So what is in your hand? Did you do some thinking about that question? Let's continue this journey.
When God asked Moses what he had in his hand, surely God knew already. Why did He then ask? Because Moses had to realise that there was something he already had that he could use. When he recognised what was in his hand, God told him what to do with it.
When the prophet asked the widow what she had in her house, she had to think what she could contribute to solving her problem. When she recognised that she still had some oil left, God could multiply it for her.
There are more stories like this in the Bible. And many people will give you true accounts of their own experiences in the same scenario.
So now that you know what you have in your hand, ask God what to do with it.
Thursday 30 June 2011
Wednesday 29 June 2011
What is in your hand?
Yesterday, I posted a really nice email I got from a special friend. The message of the email was to water the areas in your life that you want to bloom.
Today, I want to ask you a question: What is in your hand?
So often we pray for things that we want, but we don't do anything worthwhile with the things we have. Jesus said that if you have proven yourself faithful in the little things, He will in turn trust you with bigger things.
For instance - it's no use praying for a smarter job, but the spare time you have in your hand, you spend in front of the TV instead of investing it in a better qualification. It's no use praying for a partner, but you don't build your relationship with your First Love - Jesus.
So stop and think for a moment - what do you have in your hand? What did God give to you already and what are you doing with it? Think about time and money among other things. What are you trusting God for? Have you proved yourself trustworthy with the things you have in your hand?
I think we all have some soul searching to do.
Today, I want to ask you a question: What is in your hand?
So often we pray for things that we want, but we don't do anything worthwhile with the things we have. Jesus said that if you have proven yourself faithful in the little things, He will in turn trust you with bigger things.
For instance - it's no use praying for a smarter job, but the spare time you have in your hand, you spend in front of the TV instead of investing it in a better qualification. It's no use praying for a partner, but you don't build your relationship with your First Love - Jesus.
So stop and think for a moment - what do you have in your hand? What did God give to you already and what are you doing with it? Think about time and money among other things. What are you trusting God for? Have you proved yourself trustworthy with the things you have in your hand?
I think we all have some soul searching to do.
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Is the grass really greener on that side?
There's an old saying: "The grass is always greener on the other side." At some point in life, everyone looks at their circumstances and thinks, "If only. If only I had a better job. If only my spouse were like so-and-so. If only I had gone to college. If only I had the opportunities so-and-so had." We look around and think everyone else has it better than we do. But I believe comparison is just a trick of the enemy to get us off course and keep us from God's best. Comparison is the thief of joy, and if the enemy can steal our joy, he has stolen our source of strength.
See, I don't believe the grass is greener on the other side; I believe the grass is greener where you water it. In other words, we have to tend to the things that are important to us if we want to see those areas of our lives blossom and grow. If you want better relationships, you have to invest in the people around you. If you want a better job, you have to invest in your skill set to qualify for that job and then go after it.
See, I don't believe the grass is greener on the other side; I believe the grass is greener where you water it. In other words, we have to tend to the things that are important to us if we want to see those areas of our lives blossom and grow. If you want better relationships, you have to invest in the people around you. If you want a better job, you have to invest in your skill set to qualify for that job and then go after it.
We all have the capacity to come up higher. God has given us all tremendous opportunities, but if we are focused on what everyone else has, we'll miss out on what God has especially for us!
Today, instead of comparing, decide to cultivate the dry, fallow areas of your life. Begin to water and invest in the areas in which you want to see change. Get a vision and dedicate it to the Lord. As you take responsibility and tend to what the Lord has given you, I believe He'll pour out His blessing and favour, and you'll see your life flourish beyond anything you could have ever hoped or dreamed.
If you care for your orchard, you'll enjoy its fruit
Proverbs 27:18 - The Message
Monday 27 June 2011
Fly away...
Some days I can cope with it. Those irritating comments. Irritating people. The endless noise. The office drone that just never fades. Other days I just can't. Today is one of the latter.
I often dream I can fly. Since I was a child I had dreams in which I could fly. As the years progressed and maturity came, I came to realise that my flying ability in my dreams was a direct mirror of my spiritual condition. Whenever I could fly well in my dreams, I was standing strong spiritually. Whenever I couldn't, I had some thinking to do. Somewhere I was disobedient to the Lord. Somewhere something was wrong.
I wonder how many times I stood outside the office when it all became too much, wishing I could just open my wings and fly away. Away from all the irritating components that make up life. How wonderful that would have been to just fly home. If it could be anything like the experience in my dreams, it would be amazing.
In reality though, I am stuck with my feet firmly on the ground. How sad. Now I escape from it by putting earphones on my head. Sweet, heavenly music can make anything better. I pour our my frustrations on this blog or in a poem. Eventually, through the grace of God, I can look at the person I despised five minutes ago and pity him. He can't help it - he doesn't know God. Nothing but the love of God can ever change him. Actually he is so poor. Pathetically poor. What pours out of his mouth is just an indication of the huge void inside of him.
Maybe that's why I can't fly. Maybe I should pray for him whenever I feel like flying away from him.
I often dream I can fly. Since I was a child I had dreams in which I could fly. As the years progressed and maturity came, I came to realise that my flying ability in my dreams was a direct mirror of my spiritual condition. Whenever I could fly well in my dreams, I was standing strong spiritually. Whenever I couldn't, I had some thinking to do. Somewhere I was disobedient to the Lord. Somewhere something was wrong.
I wonder how many times I stood outside the office when it all became too much, wishing I could just open my wings and fly away. Away from all the irritating components that make up life. How wonderful that would have been to just fly home. If it could be anything like the experience in my dreams, it would be amazing.
In reality though, I am stuck with my feet firmly on the ground. How sad. Now I escape from it by putting earphones on my head. Sweet, heavenly music can make anything better. I pour our my frustrations on this blog or in a poem. Eventually, through the grace of God, I can look at the person I despised five minutes ago and pity him. He can't help it - he doesn't know God. Nothing but the love of God can ever change him. Actually he is so poor. Pathetically poor. What pours out of his mouth is just an indication of the huge void inside of him.
Maybe that's why I can't fly. Maybe I should pray for him whenever I feel like flying away from him.
Thursday 23 June 2011
Maybe we should kneel more...
A distinguished art critic was studying an exquisite painting by the Italian Renaissance master Filippino Lippi one day. He stood in London's National Gallery gazing at the fifteenth century depiction of Mary holding the infant Jesus on her lap, with saints Dominic and Jerome kneeling nearby, but the painting troubled him. There could no doubting Lippi's skill, his use of colour or composition. But the proportions of the picture were slightly wrong: The hills in the background seemed exaggerated, as if they might topple out of the frame at any minute onto the gallery's polished floor. And the two kneeling saints just looked awkward and uncomfortable.
Robert Cumming was not the first to criticize Lippi's work for its poor perspective, but he may well be the last to do so, because at that moment he had a revelation. It suddenly occurred to him that the problem might be his. The painting he was analyzing with clinical objectivity was not just another piece of religious art hanging in a gallery alongside other comparative works. It had never been intended to come anywhere near a gallery. Lippi's painting had been commissioned as an altarpiece, intended to hang in a place of prayer.
As so, self-consciously, the dignified art critic in the public gallery dropped to his knees before the painting. And suddenly he saw what generations of art critics had missed. From his newfound position of humility, Robert Cumming found himself gazing up at a perfectly proportioned piece. The foreground had moved naturally to the background, while the saints seem settled - their awkwarness, like the painting itself, having turned to grace. And as for Mary, she now looked intently and kindly directly at him as he knelt at her feet between saints Jerome and Dominic.
It was not the perspective of the painting that had been wrong all these years - it was the perspective of the people looking at it. Robert Cumming on bended knee had found a beauty that Robert Cumming the proud art critic could not. All these years, the joke had been upon the succession of experts standing, studying, and analyzing instead of kneeling humbly in prayer.
An excerpt from The Vow by Pete Greig.
Robert Cumming was not the first to criticize Lippi's work for its poor perspective, but he may well be the last to do so, because at that moment he had a revelation. It suddenly occurred to him that the problem might be his. The painting he was analyzing with clinical objectivity was not just another piece of religious art hanging in a gallery alongside other comparative works. It had never been intended to come anywhere near a gallery. Lippi's painting had been commissioned as an altarpiece, intended to hang in a place of prayer.
As so, self-consciously, the dignified art critic in the public gallery dropped to his knees before the painting. And suddenly he saw what generations of art critics had missed. From his newfound position of humility, Robert Cumming found himself gazing up at a perfectly proportioned piece. The foreground had moved naturally to the background, while the saints seem settled - their awkwarness, like the painting itself, having turned to grace. And as for Mary, she now looked intently and kindly directly at him as he knelt at her feet between saints Jerome and Dominic.
It was not the perspective of the painting that had been wrong all these years - it was the perspective of the people looking at it. Robert Cumming on bended knee had found a beauty that Robert Cumming the proud art critic could not. All these years, the joke had been upon the succession of experts standing, studying, and analyzing instead of kneeling humbly in prayer.
An excerpt from The Vow by Pete Greig.
Tuesday 21 June 2011
Who are we?
I heard a fantastic sermon on Sunday. I am still pondering on all the things the guest speaker said. It was too much to absorb in just one sermon. Actually, I think God is busy stirring my heart, nudging me to a higher spiritual level.
Who are we really? Oh it's easy to say that we are Christians, forgiven by grace and that we will inherit eternal life. It's easy to believe that too. Why? Because we don't have to do anything. Jesus did it all. So yes, we believe all of that. But there is more. The same Bible that states all of the things we believe so easily, also states that we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. You believe that too don't you? I do! So why are we not acting the role? We have been given authority to do the same miracles AND MORE than what Jesus did - He said so Himself. So why don't we believe it? Why don't we do it? Why don't we live with the attitude of a son or daughter of the Most High God?
We have been programmed by the world to only believe certain things in the Bible, not all of it. We believe in miracles yes, but only if other people pray for them. We don't want to trust God ourselves. We think it's reserved for some famous American preacher. Hogwash. This incorrect attitude comes through in how we speak too. If someone asks how we are, we give horrible answers like "poor but alive". And we laugh as if it's funny. No wonder we are poor! Spiritually and physically! We confess it daily!
As of today, I am changing my attitude towards life. I am a daughter of the King. I am a daughter of the Most High God. I will respond to the question of how I am like my mentor responds:
I am highly favoured and abundantly blessed!
Join me. Start confessing God's favour and blessing upon your life. Start acting like the son or the daughter you are. Pray that God will show us through Holy Spirit what we are, and what He wants us to do. Let's live with boldness!
We are highly favoured and abundantly blessed!
Who are we really? Oh it's easy to say that we are Christians, forgiven by grace and that we will inherit eternal life. It's easy to believe that too. Why? Because we don't have to do anything. Jesus did it all. So yes, we believe all of that. But there is more. The same Bible that states all of the things we believe so easily, also states that we are sons and daughters of the Most High God. You believe that too don't you? I do! So why are we not acting the role? We have been given authority to do the same miracles AND MORE than what Jesus did - He said so Himself. So why don't we believe it? Why don't we do it? Why don't we live with the attitude of a son or daughter of the Most High God?
We have been programmed by the world to only believe certain things in the Bible, not all of it. We believe in miracles yes, but only if other people pray for them. We don't want to trust God ourselves. We think it's reserved for some famous American preacher. Hogwash. This incorrect attitude comes through in how we speak too. If someone asks how we are, we give horrible answers like "poor but alive". And we laugh as if it's funny. No wonder we are poor! Spiritually and physically! We confess it daily!
As of today, I am changing my attitude towards life. I am a daughter of the King. I am a daughter of the Most High God. I will respond to the question of how I am like my mentor responds:
I am highly favoured and abundantly blessed!
Join me. Start confessing God's favour and blessing upon your life. Start acting like the son or the daughter you are. Pray that God will show us through Holy Spirit what we are, and what He wants us to do. Let's live with boldness!
We are highly favoured and abundantly blessed!
Monday 20 June 2011
Hallo!
Hallo every one. Sorry for the long silence.
I was fighting a mean bronchitis for over a week. I will post again either later today or as from tomorrow.
Be blessed
I was fighting a mean bronchitis for over a week. I will post again either later today or as from tomorrow.
Be blessed
Thursday 9 June 2011
Praying can hurt...
Paul had a thorn in his flesh. I think I have many. They are called people. The irritating individual who knows exactly how to get me angry. The negative one that I dread walking past. The one that causes a constant battle of forgiveness in my mind. The one that instead of being helpful when asked a question, shoots back with a snotty answer. The one that cannot admit he made a mistake but rather manipulates the situation so that somebody else looks guilty. I have many such thorns.
Oh I wouldn't mind being able to just pull them out of my life and throwing them away. I really can't see why they form part of my life. I told God that in an angry moment this morning. And God, in His mercy that we can never fathom, answered my arrogance by reminding me of a song by Nichole Nordeman - Rolling River God.
We are little stones, in the river of life, surrounded by God. We rub against each other, get uncomfortable with each other and sometimes cry out in pain. We cannot understand why we have to go through this terrible process, but in the end, God is more interested in our character than in our comfort. Through these thorny people, God shows us our own weaknesses. We need to turn to God when the little stones around us make life uncomfortable. We need to pray for the thorny people - that's probably why God put them close to us - somebody needs to pray for them. In the process we will grow to be more like Jesus. More of Him and less of us.
Here are the words of the song:
Rolling river God
Little stones are smooth
Only once the water passes through
so, I am a stone
Rough and grainy still
Trying to reconcile this river's chill
But when I close my eyes
And feel You rushing by
I know that time brings change
And change takes time
And when the sunset comes
My prayer would be this one
That You might pick me up
And notice that I am
Just a little smoother in Your hand
Sometimes raging wild
Sometimes swollen high
Never have I known this river dry
The deepest part of You
Is where I want to stay
And feel the sharpest edges wash away
Little stones are smooth
Only once the water passes through
so, I am a stone
Rough and grainy still
Trying to reconcile this river's chill
But when I close my eyes
And feel You rushing by
I know that time brings change
And change takes time
And when the sunset comes
My prayer would be this one
That You might pick me up
And notice that I am
Just a little smoother in Your hand
Sometimes raging wild
Sometimes swollen high
Never have I known this river dry
The deepest part of You
Is where I want to stay
And feel the sharpest edges wash away
copyright Nichole Nordeman
Tuesday 7 June 2011
How much faith do we really have?
My brother in law and I were discussing the habit of hoarding. You know, that terrible habit we all have to some extent. We keep things in case we might need it again. Some people are terrible hoarders. You will find clothes in their closet they will never fit into again. Even if they would manage to fit into it, they probably wouldn't want to be seen dead in it. Like that horrible black seventies shirt with the large yellow flowers on - still you keep it. Or the number eight dress worn to church in standard 7 (we didn't have grades then). What about that karate suit you will never even get over your knees, let alone over your bum. The old platform shoes. And so we can carry on and come up with many such items.
I want to focus on the linen stash today. You will find one in most homes. Curtains that we might use again. Ugly curtains, long out of fashion. If we really want to be honest, we will have to admit that we will never hang them again. Who wants to redecorate a room with old curtains anyway? A comforter we might use again with matching sheets in an ugly colour that we keep just in case. We might use them for camping, if we are guaranteed nobody will enter the tent and see them. Old towels. Old blankets. Extra linen. Do you get the picture?
Why do we keep these things? Because we might need it again. That's the standard answer.
While we were talking about hoarding, we started contemplating the issue behind this answer. Are we not faithless in saying this? We are actually saying this: "Lord, I cannot sow these things. I might need it again. I don't know if You will provide for me in the future, so I have to build up my own stash."
Think about it. Do we have enough faith in God to provide for us in the future? Why then are we not sowing our extra stuff to some people in desperate need. My old curtains could be the only curtains in the house of somebody else. My old ugly comforter could provide warmth for somebody shivering every night.
We have become so self sufficient, faithless and selfish!
Father God, change our hearts so that we will clothe the naked, feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, without thinking what it would cost us. Help us God to put our trust in You alone and not in our own provisions. Help us to let go of earthly things that we gather up only for the moths to eat. Help us to open our hands, so that we in turn can receive Your blessings. We cannot receive anything with clenched hands. Forgive us our selfishness and our faithlessness. In the name of Jesus, we ask that You will change our hearts.
Amen
I want to focus on the linen stash today. You will find one in most homes. Curtains that we might use again. Ugly curtains, long out of fashion. If we really want to be honest, we will have to admit that we will never hang them again. Who wants to redecorate a room with old curtains anyway? A comforter we might use again with matching sheets in an ugly colour that we keep just in case. We might use them for camping, if we are guaranteed nobody will enter the tent and see them. Old towels. Old blankets. Extra linen. Do you get the picture?
Why do we keep these things? Because we might need it again. That's the standard answer.
While we were talking about hoarding, we started contemplating the issue behind this answer. Are we not faithless in saying this? We are actually saying this: "Lord, I cannot sow these things. I might need it again. I don't know if You will provide for me in the future, so I have to build up my own stash."
Think about it. Do we have enough faith in God to provide for us in the future? Why then are we not sowing our extra stuff to some people in desperate need. My old curtains could be the only curtains in the house of somebody else. My old ugly comforter could provide warmth for somebody shivering every night.
We have become so self sufficient, faithless and selfish!
Father God, change our hearts so that we will clothe the naked, feed the hungry and give water to the thirsty, without thinking what it would cost us. Help us God to put our trust in You alone and not in our own provisions. Help us to let go of earthly things that we gather up only for the moths to eat. Help us to open our hands, so that we in turn can receive Your blessings. We cannot receive anything with clenched hands. Forgive us our selfishness and our faithlessness. In the name of Jesus, we ask that You will change our hearts.
Amen
Saturday 4 June 2011
Praying keeps you strong...
A well know theologist came under the fire this week for the statements he made. Some Christians country wide are upset with him. Some agree with him. Some are left confused.
Theology is a highly debatable subject. There are many things in the Bible that we don't understand and probably never will. There are many issues that can be debated, such the issue of Melchizedek. Who was he really? The question got asked at our home cell this week. If you spend a bit of time googling, you will soon realise there are a few theories and none of them can really be proved. In the same way, people debate about whether God is real or not. People debate about whether sin is really sin. Whether the things listed as taboo in the Bible are still taboo today.
I am not a theologist. I don't know the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages. I don't have access to the ancient scrolls so that I can debate whether the translations were done correctly or not. But I do have something most of these highly qualified people seem not to have. I have experienced God. Nobody can debate with me about my experiences and the memories thereof. I have heard the voice of God many times. I have had dreams many times in my life warning me of something about to happen. I have received word for people many times. Many times I have weeped in the presence of God Almighty. Nobody can take that away from me.
Perhaps that is the problem with the highly qualified theologists. They have all the knowledge about the ancient world, about the creation of God, about God but they don't know God. They only know about Him.
If you know God personally, you will not easily be influenced by the debates of the world about all the issues surrounding Christianity. If you know Him and frequently spend time with Him, you will remain strong when the debate starts. The debate that challenges what you believe.
The devil goes around like a roaring lion, looking for people he can devour. He devours by challenging what you believe. He devours by planting seeds of doubt in your mind. He devours by questioning the principles you live by. He devours by putting a subtle detour in front of you - a detour that will take you away from God.
Continue spending time with God. Continue seeking the presence of God. Only through that, will you survive all the questions thrown at the child of God these days.
Theology is a highly debatable subject. There are many things in the Bible that we don't understand and probably never will. There are many issues that can be debated, such the issue of Melchizedek. Who was he really? The question got asked at our home cell this week. If you spend a bit of time googling, you will soon realise there are a few theories and none of them can really be proved. In the same way, people debate about whether God is real or not. People debate about whether sin is really sin. Whether the things listed as taboo in the Bible are still taboo today.
I am not a theologist. I don't know the ancient Greek and Hebrew languages. I don't have access to the ancient scrolls so that I can debate whether the translations were done correctly or not. But I do have something most of these highly qualified people seem not to have. I have experienced God. Nobody can debate with me about my experiences and the memories thereof. I have heard the voice of God many times. I have had dreams many times in my life warning me of something about to happen. I have received word for people many times. Many times I have weeped in the presence of God Almighty. Nobody can take that away from me.
Perhaps that is the problem with the highly qualified theologists. They have all the knowledge about the ancient world, about the creation of God, about God but they don't know God. They only know about Him.
If you know God personally, you will not easily be influenced by the debates of the world about all the issues surrounding Christianity. If you know Him and frequently spend time with Him, you will remain strong when the debate starts. The debate that challenges what you believe.
The devil goes around like a roaring lion, looking for people he can devour. He devours by challenging what you believe. He devours by planting seeds of doubt in your mind. He devours by questioning the principles you live by. He devours by putting a subtle detour in front of you - a detour that will take you away from God.
Continue spending time with God. Continue seeking the presence of God. Only through that, will you survive all the questions thrown at the child of God these days.
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