Newcomers

Can you remember being a 'newcomer' at something? Perhaps a first day at school, or at a new job, or even joining a church community or a sports team? It feels strange at first, but after a while, one slowly starts to ease into the newness. 

Coming from another angle, I want to ask us this question: 

Do you ever feel that you are not a 'newcomer' to the Christian faith? Do we get to a point in our spiritual lives where we feel that we are mature enough? It seems to me that I keep learning new things along the pathway and although I have been a Christ-follower decades, I still get the feeling that I am an infant. 

Listen to these words from the book of Job. See how he eloquently describes this feeling:

Job 8:8-19 - For we’re newcomers at this, with a lot to learn, and not too long to learn it. So why not let the ancients teach you, tell you what’s what, instruct you in what they knew from experience? Can mighty pine trees grow tall without soil? Can luscious tomatoes flourish without water? Blossoming flowers look great before they’re cut or picked, but without soil or water they wither more quickly than grass. That’s what happens to all who forget God— all their hopes come to nothing. (The Message)

Thought: Don't despise being a student of the Gospel. We are all learning along the way.

Living in Grace

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Being a beginner

Somehow, we have picked up the notion that being a 'beginner' is a negative thing - but, if we stopped for a moment, we would realize that this is a stage we all need to start from. 

You can't walk, until you have begun to crawl; you can't speak a language fluently, until you have begun to learn some words; you can't pick up an instrument and suddenly have the skills to play it perfectly. We are all beginners at some point in our lives.

Perhaps this is what puts many people off from following Jesus. We assume we should be able to read and understand the scriptures immediately; we think we should be able to pray like the saints; we believe that our Christian faith is a failure if can't perform miracles. 

In some ways, I feel as if I am a 'Christian' beginner, on a daily basis. I know that I should be growing and maturing, but then I feel as if I have taken many steps backwards. 

Thought: What about you? In what ways do you still feel as if you are a beginner? 

Hebrews 5:14 - Milk is for beginners, inexperienced in God’s ways; solid food is for the mature, who have some practice in telling right from wrong.

Living in Grace

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Getting rid of the junk

In the last few days, we have had the chance to tidy up a few cupboards and drawers in the house. It is amazing how much junk we end up keeping, don't you think?! 

I found pieces of paper and ten-year-old bank statements, along with things that should have been thrown away years ago. I kept asking myself: "Why did I keep that? What was I thinking?"

Anyway, the purge has been done (for this year) and I am sure that I have kept some items that will confound me in ten years' time - I will probably be asking myself similar questions to the one's I asked this weekend. 

The whole process got me thinking about the rest of our lives - spiritual, emotional and relational. 

What junk do we hold onto? 

Are there things in the dark recesses of our hearts that we need to clean out? 

What is stopping us and why do we hold onto unnecessary garbage? 

Here is a delightful piece of Scripture that was re-worded by Eugene Peterson: 

"So don’t turn a deaf ear to these gracious words. If those who ignored earthly warnings didn’t get away with it, what will happen to us if we turn our backs on heavenly warnings? His voice that time shook the earth to its foundations; this time—he’s told us this quite plainly—he’ll also rock the heavens: “One last shaking, from top to bottom, stem to stern.” The phrase “one last shaking” means a thorough housecleaning, getting rid of all the historical and religious junk so that the unshakable essentials stand clear and uncluttered" (Hebrews 12:25-27).

Living in Grace

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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
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Going back

¹⁸ All who heard the shepherds’ story were astonished, ¹⁹ but Mary kept all these things in her heart and thought about them often. ²⁰ The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them. - Luke 2:20

Going back to work or getting back into a routine is always a little tough. If you are feeling a little overwhelmed by the start of a New Year why don't you reflect on the attitude of the Shepherds in Luke 2. They went back to their dull, ordinary lives, tending sheep, but their return to work was different because of their encounter with Jesus. We too can return back to our routines knowing that we have witnessed the blessing of the Saviour's birth. 

Prayer thought: Ask God to change your mindset today and remember that Immanuel is still with us. 

Living in Grace
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Wake me...

"Feeling my way through the darkness
Guided by a beating heart
I can't tell where the journey will end
But I know where to start..." - Avicii (Wake me up)

These words from the band Avicii describe how many of us feel at times. It can seem as though life is like feeling our way down the passage when the lights go out. Our hearts are beating fast, as we hope that the lights come back on again soon. 

In my experience of faith and life (admittedly, this is still limited) I can't tell where the journey will end, but I do know that it all begins with Christ. 

 Romans 6:4 - We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

“The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become - because He made us. He invented us. He invented all the different people that you and I were intended to be. . .It is when I turn to Christ, when I give up myself to His personality, that I first begin to have a real personality of my own.” -  C.S. Lewis

Living in Grace

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Fresh Start

"Give us a fresh start." (Message)
 
Lamentations 5:21 -  "...renew our days as of old."

Easter is always a reminder that we can begin again. Even Jeremiah knew this was possible - with God there is always a chance to begin again. May we all get to experience the Joy of starting over again this Holy Week. God bless you.

“Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?” - L.M. Montgomery

“Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.” - Meister Eckhart

Living in Grace
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New Day

I saw a beautiful sunrise this morning from my window. The old naked tree in our garden was silhouetted in front of the orange-red rising sun. It was breath taking. Every branch wrote it's own message against the background of the dawn sky. I was mesmerised and my heart immediately leapt with praise. The birth of the NEW DAY filled my soul with hope. Yesterday's pain evaporated in the blink of an eye.

2 Samuel 23:3-5 - The God of Israel spoke.
    The Rock of Israel said to me:
‘The one who rules righteously,
    who rules in the fear of God,
⁴ is like the light of morning at sunrise,
    like a morning without clouds,
like the gleaming of the sun
    on new grass after rain.’

Habakkuk 3:4-14 - His coming is as brilliant as the sunrise. Rays of light flash from his hands, where his awesome power is hidden. Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind. When he stops, the earth shakes. When he looks, the nations tremble. He shatters the everlasting mountains and levels the eternal hills. He is the Eternal One!

Remember that every sunrise is a reminder of God's great GIFT of GRACE - we have the opportunity to start over today. Turn your eyes to Christ and ask Him to write his name on your heart today.

“Write it on your heart
that every day is the best day in the year.
He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day
who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Living in Grace
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Draw a line under it....

When you say that you want to 'draw a line under something' you are implying that you want to be finished with it - it is done and you want to more on from that particular episode. Well, I want to DRAW A LINE under the 18th April!!

The day started off with much promise and excitement, but it ended in many tears, pain and disappointment in our family. When we eventually got to bed that evening, I was so 'over the day' that I was ready to draw a line under it and pray that today would be better (which thank Goodness it has been.)

So, what do you want to 'draw a line under?'
Is it a particular behaviour?
Is it a thought pattern?
Is it a traumatic incident?
Is it something that was said to you?
It is a bad day?

I believe that we can draw the line under our bad days with HOPE that tomorrow will be better. We are people of the Resurrection and so God can always make things better. For us, the pain still lingers, but the promise of a brighter tomorrow gives us the strength to persevere for one more day.

Luke 20: 36 - "They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection."

Living in Grace
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Starting again

As we start another quarter of the year let us be mindful that nothing is won or lost as yet. We may think that the year has been a failure so far, but we still have time to make things right. God is always willing to help us restore the broken dreams of our lives and to walk alongside us.

The Resurrection reminds us that Christ always offers us new life and a new start. 

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" - 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other." - 2 Corinthians 5:17 (The Message) 

“Tomorrow when I awaken, the slate will be clean, and a new day will stretch before me. God's mercies are new every morning.” - Lori Hatcher

Living in Grace
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Humble beginnings...

The world is obsessed with being "better" and "bigger" than the next person. And the sad thing is that we are willing to step all over other people in order to get ahead of others. If we are going to begin afresh this year (or week/day) we need to recognise that there is nothing wrong with humble beginnings. 

God spoke through Job when he confirmed that although our beginnings may be small and insignificant, they will lead to an amazing future.

Job 8:5-7 – But if you will seek God earnestly
    and plead with the Almighty,
⁶ if you are pure and upright,
    even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
    and restore you to your prosperous state.
⁷ Your beginnings will seem humble,
    so prosperous will your future be.

 So if you are considering starting something today, don't be put off my "instant results." Trust in the power of God to turn our humble beginnings into great things.

"God wants us to know that life is a series of beginnings, not endings. Just as graduations are not terminations, but commencements." -Bernie Siegel

Living in Grace

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