A journey of renewal and exploration

I would like to invite you onto a special journey. I am going to be leading us on a journey of renewal throughout the month of September. It is something that I feel I personally need, and so would like to make it open for you to join me in this process. For these daily blogs, I will be giving you a scripture passage and asking you to do a few things:

1. Read through the passage once.

2. Spend a few minutes in quiet contemplation - I usually find it helpful to have a journal or diary nearby, so that when thoughts come crashing into my mind, I write them down and get back to them later.

3. Read through the passage again and underline or note any important verses or words that stand out for you.

4. Ask God to show you what this could mean for you, at this point in your life. Write this down. 

5. Is there some action that God could be prompting you to follow up with?

6. Spend some time in prayer, using the passage as a starting point. 

7. Share with someone about the word/verse that stands out for you (you can even email me if you like)

I pray that this journey may be a time of refreshing for us all. 

6 This being so, I want to remind you to stir into flame the strength and boldness that is in you, that entered into you when I laid my hands upon your head and blessed you. 7 For the Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them.8 If you will stir up this inner power, you will never be afraid to tell others about our Lord or to let them know that I am your friend even though I am here in jail for Christ’s sake. You will be ready to suffer with me for the Lord, for he will give you strength in suffering.

9 It is he who saved us and chose us for his holy work not because we deserved it but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love and kindness to us through Christ. 10 And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ, who broke the power of death and showed us the way of everlasting life through trusting him. 11 And God has chosen me to be his missionary, to preach to the Gentiles and teach them.

12 That is why I am suffering here in jail, and I am certainly not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to safely guard all that I have given him until the day of his return." - 2 Timothy 2:6-12

"Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines, practiced every day."- Jim Rohn.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Life is Advent - We just need to recognise it

"The Lord is coming, always coming. When you have ears to hear and eyes to see, you will recognize him at any moment of your life. Life is Advent; life is recognizing the coming of the Lord." - Henri Nouwen

As we draw closer to the miracle of Christ's birth, there is a sense in which we remember that "Jesus has already come, but he will come again." I know it sounds a little confusing, but it is the heart of our belief that our Messiah has come, but that we believe he will come again. 

2 Timothy 4:8 - "In heaven a crown is waiting for me, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return. And not just to me but to all those whose lives show that they are eagerly looking forward to his coming back again."

How does this change your life today?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Fan the flame

"This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you." - 2 Timothy 1:6

In this single verse Paul touches on such an important aspect of our Christian lives. He reminds Timothy (and us) that when we receive God as our Saviour we are given a spiritual gift and we are meant to use this gift for God's glory.

One of the reasons why I feel many church-goers get frustrated in our faith is because we don't recognise what that gift is and so never get to enjoy using it for the Lord. So, here is the challenge for each of us:

1. Do you know what your spiritual gift is?

2. Are you fanning this into a flame so that it can glorify Jesus and the church?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

The great conversation

I am so grateful for the gift of reading. I realise that some people don't like reading, but I count it a joy to read the thoughts and inspirations of many different authors. As Rene Descartes once observed, our reading opens up conversations with people we would never get to meet, but somehow we have a connection with them.
 
"The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries." - Rene Descartes

It goes without saying that this is the same with the Scriptures. Reading the words of people like Solomon, David, Peter, Paul and Isaiah gives us a beautiful insight into their world and their understanding of faith.

As we read the Scriptures enjoy the conversation with the authors, but most especially, delight in speaking with the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:16 -  The whole Bible was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

When others fail you

There is nothing new about my next statement, yet it still gets under our skin:
"People will let you down. They will fail you."

We hope that everyone in our "circles of influence" will be near perfect, but that is such an unreasonable thing to hope for. People are flawed and we will fail each other from time to time.

In light of this, it is always best to remember that God is always FAITHFUL. Even when things don't work out in the way we expect, this does not mean that God is no longer faithful. God is still faithful.

2 Timothy 2:13 - if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself.

 Hebrews 10:23 - Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 

Living in Grace
D3LM3 

Pattern-Chamber

John Henry Jowett made this lovely observation:
“When we have the mind of anybody, we share the very springs of their being… (we) have their way of feeling, their way of doing things. It is to be like them in the pattern-chamber of the life, where conduct is originally fashioned, and where all the outside issues are finally determined.” 

So, it seems that we all have this 'pattern-chamber' inside of us. Perhaps it is better to call it our 'hearts' or 'souls', but that can just be semantics. The pattern-chamber will guide us to replicate and copy all the things we see, watch and hear in our daily lives. 

So, if we want to think like Jesus, to see like Jesus, and to listen like Jesus, we need to make sure that we put Jesus into the pattern chamber of our lives. 

2 Timothy 1:13 - What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus.

Romans 12:2 - Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Living in Grace
D3LM3 

I have

In the month of "to-do" lists and New Year's resolutions, it would be brilliant to know that we have accomplished our goals. In sharing in the Memorial service for my friend, Tony Doidge, I was reminded of these words:

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." - 2 Timothy 4:7

Let these be worthy ideals to LIVE for, so that one day we too can say....

I have fought the good fight
I have finished the race
I have kept the faith.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

May the Fourth be with you

Star Wars fans introduced an unofficial 'Star Wars Day' on the 4th May many years ago. To mark this day, fans use the catchphrase 'May the Fourth be with you', as it has an obvious link to the famous line from the movies - 'may the Force be with you!'

This reminds me a lot of the greeting that Christians give to each other in our gatherings. We often conclude our time together by passing on a blessing. These words have their origins in the letters of Paul.

2 Corinthians 13:14 - May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

Philippians 4:23 - May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.

2 Timothy 4:22 - May the Lord be with your spirit. And may his grace be with all of you.

So, as you go about your tasks today, I pray that the 'Lord would be with you.' 
And if you are a Star Wars fan, may the force also be with you :)

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Dam Busters

On this day (17th May) 1943, Operation Chastise was carried out in Germany by the RAF No.617 Squadron. These raids famously became known as the Dam buster Raids. The effectiveness of these Operations is debatable, but what is certain is that they destroyed a number of massive dams and killed 1300 people. If you are a history buff then perhaps have a look at this link to read some more.

The interesting thing about the raids was that the Allies hoped that, by destroying the dams, they would force the German army back into the country (to fix the mess and water supply). The dams were strategically placed for Hydro-electric power and thus their destruction could have hampered the German forces.

Our spiritual lives can feel like a battle ground some days. We need to be on the look out for the 'attacks' from the enemy lines - they can come from the most unlikely source and we should never assume that we can conqueror the enemy alone. We need the strength of God to go with us and to help us.

"The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." - 2 Timothy 4:18

On another point: Perhaps we have been allowing bitterness to remain stored up inside of us, like a dam wall. Is it not time to ask the Spirit of God to act like a 'Dam Buster' and to break down the walls of resentment and hurt?

Living in Grace
D3LM3