Which one?

We can quite easily be a “Master of theology” and a “failure in living.” – William

Barclay

I came across this quote in preparing for today’s message and it has been

troubling me ever since. We can so often know a lot about God, but living out

what knowledge we have is the hard part. So, the challenge for us all is this:

“How much do we live out what we profess?”

If you would like a scripture to add to your thinking then please read the parable

of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10. It may help in your thinking.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Why do you pray?

Why do you pray?
If the answer to this deep question is "only to receive things from God", then we are missing the point in prayer. Yes, the Bible does invite us to bring our requests to God in prayer, but there is another reason why we should be praying. And this is it...

"We pray not in order to escape life, but in order to be better able to meet it." - William Barclay

For me, this means that when I pray for things, prayer
changes me in some way. My requests are ultimately left in the hands of God, but by spending the time and energy praying, I am bringing my will in line with the WILL of God. I am not sure if you agree with this or not, but it is worth reflecting on.

1 Kings 8:28 - Yet give attention to your servant’s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

What do you ask for?

What do you ask for?
In your prayers at the moment, what is your number one request?
I know that it is easy to fill up our prayer list with a perpetual shopping list: "God do this..." or "Lord, can you do that...", but at the end of the day, we rest our prayers in the heart of God.

As Charles Wesley once remarked:

"All my requests are lost in one, "Father, thy will be done!"

It is a tough lesson to remember that all my requests are answered according to the will of Jesus. However, in the end, I have to trust that he knows best.

Matthew 6:10 -  May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Live as if ....

"Live as if Christ died yesterday,
rose this morning,
and is coming back again tomorrow." - Martin Luther

This quote sums up how we should live our lives - conscious of Christ's sacrifice for us, blown away by the miracle of his resurrection and sure of his coming again.

1 Corinthians 15 -  Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said...

Living in Grace
D3LM3

This will pass

Today's thought for us is quite simple really - we may experience despair and pain today, but this too will pass. There will be HOPE in the morning.

^"Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people;
    praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment,
    but his favour lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
    but rejoicing comes in the morning." - Psalm 30

Hold on - God is with you. There may be weeping today, but JOY is on the horizon.

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Does God have Boundaries?

²¹ Stay always within the boundaries where God’s love can reach and bless you. Wait patiently for the eternal life that our Lord Jesus Christ in his mercy is going to give you. ²² Try to help those who argue against you. Be merciful to those who doubt." - Jude 21-22 

This verse from Jude seems to suggest that God has some kind of boundary. Or at least in Jude's mind, God wants us to remain within his touching distance. I guess this is not so that he can control us, but rather that he can protect us. As Jude says, "where God's love can reach and bless you."

If we intentionally choose to move away from God's grace, then we remove ourselves from his blessing and love. This illustration does concern me a little, as I would hope that no one is ever out of God's reach and how far does someone have to go in order to be removed from God's love? 

I pray that God's mercy would find us, even if we have walked outside of his boundaries. Sure, I understand that there will come a time when God's justice needs to be measured out, but up until that time, could God's hand still reach out to those far away? I hope so.

Living in Grace
D3LM3

Half way there

Today is the middle of the year - can you believe that? It always amazes me how quickly the year speeds up from this point onwards. It is also a stark reminder that the year is not done yet. There are still another 183 days to go, so we can put our minds towards accomplishing many things. 

 

Why don't you reflect on your year so far and see what God wants you to finish in 2016. Perhaps there are a few things that need correction in our lives and we still have time to make things right.

A game is not finished at half time, nor is a music concert. Perhaps the best is still to come.

 

Proverbs 15:31 - Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise.

Zephaniah 3:2 - She obeys no one, she accepts no correction. She does not trust in the Lord, she does not draw near to her God.

Living in Grace
D3LM3