Will we see a big finish?

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.

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

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 God

It 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)

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:

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 him

Hebrews 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)

The definition of selfless

I just got back from taking my darling dog for a walk. Now while you probably dont think much of that in itself...bear in mind the temperature outside is approximately 8 degrees if not lower. While I was walking, I started to joke with myself about how I was such a good guy to my dog...forgoing my tv watching to take her for a walk which as with most dogs is their single most favorite thing!

But what is the true definition of a selfless act? Is it taking a dog for a walk in freezing conditions? Is it taking your girlfriend to watch a movie of her selection? Is it dining a restaurant with your partner, one which is their favorite and your most disliked? Is it giving up the opportunity to watch the footy so you can take your loved one to watch the ballet instead?

All these acts are very caring, very loving, very nice...but they all fail to compare to one of the most selfless acts known to man...that being Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. Jesus took it upon himself to bear the weight of all of our sins and his crucifixion won a victory for us all. By His blood, we are forgiven. By His pain, we are saved. By His life we are able to come into a relationship with our heavenly Father.

One of the most popular verses of the Bible is John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life

For God so loved us that He gave His only son. His one and only son was given up so that we could come into God's presence blameless and free of sin. God loves us so much that in order for us not to perish, He gave up His only son. No matter how you look at it...it truly represents a selfless act of love for us.

Jesus loves us so very much. He didn't only love us that single day He died for us on the cross...no He loves us each and everyday. I know myself that there are days that I get caught up in the weight of the world...I spend less time in His presence and more time in the presence of things in this world. But what we must never forget, never downplay and never under appreciate is how much Jesus loves us.

"“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you." John 15:12

Is there something missing?

In Acts 19 we see Paul performing great miracles in the name of Christ Jesus, but none more powerful that where he placed hands on the men and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. One of the really interesting things here is that Paul came out and asked them the question "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?" What exactly prompted Paul to ask this question? He must have identified that there was something missing in these men. Despite the fact that they believed, there was something that they didnt have.

Have you ever left home on a trip, but in the back of your mind you have that nagging feeling that you have forgotten something, that you are missing something. Despite the fact that you believe we have packed everything we need...we cant shake the thought in the back of our mind that there is something we are lacking. There are times in life where we believe that we have it all planned out, we have all the right ingredients...but at the same time we feel something is missing.

The Holy Spirit is one that can be easily neglected...we think of it as an additional extra...but we fail to realise that we are designed to run on the power of the Spirit! Just like you can have a fancy car with all the additional extras...unless you fill that car with petrol...its not going anywhere! We must come to the point where we realise that trying to live without the Spirit is impossible.

By the Spirit, we have an assurance that we are saved, we can walk confidently knowing we are guided on the path that God has set before our feet. It is when we being to walk in the power of the Holy Spirit that we genuinely feel the sense of overpowering joy. This is mentioned in Rom 15:13 -

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit

It is highlighting the point that we will overflow when we are driven by the power of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was preparing to depart, the disciples were quite upset, but Jesus reassured them by telling them that he was to leave His spirit with them.

The power of the Holy Spirit is an amazing gift in our lives. In my life alone...there are times when I am praying to God where my vocabulary just isnt enough...where I am not able to coherently express how much I am grateful to God and how much I love Him. But the power of the Holy Spirit allows us to go beyond our constraints and praise Him at a higher level, as we read in 1 Corinthians 14:2-4 -

For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. 

 I think this is a topic that needs to be continued on...but I want to finish up by just reiterating how important it is to live our lives by the Holy Spirit. We can give our lives to God, we can join a Cell Group, we can being Serving...we can tick all the boxes, but unless you allow yourself to be baptized by the Holy Spirit, unless you allow the Holy Spirit to dwell within you and guide you in life...you will be doing things the hard way. Galatians 5:18-23 speaks of the fact that we are empowered to replace ungodly habits with godly fruit such as love, patience, and self-control! But most of all...the Holy Spirit is a constant reminder of how much we are loved, that God would send the Holy Spirit to be with us constantly and strengthening us in times of need.

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The start of something big...

Well last week the big announcement was made at Connect Group. For anyone who spent 2 seconds thinking about it would have known that it was of course that we were multiplying. We have been meeting as a group of approximately 30 people for a few months now and it was becoming an increasingly pressing issue that we needed to multiply. In the state we were in, it just wasnt feasible to provide the necessary support to the entire group, people were not confident sharing and it was increasingly turning into a weekly social gathering, rather than the opportunity to come together as a small group and feed on the word of God, encouraging each other as we do it.

Of course with the multiplication of a group, a new leader was required. I am excited to say that I have been given the amazing responsibility of leading the new connect group. Truly I am excited about what God has in store for us and it is my prayer that God will use me as his vessel to bring about awesome things for the group and most of all the kingdom of God.

When I really think about it...I never saw myself as a Connect Group leader. I was always content attending, being involved in the discussion, sometimes leading the word...but for the most part just being part of the group. To be honest...I am not the most confident of public speakers...but this is an area I really feel that God is working on developing within me.

I fully appreciate that this commitment is no small task. It will require me to be much more diligent with my time, my priorities need to be kept in order...but most of all I must continually check my heart...in order to ensure that throughout this journey my intentions are all for God, that I never forget that I cannot do this by my own strength alone and that what I am working towards is for Gods glory and not my own.

I felt this was highlighted while I was reading 1 Samuel recently. Here we see Saul given the position of ruler of Israel, but he does not follow Gods calling, he does not work for Gods glory, but instead he seeks his own glory and follows his own way. Ultimately the blessings of God are taken from him, for he was disobedient and selfish in his desires. He did not seek God first, he did not follow the callings God had placed on him and most of all God was not the center of his heart! This is not the path I want to fall down...for in all things I do, I want to seek the glory of God and celebrate what we have the opportunity to do.

So as I take on this opportunity, I ask that you pray for me, that I would be a wise leader and sensitive to the needs of the group. I feel very grateful that I have been asked to lead the new group and I do not take this responsibility lightly. But I know its going to be great!!

How far back can you go?

Some people have amazing memories, they can remember the most tiny detail about an event which happened many many years ago. On the other hand, there are those kind of people who wouldnt remember your name unless you have known them for a few years. I guess I would be more inclined to place myself in first category, although there are times where I slide close to the second category as well.

I always like to reminisce about my earliest memory - it was the day my sister was born. That makes me two years old (and 8 months). I was staying at my grandparents house, we were up early as was there way. It was a bright morning, I remember sitting in the kitchen and the sun was shining onto the dinner table. As I sat there, the phone rang and I distinctly remember looking up at the clock on the wall.

But more generally speaking...I guess we only really remember those things that are important to us. I mean how many people who you are not overly fond of, would you remember their Birthdays? Or how much information do you remember from those long and boring classes on History from High School?

So I guess when someone does remember you, something about you, something that is important to you...it really highlights the fact that you most mean something to them. Unfortunately remembering someones Birthday isnt so significant anymore...with things like Facebook giving us endless reminders of whose Birthday it is today. But there are things that we do which really highlight who is and isnt important to us....and one of the biggest things we can do is prayer. To remember someone in prayer, to ask God to help someone in their time of need is one of most powerful, actually it is the most powerful thing you can do for someone else. Just look at the letters written by Paul in the New Testament, how many times does he ask the churches to keep him in their prayers!

So I guess my point at the end of all this is to never forget how significant the power of prayer is, in particular when you are asking God to take care of someone who is important to you.