Saturday 27 October 2012

STUDYING THE BIBLE–SOME TIPS:


today we are going to look at studying the bible , why we need to do it and how to go about it.  I just want to share with you a few things I've learned about this:
why do we need to study the bible?

I'm in love with a wonderful man I met online. He doesn't live here so primarily we communicate through email type messages sent  through a website we belong to. When I get a message from him I read it through carefully, savouring each morsel of it. It might be only a few lines long but it's very precious to me. How much more precious to us should be the message  god has written to us, aka the bible! This is the main way in which god speaks to us so it's very important!

As we study the scriptures we learn these things:
-- we learn about who god is.
--we learn what he did for us on the cross.
--We learn who we are.
--we learn how to live this Christian life in a way that pleases god.
--We learn what promises god has made to us.
--We learn how god worked through the lives of men and women of faith in the past

and so much more!

2 timothy 3:16 says this:
Every Scripture is God-breathed (given by His inspiration) and profitable for instruction, for reproof and conviction of sin, for correction of error and discipline in obedience, [and] for training in righteousness (in holy living, in conformity to God’s will in thought, purpose, and action), [AMP]

Is it necessary for me to study the Word of God regularly?

Indeed it is! When we stop studying God's word on a regular basis, our spiritual growth tapers off, our love for god becomes less fervent, we stop making an effort to do right,  we may even find ourselves straying from the faith, falling into sin and becoming hard hearted. We could get to the point where we might choose to turn away from god completely!  I think we can see now how important it is to stay in the word of god! some  time in the Scriptures  each day is  strongly recommended, if not imperative.

Besides all this, we are commanded to study the bible:

Joshua 1:8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.


So, we need to study God's Word. the bible is like a gold mind, the more we dig the more nuggets we are likely to find. The more we dig into a passage or a topic the more we are going to know about that passage or topic, the more truths we are able to learn from it  and apply to our lives.  The bible is also like an onion, once you get through one layer there are more and more layers to go. I can study a passage one year and then come back and study it the next year and get fresh insights, seeing things I didn't even notice in my previous study of that passage.

Is there anything I need to do before I open my bible?

Yes, certainly. Here is what I have learned is important to do before opening the Word of God:

1. We need to be saved, we need to have given our lives to Jesus and accepted him as our Lord. When we are saved, the holy spirit comes to live in us. He is the one who encouraged and guided each writer of the scriptures  and every word they wrote was inspired or god-breathed by the Spirit of god. he is the ultimate bible teacher! Without him it isn't possible to understand what the bible is really saying.

[  For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
[1 Corinthians 1:18

2. Prayer. Before we pick up our bibles we need to take some time and ask god to reveal himself to us and to show us what he wants us to learn from the study of his word. This is important because on our own we may learn a few things but with the Holy spirit teaching us we will learn a lot more, and He can take the word of God and use it to convict us, to correct us, to comfort or encourage us.
3. We need to resolve in our hearts that we will do what God's word tells us. This is the hard part for me. I have studied the scripture for years but I battle with applying it to my life. This is very important though because the scripture says:
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.  But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.[James 1:22-25]
As well as these, here are a couple  of other suggestions:

4. If possible, find a place and time where you are least likely to be distracted. I do my bible study in my bedroom, usually at early morning and later in the afternoon.

5. have a notepad or computer at hand to write down things that the Lord is showing you. this is a great way to internalise the truths and concepts god is revealing.


So now I'm here with my bible open before me, how do I go about this?

There are many ways to study the bible, this is something to ask god about. Here are a few ideas I've picked up from various places, which I have used in my own studies:

1. One way to do this is to read the bible until something really speaks to you, then stop to think about that. You might only read a verse or two before one  really stands out, or you could read a chapter or more. As an example, I could be reading in Isaiah 45 until I get to this verse:
I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God;
I equip you, though you do not know me,
[v5]
Something about that verse stands out for me so I stop reading and think about it . There is only one god, he is above everything and everyone else. That might make me question, am I serving god alone? sometimes we can give too much importance in our lives to other things, like having a lot of money or always having our own way, or we can put someone on a pedestal in our minds and worship them. We may not set out to do this but it might be something that if we really search our  hearts we may discover we are doing . If God is the one and only that means I have to worship him alone. I need to pray that god will show me if I am worshipping anyone or anything else and ask his forgiveness about that, then  resolve to worship god alone from now on.

2. Another method is to pick a book of the bible and start working through it, with a good commentary to help you understand things that don't make sense. If I'm doing a book study I will usually do just a few verses at a time. The number of verses I do each time may vary. for example when I studied the book of acts I would study 5 or 7 verses at a time, until I came to one  of the times when someone was preaching, then I went very carefully through it, a verse or two at a time.  It can be slower but it really helps me to understand what is being said. I will read them, write down the things that I learn from them.  then I will find a commentary and read it for any further insight. then i will write down the things I learn about god in that passage, the things I learn about me and I will write down an action step, something I should do in response to what I have studied. A really good thing to do in studying a book is to sit down and read the book in one session. Of course, if you are doing psalms or something like that, it's going to be impossible to do, but if it can be done it's good because it helps us to see the bigger picture, to be aware of what the book is all about, to see some things that stand out, to pick up on things that  we might not notice when doing a more in depth study.

3. Another method is to look at bible reading as a conversation with God, reading a few verses then talking to god about them. this can be a meaningful way to read the bible as well. As an example I might be reading my favourite verse which is Psalm 121:2
my  help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth
so then I stop there and thank God for the many ways he  helps me, remembering specific things he has done,like last week when I was opening a bottle of flavoured mineral water and it went absolutely everywhere, including all over my heater which, thankfully, wasn't on then. Or the time a few years ago when I put my hand on the cord of the waterbed I had at that time and realised the cord was abnormally hot, dangerously so. I turned it off then. It was malfunctioning and a fire could have started. Or the time last year when a Muslim friend of mine and one of his friends I was chatting with asked me to explain what Christians believe  and God gave me the right words to say. I might also ask god to help me in a situation that is coming up, for example, I'm doing a Christian radio show this morning and I need God's help to know what to say, what songs to play, what bible reading to do, etc.

4. Another way to do a more in depth study is to ask the text certain questions:
who? When? where? What? and so what?
A. Who? Who are the characters in this passage?
B. What? there are a lot of what questions, such as "What is God doing in this passage" or "what events are taking place here" or "what really stood out for me?"
C. when? When did the events in this passage take place? the when and where questions are  not always applicable.  
D. Where? Where did the events in this passage take place? In Israel or somewhere else?
E. Why? there are a variety of why questions, such as "Why on earth did he do that?"  or "Why did she react in that way?"  or "why did God do this or that?"
F. So what? What in this passage can we apply to our lives? Is there a promise of God to claim? a command to follow? a warning to take heed of? etc etc.

6. Another way to learn from god's word is to study a topic. I am doing a study at the moment on the different  names of god. I am really enjoying this! One thing that I'm doing is that whenever I read the bible or study it, if I come across a name of God I write it down, with the scriptural reference. I can then pray and ask god to reveal himself to me in that way. For example I can read   Genesis 14:18-20 which says:
And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)  And he blessed him and said,
“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
Possessor of heaven and earth;
and blessed be God Most High,
who has delivered your enemies into your hand!”

there the name "God most High" is used three times. So I copy  one of those verses into my notes and ask God to help me understand and know that he is the most high god, above everything and everyone else. Then if the Holy Spirit shows me something i write it down. Later I read through my notes and ask God to help me see things that I  have missed.  There are other ways to do a topical study, Bible gateway and some of the other bible sites have a topical index, where you can study on a particular topic. You can also do a search on bible gateway and other sites for a word such as faith  and you will get all the verses where the word is mentioned. It's a great resource!

7. I've heard of bible reading and bible study explained in this way: we read to read, we read to feed and we read to lead. what I mean is this.
A. Reading to read is when we  just pick up our bible and sit down to read a few chapters. This is certainly a good thing to do. If we have  some time to spare, reading the bible is a great way to fill that time.
B. Reading to feed is when we study the bible, in any of the ways I have mentioned or any other ways you might find to do this. The bible is described as our spiritual food:

Everyone who lives on milk is not used to the word of righteousness, because they are babies. But solid food is for the mature, whose senses are trained by practice to distinguish between good and evil.
[Hebrews 5:13-14 CEB]

therefore, when we study the Bible we are giving our spirit a healthy meal. When we fail to spend time in the word of god we are starving our spirit and that is something to be avoided, for reasons we  have discussed earlier.

C. Reading to lead is something that  those who teach God's word in any capacity need to do. Pastors, Bible Teachers, Missionaries, Sunday School Teachers and others. Say a Pastor needs to prepare  a Sermon for next Sunday. he will probably ask god what topic He wants him to teach on. Then, when he knows what he is doing, he will need to find bible verses and passages relating to that topic. This is reading to lead. I needed to do this when I was writing this study. For example, when I was talking about doing a topical study on the names of God I wanted to find a good example. I remembered seeing something in Genesis 14 so I went to that chapter and found what I was looking for in verses 18-20. People who read to lead need to make sure that isn't the only reading or studying they do. That is an easy trap to fall into. We need to study god's word for ourselves, for our own spiritual growth, then we can share with others the things god is teaching us.

I hope this information has been helpful. God bless each of you!

Monday 1 October 2012

Making the Change

MAKING THE CHANGE!

Do you have a habit you long to get rid of? Is there something in your life you want to see changed?  We all understand we are far from perfect and that there  are a lot of things in us that need fixing. We try so hard not to lie or steal or gossip or whatever it might be and we fail. Then we get discouraged and wonder if we are ever going to change.

There are two things we need to realise.
1. we can't, on our own efforts, change ourselves or get rid of a bad habit. We need God's help. We need the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, he is able to change us. Someone may, by sheer force of will, be able to stop lying for a while, but when they find themselves in a pinch they will fall back to their old ways. I know this from experience. I'm using lying here as an example but the same works for anything that needs to be changed in us. Only the Holy spirit of God working in our lives is able to make permanent changes. We need to cooperate with Him of course, but we can't make the change on our own.  God is willing to help us, we just need to ask him.  It won't happen overnight but it will happen.

2. it's not enough just to stop doing something that we used to do, we need to replace it with something new. It's not enough for me to not tell lies anymore, I need to speak the truth. it's not enough for me to stop gossiping, I have to learn to speak words that encourage and uplift others. It's not enough to stop thinking negative thoughts, we have to start thinking positively.

Jesus told a story that relates to this:

When an evil spirit leaves a person, it travels through the desert, looking for a place to rest. But when the demon doesn't find a place,  it says, “I will go back to the home I left.” When it gets there and finds the place empty, clean, and fixed up, it goes off and finds seven other evil spirits even worse than itself. They all come and make their home there, and the person ends up in worse shape than before.
[Matthew 12:43-45a CEV]

I may deal with the subject of demon possession another day, but I shared this story to make a point. The person was delivered, the problem was gone, but the process of change wasn't fully complete, his house or spirit was empty. If the person had gotten saved then the Holy spirit would be living in him and therefore when the demon came back to check things out, it would know there was no hope of moving back in.

Without progressing to phase two, change will never be fully accomplished.  god will help us with this too if we ask him. He will show us how to replace the bad things in our lives with good things.

We can't just move onto phase two without doing phase one, allowing god to  clean up our lives and get rid of the bad things like lying or stealing or whatever it  may be. Once God has  cleaned up the mess then he will help us replace it with good thoughts and actions.

One more thing I would say about change. Don't expect it to happen instantaneously. sometimes god will deliver us straight away  from some bad habit or other problem in our lives, other times he expects us to go through the process.  Though it's hard, there are several advantages to this, including:

A.  we learn to depend on god more than before, since it is only by his help that we are able to make any progress.
B. we become more grateful and thankful for all that god has done and is doing in our lives. gratitude is important. It is right to thank God for his many blessings  and for all his help.
C. We learn patience and endurance, and these are things that we need in our Christian walk.
D. Having gone through all this to get free of some habit or other we learn to think seriously before we start doing another thing that has the potential of being habit-forming.   A person who has been freed from alcohol addiction will probably think twice before they take up smoking. 

Change is never fun or easy but it is certainly something we all need to do at some point. If we know someone who is trying to make a big change in their life we can help by praying for them and encouraging them. Sometimes we can act as accountability partners, for that  person. Knowing that  I have someone who I will be talking to about how well I did this week might help me not to give into temptation so easily. Of course, we need to have accountability partners who we can trust, who won't tear us down but encourage us and pray with us.

God can free us from the most destructive habits that were holding us back from being the people he meant us to be, and fill our lives with new and beautiful things. Then we are a living testimony to the power of god and we are able to help those who are having the same kind of problems we went through.

 

May God bless you all!

Tuesday 18 September 2012

WHEN PRIDE GETS IN THE WAY

when pride gets in the way:

Sis was happy. the pastor was happy. The new music leader was happy. Everyone was happy ... except me. I've been struggling with my bad attitude ever since things changed. Why is it that out of everybody, I've got this horrible attitude that is not only affecting me but will affect the others in the group if I don't get this sorted out? I'm mostly angry at myself because I'm being unreasonable and I know it. Change is a good thing and the new music leader is a guy I know quite well. he is a gifted musician and also knows how to lead.

today we had music practice. O boy, what a disaster! The more it continued, the more angry and stirred up I got and I hate myself for it but I couldn't seem to change it. I mean, after all, how dare this young guy come in, take over and tell me how to play and try to modernise everything? Goodness me, I've been playing piano since well before he was born! grrrrrr! the longer the practice went, the worse my attitude got until the most satisfying thing I could do when I came home was slam my bedroom door. Just grrrr!

This is what happens when pride gets in the way. I'm proud of my musical ability. I shouldn't be, but I am. Ok, I'm no opera singer or concert pianist but I have perfect pitch and I practice my singing and playing nearly every day. The world would say that it's a good thing to be proud of my ability, such as it is, but God says pride is a bad thing.

Pride goes before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall.
[Proverbs 16:18]

The gift isn't mine.
It's more of a permanent loan. God gives us these things not to do what we want with them but to glorify him with them and edify or uplift others. God doesn't care how well I sing or play, he cares about my heart attitude. Am I doing this to glorify him or me? If the answer is that I am using it to glorify me than I am misusing it. We will have to give account to the Lord on Judgement day about how we use the gifts and talents he has given us. If I am serving god at church or in any other  way in order to gratify my own ego then I am in the wrong and I am displeasing God.

That doesn't mean we  shouldn't do our  best at whatever we are doing for the Lord, but it does mean we  should examine ourselves and if we  notice wrong attitudes, pride, self-admiration or whatever, we  need to bring these to god and ask his forgiveness. Then, when we find ourselves thinking wrongly again, we need to stop and ask the Lord's help to change the way we are thinking. The Bible tells us to take every thought captive to obey Christ:
For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.  We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
[2 Corinthians 10:4-5]


Now that I've calmed down I feel totally ashamed of my rotten attitude. after all, the music leader didn't exactly tell me how to play, he made suggestions of what he thought would sound good. He encouraged us and advised us. I was in the wrong all the way because instead of taking his suggestions as they were meant, i took them as criticisms and got angry.

We can't let bad attitudes like this fester. The bible tells us:
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil.

[Ephesians 4:27-28]
I can't just ignore this. I need to bring it to God in prayer, tell him exactly how I am feeling and ask him to forgive me and change me. I need his help to deal with my pride, as well as to put things in perspective. It's not all about me, but about serving and pleasing god.

I'm going to go and talk to him about it right now. I know that nothing is impossible with God, so I can trust him to instruct and guide me. You can trust him too. the bible says:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
[Ephesians 3:20].

 

I hope I have given you something to think about.

Monday 3 September 2012

WHEN GOD BRINGS LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE


WHEN GOD BRINGS LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE:

I could write, if not a book at least a long short story, about my relationship disasters - times when I rushed into love because I was lonely or a man seemed to be what I was looking for. I didn't ask God, I just went for it. The longest relationship I ever had lasted for 2.5 years, although I was in love with one man for almost 4 years without him knowing a thing about it. 

Just last Year I told god that  I was feeling lonely and I prayed that I would find a man who loved god and would love and accept me as I am. God said that it would come in time, but first he needed to heal my heart from some of the things that happened in the past. I went through a few difficult weeks dealing with some things, I cried a lot, prayed a lot, wrote a lot and god began to heal me.

Around Christmas time god brought a new friend my way. A kind, caring Christian man who lives in a country called the Solomon Islands, which isn't too far from Australia, I'm not exactly sure where it is though, I'm hopeless at geography. Well I'm sure you can guess the rest of the story but just in case you can't, I'll spell it out.

From the first I trusted him. I would write letters that were pages long, sharing my thoughts and talking about my day. when I began to suspect that I was beginning to care for him I said to God, "Lord, I do want to feel love again but I don't' want to get hurt again. Please don't let this go anywhere if it's not from you." 

I knew that martin was in love with me. he told me he was, but that if I only wanted to be friends he would accept that.

Then one night in February I had just gotten into bed when I felt a real urge to pray for him.  I tried to ignore it but it was so strong that I got up and started pacing the floor and praying. That was when I faced up to the fact that I was in love with this man. I didn't tell him how I felt though, not for a few more weeks. I prayed and fasted and pleaded with God to show me if this was his will for me or not. I was so determined I wouldn't take another step until I was sure. 

Then one night I heard god's still small voice. I can't remember the exact words but he said something like this "this is the man i have given to you. This is from me. don't be afraid."

the next time I talked to Martin I told him that I loved him. I've been happy ever since. I tell him that he is my gift from God, an unexpected blessing in my life. I thank God almost daily for bringing me this happiness when I had begun to doubt if I would ever experience true love.

The bible tells us:
I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,
that you not stir up or awaken love
until it pleases.
[Song of Songs 8:4]

This is very good advice. Another scripture that I've taken to heart is this:
Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labour in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
[Psalm 127:1]

in other words, if God's not in it it isn't going to work.

Being single can be hard, I know it can. We need to remember that whatever god allows to happen in our lives is part of his plan for us, and the scripture says:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
[romans 8:28]

I hope I have given you something to think about. God bless you all!

SEVEN THINGS I AM THANKING GOD FOR TODAY

Hi readers:

It's after midnight and I'm in the mood for writing. O well I guess when the inspiration to write hits, I might as well make use of it.

SEVEN THINGS I AM THANKING GOD FOR TODAY:
1. Holidays.  It's just nice to get away sometimes. My friends and I are staying in a place called Moree for a week, we just got here today. I was feeling exhausted, this weekend has been very busy and sleep has been elusive. I've only been here a few hours and I had a bit of a sleep and I feel good. I praise god for that.
2. Best friends. Where would we be without them? My 2 best friends in the world have stuck with me through thick and thin and I am so grateful to God for them.
3. Laughter. Little things that make me laugh can brighten up my day. the bible says that a joyful heart is good medicine and that's true.
4. animals. we have Maria's guidedog Karly with us. She's a great dog, very affectionate and playful. I don't have a dog of my own at the moment but Maria calls me Karly's auntie. lol.

5. Sleep. It can be such a blessing. we take it for granted until we have a few days when we don't sleep well, then we realise how much we need it! I thank god for sleep.
6. god's peace. The bible says:
And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 4:7]
What a blessing this is! to have God's peace in our hearts when we live in such a crazy, troubled world.
7. God's mercy, which is  new every morning. the bible says:
The steadfast love of the
Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
[Lamentations 3:22-23]
Each day can be a fresh start with God. No matter how badly I messed up yesterday, today is brand new and God's mercies are new each morning. I find that a very comforting thought.

And now my challenge to you:
can you find 7 things to thank God for? I'm sure you can if you try. Let's take a moment to thank god today for some of the many many blessings he has given us.

Prayer:

Lord I am so thankful for the many blessings you have brought to my life but most of all I am thankful for Jesus who died for me on the cross. Please teach us all to be grateful, to be people who count our blessings.

Lord I pray you will bless each of the readers of my posts, I pray you will meet their needs and that they will feel your presence today. we give you praise in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Saturday 25 August 2012

Where Do Our Frustrations Leave us?


Here is something that I wrote last week and forgot to share until now.
do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
[Philippians 4:6-7]
WHERE DO OUR FRUSTRATIONS LEAVE US?

well there I was, doing a radio show on
www.powerradio104.us
thinking things were going ok., then, uh o!  My computer started going weird. All i wanted to do was get back to the broadcaster window so I  could at least talk and make sure I had a few songs still queued up, but do you think I could get it to work? I did have  a few songs lined up because they kept playing all the time I was arguing with my computer, trying to get it to behave.. At last, however, the final song stopped and I had dead air. the only thing i could do was restart the computer. grrrrrrr! I told the wretched thing how much I hated it and wanted to throw it in the nearest lake. Even when I restarted the computer it took a couple of attempts before i could take back the station and finish the show. grrrrrr!

which leaves me with a question. Where do my frustrations leave me? I think God brings frustrations into our lives for a reason. I was listening to a message on prayer this morning and one of the things the speaker said was that God puts on our platter everything that will happen to us this day, nothing that does happen to us is outside his control. that seems to me to be a good thing to remember when things go wrong. god knows what he's doing.
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW FRUSTRATIONS?

So, if god has control of everything and he has a perfect plan for my day, why did he allow my computer to go haywire this  morning? Maybe, as simple as it seems, because he wanted me to think about frustration and write this post? We don't know all the reasons why god allows things to happen to us, though if we look back we can sometimes see how god was working through some circumstances or issues in our lives. We just have to accept, as hard as it is, that we don't know all the answers, but God does and he has a purpose for everything we go through or experience. Sometimes the reason is for our benefit, sometimes for the benefit of others. I remember one time I asked my best friend why god allowed me to go through a difficult time I had come out of. Her answer, which I believe came from God, stays with me to this day. She said that perhaps god allowed me to go through it so that I could help others who have been through similar  experiences.

so what does all this have to do with frustration?

When things go wrong our immediate response is quite often "God, why did you allow that to happen?"  or "Why me Lord?" a better response would be "What are you trying to teach me in this?" but I admit that's not the way we usually thinkand of course, that's not the way I reacted today. We have to learn, though it is hard, that God ordains our troubles and trials for his own purposes and he only lets us go through things when he knows there is a need, because this will teach us something important, cause us to depend more fully on himself, or any number of other reasons.

TRUSTING NOT REACTING

God will teach us, no matter if he needs to pound it into our brains, that his way is best. The more we trust him and believe that he has good plans for us, the more we will learn to put situations into perspective. What good did my anger at the computer do me? None at all. How could I have handled it better? by bringing it to God, telling him all about it, then asking him if there is something he is trying to teach or show me.

As the Bible says:
Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

[Philippians 4:6-7 MSG]

I don't say that this sort of response is easy but we will learn to think this way in time. Jesus didn't let the little things frazzle him because he trusted the Father completely and knew that god has a reason for all he does.

FINAL THOUGHT

if our troubles trials and challenges, no matter how big or small they may be, are drawing us away from God and causing us to doubt, then we know we need to get into some serious prayer about it. If, on the other hand, they are drawing us nearer to god, then that just might be the reason why he is allowing them to happen.

Prayer:

Father, sometimes things happen that leave us angry, frustrated, annoyed, stressed or depressed. help us to take a step back and remind ourselves that you have a purpose for everything that happens to us and that this situation is in your control. Help us to accept it when we don't receive an answer about why this is happening to us. thank you that in your love you allow us to face hard things so that we can grow and become more dependent on you. teach me, teach us all, to trust you more and learn from the trials we face. amen.

Thursday 9 August 2012

Poem: One Prayer

 

This is something I just wrote, something I just experienced. I want to share it with you in the hope it might help someone, and also to testify of god’s goodness and faithfulness. If it wasn’t 4:41 am at the moment I think I would be singing right now, I feel so grateful and joyous.

 

I hope you like the poem. god bless you.

 

ONE PRAYER:

 

The darkness was thick around me,
No ray of light to be found.
Deeper I sank into misery,
Despair and shame did abound.

Feeling battered and bloody from battles i faced,
Feeling helpless and hopeless and weak,
I cried out to god with all of my heart ,
"One thing alone do I seek.

"I'm tired of fighting myself and you,
I long for the trouble to cease.
But one thing dear Lord that I desperately need,
Let me again feel your peace."

a soft gentle glow seemed to brighten the darkness;
A loving hand lifted me up
Washed me anew from the sin and the shame
and wrapped me in a blanket of love.

Peace gently fell on my aching heart
As sweet as the morning dew;
I felt free for the first time in a very long time,
And all I could say was "thank you!"

One single cry from the depths of my darkness
Then came my saviour and friend
An  ever-present help in difficult times,
To heal and restore me again.

What gratitude now fills my heart!
O Jesus my words can't express,
When I needed you, you came quickly to me.
When I called, your answer was yes!

why is it we don't think to pray?
We just flounder around on our own;
But god is so willing to help us
So we don't need to struggle alone.

If we ask in the name of Jesus
And believe that our prayer will be heard,
God is faithful, loving and kind,
he will do all he said in his word.

so don't give up believing
that god will answer your prayer,
He may not always act in a moment,
But at the right time his help will be there.

Sunday 5 August 2012

God’s wonderful grace


GOD'S WONDERFUL GRACE

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me

Amazing what?

what is grace anyway?
The bible says:

We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace, which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.
[ephesians 1:7-8]

How much would it cost to save a single soul from going to hell?

All of us have failed to meet God's standard of absolute perfection. No matter how good we might be, we can never measure up to that! We all do things we shouldn't do and don't do things we should.

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
[romans 3:23]

Our sins deserve to be punished.

We have broken God's law. Do you think there is anything we could give to god or do for him to pay the price for our sins and save us from going to hell?

Actually, if every person who ever lived gave all that they had and dedicated themselves to serving god all their lives long, they would come far short of being able to ransom even one soul from hell. Our situation was totally hopeless!


Jesus is our saviour.
Jesus came to this earth. He was  fully god and fully man and he gave his life for us when he died on the cross.

  For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
[romans 6:24]

he took our place and took the punishment we deserve for our sins. He was raised from death on the third day
and in him we are made  new. We are part of his family now and he has given us a fresh start.

And the life I now live in the flesh
I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
[galatians 2:20b]

This is grace.

It is God's undeserved gift of forgiveness for our sins and new life, all because Jesus died for us.
No wonder why we sing
amazing grace how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
was blind but now I see.

Saturday 28 July 2012

devotional: praying for our unsaved family and friends:

DEVOTIONAL


Marianne sat down in Pastor Johns  office and sighed.

"What's troubling you?"  he asked her.

"Well, I'm feeling a bit discouraged"  she admitted, "For years now I've been praying   for my family to become Christians and nothing has changed. Jack still gets drunk every weekend and Mum is talking about going to visit a Clairvoyant. are my prayers doing any good at all? Are they even getting through? Mum changes the subject whenever i talk about church and Jack just tells me to shut up talking about that god stuff. I wish I knew what to do!"

"It's hard not to be discouraged sometimes,"  he replied sympathetically, "Especially when you want something so much and nothing seems to be happening, I know I've felt that way too, that's when we have to trust that god knows what he's doing and keep on praying even though we don't feel like it. You know the story of Abraham and Isaac, how god gave him a son when he was 100 years old and Sarah was 90?  If he had given up praying for a son when he was 98 do you think Abraham would have gotten his miracle?"

"Probably not,"  she admitted thoughtfully.

"Anyway Marianne, it doesn't matter how far someone may be from accepting the truth, God can take the hardest of hearts and turn them around, look at what he did with the Apostle Paul. you remember we studied his story in the book of Acts? Before he became a Christian he actually persecuted the church. He believed that Christians were telling lies about god and so he tried to stop them but Jesus appeared to him on the Damascus road and stopped him in his tracks."

"So I guess if God could get through to someone like that, he can get through to my family, right?"

"Yes. Nothing is too hard for God, so just hold onto that. Keep Praying for wisdom about how and when to witness to them, look for opportunities to do good things for them   and most of all,keep praying for them. God will reach them at just the right time."

"I will,"  she said, feeling encouraged and much more hopeful, "Thank you."

All of us want to see our family and friends coming to know Christ. the most important thing we can do for them is pray for them and not give up even when we don't see results. We also need to ask God to show us what he wants us to do or say to them. We can show them the love of Christ by our actions, by doing things to help them, just like Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.   sometimes  God might tell us to say something, share a bible verse or talk about something we learned at church, while at other times the best thing we can do is drop the subject for a  while and pray that god will send someone else to speak to them, such as  a co-worker or friend whom they respect and would listen to.   

God wants our loved ones to be saved even more than we do, so we can trust them to him. the bible says:
The Lord isn't slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their
hearts and lives.
[2 Peter 3:9]

Prayer:
Dear god, we all have friends and family that we love and care about and we long to see them get saved and walk with you. We ask you will give us wisdom and show us what we can do, and help us to keep praying when we feel discouraged and remember that you love them much more than we could ever do. We commit them into your hands Lord, please do your will  in their lives. In the name of Jesus we pray, amen.

HOPE message about hope:

  Romans 5:3-5
This doesn't mean, of course, that we have only a hope of future joys-we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the
right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady
hope, a hope that will never disappoint us. Already we have some experience of the love of God flooding through our hearts by [the Holy Spirit given to us.

I want to talk about hope today. Before we go any further, though, I thought it would be good to have a definition:
This is a definition I found on wikipedia:
"to cherish a desire with anticipation"; "to desire with expectation of obtainment"; or "to expect with confidence".

as Christians, our hope is not vague but it is certain. We hope to be with Jesus forever. that will happen. We  hope to escape the second death, if we hold onto our faith, that will happen. We hope to see our saved loved ones who have gone on before us. that will happen.

Why do we need hope?

Imagine you are going on a long journey. sometimes the road is bumpy, you have mountains to climb, rivers to ford,  valleys to get through. sometimes the difficulties of the journey make you forget why you started out in the first place. But, if you have in your mind where you are going and why you want to get there, you will keep plodding on because you know the result is going to justify all the struggles and effort you went through on the journey.

that's why God gave us hope. He knew life would be difficult, there would be persecutions and trials and the usual suffering that happens because we live in a fallen world of fallen people. He wanted us to keep our mind set on the goal, what we are aiming for, eternal life with God, so that we will keep on battling through until this life is over and we are in the presence of god.
This is because we remember your work that comes from faith, your effort that comes from love, and your perseverance that comes from hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and Father.
[1 Thessalonians 1:3

the bible warns us not to lose our hope.
if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[
[Colossians 1:23]

To  see hope in action, we will have a brief look at some incidents from the life of Abraham. He is acknowledged as a man of great faith, which he was, but he was also a man of great hope, as the bible says:
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, “So shall your offspring be.”  He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead ( since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.  No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,

[Romans 4:18-20].
god also promised to give Abraham's descendants the land of Canaan, where Abraham lived as a semi-nomadic shepherd.

After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram [Abraham] in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.” But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” And Abram said, “Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the Lord came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look towards heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
And he said to him, “I am the Lord who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.” But he said, “O Lord God, how am I to know that I shall possess it?”
[Genesis 15:1-8 ESV]

So,  one of the things Abraham was hoping and praying for [that is, the birth of a son] happened in his lifetime. In fact, Abraham had several sons, Ishmael by Hagar, Isaac by Sarah and Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah by Keturah. The other promise, that he and his descendants would have the land of Canaan, didn't come true for 400 or more years! Even so, Abraham, Isaac and the rest of the Patriarchs hoped expectantly for this thing to happen and at last it did happen when the Israelites, under Joshua,  took the land.

My point is this: some of the things we hope for will happen in our lifetime, but most of what we as Christians hope for won't happen till after this life is over,yet we still need to hope.

Abraham's faith and hope were tested in about the strongest possible way when God ordered him to offer  up Isaac as a whole burnt offering:

After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here am I.” He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”  So Abraham rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac. And he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.
god called Isaac Abraham's only son because it was Isaac with whom God would  make his covenant and his descendants would inherit the land. We don't know why God asked Abraham to do this thing, some suggest that Abraham and Isaac were acting out a prophecy that would be fulfilled when God gave his only begotten son, that is, when Jesus died for us on the cross.  Others suggest that Abraham's love for his son was bordering on worship and God needed to correct him. We don't know. Anyway, here is what the writer to the Hebrews says about this event:

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

The point is, Abraham's faith and hope didn't waver even during this most difficult time. Our hope and faith should not waver either, no matter how difficult life gets or how unlikely it seems that we will ever get what we hope for.

Another example of hope in action is David. He was a young man and at the time he was first anointed as king by Samuel, he was keeping his father's sheep.  it was years before he actually became king of all Israel. At the time he was anointed, Saul was the king. God had rejected him from being king because of Saul's disobedience. Initially, David was welcomed at the king's court because he was a gifted harpist and his  music soothed the king, who was tormented with an evil spirit. however, when David killed Goliath, Saul began to be jealous of David. he gave his daughter to David as a wife, but Saul began plotting to have him killed until David had to flee for his life. For years he lived in the desert, hiding from Saul who was pursuing him, wanting him dead. At last David escaped to the enemy of  his people, the Philistines. He had plenty of reasons to despair and give up hoping but he never did.

when Saul was killed in battle David reigned over Judah for 6.5 years and one of Saul's sons ruled Israel, until Abner, Saul's uncle, switched sides and encouraged the whole nation to make David king. David was finally made king after Saul's son Ishbosheth was murdered.

All the Israelite tribes came to David at Hebron and said, “Listen: We are your very own flesh and bone. In the past, when Saul ruled over us, you were
the one who led Israel out to war and back. What’s more, the Lord told you, You will shepherd my people Israel, and you will be Israel’s leader.
So all the Israelite elders came to the king at Hebron. King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over
Israel.
[2 Samuel 5:1-3]

This took place years after David's first anointing by Samuel, yet David never gave up believing and expecting god to do what he had promised. he never lost hope. In fact, he encouraged Israel to hope in their god:
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvellous for me.
But I have calmed and quietened my soul,
like a weaned child with its mother;
like a weaned child is my soul within me.
O Israel, hope in the Lord
from this time forth and for evermore.
[Psalm 131]
So, be encouraged and hope in god.  Your hope is like a fire, if it isn't tended to it goes out. Spending time with god in prayer and bible study and reminding ourselves what God has done for us keeps that fire burning. We can encourage each other to keep hoping, just like Saul's son Jonathan encouraged David:

Saul’s son Jonathan came to David at Horesh and encouraged him with God. Jonathan said to him, “Don't be afraid! My father Saul’s hand won't touch you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be your second in command. Even my father Saul knows this.” Then the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David stayed at Horesh, but Jonathan went back home.
[1 Samuel 23:16-18
Jonathan was half right. Saul didn't touch David, but Jonathan died on Mount Gilboa and was never David's second in command. Still he encouraged David at a  time when Jonathan's own father was doing his utmost to kill David. we can encourage each other too. We all have challenges in life but we know it's going to get better.

, thinking about the future keeps our hope alive. 
Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,  and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.
[Hebrews 12:12-13]

Let me leave you with this blessing from romans 15:13.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

amen.
questions to ponder:
These questions are just for you to think about and answer in your time alone with god.
1. what things are you hoping for?
2. can you think of other reasons why we need to keep our hope strong?
3. how do you keep your hope strong when you are going through hard times?
4. Do you know anyone you can encourage to keep hoping in God today?

Friday 20 July 2012

a little prayer and praise

Hi readers:

This morning I was praying. sometimes I write down my prayers because it helps me to focus and I'm better at expressing myself in writing than in speech. Anyway I began praying for my unsaved relatives and friends and it turned into a praise time and I decided I would tidy it up and post it. I think sometimes we can all get so bogged down in the challenges and trials of life, and I'm talking to myself as much as anyone else here, that we don't look up and contemplate all the riches and joys and wonders that we have as Christians. The greatest of all is that we can know god. I hope this encourages someone. If anyone wants to share something encouraging along this line that they have written, email it to me at
rishie@dodo.com.au
and I will happily post it, giving you credit of course. Let us encourage each other,.
Here goes:

 

Father I pray for my family, I pray for all my unsaved  loved ones to come to Christ. you gave the prescription we all need to follow in Acts 16:31
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” [ESV]
I pray that my family and loved ones will believe in you Lord Jesus, in who you are and in all the wondrous, amazing, life-giving and praise-worthy things you have done for us, things for which the eternity of the eternities will not be sufficient time to thank you fully for! I pray they may know these things, put their faith and trust in you and be saved. i want them to know the security i know, I want them to know the love I know, Father I want them to know your omnipresense that you have shown me so far, that I am never alone, no matter where I am am! There is so much about you I want them to experience Lord,  what I've learned in my 32 years being  your child has just scratched the surface of all that there is to learn of you.

father knowing you is wonderful knowing you is awesome knowing you is incredible! It helps us get through our hardest times, gives us  a reason to get up in the morning, knowing you gives purpose and reason and direction to our lives. O the incomparable joy, the riches's and depths, the power and pleasure, the satisfaction invigoration and inspiration, the communion and fellowship involved in knowing you Jesus. O, Jesus thank you for the privilege of knowing you. Thank you that you reveal yourself to us. We will thank you forever for who you are and all you do. . dear Father, make us thankful people,  may we never let a day go by without saying "thank you" to you for at least a few of the vast array of blessings you give us. 
Lord our God, among all the blessings you have given us, having a relationship with you is the greatest. It is all because of the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to know you. Give us a hunger to know you more. Make us people that you can share more of yourself with. Help us remember Lord that as we draw near to you, you draw near to us. Teach us to seek you with our whole hearts, knowing that he who seeks shall find.
these things I pray in the name of Jesus, the name that is above every name, the name of my blessed lord and saviour, the name of the lover of my soul, the name of my beloved king, O Jesus I love you Lord! amen.

 

I hope you were blessed by that. I certainly was. god bless you all and may you each have a wonderful day in the Lord!

Thursday 12 July 2012

Rishie’s Ramblings: yes, it’s me again

Dear readers:

 

Well it’s been more than six months since i posted anything on this blog and I appologise for that. there have been a few reasons but mostly I’ve been lazy and haven’t posted the couple of things I have written.

 

I now have a new computer. While I was away at christmas time, someone got into my computer and messed with it. It has been in and out of the computer shop all year and finally I decided it was better to get a new one since they still had no idea what the problem actually was. So, I now have a netbook and I like it. I’ve spent the last week or so getting it set up with the programmes I want and so on.

 

Well I am going to try and post more regularly, I have a couple of teachings to put up here  and some  poems too. I am also going to write more regularly just about my life and the things I’m thinking or doing, that will be in this category of rishie’s ramblings.

 

I’m having issues with the blogger interface not being very accessible so I am using windows live writer. Let’s see how this works out.

 

Plese keep my cousin Karra in your prayers she has problems with her heart and may need a transplant. She is not a Christian so maybe the lord will use this experience to draw her to himself. I’m praying for that anyway.

 

god bless you all!

Tuesday 6 March 2012

Unity

today I want to look at the subject of unity: unity in our Church family and unity across denominational lines.
The scripture says:
Behold, how good and pleasant it is
when brothers dwell in unity!
[Psalm 133:1]
we all can see that when a Church is unified and working together it is a much more pleasant environment, a place of peace and harmony..
Divisions in the Church can cause heartache and may result in some members leaving the Church, but when the members of a Church make an effort to strengthen the bonds of unity and heal the hurts that have resulted from disunity, the church can be stronger and more able and willing to serve God, our master and blessed lord.
In my town we have interdenominational prayer meetings, where members of the different Churches get together at one church to pray about a variety of things. We also work together for a few events during the year such as the world day of prayer service and the carols service at the end of the year. The pastors of the Churches get together for discussion and prayer from time to time. We can do a lot for God when we all work together.
Here is an example of what unity can do:
In the time after the flood and before Abraham, all the people spoke one language and lived near each other. They decided that they
would build a tower that reached heaven, not to glorify God but as a show of what they were capable of doing, to glorify themselves.
Here is what God says:
" And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. [Genesis 11:6]
That is what unity can accomplish. Of course, they were united in an act of rebellion against God, but they were united and God knew the best way to deal with this was to scatter them and give them separate languages.
 
Because the devil knows that we can accomplish a lot when united, he will do his level best to cause divisions in the Church.
Here is one example from Scripture of a divided, disunified Church.
Now I encourage you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ: agree with each other and don't be divided into rival groups. Instead be restored with the same mind and the same purpose. My brothers and sisters, Chloe’s people gave me some information about you,
that you're fighting with each other. What I mean is this: that each one of you says, "I belong to Paul," "I belong to Apollos," "I belong to Cephas," "I belong to Christ." Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you, or were you baptized in Paul’s name?
[1 Corinthians 1:10-16]
the group had splintered into 4 separate factions,for Paul, for Appolos
For Peter [Cephas] and for Christ. This division had caused arguing among the believers.
as each side argued for their chosen leader. I am sure you can imagine the sort of problems that would arise in a divided group like this, arguments between groups, divisions even in homes where people were for different leaders, each group trying to prove that the others were all wrong and they were in the right. you know how it goes,
when we know we are right our flesh nature wants to prove to everybody else that they are wrong in whatever it is we are arguing about ,and give detailed explanations as to why they are so wrong, we love to be proved right.
What a mess! Paul makes it clear to them that Christ is the leader of all and that himself, Appolos and peter were only servants through whom they learned about Christ and began to grow in the faith. What sort of example do you think this kind of Church group would be setting for non-believers?
Unity doesn't mean we necessarily totally agree with everything each other believes, but unity is when we agree to disagree and put our differences aside.
Of course, if someone's beliefs differ in a major area such as salvation by faith in Christ or salvation by works only, then we need to pray for the one who believes in a works based salvation to learn the truth, loving them, not looking down on them and, if God guides us to,gently and respectfully show them the truth from God's word.
An example of a doctrine that people disagree on is the doctrine of the rapture. some are pre-tribulationists [/That is, that Jesus will come for the Church before the Tribulation starts], some are mid-tribulationists and others are post-tribulationists. others don't believe in the rapture at all. The truth is we don't know, when Jesus is coming back. I personally am a pre-tribulationist, as I explain in another post here, but just because I think that way doesn't mean that if I had a friend who doesn't agree with me about that I need to argue with them about it and try to prove I'm in the right. Rather, since we don't really know anyway we can agree to disagree and focus on the things and beliefs we do have in common.
The Scripture says:
Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. [2 Timothy 3:14]

Another thing that causes disunity in the Church is gossip. This is one I struggle with a bit. We have to think, when we are going to share some piece of information about another,
- is this true,
- is sharing this helpful,
and
- what is my motive for sharing it.
Let me show you how this works. Now, as an example, Imagine if you heard that I was taking drugs. NOW I don't and never have taken drugs but this is just an example. Then if you told your friends "Did you know that Rishie takes drugs, and she calls herself a Christian,don't you think that's terrible?"
even if it was true Jesus gives us very clear ways of dealing with sin in the Church and they don't include gossip. The way to handle it would be to confront me and if I didn't listen, to bring a couple of witnesses along, and if I still didn't pay attention to make it known to the Church and if I still didn't pay attention, to treat me like an outcast and hopefully I would be brought to a realisation of my sin.
Gossip doesn't do any good but it can do a lot of harm, especially if the things we are gossiping about aren't true, it can damage relationships and cause problems in the church.
Another thing that can be very hurtful is if someone treats us nicely but then says unkind things about us behind our backs and it gets back to us. Ouch!I had a friend, once who came to stay with us for a while and when she left she said it has been nice seeing me and she was looking forward to next time but she said to one of my friends that she would not come back to visit here as long as I was here. Now that person and i sorted things out and I'm not saying this to put her down just using it as an example. You can imagine how that hurt. now if we have a problem with someone the best thing to do is to lovingly speak to them about it and tell them how we feel.
So if there is disunity in the church, What can we do about it?
Firstly? pray. Take it before the lord, if possible get a group of people together and pray about it.
Secondly, if God leads, you may be able to intervene to help reunite the rival groups.
I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have laboured side by side
with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Sometimes one who isn't in the middle of the dispute can bring rivals together to try and sort things out or at the least, to agree to disagree. Jesus says this:
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
[Matt 5:9]
we need to be guided by the Spirit because on our own we could end up doing more harm than good But with God's help we may be able to reconcile those who are at odds with each other.
If there is disunity in the Church it shouldn't be ignored but the members of the Church need to seek God about it and then do what he tells us to do.
 
As for disunity between members of different denominations, We need to pray about that too and God may show us something that we can do, such as starting a morning tea for Christian ladies in the town or area you live in,
or having a men's breakfast or a picnic or something every so often.
We need to be careful that we are not critical of people in other denominations I know someone who sometimes makes negative generalisations about members of a different denomination, and i have been guilty of negative thoughts about people from another denomination, all this should definitely be avoided. If we know that we are feeling this way or doing this sort of thing we need to pray about it. In one of her books Beth Moore talks about making friends with a Christian lady she met and then discovering that this lady belonged to a denomination that was looked down on by the members of Beth's Church. She explained that this friendship helped open her eyes and that God used it to deal with this prejudice she had against members of the other Church. God can do the same in our lives too, if he sees we have a prejudice against members of other denominations or other races or people of different colour or whatever our prejudices might be. Prejudice has no place in the body of Christ and if we are prejudiced God is not likely to allow you to stay that way.
In closing I want to leave you with a scripture from the book of Ephesians chapter 4 :3-6:
and make an effort to preserve the unity of the Spirit with the peace that ties you together. You are one body and one spirit just as God also called you in one hope. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all who is over all, through all, and in all.
Do you notice what stands out in this passage?
1 ... 1.... 1 ... 1....
He couldn't have made it clearer. As the song says:
Father make us one
that the world may know
you have sent your son
father make us one."
May this be our prayer.
I hope I have given you all something to think about. May God bless each of you!

Saturday 18 February 2012

Insight: a few Questions to Prayerfully Consider

Here are a few thoughts to prayerfully consider. I haven't written this to judge anyone but in the spirit of Hebrews 10:24 I thought I would share them.
 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
[Hebrews  10:24]

Did I have a time of prayer and bible study today?

Are there things God has done for me today that I need to thank him for?

Are there sins in my life I haven't asked God's forgiveness for?

Do I know anyone who needs a hug, a kind word or a helping hand?

Is there anyone I know who needs encouragement in their Christian walk?
Is there someone I should call or visit or email to let them know I care?

Am I using the gifts and talents God has given me?

Have I taken a few quiet moments to allow God to speak to me?

Have I told God today that I love him?

Is there anyone in my life I need to ask forgiveness of?

Is there anyone in my life I need to forgive?

Are there relationships in my life that need mending?

have I told my loved ones recently that I love them?

Have I shown my loved ones recently that I love them? Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

Are there things I need to talk to God about?

Do I know someone who is sad or hurting that I can comfort?

Is God telling me to do something and I haven't done it yet?

Have  I prayed for my Church  and pastor this week?

Have I prayed for Christians who are suffering for their faith?

Am I being a wise steward of the money God gives me?

Am I becoming more like Jesus?

Am I a doer of the word or just a hearer only?

do I set my mind on things above, not things of this world? [col 3:2]


Here are a few thoughts to prayerfully consider. I haven't written this to judge anyone but in the spirit of Hebrews 10:24 I thought I would share them.
 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
[Hebrews  10:24]

Did I have a time of prayer and bible study today?

Are there things God has done for me today that I need to thank him for?

Are there sins in my life I haven't asked God's forgiveness for?

Do I know anyone who needs a hug, a kind word or a helping hand?

Is there anyone I know who needs encouragement in their Christian walk?
Is there someone I should call or visit or email to let them know I care?

Am I using the gifts and talents God has given me?

Have I taken a few quiet moments to allow God to speak to me?

Have I told God today that I love him?

Is there anyone in my life I need to ask forgiveness of?

Is there anyone in my life I need to forgive?

Are there relationships in my life that need mending?

have I told my loved ones recently that I love them?

Have I shown my loved ones recently that I love them? Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

Are there things I need to talk to God about?

Do I know someone who is sad or hurting that I can comfort?

Is God telling me to do something and I haven't done it yet?

Have  I prayed for my Church  and pastor this week?

Have I prayed for Christians who are suffering for their faith?

Am I being a wise steward of the money God gives me?

Am I becoming more like Jesus?

Am I a doer of the word or just a hearer only?

do I set my mind on things above, not things of this world? [col 3:2]