It is not a Sprint!

After our lovely relaxing holiday we have already hit the ground running. A new year, new school experiences for the boys, new adventures in ministry and a whole lot of other things, all acting  simultaneously, have made us a little breathless.

But, then I was reminded, LIFE is not a SPRINT, it is a marathon. If you are finding yourself in the same position as we are - take stock and remind yourself that you can't run through life at a SPRINT. Sure, we can try, but in the end, we will hit the wall and then be forced to rest.

I am trying to heed my own advice, but let's remember these words from Paul - may they motivate us to run with endurance.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us." - Hebrews 12:1

May God's Grace be upon you today,
D3LM3

Rooted to grow

The other day we had to cut down a bush that had died in the garden. It seemed to have a problem with its root-system and so the rest of the bush whithered and turned brown. Sadly, it had to be uprooted and thrown away.

So, how deep are your spiritual roots at the moment? Are they providing enough nourishment for your growth? Will they sustain you through the tough situations in life? Paul encourages us to have our roots go deep down, so that they may be nurtured through love - in turn this will give us the power we need to live as Christ-followers.

 

"And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love,

may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, 
to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,
and to know this love that surpasses knowledge —
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." - Ephesians 3:17-19

Living in Grace
D3LM3

This is amazing

I think this is amazing. I stumbled across this verse in the Message last week, as we were preparing for the Sunday services. It makes exciting reading:


"It is clear to us, friends that God not only loves you very much but also has put his hand on you for something special. When the Message we preached came to you, it wasn’t just words. Something happened in you. The Holy Spirit put steel in your convictions." - (1 Thessalonians 3:3)

I love that!

This verses tells us that "God has put his hand on each of us for something special." Just think about that for a moment - The Creator of the Universe has chosen to put his gracious hand upon us, so that we can be a special part of his work.

Not only does God want to put his hand upon us, but He also wants to steel in our convictions, through the Spirit. In other words, God will give us the vision and blessing for something special and He will supply the power for us to fulfil those demands. What an incredible promise!

Living in Grace
D3LM3

 

The Rooster and the sparrow

The title of today's blog sounds more like a children's story book (and perhaps I will have to write it one day) - but it is actually something I witnessed in person the other day. I noticed a large rooster walking around a garden complex intimidating all the other birds. He looked imposing and as he strutted his stuff, I wondered what he was thinking - maybe it was something like:
"Hey, look at me! Look how big I am. Get out of my way underlings!"

But, then I saw something that made me smile. A little sparrow landed next to the Rooster and although he was dwarfed by the bigger bird, he didn't back down. He gave as good as he got. And then when the Rooster tried to push his weight around the little sparrow simply flapped his wings and flew away. It was almost as if the Sparrow was saying the Rooster - "you may be big, but at least I can fly higher than you!"

Here is my thought on this little encounter.
"There will always be Roosters in your world, but just remember they probably can't fly as easily as you can! With God on your side, you can rise above the attitude of others. You don't need to let other people's opinions influence your life."

May God's hand of Grace be upon you.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Aleph - Psalm 119

If one turns to Psalm 119, we note that it is a long Psalm. It is also a unique Psalm in that it is an acrostic Psalm - this is just fancy way of telling us that every verse of each stanza starts with the same Hebrew letter. So if one reads verses 1-8 below, they would all start with the letter 'A' (aleph) if we were reading it in the original language.

Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
    who walk according to the law of the Lord.
 Blessed are those who keep his statutes
    and seek him with all their heart—
 they do no wrong
    but follow his ways.
 You have laid down precepts
    that are to be fully obeyed.
 Oh, that my ways were steadfast
    in obeying your decrees!
 Then I would not be put to shame
    when I consider all your commands.
 I will praise you with an upright heart
    as I learn your righteous laws.

I will obey your decrees;    do not utterly forsake me.

If we then carry on reading the Psalm we would see that it follows the rest of the Hebrew alphabet through the Psalm.

As I read verses one to eight, of this Psalm, I am stuck by the theme of OBEDIENCE. God calls us to follow him and gives us the choice to do this or not. If we choose to follow his Call, then we do so out of a desire to Obey Jesus. This is not always as easy as it may seem.

How are you finding following God today? Are you willing to Obey his lead?

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Forever?

"My righteousness will last forever,
my salvation through all generations." - Isaiah 51:8

As we experience the changes of a New Year we come to the striking reality that nothing lasts forever. It can be quite a shocking reality for many of us, but it is worth contemplating before we even embark upon tackling new things.

A holiday doesn't last forever.
Nor does a school year (thankfully for many).
Usually our materials things have a limited lifespan.
Sadly our relationships don't always last forever.
Our food certainly doesn't.

However, there is some Good News in all of this. God reminds us that His righteous will last FOREVER and his salvation will be passed down from Generation to Generation.

May God help us today to discern what the truly important things are.
Living in Grace
D3LM3

Character, commitment and discipline

Some people choose a KEY word or verse that serves as their focal "Word" for the year. I am not sure if it is always easy to sum up a Mission or Vision statement in a single word, but if you were going to choose 3 words, then the following words would be a great start:

CHARACTER

COMMITMENT

DISCIPLINE

"It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through." - Zig Ziglar

“And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.” - ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

If you have a word for the year and you would like to share it please let me know what it is. God bless. 

Living in Grace

D3LM3