give thanks

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalms 107:1 NLT

Verse 2 goes on to say: let the redeemed of the Lord proclaim that He has redeemed them from the hand of the foe (let the redeemed of the Lord say so, say so, say so- song).

We have a testimony of the goodness of God. Yesrerday we had 'One Day Sunday, when visitors were invited to come. As I was in the band I watched a man be impacted by the presence of God. It reminded me of my salvation. Coming into the presence of God is like having a soul wash. It is wonderful!

When I sat down I messaged a relative and invited her to come as I knew she was struggling.  She failed to answer or materialise. This girl is running from God into hopelessness.

Running to God and allowing Him in is the best things we can do for ourselves. Try Him today, you will not be disappointed. Amen!

thinking of you

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Philippians 1:3 NLT

Parents of new born babies would agree with this scripture. I remember my experiences and the love that filled my heart for my small children.

God is like this about us. The more we depend on Him the more He responds as a loving Father.  He is good!

Paul wrote this scripture to a church that had been lovingly connected to him. They had the bond of live that exists between a father in the faith and his disciples. I remember my first pastor. We called him PB, because to us he was Pastor Bill (PB). A more loving father you could not want for. 

Foster a good bond between you and your leaders, be humble and trust their judgement. This does not mean you become brainless, but faithfully pray for your leader and trust God to use them. Amen!

good thoughts

Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God. Whenever I pray, I make my requests for all of you with joy, for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now. And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

Philippians 1:3‭-‬6 NLT

It is not natural to have good thoughts about a person, unless you love them, then all your thoughts can be good. Paul had good thoughts about the Philippians as they had unreservedly given themselves in support to his ministry.

Last night's fund raiser was for a ministry in India. The recipients will thank God for the support and be praying for those who support them.

We can choose to live to fulfill the great commission in a particular country or field and give ourselves in dedication to that cause. The ones we support will be praising God for our faithfulness and continued support.

Seek God for His field to sow into today. Become involved. Amen!

God's grace

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and He has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. 2 John 1:6

John knew and understood love. He lived it and portrayed it. Mind you he was not always perfect. He was one of those who wanted to command fire on a village who rejected Jesus, so I guess he learned it hanging around Jesus. 

As we spend time with the teachings of Jesus , and read the gospels we too hang around Jesus, and learn love. Love is patient and kind, just as Paul wrote, and more.

Tonight I went to a fund raiser dinner, and sat with a bunch of people I did not know. It was good for me. All my fellow church people were elsewhere, and it was good to stretch. There were 4 Aussie men at my table and an Indian couple. I learned grace. It was a welcome exercise. We all need to be reminded of God's grace. Amen!

love command

Love means doing what God has commanded us, and he has commanded us to love one another, just as you heard from the beginning. 2 John 1:6 NLT

A command is an imperative: do this or this will happen. If we fail to love as Jesus commanded: love one another as I have loved you(Jn 13:34), then we will fall pret to envy, criticism, pride, arrogant boasting and character assassinations. The end result is we will find ourselves in the place that Jesus said: begone from Me, for I never knew you (Matt 7:23).

In the past I heard my parents speak of those whose parents had told them, "Go away from here, I do not know you!" Parents would disown their sons or daughters for wicked behaviour, they would be cast out of the family, often never to return.

If we are capable of this why do we expect our heavenly Father to do otherwise? The story of the Prodigal Son shows a father looking for his son to repent and come home, which he did. However, Jesus taught us that there will come  day when it is too late. Repentance is a gift that we should not treat lightly. Amen!

good deeds

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 NLT

Just as Jesus taught us to pray in secret to our heavenly Father, He also corrected the tendency to give to be seen by the Pharisees. He taught don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. However, in what seems to be a contradiction here He said that we should let our light shine, because the world needs light. We are also encouraged to be the salt, adding flavour to our world. The world needs to see how godliness works. They are used to people playing the system. For us to not need glory, gives glory to our heavenly Father.

If you struggle to understand, just allow Him to rule and lead. The pattern will emerge. Amen!

the balance

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father. Matthew 5:16 NLT

There is always a fine line between doing things to be seen and doing things in obedience that will be seen. It all has to do with the motive. The challenge will always be pride. It will always be present tugging at your heart for entry. This does not mean that you stop in false humility (pride in disguise), but rather keep going humbly (there's another challenge)!

I remember when I first went into business on my own. I was scared, but pushed myself, and asked a local paper to write my articles if I paid for ads. They agreed. My face was seen a lot in the articles. It was not me boasting, but being obedient.  My son, at the time, challenged me with my pride. I thought to myself, "if he only knew how small I know I am, and how I pray I am not uncovered". God continually covered me.

This month I am riding my bike to raise money for research into childhood cancer. Again I am having to promote.  It is not fun, but necessary. It is for  cause. Asking people to support me is embarrassing,  but necessary. Dying to embarrassment (pride) is necessary.

Always evaluate! Is it God? If it is go for it! Amen!