity." - Thomas Merton

Is this what Jesus was getting at when he remarked:

Matthew 6:25 -  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear.

And also the apostle Paul....

Philippians 4:6 - Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 

Does my anxiety reveal my lack of trust in Jesus to "be in all things of my life?" Does it reveal a side of spirituality that I refuse to acknowledge? Tough to ask myself these questions, but important to be honest.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Digging Deep

"Digging Deep" is a phrase that we often use when it comes to persevering or holding on in the face of tough times. We use the image of digging down to hidden strength and resources in our 'core' in order to help us carry on. I suppose there is an important question to ask along this theme and that is "have we stored up precious reserves deep down in our inner being for the day when we need it most?"

In my experience, building a solid foundation around the life of Jesus is an important daily task and each moment we spend with Christ lays a deeper foundation for us.

Luke 6:48 - It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built.

 

How are your spiritual reserves at the moment?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

I am for "GOING ON"

They say that when the great warrior, Achilles was warned that if he proceeded into battle that he would surely die, he responded with the following statement:

"I am for GOING on!"

This is such a statement of courage and conviction. To believe in something that is bigger than yourself and worth giving your life too. Now that is something worth fighting for. Of course, Jesus showed us this same resolve, as did the disciples and the first Christian martyrs. Faced with huge obstacles and immense persecution, they were able to say - "I am for Going on!"

As you face your next trials and obstacles are you willing to say the same thing? Are we willing to say that with the strength of Christ I am carry on?

"So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most." - Hebrews 4:16

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Jumping hurdles

"Love recognises no barriers.
It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls,
to arrive at its destination full of hope." - Maya Angelou

I don't know why we think that LOVE is always going to be the easiest path to take. Often it is the harder of two choices. As Maya Angelou says, 'Love is willing to jump over all barriers and hurdles' in order to please the 'Other.'

When Christ contemplated the pain of the cross, it must have been a huge hurdle for him to overcome. However, as he scaled the heights of that pain and agony, he did so because of the Hope that awaited Him and ultimately, it is that Hope which is given to all of us.

May you journey through your day 'full of hope' and may your love recognise no barriers before you.

1 John 2:10 - "Anyone who loves their brother and sister lives in the light, and there is nothing in them to make them stumble."

Living in Grace
D3LM3 

Answered prayer

As you may well know the Western Cape has been praying for rain for a long long time. In fact, people all around the country and even overseas have been pleading for rain for months on end. Over the last few weeks we have seen a lot of rain fall in the Cape and although far from ending the drought, we must pause and say THANK YOU. We need to say thanks to the Lord for answered prayer and remain humble in our prayers. 

There is nothing more frustrating that being asked for something and then not being thanked when the request is answered. In the same way, I am sure that it delights God when we take the time to say "Thanks."

 

Psalm 120:1 - I took my troubles to the Lord; I cried out to him, and he answered my prayer.

 

Genesis 30:22 -Then God remembered Rachel’s plight and answered her prayers by enabling her to have children.

Genesis 35:3 - We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Winter has come

With the advent of June, we start to see the temperatures dropping in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a time of colder mornings and evenings, shorter days and longer nights. The greater number of hours of darkness can make many people depressed, but for others, it creates more space to be at home and enjoy the warmth of fellowship.

No matter which season we prefer there is always something GOOD in every season. As we embark upon a new month and a new season may we find that God's faithfulness warms our spirits.

Psalm 74:17 -You set the boundaries of the earth, and you made both summer and winter.

 

Or from the message version it says:

 

"You own the day, you own the night; you put stars and sun in place. You laid out the four corners of earth, shaped the seasons of summer and winter."

 

Genesis 8:22 -  For as long as Earth lasts, planting and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, day and night will never stop.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3