It stopped me in my tracks!

It stopped me in the my tracks.... literally!

I was walking along a path this morning when I saw a familiar sight, but this time it had the power to stop and make me stare. It was a team of tiny ants carrying a massive insect to their nest. The insect was at least 100 times bigger than one of the individual ants, but TOGETHER they managed to carry the larger insect.

This all to familiar story reminds us of the power of working as team. We can try and do things by ourselves, but in the end, it doesn't work. We need each other and the support of friends, all pulling in the same direction.

What are you doing at the moment that needs a 'team of friends' to help? Are you going to ask for help, or are you just going to try and tug at the 'huge insect' by yourself? The one thing you will get with that option is a sore back and a depressed outlook.

Try the TEAM option. Jesus did - and it worked for Him.

Luke 9:1 - "When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases..."

Mother Theresa -  “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”

Living in Grace
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Go

The word 'Go' appears' over a thousand times in the Bible, with many of these coming in the Gospels. This simple 2 letter word speaks of an action and commands some kind of response from us. It reminds me that our faith can't be static - God's followers are meant to be on the move. GO.

So what is God calling you to 'go' and do today?

Matthew 10:6 & 7 - "Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near."

John 8:11 - "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

John 11:16 - "Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him."

Go.
Move.
Do it!

Living in Grace
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Two of me ...

I was helping Josh brush his teeth this morning when he suddenly said, "Look, I see two Daddies?" I wasn't sure what he was getting at, but then noticed he was pointing at the mirror and then at me - two daddies - one in real life and one in the mirror!

How true his little statement is! There are two of me. The person the world sees and the 'real' me. How different the two 'daddies' can sometimes be. We all wear masks - we all try to portray ourselves to be better than we truly are. The real struggle in our Christian walk is to allow Jesus to take the 'real' me and to transform him into the person I was created to be. God knows our potential and he is willing to chip away at all our rough edges, making us into his masterpiece.

Jeremiah 17:9 - "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

Who are you?

Living in Grace
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X-Factor

It seems as if Jim Collins has been deeply influenced by the teaching of Jesus - and so has his understanding of business and success.

"The X-factor of great leadership is not personality, it is humility." - Jim Collins

Peter said it like this:

"All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favour to the humble.” - 1 Peter 5:5

And Solomon said this:

Proverbs 22:4 -"Humility is the fear of the Lord."

We place a lot of value on personality nowadays, but Jesus placed more focus on true humility.

What do you think?
 

Living in Grace

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Where there is a WILL, there is a ....

Fill in the missing word:
"Where there is a WILL, there is a ....
....WAY!"

How many of us have heard this saying over and over again, yet when we are in a tight situation we are willing to give up? This saying speaks of determination, commitment, perseverance and courage. It says that when we are desperate enough for something, we will find a way to make it happen.

Take for example, Zaccheus (Luke 19) - he was so desperate to meet Jesus that he ran ahead of the crowds and climbed up a tree. He was willing to risk looking foolish, just to catch a glimpse of the Messiah.

The same can be said of the 4 people who brought their paralysed friend to Jesus. There was no space in the house, but they were determine to let their friend encounter Jesus, so they took the roof apart and lowered him down into the house.

"Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on." - Mark 2:4

What is tugging at your heart today? Are you willing to do something courageous to try and make this happen?

Living in Grace

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Pray for RAIN!

Adversity has a way of uniting all people! If one takes a look at disastrous situations in our history, we will see how people have banded together to fight for a particular cause. On a spiritual note, we have seen how our country has prayed through many other difficult times - and sadly now we face another one. DROUGHT!

Some of you are acutely aware of the Drought situation in our Province of KZN, but there may be a few of us, who are blissfully unaware. We desperately need rain in the catchment areas and we need it quick. We also need people to aware of this situation and how thousands of lives are being impacted. So here is something I invite us to do:

1. Pray right now for rain.
2. Pray specifically for rain in the catchment areas.
3. Pray for people impacted by the drought, so that they may have courage and strength.
4. If you are not effected by the drought at the moment, then I ask us to send up an "arrow prayer" every time we open a tap in our homes or at work.

 Leviticus 26:4 - I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees their fruit.

We have been living through a time of sorrow. Our seed remains seed. Our nostrils are dusty.”
― Warren Eyster

 Living in Grace
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Overflowing with THANKFULNESS

I have found that THANKFULNESS doesn't always come naturally to us. We seem to allow the troubles of this life to distract us from the incredible blessings we have already received. In doing so we somehow stay focused on the problems we encounter, rather than on the good that is all around us.

I raise my hand to confess that I am guilty of this, far to often. However, I am also uncomfortable with staying in this mindset - I desire to be in a place where I 'overflow with thankfulness.' One of the ways we can foster this kind of spirit, is to consciously list all the things we are thankful for.

It is only when we train our minds and hearts to gaze on the 'Goodness' we have received that our hearts will be filled with THANKFULNESS.

Colossians 2:6-7
"So the, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and OVERFLOWING with thankfulness."

Start filling your cup of thankfulness today and I pray that it may soon overflow.

Living in Grace
D3LM3