Being Grateful

“Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift.” - Roy T. Bennett

There doesn't seem to be a lot of good going on in the world at the moment. It is hard to wade through all the muck, trying to find things to be grateful for. However, this week I am grateful for God's guidance through stormy waters and for the Lord's ability to make something meaningful from a potential mess.

Six years ago, our world erupted into chaos with the arrival of the Covid pandemic. Fear, mistrust, anger and uncertainty seemed to be the order of the day. As a Christian community, we all had to fly by the seat of our pants - we didn't know what to do or even how to do it :)

Anyway, we quickly transitioned into the online world of sermons and worship services. The learning was steep and the mistakes were many, but we somehow managed to put content out on a weekly basis. And this past week has marked the 6th year of sharing our weekly messages. And for this, I am deeply grateful.

I am grateful to the Lord who has sustained us. I am grateful to all who have made this possible - especially Ken who faithfully films the preacher every week and does the editing of each message. To Gudrun and her team who upload the messages to our website. And many others, who work behind the scenes. I am grateful.

Being grateful doesn't mean that life is always good, but that we can see God's hand is still with us, never letting us go.

If you would like to watch the message from last weekend, we make a special mention of our 6-year anniversary on this episode. 

1 Timothy 1:12 - I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me.

Living in grace

D3LM3

Paul's prayer as an inspiration for All Saints Day?

When Paul shared his prayer with the church in Ephesus, it soon became a blueprint for similar prayers in the future. As many churches mark All Saints Day on the 1st of November, we thank God for all who have gone before us and for their Godly witness. Their inspiration drives us onwards in our faith journey. 

"I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love towards all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints,  and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. 

God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." - Ephesians 1:15-23

Thought: Pause to give thanks for those believers who have inspired you to follow Christ.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Talk of the town

"Everyone sees it. God’s work is the talk of the town.

Be glad, good people! Fly to God! Good-hearted people, make praise your habit." - Psalm 64:9-10 (The Message)

When you are the talk of the town, people will be speaking about your life everywhere you go. This can be in the case of good things, as well as negative circumstances. Nowadays, we would probably say that you have 'gone viral' or that your name is 'trending' on social media. Either way, it is when a lot of attention is placed on what is going on in your life. Your actions are the talk of the community.

Eugene Peterson's reflection on Psalm 64 teaches us that when God responds to the evil-doers there will be much excitement and people will be glad that justice is done. We are then encouraged to 'fly to God' knowing that he has heard our prayers and that he does respond to our cries for help.

"The righteous will rejoice in the Lord
and take refuge in him;
all the upright in heart will glory in him!" (v.10)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A new perspective

I was bemoaning standing in a long queue this morning, as I waited to renew my car license, when suddenly I felt a little prompting to 'Be Thankful.' The more I thought about it, the more I realised that if I was able to renew a license that I was one of the fortunate folk who owns a car. That in itself makes me one of a small percentage of South Africans who have that privilege - about 30% of South African households own a vehichle between the members of that house. So, in the end, I waited out the rest of my 'penance' with a renewed peace and a spirit of thankfulness.  

Sometimes we just need a little prompting to change the way we see things. Perspective is a great way to change the way we see the world.

"So if you’re serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don’t shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ—that’s where the action is. See things from his perspective." - Colossians 3:12 (Message)

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Two powerful words - THANK YOU

Hi friends,

This is a THANK YOU message to you all for your support and encouragement over the last 13 years of this incredible journey (see video below). This blog wouldn't be anything if it weren't for your willingness to read these thoughts. God bless you and I look forward to the future.

If for some reason you can't open this video then you can check it out on Youtube and Facebook. If all of that fails let me know:)

Thanks again

Living in Grace

D3LM3

https://www.patreon.com/delmelinscott

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Thanks be to you

Continuing with our weeks theme of 'Prayers', today's prayer starts off with Thanksgiving and then moves into a plea for God's help in becoming more and more Christ-like. 

"Thanks be to you, my Lord Jesus Christ,
for all the benefits you have won for me.
For all the pains and insults you have borne for me.
O most merciful Redeemer, Friend, and Brother,
may I know you more clearly,
love you more dearly,
and follow you more nearly,
day by day." - Richard of Chichester

Luke 9:57 - [ The Cost of Following Jesus ] As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Bravo God

^"Bravo, God, bravo!
    Gods and all angels shout, “Encore!”
In awe before the glory,
    in awe before God’s visible power.
Stand at attention!
    Dress your best to honor him!

³ God thunders across the waters,
Brilliant, his voice and his face, streaming brightness—God, across the flood waters..." - Psalm 29:1-3

I have often managed to see the fingerprints of God in Creation. The fruit of his handiwork is everywhere - we just need the eyes to see his work. It is little wonder that we can stop and applaud what God has done:

Bravo God, Bravo.

Encore - do it again Lord.

As you reflect on the works of Christ over 2018, may you stop and give him credit for some of the amazing gifts he has given to us.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

1 Samuel - Hannah's prayer

"It so happened that as she continued in prayer before God, Eli was watching her closely. Hannah was praying in her heart, silently. Her lips moved, but no sound was heard. Eli jumped to the conclusion that she was drunk. He approached her and said, “You’re drunk! How long do you plan to keep this up? Sober up, woman!” - 1 Samuel 12-14

We should never be quick to jump to conclusions, because often we will be wrong. Poor Hannah was pouring her heart out to the Lord and Samuel thought she was drunk - that was a massive error in judgement on his behalf. To his credit he apologised and blessed her instead.

God heard her prayers for a son and then Hannah proceeded to pray a wonderful prayer of praise, thanking God for answered prayers.

“My heart rejoices in the Lord!
    The Lord has made me strong.
Now I have an answer for my enemies;
    I rejoice because you rescued me.
² No one is holy like the Lord!
    There is no one besides you;    there is no Rock like our God." - 1 Samuel 2:1-2

Living in Grace

D3LM3

A Massive Thank you - please read this post.

 “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” - Meister Eckhart

This is my 2000th Blog post and I want to say a massive Thank You to all of you for bothering to read these words of mine. I began writing my first thoughts in 2007 and I have tried to remain faithful to writing something of worth, as often as I can. I am truly humbled that you would take the time to read this posts, but knowing that someone is reading them does keep me accountable.

So, this post is dedicated to all of you. Thanks again and may you encounter the grace of God today and always.

Psalm 7:17 - I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.

“I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” – Psalm 9:1

Romans 7:25 – “Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Overflowing with THANKFULNESS

I have found that THANKFULNESS doesn't always come naturally to us. We seem to allow the troubles of this life to distract us from the incredible blessings we have already received. In doing so we somehow stay focused on the problems we encounter, rather than on the good that is all around us.

I raise my hand to confess that I am guilty of this, far to often. However, I am also uncomfortable with staying in this mindset - I desire to be in a place where I 'overflow with thankfulness.' One of the ways we can foster this kind of spirit, is to consciously list all the things we are thankful for.

It is only when we train our minds and hearts to gaze on the 'Goodness' we have received that our hearts will be filled with THANKFULNESS.

Colossians 2:6-7
"So the, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and OVERFLOWING with thankfulness."

Start filling your cup of thankfulness today and I pray that it may soon overflow.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Saying Thank you

We had the privilege this afternoon of saying "Go well" to 2 wonderful men of God, at our Annual Church Synod. Bishop Sandy Dickie and Dr Mvume Dandala will be retiring at the end of this year and we paid tribute to their ministry today. It is always a sad moment for the church when we do this, but we thank God for all they have done for us and for God's Kingdom.

Matthew 25:21 - “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Thanks, Ta, Ngiyabonga, Dankie

Perhaps I don't say it enough, but I really do think it on a daily basis ..... "Thank You!"

Thanks, Ta, Ngiyabonga, Dankie....

I am touched that you would take the time to read my daily thoughts and even to pass them onto others. I salute you and thank you. It is because of you that I am committed to writing as often as I can and I look forward to sharing more during the coming year.

Writing is a deeply personal journey and I recognise that my thoughts and insights may not be agreeable to you - but thank you for still reading. Since I wrote my first post, way back in 2007, it has been my desire to encourage us in our Christian walk. I have been touched by the Grace of Jesus and in this small way, I seek to give back to him.

"God was so gracious, so very generous - here I am and I am not about to let his grace go to waste." - 1 Corinthians 15:10

So, thanks again for being part of the experience. Please try and respond or reply if there is something that means a lot to you. It may only mean replying once in a while, but it does offer some encouragement for me. As my friend, John van der Laar says - "It is food for the road!"

Also remember that the blog is FREE, so you are welcome to pass it onto anyone you like. You can sign them up yourselves by going to the blog or just send me and email and I am happy to help out.

God bless and may 2015 be a blessed year for you.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. - I also wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you to all of you who prayed for our family over this weekend. We had an unplanned trip to the Emergency rooms with our son Nathan, but 'Thank God' all is ok now. God is indeed very good. 

Pause to think

"Look back and thank God.
Look forward and trust God.
Look around and serve God.
Look within and find God.
God closes doors no person can open and
God opens doors no person can close."

I found this poem amongst all the papers I was tidying up the other day - it made me stop and think for a moment. God has been so good to us - we need to trust more in his goodness.

Deuteronomy 4:29-31
But even there, if you seek God, your God, you’ll be able to find him if you’re serious, looking for him with your whole heart and soul. When troubles come and all these awful things happen to you, in future days you will come back to God, your God, and listen obediently to what he says. God, your God, is above all a compassionate God. In the end he will not abandon you, he won’t bring you to ruin, he won’t forget the covenant with your ancestors which he swore to them.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Be the One, not the Nine!

Luke tells a story of how 10 lepers approached Jesus begging to be healed. Jesus had mercy on them and they were all healed. We would assume that all of them were over the moon to be 'clean' again and able to return to their families, yet only one of them bother to say 'Thank You' to Jesus. The 9 men were happy to ask for help, but as soon as they were healed, they forgot all about Jesus.

As I reflect on our society I note that we are very quick to ask for things, and even quicker to complain about people, but we are very slow to say Thank You. Can I urge us to take the initiative and to say thanks to people who have blessed us. I also invite us to offer our thanks to God for all that he has done for us.

Be the One - not the Nine!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Luke 17:11-19 - Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee.  As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Blessings for 2014

As we come to the end of another year, I want to wish you all a blessed 2014. I know that 2013 has had many moments of joy and celebration, but it has also been laced with pain and heartache. It seems to me, that as I get older, that I have become more aware of the bitter-sweet moments of life.

When I was younger, things seemed more simple, trouble free and less painful. As we get older we realise that life is like a bag of mixed sweets - good treats, sour sweets, hard candy, soft sweets and so on. We can't choose our own bag of sweets, but they all contain a mixture of good and bad. What we can choose is how we deal with Life and the issues we face. We can also choose to include God in our lives and trust in His guidance, love and mercy.

As you face another year, may you place your hand into the hand of Jesus. Walk into the unknown with a God who will shine His light on our path. God takes no delight in seeing us stumble and so he urges us to listen to his voice - God will navigate our way through whatever Life throws at us.

I also want to thank you for your support and encouragement in reading these 'Living in Grace' posts. I pray that they continue to inspire you in your faith.

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

God bless you
D3LM3

Thanks

We don't say THANK YOU enough these days! A lot is expected of us, but seldom do we get a genuine thanks for the effort or time we put into something. So here is me saying....

THANK YOU.

Thanks for taking the time to read this blog.
Thank you for bothering to reflect on my ramblings.
Thanks for even forwarding the good posts onto other people.
Thank you for allowing God the space to work in your life.

Please accept my genuine Thanks!
If I could sit down with you all individually and have a cup of coffee I would, but this is the best I can do, for now.

"If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough." - Meister Eckhart


Why don't you say THANKS to someone today? Go on, I dare you.

God bless you,

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Thanks

I wanted to say Thank You for the many wonderful wishes and prayers we have received before we go on Sabbatical. We feel truly blessed as a family. Our Visa's finally arrived in my hands, 24 hours before we were due to fly - the sense of relief is overwhelming!

"I will give you thanks, for you answered me..." - Psalm 118:21

Some people have asked if I am taking a break from writing these blog posts while on Sabbatical - well, to be honest, the answer is both YES and NO. I will try and write when I can, but it will be sporadic at first. That's the best answer I can give for now:)

Thanks again for taking the time to read my ramblings.
God Bless you.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Good Service

We are so used to bad service in South Africa, that when we encounter 'good service' we are left feeling elated. I feel that we complain about the inefficiency we experience (and rightly so), but we seldom say thank you when things run smoothly. I want to pass on 2 'good service' stories.

A few weeks ago I had a problem with the car. It just wouldn't start the one morning and so I decided to call my Insurance company - what made me phone them first I can't explain, but I did. They confirmed that I was covered for breakdowns, even at home, and within 20 minutes someone was at my gate and fixed the problem. This cost me nothing. I was gobsmacked, but totally grateful.

On Wednesday I had to hand in some marriage documents at Home Affairs. As you can imagine, I headed off there with much despondency, expecting a long morning. As I arrived I discovered that they were renovating and that the marriage department had moved across the hall. No problem, I thought, this will be OK. As I walked along the corridor I saw queues of people and in the back of a crowded room was the lady I needed to hand my forms to. My heart sank. I realised I would be there all day waiting for one signature.

At this point I was disappointed I hadn't worn my clerical collar (as it can work miracles some times). There I was, just a plain clothed civilian desperate to jump the queue. Trying to be proactive I introduced myself to the security guard and without blinking an eye, she took me to the lady concerned. I handed over my documents, got the signature and was gone. I was so grateful to that amazing lady. She made my day.

So, I just want to continue this theme and say a massive THANK YOU to all of you who bother to read my ramblings. Your many comments via email, inspire me to write more. May God bless you this day.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3

Gratitude and Love

Sometimes I find it hard to express myself - do you have the same trouble? I think that many people struggle with understanding gratitude and then expressing our thanks. If you need a little inspiration in this area, read these words from C.S.Lewis.

"Gratitude looks to the past and love to the present."

When it comes to Jesus, I would like to suggest that the expression of our 'gratitude' and 'love' (towards God), should look to both past and present. Looking back, we see what God has done for us, in Christ Jesus. This fills our hearts with gratitude. When we bring the grace of the past into our 'present' we often feel an overwhelming emotion of love. It is this love that compels us to respond today.

Just a few thoughts - what do you think?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Day of Gratitude

Today is marked as 'World Gratitude Day' as well as being the 'International Day of Peace.' I am never sure who has the power to call these days into being, but I think that remembering these two today (21 September) is an awesome idea.

So what/who are you Grateful for today? Why not pause for 20 seconds and write your blessings down in a list:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I am sure that you have more than 5, but start with these and see where it goes.

I want to THANK YOU for taking the time to read this blog. I am grateful for your interaction and appreciate that you keep me accountable for what I write. So thanks again.

Colossians 3:16 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God."

As far as PEACE goes, I pray that you will experience the peace of Christ as you embrace everything in your life.

Micah 5:5 - And he will be their peace.

Living in Grace,
D3LM3