How much can you squeeze from a single grape?

In preparation for our Sunday services, I was looking for a little inspiration on the prayer front. I was helped by a wonderful book "Prayers for Today" (compiled by Kurt Bjorklund). In one of the chapters, I found this delightful prayer.

"Lord, how much juice can you squeeze from a single grape?
How much water can you draw from a single well?
How great a fire you can kindle from a tiny spark?
How great a tree you can grow from a tiny seed?

My soul is so dry that by itself it cannot pray;

Yet you can squeeze from it the juice of a thousand prayers.

My soul is so parched that by itself it cannot love;

Yet you can draw from it boundless love for you and for my neighbour.

My soul is so cold that by itself it has not joy;

Yet you can light the fire of heavenly joy within me.

My soul is so feeble that by itself it has no faith;

Yet by your power my faith grows to a great height."

- Guigo the Carthusian (12th century monk)

Living in Grace

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Plus Ultra

In Matthew Henry’s reflection on Ezekiel 47 he mentions that the image of the water flowing from the Temple is a picture of God's overwhelming grace moving further and further out into the world. He says "Grace in the soul is still pressing forward; it is an active principle, plus ultra—onward still, till it comes to perfection."

The phrase 'plus ultra' means 'further beyond' and is now the national motto of Spain. I think this is a lovely picture of how God's love and mercy will go further than we can ever imagine and we should never limit the action of God's love.

What does it mean for you to think of God's love beyond what we can comprehend right now?

How can we take God's love 'further beyond?'

Living in Grace

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A new foundation

                                                

It saddens me when people abuse the grace God has given to us. I see this happening in many ways, but the one that causes me the most frustration is when people adopt this attitude: 

"God loves me and will forgive me, so I can do what I like!" 

This is not only a false understanding of God's holiness, but also his Love. From a human perspective can you imagine the consequences for a child who says to their parents: "I know you love me and won't discipline me, so I am going to do what I like!" That certainly would never fly in our home and I don't believe God would let it slide either. I like the words of the Life Application Study Bible that say:

 “God’s grace does not cancel our duty to obey Jesus: it gives our obedience a new basis.” 

Our obedience to Jesus is based on our reaction to his immeasurable grace. The way we respond to God's overtures of love is show it by our actions.

Ephesians 2:8-9 - “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 

Living in Grace

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Simple prayers

"Thank you, Lord, for the grace of your love,
for the grace of friendship,
and for the grace of beauty. Amen." - Henri Nouwen, The Road to Daybreak

Prayers don't need to be long-winded in order to be meaningful. Here is another example of a beautiful, but simple prayer!

Psalm 109:26 - Help me, Lord my God; save me according to your unfailing love.

Living in Grace
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Not beyond our reach

Now what I am commanding you today is not too difficult for you or beyond your reach. ¹² It is not up in heaven, so that you have to ask, “Who will ascend into heaven to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹³ Nor is it beyond the sea, so that you have to ask, “Who will cross the sea to get it and proclaim it to us so we may obey it?” ¹⁴ No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." - Deuteronomy 30:11-14

Often we assume that the things of God are way beyond the reach of us mere mortals, but according to the words of Deuteronomy they are not! In fact, it seems that what God requires of us has been made all the easier through the work of the Holy Spirit. As I read through these words again, I am reminded not to make my faith so complicated. It can be as simple as it is profound.

Friends, let us not believe that God has hidden his treasures so far from us - they are nearer to us than we think.

Living in Grace
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A Great Mistake

"Go to God 
With the greatest possible confidence.
It is a Great mistake
To be afraid of 
One who is so loving
And longs for your love." - St. Alphonsus Liguori

There are many people who are so afraid of God that they could never approach the Throne of Grace with any confidence. St. Alphonsus suggests that this is a 'great mistake' and in my opinion, a very sad mistake. I don't believe that my Creator wants me to be so afraid and anxious to come into His presence. Of course, I need to be respectful and honour the Lord, but this is not the same as 'being afraid.'

What do you feel about this?

Romans 8:15 -  The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”

Living in Grace
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Complete Opposites

 

Surrounded by evil people, a band of violent men and narrow minded religious folk, King David felt totally alone. Yet, in the midst of his predicament he remembered that God was still faithful and that God's character was completely opposite to that of his enemies. In his prayer, David proclaims:

"But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God,
    slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and have mercy on me;
    show your strength in behalf of your servant;
save me, because I serve you
    just as my mother did.
¹⁷ Give me a sign of your goodness,
    that my enemies may see it and be put to shame,    for you, Lord, have helped me and comforted me." - Psalm 86:15-17

Remember this today - God is Gracious and Compassionate.

Living in Grace
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If I cannot find .....

Oh my goodness - what a challenging, real, powerful piece of writing. Please don't "enjoy" it, but rather be moved by the words!

If I cannot find the face of Jesus in the face of those who are my enemies,

If I cannot find him in the unbeautiful, 

If I cannot find him in those who have the “wrong ideas,”

If I cannot find him in the poor and the defeated,

how will I find him in the bread and wine, or in the life after death? 

If I do not reach out in this world to those with whom he has identified himself, 

why do I imagine that I will want to be with him, and them, in heaven?

Why would I want to be for all eternity in the company of those I avoided every day of my life? - Jim Forest

Matthew 9:13 - "But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Living in Grace

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Unfailing

"Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life..." - Psalm 23:6

There are not many things in today's world that won't eventually fail. Light bulbs will fail and blow. Batteries run out of energy and 'fail'. Cars, computers, phones, TV's, and many other electrical appliances work for a limited time period and then they fail. I guess it is just a reality of life.

However, having said this, isn't it wonderful to know that the LOVE God has for us is unfailing? It will never ever run out of steam, energy, power or cease to exist. God's love is from everlasting to everlasting.

It is also interesting that the word UNFAILING appears over 120 times in the Bible. Makes me think that God wanted us to know this wonderful truth.

John 1:14 - "So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness."

Living in Grace
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Cares, stoops, rescues

"Grace is love that cares and stoops and rescues." - John Stott

The remarkable thing about receiving God's grace is that it should remind us that ...
God cares
God stoops
God rescues.

When Jesus came to earth it was a reminder that God cares enough about us to 'stoop' to our level so that we can be rescued.

"God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work." - 2 Corinthians 9:8 

In response to God's grace, how can we CARE, STOOP and RESCUE?

Living in Grace
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How deep is your Love

There is a catchy song playing on the airwaves at the moment. It is called 'How deep is your love?' (by Calvin Harris). It is definitely not a Christian song, but the lyrics got me thinking:

How deep is your love?
Is it like the ocean?
What devotion are you?
How deep is your love?

Paul wrote something to the Ephesians that tried to express how 'DEEP' and vast God's love is. It is helpful to remember that God is so much bigger than we can comprehend and this LOVE reaches into every part of our being.

Ephesians 3:17-19 -  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. ¹⁸ And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. ¹⁹ May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

May the awesome LOVE of Jesus reach down into the inner most parts of your life today. Pause for 30 seconds, say a prayer and soak in the Grace of Christ. We can never reach the bottom of his amazing Love.

Living in Grace
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Strange blessing

“You’re blessed when you’re at the end of your rope. 
With less of you there is more of God and his rule." - Matthew 5:3 (Message)

I am not sure if you have ever thought of this 'Beatitude' in this way, but Jesus makes a challenging comment here, doesn't he?

Less of me, Lord.
More of YOU.
May You rule in our hearts today.

Living in Grace
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Throw open the doors

Whenever people are excitedly waiting for a good friend or family member to arrive, they hang around the door waiting for the doorbell or gate buzzer to ring. When that moment arrives, the doors are flung open and people rush out to welcome the friends inside.

I was wondering if we would do the same if we knew that Jesus was going to show up today? Would we still be waiting excitedly by the door, or would we be a little anxious? I suppose a lot depends on how you view Jesus, doesn't it? I mean, if you have been taught to believe that Jesus will be like the tough school master, then of course you won't be eager for him to arrive. However, if you have come to the deep assurance that Christ loves you and that he wants to be friends with you, then it makes a huge difference!

The apostle Paul seemed to have a special relationship with God. He knew that he was not worthy of God's love, yet he had experienced the GIFT of forgiveness and mercy. This made him all the more eager to be with Jesus.

What about you today? Which side of the door are you waiting on?

"We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory, standing tall and shouting our praise." - Romans 5:1-2 (The Message)

Living in Grace
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Fanaticism gone wrong!

Perhaps you can picture the person I am speaking about - the person who is so religious that it boarders on Fanaticism. Of course, there is always a fine balance between a passionate follower of Jesus and a Fanatic. If you are struggling to discern the difference then have a quick read of this quote from Tim Keller before we carry on any further.



“Think of people you consider fanatical. They're overbearing, self-righteous, opinionated, insensitive, and harsh. Why? It's not because they are too Christian, it's because they are not Christian enough. They are fanatically zealous and courageous, but they are not fanatically humble, sensitive, loving, emphatic, forgiving, or understanding- as Christ was... What strikes us as overly fanatical is actually a failure to be fully committed to Christ and his gospel.” ― Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Scepticism


He is spot on, don't you think? Why do these kind of people turn us away from the Faith? Well, I think it is precisely because they are not following Christ in his example of humility, forgiveness, mercy and love. Wouldn't it be lovely if people accused us of being 'Grace Fanatics.' Imagine people saying things like:

"Wow, that person is so in love with Jesus that we can see they are obsessed with Grace! We want to be like that - we want to know what makes them LOVE beyond measure!"

John 3:17 -  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.


I am deeply challenged by this today and it is my prayer that I can become a Grace fanatic! What are your thoughts?


Living in grace
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It is Enough!

How often do we pray for God to change our circumstances or to take us out of a bad place? We need some intervention and our prayers are usually centred around God delivering us from the fiery furnace. But what happens when God doesn't move us or when things don't change - what then? 

Well, for me the answer lies in these 3 verses...

"Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong." - 2 Corinthians 12:8-10

God's grace will be ENOUGH!
His grace is ALL we need to help us through.
When we are WEAK, that is when God IS STRONG!

#justsaying

Living in Grace
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I beg your pardon...

The saying, "I beg your pardon" has been around for many years, having origins in old French dialects (pardun). It is usually used in the context of offering an apology of sorts - asking for forgiveness. When I ask for your 'pardon' I am asking you to excuse my behaviour and to offer me a second chance.

So, if we reflect on the 3rd line of the prayer of St Francis, we note his words...

"Where there is injury, pardon..."

This implies that where someone has injured us, that we should seek to offer them some form of forgiveness, especially if they are remorseful for their actions. Of course this is hard to do when the person who as aggrieved you doesn't admit their mistake.

It is important to note that God offers us His unconditional pardon, even when we are ones who have caused the injury. Grace is always about God's offer of love to a world who doesn't quite deserve it.

• Job 7:21 - Why do you not pardon my offenses and forgive my sins?

Isaiah 55:7 -  Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will freely pardon.

Micah 7:18 - Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy.

The next time you catch yourself saying the words, "I beg your pardon", think about the essence of what you are saying.

Living in Grace
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Short arm?

There is a wonderful saying in the Bible, that goes like this:

“Is the Lord’s arm too short?" - Numbers 11:23

It is a rhetorical question that God asks the people of Israel. In tough times people lose faith in God's ability to answer their prayers and to save them from their distress. It is almost as if we imply that God doesn't have the strength or 'long enough arms' to rescue us. But of course we know that this is not the Truth. God can rescue us and he will. Believe me - God's arm is able to save us.

Isaiah 59:1 - "Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear."

Whatever you may be facing this week, remember that God's arm will save!

Living in Grace
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