The month of love

February is known as the month of love! Valentines Day steals the limelight in this month and draws the world's attention to love. As much as we should pass our feelings and sentiments of love onto others, I do believe that we shouldn't limit this only to February. Perhaps this is the mistake we make - we assume that by sending gifts, buying flowers and writing romantic poetry (in February) we are somehow making up for the rest of the year.

As Christ-followers we are asked to love on a daily basis and this is the tough calling. Loving our neighbour for one day is doable. However, loving others for 365 days is the real test of our character. 

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” - Matthew 22:37-40

Psalm 25:6 - Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.

“February - the month of love..?!!
No wonder the shortest one in the calendar.” - Dinesh Kumar Biran

Living in Grace

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A dangerous prayer

I feel that the Covenant Prayer is arguably one the most challenging and dangerous prayers we could ever pray. Born out of the Wesleyan revivals in England, this prayer has been adopted in most Methodist communities around the globe. It is a prayer that we should never 'just' pray, but we should seriously reflect on the words and only when we are ready should we speak the words. 

Of course, this is not just a prayer for people who align themselves with the Methodist tradition - any believer can pray these words. After all, this Covenant prayer is a prayer of recommitment and surrender to the ways of Jesus.

I am no longer my own, but yours.
Put me to do what you will,
rank me with whom you will:
Put me to doing, put me to suffering:
Let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,
exalted for you or brought low for you:
Let me be full, let me be empty.
Let me have all things, let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the Covenant now made on earth,
let it be ratified in heaven. AMEN

Living in Grace

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A Safe-house

I needed to be reminded of these words today. They are just a paraphrase of Psalm 9, but the words rested well in my soul. May they also offer you some encouragement.

"God’s a safe-house for the battered,
    a sanctuary during bad times.
The moment you arrive, you relax;
    you’re never sorry you knocked." - Psalm 9:9-10

I pray that we are not sorry for knocking on the door of God's heart.

Living in Grace

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Reflections on the loss of a great man - Mr Dave Beetar

I heard the devastating news on Sunday of the loss of a true role model and leader in our community, Mr Dave Beetar. Dave, the recently retired headmaster of Merchiston Preparatory School in Pietermaritzburg passed away over the weekend, due to Covid complications. His death leaves a huge void in the lives of his beloved family, as well his school community and even further afield.  

A few days on, I still can’t believe it is true. I try to shake my head, hoping to clear my mind and somehow wake up after a bad dream. However, just a quick glance at social media reminds me that the news is true and the man we all thought was immovable and unshakable, is no more.

After the initial shock of the announcement, I have been battling to process this wretched news. I tried to figure out the injustice of Dave having worked tirelessly his entire life (the last 33 years at Merchiston) and on the brink of his retirement, he is taken from his family and our community.

That is not fair!

In fact, those were my exact words in my complaint to God – “That is not fair! Why now Lord?! Dave still had so many more years in him. He could have done so much more for the world. Our world needs wise people to help us navigate through the turbulent waters ahead! Come on Lord!!”

Even having had that very vocal rant before God, I am still not feeling any better. Dave’s death has coincided with my reading of Ecclesiastes and the last few days I have been completing chapter 12. It is easy to get stuck on Solomon’s words in verse 8: “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.” And if I am allowed to be 100% honest – those were my sentiments exactly. What is the point, Lord!? Everything is meaningless! We work hard for our entire lives and then we are snatched away at some inopportune time. Surely, not Lord!?

As the mist begins to clear I am slowly inching towards the beginnings of acceptance, although I am sure I will have a few more rants with God in the future. I am sure that Dave would want us to pick up the broken pieces and to carry on living as best we can. So, I guess will slowly start to process the events of the last week and try to make meaningful sense of them.

On initial reflection these are some of the ‘lessons’ I want to take from this tragedy:

I want to honour Dave’s life by embracing my every breath as a gift from God.

I want to live my life to the FULL, in the here and now – not waiting for retirement or tomorrow to do something I love.

I want to be intentional about rooting out distractions in my life.

I want to pass onto others what God has given to me. It is only in giving of ourselves that we know the pleasure of God.

I want to be conscious of all the special people God has placed in my life – the people that make the journey worthwhile and who choose to walk alongside me.

A few years ago, Dave asked me to speak to his staff and to lead some prayers after a popular staff member had tragically passed away. I did what I could in the moment of grief and afterwards I remember how Dave and I chatted through some of our own deep emotions. Later, I passed onto him a little book I wrote entitled ‘NOW – Refuse to the moment pass!’ I had written this book after the heart-wrenching death of a friend and it seemed appropriate in that crisis to give it to him. Dave said he found it helpful and I know that he was already embracing many of the points I raised in the book. One of those quotes goes like this:

“Do it now. Do whatever you can right now!” – Thomas a Kempis

Dave was always ready (Ready Aye Ready is the motto of Merchiston School) to offer leadership, guidance, wisdom, care and compassion to all who needed it. Of course, he had to make some unpopular decisions in his years of leadership that they were always made with the greater good in mind.

So instead of trying to figure out why this happened to Dave, and the vexation of the situation, I am choosing to align myself with Solomon’s final comments at the end of his twelfth chapter: 

“Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).

I think Dave would want that from you and I.

Rest in Peace, Dave.

Much love to Dave’s beloved family as they mourn the loss of a remarkable human being.

Living in Grace

Delme Linscott

 

 

 

Last words

Coming to the end of his thoughts on life, wisdom and choices, Solomon gives us these profound words. Having read through the previous 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes they certainly sum up his sentiments neatly. 

"That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

This is the best advice we could pass onto the younger generation, and those who still need to hear this advice: 

Let us have a reverence for God (a holy fear) and be willing to follow God's ways. In the end, we will all be judged according to our actions and I am grateful that my life will be judged by one person only - The Lord.

"The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else." - Oswald Chambers

Living in Grace

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Cattle prods and sticks

At first glance, people can be grouped into 2 general groups - those who are motivated by the 'carrot' and those who are motivated by the 'stick.' I am sure you know what I mean - some people like to drawn to do something by incentive, while others only work best when they are chased/prodded into action. Solomon realised this a long long time ago:

"The words of the wise are like cattle prods—painful but helpful. Their collected sayings are like a nail-studded stick with which a shepherd drives the sheep. But, my child, let me give you some further advice: Be careful, for writing books is endless, and much study wears you out." - Ecclesiastes 12:9-10

I feel that this also sums up many people in faith circles and churches. Some believers need to be prodded into action, while others are self motivated and willing to follow Christ without needed the stick.

If you are honest, which person are you at the moment?

"One act of obedience is better than one hundred sermons." - Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Living in Grace

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The Quester

In referring to Solomon in Ecclesiastes, Eugene Peterson speaks of him as "The Quester." It is an unusual term and one that is not often used anymore, but refers to the person who seeks out something (truth in this case.)

"Besides being wise himself, the Quester also taught others knowledge. He weighed, examined, and arranged many proverbs. The Quester did his best to find the right words and write the plain truth." (The Message)

"Not only was the Teacher wise, but he also imparted knowledge to the people. He pondered and searched out and set in order many proverbs. The Teacher searched to find just the right words, and what he wrote was upright and true." - Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 (NIV)

What is it that we are seeking at the moment?

Have we found Jesus Christ as the answer to all our seeking?

Living in Grace

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