The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
In the present economic crisis, many people are unsure where to turn for help and encouragement. Can any government or any of the world’s leaders really paint a picture of hope for the future? Certainly, political leaders all appear to want to promote their own ‘unique vision’ for their respective country: Is there really a ‘vision for the future’ that can help lift us out of the present gloom? The prophet Isaiah had worshipped in the temple in Jerusalem all his life. It was the place where God was supposed to dwell and the only true place of worship for Jews at that time. Yet Isaiah, like many Jews of his generation, came to the temple, burdened, just as most Christians often attend church today, with frustrations and concerns from which there seems no hope of escape. God just doesn’t seem to be there when we need him most. We know that God exists and that he has power to reach into our lives and change and shape both the present and the future for us, but he seems so remote; even in those places where we would most expect to find him and where his presence should be most keenly felt. This was Isaiah’s experience too. Yet, one day, he left the temple a changed man. His life became instantly filled with a sense of purpose and, from then on, his enthusiasm and zeal for God knew no bounds. Isaiah’s experience can be ours too. Isaiah was given a vision of God (Isaiah 6:1-8) which not only filled the temple but filled him also with hope and renewed strength; enabling him to see beyond his present difficulties and the problems which beset the nation. The old king had just died yet the nation was still torn by internal divisions and strife and also faced imminent danger from without. Although the king, who had been one of the few remaining symbols of stability, may now be dead, Isaiah was reminded that God was still on his throne and all would be well if the nation would only look to him for deliverance. All nations now appear to face difficult times ahead, with so much uncertainly following the revelation that we could be heading for the worst economic downturn since World War II. Western leaders are under immense pressure to find ways of avoiding a serious economic recession (if they’re country is not already in one). Perhaps you have been personally affected by the current crisis. Sometimes God allows us to be emptied, to the point that we become weak and dispirited, just so he can fill us with his spirit and with his strength. We only need to have the eyes of faith to see that he is not only there but that he is indeed there for us. And to quote the apostle Paul: “If God is for us, who can be against us.” (Romans 8:31b NIV) We need to pray for a fresh vision of God Richard Dempsey
Cambridge, England - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Faithfulness5/20/2022 “Now therefore, revere the Lord and serve him in sincerity and faithfulness;” (Joshua 24:14 NRSV) Faithfulness is a habit formed by long, hard obedience. It is submitting with a ‘Yes, Lord’ that creates a committed life in the simple, mundane things as well as the extraordinary. Faithfulness is what we do when no else is watching and whether we see a result or not. Faithfulness is not a haphazard, once off occurrence, regular habit that never gives up. Let’s think upon Jesus, who is faithfulness personified. He loved faithfully. In weariness, in physical torment, in times of ridicule and rejection and in joyous moments of celebration. Jesus gave of Himself. Always. To His earthly end. And His love still keeps going. Faithfully. To each of us. Without hesitation. Therefore ‘Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 2:5), so that we might ‘walk, just as He walked’ (1 John 2:6). So what does faithfulness look like for us? Rising early to be with our Father before the demands of the day overtake; loving upon the child or teenager who doesn’t love back; staying with our partner and keeping our marriage vows, no matter how hard; loving the unloving neighbour, working hard and showing up to do the next right thing God has given us to do, wherever He has placed us. And much, much more. On that day it will be our faithfulness to loving God, obeying His Word and loving others that will matter most. Nothing else. And His reward will be great. Faithfulness: may it be our highest calling and a holy habit defining who we are and how we live. Jennifer Woodley
South-East Queensland, Australia - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
To reach for the best5/19/2022 As a toddler, my son spent many precious hours with his grandfather, who lived close by. They would sit on the front porch swing and read picture books together. One time when he was ready to leave, Grandpa took out the plastic coin purse that he carried in his pocket. He squeezed the sides of the soft oval to reveal the coins inside. Chuckling with delight, he fished out a quarter and offered it to my son, who grinned and then shook his head. “No, Grandpa,” he stated emphatically. He pointed to the three shiny copper pennies that were nestled among the other coins. “I want those!” Grandpa tried in vain to explain that the quarter was worth much more than the three pennies, but the toddler was insistent. In his limited experience, he had no use for the bigger coin. He only knew that pennies were what he needed for the gumball machine. His exasperated grandpa finally shook his head and walked off in defeat, minus the three pennies. My two-year-old son hadn’t realized the value of what was offered him that day. Once he learned to count and he understood the worth of each coin, he gladly accepted every quarter his loving grandpa wanted to give him. When I look back at my own life, I imagine that there were times when God felt like “shaking his head” at me. Like a two-year-old, I grabbed hold of the shiny pennies, whatever was familiar and safe, rather than reaching for things of greater value. I passed up opportunities to serve God because I was afraid I’d be found inadequate for the job. I didn’t yet realize that if he calls me to do something, he is also able to equip me to do it. I couldn’t hear his voice saying, “Child, don’t you know that I want to give you the very best?” Voices within me would scream of my shortcomings and point out my failures. God’s still voice whispered, “I love you enough that I sent my Son to die for you.” Darkness left me shivering and alone. The Light said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Negativity convinced me that I wasn’t smart enough. I wasn’t brave enough. If I tried, I would surely fail. God’s word promised, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” I’ve slowly learned that if God sends me on a mission trip, he’ll be right there to guide me. If God urges me to teach a class, he’ll tell me what to say. If he brings people into my life, he’ll show me ways to love them. I can count on him to offer me the very best of blessings, but I must reach out to receive them. Fortunately, God has an immeasurable amount of patience. He meets me where I am. He hears my excuses, and then gently nudges me in the right direction. He wants to challenge me, but not to break me. When I resist, he waits until I’m ready, because he knows me better than I know myself. Marilyn Borga
Ohio, USA - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Ability to take hold5/19/2022 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers (Psalm 1:3 ESV). A sapling was planted in soil to take root and flourish one day. This plant was expected to bring forth flowers and fruit in its due time. But something about its growth process was not normal. The farmer saw the plant every day expecting to find flowers but remained disheartened. He tilled and aerated the soil, and provided it with fertilizers, but the buds dried up and did not turn into flowers. The time came for the plant to bear fruit but the buds had never opened. The next season came and the farmer in his dismay transplanted the plant to another soil. Still, the plant showed no new signs of growth. It was uprooted again to be potted into yet another type of soil. It was then that the farmer realized the roots of this plant did not grow deep enough to take hold of the soil. The soil is the difficult situations we undergo in life, from one to another. Some people learn from them and remain stable when faced with yet another similar kind of trial, but some seem to falter every time. For the world, it becomes a matter of sympathy towards the one who falters. But the reality is if a person keeps faltering under trial and difficulty, it may not be about the trial, but about the mindset of the person himself. It might be his or her growth was stunted and they failed to bloom and bear fruit—not because of what the darkness was doing but because they were not ready to take hold of the Light. How many times in life do we blame our situations or failures on the people around us? In our response to trials, it can be easier to blame others for our condition. It’s easier to think the soil is all wrong, but how many bother to consider the plant itself may be part of the problem? Isn’t that something! The knowledge of the Spirit comes with experience and its understanding follows. Deepika Emmanuel Sagar
Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Be anxious for nothing5/19/2022 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Phil 4:6-7 NAS). In the world today, it is easy to fall into anxiety. We do not even need a pressing issue in our own lives for this to happen. But add in personal difficulties and a wrong focus on our part, and we are guaranteed to struggle. As followers of Christ, we have God's word, the truth to rely upon. We do not need to be anxious, no matter what is going on in our lives. This may sound easier said than done, but all things are possible with God. His peace that surpasses all understanding is guaranteed, provided we follow through as He instructs. Instead of worrying ourselves into anxiety, we take our concerns to our loving Father in prayer, petition and thanksgiving. Then we leave them there. If they come back, we go again and again until our heart is no longer troubled or afraid. Next, we change our focus to higher and loftier things. We have a lot to be thankful for and much better things to focus on than our temporary worries and fears. In Christ, we have overcome the world by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. We are greatly loved children of God, ambassadors of the King of kings and citizens of heaven, promised a future beyond our imagination. If we do things God's way and keep our focus on higher and loftier things, we will experience His peace that overcomes all circumstances. If we do things the way we always have, allowing our hearts to be troubled and afraid, we won't. The choice is ours. "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful (John 14:27 NAS). Jesus poured out His blood for the New Covenant of grace and truth, replacing the Old Covenant law of Moses. Believers are exclusively under the New Covenant, the last will and testament of Jesus that began after the cross. And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood” (Luke 22:20). Michael Edwards
Florida, USA - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Reaching our goals5/19/2022 “Let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us” Hebrews 12:1 (NRSV) Goal setting is commendable, but as followers of Christ our goals and the way we achieve them must be informed by our faith. We all aspire to change, to reach forward and upward to something better, hopeful and healthy. But we dare not do it alone. We ought not to fall back into old habits of self-striving and self-determination. Goal setting without Christ is humanistic, whereby we depend on our strength and wisdom, which is weak and limited. We can however, do all things and reach our God-honouring goals as we submit our endeavours to Christ and depend upon the inextinguishable power of the Spirit within us. No goal that our Lord has led us to aspire to is unattainable and a few suggestions might be helpful in this pursuit. To reach our goals we lay aside the distractions. What are the obstacles that hinder us? Consider what is working for us right now and what is not. Goal setting may mean saying ‘no’ to a lot of good things in order to say ‘yes’ to the best. To reach our goals we continue to endure with consistent perseverance. When do we most feel like giving up? What makes us feel stuck? Recognise our weakest moments and ask God to help us through these roadblocks. And finally, to reach our goals, we consider our excellent role model, Jesus. As we ponder His life and sufferings, we will be encouraged to not grow weary or give up in the pursuit of our goals. Jennifer Woodley
South-East Queensland, Australia - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
The Breadcrumbs widget will appear here on the published site.
Take God's side5/19/2022 “Let love be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good.” (Romans 12:9 CSB) Any behaviour that destroys the honour and work of God in our life or in the life of another person needs to be “detested”. This is what it means to take sides with God against sin. We live in an age of compromise and capitulation with evil – but compromise and capitulation is not an option Christ has given his followers. Consider the downfall of Judas. He stole from the money bag and failed to abhor his covert sin of thievery and it ultimately caused his fractured love for Christ to fall apart and collapse. Satan wants us to turn a blind eye toward sin in our lives. His strategy is to call evil good and good evil. But Isaiah wrote “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 CSB). Here’s a strategy to avoid his devilish lies. Instead of recalling the pleasure of sin, recall the great cost of the Saviour who died on the cross for you. Don’t have a debate with the devil when tempted to capitulate with evil. We’re not told to debate the devil – we’re told to “submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you,” (James 4:7 CSB). The longer we debate the devil the more difficult it will be to resist. Jesus said men love darkness – why? Because they hate the light. So, if we love the Light, we will naturally hate the darkness. We tend to love the opposite of what we hate. Live authentically as a follower of Jesus. Love the Light and let your love “be without hypocrisy”. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” (Romans 12:21 NKJV) Toni Babcock
Minnesota, USA - info@grace-lines.net The Blog Tags Widget will appear here on the published site.
Tags:
The Recommended Content Widget will appear here on the published site.
|
Life-LinesLaugh LinesStory Lines |
5/20/2022
0 Comments