All posts by Gwenyth

I live on the outskirts of Whangarei, the northernmost city in New Zealand. I enjoy many things, ( writing amongst them), have been married to Keith for sixty-one years, have three married daughters, nine grandchildren and seventeen great- grandchildren who are scattered in various countries. No cats and no dogs as they would cramp our life-style.. We are obviously retired, but were farming further north before moving to the town over thirty-five years ago. We attend one of the local churches across the same side of town that we live.
Daily Devotionals

Devotions from the Book of Genesis

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Genesis One….(v.1)                              God’s Plan

Verse 1….

   The first phrase of the Bible says….”In the beginning, God”. This is where most people start but as we go through the Bible we get little glimpses of eternity past….things that happened before the world was even created. Verse one presupposes that God was there before He started creating…….

One of the main attributes of God is that He is a God of Love. How could He possibly display this love to the beings that existed there in eternity with Him? They all obeyed Him implicitly, and there was no reason why they shouldn’t. They had been created to be His ministering spirits to do His slightest command (Hebrews 1:7, 14)

God wanted to display His manifold (many faceted) wisdom to all the principalities and powers of the heavenly places (Ephesians 1:10). How could He do this unless there was a dark backdrop to show His marvelous light against? Unless there is disobedience, perfect obedience doesn’t have any impact.

We are told that God had a plan  BEFORE He ever began creation (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20). Not only did He have this plan, but it was written down in detail ahead of time. Jesus Christ could say to His Father, “You have prepared Me a body, as it is written in the volume of the Book” (Hebrews 10:5-7)

God’s plan was written in His Book, Of things the angels wanted to look;

He made the earth so He could show, His love and light for men to know.

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Daily Devotionals

Psalm Three

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                      The Trusting Man

Lord, there are many who rise against me,

Ones who say that  no help  comes from Thee,

But I know You are there, a shield for my head,

You don’t cast down, but lift up instead;

I know that You hear me, and give me Your peace,

I can lie down and sleep, for it never shall cease.

I will NOT be afraid, tho’ ten thousand abound,

My God will save me from those who surround;

Salvation comes free, from our God on the Throne,

His people are so blessed by Him  alone.

We see  the complete trust and peace that those who rest in the Lord can have. This is what our Lord was referring to when He said we have to have the trust that a little child has in its elders…..a trust that never doubts or questions (Matthew 18:2-4). We have to have the faith that says, ”God says it, I believe it and that settles it!”

This is not always easy to do, but we have to learn to put it into practice…the more we do this the easier it becomes. God tells His people many times to “Remember what I have done” (Deuteronomy 7:18) and this is just as important for us now as it was then. Paul also remembered how the Lord stood with him in his times of trials and this gave him the courage to continue  (2 Timothy 4:17-18).

Daily Devotionals

Devotions from the Psalms (1 & 2)

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          Psalm One…  The Godly Man 

Blessed is the man who walks in God’s ways,  Who delights in His laws, all of his days;

As trees by the water bringing forth fruit, Whose leaf doesn’t wither, in God is his root,

The ungodly aren’t so, but are like the dry chaff, Blowing away, in the lightest draught,

The Lord knows the way the righteous take, The ways of sinners, man’s greatest mistake!

What a great picture we have here of those who follow the ways of the Lord and delight in Him! We don’t do these things to EARN our salvation, but we do them because we already HAVE God’s salvation and want to please Him. Delighting in the Lord comes from the heart and the fruit comes naturally.   What a contrast to those who are ungodly, who do not delight in the Lord! There is no life there, and all that they do, no matter how great, counts for nothing in God’s sight.                                              ***   ***   ***

Psalm Two;  The Ungodly Man                                                       

The heathen rage and imagine a vain thing, Against God they rail, and curses they bring,

“We WON’T have His rules, we’ll throw them away,  We’ll go our own way, we will NOT God obey!!”

Yet the Lord in the heavens, has the last word, Against them His anger, He’ll eventually gird;

His Son He’ll exalt to inheritance great, And His wrath against sin will never abate,

They’ll be broken in  pieces, discarded for e’er, Unless they confess their sin to prepare;

Then blessed they’ll be when they turn to the Lord, And trust in Him with one accord.

How much we see this attitude around us in the world today! Sadly, we often see it in believers too. But we know with certainty that God WILL have the last say….those who have never turned to Him will be utterly destroyed in the end. How often we are conscious of the Lord laughing when man makes his great boasts against the creation of God, with his predictions of the weather, wind and tides that are completely in God’s control! Those who are His but have turned away from Him may have to endure some bitter experiences as God deals with them to bring them back to Himself, as He will indeed.

                                         ***         ***        ***

Stories for Teens

Who Will Win?

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Bobby groaned, and rolled over in bed sleepily. Something was going to happen, he thought groggily, What was it?

Suddenly he remembered and getting out of bed was no problem then. It was the big yacht race on the other side of the world, and if he wanted to see it begin, he would have to wake up now and turn the TV on. Bobby had always loved sailing boats as long as he could remember. He just loved going out with his Uncle Jeff in his yacht, every chance he got, and his ambition was to join a junior yacht club one day soon.

Bobby thought it seemed odd that there were three major sporting competitions going on at the same time this year…. there were the national yacht races in the Caribbean, the country’s rugby team playing for a world cup against a visiting team, and Bobby’s Dad was involved in the local golf club tournaments. Not that that was of any national importance, but it was to Bobby. He was pleased that the rugby games didn’t clash with the yacht races, at least he could watch each of them on TV at different times.

Bobby wasn’t all that keen on actually playing in sports, but he sure loved watching them on TV. It was a lot easier than actually getting out and doing all that practice, he thought lazily.

He remembered what his school teacher had said about training for competitive sport, and thought that although sport was something that interested most people it was a lot easier to just watch it from a sideline. The TV programme of the yacht race was soon over with his country’s side winning by quite a margin. Bobby yawned and went to make himself a hot drink before going back to bed for a last minute snooze. He wasn’t used to waking up so early and he had had to do it for two mornings in a row now.

Bobby thought how so many sports involved a ball of some sort, or else it could involve some piece of equipment, maybe even a large and expensive thing like a sailing boat or motor car. Whatever it was, the most important thing in any sport, was the effort and preparation  that the competitor had to make and train for, to be successful.

This is something that we all have to realise….there is no gain without some pain. Bobby hadn’t realised that yet, but if he wanted to get into competitive yacht racing in the club, he was going to have to learn to start regular training. It would be no use just standing on the side line and  cheering his side, he would have to get out there and do his bit. So too, we must make up our mind what we want to go in for, and then give it our best shot. As one old gentleman used to say, “If you aim high, you’ll hit the gooseberry bush!” So let us each one “aim high” and then work our hardest to get there!

My Life, Uncategorized

My Heart, God’s Home, Part Eleven.

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    Have We REALLY Handed all to Him?

On one of my morning trysts with my Lord in the living room before anyone else was stirring, we were reading together His promises about me in abiding in Him. I was sure I WAS abiding in Him….after all, here we were together enjoying fellowship together over His Word weren’t we?

Then He turned me to that verse in the Old Testament where the psalmist was asking God to search his heart, and know his thoughts, and try him to see if there was still some wicked way in him (Psalm 139:23-24).

I started to squirm as I thought how scary it would be if He turned those pure and holy eyes on my innermost being! I couldn’t trust myself to be totally one hundred percent honest. I knew what I ought to be, and I knew that I wanted to be that, but WAS I? I knew that my heart was deceitful above all things and desperately wicked  and that only God could know it (Jeremiah 17:9-10).  I didn’t even know it myself!                                                                                                                      ” I know that you want to follow Me with all your heart”, Jesus said, “Would you mind giving me your smart phone for a while?”

What would I do without it? I shrunk back, keeping it in my pocket. What if he went on to the log, and saw what I’d been looking at? And read those catty comments I’d put onto Facebook? And read some of those suggestive remarks my friends had sent to make me laugh?

Suddenly those things didn’t seem quite so clever or witty as I’d thought they were when I got them! Besides, what would I do without the phone there at my fingertips? Someone might try to get hold of me, or worse still, maybe the Lord would answer for me! What would my friends think if they got Him on the phone?

It came on me in a flash, that He already knew all those things! There was nothing at all that I could hide from Him! He didn’t need to get the phone to know those things…the point was, was I ready to hand all those things over to Him too? Those little resentments and excuses that I always made, refusing to take the blame. Being offended if I thought I was being overlooked?

“Oh Lord”, I cried in repentance, “You can see me through and through, you know every little rotten thought I’ve ever had. Help me to walk in Your way everlasting, beginning now so I won’t be ashamed before You as I go into eternity!”

“My child”, He said with that beautiful smile of His, “That is what I’ve been wanting to hear from you all along!”

He handed me my phone back again, “Now use this for My glory, speaking of the things of Myself to build others up, sending words of encouragement to them, and praising others”.

My desires were now what He desired, and He was giving it all back to me! What joy! What blessings He bestows!

“Oh Lord!” I cried, “Help me to be each day what You want me to be, and to do only what You want me to do!”

My Life, Uncategorized

My Heart, God’s Home (Part Ten)

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                                                    The Garden.

   Things settled down and everything seemed to be going smoothly. I was having my daily morning times with the Lord when He opened His word to me and I talked with Him. They were precious times and I wouldn’t have missed them for anything. I had banished all the doubtful things from the study of my mind, and I was feasting on the good and pure things that He delighted in.

He was teaching me how to make the best use of my time and to make useful contacts with others. My cupboards were all clean and I had nothing to be ashamed of, or so I thought.

One day, the Lord came to me and said with a whimsical smile, “Um, have you looked at the garden lately?” I glanced out the window, and said hastily, “But Lord, You know how busy I’ve been doing Your work, and taking time to be with You each day!”

“Ah,” He said, “But you cannot afford to get slack in anything that belongs to Me. I know I could do this work for you with a single word, but that is not  how I have ordained things. It is up to you to weed and tend this garden, or you will not be able to totally enjoy the beauty I have provided. The plants will be covered in weeds, and the dead heads on the flowers will prevent new growth and continual flowering!”

“Oh”, I said somewhat shamefacedly, “I’m sorry Lord, I’ll get onto it straight away and promise I won’t let it get away from me again!”

I was beginning to realise that serving the Lord is a lifelong task, and something that needs constant attention!

 

My Life

My Heart, God’s Home…..Part Nine

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                                   Transferring the Title.

    A thought came to me one day. I asked Him, “Lord, is there any chance that You would take over the management of the whole house and operate it for me as You did that hall cupboard? Would You take the responsibility to keep my life what it ought to be?”

His face lit up as He replied, “I’d love to! That is what I want to do. You cannot be a victorious Christian in your own strength. Let me do it through you and for you. That is the way. But,” He added slowly, “I am just a guest. I have no authority to proceed, since the property is not mine.”

Dropping to my knees, I said, ‘Lord, You have been a guest and I have been the host. From now on I am going to be the servant. You are going to be the owner and Master.”

Running as fast as I could to the strongbox, I took out the title deed to the house describing its assets and liabilities, location and situation. I eagerly signed the house over to Him alone for time and eternity.

“Here,” I said. “Here it is, all that I am and have, forever. Now You run the house. I’ll just remain with You as a servant and friend.”

Things are different since Jesus Christ has settled down and has made His horne In my heart!

 

My Life

My Heart, God’s Home (Part Eight)

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The Rumpus  Room…… 

One evening, Jesus  asked me if I had a rumpus room, where I went for fun and fellowship. I was hoping He wouldn’t ask about that! There were certain associations and activities that I wanted to keep for myself.

One evening when I was on my way out with some of my buddies, He stopped me with a glance and asked, “Are you going out?”

I replied, “Yes.’

“Good” He said, “I would like to go with you.”

“Oh,” I answered rather awkwardly. “I don’t think, Lord Jesus, that You would really enjoy where we are going. Let’s go out together tomorrow night. Tomorrow night we will go to a Bible class at church, but tonight I have another appointment.”

“I’m sorry,” He said. “I thought that when I came into your home, we were going to do everything together, to be close companions. I just want you to know that I am willing to go with you.”

“Well,” I mumbled, slipping out the door, “we will go someplace together tomorrow night.”

That evening I spent some miserable hours. I felt rotten. What kind of friend was I to Jesus, deliberately leaving Him out of my life, doing things and going places that I knew very well He would not enjoy?

When I returned that evening, there was a light in His room, and I went up to talk it over with Him. I said, “Lord, I have learned my lesson. I know now that I can’t have a good time without You. From now on, we will do everything together.”

Then we went down into the basement of the house to the rumpus room. He transformed it. He brought new friends, new excitement, new joys. Laughter and music have been ringing through the house ever since !