Last year it was around this time that everything was going great! I felt that every area of my life was going well and I was headed to a fantastic finish to a wonderful year. What could go wrong? All I could think about was how well things would turn out.
Then things started to fall apart. You could say "the wheels suddenly fell off". All those things that I was riding home, all those elements that were bringing me joy, they all started to head in the opposite direction. What was I doing wrong? What mistakes was I making? Why did I deserve all this?
In the end...2010 really didnt end well for me. Ultimately it meant that I started 2011 in a really low state. I held little hope for the year ahead, I didnt have much confidence in my ability to get back on my feet...basically I had lost all hope.
Fast forward to the end of September and looking back I can see there have been a lot of ups and downs these past 9 months. Even more exciting is what is in store for the remaining 3 months. I honestly believe that God has everything under control...as long as we submit to Him and live according to His will. It is when we live as He intended that we live in the fullness of His blessings...even if we dont realise it or acknowledge it!
Im not going to just ride out the remainder of the year and hope for the best...Im going to get cracking and do my very best with the remaining time I have in this year.
I thank God for each and everyday...I pray that you open up doors of opportunity and bring countless instances across my path where I can serve you and demonstrate your love in this work.
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
How far will you go?
There are going to be times in life where we believe we can count on someone, we believe they will be tere to help us, to assist us...but when that time actually arrives...that person is no where to be seen.
The reality is...we may believe we are people who want to help others, support them in their times of need, assist them when they are in trouble...its a lot harder to put those words into action. But we need to understand that God has called us to be people who bring people to Him. And even more important to understand is the fact that its not going to be easy! But each of us have a calling on our lives to make a difference in the lives of those we encounter! But how far are you willing to go?
The fact is...if we are obedient to God's calling...there will be people in heaven because we have made a difference in their life. Sometimes the smallest thing we do can have the biggest impact on another...thats why I believe we should never downplay a single moment in our life...we should never neglect a single moment with someone...we should never take for granted a second we have to share with someone!
But sometimes we will feel simple in comparison to some of those people in church with such great faith! I guess you can liken it to when I go to the gym. After coming out of the changing room and as I walk into the workout area...I see many guys working out with massive muscles! As intimidating as they are to be working out around...I know I have a purpose to be there...and so I get on with my workout...even if I am only bench pressing 1/10 of the weight they are lifting! Of course now my guns are huge and Im bench pressing as much as anyone...just joking =P
But we must not allow ourselves to feel threatened by those we percieve as having a greater faith. God has a calling on each and everyones life and we must not fall into the trap of comparing with others. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 17:20
But as with everything, in every crowd, in every group...there are different levels of faith. It is with these different levels of faith that come different levels of rewards. We need to realise that no matter what we do, Jesus knows our core intentions, the motives behind our actions. He knows where you are right now. While this may sound a little concerning, it should be something that you feel comfort from. God knows where you are at right now emotionally, He knows what you are going through, what you are feeling, what you are struggling with. So when the assaults, accusations and criticisms come from others, as long as you are doing what God has called you to do, following His word, you need not concern yourself with what others say...God knows your heart!
So what are the different levels of faith? Well they could be broken up more finely, but lets discuss three key levels...
Critical Religious Faith
These are the kind of people who have enough faith to get to the meeting, but not enough faith to understand the meeting. These kind of people followed Jesus around...but they were the first to criticise what Jesus said when they felt it was against their own beliefs. This is evident in Mark 2:6-7 -
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
These people only focus on the negative. Actually to be more accurate...they bring in their negative attitude to the meeting. They dont have a heart to celebrate, they are just looking for things to complain about. The reality is the things we focus on will grow in our minds!
One piece of scripture that is relevant for these people is from Psalm 101:6 which says:
Curious & Needy
These are people who are desperate to be in God's presence and God truly loves these people! Psalm 42:1 highlights this attitude:
Committed
These people are like the four men in Mark 2 who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They didn't focus on the obstacles...they only saw the goal! Their goal was to bring their friend to Jesus...to see Jesus work a miracle. They weren't going to see any miracle by giving up at the first hurdle they faced. In order to be like these people, we must understand the following key points:
The reality is...we may believe we are people who want to help others, support them in their times of need, assist them when they are in trouble...its a lot harder to put those words into action. But we need to understand that God has called us to be people who bring people to Him. And even more important to understand is the fact that its not going to be easy! But each of us have a calling on our lives to make a difference in the lives of those we encounter! But how far are you willing to go?
The fact is...if we are obedient to God's calling...there will be people in heaven because we have made a difference in their life. Sometimes the smallest thing we do can have the biggest impact on another...thats why I believe we should never downplay a single moment in our life...we should never neglect a single moment with someone...we should never take for granted a second we have to share with someone!
But sometimes we will feel simple in comparison to some of those people in church with such great faith! I guess you can liken it to when I go to the gym. After coming out of the changing room and as I walk into the workout area...I see many guys working out with massive muscles! As intimidating as they are to be working out around...I know I have a purpose to be there...and so I get on with my workout...even if I am only bench pressing 1/10 of the weight they are lifting! Of course now my guns are huge and Im bench pressing as much as anyone...just joking =P
But we must not allow ourselves to feel threatened by those we percieve as having a greater faith. God has a calling on each and everyones life and we must not fall into the trap of comparing with others. Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 17:20
He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you."Your faith in Jesus to do the miraculous will open up the opportunity for God to move and do the miraculous! This is something important that we must come to understand....the fact that the atmosphere that we create opens or closes the door for Jesus to be able to work his magic! It comes down to our expectations, we must be people who demand that Jesus comes & speaks to us!
But as with everything, in every crowd, in every group...there are different levels of faith. It is with these different levels of faith that come different levels of rewards. We need to realise that no matter what we do, Jesus knows our core intentions, the motives behind our actions. He knows where you are right now. While this may sound a little concerning, it should be something that you feel comfort from. God knows where you are at right now emotionally, He knows what you are going through, what you are feeling, what you are struggling with. So when the assaults, accusations and criticisms come from others, as long as you are doing what God has called you to do, following His word, you need not concern yourself with what others say...God knows your heart!
So what are the different levels of faith? Well they could be broken up more finely, but lets discuss three key levels...
Critical Religious Faith
These are the kind of people who have enough faith to get to the meeting, but not enough faith to understand the meeting. These kind of people followed Jesus around...but they were the first to criticise what Jesus said when they felt it was against their own beliefs. This is evident in Mark 2:6-7 -
Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
These people only focus on the negative. Actually to be more accurate...they bring in their negative attitude to the meeting. They dont have a heart to celebrate, they are just looking for things to complain about. The reality is the things we focus on will grow in our minds!
One piece of scripture that is relevant for these people is from Psalm 101:6 which says:
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land,that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.We must be people who that at anytime, any place and anything, we are celebrating the good things!
Curious & Needy
These are people who are desperate to be in God's presence and God truly loves these people! Psalm 42:1 highlights this attitude:
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my GodIt is so important that we do not allow ourselves to stop being people hungry for the word of God. There are going to be times in life where everything appears to be going along smoothly, no major troubles are coming against us...and its in these times we begin to fall into the "auto-pilot" mode. We must counteract this and when we feel we are falling into this place, ask God for a fresh revelation that the people we encounter daily have a hunger for God...they just have not recognised it yet! Behind every person we meet each day, there is a story...there is a need...a hunger...for God! Are we quenching the thirst that these people have?
Committed
These people are like the four men in Mark 2 who bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus. They didn't focus on the obstacles...they only saw the goal! Their goal was to bring their friend to Jesus...to see Jesus work a miracle. They weren't going to see any miracle by giving up at the first hurdle they faced. In order to be like these people, we must understand the following key points:
- We need to be seeking God before we come to the meeting
- We must not allow ourselves to be subject to the circumstance, we must create the circumstance
- We must come with an expectation
They had a dream and they expected God to fulfil it. Looking at your own life...do you have a heavenly dream that God has placed on your heart? It is when we start dreaming that we start doing!
Its my prayer that you will begin to see situations differently, in a different light. You will recognise the urgency in bringing our unsaved loved ones to Christ. Because if we bring them...God will touch them.
We must rise up and do what God has called us to do.
We must rise up and believe God will do what we expect Him to do
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see
(Hebrews 11:1)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Just doing what we can
Its closing in on 9pm and Im sitting alone in the desserted office. Everyone else has long gone home to their wife, husband, kids, boyfriend, girlfriend...loved ones. Even the cleaners have done their job and have gone. But I still sit there alone...in the office...working away...but for what? To meet the deadline for a client that actually couldn't care less if you gave up your social life completely for their project just so it came on the impossible deadline they set?
This is a common story for me...and while my boss can count himself lucky that I dont have a loved one to go home to...I do begin to wonder why I bother doing this. But when I begin to question my motives, I remember that there is one who is always with me and sees everything I do. Our heavenly father never leaves our side...no matter how the circumstances look around us, He is always there. The odds may be stacked up against us, our friends may have long desserted us, you may feel that you do not have the strength to achieve a solution...but no matter how things look around you...God will always be there.
People will let you down, disappoint you, disappear at the vital moment, forget you...but God will never let you down. He sees all you do, He sees the state of your heart, the fears that are consuming you and the desires that you are crying out for!
I try to do my best in all that I do. I know some people will disagree with this...they will say that I have let them down, disappointed them, hurt them...but I honestly try my best. But the fact is...Im not perfect. I will make mistakes, I will fall short, I will not meet peoples needs 100%. This isn't an excuse...its just a simple fact. But the reality is...Im not meant to do it all...Im will never be 100%... perfection is out of my reach....but our heavenly father will meet all our needs, He will never disappoint and He is perfect!
Psalm 18:30 says it this way:
Isaiah 41:10 states that:
The purpose of these scriptures is to underline my points...that God is a perfect God who never leaves us and will always be for us in times of trouble. His love is everlasting, His grace is sufficient, His power is undefeated.
While Im here...I will continue to do what I can...but I know at the end of the day I can do nothing except by the power and grace of our God in heaven. I will make mistakes...but He will lift me up. My strength will falter...but He will empower me. I will grow weary...but He will give me rest. We are so blessed to have a God who loves us so much. He made each of us exactly for this moment...no one is here by mistake. I pray you never forget this and close with one piece of scripture that I hold onto throughout any trial I face...
This is a common story for me...and while my boss can count himself lucky that I dont have a loved one to go home to...I do begin to wonder why I bother doing this. But when I begin to question my motives, I remember that there is one who is always with me and sees everything I do. Our heavenly father never leaves our side...no matter how the circumstances look around us, He is always there. The odds may be stacked up against us, our friends may have long desserted us, you may feel that you do not have the strength to achieve a solution...but no matter how things look around you...God will always be there.
People will let you down, disappoint you, disappear at the vital moment, forget you...but God will never let you down. He sees all you do, He sees the state of your heart, the fears that are consuming you and the desires that you are crying out for!
I try to do my best in all that I do. I know some people will disagree with this...they will say that I have let them down, disappointed them, hurt them...but I honestly try my best. But the fact is...Im not perfect. I will make mistakes, I will fall short, I will not meet peoples needs 100%. This isn't an excuse...its just a simple fact. But the reality is...Im not meant to do it all...Im will never be 100%... perfection is out of my reach....but our heavenly father will meet all our needs, He will never disappoint and He is perfect!
Psalm 18:30 says it this way:
As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.Psalm 34:8 says the following:
Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in himHebrews 4:16 encourages us with these words:
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Isaiah 41:10 states that:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand
The purpose of these scriptures is to underline my points...that God is a perfect God who never leaves us and will always be for us in times of trouble. His love is everlasting, His grace is sufficient, His power is undefeated.
While Im here...I will continue to do what I can...but I know at the end of the day I can do nothing except by the power and grace of our God in heaven. I will make mistakes...but He will lift me up. My strength will falter...but He will empower me. I will grow weary...but He will give me rest. We are so blessed to have a God who loves us so much. He made each of us exactly for this moment...no one is here by mistake. I pray you never forget this and close with one piece of scripture that I hold onto throughout any trial I face...
The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
(Psalm 118:6)
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