Even the sparrow has found a home

"Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar." - Psalm 84:3

The other day I noticed a sparrow sitting on an old telephone wire. She looked busy but not stressed. Obviously, I don't speak "sparrow", so I don't know for sure, but it seemed to me that she wasn't anxious about her life. She trusted that all would be ok.

The Psalmist must have also noticed the activity of the sparrows and swallows. He was able to see that they found a safe place for their young, and that their nests were near the altar of the Lord. 

I find this a remarkable reminder of the compassion of God. Compared to the might of the Lord, the sparrow is quite puny, yet she is not afraid of God - in fact, she trusts so much in God's protective love, that she makes her home as close to His presence as possible. 

Surely, there is a lesson for us in this action. Have we made our 'homes' close to the altar of the Lord?

Luke 12:6 - “What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them.

Living in Grace

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Building without a foundation

Just before we began building our home, we needed to get the approval of our neighbours. Going from house to house was an interesting experience and, on the whole, it was great to meet our new community. 

One of new our neighbours kindly invited us into their home to show us the bad 'cracks' that had developed over the years and they gave us this advice: 'make sure that you build on solid foundations, because we were in a rush when we built, and we now see the error of our judgement.' 

We took their advice and asked our builder to be extra cautious when digging our foundations and so far it has been a wise decision. I was thinking of this story when I read Luke 6 yesterday:

46 “So why do you keep calling me ‘Lord, Lord!’ when you don’t do what I say? 47 I will show you what it’s like when someone comes to me, listens to my teaching, and then follows it. 48 It is like a person building a house who digs deep and lays the foundation on solid rock. When the floodwaters rise and break against that house, it stands firm because it is well built. 49 But anyone who hears and doesn’t obey is like a person who builds a house right on the ground, without a foundation. When the floods sweep down against that house, it will collapse into a heap of ruins.”

Thought: What does it mean for us to 'build on the rock?'

Living in Grace

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Our Home

Psalm 90:1 – “Lord, through all the generations you have been our home…”

When Moses wrote these words, he remembered how through everything that he had been through, God had been their help and refuge. 

We all seek our homes to be places of safety and a haven from the outside world - they offer comfort and rest, a place to be vulnerable and a safe space where we can be ourselves. Although our human 'homes' offer us a glimpse of the perfect home, we know that one day we will be able to rest in the presence of the Lord. 

God will be our true Home.

Psalm 23:6 - Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.

Living in Grace

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Set up house!

When Jesus instructed his disciples to 'remain in his love', what do you think he meant? 

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” - John 15:9

There are a few different ways of looking at this concept of 'remaining,' but the one that strikes a chord with me is the idea of setting up a house. When you go camping for a weekend, you don't really plan to settle in that campsite, but you are fine with using it for a few days. You can live without a few things, but you may not really want to set up home there. 

However, when you decide to set up home, you plan for the long haul - you create a garden, you hang up pictures, you paint the walls a colour you enjoy, you buy flowers for the dining-room table, you get a few pets, and you decide to tell your friends your new address. 

This is how I see the concept of remaining in the love of Jesus. I must decide to 'set up home' in the presence of Christ. I must decide to be part of His life for longer than a weekend. I must choose to become a more permanent feature in the Jesus' company.

Living in Grace

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In front of your house

We have been looking at the book of Nehemiah in our weekly Bible studies and it is such a remarkable account of God working in the lives of ordinary citizens. If you want to listen to some of these studies you will find them on Spotify (just search for my name or Living in Grace) - they are all for free :) 

One of the things that struck me about chapter 3 is the list of people working on the wall and the area of their work - it was noticeable that they focussed on the parts of the wall that were in front of their own homes. 

"The priests repaired the wall up the hill from the Horse Gate, each one doing the section immediately opposite his own house." - Nehemiah 3:28

Sometimes we can get caught up in trying to solve everyone else's problems that we neglect the issues that may be staring us in the face. In ministry this is one of the things that pastors have trouble balancing - there are so many needs in the community, that each pastor has to wrestle with caring for the church, but also taking care of their own family. 

How do you understand this verse? What does it say to you about your present circumstances?

Living in Grace

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At home

The old saying states that "home is where the heart is!" I think we all understand the sentiment of this and it makes complete sense. When Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus he puts a spin on this when he says: "I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in him" (Ephesians 3:17)

Eugene Peterson adds a more homely tone to this verse: "that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in."

As you go about your tasks today, may you open the door of your heart to Him and that you would give Jesus a home in your life.

Living in Grace

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Going Home

Our Lent reflection today is share by Ken Gerhardt - thanks for your contribution Ken.

Romans 8:11 (HCSB) "And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then He who raised Christ from the dead will also bring (quicken) your mortal bodies to life...”

I remain blown away that the very same Holy Spirit lives in me at this moment, this hour –today and yes, 2,021 years later remains ever-present to all who believe! How can I not be overwhelmed? He, our Lord God that raised Jesus from the dead, has promised to quicken my body back to life (Romans 8:23 NIV)!

Yes, of course, I wait eagerly and groan deep within for Christ Jesus to come back and to take me home at long last... [Romans 8:18-30 is the cream & cherry on top of Holy Scripture.]

My Prayer: “In just a little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.” Hebrews 10:37 (NIV)

Living in Grace

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Question to ponder: How does it make you feel that the same Spirit that lived in Moses, Elijah and Jesus is living in us? 

Finding your way in the dark

 

Finding you way in the dark is not an easy exercise. 

When the lights go out due to unexpected power failures, load-shedding, or no money in the meter, then you have to resort to stumbling around in the dark. Of course the better you know your home, the easier it is to work out where you are and to make a plan. This reminds me of a lovely quote:

Alexander Maclaren, the 19th Century Scottich preacher said that, "Those who know the path to God, can find it in the dark."

When our lives are filled with sudden darkness, let us not lose hope but rather find our way back to the heart of God. Walk the well trodden path and know that God is still at Home.

Luke 15:20 -  “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long distance away, his father saw him coming, and was filled with loving pity and ran and embraced him and kissed him."

Living in Grace

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Rescued

The compassionate heart of God is revealed in these words of Micah:

"You will soon be sent in exile
    to distant Babylon.
But the Lord will rescue you there;    he will redeem you from the grip of your enemies." - Micah 4:10

The prophet doesn't hide from the fact that the Israelites will end up going into exile (due to their rebellion), but God will rescue them from the hands of their enemies. It may confuse us as to why God would allow them to go into exile first, before he rescued them, but God's ways are not our ways, so we need to rest in God's decisions.

The Good News for all of us is that God DOES rescue us and He is willing to redeem anyone who longs to return home.

Living in Grace
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Coming back

The Lenten journey is one of calling us back home and so when we read the prophecy in Ezekiel 36, in light of the Cross, we see this remarkable promise being fulfilled. Through the love of Jesus we can come home to the heart of the Father.

 
“Therefore, give the people of Israel this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am bringing you back, but not because you deserve it. I am doing it to protect my holy name, on which you brought shame while you were scattered among the nations. ²³ I will show how holy my great name is—the name on which you brought shame among the nations. And when I reveal my holiness through you before their very eyes, says the Sovereign Lord, then the nations will know that I am the Lord. ²⁴ For I will gather you up from all the nations and bring you home again to your land.

²⁵ “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. Your filth will be washed away, and you will no longer worship idols. ²⁶ And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.²⁷ And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

The prophecy in Ezekiel 36 is truly a memorable one. It speaks of incredible hope and restoration. God is going to do some remarkable healing and renewal in the hearts of the nation. These are the 3 big things that stand out of this chapter, for me:

1. God will bring us back (home)
2. God will cleanse us
3. God will renew our hearts - from hearts that are as hard as stone to hearts that are responsive and ready to obey

Living in Grace
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When you don't feel at home.

"She camps out among the nations, never feels at home.    Hunted by all, she’s stuck between a rock and a hard place." - Lamentations 1:3 (MSG)

Have you ever felt present in a room, but not actually at home? It is like you just don't fit in. Well, this is what the writer of Lamentations is getting at when he comments about how Judah resides in a community, but they just don't feel at home. As a nation they struggled from day to day, but they never felt as if they belonged.

The amazing thing about God's grace is that every one of us can find a HOME in the presence of Christ. We may be different from one another, but we can belong together. If you are feeling out of sorts at the moment, may you remember that you have a home in company of Jesus.

"She dwells among the nations;
    she finds no resting place.
All who pursue her have overtaken her    in the midst of her distress." (NIV)


Living in Grace
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Coming Home

"There is no place like home!"
I am sure you have said these words before. I know that whenever we go away for a day or two, we have a great time, but it is good to be home again. There is nothing like sleeping on your own bed!

But, do we really know where "Home" is? Of course I am not speaking about a physical place, but rather a spiritual place. When we rest in the arms of Christ, we can be "at home" even at place on the planet.

As you enter into the last few days of 2014, ask yourself, "Am I in the place I need to be? Do I feel as if I am at home?" If the answer to these questions is perhaps "No" then ask God to show you the plan he has for your life.

Psalm 84:3 - Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

"To an open house in the evening
Home shall all men come,
to an older place than Eden,
To a taller town than Rome;
To the end of the way of the wandering star,
To the things that cannot be, and that are;
To the place where He was homeless,
And all men are at home." - G.K.Chesterton

Living in Grace
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No place like home

Having just spent a great few days away it was really nice to be back home and in familiar surroundings - "Home Sweet Home!" - as they say!

That's when I remembered these words from Jesus -
Matthew 8:20 - "Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.""

I wonder if Jesus ever got to feel that 'Home Sweet Home' feeling? Maybe when he finally return to His Heavenly Home? What do you think?

Living in Grace,
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