Posts

The whole story

“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Solomon did not end well, he married many foreign women against the word of the Lord, and they became a snare to him. However, this very last chapter sums things up well. He basically is saying, “remember God and fear Him, don’t go your own way!” Unfortunately Solomon’s son did not heed him, he chose the wrong advisers and destroyed the kingdom. Fearing God is respecting Him. Pride caused Lucifer to fall and he uses the same tool to pull us down. Solomon would have been tempted with pride, we all are. I was pondering men like Moses and David and how they both killed men to deal with a problem they had. Yes, God used them and perhaps the knowledge of their sin humbled them. I do not want to have to be humbled in such a way. I pray that I have ears to hear and eyes to see my sin before the rock falls. Unfortunately, Lucifer did not learn h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Seek continually

“Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually!” 1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭11‬ ‭ESV‬‬ If we are honest we do not seek  the Lord’s presence continually! I have been made aware of the need to do this and now find His beautiful presence when I seek Him. Why do we not seek His presence? Why are we content with reading our bibles, prayer and worship on Sundays? Why not have a heart of worship, continually! We have accepted a lower level of relationship than is available to us. Pastor Bill Johnson made me aware of seeking God’s presence and love before sleeping and on waking. However, I have looked for Him on more occasions. I now have a mindset to seek Him more. He is waiting to engage and loves our connection. The fact that I turn my heart and mind to Him blesses Him, and me! As I involve Him and trust Him in more and more things I enjoy His presence. I’ve found Him even when I play games with my flatmates. What would He be interested in card games? He’s interested in my trus...
Post a Comment
Read more

The way

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” ‭‭John‬ ‭14‬:‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Jesus also said: “wide is the road that leads to destruction and narrow is the way that leads to life, and few are those who choose it!”(Matt 7:13,14). The easy and glossy way leads to destruction. This way is the way of self-effort and good intentions as well as the way on which murderers walk. Jesus also said: ““Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’” Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Attending church and reading the Bible will only benefit us if we do the things we read, if we crucify the flesh and walk in the spiri...
Post a Comment
Read more

Worth

“But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.” Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭20‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬ In all I do telling others about Jesus takes presedence. I may build things, works, pioneer and lead others but nothing is better than sharing the good news. My Lord loves people and wants them to know Him. We do not understand His love and longing, otherwise we would tell more people. We must consider our greatest love and longing and multiply it 10 times or more to understand how much He loves. Each of us have been given a number of people to reach. They might be the neighbours in our street; our work colleagues; our families or those in far flung places. When we meet Him in eternity He will look for those He has given us to reach, will He say, “well done!” Or will He say, “begone from me for I never knew you!” The second would be the hardest to hear by far! Remember ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Discipline

“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ As adults we may think we are, gratefully, free from the years of discipline of our parents. However, we are expected to discipline ourselves. How do we do that? By refusing to agree to every lust that arrives. Lust comes not just for sex, but for food, clothes, cars, experiences, etc. The last to be mentioned ‘fruit of the spirit’ is self-control. This is another name for self-discipline. How does it work? I choose to allow the Holy Spirit in my life to bring about self-control. He will take us through times where we have the choice: flesh or spirit. This will be in choosing to criticise, judge others or leave that to the Lord; choosing to be satisfied with what I have and not want what others have; choosing to fast instead of feast; choosing to be quiet instead of having entertainment and ‘fu...
Post a Comment
Read more

Salty salt

““You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬ ‭NLT‬‬ For the longest time I have not understood this scripture fully but last night I saw the meaning more fully. My study Bible gave three cross references to salt in the Old Testament and I followed them. “Using the usual techniques of the incense maker, blend the spices together and sprinkle them with salt to produce a pure and holy incense.” Exodus‬ ‭30‬:‭35‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Salt was used to make incense pure and holy. In the book of revelations we see incense burners full of the prayer of the saints. Incense now is the prayers of God’s people. Why does it need salt? Is it because our prayers must be holy? Purified by salt! Here is a deep thought worth pondering. “Season all your grain offerings with salt to remind you of God’s eternal covenant. Never forget to add salt to your grain offerings.” Levitic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Dark valleys

“Even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have! Your authority is my strength and my peace. The comfort of your love takes away my fear. I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.” Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭4‬ ‭TPT‬‬ We all walk though times that feel very black: a loss of a loved one; rejection and isolation; financial devastation; a sickness. David experienced being chased, continually,  by a mad man who happened to be the king, all the while knowing that he had been annointed to be the next king.  Recently I visited what was once the royal palace here in Kathmandu. The royal family had been mowed down by bullets in one day, some survived, one was absent and went on to be the next king. He abdicated in 2008 due to political unrest. There are many countires where the royal families have been slain by revolutionaries. Political conflict is the frequent cause for violence. Iran is facing a revolution as the people are ris...
Post a Comment
Read more