It's raining

7 September  2012

 

Ephesians 1:9-10 For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

God really has a sense of humour, yesterday in the encouragement that we had not got a drop of rain, last evening the rain started and has not stopped! Last night I also had an expectation of deep fried fish with chips, I made the chips and the electricity went off, so after a cold supper and a candle light experience the warmest place was bed. This morning I have a meeting at the conservancy dam to discuss the winter flow into the dam as it has been very dry, and the Lord gives us 40mm of rain. I can just imagine the meeting to discuss the inflow to the dam from the spring in the rain.

This just makes us realise how little we are able to control things, we cannot control the weather, we cannot control power failures, so sometimes we just need to accept and live with what we have. It is these that we begin to understand how blessed we are, and when we tense up it’s like shouting at the thunder. God has His plan and nothing is going to change it, so we need to stick to His plan and we will be OK. His plan is that we live life and enjoy it without hurting others.

Be encouraged today to enjoy what the day brings.

David

Point to ponder: Be in God’s plan.

Question to consider: Are you part of God’s plan?

Praise God

6 September  2012

 

Psalms 34:2-3 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

There are some days where one’s spirit within oneself does not feel right, like there is something wrong but you just do not know what. The sky is heavy with clouds and much needed rain has fallen on many parts of the land, yet your land is dry. It seems that so many things have to happen, decisions made and the day appears to be cluttered with so many issues, yet what about me in all of this?

It is at such times that we need to realise that our feelings are dependant on our mood and responses to others around us including exposure to the media. How we feel varies, but the facts of who we are and who we believe in does not, and it is in times like these that no matter our affliction, our poverty, or how we feel, we are able to praise and give thanks to God. The moment we start to sing, the moment we realise that our God is bigger than our feelings, our spirits lift with the joy of praise.

Be encouraged today to praise God no matter how we feel.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Praise turns sadness into joy.

Question to consider: Do you sing when you are sad?

 

No more sweets

5 September  2012

 

Proverbs 12:9 Better is a man of humble standing who works for himself than one who plays the great man but lacks bread.

There are certain things that one learns in life, one of these is the need to be able to share with others and the other that what we have to share is limited.  So when you only have ten sweets and eleven children it is necessary for either one child not to have, or to split the ten sweets in such away that each has a similar portion, or keep the sweets for yourself and do not give the children any sweets.  The other problem is that these are the last sweets and there are no more to be had, because the factory that made these sweets has closed down.

Now for you and I this is simple, if we do not plant we cannot reap, if you do not care for what you have, it will not last, and if it is yours then it is yours to do with as you want. So when a person demands money from you, like a child demanding a sweet it is your decision to give the sweet or not. And if the child petulantly keeps demanding, the value is dependant on the negotiation for the value of the sweet, what is the child supposed to do to earn the sweet. So when there are no sweets  there is no demand.

In the same way whether it is a mine strike or whatever, there comes a time that the value demanded is beyond the capacity to give in, so it’s better to just close shop and move on. In the same way many of us expect God to just give us the blessings with us never adding value to what He has blessed us with.

Be encouraged today to stop demanding and to nurture the blessings.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God does not respond well to demands.

Question to consider: Do you demand or beg?

Judge not

4 September  2012

 

Matthew 7:1:2 "Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.

In the world today I believe the greatest sin is selfishness, what I want and need is more important than others needs, and I will get what I want no matter the cost. I am a winner not a loser and as a result we all loose. When we look at others and judge their behaviour we must always be alert that someone else is judging us. So it is far better not to judge what others do, leave that to the Judge, but rather give them the space to receive your forgiveness, and in this way it gives the Judge the space to bring justice into the situation.

So as a follower of Jesus, which is different to a church attendee, the focus should never be on self, or on what church you attend, or who is important in that church, or what ritual takes place when, but rather on following Jesus. The example Jesus gives us is that He selflessly gave of Himself; totally for you and I, and when we follow Jesus we follow this example. So when I am more important than others, or my status makes me above others, then I am in serious trouble. Rather let the Judge, judge and Jesus be that Judge rather than I.

Be encouraged today to forgive rather than judge.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: Be careful who you judge.

Question to consider: Do you judge or forgive?

Fires

3 September  2012

 

Proverbs 16:27-28 A worthless man plots evil, and his speech is like a scorching fire. A perverse man spreads strife, and a whisperer separates close friends.

In the area where we live there are many camps and game farms that are open to the public for game drives and holiday chalets, one of these is Sondela. On Saturday a tragedy struck when a grass fire out of control swept through Sondela destroying chalets and taking the lives of two of the guests with many of the animals badly burnt. When a fire is out of control there is very little one can do in thick dry bush. The fire comes suddenly and with the speed of the wind driving the flames even faster. The wind on Saturday was at about 28kph.

When we think of this tragedy and the suddenness of it, we must turn our minds to the Bible and be reminded that life is precious and what we do each day has the ability to set things ablaze. The fires we light are able to keep us warm, cook our food, but that same fire is also able to hurt, maim and kill. It is not only matches that are able to set fires, but also the words of our mouths and what we do. So when we do light fires with whatever do we have the correct regard for the consequences our actions may have?

Be encouraged today to be careful how you light fires.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: The fires we light may either bless or harm.

Question to consider: Have you ever lit a fire that went out of control?

Please uphold Simango family in prayer

 Siyapi flanked by his family at St Mark's ..... please alert us if you know where he is

Dear friends,

It appears that Siyapi was hijacked/abducted on Friday and he is still missing. His car has been found near his place of employment in Sandton. Nothing seems to have been stolen, but there is evidence of a possible struggle, but no trace of Siyapi. Sharai is understandably upset and is trying to stay strong for the childen. Please may we all pray for his safe return. 

Blessings,

Liz.

Sleepless

31 August 2012     

1 Samuel 3:8-9 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for thy servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Is it not sometimes mind boggling when you are able to sleep late and then you wake up an hour before you normally do and then cannot get back to sleep. So after tossing and turning you get up and start the daily chores, thinking with an early start you will get through more, but you usually don’t. Now this happened to me this morning and so I also decided to place the hoses to water the gardens, but then got caught up in watching the birds, hundreds of birds. A big flock of green eyed finches, and a number of other birds were in the trees, on the roof of the cottages,  on the lawns, eating the seeds from the trees. It was simply amazing. The result I am late to get to the office!

If I had slept in and taken my time I may just have missed this wonderful sight, so maybe God just planned it for me and got me up so I could see it. I think that God often wakes us up to share something with us, yet we want to sleep, so when I cannot sleep I usually know that God has something to say. So the best is get your Bible, read, pray and listen to what God has to say.

Be encouraged today to listen to God speaking.

 

David

 

Point to ponder: God has a lot to say.

Question to consider: Are you listening to God?