The day with dianne Louise

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians‬ ‭2‬:‭20‬ ‭NLT‬‬ My selfish self has been crucified with Christ! It can no longer have a voice in me. After all, it is dead and the new life I now live must be by faith in Jesus who gave His life for me. This reminds me of a chorus we used to sing, long ago. I might just dust it off and sing it to myself today to remind myself I walk by faith in newness of life. I am not bound to old appetites and ways of thinking and behaving. “You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭20‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Today is a rainy day. The weather turned wet at the beginning of the week. It became progressively wetter. Yesterday I did not go to college as I could not organise a taxi for a rate I was willing to pa...

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Being made right is important to us. I remember as a young teenager jumping off the diving board into a pool and not seeing anyone below. Unfortunately, there was someone below. She had dived deep and was on her ascent when I hit her bursting her ear drum. I was mortified as being see as good was inportant to me. She went to hospital and I visited her. I received a cold reception. I was genuinely sorry for the mishap, however my apology was not enough. This girl was a star swimmer. She was not able to swim until her ear healed. Unlike this reception, when I came to Christ and my sins many more, I was forgiven completely. I continue to be forgiven. I know the One against who my sins were committed is far greater than the girl, but He does not hold grudges or refuse to forgive. Praise Him! He holds to keys to eternity a...

“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬ There are so many dishonourable things floating around, so many conspiracy theories, so many proponents of prophesy interpretations and people given to critical opinions.  It is good to switch off the noise. The word of God is true and honourable, right and pure and lovely. In particular the gospels portray Jesus as the word of God. Jesus said, “If you have seen me you have seen the Father”(John 14:9). The epistles teach us how to live a godly life. The Old Testament show how we will go astray when we determine to run our own path.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life!” (John 14:6). There is only one way and one truth, Jesus is the source of the only life we need. Amen!

“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.” 2 Corinthians‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday I saw a vehicle that was reasonably priced for sale here in Nepal. The ministry I am doing in Sindhulpalchok requires such a vehicle. I put a request to my church to allow me to post on the church Facebook site and I also posted my request on my Facebook, but more importantly I asked the Lord for His provision. Now I must wait to see what the Lord will do. On Thursday I will go and look at the vehicle and I’ve told Thomas, my Nepali associate to get his drivers licence. Whilst I have an Australian licence, I cannot get a Nepali licence without a six month visa, which I will not have until February. The Lord’s ways and timing are perfect! It is always a temptation to become bitter with western friends who love our posts but seem reluctant to commit fi...

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” James‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Prayer is powerful! I see answers to prayer almost daily. James, here, is instructing the church in the diaspora to keep praying. We can easily be deterred from prayer, believing our prayers are ineffective. Ask the Lord to show you the power of your prayers. He will! Right now, the enemy of my soul is trying to convince me I will not be rid of the ringing in my ears. He is wrong! I will find my way in prayer. I ask for assistance in prayer. My God has a solution! I need to find it! Amen! I will also sing my way out! I will praise My God as long as I live! Amen!

“So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!” Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭24‬ ‭NLT‬‬ The Passion version says it like this: “So cheer up! Take courage, all you who love him. Wait for him to break through for you, all who trust in him!” Psalms‬ ‭31‬:‭24‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I have areas where I am still waiting on the Lord for breakthrough, I am sure many are here. This version encourages me to wait for Him to act. Holding faith and not becoming resentful is important. If our eyes are on people, we can become embittered. We assume people will work for us, however, it is God who works for us. If we are watching a certain gate for provision it will come another way. God is the God of surprises. I am trying to teach a refugee this principle. He has trouble with his heart attitude. I know even when I had a wrong attitude God came through for me. He stunned me with His grace and mercy. We are His sheep after all! And He is our shepherd! I can trust Him! Amen!

“Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ We have a vicious enemy whose hatred for us is portrayed in Hamas, Isis, Hezbolla and the like. The way they brutalised the Jewish people and continue to seek their demise is a prime example. We Christians are not exempt. In parts of the world now it is us who Satan has turned against in force. If we imagine we will escape we may be in for a shock. As most in the west live in reasonably safe countries we fail to grasp that the hatred is against us also. In this chapter 6 of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he goes on to describe what our armour should be: “Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all ...

“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 He is the only way. No other way solves life’s cries, problems, heartaches. Life is in Him alone, He holds me together, His way is best for my life. Today I am away with friends at a holiday resort. We came to trek and view the Himalayas and did both. I am delighted that we all got on well. The trek was through bushland, at various places there were alternative routes and no signage. Fortunately we chose the correct route. When we came out onto a main road a decision was made to go back the same way as it was very picturesque. In life there appears many solutions to problems we face. However, only one is filled with life. Jesus is the only life worth living. Today we have beautiful views of the Himalayas as we sit in bed with a cup of tea. Our glorious God made these and He senses our delight as we give Him praise. Yesterday when walking through the bush my...

“He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matthew‬ ‭9‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Right now in Nepal it is harvest time. The rice is ready to be harvested, and so are the souls. A recent uprising of young people who are hungry for godly governance shows me the hunger for righteousness. I am praying, daily, for harvesters to come into the harvest. I believe there are many young Nepali people who are Christians who need to mobilise into the filelds. They speak the language and know the culture. Us foreigners constantly need help with translation, they don’t. However, we have a part to play, currently my part is in prayer. All nations need a release of the presence of God! Will you mobilise? Will you pray?

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.” Psalms‬ ‭34‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ I have to trust the Lord to be this for all those persecuted Christians who I pray for. I cannot deal with their persecutors other than to pray that they have a God encounter, which I do pray. However, I know my God will be close to them.  The times that I have suffered my God has been close to me. Others may forsake me but He doesn’t. He is the God of comfort. He does not stop the trouble but He is great towards us who suffer. People may ask why He does not stop the trouble. He gave us the world and it is we humans who cause most of the trouble. However, He is close to us in our brokenness. He is good! Jesus still had to suffer persecution and even crucifixion for a purpose, for us. If the Son of God had to suffer who are we to complain? We can weep with those who weep and mourn with them, but we must pray for their comforter to come. He is so good! His presence has been ...

“The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!” Judges‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse is taken from the story about Gideon. Israel was being persecuted and raided continually by the Midianites. Gideon was threshing wheat in a wine press, hiding from the enemies so that they could not steal his wheat. He does not appear to be any sort of hero to the reader. What did God see in Gideon that he could not see? God could see his potential. What does God see in me or you? It is most probably something that neither of us can see. My God has got me in Nepal learning the language and culture and learning to communicate. Last week I bought puppets to use in the schools I go to in Sindhulpalchok. I will use them to teach about trafficking. I want to warn the children about the dangers of trafficking. I have many good memories surrounding puppets. I know they are a hit with children and so I will use them, and bookmarks, to remind them, trafficking is bad and who ...

“For by grace you have been saved by faith. Nothing you did could ever earn this salvation, for it was the love gift from God that brought us to Christ! So no one will ever be able to boast, for salvation is never a reward for good works or human striving.” ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I am so grateful for grace! I am grateful for that which is given to me, but unfortunately, not so good at giving it, especially to friends who I find difficult. Yet, my God might find me difficult, if He judged in the natural, but He doesn’t because of Jesus. Jesus cleanses me from all sin. This I gratefully receive, not so generous in giving. I am grateful that salvation is not based on my goodness. For the first 19 years of my life I strived to be good enough. However, goodness eluded me, it still does when I strive for it. Yet, when I accept that none is good no not one (Romans 3:23) and that I have goodness because of Jesus and His gift of the Holy Spirit, then to accept this, is enough. The Holy...

“Keep creating in me a clean heart. Fill me with pure thoughts and holy desires, ready to please you.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭51‬:‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Huger for holiness and closeness to God can help create a clean heart. David knew closeness to God and when he sinned with Bathsheba he lost that closeness. Sin separates us from God, but repentance brings us close. Knowing the depth of sin and recognising we are far from God brings us to repentance. Repentance heals the breach. We can cultivate a clean heart by monitoring what we watch and read. We cannot be contaminated by worldly opinions. Worldly opinions are far from God, they are opposed to God, they are full of self. Godly opinions are full of God. A heart set on entertainment will not draw close to God. Entertainment is a god before God and must be dethroned, as is lust for food, alcohol, sex and having things. God will have no other gods before Him! Be prepared for that! Amen!

“My prayers for you are full of praise to God as I give him thanks for you with great joy! I’m so grateful for our union” Philippians‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Paul planted  the church in Philippi on his second missionary journey. This was the first church in Europe. Once a Greek capital it was in the time of writing a Roman occupied city, with millitary and political influence. The church in Philippi was the strongest supporter of Paul. His letter to them was without rebuke and full of praise. Do you have people in your life that support and encourage you? If you do you are blessed. I have a home church who always welcomes me and if I need prayer I can ask them for prayer. When I am back in Australia they bless me with prayers and have been supportive on two occasions with finance. A recent visitor to Nepal was a blessing to me and another colleague. She brought finance, love and friendship. I pray for my church and friends daily. May the Lord bless them indeed. I pray for my family daily a...

“The character of God is a tower of strength, for the lovers of God delight to run into his heart and be exalted on high.” Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬ God’s character is reliable, it makes Him safe to run to. He does not change with circumstances. He is consistent. As we run into His heart He lifts us up on high. Why a beautiful idea! When we find friends of consistent character we feel safe. They bless us with their stability. More so is it with God. If we take time to run to Him instead of social media, we find Him true to His word and faithful to perform it. Yesterday, I was battling feeling unwell and struggled to study my Nepali language lessons. I went for two walks and in the afternoon spent time reading Ezekiel and Daniel the prophets. I am interested in what is happening in Israel at present. When I returned home I had dinner and then sat on my bed listening to Vision radio from Australia whilst I knitted. It was a better use of my time. I am grateful for the times we live I. I...

“Jesus said to them, “I am the Bread of Life. Come every day to me and you will never be hungry. Believe in me and you will never be thirsty.” John‬ ‭6‬:‭35‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Jesus here was speaking to the crowd that followed Him from the other side of the lake. He had feed them all with five loaves of bread and two fish. However, as Jesus confronts them with the fact that they are only following Him because He fed them they begin to ask for a sign. Was the miracle of feeding the thousands of people with such small fare not enough, they had been amazed at the time and wanted to make Him king, yet now as Jesus confronts them they demand a sign. They talk about Moses feeding them manna in the desert. Jesus corrects them with, ‘it was God who fed you! Jesus said,  “The bread of God is the One who came out of heaven to give his life to feed the world.” ‭‭(John‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭TPT‬‬) the people then ask for this bread every day. Jesus then responds with: “I am the bread of life!” We Christians know th...

“And so the Living Expression became a man and lived among us! We gazed upon his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercy and truth!” John‬ ‭1‬:‭14‬ ‭TPT‬‬ John really captured the essence of Jesus. His beauty, mercy and grace and His truth. Oh to have been there! We must live by faith, having never seen Him in the flesh. Yet, we know His tender mercy! When John says ‘we gazed upon His glory’ I am reminded of Moses asking God to see His glory and all he got to see was God’s back. The disciples saw His face, walked with Him, talked with Him and watched Him minister to the people who He saw as sheep without a shepherd. When Jesus rose from the dead His glory would have been greater as He was an overcomer, the first born from the dead. The disciples did not insist on being with Him continually at that time, they knew Him as a different man, a risen Lord. At times they barely recognised Him eg the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus...

“This gospel unveils a continual revelation of God’s righteousness—a perfect righteousness given to us when we believe. And it moves us from receiving life through faith, to the power of living by faith. This is what the Scripture means when it says: “We are right with God through life-giving faith!” Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭17‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Paul stayes early in this chapter : “I am not ashamed of the gospel, I am thrilled to preach that everyone who believes is saved.”(v 16) Earlier in the chapter he reveals: “For the gospel is all about God’s Son. As a man he descended from David’s royal lineage, but as the mighty Son of God he was raised from the dead and miraculously set apart with a display of triumphant power supplied by the Spirit of Holiness. And now Jesus is our Lord and our Messiah.” Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭ I love the opening words in verse 17, ‘the continual revelation of God’s righteousness.’ We do not know it all. We come to know Jesus by faith but then gradually God shows us the more. What d...

“Since we are now joined to Christ, we have been given the treasures of redemption by his blood—the total cancellation of our sins—all because of the cascading riches of his grace.” Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Open my eyes to the riches You have poured out on me! Thank You for salvation Lord! I awoke to hearing a song this morning: https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=R6qL709aNis&si=QEsXCXzQMAdLrPSx Our God is a promise keeper. He spoke of bringing us Gentiles into His family long long ago. We are grated into the Israeli branch. For us who believe we receive all the goodness He made available at the cross. He broke the power of sin over our lives and brought us into completion in Him. I am based in Nepal and in the monsoon season we see many cascading waterfalls. There is power in those falls, they are refreshing and bring life to that upon which they fall. They actually remind me of the falls crossing over the Great Dividing Range from Tamworth to Coffs Harbour. In the rainy season wat...

“Yahweh, you’re the bedrock beneath my feet, my faith-fortress, my wonderful deliverer, my God, my rock of rescue where none can reach me. You’re the shield around me, the mighty power that saves me, and my high place.” Psalms‬ ‭18‬:‭2‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I have come to know, in God I trust alone, all else is sinking sand. It ai not a place for self-pity but rejoicing that God has got me, He is my rock. I have to trust Him to be my shield for I am unable to deliver or protect myself. He has proven Himself to be an excellent protector. So much has come against me, but He has delivered me out of it all. People may promise to be there, to not let me down but they do not anticipate their circumstances. They are unable to forecast what is coming, but God can. American movies almost always have someone saying, “I promise things will work out!” They do not have that power. They can do their best but trust in God alone will bring them through. In God alone I am safe. In God alone I am strong! In God alone...

“Love is large and incredibly patient. Love is gentle and consistently kind to all. It refuses to be jealous when blessing comes to someone else. Love does not brag about one’s achievements nor inflate its own importance.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬ ‭TPT‬‬ We do not understand love being large and patient, if we are honest. Our love ebbs and flows according to how a person makes us feel. If they are being difficult our love is tested.  Our kindness also ebbs and flows according to how we feel. If we have spent a lot of time with the Lord we might see more kindness and patience, however, spend a week with the devils kids and all is lost. Irritability exhibits with tiredness.  Our love does not stop us from being jealous, only the abiding presence of God does that. When we are blessed we tend to brag thinking God has finally got it right, I am his best kid. Ha! The Holy Spirit is love personified. As I yield to Him all is well. Jesus told His disciples to abide: “Remain in me, and ...

“A thief has only one thing in mind—he wants to steal, slaughter, and destroy. But I have come to give you everything in abundance, more than you expect —life in its fullness until you overflow!” John‬ ‭10‬:‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬ I am a prayer and follow what is happening in various parts of the world. We see the thief at work destroying countries through war, destroying lives through terrorizm. However, in the midst of all the destruction people are finding Jesus. Here in Nepal God has shown me to pray against the destroyer. I realise I have an important task. I rebuke bad weather, I pray into government and pray for the rounding up of human traffickers. The times God calls me to fast I partner with my Lord to see miracles in prayer.  As a Christian I know ny God has given me authority in prayer, He has every Christian. I do not need to waste time with namby pamby prayers. If I cannot pray with authority I am wasting my time. He is not impressed with faithless prayers. Rise up Christians and...

“If we boast that we have no sin, we’re only fooling ourselves and are strangers to the truth. But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we claim that we’re not guilty of sin when God uncovers it with his light, we make him a liar and his word is not in us.”  1 John‬ ‭1‬:‭8‬-‭10‬ ‭TPT‬‬ If we are spending time in God’s word, having fellowship with other Christians and have a living relationship with our God His light will shine on our darkness and sin. The way forward is repentance. Repentance cleanses us from sin. It is foolish to deny the existence of sin. Sin is the stuff we do in darkness, the wrong way we treat others, the wrong attitudes we take to God’s people. We cannot sit and be a critic and judge and expect we do not sin, when God alone is the judge. If God’s word convicts us we must repent...

““So this is my command: Love each other deeply, as much as I have loved you.” John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬ ‭TPT‬‬ How do we love deeply? We pray and work for the best in each other. When we are frustrated with a particular behaviour we must confront in love before it becomes something that causes us to confront in anger. Anger does not work for good for anyone, unless it is the rare righteous anger that Jesus displayed. We may think our anger is righteous but it is only self-righteous anger. There is a big difference. How does it leave us? Still fuming and upset and tending towards bitterness or is our heart clean? Paul teaches a lot about proper treatment of others in his epistles. In 1 Cor 13 he lays out the true qualities of love:   “Love is patient and kind. Love is not boastful  or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never ...

“Keep in mind that we who belong to Jesus Christ have already experienced crucifixion. For everything connected with our self-life was put to death on the cross and crucified with Messiah.” Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭24‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Do you not know crucifixion? Daily we must take up our cross and follow Jesus. What is our cross? For most westerners is dying to the rights we have believed to be ours: ‘right to an opinion’, ‘right to be treated fairly’, ‘right to decide what happens with our money’, right to go where and when we please’. Our biggest enemy is our flesh, not Satan. Our flesh lusts after sinful things. Our flesh behaves like a baby wanting all the attention. Paul lists fleshly behaviours, they are not pretty: “The behavior of the self-life is obvious: Sexual immorality, lustful thoughts, pornography, chasing after things instead of God, manipulating others, hatred of those who get in your way, senseless arguments, resentment when others are favored, temper tantrums, angry quarrels, only th...

“Yes, God raised Jesus to life! And since God’s Spirit of Resurrection lives in you, he will also raise your dying body to life by the same Spirit that breathes life into you!” Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭11‬ ‭TPT‬‬ If we are raised to life why do we life as if dead? If we live in fear of darkness what is the difference between us and the world? In the past three days we here in Nepal have experienced constant rain and storms. Many areas of Nepal are flooded. Houses have been filled to the rooves. It took me seeing photos of such devastation to act in prayer. As I am high on a hill I was not impacted. I had the thought to write to the refugee families I am responsible for to see if they were impacted and it turns out they were. They had not cried out for help. I turned to the Lord and remembered Jesus rebuking the storm and His later words: ‘all authority has been given to me, go in my name!’ I rebuked the storm and told the waters to stay in their river courses and they did. I went to sleep and had ...

“Now, because of you, Lord, I will lie down in peace and sleep comes at once, for no matter what happens, I will live unafraid!” Psalms‬ ‭4‬:‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬ This verse comes from a Psalm of David in which he pours out his grief. His enemies are opressing him. He laments that God has not helped him and then he turns in the second half and begins to praise God. For the last two days it has rained steadily here in Kathmandu and the waters were rising flooding low lying housing areas. We went to prayer. Only God would help. Instead of focussing on the problem and lamenting how it was like last year we took the matter to God. He answered. The storms abated. The thunder and lightening ceased. Praise Him! I was reminded of the disciples in the storm tossed boat. Jesus rebuked them and reminds them of the miracles they had been involved in. I was reminded of Jesus’ words: ‘all authority has been given to me, go in my name..’ I took this and prayed. There had been landslides, airports closed, street...

“For every persistent one will get what he asks for. Every persistent seeker will discover what he longs for. And everyone who knocks persistently will one day find an open door.” Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭8‬ ‭TPT‬‬ Open doors are what we want. How do we find them? Ask and keep on asking. Just as a little child knows how to never give up, don’t give up.  Why does it take so long? God takes the time to fashion us as a vessel fit for the answer. He removes all the garbage and grit, digs out the pride and arrogance, smooths the rough edges. When the answer comes we are ready. All is for His glory, not ours! This is not about me, but He! Others need to look and say, ‘wow God was good to her!’ Meantimes He is good, fashioning me for His purposes. Amen!

“We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.” 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬ What does giving up our lives for our brothers and sisters look like? Realistically, it can look like us dying to retaliation when confronted with a hard truth. The next verse gives us another clue: “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” 1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Yesterday I was confronted by the first and the day before the second. At times it is hard to give up what we thought was a right of our own. Giving up rights is the biggest challenge. However, we are called to lay down our rights for others. A friend confronted me with my attitude and reactions which I do not remember. However, as I had asked the Lord to help me with pride, I recognised His hand on this. I had to, literally, swallow my pride and confess my sin. It was go...

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” 1 Chronicles‬ ‭16‬:‭34‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This verse came from a psalm king David had written and given to Asap and the singers before the ark of the Lord. It ai filled with beautiful language. It is a psalm of thanksgiving. Verses 34-36 is the fourth and final exhortation is a reminder of God’s glory and the need to rely on Him for salvation (Holman’s study Bible). Jesus is my source of life, my salvation from sin, He is my all. This psalm is a reminder of the goodness of God. It is an exhortation to praise. We need to praise Him. Last night we had Bible study, beforehand we sang a few choruses. It seemed as though we raced through a set of songs so that we could move on the the study. I love to sing and worship and take time to praise. I want to make room for the Holy Spirit. We seldom give Him room to move in our agendas. The songs were beautiful songs of worship to Jesus. They needed time to tell Him in words how gr...

“He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will carry the lambs in his arms, holding them close to his heart. He will gently lead the mother sheep with their young.” Isaiah‬ ‭40‬:‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ Chapter 40 talks about our God, it refers to the imminent exile of God’s people to Babylon, briefly, and the future return from exile and the bulk of the chapter speaks about their saviour. It asks the question “who will you compare Me to, or who is My equal?”(vs 25). The chapter asks many questions of the hearers: ‘do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundation of the earth? (Vs 21). However, the verse in focus talks about Jesus. Jesus told His hearers that He was the ‘good shepherd’, that many who had been before Him were hirelings. Those hirelings left the sheep when trouble came. (John 10:11-18) Thank You Jesus for coming and being the shepherd we long for. Thank You for carrying us when we are young in faith and ...