The genuine heart of God

For some people, they struggle to see God as a loving God. They have either had very bad experiences with parents or perhaps even with some churches, and so their picture of God is very harsh. When we look through the Bible, we can understand how we could see God in this way, but there are equally many scriptures that reveal the true heart of the Father.

Take for example, a few of the following verses. They speak to me of a God who cares, and who has a genuine heart of compassion for his people. 

Luke 13:34 - “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. 

Luke 15:1-3 - Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. 2 But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Isaiah 40:11- He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Thought: Does this help you see God in a different way? 

Living in Grace

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The slanderer and the assassin

Tyron Edwards - “The slanderer and the assassin differ only in the weapon they use; with the one it is the dagger, with the other the tongue. The former is worse that the latter, for the last only kills the body, while the other murders the reputation.”

These words are really challenging for us to read, but they reveal the real damage that slander can do to someone's reputation. It is for this reason that James wrote:

"Brothers, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against his brother or judges him speaks against the law and judges it. When you judge the law, you are not keeping it but sitting in judgment on it. There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you—who are you to judge your neighbor?" -James 4:11-12

Jesus also knew that our hearts are dangerous organs - they can give us so much life, but they can also cause a lot of harm. He said: “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” - Matthew 15:19. 

As much as it was a problem in the early church, it is still a problem today. How can we avoid slander happening in our circle of influence?

Living in Grace

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Give me, Good Lord

If you were a few days away from your execution, what kind of prayer would you offer up to the Lord. According to tradition, the following words are part of Thomas More's prayer, which he wrote in 1535, just before he was martyred: 

"... give me, good Lord, a humble, lowly, quiet, peaceable, patient, charitable, kind, tender, and pitiful mind with all my works, and all my words, and all my thoughts, to have a taste of Thy holy, blessed Spirit. 

Give me, good Lord, a full faith, a firm hope, and a fervent charity, a love to the good Lord incomparable above the love to myself; and that I love nothing to Thy displeasure, but everything in an order to Thee.

Give me, good Lord, a longing to be with Thee, not for the avoiding of the calamities of this wretched world, nor so much for the avoiding of the pains of purgatory, nor of the pains of hell neither, nor so much for the attaining of the joys of heaven in respect of mine own commodity, as even, for a very love to Thee."

The part of the prayer that really stands out for me today is:

A Full Faith ...

A Firm Hope ...

A Fervent Charity....

What about for you?

Hebrews 5:7 - "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."

Living in Grace

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Words that have no heart

There can be nothing worse that listening to someone speak about a really important issue, but realising that they don't really care about the particular issue. Politicians are especially good at doing this - but, then again, we may not be so innocent either. Our times of prayer can so easily become moments of 'religious repetition', unless we carefully monitor the movement of our heart. Do our hearts really believe in what we are praying/saying?

It is noticeable that John Bunyan wrote a lot about prayer, and this is most likely because he was a man of prayer himself.

 “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. ”

“Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin will entice a man to cease from prayer.”

“Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.”

Matthew 6:7 - “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.

Thought: Have you recently been tempted to speak without truly meaning the words?

Living in Grace

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Confident of these things

I was thankful for the inclusion of Psalm 27 in the lectionary reading for Sunday. It reminded me that we can be confident in the goodness of God. This has been very helpful, especially in light of all that is happening around us at the moment.

"I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. 

Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. " - Psalm 27:13-14

I believe that a person can only say these things if one has experienced them in the past. We can know God's strength and power, when we are willing to wait on Him. 

May God's spirit strengthen you and enable you to Take Heart.

Living in Grace

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Thinking leads to actions

"Our life always expresses the result of our dominant thoughts." - Soren Kiekergaard

Proverbs 23:7 - "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

It is so true that the more we dwell and think on certain things we slowly start to act more inline with those thoughts and ideas.

So, what are you thinking about at the moment?

Is it changing your actions?

Living in Grace

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Break my resistance

Today marks the beginning of Holy Week, which traditionally allows us to reflect on the last days of Jesus's earthly life. The following poem is extremely helpful in bringing us to a place of remembrance and spiritual stock-taking. I offer it to you and pray that the words would help all of us prepare for the greatest weekend of our Christian experience. 

"Now to the gate of my Jerusalem,
The seething holy city of my heart,
The Saviour comes. But will I welcome him?
Oh crowds of easy feelings make a start;
They raise their hands, get caught up in the singing,
And think the battle won. Too soon they’ll find
The challenge, the reversal he is bringing
Changes their tune. I know what lies behind
The surface flourish that so quickly fades;
Self-interest, and fearful guardedness,
The hardness of the heart, its barricades,
And at the core, the dreadful emptiness
Of a perverted temple. Jesus come
Break my resistance and make me your home." - Malcolm Guite 

What things are causing resistance in my heart today?

Living in Grace

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Keep your heart

The word lent comes from the Dutch or German word for lente mean spring and in Europe that is so, while here in the Cape we will be experiencing autumn.  Each season is important for the health of the earth which includes us humans.

Lent is a time of anticipation, of new growth, shoots coming out of the ground.  The church uses Lent as a time of renewal of our spiritual lives. 

I have been reading a book by Arnold Mol, ‘Think New, Live New.’  Well worth a read and challenging in a gentle way.  Arnold quotes Proverbs 4:23, ‘Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flows the springs of life.’

Throughout scripture we have examples of men who ignored God’s Word and chose to do things their own way.  We need to pray for our leaders here in South Africa as well as world leaders that they may follow God’s direction and love the people they serve.

Lockdown has meant different things to people, some have found it difficult to work from home, others have found it easy and enjoy working at their own pace instead of at the office.   Children have struggled to keep focused and learn via the internet, others have done well, and the Matric result will reflect this trend.

As a retiree I have found it quite pleasant but as a people’s person I have found it difficult as I thrive on being with people.  Not being able to visit has been hard, not meeting with the people from the Bible study has been strange, but I keep in touch through phone calls and social media (not so much).

I would encourage myself and all who read this that we continue to proclaim that God is still on the throne, not far away but as near as the breath we take, that His love is enduring, and that Jesus knows what we are experiencing as He came to earth and walked the road to Gethsemane.  Let Him who loves us walk with you.

May this Lent be a renewal of our spiritual lives. 

Louise Hazell

Hearts are moved

Is there something that moves your heart?

For some of us it may be watching a powerful movie or listening to beautiful music.

For others it may be taking some time in nature or finding something remarkable in another person.

Some people will be touched by the actions of an innocent child or left feeling heart-sore by loneliness of an elderly friend.

Whatever the case may be, I believe that we are all created with the ability for our hearts to be moved. God's spirit works in ways that are dynamic and life-giving. And what is more, God doesn't always operate according to our agenda either.

Take opening verses of Ezra as an example:

"In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing:² “This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:“‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.

³ Any of his people among you may go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem, and may their God be with them. ....⁵ Then the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites—everyone whose heart God had moved—prepared to go up and build the house of the Lord in Jerusalem." - Ezra 1

Do you see how God can move the hearts of even an unbelieving king, as well as the priests and Levites?

How open are you to the move of God's spirit in your heart?

Living in Grace

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The bitter taste of Wormwood

When trying to teach a young person some pearls of wisdom it is always good to use 'word-pictures' that hopefully stick in their minds. Solomon is a master at this and in today's unique lesson, on the pit-falls of adultery, he uses two very clear, contrasting images to bring his point across.

"For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
⁴ But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
⁵ Her feet go down to death,Her steps lay hold of hell." - Proverbs 5:3-5

He tells the young men that chasing after pleasures (he uses women as an example in this passage as often it was just the men who were taught in religious schools) is going to end up being a bitter experience. 

In fact, if we look at these verses again we will see that the words he chooses bring this great contrast to light:

Honey (sweet to taste) versus Wormwood (which is a bitter herb)
Smooth versus Sharp 

These wise words are here to teach all of us that in pursuing things that 'look good', we may fall into a trap of disappointment and hurt in the long run.

"Educating the mind, without educating the heart is no wisdom at all." - Aristotle

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Check up

"Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting." - Psalm 139:23-24

I have always admired this honest prayer of David, where he gives permission for God to test his heart and to 'know' what is going on in his mind. It reminds me of going to the doctor, where we give them permission to do a series of tests in order to discover what is wrong with us - it is called a 'Check up.' In a way, we are saying to the GP - "please search my heart and body and find out why I am feeling sick."

In coming to God today we should we saying the same thing, but obviously related to our spiritual well-being. "Lord, I am not feeling so good, so please would you get to know my heart and help me find out why I am anxious or troubled."

Are you willing to pray this part of Psalm 139 as a prayer today?

If yes, then it may be best if you gave yourself a little time and a quiet space to pray.

Living in Grace

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Heart Surgery - Lent 11

<sup>We needed to visit the new Christiaan Barnard hospital the other day and it is such a lovely modern hospital. As you walk through the passages and go to the various wards you notice a number of interesting displays, photos and paintings, all remembering the first heart transplant done by Chris Barnard in 1967. 

As we read Ezekiel 11 today, we find ourselves coming across this lovely promise from the Lord. He offers the sinful Israelites a chance at redemption and a new beginning. The graphic image of 'removing our hearts of stone' and placing a new heart within us, is such a wonderful gift. May these words inspire and challenge us today.
 
19</sup> I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. ²⁰ Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God. ²¹ But as for those whose hearts are devoted to their vile images and detestable idols, I will bring down on their own heads what they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”

Ezekiel gives us this wonderful chance to receive this gift from the Lord, but also adds in the strong challenge in verse 21, which sadly needs to be in his message as some people are just simply 'hard of hearing'.  

Are you needing a new heart today? Is your Lent journey allowing you to replace your heart of stone, with a heart of flesh?

Living in Grace
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Short prayer to INSPIRE

This has to be one of the shorter prayers out there, but the more I pray it, the more it speaks to me. If you are struggling in your prayer life then why don't you start with these words and see how God uses the prayer to bless you.

"Holy Spirit, come into my heart, and in your power, draw my heart to you." - Catherine of Siena

As you read this prayer it can be tempting to think "is that all?!" 

That was my first reaction to be honest. However, I kicked myself for being proud and so I looked at the prayer again. The second and third times I prayed Catherine's prayer it began to impact my heart. Why don't you try it too?

Living in Grace

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25 - How to break bones

One assumes that the way to break a bone in your body is through trauma or a hard knock. Certainly that has been our experience of the years - sports injuries take place during contact sports! But listen to what Solomon says in Proverbs 25, as he challenges this notion.

"Patience can persuade a prince,    and soft speech can break bones." - Proverbs 25:15

Why would he say that? 
I think it is just a great way of saying that shouting at people will get you so far, but 'soft speech' can open up their hearts (and bones) to receive the words you need to say. We can get into the marrow of a person's heart by treating them with respect and gentleness.

Solomon adds some other interesting word pictures for us from the same chapter:

"Putting confidence in an unreliable person in times of trouble    is like chewing with a broken tooth or walking on a lame foot." v. 19

"Good news from far away    is like cold water to the thirsty." v.25

May you 'break some bones' today with the gentleness of your speech.

Living in Grace
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Hard Heart?

"Worse than a bloody hand is a hard heart!" - P.B. Shelley

Sometimes things happen to us, or to our loved ones, and we immediately find our hearts beginning to harden. I think this is a natural response and one which we all find happens to us. The tragedy of this is that when we need to love others or to allow our hearts to show compassion, we can't anymore. The people in our 'future' are confronted by a version of ourselves that has become calloused and hardened.

Are you finding that your heart is beginning to grow hard and that you see the warning signs around you? If this is true, then why don't you start to bring this before God in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to soften your heart again.


Hosea 10:12 – “Break up your fallow ground, for it is time to seek the Lord.”

Living in Grace
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Overflowing with THANKFULNESS

I have found that THANKFULNESS doesn't always come naturally to us. We seem to allow the troubles of this life to distract us from the incredible blessings we have already received. In doing so we somehow stay focused on the problems we encounter, rather than on the good that is all around us.

I raise my hand to confess that I am guilty of this, far to often. However, I am also uncomfortable with staying in this mindset - I desire to be in a place where I 'overflow with thankfulness.' One of the ways we can foster this kind of spirit, is to consciously list all the things we are thankful for.

It is only when we train our minds and hearts to gaze on the 'Goodness' we have received that our hearts will be filled with THANKFULNESS.

Colossians 2:6-7
"So the, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and OVERFLOWING with thankfulness."

Start filling your cup of thankfulness today and I pray that it may soon overflow.

Living in Grace
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The journey that seldom takes place

There is an important journey that seldom takes place in each one of our lives. It is the journey from the head to the heart. Or if you like, the journey from the intellect to the emotion. Someone once remarked that the longest journey we may have to make is that 18 inches from our minds to our heart.

You see there are many of us who are good at understanding things in our minds or even knowing 'facts' in an intellectual sense, but we battle to let this information sink deeply into the core of our being. As we are all aware, there is a massive difference between knowing about something and actually believing it with conviction.

Henri Nouwen wrote a simple prayer on this theme and I love the way he captures this idea:

"Dear Lord, 
Show me your kindness and your gentleness, 
you who are meek and humble of heart.
So often I say to myself, 'The Lord loves me,'
but very often this truth does not enter
into the centre of my heart."

Worth thinking about today, BUT even better if we allow these thoughts to transform our hearts.

Living in Grace
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Heart rings

One can tell the age of a tree by the number of rings that it has on it - obviously you can only see these after it has been cut down. I was privileged enough to see a tree that looked 150 years old yesterday. The stump of the tree was impressive and I could imagine how stately the tree looked in it's prime. I am not sure what caused the tree to be chopped down - old age or progress, but what remains is the proof of the age.

It got me thinking about our spiritual hearts and whether there are "marks" or "rings" that appear for every year we follow Jesus. I know that every year we get older we show signs of wrinkles, hair loss, and other wear and tear, but what about our Spiritual core?

For me, the fact of the matter is this: When we pass away their will be signs of our physical age - albeit if we are young or old. But these signs don't count towards our Eternal lives at all. Jesus spoke about us all being "Born again" or "Born anew" in John 3 - these are the years that will count in the long run. These are the "rings" that God looks for when we meet him face to face. Well, that's what I believe in any case.

1 Peter 1:23 - "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."

What are your thoughts?

Living in Grace
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Check at your reflection in the water - Lent #25

Looking at your reflection in the water (on a calm day), or even in the mirror, can be very telling. We can notice things that may surprise us - more wrinkles, less hair, more grey hair, dark rings under the eyes, shining teeth, sparkling eyes, stubble, clean shaven - the list is endless.

However the real test is that sometimes our outward reflection can reveal the state of our heart. That is scary. Have you ever had someone come up to you and say, "what's wrong?" The question catches you by surprise, but you realise that people have seen beyond the facade.

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects a man." - Proverbs 27:19

"Just as water mirrors your face,so your face mirrors your heart." - The Message

In the end, Jesus was able to tell what was happening in Judas' heart. Judas managed to cover it up for the rest of the disciples, but Jesus could see right through his mask.

This Holy Week I urge us all to take a deep look into our hearts - what is being reflected there? Are there some things that need some changing?

Living in Grace
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Lent 5 - Lips or heart?

We all know people who good talkers, don't we? People who are good at saying the right things, but never seem to follow up with their actions. We are often 'taken in' by such people for awhile, because they seem gregarious and fun, but in the end we get frustrated by their lying lips.

God knows that there are many religious people like this - we talk the talk, but we don't seem to be able to follow up with the right actions. We promise the moon, but can't even deliver a feeble commitment to worship. Jesus spoke out against people like this:

“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." - Matthew 15:8

So, here is the challenge for us this Lent - do we honour God just with our lips or are we allowing our actions to prove our real heart?

"Some have me often enough on their lips, but they have little of me in their hearts." - Thomas a Kempis

Living in Grace
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