Invest in tomorrow

                            Sophia ... about to count the takings from the jumble sale

8 October  2012     

Isaiah 65:21-22 They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

Many people are dependant on others for their feelings and state of mind, so often we need the approval of others and the desire to please others and seldom without with the cost of our own contentment. It is a wise person that plans for a long winter or a dry summer, in the same way we all need to think about tomorrow and the times we need to get through those harsh seasons of life. It is better to work hard and use what you have wisely when you are young so that you will have enough for those days when you are older.

When we invest in the future it is not that we do not trust God to provide but that we use that which God has given us to ensure survival in our tomorrows. It is often in tears and sadness that we plant the seed that later will turn into the harvest of tomorrow. As we grow older we realise that nobody will care for you more than you will care for yourself, so it is wise to make provision for the golden years of life. It is in using what God has given us wisely that we are able to give God the glory. This not only applies to material things but also our relationships with our family and especially with God.

Be encouraged today to think of your investment in tomorrow.

 

David

Point to ponder: God is our Provider, He gives us the seed, we plant it.

Question to consider: What are you planting for tomorrow?

Bright and beautiful

5 October  2012  

  

Psalms 8:9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is thy name in all the earth!

Last night was very hot and as a result sleep was not as easy as when the night is cool, it was made more complicated by Coco our bulldog with her 8 puppies complaining all night about the weather. So this morning Coco was up and about in the garden digging and scratching to find a cooler place to sleep. It is just so fascinating to watch and observe how God has made His creation.

In the same way yesterday we drained the fish pond and fountain to repair the leaks so as to seal it once again. When we did this we had to catch the fish, there were about 25 fish the largest of which is about 50cm in length, and the smallest about 60mm, all this growth happens without our help. God has planned and made all things bright and beautiful and just think we are all part of this and we are His.

Be encouraged today to enjoy what God has given us.

 David

Point to ponder: How great is our God.

Question to consider: Do you see the Hand of God in nature?

Maintenance

4 October  2012   

 

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

When you live and work we spend many hours fixing and repairing things that need to be maintained in order for our lives and work to flow smoothly. This is true in all things, in our home, our cars, our work. When we stop maintaining eventually it gets to the stage where it breaks and you either have a great expense repairing it or you have to replace it with something new.

Now this is also true in most things including relationships, and very often it is not the fancy stuff that maintains the relationship but making sure that the drains work and that the garden is neat and the home is tidy.  When our relationships suffer, they eventually break and the result is a broken heart and often a broken home. We all need to be aware that if we maintain that which we have, it becomes the treasure of tomorrow. In the same way we also must make sure that we are maintaining our relationship with Jesus.

Be encouraged today to spend time on some maintenance.

 

David

Point to ponder: God has a maintenance plan.

Question to consider: Are you keeping to God’s maintenance plan?

Unexpected crisis

3 October  2012     

James 1:2-3 Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.

It only takes a moment and ones life may change forever. One may be driving and suddenly another car does not stop at a stop street and smashes into your car, how quickly this happens. In the same way we need to be conscious that many things can happen unexpectedly and then how do we cope with it is maybe more important than the unexpected.

Just because we believe and trust in Jesus does not mean that bad things do not happen to good people, and when bad things do happen do we stop believing and trusting? We need to be assured of our belief and trust and this usually takes an incident to happen to help us to grow in faith. However we need to be in a place where we are right with God, and to praise God no matter what happens. For nothing will happen to us which outside of God’s will for us and all things that happen God turns to the good of those who love Him.

Be encouraged to be mindful God is with us.

 

David

Point to ponder: When the unexpected happens God is still in control.

Question to consider: How do you handle the unexpected?

Silent retreat

A SILENT RETREAT

at

                                                         Linga Longa             Bela Bela

Tues 13th - Thurs 15th November

Retreat Leader: Rev Cecil Edwards

If we are to hear the silent voice of God,

we must learn to turn down

the noise in our lives, for

God speaks the language of silence.

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Enjoy this midweek spiritual experience.

Place your life before God to seek a deeper awareness of His presence

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Cost:      R550 p.p. (limited sponsorship available)

Travel:   Shared transport can be organized

To Register:  email or phone Linga Longa

                           (Rev Dave Hutt 083 650 1971)

                                          or Stephen at the Office - 014 736 4300

  Further details/directions to follow upon registration.

“Silence is God’s first language”   -   St. John of the Cross.

Teach me to pray

2 October  2012    

Matthew 6:6-7 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

In some ways in order to learn how to pray and especially to pray earnestly one needs a crisis to teach us. So when we want to learn to pray we are taught some recipes and styles that may have worked for some one else, yet when in crisis, these seem to be cast aside and we start to cry out to God in true prayer. It is when we pray from the heart, when we are praying not in a ritual but in desperate need that we truly learn to pray.

We need to practise and train ourselves to pray so that when we really need to pray we are not afraid to pray. The most powerful prayer is simple; ‘O God have mercy on me a sinner!’ and it is that childlike simplicity that God responds to with the Father’s heart. For those that are slow to learn they may find that they have to face more crisis’s until they have learnt to pray earnestly. We cannot go through life ignoring that our relationship with God is through prayer.

Be encouraged today to pray from the heart.

David

Point to ponder: God loves us to pray.

Question to consider: Have you ever thought that you pray harder in crisis?

Puppies

1 October  2012     

Jeremiah 8:7 Even the stork in the heavens knows her times; and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming; but my people know not the ordinance of the LORD.

Last week Tuesday I took Coco our bulldog to the vet to do an x-ray to see how many puppies she was going to have, unfortunately we could not see it clearly. I then wanted to know how I would know when she was due to have her puppies, he told me to take her temperature each morning and evening and when it drops by 1 degree then she will have her puppies within 24 hours. Friday night it dropped and on Saturday we had to take her to the vet and she had 8 puppies by caesarean.

This got me thinking and we need to also be observant to the changes that are taking place and in so doing be prepared for those changes. So often we are caught by surprise because we have not been observant of those changes, whether it be within ourselves, our community. It is a good thing to take your spiritual temperature through prayer in the morning and the evening and in that way whatever happens, you know where you are. Just as God knew the time of these puppies birth, so God knows your times.

Be encouraged today to be willing to be observant.

  

David

Point to ponder: God has our times in His hand.

Question to consider: Are you observant to changes?