New life emerges .... slowly

 

The Message – “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 emerges! 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)

When Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, he spoke to them of becoming a new creation. That when we encounter Jesus, the old is gone and the new has come. However, sometimes I wonder why it takes so long for the this 'new' creation to appear in my life and then I begin to wonder if I there is something wrong with me. I am not sure if you can relate to this at all?

For this reason, I love Eugene Peterson's take on 2 Corinthians 5, where he speaks of how the new life in Christ 'emerges'. And this is when I think of how a butterfly emerges from the Cocoon, slowly. This takes time (anyway from 5 to 21 days apparently). 

So, when we allow the Spirit to transform our hearts and lives, let us realise that this takes time - we emerge from our old life, into the new creation of Jesus.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Time is all you have

"The key question to keep asking is, are you spending your time on the right things? Because time is all you have." - Randy Pausch

Over the last week I have had the chance to do a little reading and I am grateful for the books I have managed to work my way through. One of them was "The Last Lecture" (Randy Pausch), which I decided to re-read as we begin 2024. If you don't know Randy's story, it is work taking a look at his biography. 

In a nutshell, Randy was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer in 2006 and given 6 months to live. Suddenly, everything in his life became extremely focused - he wanted to make the most of his time left on earth and was left with some critical decisions to make. One of those was that he decided to give a series of lectures, that would be part of his legacy for his family and community. If you get to read his book, you will find it is surprisingly uplifting and very moving. 

The quote that I was drawn too (see above) fits in nicely with the verse from Psalm 90, which speaks of the same thing. 

"Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." - v.12.

What does this say to you about your decisions for the new year?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Back to School - some thoughts

As our children head back to school for the start of a new year we are often filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand there is a little relief that the long holidays are over (if we are being totally honest :), but there is also a nostalgia that stirs in our hearts. 

Our emotions are a mixture of pride in our ever-growing kids, but also a sadness that they are no longer the little toddlers they once were. We are also anxious about what the school year holds for each of them, and we hold very real questions in our hearts too: 

• will they settle down and make friends? 
• will they cope? 
• will they study hard? 
• will they adapt? 
• what issues will prove to be a distraction for our kids? 
• who will be a positive influence on our kids? 

As I reflect on our youngest son starting grade 9 this year, he is the last of our 3 boys still at school. Our older sons have now finished and will both be studying at university. All I can think is this: Time certainly flies. It seems like it was just yesterday that they were starting out at Grade 1.

So, as the school year begins, let us pray for all children and teachers returning to the classroom. Let us hold them all in our hearts and ask God to strengthen all involved in the education of our young people. There is so much 'wrong' in our country at this time, but we can still pray that the next generation are prepared for the challenges that lie ahead. Let us pray that many of them will be our true future leaders.

Lord, in your mercy. Please, hear our prayer!

Nelson Mandela - "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." 

Psalm 86:11 - Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Where did the time go?

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote: "Art is long and Time is fleeting."

As we celebrate our son, Nathan's 18th birthday today, we have been looking at a whole lot of photos of when he was younger. We have been left with the great impression of how quickly time has gone. It seems 'just the other' day that he was celebrating his 5th or 10th birthday's. 

I suppose the biggest lesson for us all is that life is short, and we should enjoy every moment of it.

Job 9:25 (The Message) - “My time is short—what’s left of my life races off too fast for me to even glimpse the good. My life is going fast, like a ship under full sail..."

As we all have to face up to this reality, may we do so with the grace and love of God in our hearts.

May the Lord be with you today.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Running from God

“He who runs from God in the morning will scarcely find Him the rest of the day.” ― John Bunyan 

I have found this sentiment to be so true in my personal experience. Bunyan advocates for spending time with the Lord in the mornings, before the day gets too hectic and the demands of life weigh us down. 

I know that it is not always practical for some people, especially when there are children in the household. However, the overriding principle of spending 'some' time with the Lord during the day is crucial and as long as we do it, then we will feel connected with our Lord. 

Psalm 5:3 - In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

What time of the day do you find best to sit quietly with the Lord? 

Closing thought: It is a worthwhile practise to offer God the day before it unfolds.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Replacing the battery

I have a clock in my office that has been stuck at 12pm for the last year. It has been entirely my fault though, because I simply decided that I didn't actually need the clock to tell the time - I have my own watch and my phone also tells the correct time, so I thought it was unnecessary. However, today I decided it was TIME to put a new battery into the old clock and I admit that it is nice to hear the tick, tick, tick when all else is quiet around me. So this got me thinking:

Do we sometimes feel we are stuck in one place?

When last did we recharge our batteries?

What will it take for us to fulfil our God-given potential? (If a clock is made to tell the time and it is not fulfilling that function, then surely it must feel frustrated - assuming clocks have feelings :)

What parts of our spiritual lives need a little jump-start?

Exodus 9:16 - "But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Living in grace

D3LM3

 

A time to Remember

Armistice Day will always be a time where the world should pause and remember the great cost of war and violence. As we pause for a minute of silence at 11am on the 11th November I believe we should reflect on all tragedies and ask how we can learn from the past. In our posture of gratitude, for those who have paid the ultimate price, we should also prepare ourselves to tread gently into the future. If we can't learn from history we will be doomed to repeat all the mistak
es of the past. 

I came across this beautiful piece of writing from Malcolm Guite today. His moving words struck a chord with me.

November pierces with its bleak remembrance
Of all the bitterness and waste of war.
Our silence tries but fails to make a semblance
Of that lost peace they thought worth fighting for.
Our silence seethes instead with wraiths and whispers,
And all the restless rumour of new wars,
The shells are falling all around our vespers,
No moment is unscarred, there is no pause,
In every instant bloodied innocence
Falls to the weary earth ,and whilst we stand
Quiescence ends again in acquiescence,
And Abel's blood still cries in every land
One silence only might redeem that blood
Only the silence of a dying God. 

If you like Malcolm's writing please click onto his home page and enjoy his gift.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Cycles and Seasons

The 3rd chapter of Ecclesiastes is arguably the most well known passage from this collection of wisdom. It is recited at funerals, before new adventures, at opening ceremonies and even at weddings. Solomon muses over the fact that God seems to give us cycles in our lives. We call these cycles "seasons" and if we live long enough, we come to recognise that these moments come and go.  

"For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up." - Ecclesiastes 3:1-3

The knowledge of these seasons/cycles could make us depressed, but they could also have a wonderful tone of hope for us. Think about going through a difficult season in your life (and maybe some of us are experiencing this today) - the good news is that this will not last forever. The cycle of our lives will move us into better times. 

Just as those people who hate the winter seasons (as an example), know that the weather will change in time and they can enjoy longer days of sunshine. What keeps these people strong, is the knowledge that seasons DO change.

Perhaps the danger for us is in doubting the existence of God during these tougher cycles in our lives. It is important for us to be at Peace, trusting that the Lord will move us from one season into the the next.

What do you think about this?

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Sand through the hourglass

I came across this quote at the bottom of my diary the other day and it left me with a lot to think about:

"The more sand that has escaped from the hourglass of our life, 
the clearer we should see through it." - Jean Paul

What are we able to see through the empty hourglass of our lives? 

Proverbs 3:13 - "Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding."

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Time is short

 

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us." - JRR Tolkien

I have been sharing in a number of funerals of late and each time I hear the family tributes and eulogies I am reminded at how brief life is. We should make use of every moment we get from the Lord. Every breath is a gift to us from Jesus.

1 Peter 1:24 - "All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

What are doing with the time given to you?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

When the Time is right

 

It struck me this morning how young children are not conscious of time like adults are. As adults we are so focused on time that we rush here and there always watching the clock. Yet, for kids they are secure in the knowledge that their parents will deal with Time for them - so when they get up, go to school, eat, play sport, go to friends, etc - we are the ones who worry about TIME for them.

Isn't that a lovely image of how we should trust God with the timing of all things in our lives. If we could just learn to walk in obedience to his 'Calling' and WILL, then we will always be ready at the right time. And course, when we are called home, to begin our Heavenly adventure, it will also be at God's perfect time.

What do you think?

Romans 5:6 -  You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

There is still time

Listening to the radio the other day I heard the DJ say something similar to this: "The year is almost over. If you haven't done what you had planned to do in 2017, then just forget about it. The year is done." My gut response was, "No way! That is not true!"
Of course, I recognise that we are already halfway through November, but 2017 is far from over. There is still time to do the things that we had planned to do. In fact, here are some stats for us to think about:

There are still 7 weeks left in 2017.
That means there are 48 days left this year.
That makes it 1152 hours.
Or 69120 minutes.
That is plenty of time to do the things we have committed to do. 

Psalm 32:6 - "Therefore, let all the godly pray to you while there is still time..."

Just to prove to us that 48 days is plenty of time to accomplish significant things, have a look at these 3 famous books that we written in record time. (I wish I could write books this fast :)

  
1. The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas: Irish novelist John Boyne said he was so wrapped up in this engrossing tale of a boy living through the Holocaust that he wrote the entire thing in two and a half days, barely stopping to eat or sleep throughout the ordeal.

2. A Study In Scarlet: The novel that introduced the famed detective work of Sherlock Holmes to the masses took Sir Aurthur Conan Doyle three weeks to write in 1886. This story was also notable for being the first Sherlock Holmes story to be adapted to the silver screen.


3. The Gambler: Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky wrote this tale in 26 days while also writing Crime and Punishment. He was heavily in debt and addicted to gambling and saw the semi-autobiographical novella as a good way to help him pay off his debts.

So, if you are feeling defeated by the events of this year, then I encourage you to ask God to show you what can still be done! There is STILL TIME. 

2 Corinthians 6:2 -For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.

 

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Which TIME are you in right now?

The well-read passage from Ecclesiastes 3 is one which has influenced people throughout the generations. It covers everything that we will experience in our life-time and perhaps even more. I have found that every time I get to read these words from Solomon they speak to me, because I find I am “in a different place” or time. 

I believe it is the nature of the Spirit to highlight a particular moment in TIME for us - or to reveal where we are at in life. So I wanted to ask you to think about which "TIME" you are in today? Are you in a season of…?

Love

Hate

Healing

Mourning

Brokenness

Crying

Joy

Silence

The Good News is that all these seasons don’t last forever, so if you are in a very bad place right now, don’t despair because God can turn the seasons around. Just trust in Him and listen to his wisdom.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

 There is a time for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³     a time to kill and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

Esther - Such a time as this?

¹³ Mordecai sent this reply to Esther: “Don’t think for a moment that because you’re in the palace you will escape when all other Jews are killed. ¹⁴ If you keep quiet at a time like this, deliverance and relief for the Jews will arise from some other place, but you and your relatives will die. Who knows if perhaps you were made queen for just such a time as this?” - Esther 4:13-14

If we keep looking towards the future, we may miss out on the blessings of the present.
If we keep looking to the past, we may carry unneccessary burdens into today.
The greatest challenge for us is to reflect on why God has allowed us to be alive for the PRESENT. 
Is it possible that we were created for such a time as this?

What do you think?
What are you going to do about the challenges that lie ahead?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Time waits for no person

"You may delay, but time will not!" - Benjamin Franklin

"Time and Tide wait for no man." - Geoffrey Chaucer

It struck me again this morning, that I will never have control of Time in the sense that I can't speed it up or make it slow down. Time is time, and it will wait for no one. However, what I do have control over is how I use the Time given to me and how I direct my diary. This is what I will be held accountable for in the end. If I procrastinate today, then I miss an opportunity to use my time effectively.

Proverbs 4:10-11 (Message) -  Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life. I’m writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I’m drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don’t want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

This is the age

I found this very challenging poem last week. Read it slowly and see what message it sends through to you today. God bless.

 

This is the age
Of the half-read page.
And the quick hash
And the mad dash.   

The bright night
With the nerves tight
The plane hop
With the brief stop.

The lamp tan
In short span.
The Big Shot
In a good spot

And the brain strain
The heart pain.
And the cat naps
Till the spring snaps --

And the fun's done!

"Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, Jon Johnston, 1990, SP Publications, p. 143."

 Psalm 39:1 - “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
  and the number of my days;
  let me know how fleeting my life is.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Busy is not a sign of being productive

“It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?”
― Henry David Thoreau

We have all complained at how busy we are!
...School kids speak of having too much homework and being too busy with extra mural activities. ...Parents complain of running all over the place - "Life is too busy!"
...Grandparents laugh at the notion of being "retired" as life is equally busy for them.
...No matter if you are in the Corporate world or a full time Mom, we all have busy lives.

But here is the thing....
Busy doesn't equate to effective or productive.

We can fool ourselves into believing that our busyness is necessary. I know that I fight against this on a daily basis - there are always going to be things that demand our time and attention. Trying to separate the urgent from the 'important' is always so tricky.

Psalm 39:6 - We are merely moving shadows, and all our busy rushing ends in nothing. We heap up wealth, not knowing who will spend it.

So, before you rush off into the crazy world feeling harassed, ask yourself if your 'busyness' is a mask for something else.

#justasking

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Make the most it!

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” - Psalm 90:12.

 

In this generation, we have been very sensitive to put measures in place to save our natural environment - and rightly so. We are also becoming more conscious of how many of our resources we waste - minerals, food, fuel and so on. 

Yet, for me, the great tragedy is that we still spend a lot of our time on trivial things - things that probably won't matter in the long run. Perhaps what we need is a deeper sense of urgency, comprehending that are time is precious and is always diminishing. As the old adage states: "Time is ticking away..."

Let's ask God to teach us to make the most of our days.

“We are always complaining that our days are few, and acting as though there would be no end.” - Seneca.

Living in Grace

D3LM3