Looking where you can't go

In the 2003 movie "Paycheck", Ben Affleck's character finds a riddle near the end of the movie that reads: "If you only look where you can't go, you will miss the riches below."  It's a fun movie go check it out. 

There's a strong point to be made here.  We all have dreams and in some instances, God in His wisdom has chosen not to grant them, and there is really nothing we can do about that, but to trust God and believe that one day when we are in heaven he will reveal the reason.  

One dream that I do believe I should be able to make a reality one day is to go to Canada to visit my dear friend Bridget and her hubby Greg.  Dreams won't become reality unless we do something about them.  This sank in hard with me as I realised I really wasn't making any headway in this area.  So I have to tighten my belt if I want to make this happen.  

That took me back to remembering a time in my life when money was VERY tight.  Through it all though I learned contentment and I learned how to adjust my lifestyle to cope.  Well, its time for some self regulation to make my savings dreams a reality.  

Galatians 5:22-23 tells us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forebearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."  If you ask God for these fruits, beware, He will test you in them until they become a reality, but the rewards of working through these is so great that the sacrifice is worth all the effort. 

I want to encouage you today, what are your dreams?  What would you need to change today to make tomorrow better?  Then find the fruit that matches that and chase after it. 

How Should We Pray

Most of us are shy about praying in public when we don’t know what to pray for and as such the best encouragement I can give you is to look at the answer our Lord gave to the disciples when they asked him, “Master, how should we pray?”  And Jesus answered them with:

So how do we translate this prayer into today’s language and maybe to something that is personal to us?  Let me venture an interpretation:

 

Dear Father God, you are amazing and holy.  Today as I come before you, I ask you to make your will known to me and to help me to follow your will for my life.  Lord, I present my needs to you, and you know them, but I ask you for provision in this [area of my life].  Forgive me Lord for my sins, I repent and choose to follow you.  Help me to forgive others that have hurt me.  Holy Spirit, protect me from myself today.  Help me not to yield to the temptations that grab my attention.  Protect me from the devil’s evil works and guide me and lead me in your truths. I love you Lord.  Amen!

 

Try taking Jesus’ template and write out your own prayer from your heart and once you have done so, read it out aloud over and over.  As you start to verbalise your own prayers you will become more confident to share your prayers with others. 

A-Choo

 

So it is time for the bi-annual allergies and sinus issues.  Quite used to this routine by now, lasts about two weeks then its done for the next 6 months.  Nothing serious, just the runny nose, sore throat etc.  

I have all sorts of remedies and I go through all of them to make sure I whack it from every angle.  One of my tricks though is to use a little dettol or savlon on the cloth when I shower to wash away all the current days germs.  I have truly found this little trick aids recovery. 

That gets me thinking, how do we wash ourselves spiritually?  Ephesians 5:26 has the answer to that question. "that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water, by the word,"

Interesting concept.  God is telling us that we are cleansed when we spend time with Him, reading his word, which is His communication tool with us.  Wow, I don't know any other relationship that cleans our minds and hearts when we communicate with the person, but that is exactly what God tells us He does.  

So if the bugs of life are getting you down, how about taking time out to read your bible and allow God to cleanse you, all while He fills your soul with His love. 

Can't we just go there

I look up at the stars and see the beauty of the Orion constellation, and I think to myself, can't we just go there?  Well Antaka being the closest star to earth at 1200 light years doesn't sound too bad.

Well ok, and forgive me if I get the maths wrong (blame it on Google), but at the speed of the space shuttle Discovery, it would take 37200 earth years to travel 1 light year = over 44,6 million years to get there.  Darn, that blows my brain. 

Yet one fact blows my mind even more, at that distance, how on earth, excuse the pun, do we even see it with the naked eye?  Because it is that enormous and bright. 

When people look at you from close or a distance, what do they see?  Does your smile radiate Jesus love and compassion?  Do you draw people to want to get closer to you?  Tough questions I know, but if your answer is no, then you have even more thinking to do.  

Ask God today to make his light and his face radiate through you! 

Whatever is lovely

When I started writing in 2010, I was going through a severe depression.  My thoughts spiraled constantly into negative patterns and I found it hard to be happy or positive about anything.  In November that year, on my late fathers birthday, I decided to start looking for just one positive thing about each day and write about that. 

Philipians 4:8 reads, "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." 

I'll be honest, its not always that easy and I can truly say that when I find myself going down that rabbit whole again, it is because I have taken my eyes off these principles.  Focusing our minds on God and the beautiful things of life now really takes discipline.  The world is constantly bombarding our minds with negative news and bad reports, we need to choose to think God's way. 

 

A Divine Contradiction

Freedom inside the law sounds like such a contradiction, but that is exactly what Paul is proposing in Galatians 5:14 "For all the law is fulfilled in this one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."  This means that if we put others first and treat them with love we will never step outside of God's perfect plan for us.  

Now loving your neighbour can be tough, especialy when they are being down right difficult and causing harm left, right and centre, but when we remember the grace that Christ has had with us, then putting up with someone else's nonsense becomes a little easier. 

Next time you are struggling to love someone, remember that Christ died for them too.  He paid the same price for their freedom as he did for yours. That does not mean we won't have emotions to battle with, we will, but making a decision to love them will make getting through the difficult situation so much easier. 

Lasting Impact

It has been three months since my boss passed away and reflecting on this time and the relatively short time that I got to know him, he made a huge impact on my life.  He has left behind a lasting business legacy.  He touched our lives with his faith and determination for success and his drive and passion to have a people centred business. 

Thoughts came to mind of my own life and what I would leave behind in this world when I pass and I was brave enough to ask my team to share with me their thoughts, which surprised me and made me giggle.  

Uplifting - The ability to grab someone's hand and keep pulling them upward and onward towards success is not a job for the faint hearted.  Like children, people can get disheartened by failure and want to give up.  It takes strength, courage and determination to continue to motivate them to strive forward and not give up. 

Patient - (Ja right!)  Not a word I would use to describe to my self, when one of my favourate ditties is: Patience is a virtue, virtue is a grace and grace is a little girl that didn't wash her face.  No this is a different kind of patience.  Patience to bear with one another, patience to have grace with those who are weaker than you in any particular area, patience to perservere through difficult learning curves and to keep on training until the understanding is there.  Well for me that can be easy, when you have willing, eager and enthusiastic people to work with. 

Opportunity - Seeing the needs of others to learn and grow and being willing to give them opportunities to learn and push themselves further than they dreamed possible.  Well maybe that's because of my incredible curiosity and never being satisfied with what I have learned already.  But yes, I love to teach, train and raise others to higher heights, that is something I ferverantly believe in. 

An amazing choice of words and they speak to me so clearly about what the work of the Holy Spirit can do in us when we are hungry for more.  As we allow the fruit of the spirit to be developed in us, we will display characteristics that will change how we define our lives.  I want to encourage you to yearn and pray for the fruit to be made manifest in you!

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Against such things there is no law.