Assistant?

We are so used to taking charge of situations in our lives that we don't like to be second in command. We may be happy to have an Assistant, but we like to know that we can call the shots most of the time. The trouble with this is that we then treat God in the same way. We think that God will make a great Assistant - we can call on him whenever we get stuck on our own projects.

In truth, God is not looking for the job as our Assistant. God wants to be our LEADER, our LORD and our Captain.

Let's stop trying to fit Jesus into the position as our assistant and let's hand over the reins to Him.

Psalm 68:6 -  God makes a home for the lonely; He leads the prisoners into prosperity, Only the stubborn and rebellious dwell in a parched land (Amplified).

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Jesu Java

It is said that before Johann Sebastian Bach wrote any of his music, he would pen the initials J.J at the top of the sheet of paper. These initials stood for Jesu Java, meaning "Jesus help". Bach recognised that the gift he had been given came from God and that he was merely a steward of that precious gift. He wanted to honour God with his music and so his prayer was always:

"Jesus help me!"

What a wonderful way to start every day - offering a quick prayer to our Saviour, asking for his Spirit to lead and guide us. If you are about to start a new project or adventure, why not try the same thing?

Acts 3:16 - " By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. Some people argue that Bach used the initials I.N.J (In the name of Jesus) instead of J.J - for me, it makes no difference - it still tells me that he offered his brilliance to Jesus, before he did anything.

Am I rich towards God?

Reading from Luke 12:21 this morning I got stuck at the last part of the verse...

"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God."

How can I be rich towards God? What does this mean?
Well, in a way, I guess it means giving my best to God. Am I generous in what I give to God (this would include every aspect of my life), or does God have to settle for the scraps? It's a tough thing to comprehend.

So, here is the million dollar question - "What does it mean for you to be rich towards God?"


Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Devote yourself...

 
Now devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God - 1 Chronicles 22:19

We devote a lot of ourselves to many things:

Careers
Relationships
Being good parents
Hobbies
Sports
Music
And so on...

The challenge is always to 'devote' ourselves fully to God. Of course, this is not to the exclusion of the others, but rather putting God first in our lives. I think that the more I devote myself to God then the more I will want the 'other things' to reflect God's character. Wouldn't it be great to have evidence of God in my career, relationships, parenthood, hobbies, sport, music etc?

So here is a similar exercise: make a mental list of all the things that occupy your time. How much of God is reflected in what you do?

.....Just asking!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

First things first

"If there's any one secret of effectiveness, it's concentration. Effective executives do first things first and they do one thing at a time." - Peter F. Drucker

Effective Christians do first things first...

"First things first. Your business is life, not death. And life is urgent: Announce God's kingdom!" - Luke 9:60 (Msg)

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." - Matthew 6:33-34

Do the first things first today. God bless you.

Living in Grace,

D3LM3 

P.S. - There are no photo's attached as there is a problem with website at the moment. Sorry.

The Christian Life

"The Christian Life consists in what God does for us, not what we do for God; The Christian Life consists in what God says to us, not what we say about God. We also, of course, do things and say things; but if we don't return to Square One each time, we will ... soon be practising a spiritually that has nothing to do with God." - Eugene Peterson

For me, worshipping God with other believers, reading the Scriptures, prayer and other spiritual disciplines, always takes me back to Square One. It's vital that I move back to the Source of my Life, otherwise I cloud my worship.

What Spiritually are you practising?

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Faith in the fast lane

In reading a chapter entitled 'Faith in the Fast lane', my eyes were drawn to these words:

"Keep in mind that usually problems can wait a few minutes while you put first things first." - Blaine Smith

This is exactly the opposite of what we tend to do. When we face a difficult problem our human reaction is to sort it out before we take it to God. Blaine Smith challenges me to 'put God first' (i.e. pray about things) and then see how God helps to sort out the situation.

Worth thinking about? You tell me...

Living in Grace,
D3LM3