Praise Be To His Name!

Undulating waves.

Rocks and fossils.

Colour, size and shape.

The Lord spoke and 

there they were.

Laughter, puzzles, books.

Food, walks, time away.

The Lord gave us the

ability to enjoy.

Songs, voices upraised.

Small communities of Christians.

Coming together as one by grace.

The Lord has provided in Jesus.

Praise be to his name! 

Memory

I can hurt
I can fade.
I can make you want to hide.

When you think over things said and unsaid.
When you think about what you have and have not done.
When you think on all things past and future.

I am memory.
I will not go away.
I am not entirely bad.

Some instances, you may recall,
are not just there to drive you up the wall.
Some make you smile and laugh and stand tall.

Although you may recoil and avoid
the recollections that you wish to forget and ignore.
Allow me to point to the times you have endured and had faith.

In all things faith and hope can be clung to.
In all circumstances you can be still and know that God is God.
In all things God works for the good of those who love him.

Rest and remember the merciful God who loves you regardless.
Rest and remember that through all your emotions he is with you.
Rest and remember that when you do not love yourself...

God always has and always will.

Easter

Jesus went to Jerusalem to die for us.

He didn’t have to save us.

He knew that his death would be agonisingly painful.

He died in our place.

We did nothing.

We are  weak and helpless.

He came in strength, mercy and love.

He came to save us from the curse of sin.

On the cross his body was broken and his blood was shed to make us whole.

Consider him.

A madman? A liar? A saviour?

Jesus is my  saviour.

Jesus the Messiah has saved us from condemnation.

We do not deserve his compassion.

We deserved death.

Jesus gave us life and hope.

God our  Father loved us.

He watched his children reject him, turn away and ignore him.

Again, and again, and again.

But… God still loves us.

God planned to bring us back to him.

God planned to send his son to repair what sin has broken.

God sent his one and only  son so that whoever believes in him will not die,

But have eternal life.

Jesus’ blood, his death and his return from death

Made us free from sin and clean before God

He made us right with God.

Able to be in his presence.

To love him.

To serve him.

To honour him.

To be his children.

Will you come to rejoice in him?

I rejoice in him with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

I have taken up my cross and I follow him.

It’s not always easy, but it’s always worth it.

This is the greatest story ever told.

This is the story of how God loved man.

This is the story of Easter.

The Future

I used to dwell on  the past.

It was eating me up inside.

I was tired to the bone.

Then I turned to God.

To the God who loves me, cares for me and helps me grow. 

The Lord my God who has helped me time and time again, helped me to recover. 

Now I can look to the future without apprehension.

Now I pray that my Father will make me more and more the women that he wants me to be.

Now I am free to learn from my past, live in the present and look to the future. 

Matthew 6:26 and 27

"Look at the birds in the sky! They don't plant or harvest. 

They don't even store grain in barns. 

Yet your Father in heaven takes care of them.

 Aren't you worth much more than birds? 

Can worry make you live longer?" 

Work

What is it?

According to the macquarie dictionary (2003),

the word work has 23 separate meanings.

The first of which is

'exertion directed to produce or accomplish something; labour, toil.

Why do people work?

I asked what work meant to people I know and they told me that to them work is;

'Something that is never easy but makes you feel a lot better than from when you started.'

'Procrastination...don't put things off.' 

'Realising I will never get paid work ever again, mourning that, and trying not to let it define me.'

'Society requirements.'

'Some work is great to watch. I remember watching 2 men make concrete when I was a kid, it was perfect timing and action. They use concrete mixers now, of course. Some work is very creative and makes you feel good. BUT I hate housework.'

To me  going to work means

Using all the skills and energy that God has blessed me with to serve him,
loving and serving others as he has done for me.

This is what Paul says in Colossians 3:23 and 24

'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.'

I am blessed by God that I truly love my job.

I find meaning and value in what I do.

Paid or volunteer.

So... why do you go to work?

The Door

“Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger

or discipline me in your wrath.

Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;

heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

My soul is in deep anguish.

How long, Lord, how long?

 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;

save me because of your unfailing love.

 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.

Who praises you from the grave?

 I am worn out from my groaning.

All night long I flood my bed with weeping

and drench my couch with tears.

 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;

they fail because of all my foes.

 Away from me, all you who do evil,

for the Lord, has heard my weeping.

 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;

the Lord accepts my prayer.

 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;

they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.”

Psalm 6

David was a man in anguish. When he was in the pit of despair he reached out to God.

He trusted his Heavenly Father.

We can too.

Our foes are our temptations to follow our selfish desires.

To let the devil, take over and torment us.

So…

“Put on the full Armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full Armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.  In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

Ephesians 6:10-18

Our God is always there, standing by us in our torment.

Sometimes we don’t see that he cares.

We forget that he sent his son to die for us.

That he to, has endured great suffering.

Every time his children turn away, ignore him, and slam the door in his face.

Jesus is one who can open this door. God sent him.

To make a way for us to come back to him.

Into his arms, accepting his offer of grace.

Jesus said;

“I tell you the truth; anyone who will not receive the

kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Mark 10:15

When we come to God as his children we relinquish control of our lives.

“We know that all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28

Let him in. You will see.

He does care.

Suffering...

SUFFERING

“They will go around in great pain and will become so hungry that they will try to find help on Earth and in Heaven.   They will find only trouble and darkness, terrible trouble and deepest darkness”, said the Lord to Isaiah.

Isaiah 8: 21-22

When contemplating suffering

              That dreaded thing that

Haunts our dreams,

Cloaks our world with despair,

And can occupy our every thought;

When contemplating suffering

Our hearts throb with fatigue,
Our heads spin uncontrollably,

Our fight or flight instincts take hold of us;

When contemplating suffering

I, like Paul the scholar,

And like Isaiah the prophet,

Have hope of a day when it will end.

Suffering will continue to exist in the broken world.

BUT

God has a plan to end it.

His plan is fail safe,

Perfect and made with immense love.

God planned Jesus His only Son to come
To save us from sin and darkness.

Jesus came, died and rose again,

Jesus our Lord, Saviour and God’s beloved Son.

And one day he will come again to finish what he started,

Restoring this broken world, our relationship with God,

And ending suffering forever.

But those who have suffered will no longer be in pain. Those who have walked in the dark have seen a great light.    And it shines upon everyone who lives in the land of the shadow of death.  Our Lord, you have made our nation stronger.  Because of you, its people are glad and celebrate!  .  .  .  You have broken the power of those who abused and enslaved your people.  You have rescued them.

Isaiah 9: 1-4