Danger lurking inside

We came home yesterday to discover that our neighbour's huge tree had just fallen over. It was quite a scary sight, as it covered the whole of his driveway and entrance into his garage. My immediate thought was that it had been the wind that had blown it over, but upon reflection the wind wasn't that strong. As one got closer to the tree you could see that white ants had happily been eating the trunk for ages. It literally got eaten from the inside out and it was the ants that weakened the tree. In the end, all it took was a small gust of wind to blow the whole tree over.

I am sad that this old tree is no more - it look stately and proud. We will miss it. What bothers me even more is whether I am like that tree or not. Are there "things" eating me up inside? Do I dismiss those small "things" that others can't notice, only to have these very things destroy my core?

We need to protect our inner core (spiritual well being), so that nothing can topple us. We may not notice these things at first, but in the end they will harm us.

May God protect your spirit today. Take good care of the small things in your life, so that when the time of testing comes, you can stand strong.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

I nearly lost my sole

I nearly lost my sole! Yes, you did read correctly - I spelt "sole" right (I am speaking about the sole of my shoe). The other day we were cycling in the forest near Cascades, when I noticed something was wrong with my shoe - I looked down to realise that the sole of my right shoe had come off. Thankfully I found it and was able to repair it again - now it is as good as new:)

The scary thing is that many of us nearly lose our 'souls' to other things. Work, pride, stress, relationships, stubbornness, poor ethics, bad religious experiences - these can all be contributing factors in destroying the essence of our 'souls.' Sometimes we get to a point where our 'souls' seem beyond repair.

So, how is your soul doing today? What is truly going on deep down in your heart? Please don't allow things to build up and destroy the core of your life. Turn to Christ and ask Jesus to restore your soul.

One can afford to lose a sole, but you can't ever afford to destroy your SOUL!

"...so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live." - Deuteronomy 30:6


Living in Grace
D3LM3

Child of the King

It is a tragedy that we have become so blase to this fact: 
When we surrender to the love of Jesus, we become children of the King. 
This is huge - it is not to be scoffed at or simply noted! .... No ways, when you become a child of God, your whole life should feel the change.


“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith” – Galatians 3:26

     

    William Barclay – “To bear the name of the family of God is something to keep a man’s feet on the right way, and to set him climbing.”

    

    Have you forgotten that you are child of God? Don't let today pass without basking in the knowledge that God calls us his children.

   Living in Grace

   D3LM3

ReCharge

My car battery died on Tuesday! Of course it never happens at the best of times and it often causes headaches when it does happen. I am sure you can relate?

Anyway, all it needed was a good recharge and now it seems to be working great. I am thankful for friends helping me to get it recharged and ready to go again. A car that won't go is pretty sad!

So, what about our spiritual lives? Are we feeling a little flat? Do we need a little recharge? I pray that this long weekend (in South Africa) may give some of you the chance to recharge your spirits and to get ready for the next part of the journey. May God's spirit help you to recover and be rearing to go again!

Be blessed

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Good intentions or action?

There is an old saying that goes like this:

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions."

Bernard of Clairvaux has been given credit for this quote and it is a challenging one. Many of us have the best intentions to do various things, but never end up following through with them? Our actions don't match our intentions. So, Bernard argues that these intentions pave the road to hell - away from the presence of God.

How do you feel about this?
What good intentions of ours need to become actions this week?

Be challenged to go further with God.

Living in grace
D3LM3

Sore throat

"I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched." - Psalm 69:3

I am sure that plenty of us can relate to getting 'hoarse' from shouting to much (or just speaking to much). Perhaps this has happened at a sports event or even at concert. Our throats get sore and hoarse from over use and so we need to give them a rest.

In Psalm 69 David tells us that his throat has become 'parched' from calling out to God so much. He knows that he can call out to God and so he does - numerous times. If one stopped reading this Psalm just after a few verses, we could mistakenly think that God ignores David's calling. However, this is not the case. God does hear and David's sore throat is not in vain.

"The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people." - Psalm 69:33

May you continue to call on the name of the Lord. He hears your prayers and will answer in His time.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Open-handed God

God is generous! God is NOT stingy as some make him out to be - but rather he is lavish in his love and generous in his mercy. Our God is open-handed!

I imagine God as the Sower, scattering seed all over the place, even allowing birds to eat from his hands. When it comes to humanity, God treats us the same. Even though God knows that much of this generosity will be abused by some, neglected by others, and demanded by us, he continues to be open-handed.

"You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing." - Psalm 145:16

Prayer: Lord, may I acknowledge your great love today and may I seek to be generous with those that I encounter. Teach me to be open-handed in the way I live my life. Amen.

Living in Grace
D3LM3