We can't blame anyone else

“Spiritual growth is not an accident. It is intentional. You must intend to grow. You must make a choice to grow. You are as close to Jesus Christ as you choose to be. If you are not growing spiritually don’t blame your wife or husband or kids or parents or pastor. You are as close to God as you choose to be.” - Stephen Sheane

Our spiritual growth is surely our decision to pursue or not. I feel that we can't blame other people for our shortcomings, especially if we don't take our faith seriously. We each need to count the cost of following Christ. 

As we get closer to Lent, I think it is worthwhile reflecting on what we can do to grow in our faith.

"Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
2 But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do." - Psalm 1:1-3

What do you think?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Be a saunterer

To saunter is to walk slowly and in a relaxed manner. This word is a reminder to me that we are called to follow Christ in a deliberate manner, but also to notice all that is around us. If our walking is purely about clocking a certain time, we may lose the opportunity to reflect on why we are walking.

John Muir writes: "...back in the Middle Ages people used to go on pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and when people in the villages through which they passed asked, where they were going, they would reply, "A la sainte terre (to the Holy Land)." And so, they became known as saint-terre-ers or saunterers. 

Walking in the footsteps of Jesus is like going on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We are not going on a hike or passing awhile time, we are SAUNTERERS. 

3 John 1: 4 - "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Being intentional about this important aspect of our lives

How many times have you recently thought to yourself: "I am tired. I need to get some rest. I feel drained." If you have experienced these feelings and emotions, then I ask another question: "have you managed to find a gap to restore your soul?"

When Jesus was constantly in the public arena and ministering to the crowds, he felt the same as we often feel. He was tired and needed time to recoup and regain his inner strength. Even in the midst of the demands, he made time to withdraw, even if it was for a short time.

45 Immediately after this, Jesus insisted that his disciples get back into the boat and head across the lake to Bethsaida, while he sent the people home. 46 After telling everyone good-bye, he went up into the hills by himself to pray. (Mark 6)

The people that Jesus sent home were the 5000 that he had just fed - that is a lot of people to send packing. However, Jesus did this graciously and knew that without taking care of his own soul, he would have nothing to give the people in the future. This is such a hard practise for us to get right, but something that it well worth us being intentional about.

Vane Havner once said: If you don’t come apart and rest, you will come apart.”

If you would like to read another similar post on this topic, please re-read the post from last week. For some reason, this post was 'taken down' by Facebook and so many haven't been able to read it. I think it was due to the name of the energy drink I mentioned in the title :)

Living in grace

D3LM3

Trust, Take, Commit

Much has been written on these 3 significant verses in Psalm 37.

"Trust in the Lord and do good;
    dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;    trust in him and he will do this:" - Psalm 37:4-6

However, I want to offer us a slightly different perspective on them today. I notice that each verse begins with a verb - a word that involves some kind of action on our behalf.  If call myself a God-follower I will need to put my faith into action. I do this by living out these 3 things:

1. Trusting in God

2. Taking delight in Christ

3. Committing my way to God

Each of Jesus' disciples needed to make a conscious decision whether they were willing to do this. There were times when some of the fringe believers drifted away because they couldn't live out these 3 things. Being a disciples of Jesus is not the easy option!

What do you think?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Starting over .... just with a little experience

 

The start of a new year always seem to draw out the best (or worst) from each one of us. We usually dread going back to work, study, school and normal routine, because the Christmas break has been a time of relaxation, rest and holidays.

However, perhaps we could change our thinking a little this year and see our starting over as a wonderful way of making small changes to our lives. Learning from the experiences of previous years and applying the lessons learnt to our new beginnings of 2019. If you like, it is like "Starting over, just with a lot more experience!"

Proverbs 1:5 -  "...let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance."

If we adopt this attitude, then we need to note some of the lessons learnt, and be intentional about changing direction.
What were some of those lessons from last year?
What small changes do you need to make?
When will you start?

It is the same process in our Faith experience. Every day is a chance to begin again, except with the little experience gained from the previous days. What has the Lord revealed to you and how will you put this into practise?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

We have to be intentional

“Spiritual growth is not an accident. It is intentional. You must intend to grow. You must make a choice to grow. You are as close to Jesus Christ as you choose to be. If you are not growing spiritually don’t blame your wife or husband or kids or parents or pastor. You are as close to God as you choose to be.” - Stephen Sheane 

I think this quote is wonderful, as it reminds me that if I want to grow in my faith, I really need to be intentional about it. Just like striving for any other goal, I must put my mind to it and keep focus. Spiritual grow takes time, discipline and commitment.

2 Corinthians 13:11 - Be joyful. Grow to maturity. Encourage each other. Live in harmony and peace. Then the God of love and peace will be with you.

Living in Grace
D3LM3