Have a heart

"Give me, Lord
A stout heart to bear my own burdens,
A tender heart to bear the burdens of others,
And a believing heart to lay all my burdens on you, for you care for us." - Lesslie Newbigin

The ancient philosophers understood that the heart was the seat of all emotions. Everything flowed from this small organ in the center of our chests. Jesus added even greater value this notion, when he commanded us to 'Love God with all of our Hearts.' 

How do we use our hearts? Are we able to have stout, tender and believing hearts today?

Matthew 11:29 - Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Living in Grace

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Blind faith or a thoughtful decision

Christians are sometimes accused of having 'blind faith', which is usually a subtle dig at believing in Christ, without truly knowing what we believe in. However, when we read the Gospel of Luke, we note that his intention in compiling the Gospel, was to do so with careful investigation - he wanted to make sure that he spoke to eye-witnesses and to research the content he was writing for Theophilus.

Luke 1:1-4 – “Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honourable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.”

Lee Strobel was a convinced Atheist, before he stated probing into Christianity. After doing thorough research and investigation he ended up becoming a follower of Jesus. These are his words:

"In short, I didn't become a Christian because God promised I would have an even happier life than I had as an atheist. He never promised any such thing. Indeed, following him would inevitably bring divine demotions in the eyes of the world. Rather, I became a Christian because the evidence was so compelling that Jesus really is the one-and-only Son of God who proved his divinity by rising from the dead. That meant following him was the most rational and logical step I could possibly take."

Thought: Believing in Jesus does take a step of Faith, but it doesn't mean we have to disengage our brains while we contemplate what Christ as done for us. 

Living in Grace

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Simply Absurd!

 

"It is simply absurd to say you believe, or even want to believe, in Him, if you do not do anything He tells you." - George MacDonald

Nineteen century preacher and writer George MacDonald had an incredible way with words. In just a few of his quotes we get to see the depth of the man, as well as his remarkable faith. Here are a few examples of his thinking. It is my prayer that these words would inspire us all to live Godly lives, especially as we begin to move into the season of advent.

Forgiveness unleashes joy. It brings peace. It washes the slate clean. It sets all the highest values of love in motion.

God is nearer to you than any thought or feeling of yours... Do not be afraid.

Deuteronomy 4:7 - "For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on him."

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A big misunderstanding?

When Jesus had set his mind and heart towards Jerusalem, he pronounced:

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified" - John 12:23 (NIV)

It is believed that in saying this, Jesus was referring back to the words of Daniel and thus fulfilling them: 

“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." - Daniel 7:13-14

The trouble came when the crowds understood the phrase, 'be glorified', to mean something very different from what Jesus was thinking. William Barclay helps us to understand this on a deeper level:

“By glorified the people meant that the subjected kingdoms of the earth would grovel before the conqueror’s feet; by glorified He meant crucified!” 

Throughout Jesus' ministry and especially in his final weeks, people superimposed their own ideas of salvation, victory and glory, unto Jesus' true meaning. 

Thought: In what ways, could I misunderstand the message of the Cross?

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All day

17 

"Morning, noon, and night
I cry out in my distress, and the Lord hears my voice.
He ransoms me and keeps me safe
from the battle waged against me,
though many still oppose me." - Psalm 55:17-18

When David is having a rough time with being betrayed by people close to him, he calls out to the Lord in his distress. This verse reminds us that he prayed 'all day' (morning, noon and night), believing that God would hear his prayers and answered them.

I understand that God is not deaf, and that God doesn't need us to repeat our cries, but there is something profound in turning to God 'all day and night' - it reminds me that I have nowhere else to turn, except to the God of my salvation.

What do you think?

Thought: 'Do our repeated prayers show a lack of faith on our part, or do they reveal a full reliance on God to answer our cries?'

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Hope in the future

“Where there is no hope in the future, there is no power in the present.” – Anon

It is hard to shake the feeling that the world is in a huge mess. Everywhere you look, all we seem to see is crisis, trouble, pain, suffering and despair. As Christians, we need to keep our focus on Jesus Christ in order to look beyond the limits of our world. If we are only looking for signs of hope in the man-made world, we will come up disappointed. 

Let us hold onto hope, so that we can live with purpose and power in the present.

Job 6:11 - “What strength do I have, that I should still hope? What prospects, that I should be patient?

Job 11:18 - You will be secure, because there is hope; you will look about you and take your rest in safety.

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Don't be like Simon

We played a game as children called "Simon says." Do you remember that? Whatever Simon (the person who was the leader) said, you all had to act out and the last person to follow was eliminated from that round. 

In Acts 8 we meet another Simon (Simon Magus) - also known as Simon the Magician. Even though he had come to faith in Jesus, he tried to buy the Holy Spirit from the disciples. He was thoroughly rebuked for his attitude and Simon drifted into the background. 

"Peter answered: “May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart." (Acts 8:20-22)

Simon's major error was believing that the things of God can be bought with human resources. And this is never true. God can't be bought and neither can the workings of the Spirit. So, when I suggest that we should not act like Simon, I am implying that we ought to wary of using God for our own gain. Sadly there are many people who go down this path, but it is a very dangerous road to take.

• God grants his spirit to those who ask and who are willing to obey.
• God gives us his salvation if we are humble enough to admit our sin and need of him.
• God pours out his mercy on all who are broken-hearted.

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Pessimist? Optimist?

Are you more of an Optimist or a Pessimist?

Before you answer my question, read these words from Helen Keller and see if her words make a difference to your answer.

"No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars,
or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new heaven to the human spirit."

I believe that when our optimism is coupled with Faith in Jesus Christ it becomes an incredible force for good. Optimism can get us so far, but trust in the power of God is the real difference.

Galatians 1:10-12 - Do you think I speak this strongly in order to manipulate crowds? Or court favor with God? Or get popular applause? If my goal was popularity, I wouldn’t bother being Christ’s slave. Know this—I am most emphatic here, friends—this great Message I delivered to you is not mere human optimism. I didn’t receive it through the traditions, and I wasn’t taught it in some school. I got it straight from God, received the Message directly from Jesus Christ. (the Message)

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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.”

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Starting where we are

"Where do we even start on the daily walk of restoration and awakening? We start where we are." - Anne Lamott

The future is often something we gaze at, believing that it will be better than the present. We pray for restoration and renewal, but we are not sure where it will come from. As Christians we hold fast to the belief that there is always hope in Jesus and that our time of revival can start today! 

As Anne Lamott writes, if we desire something in the future, the only way we can move towards it is by faith and simply walking one step at a time. 

Psalm 37:23 - The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him.

Hebrews 3:5 - “Moses was faithful as a servant in all God’s house,” bearing witness to what would be spoken by God in the future.

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Secondhand faith

 

I came across a lovely paragraph in The Relentless Love of Jesus written by Brennan Manning. 

"....many committed Christians must acknowledge, "I have been content to learn about You (Jesus) at secondhand, Lord. From Scriptures and saints, from priests and preachers. I wish I could say to all of them, as the Samaritan villagers said to the woman who met Jesus at the well, "It is no longer because of what you said that I believe, for I have heard for myself."

This surely is the goal for each one of us, including myself. It is good to hear about Jesus from others and this is an important part of our spiritual awakening, but we need to come to a point where we say ourselves: "I believe in Jesus!" And this is our personal statement of faith - it is not because of someone else, but rather our own choice.

May we strive to experience Jesus 'firsthand' during this season of Lent. It is only an encounter with the risen Lord that will truly transform us all.

John 4:42 - "They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

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Is it too hard for God?

Genesis 18:14 - Is anything too hard for the Lord?

The answer to this question is usually "of course not!" God can do anything and so nothing is impossible for God. What most of us struggle with is why God  doesn't answer our heart-felt prayers in the way we would like and in our time frame. I don't have a easy answer for those questions, but I still want to encourage us to believe in the goodness of God. A delayed answer to my prayer is NOT an indication that God has decided to stop loving me. God is LOVE and he will never change his character.

Nothing is out of his reach and his capabilities. Hold onto the promises of Christ.

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Trust on a spider's web!

    "What they trust in is fragile; what they rely on is a spider’s web." - Job 8:14

     When we put our trust in people and in things, Job says it is as if we are placing these things on a spider's web. It is as fragile as that - our trust in people is as flimsy as the thread of a web. It is little wonder that we end up being disappointed?

    The Psalms teach us to place our trust in God. He is much more secure than anything man can offer us.

• Psalm 118:8 - “It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.”

Release your burning issues to God and trust him to help you.

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