Do you ever 'Sit & Ponder' ?

As I sit and ponder, I wonder how many other people also 'sit and ponder'?
What do they think of if anything?

I marvel at the beauty all around me, the birds singing, the amazing hand carved rocks, a chiselled sky, the beaming rays of sunshine piercing the clouds and breaking forth to touch the Earth in all its strength and beauty.
I watch the lives that pass me by, not noticing this insignificant woman 'sitting and pondering'.
I find myself talking to my Heavenly Father and telling Him how incredible He is in designing such beauty and diversity.
In contrast to my busy life, 'sitting and pondering' affords me a restful peace...in His presence.

Can I encourage you to grab it - that moment, in that special place that makes you marvel?

I met a lady at the shopping centre food court, she too was taking a break from her shopping for a bite to eat. I started our conversation with a simple line "Amazing how peaceful a noisy place can be..."
From there I heard all about her life, and put into practice the challenge of making my conversations not about me".

This has happened many times before, I find the differences in people amazing.
I hit it off with a woman in a park over my nephew and her son, both toddlers and cute - I envied the future play dates my sister would get, that time had come and was almost gone for me.

Wow! Time goes fast. It is good to take time out to sit and ponder the 'now'... the past lessons, the future journey and where it may lead.
But mostly it is good to take time out to give thanks to the one who loves us and gives us our breath and all that life entails.

Ps 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in His word I put my hope".

What joy we can find in silence...
Make 5 minutes for you and Him... and don't put off for tomorrow what can be done today - people are what is important.....

Live in Unity

Psalm 133:1
How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity....

It is important as Christian Brothers and Sisters that we build each other up. It pleases our heavenly Father.
But what's more, it is very important that we hold each other accountable to stay on the path that was set out for us. Not to tell each other what our 'opinion' is, but to remind each other of scripture and what the Lord says to us.
Hebrews 10:25 - "And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good works. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the day approaching."

What happens when we don't like someone... Is that really an option for a Christian? After all, some people are just hard to love... aren't they??
Christ Jesus loved a prostitute, He loved a 'wee little man' - Zacheus (I imagine he was quite annoying), He loved the man with Leprosy (obvious disease), He loved the complaining Tax Collectors (greedy, snub and arrogant) and lets not forget the difficult to love people who never stopped whinging and complaining - the Israelites..
He calls us to be imitators of Himself, to love unconditionally.

There are only two commandments in the New Testament - Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, mind and soul and love your neighbour as you love yourself.

In fact, when Jesus was questioned by a teacher as to what is the Greatest commandments, He answered with -  
"‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’^[c] There is no commandment greater than these.”

So if Love is the greatest commandments, are we being obedient to the Lord?

We cannot love someone if we do not know how to love them. Everyone is different but some things don't change - all people need to feel special and genuinely loved for who they are. All it takes is a listening ear, an encouraging word and an act that is selfless towards another. Try to not talk about yourself sometimes...

Choose today to love another person without seeking any praise for yourself.

A challenge for myself that I now share with you.

A Mediocre Existence

Jesus came to give us life and life to the fullest... John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal, kill and Destroy...

Even for a Christian we can have a mediocre existance. Our choices to clutter our life with the things of the world and to hold on to our self-centred comforts steal from us the joy and riches that come when we spend time getting replenished by the word of God.

It is too easy for us to choose not to fellowship or read the word, usually it is because we "just don't feel like it at the moment".

I pulled out a Bible with a friend once and she rolled her eyes.. I just wanted her help to get motivated to get into a study I was doing, but she saw it as work and didn't want to get deep, reluctantly we started reading..
After the study she apologised for being so opposed to the word. She loved the conversation we had and we talked about it for weeks. The study was on finding our rest in the Lord.

Sometimes we don't want to be in the Bible, even though it should be our book of preference as a Christian. I know Christians who have this same attitude. They would rather not hang around after Church, they never invite people over to their house and if you do discuss the Word, they always make it into a joke so as not to look too much into their own sin.

A mediocre existence...
God's plan is to turn old thoughts that defeat us into new thoughts that encourage us.
2 Co 10:3-5 "take every thought Captive"
Prov 23:7 "For as he thinks inside himself, so he is.."
Phil 4:8 Think on these things and put them in practice...

Corrie Ten Boom wrote "I've learned that we must hold everything loosely, because when I grip it tightly, it hurts when the Father pries my fingers loose and takes it from me!"

There are some Christians you simply cannot put a bomb under, they are consumed with their own life, the comfort of their own four walls, they tell themselves that they are fine. They are convinced that they are living the life God called them too.. I believe when the Bible says there will be weeping, that we will see the life we could have lived if only we had listened to His voice calling us along the way.

Our choices steal from us.. unfortunately some of us choose to to exclude ourselves from the race, to disqualify ourselves because it is simply too hard to deal with 'myself'. I have seen the attitude "I am happy doing what I am doing and just wish people would leave me alone to keep doing it"...
Well Christian.. If that is you - all I can say is - YOU ARE DABBLING IN SIN! Christ came to give you life, but you are supposed to Love Him, Obey Him and love others as He has loved you..
If you are stuck in your own existence, within your own safe four walls because that is what makes you comfortable, then you have been defeated by the enemy who came to steal joy and life from you, who comes to kill your spirit, who came to destroy all the blessings that the Lord Jesus has for you.

When Paul says he is running the race, he says 'forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead - Phil 3:13-14; he leaves the hurt behind, the lessons behind, he doesn't stumble then go back to the beginning again, he gets up and runs from that place.
                                             RUN THE RACE SET OUT BEFORE YOU!
So what if you have been hurt by someone at Church!
So what if you got caught in sin!
So what if you are tired!
So what if you just don't have those skills!
So what if you think differently to others!
So what if you don't have enough money or the nicest house!

Get off your backside!!!!! Nicodemas, come down from that tree and stop observing other people's lives! Be involved! Serve! Offer your body as a living sacrifice, set aside for Him and acceptable by Him! Get off your backside!!! Get over yourself and get back on the right path...

I get so sad for Christians who choose to do their own thing, to stay home and watch tv, who would prefer to leave Church early so they don't have to fellowship.
If following Christ Jesus is to love Him, know Him, serve Him, share Him, walk as He walked....
How on earth can a person call themselves a Christian if they are not doing that??? Simply put, they are no different to an unsaved really nice person.
WAKE UP!!!

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!!!!! And the Joy of the Lord will be my strength to do all things....

Please brother or sister.....PLEASE choose to walk with Him today, start by reading the book of James over the next week.. for God is good and he loves you, so draw near to Him and watch him draw near to YOU.
I realise I am being really forceful and in your face, I make no apology, if you are my sister or brother in the Lord, and this is the life you have chosen to live, then you need to take a different direction, it is not as hard as your mind is telling you, that is the voice of the enemy building a brick wall in your mind. Tap into the power of the Holy Spirit by asking for forgiveness and healing of your heart.. then run the race towards the goal for which you have been called by the Lord Jesus, you answered Him once, now do it again but with conviction.

May your ears be opened to His still small voice that calls you out of the wilderness....

Lost? Who is the real you?

"I hate being me!" my girlfriend said as she spoke about how her life was going quickly and she still didn't think she was good at anything..

The words rattled through my mind, the sound of them was so familiar.. it was not long ago I had thought that very same thing about myself...

Is this you?

Christ healed me! He healed my inner self. He showed me who I was in Him, not in the world. I had always compared myself to others: they are nicer, they have more to offer, they have a better memory, they are more skilled, they seem to have direction, they succeed at their plans, they are financial, they are attractive, they are thinner etc.

By comparing, I just couldn't stand looking at myself for who I was because I always felt lost and out of place.

When I started searching for my purpose in life, I was drawn to the creator, and when I saw myself in Him, I saw that I was designed...
Ps 139:13 "For you created my inmost being, you knit me together in my Mother's womb"
Designed????
This didn't happen straight away when I became a Christian, It was when I was in my 30's that I realised that it is ok to accept the love on offer.
It meant accepting that every stitch of my life was deliberate, that my life is a beautiful creation... a master piece that will never be duplicated.

Luke 19:10 "The Son of man came to find the lost people and save them."

What is it to be lost?
Basically, you don't know who you are or what you are put on earth to do. You are not happy with yourself but have no idea of how to be happy in yourself so you look to others. You do not like your own choices and wish someone would just fix it. You look for answers in others, but only see that you fall short of your own expectations. In a room full of people you find yourself wanting to sit in the corner and not make eye contact with people just incase they talk to you.

Hopefully I can help you... Instead of looking at what you would like to be.. why not look at what you were created to be, drop the grand notions that life would be better if....
YOU have been created to have that specific temperament , that specific personality, however, your life  is stunted by your own fear of your own failures.

Your personality is moulded from a young age, your values were passed on to you, your choices in life have been within what you think you are able to do and what you think of yourself has been founded in what you were told you were like by so many.

I want to encourage you to drop all of that off at the foot of the Cross and walk into the truth, the truth is freeing.

The first truth is that you were created just the way you are in your heart (not the persona you put on for the world to see).
The second truth is that you are a sinner, someone who falls short of what a Holy God created you to be, you have not made choices that God would approve of and this makes you unclean which prevents you from understanding Christianity in it's entirety. Your worldly thought processes (which were forced on you by the world) is what makes you fight God's plan, and ruins the relationship you could have with him. What I am trying to say in it's simplest form is that your sin keeps you from having the relationship with God that you were created to have.

The third truth is that this relationship has been fixed, you just don't know it yet. The world is a very noisy place, almost like static on the radio when you are trying to listen to something important. If I were to tell you that you needed to be a Christian to find yourself, your mind instantly draws on all the things you think you know about Christianity based on your own wisdom and all the sarcasm and criticism that has been planted in you, and you instantly laugh and mock it. You are carrying other peoples fears and they are holding you back from finding true inner peace. You have a notion of what you think Christianity looks like but without ever having picked up a Bible yourself or researched evidence ... Have you questioned your trust in the people around you that have encouraged you to not believe (even influenced you to stay far away from it based on their unbelief - like parents, friends) based on their own wisdom and experience? Do you know for sure that they have read the Bible and understand it and are right enough for you to base your own eternal life on it??????

The fourth truth is simple - Jesus promises to heal the broken hearted, to find the lost, to forgive the sinner, to never leave us, to make us strong when we are weak, to bless us, to love us. He speaks the truth to us, that is why he had such a strong following that has been growing since His walking on Earth, as people realise they cannot do 'life' by themselves, they search for the truth which can lead them to another lie because they fear love.
The world hates the truth... no-one wants to see themselves as a sinner.. we innately see ourselves as good. There is good in all of us, however, it is not good enough to be near a Holy God.
1 John 1:19 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness".

The fifth truth is this: You can be free from all the junk and live a rich full life. In your own quiet time, tell God that you have been living a sinful life but you just want to be made right in Him and ask Him to forgive you. Then invite Him into your heart and ask Him to change your life. Then believe and you will be free. It will not take the reality out of your life, but you will start to notice God's hand in different things. Your conscience will be pricked and you will notice small changes. Read the book of John in the Bible and start thinking on it.

Only after doing this can you truly find the real you, the one you were created to be, because you need to see yourself in light of the way God sees you. He loves you. He loves you. He loves you!!! All He wants to do is have a relationship with you, talking to Him is called prayer - no fancy words, just a normal conversation.

Ditch all the lies that were ever told to you by another, your parents, your friends, your teachers, YOURSELF!
You are a precious person. Stop holding yourself back, take a step to finding the peace that Jesus promised to leave you - John 14:27. See yourself as created to be this way and don't let anyone or anything tell you otherwise!

Lastly, do something for yourself that you have never done before, something that you would like to do  but do not think it possible.. a painting class, a short course at Tafe, join a walking group, get your truck licence, or a motor bike licence. Go pay for someone to teach you to play golf.
Make yourself do something with your life that will give you funny memories and interesting experiences. And do something for another person - volunteer for Meals on Wheels, or volunteer to go to a Nursing home and do the feeding for a lunch.

It took me 18 years of being a Christian before I finally realised that I AM special, now I enjoy a blessed life, not without troubles and struggles, that is par for the course being married with 6 children...but my trust and peace when those troubles come, help me to ride it out prayerfully and confidently that I will be ok.

I really hope I have helped you. if you don't like it then i suppose it will feel like 5 minutes that you will never get back....lol
But this is how I choose to live my life - believing in a God who proved Himself by sending His only Son to die on a cross for us, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life and have it to the fullest. John 3:15

May God Bless you with all His goodness and Love, so much that you cannot contain it.
On a final note, this is the God who loves you and wants JUST YOU!

The List

I am a lists person, are you?
I have different lists for different purposes.
The 'today' list; 'this weeks' list; 'this month' list; a future list of goals, one for the year and one for the next ten years.

Some are in my head and some are on paper. I have a 'To Do' list for my boss and a 'To Do' list for my husband. My children's lists are in the diary and from this I can then run my day.

So how can I hear the voice of God guiding me, sifting through all there was on my agenda of things to do, and still find rest enough to replenish my strength in Him? As much as I thought about it, I couldn't seem to "unbusy" and 'declutter' my life.

I have realised my list is a fraudulent list! I have written it, seen that it fits into my plans for life and I have stamped it with God's approval!

If you, too, live by lists.. just ask yourself - do you feel busy even when you sit down to do nothing?
This was the turning point for me. When I had no work to do, I couldn't think of anything I wanted to do ( I still to this day can't). There were plenty of things I wanted to attend, but felt too busy to go, even though I spent most of my day not doing too much at all.
Now that I have realised this, I am free to have my plans, but if they do not get done then tomorrow is another day and it can take care of itself...today I will listen to His still small voice telling me what to do.
Today you can live by His still small voice.
The difference is 'TRUST'.
Trust in His promises for you -
He will provide all of your needs according to HIS riches in Glory; Phil 4:19.

Jeremiah 29:11 is very popular and understandably so. It is a reminder that God has it all in His hands. It is very easy to rattle off cushy scripture, but quite often we forget verse 13... "If you look for me whole heartedly, you WILL find me!" He then goes on to say "I WILL be found by you"...

WOW! In our busy life, we neglect the key points to finding God.
"If you look for me wholeheartedly"...
This is a decision of our will, we do not go looking for something without deciding to do so. And to do so wholeheartedly would be to remove all other distractions and make the time to do so passionately.

So making time to read His word and pray will help us to find Him. When we find Him we will accept his plan for our lives. When we accept His plan for our lives we will understand that in making our lists for life, only the will of God is what is important and at the end of the day, we can find our peace in His guidance.

That's been my weeks lesson.. I hope to build you up and encourage you to look at yourself and consider the decisions you have to make as well..
In the Father's hands you WILL find rest.

The Valley Path

Allow yourself to imagine for just a moment...
Take a breath, close your eyes & go to a different place for just a moment...

Walking beside a stream, the water is cool and crystal clear. You can hear the noise of the babbling brook up head, it is soothing to the soul. You take a breath and smile - You have found it.. that place...

You are not alone, beside you is the creator, a strong hand holding yours, you are free to walk, laugh, talk, run, to explore.

Up ahead there are three paths.
The one that does a 90 degrees.. that is the one you would not take. That is not even a choice. Who would be foolish enough to leave this secure safety?.....No, that path is not even a choice (though I hear many who go down there are never heard from again)

The middle path, It is easier, and at times the creator can hold your hands, but mostly He has to just watch you.
This path is the path of Free will, much like the other path, but there are not as many challenges here (though you will have two hands which will allow you to collect things along the way) the path is smooth, no over grown grass, rocky outcrops or deep ravines, it is easier to walk, but you will walk it alone... and at the end the meadow is not green and lush, it is brown, dry and lonely, the water there is tasteless and sometimes stagnant, no-one to talk to, no-one to share with. Even if you do cross the path of another family member there, their ears are slightly deafened and eyes slightly narrowed due to their single-minded devotion to protecting themselves so they cannot really understand you, they don't really want to talk to you because they are on their own path, collecting up their own little treasures which weigh them down, you are merely a threat to them as you may take something that belongs to them. Don't even bother asking anyone to help you with your journey here.. they are too busy with their own.

The path parallel with the stream seams to have obstacles, they are not insurmountable but will take effort. The grass can be a little long in places that may cause you to get lost for a bit, but that strong hand promises to not let go.. it will draw you back to the right path. 

There are deep ravines and rocky outcrops but still, that strong hand says they will carry you  - have they ever told a lie?

The stream will become a little loud and fast along the path, but don't be afraid, because the water cannot touch you unless you want it to.

At times the path will become dark, shadowed by the towering mountains that are full of scary dangerous beasts..again, if you just ask the Creator who is holding your hand, He will protect you, for He can be scarier than anything along the path..I hear that even the dragon that resides there is afraid of Him.. thank goodness He promises to not let go of your hand and you can even turn your eyes when you are afraid and He will navigate the path for you.

I am told there is a green meadow and plenty of rest awaiting your arrival at the other end,  where the grass is lush and the stream is still, you can dive in and be refreshed...oh the peace it affords you will be worth every step along that path! 

I hope I have been able to paint a picture in your minds eye.
As a Christian, I am sure you understand the paths I talk about.
The first path of course is the path which denies Christ, even if someone acknowledges the existence of a creator, on this path, they deny that they need Him. I feel so much sorrow for these people. They may be able to be saved, but it would take us to step out of our comfort zone and love them and share with them the truth in order to get them close enough to the path so they can even see the hand of the Creator reaching out to them.

The middle path is of course the path of the Christian who places value on material possessions & self.. they place importance on their house, or their antiques or possessions, & their own comfort. Forever consumed with their own lives and their own importance. When they have time with their brothers and sisters in the Lord, they talk about themselves so much that you don't really get a chance to ask them how they are going. Their children do no wrong and they don't need anyones help. They cry poor but do not realise that they have so much to share, their primary concern is how they can get more, be more, do more for themselves. They are kind to their friends, but outside that, they don't even bother to touch others.. it may be too time consuming and after all, they are very busy people doing waht they feel is what God wants them to do.

Obviously the third path is the right path. A life devoted to our walk with the Lord and Saviour. Where we do not let go of His hand. Where we read the word, pray and fellowship in the word with others. Where we open up our homes and and invite others in, without holding back just that little bit for ourselves. To give to those who have a need without counting the toll on our own bank accounts/lives.

God is good all the time... we are not all the time.. but with His hand holding ours, we become perfect through the blood of Christ which was shed for us.
Choose the right path...

Just catch your breath..

Just catch your breath...

Isaiah 55.11- 'so is my word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it".

I confess that sometimes I am like the man who, after looking at himself in the mirror, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. James 1:24

I love drawing near to God, but most certainly need to do it more often. Being in His presence is like just popping out of the world for a minute to take a deep breath of fresh air! It is recalibrating the soul.

Drawing near to God.. what does it mean? How do we do it? 
I have been searching out these questions lately and have come up with what I think works for me. A three part action -

1. Make time to read the word
2. Take time to Pray over and in and on the word that you read
3. Fellowship in the word with someone, preferably someone in the family of Christ, or look for ways to share it with someone who crosses your path.

I love to read the word, I cannot get enough; but unless I really ponder on it and churn over it, I can forget what I read and find no meat to chew on.

When I learn the most from God is when I am in communion with Him, either by reading the word, or by praying about it or by talking with a friend; but mostly all three.

Fellowship is greatly lacking in Christian circles. Not the fellowship of spending time with friends & having a meal together. But the fellowship of believers, where they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Where everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. A place where all the believers were together and had everything in common. How they sold their property and possessions to give to anyone who had a need and everyday they met together in the church or in their homes and they ate thankfully, praising God and enjoying God's favor through His people.

When was the last time you gathered at a friends house and spoke on the things the Lord has been showing you lately? OR, when did you last ask your sister or brother how their walk in the Lord is going?....Encouraging one another in brotherly love....

We are all on a journey that was written before the beginning of time. He saw our face way back when and draw up the plan that would be best for our lives. Firstly for good, and secondly for OUR good. From the minute the light bulb went off in our heads and we decided to believe in God, He saved us and our correct path began. Imagine being given the right... the rights to the city, the rights to the king, the rights to any bank, the rights to land...He gave us the right to sonship - heirs to the king.. 

This very fact is enough to make us be still and confidently know who our God is - 

I love looking around at the amazing scenery he has put there just for our enjoyment...

Here I catch my breath... And remember He is God.