Don't believe them!

Anne Bronte was a prolific writer of poems, books and hymns. She was the daughter of an Irish clergyman, and also the sister of Charlotte and Emily. Sadly, Anne died at the very young age of 29, but even in her short life, she left a huge legacy. 

We sang one of her songs on Sunday, as it fitted in well with our theme on the book of Job. For a young person, Anne had incredible insight and understood the complexities of life and faith. This song reminds us that the Christian path is not a smooth way, and if people tell us that it is, then we shouldn't believe them. This song originally appeared as a poem in Wuthering Heights. 

Believe not those who say
The upward path is smooth;
Lest thou should stumble in the way,
And faint before the truth.

Arm, arm thee for the fight:
Cast useless loads away;
Watch through the darkest hours of night;
Toil through the hottest day.

To labor and to love,
To pardon and endure,
To lift thy heart to God above,
And keep thy conscience pure,

Be this thy constant aim,
Thy hope, thy chief delight;
What matter who should whisper blame
Or who should scorn or slight,

If but thy God approve,
And if, within thy breast,
Thou feel the comfort of His love,
The earnest of His rest?

May we all know the comfort of his love, no matter what we are experiencing at the moment.

Nahum 1:7 - The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Who is in charge?

I was getting rather stressed about today - how was I going to fit everything into the hours that I had? I felt flustered and a little out of control. My groans and prayers were on my lips as I went to sleep last night, and before I could even open my eyes this morning, I realised that God had undertaken to answer them. 

As I turned on my phone this morning, a message came through asking to postpone one of my appointments - and another message offered some help during the recording of my sermon - and one of my appointments went way better than I have thought, freeing up time for unexpected surprises and delays. While, all of this was happening, I was reminded of this ONE IMPORTANT fact:

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, by God directs our steps" - Proverbs 19:21

This left me with the humble reminder that I am not in charge - God is! Hopefully I am able to remember this lesson the next time I feel as if the edges of life are falling apart.

Can you relate to this at all?

Proverbs 19:23 - The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Trouble - blessing or curse?

 

"Trouble proves a blessing or a curse, depending on how it is received and treated by us. It either softens or hardens us. It either draws us to prayer and to God drives us away. The sun can either soften the wax or harden the clay. The sun can either melt the ice or dry out moisture from the earth." - E.M. Bounds

 There is something so profound in these words from E.M. Bounds. He was such a man of deep prayer and wisdom, that I imagine him using the 'troubles' in his life to draw him closer to Jesus. I also love the way he reflects on the power of the Sun - that it has the strength to melt the wax, as well as, harden clay.

So, as you are reading these words today, what do you feel about 'Trouble?'

2 Corinthians 4:17 - For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

 Living in Grace

D3LM3

Wisdom shows

As we forge on ahead deeper into Ecclesiastes we will note a slight change in mood from Solomon. In today's reading he seems (well to me at least) to shift from being very depressed, to becoming more reflective and offering some 'fatherly' advice to his listeners. Listen to his heart as he writes:

"How wonderful to be wise, to analyze and interpret things.
Wisdom lights up a person’s face, softening its harshness.

Obey the king since you vowed to God that you would. Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants. His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it. Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble." - Ecclesiastes 8:1-6

I have underlined the last verse because this was the one that stood out for me today. Do you note the connection with his comments in chapter 3 (A Time for Everything)? 

Is there something from these verses that resonates with you today? One of the other thoughts to strike me was how Solomon mentions that wisdom 'lights up a person's face.' Have you ever noticed that before?

“Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me." - John 14:1

Living in Grace

D3LM3

What worry does to you

You have to stop and take notice of your diary when the quote on the bottom of the page says this:

"Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow;
it empties today of its strength." - Corrie Ten Boom

What are you worrying about today that is draining you and stopping you from enjoying God's blessings? I know that it is sometimes easier said than done, but we do need to take all our worries to God in prayer. Jesus invited us to come to Him with all our trials and struggles.

Luke 12:22 -  [ Do Not Worry ] Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on.

Matthew 11:28 - Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

No fear

One of my favourite Psalms is definitely Psalm 46. In these verses are hidden some pearls of wisdom and gems of encouragement. The one thing that brings me hope at this time is David's call for us "not to FEAR". Even when things crumble and crash around us (seas, earthquakes, mountains), we don't need to fear because He is the Foundation we need to stay grounded.

"God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.
² So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea."

God is also ready and willing to help us in these times of trouble.
So hang in there. God is with you.
 
"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." - Marcus Aurelius

Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/topics/fear

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Buffalo or Cow?

 

In Rory Vaden's best selling book 'Take the Stairs' he shares a remarkable insight about the behaviour of a Buffalo and a Cow. Actually, to be more specific, it has to do with the way each animal faces an impending storm - they respond in two completely opposite ways.

When a storm approaches, Cows respond in a fairly predictable way - they try to outrun the storm! However, because Cows are not that fast, the storm catches up with them and they end up running with the storm for a longer period - in other words, they maximise their exposure to the hectic storm surrounding them.

On the other hand, the behaviour of the Buffalo is very different. They wait for the storm to arrive and then they charge directly into the heart of the storm. It may seem like a silly thing to do, but in the end, they minimise the time they spend in the raging storm and run through to the other side.

So, the big for us today is this: Which one are you? Buffalo or Cow?
My guess is that most of us are like the Cows, because we don't like storms, conflict or trouble to come our way. In a naive way we think that we can run away from the storm, but it will invariably catch up to us. The Buffalo's amongst us will testify to the pain of the storm, but also that by facing it head on, they were into the clear sooner than the rest of the Cows were.

Interesting don't you think?

Isaiah 4:5-6
Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion
    and all who assemble there.
He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day
    and smoke and flaming fire at night,
    covering the glorious land.
⁶ It will be a shelter from daytime heat
    and a hiding place from storms and rain.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

3 kinds of trouble

From the title of the blog you may be thinking that I am speaking about my 3 sons - "three kinds of trouble" but I am actually not! I am referring to this quote:
 
“Never attempt to bear more than one kind of trouble at once. Some people bear three kinds--all they have had, all they have now and all they expect to have.” - Edward Everett Hale. 

Let us learn to deal with the trouble of 'today' only and allow God to help us deal with the past and to prepare for the future.

Matthew 6:34 - Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Trouble - Advent word for today

In some countries the 26th December is called Boxing Day. This is not because Families are so tired of each other that they are literally 'Boxing' with each other, but it has it's roots in generosity. Servants and tradesmen would receive a "Christmas Box" from their employers on the 26th December, which was a reward for their good work during the year.

I have chosen the word 'Trouble' for today's Christmas word, because soon after his birth, Jesus was greeted with trouble from all sides. Herod was angry that he had a new challenger and so he ordered all the boys under 2 to be killed. This meant that Joseph, Mary and Jesus needed to get away from the trouble that was coming for them. I wonder if Mary had recognised some of this potential strife when she first heard the news of Jesus' birth?

Luke 1:29 - "Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be."

What comforts me is that Jesus understands hardship and trouble, so when I go through tough times, I know that he relates to me 100%. 

As you spend time with your loved ones this Christmas hold onto the promise that Jesus will help us overcome our troubles.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Asking for trouble

In the midst of a heavy rainstorm today I noticed a guy working on an electricity box. My immediate response was "Wow, that guy is asking for trouble!" There are some things that one shouldn't do and this is certainly one of them.

What other things are asking for trouble? Perhaps a few of these...

• Pronouncing that you will definitely beat an opponent before the match
• Getting out your car at a Game Reserve
• Driving too fast 
• Jumping through a fire
• Eating your food with a double portion of chillies
• Playing sport without having enough liquids
• Turning your eyes away from the Lord and stating that you don't need God

 Deuteronomy 13:13 - "Troublemakers have arisen among you and have led the people of their town astray, saying, “Let us go and worship other gods”

1 Samuel 14:29 - Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country."

May we have enough sense today not to ask for trouble. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3