Empty hands

How often have you noticed a kid at a birthday party asking for more sweets, but if you look closely you notice they already have a handful? Of course we are not going to give them more sweets at that moment, are we?

Sometimes we may not receive what we ask for (from God) because we come bringing our hands "stuffed" with other things - good and bad. It is not that God doesn't want to give us good things, but we aren't able to receive it yet or perhaps even appreciate it.

God gives where he finds empty hands - Augustine

Come to God today in prayer...

"Empty hands held high, such small sacrifice" (Casting Crowns)

Living in Grace
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Think the right things

Over the past few days the powerful words of St Paul have been coming to my mind again and again...

"Whatever is true, 
whatever is noble, 
whatever is right, 
whatever is pure, 
whatever is lovely, 
whatever is admirable
—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy
—think about such things." - Philippians 4:8


If you needed a great verse to start the new term with, why not let these words sink into your Spirit.


Live in His grace
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Christ in our hearts

"The ground of our hope is Christ in the world, but the evidence of our hope is Christ in the heart." - Matthew Henry

In order for Christ to be evident in the world around us, he needs to be present in our hearts first. May we find room in our hearts for him today.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Winter reflection

For a lot of people Winter is a depressing season. However, I kind of like this time of the year. It reminds me to slow down and to take stock of things in my life. The later sunrises and earlier sunsets also nudge us inside, where things are warmer and more quiet. Richard Foster had this reflection on the blessing of Winter for him:

"Winter preserves and strengthens a tree. Rather than expending its strength on the exterior surface, its sap is forced deeper and deeper into its interior depth. In winter a tougher, more resilient life is firmly established. Winter is necessary for the tree to survive and flourish."

Winter has a purpose in our spiritual lives too. Perhaps we must celebrate that our "spiritual winter's" help us to become more resilient in the future.

What are your thoughts?

Living in grace
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Spiritually formed

In his outstanding book, The Jesus Creed, Scot McKnight remarks on what a spiritually formed person should look like:

"A Spiritually formed person loves God by following Jesus and loving others.
A Spiritually formed person embraces the stories of others who love Jesus.
A Spiritually formed person lives out kingdom values, and
A Spiritually formed person loves Jesus."

How do you measure up? We can't just be Christians in name only, we need to be 'formed' in the image of our heavenly Father.

I think it's worth thinking about, don't you?

Living in Grace
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God is awake

The God of the Resurrection is awake all the time - George MacDonald

Our God never slumbers or sleeps - Psalm 121

May God watch over you today and always. Be blessed.

Living in Grace
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Hope begins in the dark

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don't give up.” - Ann Lamott

Never forget that with God there will always be a new dawn. Joy replaces sorrow - hope begins anew.

"Weeping may go in the night, but joy comes with the morning." - Psalm 30:5

Living in Grace

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