Great question!

The writer of Ecclesiastes asks such a brilliant question today: 

^"What do people gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?" - v.3

This is a question which has plagued people for thousands of years. What do we get from all the years of work? What purpose is there in working our hearts out in order to 'survive' and then die? It seems a little dramatic, but as he came to the end of his life, he was wondering what the purpose of his life had been? And then in order to try and begin to answer the question he looks around at the world and muses...

 ⁴ Generations come and generations go,
    but the earth remains forever.
⁵ The sun rises and the sun sets,
    and hurries back to where it rises.
⁶ The wind blows to the south
    and turns to the north;
round and round it goes,
    ever returning on its course.
⁷ All streams flow into the sea,
    yet the sea is never full.
To the place the streams come from,
    there they return again.

My 5 cents worth today is this:  Life will be monotonous and will lack direction unless we surrender to the will and purpose of God. I believe that God allowed me to be born and that God wants me to live my life for his glory and purpose. This doesn't make me a puppet, but rather a willing part of God's grand creation. I will not live forever, but I can testify to the Grandeur of a gracious God and trust my future days into his hands.

In some way the routine and ritual of the rising and setting sun, as well as the wind and streams around us, can be a calming reassurance that God's ways are purposeful and refreshing.

What do you think of these verses today?

Living in grace

D3LM3

The gift of a Star!

 

When were you ever given a Star?
I am not speaking about a gold or silver star in pre-school - I am talking about an actual Star!? A star like Andromeda, Orion, Sirius, Polaris?
I guess all of us have answered my weird question with a resounding, "Well, NEVER, of course! We have never been given an actual Star!"

In Revelation, the word of God goes out to the church to encourage her to persevere and to hang on until Jesus returns. John's words then suggest that God will actually give us a Star - not just any Star, but the Morning Star.

^"I will also give that one the morning star." - Revelation 2:28

The symbolism is important for us in this message, because the 'Morning Star' refers to the Messiah. This comes through clearly towards the end of Revelation, where John writes:

Revelation 22:16 - “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”

So the next time you are awake early in the morning look out for the morning star. It is a daily reminder that God has given us the greatest star of them all - His Son - the Morning Star.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Another reminder

 

One of the gifts of running is that you get to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and if you run early enough, then you have a lot of the scenery to yourself. Jogging along the False Bay coastline this morning was one of those special treats and looking at the majestic sunrise I was reminded of these words from Psalm 19.Sunri

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
    the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
² Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.
³ They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
⁴ Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
⁵     It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
    like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
    and makes its circuit to the other;
    nothing is deprived of its warmth." - Psalm 19 (NIV)

As you look to the heavens at night or marvel at the exquisite sunsets around you, may these unique gifts remind us of the Glory of God.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

The Clouds in our lives

The clouds were spectacular on my morning run today. They were unique, dark and full of promise. In the distance I saw the sun trying to shine through the clouds and leaving wonderful colours on the horizon. 

 

Then it struck me - so often we assume that Cloudless days are the best days and that they somehow speak of a perfect day. However, the best sunrises and sunsets are when there are clouds in the sky. The clouds change the colours of the light and make these moments into glorious events. Of course, clouds also hold the promise of rain and of new life. And who can forget how God guided the Israelites by using a clouds in the desert.

Job 35:5 -Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you.

Job 36:28 - the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
 

Ezekiel 1:28 - Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. 

 

Prayer: Thank God for the clouds in our lives.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Waiting for the Sun

Since I have been doing a lot of running lately, I have seen many a sunrise. There is something special about jogging in the glow of dawn waiting for the sun to rise. It is almost as if the sole purpose of my run could be to wait for the sun and not the actual exercise part.

Waiting for the sun to rise reminds me of how we sometimes have to wait for God to respond to our prayers and cries. I am convinced that when we "wait for the SON", he will not disappoint us. He will not let our prayers go unanswered.

Habakkuk 3 - 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! 

Don't be discouraged if you feel as if you are waiting a long time. God does hear our prayers.



Living in Grace
D3LM3

The most beautiful painting

I have seen a fair number of amazing sunrises of late - there have been some exquisite ones, to say the least. As I went for my early morning run yesterday I think I saw one of the best sunrises I have seen in a long, long time - it was spectacular. As I watched the colours change in the sky, I remembered the words of the old song, Who Paints the Skies?

Who paints the skies into glorious day?
Only the splendour of Jesus.
Who breathes His life into fists of clay?
Only the splendour of Jesus.
Who shapes the valleys and brings the rain?
Only the splendour of Jesus.
Who makes the desert to live again?
Only the splendour of Jesus. – Stuart Townend

Our God paints a beautiful painting for us, everyday of our lives - we just need to take note of what the Artist paints onto the canvas.

Psalm 65: 9 (MSG) - Oh, visit the earth, ask her to join the dance! Deck her out in spring showers, fill the God-River with living water. Paint the wheat fields golden. Creation was made for this!

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Clear after the storm

Today was a beautiful day. The sun seemed to make everything shine so clearly. Or maybe it was because yesterday's rain had washed the earth so clean. Whatever the reason, I couldn't help but reflect on how even though the Cross seemed to bring complete darkness and desolation on the land, the glory of the resurrection (the sunrise) brings a total new complexion on life.

Never lose hope when the rain comes - the Sun will rise again and will bring new life to all.

2 Samuel 23:4 - "... he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’"

Living in Grace
D3LM3

No voice

As the health of the great Methodist Preacher, William Sangster, deteriorated, he lost the use of his legs and voice. He was still able to write, although barely. On the Easter morning, just a few days before his death, he wrote a letter to his daughter. In the letter, he said,

"It is terrible to wake up on Easter morning and have no voice to shout, "He is risen!" 
But it would be still more terrible to have a voice and not want to shout."

These words are so profound! I still feel a pain in my heart when people choose not to follow Jesus. I don't look upon them with pity, but rather with a genuine sadness. It is not that I feel superior and 'pity' these people, but rather that I am sad that they have not seen in Jesus what has changed my life! God's love and grace once collided with my life and got my attention - and I knew that I had to sing out "Jesus is Risen!"  

I don't want this to only be for me and you - I want this to be the experience of everyone. It burdens me that people will wake up on Easter Sunday and not be able to honour the risen Christ.

May we do what we can to help others find their voice, so they may also shout, "Jesus is Alive!"

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Beauty at Sunrise

The winter sunrises are awesome at the moment. I think that the dust particles and morning clouds make these sunrises even more spectacular. This reminds me that sometimes God's light shines more beautifully through the difficulties of our lives. It would be nice not to have the 'dust' and 'clouds' in our lives, but that is unrealistic. Everyone has to deal with troubles and problems, but perhaps we could allow Christ's light to reflect off our lives and to reveal His majesty.

"We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." -
Charles R. Swindoll

May God's grace reflect off your life today!

Living in Grace
D3LM3