Our source of Comfort

"God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ." - 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

This passage offers us some insight into how God comforts us during our times of difficulty, and it also indicates how we are called to comfort others. Suffering is universal, but offering comfort to others is not always universal. There are many people who expect comfort from God, but who are not willing to pass this onto others.

Thought: How can we comfort those in need?

Living in Grace

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A New Yoke - what does this mean?

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

I was reminded today that when Jesus offered for us to take his yoke upon ourselves it was a radical offer. We usually imagine the idea of two oxen ploughing the fields, under the same yoke - one of them being represented by us and the other by Christ. Jesus takes up the greater strain of the yoke and we are given a moment to rest.

However, there is another side to the illustration. Rabbi's also referred to the teaching of the law as a 'yoke.' And that when we chose to follow God, we lifted the yoke upon our shoulders and learnt the ways of God. However, this proved to be a burden for many people, as they felt the desperate weight of their sins and the bondage of the law. Jesus' invitation to a new 'yoke' is therefore an invitation to a new way of following God -the way of Love, Mercy and Grace. 

May the words of Matthew 11 bless you with freedom, rest and peace, today. 

Living in Grace

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Strength together

 

The word 'Comfort' has many different meanings, which include: "easing the distress of someone" or "freedom from pain". However, I came across this definition which really speaks to me - Comfort means "strength together." 

If you have ever needed comfort then I sure you can relate to the idea of someone drawing alongside us in order to offer us solace and strength. We can rise from our periods of pain and despondency when we know that another person is there to assist us. 

Surely, part of the calling of being 'church' is that we comfort one another?

In our mutual journey of faith, we draw comfort from the words, actions and prayers of those around us. If we withdraw from community and fellowship then there is a danger that we have no one to comfort us.

Henri Nouwen wrote: "Comfort is the great human gift that creates community. Those who come together in mutual vulnerability are bound together by new strength that makes them into one body."

1 Corinthians 12:26 - If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honoured, every part rejoices with it.

Living in Grace

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Comfort is here

How often do you think of Jesus as Comfort? 

I know that we speak of the Holy Spirit as the 'comforter', but what about Jesus? As he reflects on the life of Christ, Bernard of Clairvaux writes:

"Comfort is here; help has come down from heaven. The kindness and humanity of God our Saviour have appeared. The kindness of God was always there, for the Lord's mercy is from everlasting; but it was hidden till the 'humanity' had appeared."

I think it is a beautiful picture of Jesus - not only is he the one who sends the 'comforter', but he is also Comfort.

"... who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." - 2 Corinthians 1:4

Living in Grace

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Message for Lockdown

I write these words two hours before our family, along with millions of fellow South Africans move into uncharted territory as we start our 21 day period of Lockdown. The world has changed so rapidly in the last month, that I doubt I even need to explain the term 'Lockdown' to anyone. The new normal for everyone on our planet includes new words such as, 'social'distancing', 'flattening the curve' and of course 'Lockdown.'

There have been so many good quotes, wise sayings, video's and even songs written in preparation for this event, that I almost felt I didn't need to add to their collective wisdom. However, I have noticed a few things of late and so wanted to add a few thoughts to the mix. Here goes...

...Some people are behaving as if they have been possessed and this is not a good sign (we haven't even started three weeks of Lockdown yet!). Just wait until you see me in 3 weeks, especially after trying to keep a 9 month old puppy in Lockdown - I will certainly look a lot less saintly.

I understand that people respond to crises differently, but there are some selfish people in the world at the moment.  Please let us not be "those people." This time of crisis is impacting all of us and we all need to come together to support one another. My actions may not seem harmful to others on the surface, but this virus has already taught us that it only takes one person to infect hundreds of other people.

Be kind to yourself and to those who are closest to you. None of us has experienced this before, so we don't have a blue print to work from. Kindness will go a long way to make this time bearable for all of us.

Let us be grateful for the fact that we have modern technology and so we can still be in contact with those we love. Let us use this technology to our advantage and to reveal God's love to a world looking for answers.

I am always weary of taking scripture verses out of their original context, but I think these words found in John 20 can speak into our times: "Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” - John 20:26

Friends, our time in Lockdown is not a time where Christ will be "locked out" of our lives. Just as the disciples were scared in the days after Jesus crucifixion, so we may be a little afraid at this time. Let us not allow fear to grab hold of us, but rather to trust that Jesus comes into the midst of our fears and closed doors.

On a personal note, I don't know what the next 21 days will hold for everyone, but for me I certainly hope that it will include some of the following:

Creating memories with my family
Reflecting on my relationship with Jesus
Redefining my dreams and goals
Catching up on odd jobs around the house
Continuing to work and do ministry (albeit in a different way)
Reading new books
Running around the house 5000 times in order to try and keep up my training
Being present with my kids and Kim
Keeping contact with friends
Remembering those in need and helping where we can
Etc
Etc

May God bless us all during these interesting days and please remember this:

“What God has planned for people who love him is more than eyes have seen or ears have heard. It has never even entered our minds!” (CEV - 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Living in Grace
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Give you strength

“May our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father, who loved us and in his special favour gave us everlasting comfort and good hope, comfort your hearts and give you strength in every good thing you do and say.”- 2 Thessalonians 2:16

When we need comfort in any situation it is awesome to know that God draws near to us and stands with us.

Hold onto these words today.

Living in Grace
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A.A.Milne and Winnie the Pooh

A.A.Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh was born on this day, the 18th January 1882. Every so often a book shapes the lives of millions of people and this is undoubtedly the case with Winnie the Pooh. Just for something different, I wanted to share a few of the famous quotes from A.A.Milne's books, many of them coming from Pooh himself.

Some people care too much - I think it is called Love. 

 If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.

 

 

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.

 

 

 

 

Promise me you'll never forget me because if I thought you would, I'd never leave.

 

This last quote reminded me of Jesus words to his disciples when he prepared to leave this earth. He promised to be with them ALWAYS (Matthew 28:20) - even though he was ascending into heaven, he was leaving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

For all you Winnie the Pooh fans, now it is time to go and find your own favourite quotes from the books :)

Living in Grace

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Turning in Circles

 

Have you noticed how dogs turn around in a circle before they lie down? Sometimes they do this more than once and it is interesting to watch. There are a number of different opinions as to why they do this, but the one that made the once sense appeared in this article - In essence it suggested that this behaviour in dogs has been passed down from generation to generation and the purpose of the 'spinning' is to flatten out their beds before they lie down. It makes sense, I guess, as dogs used to sleep outside on the grass/fields and they wanted to make their 'beds' more comfortable before they went to sleep.

So here is my take on this action and how it could speak some truth into our lives.

We may be tempted to make our 'beds' (lives) more and more comfortable, but we can never eliminate all bumps and stones from our paths. The most important action of our lives that involves some 'turning' is that of repenting - we should focus on turning from the things that hinder our relationship with Jesus Christ.

Acts 20:21 - I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

Take Home Thought: The Christian Life is not always comfortable and this should not be our highest aim in following Jesus. 

Living in Grace
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God of all Comfort

There is only one thing to say at a time like this: Thank you, Lord!

I am thankful that the God of all creation gave us the most precious gift of all - His only Son, to be our ransom. God you not only sacrificed Jesus for our sakes, but you also gave us the gift of the Spirit to be our Comfort. How incredible is that gift? Thank you Jesus.

2 Corinthians 1:3 -  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

Before you rush off to start another day, pause for 60 seconds to thank God for all He has done for us. 

Living in Grace
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Choose a Word

If you have a careful look at the attached photo you will see that it contains a number of different words that have been scrambled into the picture. As you cast your eyes over the picture you will find that you are drawn to certain words - for example, can you see the following words: Help, Flawless, Independent, Calm, Friendly, versatile? They are all hidden in the block, but our eyes are often drawn to the word we need for the moment.

The same can be applied to our reading of Scripture. If we read a passage in a disciplined way, we will notice that the Spirit highlights certain words for us and these words become part of our lives in that moment. Why don't you give it a try and see what I mean? Read through these few verses and ask God to highlight some words for you:

"Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
²⁹ He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
³⁰ Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
³¹ but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,    they will walk and not be faint." - Isaiah 40:28-31

If you have a moment, please send me a quick message with the ONE word that stood out for you today.

My word for today is: 'strength'

Living in Grace
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Pressing in close - Lent #15

Sometimes when our kids are sick they love to jump into bed and snuggle up to us. It doesn't happen as much any more, but on the odd occasion we notice they still like to do it. I believe it has to do with 'the human touch' - when we are not feeling great we need the comfort of another person. It doesn't change our situation, but somehow it makes our illness seem bearable.

So when we are feeling spiritually 'out of sorts', why do we not do the same with Jesus? Why is it that we tend to withdraw from his presence instead of pressing into God's care? I recognise that we can't 'feel' God in the same way as we can experience the touch of another human being, but we can still rest in His presence. God is definitely there for us, in every situation - we need to believe in that promise.

Psalm 73:28 - "But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds."

Proverbs 17:17 - "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity."

Living in Grace
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I know the feeling - Lent #12

Sometimes friends try to console us by offering us these words of comfort, "I know how you feel?" or even "I know the feeling!" In some cases they may really "know the feelings" that we are experiencing, but more often than not, they don't. Job's friends certainly weren't able to tell him that they understood what he was going through, because they had never experienced the kind of pain and loss that he had.

If one reads the comments of Eliphaz in Job 15, one can't but think, "thank goodness this guy isn't my friend!" His words don't offer much solace and they certainly don't even attempt to convey "I know how you feel!"

"You own mouth condemns you, not mine;
you own lips testify against you." (v.6)

"Do you listen in on God's council.
Do you limit wisdom to yourself." (v.8)

I am convinced that we don't always need someone to tell us that they know how we feel, but rather that we need people who are willing just to walk along side us and to listen to our troubles.

Action: Pray for someone who is going through a tough time today. Offer them the solace of Christ and the encouragement of the scriptures. Send them an encouraging verse right now and then say a prayer for them, as you send it.

Roger Ebert - "I believe that Empathy is the most essential quality of civilisation."

Living in Grace
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Human Wailing Wall

One of the thoughts that Trevor Hudson shared the other evening has been living with me for a few days now. He spoke about how we all need someone to be our "human wailing wall." We need someone who we can turn to, in our moments of trial and pain, someone who will listen to our story and see our tears.

Of course, we know that we can turn to Jesus and that he understands our pain and he dries our tears, but often we need the touch of another person to help comfort us. So, in response to this thought,  I have two questions for us today:

1. Who could be your "wailing wall?"
2. Is God prompting you to become the "wailing wall" for someone else?

 Matthew 25:40 - “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Living in Grace
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How awesome is this?

I love it when I stumble across something that "jumps out" at me. This is exactly what happened when I read these words from Psalm 18 today.

"I love you, God—
    you make me strong.
God is bedrock under my feet,
    the castle in which I live,
    my rescuing knight.
My God—the high crag
    where I run for dear life,
    hiding behind the boulders,    safe in the granite hideout." - Psalm 18:1 (Message)

There is so much encouragement and promise in these words. God is our bedrock, our castle, our rescuing knight and so much more...

May you find rest and comfort in these words.

Living in Grace
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Lent 1 - Spiritual Comfort

We often use Lent as a time to give up various vices and in the past I have given up things like coffee, chocolate and coke. This year I would like make my priority "taking up" something meaningful, so I have gone back to one of my favourite books 'The Imitation of Christ' (by Thomas a Kempis).

I hope to read a portion of this book every day and then to reflect on it using Scripture where possible. For those of you who are familiar with the book, it is divided into 4 parts - so I will be starting in the 3rd part for my Lenten journey.

"This is what your Beloved is saying: I am your salvation, your peace and your life. Keep beside me and you will find peace. Abandon all the things that pass away, and seek the things that are eternal." - Thomas a Kempis

May we walk closely with Jesus and may we experience His deep peace, despite what may be happening all around us.

Philippians 4:7 - "Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."

Living in Grace
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Seeing beyond the pain

In this season of the Spirit (Pentecost) we may be tempted to forget how troubling it was for the discples, when they first heard Jesus was leaving. The followers of Jesus had grown accustomed to having him around - he was their leader, Rabbi, guide and friend. Suddenly they receive the news that he is not going to be with them much longer - wow, that must have been a hammer-blow for them. They felt uneasy and afraid. Yet, in the midst of this troubling time, Jesus gives them this promise:

• John 16: 7 – “Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

This is not a last minute offer from Jesus - an offer to appease their concerns. This is a FULL ON promise! A promise that offers incredible blessing and hope for the early disciples, as well as for us. The Spirit would be a gift to all of us, bringing help, counsel, guidance and comfort.

The next time you are faced with a painful time in your life, try and look beyond the pain. There may well be a blessing and promise waiting for us in the future.

Living in Grace

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