Tag Archives: remember

Keeping a Diary.

     I’ve kept a diary for years, and I must say that it has been the means of solving many an argument! Dates and events are often otherwise forgotten. I’ve got several different styles of diaries, and one I often refer to is my diary of events. These are just the headlines of different things that happen in the month and the family often refer to it as well. Then there is my normal diary which has more detail of day to day happenings, conversations and weather etc.

     Another one that is useful is the garden diary….this one is laid out four pages to a month labelled Week One, Week Two etc, and divided into sections down the page…each one corresponding to a year. This means that you can see at a glance how various plants have been doing from year to year at the same time.

    Then there is the Diary of Items Bought. How often do we remember exactly how long we’ve had that appliance that has suddenly given trouble, and wondered if it is out of its guarantee or not! Or how many years we’ve had a certain machine and what we paid for it?

   Finally there is a Spiritual Journal. Here is where you write precious thoughts that have come to you during the day and times of reflection. Things you have thought of as you have read devotional writings, and perhaps things that puzzle you, the whys of life and eternity. Don’t let these thoughts slip away, but write them down. As you read them later, jot down further thoughts you have had on similar topics. As you do a daily reading of the Bible, write down the thoughts and questions that come to you and ponder them further. Never be too busy to make time for this, even if it is only fifteen minutes a day….what is that out of twenty-four hours? Surely we can make that much time to deal with this, the most important side of our being!

Happy New Year!

   The year 2018 has gone for ever, and on everyone’s lips this  first morning of 2019, are the words, “Happy New Year!” This may be the wish of each one of us, but for many it is only an empty hope. Some already know that this year will be one of the saddest one in their lives…. those who have loved ones  with a terminal disease can only look forwards with dread for the immediate future.

    Others of course, look forwards with high expectations…..a forthcoming wedding, a new baby to come into the world, a big trip already booked….and rightly so, but are we guarded against the unexpected shocks ahead? A broken marriage in the family? A tragic car accident? The disappointment of broken friendships? A bad report from the doctor?

    No-one is immune from these things, as they are all part of normal life. Not only those things that are unexpected, the normal downhill spiral in age and health that all come our way with time.

   For those who know the Lord, we have the added assurance that He will be with us through all these experiences, both good and bad. It is no use blaming God for the bad things that happen to us. Of course He could have averted them in our path, and how many times He has! But how else would we learn if we did not have to depend more heavily on Him at these times?

   Remember the time that Jesus told His disciples to go across the lake ahead of Him? He knew that they would meet this tremendous storm half way across. He also knew how He would cope with it for them and show His power to them. How else would they have seen that without this difficulty?

   It is just the same for us today. So let’s look forwards to this year of 2019 with whatever the Lord has in store for us with confidence and assurance, knowing that whatever happens can be for our best as we trust in Him.

   The  mandarins on our trees are just about finished, and I was peeling one of the last  the other morning. It was firm and round with a beautiful sheen to it, and  looked to be a perfect specimen. But as the skin was being peeled back. I could see a small black patch deep inside the fruit. This was going to spoil the whole thing, as each segment had a tinge of the black on it. The mandarin was unfit to eat, and I had to throw it out.

How often we are like this mandarin! We put on  good clothes to go to church and sit there listening to the sermon, but inside we may be day dreaming miles away, or perhaps we have some resentment against someone else and are secretly seething about it. Afterwards, our friends greet us by saying, “How are you?” and we reply by saying with  bright smile, “Fine, thanks!”

Everything appears to be great, but we know deep down that it isn’t. We aren’t fine at all. We are like that mandarin, and that patch of resentment inside taints every part of our life. We dodge that person when we see them in the street; we can’t say anything nice about them and perhaps start a whispering campaign about them.

For that mandarin to become edible, a lot of it had to be cut away. It hurts us when the bad stuff gets cut out, but until it does, we are useless to God and man. Jesus Christ could see right inside the hearts and minds of the priests of His day, and He told them they were hypocrites, saying one thing and doing another. Don’t let’s be like this; remember that He can see right inside us too.

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Psalm Three

                      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).