The Juggling Act

Do you ever feel as if you are juggling too many things at once? If you shout out 'YES', then you are in good company. Many people I speak to feel as if they are holding too many balls in the air and that some are about to fall. The question is: Which ones do we allow to fall? 

I am not able to really juggle to save my life, but I do juggle too many things, priorities, appointments, people, meetings to know that we all have a limit. When this happens, we end up grasping for the ones that seem the most fragile or important to us. 

I have found this bit of wisdom helpful in reflecting on this:

"Imagine life is a game in which you are juggling five balls. The balls are called work, family, health, friends, and integrity. And you're keeping all of them in the air. But one day you finally come to understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls...are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered." - James Patterson

Joshua 24 - “So fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped when they lived beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord alone. But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

Living in Grace

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Wisdom has no expiry date - it remains a gift throughout the generations

Wisdom is something that is timeless. And when we read the Bible, we note that there are thousands of words of wisdom, instruction, good news and grace. The book of Hebrews ends off offering the early believer's wisdom about contentment and money. In my opinion these words are timeless. They have spoken the Truth to countless generations of Christians, and they will continue to speak long after we have gone. 

Hebrews 13:5 - "Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 
“Never will I leave you;
never will I forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6, Joshua 1:5)

I have left the Old Testament references in this post, because the readers of Hebrews would have known Deuteronomy and Joshua off-by-heart. This challenge was not something new to them, it was just that they were struggling to live it out. The same can be said for us. Knowing something to be wise and true, is one thing - but living it out, is the hard part!

Thought: Are you wrestling with contentment at the moment? How do the quotes from Joshua and Deuteronomy help you?

"Wisdom has no expiry date!"

Living in Grace

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The secret of success is ....

Benjamin Disraeli once remarked: "The secret of success is constancy of purpose." 

I believe he has a point in many aspects of life, and we saw part of this in the Springboks recent World Cup Rugby victory. When a team (or individual) pushes forward with one purpose in mind, there is greater chance of success. The more the purpose is thwarted or watered-down, the less likely that the result will be successful.

I would argue that this can also apply to faith, although I wary of the word 'success' when it comes to ministry and Christianity. Jesus certainly had a consistency and singlemindedness, that motivated him to change the lives of his disciples and all that met him. He poured his life into the lives of others and drew them into the heart of the Father.

What purpose is motivating you at the moment? Are you able to keep your eye on the main focus?

Joshua 1:7 - “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go.

Living in Grace

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Expect great things!

"God is ready to assume full responsibility for the life wholly yielded to Him.” - Andrew Murray

This quote is one that I found while preparing for our Covenant service last week. I enjoy the depth of insight that Andrew Murray offers us through his writings. He was certainly someone who was able to express his faith in a clear way. Take another example of his thoughts - this time on prayer:

“Each time, before you intercede, be quiet first, and worship God in His glory. Think of what He can do, and how He delights to hear the prayers of His redeemed people. Think of your place and privilege in Christ and expect great things!” - Andrew Murray

What strikes you about these Andrew Murray quotes?

Joshua 24:23 - “Now then,” said Joshua, “throw away the foreign gods that are among you and yield your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”

Living in Grace

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Do not be discouraged

I couldn't think of a better word to start this week with. As we head into the tail end of the year, we are all starting to feel weary and tired. Discouragement can sneak into our language and lives. May these words of Joshua remind us that God is on our side and will be with us.

"Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:8-9

Brennan Manning once wrote: "Suffering, failure, loneliness, sorrow, discouragement, and death will be part of your journey, but the Kingdom of God will conquer all these horrors. No evil can resist grace forever."

Living in Grace

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Which mask today? Why we choose to wear masks to hide our true selves.

I jumped into the car the other morning worrying that I had forgotten my mask. I needn't have worried as there were 3 or 4 masks lying around inside the car, some needing to be disposed of, but others ready for a wash and another day in business. As I reversed out the driveway this thought struck me: 

"Is this how we start our days albeit a little subconsciously? We think about who were are going to meet and then decide which mask we are going to wear? I am off to work so I need to put the "I'm all together" mask on. Or I am off to church so let me put the "deeply spiritual" mask on? Or we are going out to be with acquaintances so the most suitable mask will be the "I am fine" mask. Is this how we live our lives?"

The trouble with living like this is that we get caught up in changing the masks all the time, until eventually we wear the wrong mask at an awkward time and suddenly we feel exposed. We can't keep up the pretence forever.

I am thankful that God knows who we are even before we put the masks on and that Jesus doesn't require us to pretend when we come to him. We are invited to come 'as we are' and God will embrace us in that moment. 

Joshua 7:19 - “My son, give glory to the Lord, the God of Israel, and honour him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Genesis 28:15 - "I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Living in Grace

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Reorientation

 

Children and families have begun the process of "reorientation" this week as they head back to school, work and further studies. Reorientation simply means to "familiarise ourselves with something again" or to "change direction or focus".

I believe that this is also such an important task for all Christians to undertake. Just as starting a new year comes with its own set of challenges, so the process of doing a spiritual reorientation will also take something out of us. Are we willing to do this?

Joshua 3:4 -  "Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before."

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Just one step at a time

I came across a lovely story that reminded me not to get caught up in trying to solve all my problems at the same time. Even though I may want God to give me the final answers NOW, often God takes me one step at a time towards the final destination. It is what some people refer to as 'Gradualness.' Perhaps it is because I couldn't handle the whole story now, that God allows me to take one step at a time. May you be blessed as you read through this story:



"One day Dwight Morrow and his wife, the parents of Anne Lindbergh, were in Rugby, England.  After wandering through the streets they realised that they had lost their way.  At this moment an incident occurred that entered into Morrow's philosophy and became a guiding principle in his life. He stopped a little Rugby lad of about 12 years. "Could you tell us the way to the station?" he asked. "Well," the boy answered, "You turn to the right there by the grocer's shop and then take the second street to the left. That will bring you to a place where four streets meet. And then, sir, you had better enquire again."  
"This answer came to symbolise for Dwight Morrow his own method of approaching complicated problems," writes Harold Nicolson in his excellent biography. "It implied in the first place a realistic scepticism regarding the capacity of human intelligence. It was in the second place an object lesson in the inevitability of gradualness. And in the third place, it was a parable of how, when the ultimate end is uncertain, one should endeavour to advance, if only a little way, in the correct, rather than the incorrect direction."- Bits and Pieces, December 1991

Joshua 1:9 (MSG) - "Haven’t I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don’t be timid; don’t get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take.”

Living in Grace
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Joshua - Be strong and Courageous

Of the 11 times the phrase 'Be Strong and Courageous' appear in the Bible, 5 appear in the book of Joshua and 3 others refer to Joshua himself. So needless to say, these words must be associated with this courageous man of God.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. 
Do not be afraid; 
do not be discouraged, 
for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” - Joshua 1:9

Fear can easily lead to discouragement.
Discouragement then leads to anxiety,
which in turn can lead to spiritual paralysis.
Once this paralysis has set in, it is very hard to move anywhere with much focus.

May God grant you COURAGE and STRENGTH today.

Living in Grace
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Numbers - 2 brave men

Has someone ever inspired you to move beyond your comfort zone and when you have done this remarkable thing, you found yourself feeling grateful for that "nudge"?

In the book of Numbers we come across 2 remarkable young men - Joshua and Caleb. Along with 10 other spies they entered the Promised Land to have a look at the layout of the land and then to report back to Moses and Aaron. However, they the time came for the report back, the 10 spies were afraid of the Giants in the land and urged that the Israelites stay put. However, this was not what Joshua and Caleb felt. These are their words to the leaders:

"Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. ⁷ They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! ⁸ And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!” - Numbers 14:6-10

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Choose the ...

“Choose the way of life.

Choose the way of love.

Choose the way of caring.

Choose the way of hope.

Choose the way of belief in tomorrow.

Choose the way of trusting.

Choose the way of Goodness.

It is up to you.”- Leo Buscaglia

Which one will you choose?

Joshua 24:15 -  But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

Living in Grace

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Success - how do you define it?

When people speak of the concept of "Success", how do you define it? What would be a 'success' for you? If one listened to the voice of the world we would hear things like:

...success is having a good job, career.
...success is having a sizeable bank balance.
...success is having thousands of Facebook friends.
...success is having a nice home, car, bike.
...success is having the latest gadget.
...success is being promoted to the top of your company.

But, is this really success?
We know in our heart of hearts that none of these things really count in the end.
What good is a fancy house or car, when you have no genuine friends?
How does all the money in the world buy you the love and affection of a family?
How does the latest gadget help you communicate with those who matter?

So, please tell me how you define success. If you have time please REPLY to this post with ONE word. Tell me what you think about when you hear the word success.

Joshua 1:7 - "Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."

"Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful." -Albert Schweitzer

Living in Grace
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The Big Fight

The last time I got excited about a "Big Fight" it was over Asterix and Obelix's story "The Big Fight!" Of course, the Pacquiao and Mayfeather Big Fight has nothing to do with Asterix and Obelix, but it did get me thinking about the topic of fighting. I have to admit that the thought of getting into the ring with either one of these 2 prize fighters sends shivers down my spine - they are both fantastic athletes and I am convinced they could do some major damage to my face :)

The Bible mentions the word 'fight' on a number of occasions and a fair number of them speak of the picture of God being on our side, fighting for us. It is quite a reassuring image of God being in our corner, rooting for us and willing to stand in the gap to defend us.

Sometimes LIFE and issues of this world can seem like we are squaring up to a prize fighter and that this "opponent" looks very ominous. We may even be quivering in our boots, but we need to remember that God is with us. In the end, He will come to our aid.

"The Lord God is your leader, and he will fight for you with his mighty miracles, just as you saw him do in Egypt." - Deuteronomy 1:30

Joshua 2:11 - No one has any fight left in him after hearing things like that, for your God is the supreme God of heaven, not just an ordinary god.

1 Timothy 6:12 - "Fight on for God. Hold tightly to the eternal life that God has given you and that you have confessed with such a ringing confession before many witnesses."

May you have Blessed Week and remember that GOD is in your corner!

Living in Grace
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We all can do this...

“One of the highest human duties is the duty of encouragement.” - William Barclay

We all need to be encouraged at some stage in our lives. When things are looking bleak there is nothing like a kind word to give us a little push in the right direction. The beauty of encouragement is that we don't have to be qualified to encourage another person - we just have to be willing to do something.

Think about a time in your life when someone has encouraged you - how did that make you feel? Is it possible that someone in your life needs a word of hope from you today. Offering encouragement could be the greatest gift you could pass onto them right now. It will cost you nothing, but it could mean the world to them!

Joshua 1:9 - Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

·     Hebrews 3:13 – “Encourage one another daily…”

      Here is a word from St. Paul that I offer you as a word of hope: 

2Thessalonians 2:16 - "May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.”

Living in Grace
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