Faithful to the Lord

"For he (Jesus) was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house." - Hebrews 3:2

This passage speaks to us of two directions of faithfulness:

1. To God - who has called us.

2. To others - who are placed in our lives.

Both of these require God's inner strength and a willingness to humbly serve. Sometimes we think that these will only be done in bigger dramatic ways, but actually, they should be a lot more simple and practical. I like what FB Meyer suggests:

“Don’t' waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.” - F.B. Meyer.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Which person are we?

Elizabeth Browning wrote these words:

“Earth is crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God.

But only he who sees, takes off his shoes.

The rest sit round it and pluck berries.”

One may have to read these 4 lines a few times before they truly begin to sink in. Elizabeth Browning suggests there are two common responses to the beauty of Creation. Some people just want to consume what they see, without much thought for the Creator, while others are moved to awe and wonder. Their response is Moses-like, they take off their shoes and realise they are witnessing a marvel from God.

Which person are we?

"Dominion and awe belong to God; he establishes order in the heights of heaven." - Job 25:2

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Character versus reputation

If ever you wondered if there was a difference between the Character of a person and their Reputation, perhaps these words will help you reflect on which is more valuable.

"The circumstances amid which you live determines your reputation; the truth you believe determines your character.

Reputation is what you are supposed to be; character is what you are.
Reputation is the photograph; character is the face.

Reputation comes over one from without; character grows up from within.
Reputation is what you have when you come to a new community; character is what you have when you go away.
Your reputation is learned in an hour; your character does not come to light for a year.
Reputation is made in a moment; character is built in a lifetime.
Reputation grows like a mushroom; character grows like the oak.
A single newspaper report gives you your reputation; a life of toil gives you your character.
Reputation makes you rich or makes you poor; character makes you happy or makes you miserable.
Reputation is what men say about you on your tombstone;
character is what angels say about you before the throne of God. (William Hersey Davis)

Deuteronomy 8:2 - Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands

Living in Grace

D3LM3

God is a friend of silence

"God is a friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass - grow in silence.
See the stars, the moon, the sun,
how they move in silence." - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I find it interesting that our world is obsessed with noise and when we seek to be liberated from all the sounds of life, we face plenty of opposition. More often than not, the resistance comes from within our own hearts. We may feel a pull towards silence, but we struggle to let go of the noise. We keep the TV on, we keep the notifications pinging on our phones, we turn the radio on when we drive - we are afraid of the silence.

But, why is this? 

Are we afraid of God may say to us?

If silence is Golden, why do we resist it so much?

Job 33:31 - "“Pay attention, Job, and listen to me; be silent, and I will speak."

Revelation 8:1 - "When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour."

Challenge: Try and spend some time in silence today and just 'be' in the presence of God. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Remembering C.S. Lewis

Forgive me for being a day or two late, but the 22nd November marks the anniversary of the death of C.S. Lewis. Needless to say he left a huge legacy in the literary arena, as well as in the church context. To honour his life and his contribution, I have chosen a few of his lesser known quotes to share with you. 

May God bless you as you read these today.

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”

“Crying is all right in its own way while it lasts. But you have to stop sooner or later, and then you still have to decide what to do.” 

“We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us; we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be.” 

Which is your favourite C.S. Lewis quote of all time - please share it with me. Thanks.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Missing out on what stares us in the face

As history would confirm, the Emperor Vespasian was born on the 17th November 9AD. Obviously not short on confidence, he once remarked: "Dear me, I believe I am becoming a god. An emperor ought at least to die on his feet." 

It is ironic that he lived at the same time as Jesus and yet was not able to appreciate that the Son of God graced the same planet as he did. He was too busy appreciating himself in the mirror that he forgot to look around and notice that the Messiah had come. 

Sometimes we are all guilty of missing out on the truth that stares us in the face.

Mark 8:18 - Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Trying to figure God out

I had a stranger pop past the church today asking a few deep questions. One of their genuine struggles was trying to figure out why God would allow certain things to happen in our lives. I didn't really have a neat, short answer for them, but tried my best to help them figure out where God was in the mystery of life. As 'God-incidence' would have it, our key verse from Ecclesiastes 11 alludes to something along similar lines:

"Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things." - Ecclesiastes 11:5

The part of the reading that says 'the mystery of the tiny baby in a mother's womb' also relates to the miracle of how breath enters into the body of a baby inside a mothers womb. Some translations actually say as much. 

In truth, we just have to realise that there are too many things that we can't understand and may never figure out. Such is life! As we head further into 2021, I know that I will not figure God out, but I can get to know God more and more. 

Knowing who God is helps me to trust in the uncertainty of the events that unfold all around me.

Living in Grace

D3LM3