Holding Fast

On more than one occasion, the writer of Hebrews encourages his listens to hold onto their faith. Clearly this was something that they were struggling with and needed to be motivated to keep the faith. 

"Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise." - Hebrews 10:23

I am convinced that these words ring true for many of us today too. We profess our faith in Jesus Christ, but there are many things and people that can cause us to waver. Let us remember that the 'hope we affirm' is not in our own ability, but rather in the greatness of God. 

The Lord is the one we can trust to keep his promises. Other people and institutions will disappoint us, but Christ remains faithful.

David Wilkerson - "Beloved, God has never failed to act but in goodness and love. When all means fail-his love prevails. Hold fast to your faith. Stand fast in his Word. There is no other hope in this world."

Living in grace

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Faithful to the Lord

"For he (Jesus) was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God’s entire house." - Hebrews 3:2

This passage speaks to us of two directions of faithfulness:

1. To God - who has called us.

2. To others - who are placed in our lives.

Both of these require God's inner strength and a willingness to humbly serve. Sometimes we think that these will only be done in bigger dramatic ways, but actually, they should be a lot more simple and practical. I like what FB Meyer suggests:

“Don’t' waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention.” - F.B. Meyer.

Living in Grace

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Never ending

"The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease.

Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!” - Lamentations 3:22-24

There are so many beautiful promises in these 3 verses, and I hope that they encourage you as much as they helped me.

1. God's love is faithful

2. God's love never ends

3. God's mercies also never end

4. Great is God's faithfulness

5. God's mercies begin afresh everyday

6. God is our inheritance

7. We can place our trust in him

Here is the reading from Lamentations from the Complete Jewish Bible: 

21 But in my mind I keep returning to something,
something that gives me hope —
22 that the grace of Adonai is not exhausted,
that his compassion has not ended.
23 [On the contrary,] they are new every morning!
How great your faithfulness!
24 “Adonai is all I have,” I say;
“therefore I will put my hope in him.

Living in Grace

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Don't you remember?

Lent is time for remembering. We should remember all that Jesus has done for us and all that we are invited to be a part of. We should also take the time to remember how God has taken care of us in the past and how he will continue to be with us in the future. When Jesus was trying to teach his disciples about trusting in his provision, he seemed to get a little exasperated at time. In Mark 8 we read:

And don’t you remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

“Twelve,” they replied.

20 “And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of pieces did you pick up?”

They answered, “Seven.”  (Mark 8:18-20)

They had recently witnessed these great miracles and yet they still doubted whether Jesus could meet their needs in the future. Their forgetfulness reveals the immaturity of their faith.

Question: What has God helped you with, in the past? Is there a reason why God can't help you in the future?

Living in Grace

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It is a good thing to have hope

When reading through the book of Lamentations, I couldn't help stopping at chapter 3 again. As you read through these words (in the modern paraphrase), I pray that they may be a blessing to you. 

It’s a Good Thing to Hope for Help from God

I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there’s one other thing I remember,
and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,
his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.
They’re created new every morning.
How great your faithfulness!
I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).
He’s all I’ve got left. 

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
to the woman who diligently seeks.
It’s a good thing to quietly hope,
quietly hope for help from God. (Eugene Peterson) 

Living in Grace

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It doesn't happen automatically!

How can we prepare ourselves for growth in Christian faith? Can this even be achieved or measured? Regardless of our answers to these questions, the one thing I know is that 'growing in grace' doesn't happen by osmosis. We have to be intentional about it. Read the following words and see if this makes some sense:

“At the heart of it [John Wesley’s thoughts on Christian Perfection] was his conviction that growth in grace is not accidental or automatic. One does not wander or stumble into maturity…The key to Christian growth is not feeling but faithfulness.” – Dr Steve Harper

There is so much depth to this quote, but I am drawn to the part which insists that our growth doesn't come from something 'accidental' or 'automatic.'

Thought: What strikes you about the words from Dr Harper?

Colossians 1:10 - "so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God."

Living in Grace

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Lessons learnt from the passing of our family pet

 “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” - Josh Billings

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to our family Labrador last week. Bella was 15 years old and had certainly lived a long and good life. In her earlier years she was such an energetic and busy dog, getting up to the usual dog-mischief when she was allowed. She watched all our boys grow up and loved to play with them when they were able to spend time with her. She travelled with us, as we moved 3 times, and was a constant presence in our lives.

As we get used to the emptiness that Bella's death has left in our home, I am struck by a few things that I hope we cherish forever. 

1. She was incredibly loyal - pets are such loyal friends to humans (certainly more than we are).

2. She was forgiving - you can be cross with your pet for a moment, but very soon, they come back to you as if nothing has happened.

3. She was happy almost all the time - the constant wag of the tail told us that she was content with her lot in life. A little food, shelter and love, was all she needed.

4. She loved company - Labrador's love to be around people and she used to lie down or sit wherever she knew someone would have to walk over her or around her :)

5. She was friendly to 99% of people - her capacity to accept people was truly overwhelming. If she didn't get along with someone, it was usually an indication that something was 'up' with the human and not her. 

We will miss her but are grateful for all the years we got to enjoy life with her. To all of you who have ever lost a pet, I am sure you understand. God bless. 

“Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in.” - Mark Twain

“I care not for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it.” - Abraham Lincoln

Living in Grace

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P.S. - The photo is from the internet 

No Matter what happens

Peter has some incredible words of comfort for us today, when he writes: “My purpose in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.” – 1 Peter 5:12 (NLT)

For people who were going through a lot of suffering and numerous trials these timeous words must have been a huge blessing. However, they are not just words for the early church - they are words that are also relevant for us too. 

Remember that NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS the grace of God is with us.
No matter what happens!
God is still with us.

Living in Grace
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Motivation and Habit

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." - Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn shares this quote in the light of leadership, but I think it is a great thought related to our spiritual journey. Often it is the motivation of the Spirit that draws us into the presence of Christ and gets us started on the journey, but we all need to be disciplined to keep going. Of course God gives us the strength and resources we need, but unless we created Godly habits, then we will not maintain the initial burst of commitment.

Romans 13:10 - This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of God’s people.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the initial motivation of your Spirit, but please grant me your faithfulness and endurance as I commit to follow you everyday.

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Who changed?

 

It happens from time to time - people change! One day they act 'normal', but then they seem to change. What causes the change can be a myriad of things, but we DO notice the change. When God is speaking to the Israelites, he is making his point clear that HE HAS NOT CHANGED AT ALL. 

Obviously this is good news for us - God doesn't change and we can rely on Him at all times. In this season of so much change and busyness, I invite us to hold onto the God who never changes.

“I am God—yes, I Am. I haven’t changed. And because I haven’t changed, you, the descendants of Jacob, haven’t been destroyed. You have a long history of ignoring my commands. You haven’t done a thing I’ve told you. Return to me so I can return to you,” says God-of-the-Angel-Armies." - Malachi 3:6-7

Living in Grace
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Don't waste your time

We all know that there are only 24 hours in the day and that we need to use our time wisely. However, sometimes we neglect to do the small, simple things in LIFE, because we are waiting to shine in the one BIG moment that we hope will come. Well F.B. Meyer has some challenging words for us to reflect on this day:

Don’t waste your time waiting and longing for large opportunities which may never come. But faithfully handle the little things that are always claiming your attention. - F.B. Meyer. 

Our calling is to be faithful in the small things, so that when the big things come, it will only be natural for us to step into those roles.

Luke 16:10 - “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much."

Living in Grace

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38 - Will God dump you?

"Don’t dump me, God;
    my God, don’t stand me up.
Hurry and help me;    I want some wide-open space in my life!" - Psalm 38:21-22

For all of us who have a broken heart before, we can relate to the words of David in Psalm 38. It is almost as if he recognises the signs before him and that God has slowly become a distant companion - the silence has become deafening for him. David fears the worst and so he pleads with God not to dump him - not to stand him up.

And yet, earlier on in the same Psalm, David answered his own question in a way when he wrote:

"Lord, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God." - Psalm 38:15

He knows that God won't dump him and won't leave him hanging. God will hear his cry and will answer him in time. And that promise is the same for us today.

Prayer: Thank you Lord that you don't stand us up! When you commit yourself to us, that is your true covenant. You will not leave us to find someone else - you are a faithful God.

Living in Grace
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