God's grace

27 June 2012     

  

Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.

There is no power like the power of the gospel, no human can prevent the grace of God being applied by God in their lives. All men are sinners and have offended God in so many ways that if we were confronted by them and accused of them we stand with no defence. Yet God in His grace brings us into His love, not because of who we are but because of who He is. He is our Saviour and without Him we are lost forever. Yet in all of this in order for us to begin to understand this in our lives is to have the faith in believing God.

It is God who comes into our lives and when we confess how much we need Him, and how unworthy we are to receive from Him, He washes us clean, He makes us pure, through the blood of Jesus Christ. We can live by religious laws and rules, some found in Scriptures, some found in the traditions of men, some self imposed, but these lead to death and not the freedom that God has given us through His grace. For sinners as we are, Jesus Christ died, so that we may freely receive what we do not deserve, God’s grace.

Be encouraged today to praise God for His undeserved grace.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God’s grace cannot be earned by keeping rules or the law.

Question to consider: Are you under grace or the law?

Not healed?

26 June 2012   

    

Matthew 6:12 And forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors.

When we live our lives we so often find that there are those around us that are hurting and seem to have lost hope of ever being healed. They read the bible, they pray, they go to church, yet they are still hurting and just do not seem to be able to get out of their hopelessness. In ministering into the situation there seems to be a lack of understanding or a broken relationship between themselves and God.

In some ways this seems to be judgemental, but while the relationship with God is not healed, how can healing in other areas of their life take place? Often we want God to heal us, to forgive us, yet we cannot heal our relationships with others through forgiveness and love. We must first forgive others, before God can forgive us. While we carry the burden of unforgiveness, we run the risk of living lives of hopelessness.

Be encouraged today to seek the restorative love of God in your life.             

David

 

Point to ponder: God’s forgiveness is dependant on us forgiving others.

Question to consider: Do you carry a burden of unforgiveness?

God's Plan

25 June 2012  

     

Psalms 37:7-8 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

In life we have many different kinds of turns and things that cause us to make decisions that not only impacts on ourselves but also on others. These choices that we make may initially not seem to be important but over time could have been the turning point of the journey of our life, which has brought us to this point. So a child with a fever at nine years of age if not quickly responded to may cause long term problems for that child later in life. A father busy with bringing comfort for the home is often not always there for the children and then later in life is accused of being an absent father.

These are all real for many people and so many do not realise that we have the choice to life a according to a different way than what we are living now. We may allow our situations to determine our choices or we can bring our situation under our authority and control. The first choice is determined by the world and the second is determined by God the author of our lives. Sadly we so often do things which is not inline with what God intended for us and then we live with the consequences.

Be encouraged today to seek God’s plan for you today and tomorrow.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God is the Author of who we are.

Question to consider: Are you living according to God’s plan or your own?

Authority

22 June 2012       

Matthew 28:18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

In the past few days I have been thinking about the word authority and what does it mean, especially in regard to my work, my home, my life. Authority has also to do with power, and if I have authority and no power to exercise that authority I will not be able to use that authority. If I have the power but not the authority to use that power then my power cannot be legitimate.

Jesus Christ came into my life to restore my authority, and to bring His authority to bear upon my life, so the authority that I do have over who I am and the world I live in comes from Jesus. Not only do have authority, I also have the power to exercise that authority in and through the Holy Spirit, how I exercise this must be a reflection of the One who has authorized me. So I have my authority, given to me with mercy and grace, empowered in love, to become who Christ has authorised me to be, a son of the living God.

So too does your authority flow from the throne of Grace, to be who God has called you to be. It is this authority that gives to you the power, the power to choose, the power to do right and not wrong, the power to love or to hate, a power to accept others or reject. When we use the power outside of our authority, we usually end up giving our authority away to the situation and the world, rather than using the power within our God-given authority.

Be encouraged to reflect on the authority you do have, and the power God has given you.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: You have God’s authority to be you.

Question to consider: Do you allow others to take away or steal your authority?

Deaf

20 June 2012      

 

Mark 7:32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him.

There are none so deaf as those that do not want to hear. This saying was true when it was first said and equally true today. Deafness has a way of creeping up on you, at first you stop hearing the slight sounds and slowly you find silence starts to dominate. It is also true that some people develop selective hearing and certain sounds remain the same while others are not heard. And then of course there are certain tones of voice that when we hear them our brain switches off, such as the tone certain people get in their voices when they nag.

Now this is equally true in our physical world as well as in our spiritual world, sometimes we hear the Word but we do not listen or comprehend what the is being said to us. Often we switch off thinking that this applies to another and not us, and when we are always hearing the same message, we just stop hearing it. So when the message is repent sinner, we look at all the other sinners and think surely that is not meant for me. The sad part is that just as we can go to a doctor and have our ears checked, so we can go to church and have our spiritual ears checked! Remember every sermon you hear, good or bad is meant just for you, if you missed the point, were you actually listening for God, or were you listening to the voice of man.

Be encouraged today to have your ears checked.

David

Point to ponder: We believe in a God that speaks.

Question to consider: Do you actually listen?

Speaking in Season

19 June 2012  

     

1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Yesterday was a day that was busy and filled with different activities, the main one being the visit for a check up with the surgeon in Johannesburg. Having left his rooms I walked out of the hospital past the ICU unit where a Moslem family were standing, as I past them I caught their eyes,  and greeted them, and then said, ‘may God bless you today’. They smiled and said thank you.

On thinking about this I asked myself if they had to start to speak to me about why I am a Christian, what would I have said? This is an important question that all of us at any time should be ready to answer. How would you answer? Have you memorised a verse or two from the bible to help you in a debate should such a debate arise. Or do we avoid the debate lest we offend people by speaking about Jesus to them, or are we ashamed because we do not know how to answer the question. Each of us needs to be able to speak about what we believe and why we believe it, and not to be ashamed of Jesus.

Be encouraged today to be filled with faith to speak about what you believe in faith.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: We are saved by no other but Jesus Christ.

Question to consider: Have you memorised any bible verses?

Shoes

15 June 2012       

Isaiah 52:7 How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, "Your God reigns."

This morning our Coco our bulldog was with us in the prayer room, and she was playing with a running shoe left behind for her by Ligia. Now Ligia was with us as an intern and really is very special, and as Coco was playing with the shoe I really missed Ligia being with us for prayers this morning. Shoes may not always be what they seem to be, first they may tell a story of who you are, so ballet shoes tell us about the ballerina, running shoes tell us about the athlete, and boots may tell us about the work being done.

We all have shoes, and all our shoes are able to tell the story of who we are. I know one person that does not trust a person if when they come for an interview their shoes are dirty. Sometimes our shoes speak louder than we do. Yet we should not judge others, until we understand the journey of their shoes, and we cannot truly understand them unless we understand where they have been and the experience that they had on their journey. Usually we buy shoes that fit us, fit our feet and fit our personality, but when we buy shoes the wrong size and inappropriate our feet become sore and painful. In the same way in life when we fir into the wrong company with inappropriate behaviour we are also likely to end up with sore and painful lives.

Be encouraged today to think of the journey that your shoes have been with you.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Our shoes tells where we have been.

Question to consider: Are your shoes always appropriate?

God can speak!

14 June 2012     

  

Psalms 37:7-8 Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over him who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices! Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.

As one sits quietly, or wakes up at three in the morning and cannot get back to sleep, we often seem to be drawn into a conversation, within our minds. It is almost as if we are able to say something in our thoughts and then actually answer oneself. The problem is that most of the time our minds are cluttered with jumbled thoughts, and we do not clear our thinking of useless information.

This morning I spent time like this and realised that I need to be able to discern that which is of God ‘the Holy Spirit’ and that which is of self. Jesus promised me that He would always be with me in and through His Holy Spirit, and in the journey of life and the jumbled process this entails this applies  for most of us, even though I am not always aware of His presence. So we need to be able to recognise His voice in our thinking and internal debate, and the more we recognise His voice, the clearer the debate becomes and so we are able to hear His will in regard to our jumbled and busy lives.

This takes discipline and faith, it also takes being woken up at three in the morning, when He wants to talk and spend time with us. It is then in the silence that we hear a voice within our mind, that is usually more logical, wiser, gentle and loving than our own could ever be, also His language is more correct and He does not struggle for the correct word as we so often do.

Be encouraged today to recognise the voice of Jesus in the stillness of our minds.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: We have a God that speaks to us..

Question to consider: Do you discern God’s voice?

Burdens

13 June 2012  

     

Galatians 6:2 Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

There are many forms of burdens, some that are easy to bear and of our own making and others that are heavy and which may be that of someone else’s making. The weight that we often carry becomes so part of us that we actually are not aware of the fact that what we are carrying is not required to be carried. So we take on concerns and worries and these slowly stop us from actually fulfilling what Christ wants of us.

When we see someone that is heavy laden with care, we need to reach out to them to find ways for their load to become less. In love maybe to help them to carry the burden but to also recognise that when we fulfil the law of Christ, it requires us to trust Christ. In trusting we also need to recognise whether this is a legitimate burden and not a burden that the evil one has placed on us. We share each others burdens but we do not have to share that which does not grow the Kingdom of God.

Be encouraged today to share another’s burden to help them to walk the path to freedom in Christ.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Not all burdens need to be carried.

Question to consider: Have you given your burden to Jesus Christ?

 

Heart hardened

12 June 2012  

     

Mark 6:51-52 And he got into the boat with them and the wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.

Many of us do not realise just how hardened our hearts have become to the Gospel message, we have bibles, we read, we pray, we spend time in church, yet our hearts are hardened. How is this possible? Just as the disciples hade been part of the sharing of the bread and the fish, playing a major role in serving the 5000 men, then seeing and experiencing Jesus walking on water and getting into their boat, this was something that they did not understand so their hearts hardened. The harder the heart the harder is it for a person to understand.

For us today we read these stories and we understand them as stories, but do we really understand the magnitude of what these stories relate. Only God can multiply bread and fish to the extent of what happened, it is only God that is able to command the elements, it is only God that can do these things. This was God, the Son of Man, that was there in the boat with them, this was more than just Messiah, this was God Messiah, a God that saves

The early disciples, eye witness to these events struggled to understand, and we today still struggle to understand that we have a God Messiah, who will feed us when we are hungry, help us when we are struggling, and heal us when we are sick.

Be encouraged today to recognise God Messiah in your life today.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Do not harden your heart because you do not understand.

 

Question to consider: Is not faith the beginning of understanding?

Animals in heaven

8 June 2012      

   

Isaiah 11:6 The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid, and the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.

Will there be animals in heaven? Many are the debates on this issue, some saying that heaven is the place of the soul and animals do not have souls, therefore no animals in heaven. This long and heated debate is interesting, as most of the people debating may never get to heaven themselves, their animals may be there long before them! Heaven is where God is, and God created all things for His pleasure and to glorify Him, in heaven the lion will walk with the lamb.

So when people ask you if their pet which died is going to heaven, then our response should be whether their lifestyle will get them into heaven. Nobody knows what is truly in heaven, except those who have been to heaven, and each of us have some kind of concept of heaven, yet the bible tells us that heaven is better than every concept we may have ever had. Simply because where heaven is, is where Jesus is.

Be encouraged today to look forward to a heaven beyond your wildest dreams.

David

 

Point to ponder: Heaven is where Jesus is.

 

Question to consider: What is your heaven like

Knowledge

4June 2012          

1 Corinthians  8:1-3 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that "all of us possess knowledge." "Knowledge" puffs up, but love builds up. If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Sometimes loving someone is to also to say no, many are the times because we love someone, we give into what they want, yet what they want will hurt them. In the same way people want to serve God and they think that to do so they must study to be ordained into the clergy. The reality is that we have all been called to serve Jesus Christ where we are in the time we are there. Some people like to serve God by studying and writing exams, learning more about the experiences of others, rather than gaining the experience through being obedient and doing faithfully what God has called them to do.

It is not what we know that counts but whom we know when it comes to being in relationship with someone. I know a lot about the Queen of Great Britain, but I have never met her and I do not know her. Thank the Lord when it comes to Jesus I know Him because I have met Him, I know Him through His Word, I know Him through a personal experience of meeting with Him in the spirit, I know Him through the experience of Him working in and through me to the glory of Our Father.

Be encouraged today to faithfully serve Jesus Christ where you are.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Knowledge without experience stays in the study.

 

Question to consider: Are you serving Jesus where you are?

Heal the sick

1 June 2012      

   

James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will cure the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, it will be forgiven him.

This coming weekend I will be in Carletonville, and I will be teaching and equipping the local congregation in the healing ministry. Also on Saturday morning I will have the privilege of speaking to the local presbytery about the work of the healing ministry and its importance in the Gospel message. The urgency of the work cannot be understated and we need to be more forceful in proclaiming the Gospel.

Having had surgery and a deep vein thrombosis, followed by physiotherapy, and then still having to face to go back to hospital, I understand in a small way how many thousands of people feel and have to face each day. Listening in waiting rooms to the stories of others and their deep needs, who is there that will bring them hope? So many people today have to face situations, often alone and isolated, who will bring them the good news, that God loves them and cares? Every Christian has the obligation to care for the sick, not just our family but also the sick and hurting stranger.

Be encouraged today to care for the sick.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: We are all called to heal the sick.

 

Question to consider: Are you involved in a healing ministry?

Communication

31 May 2012      

 

James 4:2-3 You desire and do not have; so you kill. And you covet and cannot obtain; so you fight and wage war. You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

Good communication ensures that the message that is transferred is accurate and understood by the person you are communicating with.  Some of us are better able to communicate than others, maybe because of experience, or that some people hear but do not listen. An example of this is when you have plenty nails in the store and a person needs a nails to complete a job, instead of asking for nails, they spend an hour scratching and straightening rusted nails, and then give up and use incorrect screws. All they had to do was ask and they would have received what they asked for.

I suppose in the same way, most of us are poor communicators when it comes to conversations with God our heavenly Father, we receive not because we ask not.  Each of us are on this earth with a God-given purpose, and God knowing that knows what we need even before we ask. We still need to ask, because God loves to be conversation with us. I know many of get so busy doing it on our own that we forget to include God in our plans, and we just carry on without talking to Him. It is like a husband coming home, so involved in his own thoughts that he stops talking in the house, so in a way excluding his wife from his inner conversation. We should all become more conscious of how we communicate.

Be encouraged today to ask for what you need, it may surprise you what you get.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: If you do not ask, you do not get.

Question to consider: How good are you at communicating your needs?

Compassion

30 May 2012       

Matthew 9:36-38 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest."

This last Monday I had to visit with the Surgeon and he was not happy with the bending and straightening of my knee, so once again I will have to be in hospital for him to manipulate the knee. Fortunately I will only be in hospital next Wednesday night. So as I grow in experience I understand more of what so many people have to go through. Thank God I have Jesus in my life, I do not know how I would have coped if I could not have the hope that He gives me. Because of His compassion for me, I know that He knows my pain and anxiety.

Last Sunday visiting a local church in Johannesburg, the congregation was saying their farewells to an elderly couple who have sold their home and are moving to a retirement complex. He has been ill and his wife has been nursing him at home, my heart filled with compassion for both of them, especially when you give up your home and have to face illness etc. My impression is that the church today has lost its passion for compassion, and this leaves a spiritual emptiness amongst us.

Be encouraged today to become compassionate and feel the pain of others, just as Jesus does for you and I.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Compassion is a gift from God.

Question to consider: Are you compassionate towards others?