Random Devotional Thoughts

What is Holiness?

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       Holiness? What is that? It’s a word that has just about disappeared from our vocabulary these days, and certainly its concept has gone from man’s ideas when every person does what is right in his own eyes! 

    Holiness is everything that is right and just and good. God is a Holy God, and expects His people to be the same. We can never reach the heights of God’s perfection, but with His help, we can all do better than we do. There is no higher commendation than the one that God gave to His servant Job (pronounced Jobe) when He announced to Satan that Job was perfect and upright, and one who abhorred evil in any shape or form (Job 1:verse 8) . Yet when Job saw himself in God’s presence at the end of the story, he realised how far short he was of God’s standard, and said he repented in the face of God’s holiness and greatness. (Job 42: verses 5-6).

      As we go forwards into the year of 2024, let us each one strive to do better  with God’s help, than we did last year. Yes, we might be a good person, and yes, we may feel no need of changing our ways or thoughts, but let’s remember that we don’t see ourselves as God sees us. He says, “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3 verse 23) and as such we are under His judgment unless we come before Him and confess that we are worthless in our own selves, and that His way is the only way. Jesus Christ said when He was here….”I am the way, the truth and the life….no one comes to the Father (God) except by Me”.  This statement is found in the book of John, chapter 14, verse 6.

    Just remember that if this is wrong, we have nothing to lose, but if it is right, we have everything to gain. 

Life Lessons

New Year of Hope!

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       We always hope that a new year will bring better things than the one that has just gone! But what about this coming year of 2024? In spite of all the predictions around the place, no-one knows for sure everything that will happen in this coming year! From a view of the nations around the world, life seems pretty uncertain for a lot of people, and yet this is exactly what the Bible predicts will happen. Nation will rise against nation, until the end of time. No matter how much the leaders think they have the answers, unless they take God and His laws into consideration, things will remain in uncertainty for this year as well.

    There is talk of AI and other new things that are being invented all the time, things that our grand-parents, and even our parents, never dreamed of! In the life time of older folk still alive today, just think of how things how evolved in that time!  From the days of horse and cart on the farm, then to tractors to move things, and then today the size and speed of farm machinery is mind boggling.

      Think of how in other spheres, technology has made such great strides, and even now it is not slowing down. Think for example, of how warfare is changing all the time, and when the idea of an underground network of tunnels contributes to modern warfare, it is mind boggling! Even the very idea of destroying a country only to take over the rubble that has been created doesn’t make sense.

   Without taking God into the equation, there is no hope of an everlasting peace left for this world. But those who have put their trust in Him have an everlasting hope, a certainty and knowledge, that all will come right in the end. While mankind refuses to acknowledge God, and just relies on their own  wisdom, things will never improve.

    So how can we have hope in this year of 2024?  Keep looking upwards, and not at what is going on around us. That is not to say to shut our eyes to the current events, but to realise that God has all things in His control. Yes, He could simply wipe out all these evil men who are doing these atrocities, but we must remember, that He has given each person a free will to choose to do right, or choose to do wrong. If we choose to do wrong, then we have to bear the consequences, but the trouble is, that it always affects other people.

So let us take heart, and look up to the One in Whom is all goodness and righteousness. Then for us, there will be a New Year of Hope!

Morning Musings

Our Helmet of Hope.

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     David, the man who wrote the book of Psalms in the Bible, could say… “For You are my hope, O Lord GOD: You are my trust from my youth” (Psalm 71:5).

 I was listening to a preacher the other day who was talking about hope. Not hope with the thought of it may or may not happen, but hope as a confidence and certainty. Where God is concerned, His Word is Truth and it will stand firm. We can have every confidence that what He says will happen, WILL happen! He will do it, He always keeps His Word.

    There is another verse in the Bible where it says to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Once we have this helmet firmly on our head, no matter how many darts of doubt and fear Satan fires at us, we can overcome them.

    The law in New Zealand says that it is compulsory for every cyclist to wear a helmet while riding their bike on the road. It is no use carrying it on the handlebars of the bike, because that won’t keep us safe if we have an accident. We have to have it on our head  to be safe  and protected. Every time we have an impact, we have to adjust it and wear it properly again.

   So it is when troubles hit us on our ride through life, we have to adjust our helmet of hope in God and His Word, and get on our bike and go on again. Every negative thought that Satan gives us, we have to counteract with our helmet of hope, and count our many blessings.

  It is no use counting our blessings on our fingers and our troubles on the calculator, we are to do it the other way around. Every new morning we are to put on our helmet of hope and count our blessings; then we are to firmly fasten it with thanksgiving to God, and to resist negative thoughts which come from the evil one. We will then be able to face the New Year next week with a positive and confident “hope” as we continue with our summer holidays or go to school or work which ever applies to us.

Life Lessons

Lessons to Learn from Fishing…..

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    Summer is here!  It’s the time of the year again, when one’s thoughts turn towards fishing.  Over the years we have been able to do this, and as with so many of our activities, there are lessons we can learn from this pastime.  It’s wonderfully relaxing to be able to be on the water unless there are no fish around in which case one can feel rather frustrated. However, if it is a nice day, just being there is relaxation in itself, and if nothing else, we can enjoy God’s wonderful creation.

     When the fish are biting well, and one or two come into the boat, all the trouble seems worthwhile. That reminds us that nothing worthwhile in life just happens without some effort. Nothing tried is nothing gained, just as in other phases of life.     Sometimes only undersized fish get caught. This is when one has to just throw them back to grow some more We have to be honest in this and not keep them. If one is caught by the inspector, a  heavy fine and sometimes even the confiscation of the boat is likely to follow.     Other times, a big one might get on and be brought right up to the side of the boat, only to have it give a final flick of the head  and get away. At times like this it doesn’t seem fair…..after all that effort to have it get away! That reminds us that life isn’t always fair. At times it is grossly unfair. But this is how we learn to cope with disappointments…..things won’t always go our way!

    Another lesson to learn is to kill the fish immediately they are brought into the boat. It is not fair to let creatures suffer unnecessarily, and to die of  slow suffocation is anything but kind.     Learning to cast with the rod doesn’t just come naturally. As with most things, there is a certain knack to learn to get the line far enough out. The same principle applies here as with other things….practice makes perfect! If at first you don’t succeed, try again as the old saying goes.     Last but not least, is that time spent with family or friends is never time wasted. Let’s make sure we take the time to enjoy the things that God has given us to freely enjoy. It would be sad indeed to have to face Him one day and hear Him say, “ I  made all that beauty for you to experience, and you never took the time to enjoy it!”

Morning Musings

Chip Gone Wrong!

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    Our motor home let us down badly last weekend. We were all set for a great weekend of fun and fellowship with like minded people, but it all ended up very differently to what we had planned. Just as the old saying goes, “Man proposes, but God disposes!”

    We were nearly at the village where the venue was, when our motorhome gave a few jerks and grunts and then refused to go any further! We finally managed to limp our way out of the surrounding traffic, and then try to figure out what to do next.  We had had this problem before, of the letter “F” coming up on our dashboard, and had found out then, that it stood for “Fault”. That time, it had needed the chip in the computer system replaced and all was well.                            So it could be a simple problem again this time, or it could be something more serious. Whichever way it was, the fault had to be found and fixed before we could move again under our own steam.

    This little incident reminded me of  our prayer life when our connection with our Heavenly Father seems to be broken. Or perhaps, we have never ever been connected to Him in a personal relationship at all. There are many times in our life, when we feel as though God is far away and not hearing our prayers. The trouble is a broken chip between us and God, and it is not until we get it seen to,  that the power of God flows back into our life, and our fellowship with Him is restored. Let’s look at some of these broken “chips” that can cut our fellowship with God…..

    One of these is having a right relationship with our spouse or other members of our families. This is one of the main causes of a broken “chip”, and we are told that husbands in particular, are to treat their wives right or their prayers will be hindered  (1 Peter 3:7 ).     Another one is having a bad attitude towards others, and unconfessed sin….King David said, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me!” (Psalm 66:18 ) Wrong attitude to our money….it is not our own, but only what God has given us, so it is only reasonable to give Him His share of it. Habitual and continuous disobedience will block our communion with God. Cherished continual sin in our hearts…..is there something that we know displeases the Lord but we don’t want to give it up? This is a broken “chip” cutting the communication between us and God. The prophet Isaiah said, “Your sins have come between you and God like a thick cloud!”   (Isaiah 52:1)

   So after thinking about these things, let’s fix these “broken chips” in our life, and have our communion with God restored again!

Morning Musings

Solution!

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      We read and hear about the war going on between Gaza and Israel at present, but this is nothing new. Conflicts like this have been going on for the last four thousand years!

    At one stage, the Philistines were in a real dilemma! They had taken this Ark (box) of the God of Israel out of its place, and tried to add it to their collection of idols. But it had miraculous powers, and disaster came on each place where it was taken to.  Plagues of mice over-ran the place and people became ill and died as a result. What to do?

    The people felt they had no option but to get it back to where it had come from, but the big question was, how? At last they had a bright idea….”We have to send a gift for this God of Israel, so let’s put it onto a new cart with golden models of mice and the sores that we have been plagued with, in another box,” they said, “the cart can be pulled by two cows that have just calved and if they go on their own along the road without their calves, we’ll know that there’s something in the God of Israel that goes against nature!”

   So this is what they did. They loaded the cart up, and followed along behind it to see what happened. To their utter amazement, the cows quietly went along towing the cart, and calling for their calves as they went. Not only that, but they took the right road to the land of Israel, and didn’t stop until they got there! The Philistines had to admit that the God of Israel was real after all!

   But the people of the place where it stopped looked on it merely as a curiosity and all those who tried to look into it were struck dead on the spot. In fact, the disease flew through the countryside, and over 50,000 people died. “Take it away!” the people cried, “Tell the people of  Kirjath-jearim where it came from, to come and get it and take it away!”

   This story shows us that we cannot play fast and loose with God, or treat His things lightly. We must treat His things with respect and reverence . For us today, this shows us how careful we must be in this matter….those who treat the things of God, or talk about Him in a disrespectful manner or use His Name as a swear word, will pay the price one day.

When God speaks, it pays to hear, To listen and  obey, If we do not have holy fear, Worse will come one day!

  You can read this story in the Bible in the  book of 1st Samuel chapter 6, verses 1-6                           

Life Lessons

Be Careful!!!

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    The speaker at church this morning was a visitor, and he had three basic questions that his talk hung on….1. Where did I come from?   2. What is the point of me being here?  and 3. Where am I going?  Then he went on about evolution versus what the Bible teaches etc etc. and pointed out that evolution can’t answer any of those questions satisfactorily. We are fortunate at our church that there are people of all ages, from old ones, to middle aged ones, to young families, and lots of kids. So there was bound to be someone there who wanted to know these things.       There’s one little saying that a friend of ours used to have on the dashboard of his car, and it’s something I have never forgotten….God says it, I believe it and that settles it!!  Saves a lot of stewing about nothing! Sometimes people say, “But I can’t see how God can do this or that…..” I think they do a lot of worrying for nothing!

     A lot of times, people bring their troubles on their own heads . As long as we remember that whatever we do, there are consequences that will follow…for instance, if we stand in the middle of the road long enough, a car will knock us over. OR if we put our hand in the fire it will get burnt for sure!      I had an accident with our car once that illustrated this point. I was travelling down our hill where there is a sharp corner near the bottom, when I saw another car approaching. I was going far too fast, and on the wrong side of the road, so I jammed on the brakes while pulling away from the middle of the road. The car didn’t like that, and went into a violent spin, flew across a deep ditch and landed up against a tree by the famer’s fence, as well as facing back the way I had come from! So that was a lesson that I learned very quickly from…actions have consequences! Needless to say, I am still very cautious when going around that corner!!!

   

Random Devotional Thoughts

Who is Your Boss?

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        I came across an article the other day that I thought was worth passing on. It certainly had some challenging thoughts in it! The writer made the statement that our work for the Lord should not be the most important thing in our life! Whoa! That can’t be right, you might be thinking. What could be more  important in our life than working for the Lord?

    The article goes like this (with abbreviations)……      

“Separate unto Me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them” (Acts 13:2b).

There is a great need among Christians to discern the difference between the Lord of the Work and the work of the Lord. How easy it is to confuse these two things and treat them as one and the same! Yet the difference before God is quite vast.

      The writer was visiting a ministerial luncheon once, consisting of local pastors. He was introduced and asked to say a few words. He wondered what he could say to these pastors? But the Lord had already prepared his heart with a special word just for them. He said, “Brothers, I have come this day to remind you of one thing: the work of the Lord is NOT to be the most important thing in your life.”

He allowed his words to sink in for a moment and the silence was deafening. He could sense their thoughts as these pastors silently wondered what could possibly be more important than the work of the Lord. “Brothers, the Lord of the Work is more important than the work of the Lord,” he said, and then sat down.

He continued in this article by saying that he was still growing in this revelation. He had to be constantly reminded by the Lord, “Look, I am more important than your ministry. I am your priority. This is My work, not yours. I reserve the right to separate you for service or place you on the shelf. I reserve the right to send you forth or keep you at home. The Lord of the Work is more important than the work of the Lord. You keep saying this, but you do not always practice it.”

He had to come to realise that he had to be governed by the Lord of the Work, not the work of the Lord.       The Lord of the Work does not change, but the work of the Lord is constantly changing. The Lord of the Work governs the time, the place, the people, the provision, and the assignment. All these things may change as the Lord of the Work sees fit. He sets one up and brings another down. He opens doors and closes them. He leads us to speak or bids us to remain silent. We want to go out and the Lord tells us to stay home. We want to stay home and the Lord tells us to go. He is the Lord of the Work.

     We cannot understand everything that God does. In humility we need to bow down and say, “You are the Lord of the Work, and I am only a worker. You are the Master, and I am the servant. You know what You want and what You need far more than I do. I only see a portion, but you see all things. So I submit myself and what I do to You!”

    This is the only safe way. Can we submit ourselves to the Lord of the Work? Can we offer Him our gifts, our talents, and our abilities on the altar and let Him direct things? I believe that almost every apostle, prophet, or pastor that has gotten off track has done so because of this very thing – making the work of the Lord preeminent over the Lord of the Work. God gives them a gift, or a calling, or a ministry, and they begin working at it until they no longer need to be governed by the Holy Spirit. People can get blasé about what they are doing for the Lord….they are almost too gifted. We need a little less gifting,  and a lot more brokenness, learning to lean on the Lord instead of our own capabilities!

See what God has to say to YOU.