Sistine Chapel - Michelangelo

Johann Wolfgang Goethe (23 August 1787) once wrote, “Without having seen the Sistine Chapel, one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.” Michelangelo's work on the ceiling of the chapel was done mostly between 1508 – 1512. His entire body of work on the chapel contains of 5000 feet of frescoes. This body of work stands tall as being the work of one of the most renowned masters of art.

Our lives are God's great artwork. For the majority of the worlds working population, the work we do on a daily basis is all too mundane for us to consider it a great master piece. Yet every business, industry and economy is driven by the little parts that form the wheels that drive the world today.

It is when we learn to worship in the midst of the mundane that God is truly exalted, for our true purpose in life is not success, but to worship God!

Rembrandt van Rijn – Self portrait

Rembrandt van Rijn painted many self portraits. A particularly good one was done in 1659. He was over 50 years old at the time. It is an honest and ruthless painting of an artist who showed no mercy to himself. Today this painting is worth $100 - $150 million.

So often we see ourselves with absolutely no thought of our own intrinsic value. God was willing to give the riches in heaven, simply to pay for our salvation. Why do we count ourselves to be so worthless when there are no riches on earth that could compare to how much God values us?

We are his greatest masterpiece and with a price tag that simply reads... “Priceless”. That is because nothing except God's 'EVERYTHING' could be sufficient to pay the price for our redemption.

Open your heart to see your value in God's eyes.

Pearl of great value

Essentially pearls are formed when a small pearl bead is inserted into the mollusk. In the wild the pearl is formed to protect the oyster from an irritant. The mollusk creates a pearl sac to protect it from an irritant. The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gem stones and therefore the word pearl has become a metaphor for something very rare, fine, admirable and valuable.

As God works in our lives, there are issues we face and deal with daily that are irritants or issues that cause conflict. As he works in us the Holy Spirit creates a pearl sac around our rough area and seals it in. Many people have found that the very “sin” they have been saved from becomes their area of greatest testimony as they reflect on the work of the Holy spirit.

Our testimony is valuable and precious to God. Will you allow him to work on your rough areas and transform it into a beautiful pearl?

Little copper wire

We all struggle with issues of identity at some point or another. One of the biggest questions we ask in life is, “What is my worth”? When trying to find the value of our lives we often compare ourselves to others through our own value systems, instead of God's value system.

Take precious metals for example. We all revere Gold and Platinum because of their beauty displayed in jewelry. Yet if you consider value in terms of usefulness, copper stands out for it's unique ability to transmit and retain high temperatures and it's incredible strength. It's many uses like: conducting electricity; conduit piping for water; wire for appliances and even musical instruments make it a unique and valuable commodity.

It's functionality is usually hidden inside plastic casings or appliances and thus we are often unaware of it's existence. Just because we can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't fulfilling a valuable function. God has made us all unique, for a specific purpose. Ask God to show you what function you play in the body of Christ, then accept that you are valuable to God, whether you are “on display” or carefully hidden.

You are precious to God!

The Hope Diamond

The Blue Hope, is ironically named the Hope diamond, after it's purchaser Henry Thomas Hope. The name is ironic due to the long run of bad luck that it seemed to bring to it's owners. When Harry Winston, the New York diamond merchant bought the stone in 1949, the clients he tried to sell it too, refused the purchase.

The Diamond is now on display at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington. Unlike this diamond 1 Corinthians 13 v 13 tells us that these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. I don't think it was mere co-incidence that there is a double 13 in the reference. God is far to interested in details to miss that point. I think he is telling us, not to swayed by bad luck, but that through him, all things are turned to the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. [Romans 8 v 28]

We can place our confident hope in God at all times and know that he is working in us and through us. Hope is an anchor to the soul and when deployed will give stability in even the most tumultuous times. Put your hope and faith in God today.

The Orloff

The Orloff diamond was 300 carrots when found. It is currently housed in the Diamond treasury in Moscow, Russia. The stone has been through many interesting journeys. It was stolen from it's original home by a french deserter and passed on too an English sea captain. It eventually landed up in the scepter of the Russian Empress Catherine the Great.

The fable goes that during a Napoleon raid the scepter was hidden in a priests tomb. Strangely as Napoleon was about to steal the scepter, the priests “ghost” appeared and pronounced a curse on the army and Napoleon scampered away. Lol!

We are God's jewel, hidden in the presence of our High Priest Jesus, and when Satan comes to steal us...... Jesus doesn't have to pronounce a curse, because Satan's destiny has already been sealed. Amen!

Take comfort in the fact that you can hide in the presence of God.

Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan diamond is the largest rough gem-quality diamond ever found at 3,106.75 carrots. The Cullinan was cut into 9 parts, and the largest polished gem from the diamond is known as the Cullinan I and weighs in at 530.4 carrots. It was the largest polished gem until the discovery of the Golden Jubilee diamond at 545.67 carrots found in 1985. Both diamonds are from the premier mine. The Cullinan I was given to King Edward VII and is estimated to be worth $400 million.

This diamond holds great worth and it's beauty is unparralleld. In the same manner that this diamond holds great worth to the British Crown today, there is something which God holds to be valuable and precious, that is our salvation.

In the same manner that the Cullinan was struck to slit it and have it polished into a precious gem, Jesus was struck during his persecution before going to the cross. He was indeed wounded our transgressions and our acceptance of him as Lord and Saviour is the most precious act we could we could ever give God.

You are valuable to God! More than you could ever imagine!

String

It's been a long time since my kitties played with a toy mouse or ball, but the one thing they never seem to get tired of is a simple piece of string. The joy in their eyes as the string comes out of hiding and into the realm of play is heart warming to watch.

Life has become so complicated these days, that I think we've lost the ability to enjoy the simple things in life.

In our relationship with God we often try so hard to understand God, that we forget to simply enjoy his presence.

Take time to simply sit in the presence of God.

Hidden treasury

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the tale of the hidden treasure, in which he explains that the Kingdom of God is more precious than anything here on earth and that we should desire his kingdom beyond anything else.

There is another kind of treasure I'd like to talk about. The treasure in YOU! God has planted a little bit of himself in every one of us, and as we grow in knowing Christ those precious gems are brought to the surface and polished for all to see their beauty.

This process of polishing is an interesting one though, because it requires grinding off the sharp edges and smoothing the surface of each facet of the stone. God does this in our lives. He chips and grinds away at the rough edges until the sheer brilliance of the stone is revealed.

Don't be afraid if you feel your life going through a grinding process at the moment. Trust God, that in due time, his majesty will be revealed in you.

The good stuff

Have you ever visited someone and seen a beautiful set of tea cups or plates and asked them about it only to hear, well that only comes out on special occasions?  Have you ever wondered how often that is?  What about the jewelry your grandmother never wears because it's too valuable. 

One thing you realize all too quickly when you experience the loss of a loved one, is that no matter how old they lived to be, life is too short to not celebrate the beautiful things we have.

If God has blessed you, share his grace in your life with others.  There are millions who have nothing, so be proud of what you have and enjoy using it. 

The other 9?

Luke 17 tells the tale of 10 lepers who cried out to Jesus for healing from their disease. Jesus had pity on them and healed them. Yet only 1 man returned to give thanks to God.

Thanksgiving is an important element of life and we should never forget to stop to say "Thank You"! Thanksgiving releases us from feeling pity and can actively relieve depression.

Thanksgiving releases praise and allows our hearts to enter the presence of God freely.

Even Jesus showed sadness at not receiving thanks from all the lepers, so warm the heart of God by giving him thanks today for all that he has done for you!

Solstice

The summer and winter solstice is a point where our sun stands still at it's Northernmost or Southernmost point before reversing and going in the other direction.

Often in life we have a solstice moment too. A point at which we must make a choice to go in a different direction from where we are now. This may seem strange at the time, but it's a natural part of life.

In our spirit world, the same is true. Our first solstice comes the day we accept Christ as our Lord and saviour. Thereafter, we will often face moments when we will need to make a decision to change direction and this is part of our sanctification process.

Allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life at these times and just ask him for guidance as to how best to navigate these moments.

You got tension?

We all know that the moon rotates around the earth, creating a gravitational pull on the earth and maintaining a constant pull between the two celestial bodies. This pull also controls our tides. All these phenomenon are essential in sustaining life on earth.

Very often we see tension between two people as a bad thing, not taking into account that it is sometimes this very tension that can create the necessary competitive spirit needed to sustain the relationship and build success in it. There is bad tension too, but very often if the two people creating the tension will mearly communicate they will be able to resolve their negative issues and then focus on the positive aspects of their individual personalities that make the relationship work.

Our relationship with God has tension in it too. He desires our constant worship and we desire to achieve our own agenda's. Ironically it is in “moments of surrender” both sides that the joy of worship becomes fulfilled. We worship God more when he has answered our prayers and he hears us more when we worship him.

Worship God and trust him to sustain your life.

Great big ball of gas

“Solar energy's uses are limited only by human ingenuity.” This quote by wikipedia and echoed through all of science tells us that only a small fraction of the available power we need to power our earth is currently being used. The emense atomic sized explosions that take place on the sun on a regular basis are a testament to its immense power. The issue here is that the potential has not been properly harnassed.

Our talents are like that. Great power lies within us when we release our creativity and find the inner strength to step out and do what God has created us for. His desire is for us to live a complete and fulfilled life. In order to do that we have to harness the potential within us and use it to power our dreams.

Never underestimate your potential. Your gift might not be to invent new technology, but if you can make someone laugh or smile, you will have fulfilled his devine purpose for your life. Ask God today to help you find a way to harness your potential and go for it!

One small step

If I had been God, I would have been perched at the edge of my chair with absolute excitement watching the scenes below, in our tiny universe, when on July 20^th 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon, and what delight to hear the words, “One small step for man, One giant leap for mankind”.

I can just hear God say, “They did it, they finally did it!” The joy of discovery, and I can still see his delight when new technological, medical and social break throughs are made. God has created us for a purpose, with drive and ambition.

He has even greater delight in us, when we take our first steps in him and confess, “Jesus, I need you as Lord and saviour!”. With that he gives us a thirst for his word and a desire to build a relationship with him. Those first small steps to us, are giant leaps in our relationship with God, transforming us into righteous immortal souls.

Southern Cross

Crux is one of the smallest constellations and is visible year round in our Southern sky's. The Southern cross has for centuries been used by sailors and navigators find direction. If you draw a line between the stars Alpha and Gamma and continue the line straight down, it will point you to the South pole.

Strangely the Southern cross can often be confused with on of it's neigbours, the False Cross. I wonder who that reminds us of...... Ah Satan! You see Satan will come along side the word of truth and distort your vision just enough, until you loose your way. And we all know what happens to a ship that begins it's journey a few degrees off.......... Yip, it strays completely off course and then who knows where it will land up?

The word of God is our Southern cross, guiding us with exact precision to the heart of God. Don't allow Satan to shift your focus. Stay fixed on the word and you will never loose your spiritual path.

The Cross Galaxy

Ps 19 v 1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Any time we loose perspective of life on earth, it helps to take a step back and realise how really, really small we are in this universe.

The fact that God is mighty and he has chosen to share himself with us as mortal beings is simply amazing. He chooses to reveal himself to us in every way he can possibly grab our attention.

The cross formation found in the M51 galaxy has made many stop in awe and wonder at the magnificence of our God. God has declared his plan for salvation in the heavens. The question remains, have you opened your eyes to see the salvation of your God?

Hopping mad

Many times in life we may face situations where we feel that Satan has stolen something valuable and precious to us. It may be a lost opportunity, stolen valuable items, a lost relationship. Joel 2v25 says that God will restore the years the locust has stolen.

The experience of this loss can leave us broken hearted and angry. God desires that we keep our focus on him. When we surrender these feelings of loss and the anger that links to it, he is able to start doing his work.

As one loss dies, it becomes fertilizer in the garden of our hearts and forms a fertile soil bed for God to plant the “new thing” that he wants to do in our lives. If you've experienced a loss, give it to God as a sacrifice of praise and allow him to minister healing and restoration into your life.

Gone fishing!

Cooking is great and making a good meal is food for the soul. Cooking for one though, is not much fun. God has designed it that meals spent together with good friends and especially fellow Christians strengthens our bonds with each other, but especially with Him.

Jesus knew this, so when Peter decided to go fishing after the crucifixion, thinking he had failed, Jesus appears and shares a meal with them. After this Peter's spiritual eyes are opened and he sees Jesus clearly.

It's at this time that Jesus reverses Peter's denial of him and asks him to profess his love for Christ three times again. God is intimately aware of our insecurities and meets us exactly at the point of our failures to show his mercy, love and Grace.

To-do-list

I was recently in a home that was so filthy, I wouldn't want to live there.  Resulting in making me even more pedantic about my own house cleaning chores. The question is, how often don't we relegate our relationship with God to just another thing to do on our To-do-list?

In all honesty though, with city life being what it is, it can be very difficult to stay in touch with God and keeping him central in our lives.  St Francis of Assis wrote a wonderful book called, "Practicing the presence of God". Interesting title seeing as he was a Monk who's life calling was to spend time in God's presence.  Was he implying that though devout to God he had still not mastered the art of keeping God in clear focus?

He probably was.  You see our lives here on earth are meant to be our training ground to teach us how to connect with God.  It is only once we are in heaven in God's full presence all day that this art will be fully mastered.

Don't fret about still struggling to spend time with God, fall in love with him and all you will want to do is think about him all day!

Where to begin?

As I contemplate this very thought, I struggle to even begin to find the words. God's word is the light unto our path and yet so often we find ourselves in situations where we do not know where to begin to find the wisdom to deal with our circumstances.

Proverbs 1 v 7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. God always chooses his words carefully. The fear of the Lord mentioned here is not the same as being afraid but rather to honour and revere God.

When we put our relationship with God first, he begins to fill our lives with the light of his word and having that light makes it easier for us to navigate our way through lifes dark moments.

Are you going to search the word, honour God and turn on the light?

Sweets or the box?

How many times does life throw us challenges that just seem to be insurmountable? More often than we would like. If you are anything like me, it can drive you crazy and arouse feelings of anger and frustration. What do we need in these situations? Devine wisdom.

Solomon knew this and when God asked him to tell him what one thing he wanted.... He asked for wisdom.... that's pretty smart in my book. With wisdom we can do the one thing that the devil does not anticipate, outsmart him!

The devil will drag you down the bunny whole of anger and frustration at every opportunity he gets to do this and he will pick the very people he knows, know how to push your buttons. In the game of sweets or the box, the unknown is fearful, but with God choosing the more difficult option will always reap strong, lasting rewards.

Shared memories

Today we held my late granny Joyce's memorial service.  My sister and I had not discussed what we would share, but the message ended up being the same.  Why?  Because Joyce Hughes was a women of passion.  Passion for gardening and passion for cooking.  Everyone who knew here, knew this too.

The question for us as Christian's is... when people think of us, can they see a passion for Christ in everything we do?  I don't mean living a life that is fake and always putting on a holier than thou face, but can they see the love and life of Christ in us. 

My prayer and my goal is to live Christ and be known for loving him!  I suppose only time will tell if I've truly succeeded.