You moved any mountains lately?

I came across this prayer recently. I am not 100% sure who the author is, but the words struck me as being authentic and honest. 

Lord, I've never moved a mountain and I guess I never will.
All the faith that I could muster wouldn't move a small ant hill.
Yet I'll tell you, Lord, I'm grateful for the joy of knowing Thee,
and for all the mountain moving down through life You've done for me.

When I needed some help, you lifted me from the depths of great despair.
And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear,
you have always been my courage to restore life's troubled sea,
and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me.

Many times, when I've had problems and when bills I've had to pay,
and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day, Lord,
I don't know how you did it. Can't explain the where’s or whys.
All I know, I've seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.

No, I've never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small.
Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call.
And as long as there are mountains in my life, I'll have no fear,
for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near. - Source Unknown.

Matthew 17:20 - He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Living in Grace

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Moved any mountains?

This is a prayer that I found last week and used conjunction with the sermon entitled "What is your mountain?" It is so appropriate and beautiful that I want to share it with us all.

“Lord, I've never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn't move a small ant hill. Yet I'll tell you, Lord, I'm grateful for the joy of knowing Thee, and for all the mountain moving down through life You've done for me.

When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair. And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear, you have always been my courage to restore life's troubled sea, and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me.

Many times when I've had problems and when bills I've had to pay, and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day, Lord, I don't know how you did it. Can't explain the wheres or whys. All I know, I've seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise.

No, I've never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small. Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call. And as long as there are mountains in my life, I'll have no fear, for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near. - Source Unknown.

Matthew 17:20-21 - “The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, ‘Move!’ and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn’t be able to tackle.”

Living in Grace

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Lifting the Elephant

 

What did Jesus mean when he told his disciples: “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.” (Matthew 17:20)

If he was speaking about literal mountains then I feel like a huge failure. I am yet to move any physical mountains and it isn't for the lack of trying. However, if Jesus was speaking about issues, things, and situations that seem like MASSIVE MOUNTAINS to us, then I believe we will see God move these! 

What do you think about this?  

"With a stout heart, a mouse can lift an elephant" - Tibetan Proverb

Living in Grace

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Talking to the Mountains - A Lent journey through Ezekiel

As we start reading through Ezekiel 6 we may be confused as to why Ezekiel starts speaking to the mountains. Perhaps we are justified in thinking that he has lost his marbles, or maybe he has just hasn't had his morning coffee as yet. However, it is not as weird as we may think. Here is why...

...The mountains around Jerusalem were known to be places of pagan worship. Many a god was represented by an image and then placed in a shrine somewhere on the mountains. So, when Ezekiel is instructed to turn towards the mountains and prophesy, he is actually speaking to ALL the other gods and graven images. See if it now makes sense to you:

The word of the Lord came to me: ² “Son of man, set your face against the mountains of Israel; prophesy against them ³ and say: ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Sovereign Lord. This is what the Sovereign Lord says to the mountains and hills, to the ravines and valleys: I am about to bring a sword against you, and I will destroy your high places.

One of my favourite Psalms is 121 and this song of David paints a similar picture to the one in Ezekiel 6. If you get a chance read it here.

So the message for us this Lenten period could be something like this:

i. Have we turned to other "things" for our source of help and strength?
ii. How long will it take before we realise that God doesn't enjoy his children being "unfaithful"?
iii. What will it take for us to turn back to Christ?

Living in Grace
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Growing the Fruit

“Mountaintops are for views and inspiration, but fruit is grown in the valleys.” - Billy Graham

I love the joy of climbing to the top of any mountain and then appreciating the view. The views are breath-taking and inspiring. They remind us of how small we are and how AWESOME God is. They show us a different perspective on the world we live in. 

However, despite the brilliance of the view, we realise that we can't stay on top of the mountain - that we need to come back down to reality and the 'ordinary stuff' of life. We also need to remember that crops and vegetation grow better in the valleys, in the places that may not look the best or may even get lots of shade. The FRUIT grows in the valleys!

The same can be said of our spiritual lives - the moments of inspiration keep us going, but the place where we bear the most fruit is in the valley. So, if you find yourself going through a tough time then remember that this may be producing some lasting fruit in your life. 

Jeremiah 49:4 - "...boast of your valleys so fruitful."

Living in Grace
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I have never moved a mountain

"Lord, I've never moved a mountain and I guess I never will. All the faith that I could muster wouldn't move a small ant hill. Yet I'll tell you, Lord, I'm grateful for the joy of knowing Thee, and for all the mountain moving down through life You've done for me. 

When I needed some help you lifted me from the depths of great despair. And when burdens, pain and sorrow have been more than I can bear, you have always been my courage to restore life's troubled sea, and to move these little mountains that have looked so big to me. 

Many times when I've had problems and when bills I've had to pay, and the worries and the heartaches just kept mounting every day, Lord, I don't know how you did it. Can't explain the wheres or whys. All I know, I've seen these mountains turn to blessings in disguise. 

No, I've never moved a mountain, for my faith is far too small. Yet, I thank you, Lord of Heaven, you have always heard my call. And as long as there are mountains in my life, I'll have no fear, for the mountain-moving Jesus is my strength and always near." - Author Unknown

I love this piece of writing. It reminds me that I may never move mountains on my own, but that Jesus can do immeasurably more than I can imagine or even hope for.

 Matthew 17:20 - “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

Living in Grace
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Mountains inspire

Winston Churchill once remarked that "Mountains inspire leaders, but valleys mature them."

I like this sentiment a lot. When I look at physical mountains I am inspired by them - part of me wants to climb to the top and explore everything about them. Valleys - not so much. They seem harder and are often in the shade, yet these are the times that we learn more about ourselves and others.

So, if you were looking at your life today, what 'MOUNTAINS' are inspiring you at the moment and what 'VALLEYS' are teaching you (maturing you)?

Deuteronomy 11:11 - "But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven."

Living in Grace
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Moving mountains

Singing 'Mighty to Save' again this evening, I was taken aback by the power of the following promise:

"Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save." - Hillsong

As you start a new week, remember that Jesus can move mountains in your life. Our God is able to help us overcome any challenges that we may be facing. And if it means we have to climb the mountain for a time, God will use that experience to strengthen us and to prepare us for something else.

God can move the mountain!

Matthew 17:20 - Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Living in Grace
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God of the Mountains

I was reminded last week that the God we worship is known as "El Shaddai" in the Old Testament. This means "God Almighty" or "God All-powerful." In one translation it is loosely referred to as "God of the Mountains."

Whatever mountain you may be facing in your life at the moment, remember that we belong to El Shaddai - God of ALL the mountains. El Shaddai is the Almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords. We can "summit" the mountains in our lives because we know that Christ has already conquered the greatest mountain of all.

As David writes: 

Psalm 97:5 – “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.”

  May these words offer you a blessing today...

      

     Genesis 49:25 – “…by the God of your father, who will help you, by El Shaddai, who will bless you with blessings from heaven above.”

    Living in Grace

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Greater heights

"The love of Christ compels us to do what we never thought we could do and go to heights we never thought we could reach." - Max Lucado

May the love of Christ move us to reach for the impossible and to climb mountains we thought unconquerable.

Isaiah 2:2 - "In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it."

Living in Grace
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