The beginning

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”Genesis‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We live in an age where, because mankind has rejected this truth, their children now reject who they are. Little boys want to be girls and little girls want to be boys. Things have become so crazy because God has given them up to foolishness of the mind.

Yet, I believe God did indeed create the earth and all that is in it. How glorious the mind that devises such beauty. When Inlook at a baby I wonder. The process of growth in the womb is spectacular. 

We cannot see anything on this earth suddenly evolve from nothing. God created mankind in His image. In His likeness He formed us. We are tripartite beings. We are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a body. The body will decay but the soul and spirit will live forever.

God gave all things on the earth for us to enjoy. The animals He gave us to rule, the plants to tender. Nothing in all the earth is made like Him but mankind alone. We are His treasure. He made us for a relationship with Him. That relationship is beautiful! 

If you do not know the Lord as I describe, ask Him to come into your heart, to forgive you of all sin and become your Lord and saviour. Watch your life turn around! He is so good!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=wohdq7YCPWk&si=8OHQrt6xhclHxiI1

Everything you do

“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Cor 10:31

The verse is plucked out of a passage in which Paul is dealing with meat offered to idols. In a culture where idol worship was prevalent, Christians had to decide where to eat it or not. Paul was addressing the freedom we have to eat but not to offend. He said ‘if someone tells you it was offered to idols, don’t eat it so to not offend.’ 

He goes on to say:

I, too, try to please everyone in everything I do. I don’t just do what is best for me; I do what is best for others so that many may be saved.”

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭ 33‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I am living in Nepal. I live in a house owned by idol worshippers. When they have their festivals they invite us to eat with them, however, as my flatmates are Nepali Christians and know the food is offered to idols, we do not go. We also do not invite them to our Christmas and Easter celebrations so as not to offend them. However, the girls invite the children to Christmas and Easter programs.

As we ready for Easter we have placed a small tree in a pot in the window of our lounge room. It has red ribbon draped over it and a small lamb at the base. We hope to create questions in their minds. Rather than do Easter eggs that have no meaning to Easter at all we will introduce the true meaning of Easter, Jesus!

As Paul says, ‘in everything you do, give glory to God!’ He is first! Amen!

Love

“Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”Matthew‬ ‭22‬:‭37‬-‭39‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We have heard the phrase, ‘love makes the world go round’, and it is right. However, the type of love that ensures the world’s continuity is God’s love. He holds all things together. It is His kind of love that Jesus was speaking about here also, a selfless love that gave up His only Son to die on a cross and free it from sin.

We do not love God to manipulate Him, rather, we respond to His love in gratitude. Manipulative love is the worldly kind of love. It loves to get in return. God’s love loves because it is pure, kind, unprovoked, gentle and good. We are invited to love with this love.

Now, you can say, “I can’t do that, I’m selfish to my core”. You would be right, as we all are. However, when we come to Christ He gives us His Holy Spirit and we are told to live by its goodness and power:

“The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you. And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by this same Spirit living within you. Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2) praise God!!! I have been set free!!!! Amen!

Praise

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”Psalms‬ ‭103‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We can say psalms without really comprehending them. The first verse exhorts us to not forget all of the Lord’s benefits and then the following lists His benefits.
David had amazing insight for a man who did not live under the outpouring of grace. He lists things that are ours in the New Testament: forgiveness of sin, healing, crowning with love and compassion, and he goes on to say that He satisfies our desires with good things. He understood we have a gracious and loving God.
We need to draw near to our God and not our feelings about the problems in our world. Right now we are seeing earthquakes across the globe in the magnitude of 7.7-7.1 on the Richter scale. We see wars and hear rumours of wars. In Nepal there is political unrest with demonstrations and riots. However, God is still God and we can draw near to Him. Amen!

At Work

“for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We see in Genesis that God rested on the seventh day after working for 6. This is our first concept of God working. We can imagine He susta around all day watching us. However, He is at work in all of us: bringing us the awareness of our need for salvation; outworking that salvation in our lives through His Holy Spirit. He corrects, challenges, comforts but never controls. 

I can be in a day of fleshly attitudes and His Holy Spirit will usually wake me in the wee hours and show me my sin. As we are not all on the same time scale His work is continual.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God, and whilst He has finished the work of redemption for us, He intercedes for us, constantly.

The Holy Spirit also intercedes for us. I am so grateful that I have such powerful intercessors, as without them I would not make it complete, to Heaven.

I may be disappointed with my own behaviour, but He, graciously knowing my flesh, does not discard me. He will never discard me. I am His and He is mine. He is forever faithful. 

Thank You Lord!

https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=Ml0L3uzYtRM&si=7E6LdKEOWtuhpcpd

Made right

“God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus became sin for me, so that I could be free from it’s power. We all sin in many ways: in word or deed, however, when we confess our sin to Him we are set free. 

If I know Jesus has made me righteous (without sin) then I do not need to stay under it’s control. I do not need to yield to it’s power. Satan lies to us and tells us we are guilty of sin just because he plants an idea in our minds. However, we only sin when we act on Satan’s idea. He does this regularly in relationships, he suggests our family, friends and colleagues are doing selfish things to us and proposes we become offended. We only sin when we act on his suggestions.

Know we have an enemy who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Tel him to get lost. Amen!

Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world! 1 John 4;4. Rely on the Holy Spirit’s wisdom and direction. Amen!

Remain

“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How does one remain in Christ? How do you remain married? How do you stay friends with people? By being faithfully connected! How do you stay faithfully connected? By being in constant communion with that person.

We cannot abide by casually reading our bibles, praying when the mood strikes. We need a love relationship with Him, a vital love relationship. This is found as we seek Him as our life force, our breath, our thought, our comfort. Comfort is not found in food or drink, drugs, spending money, or casual sex. When we give ourelves to these we allow them to take up residence, and we become their slave.

Jesus does not enslave us, He welcomes us into a love relationship. His ways we find in our bibles, His truths we find there. He is good alone!

Seek freedom in a love relationship with Jesus! Amen!