Dear Readers,
The following article was not written by me. It was shared with me by my mother and it was like a heart hug and brought tears to my eyes and JOY to my heart. So, I thought it would be perfect to share with you this Christmas season as a reminder of what we have in a committed unity with Jesus Christ, and what astounding and overwhelming wonder there is to come.
Read on...
THE JOY OF JESUS by R.T. Kendall.
"Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of Thy countenance. In Thy Name shall they rejoice all the day: and in Thy righteousness shall they be exalted." Psalm 89:15-16.
If you think you are going to be happy when Jesus comes the second time, let me tell you that it will but like crumbs from the table compared to the joy our Lord will have on that day. Parents, what makes you happy on Christmas Day? Is it not seeing your children happy? When I watch my son or daughter open a present that they had hoped for, and I see their joy, it is my joy. I delight in just seeing their faces. And that is what makes our Lord's joy complete. His joy comes not only from what He did or from pleasing His Father but also from seeing the expressions on our faces when we see Him.
What was it like on Easter morning when Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene? Do you know why He appeared to her first? I suspect Mary Magdalene took it the hardest when Jesus was betrayed and crucified. Oh, the joy Jesus felt when He could see her as she wrapped her arms around Him. He had to say, "Stop clinging to Me." There was joy that Jesus felt when He could say to Peter, "It's all right." For Jesus knew how Peter felt when he wept his heart out (Matthew 26:75). Jesus wanted to go to Peter and say, "It's okay." There were those disciples in the upper room. They had forsaken the Lord in the last hour; now they heard that He was alive and they were so ashamed. But what joy Jesus had in going to the disciples to say, "Peace. Peace. It's all right. It's okay." And when they saw Jesus meant it - that He held no grudges, but absolutely and totally forgave them - what joy they felt! What joy He felt in seeing them accept His forgiveness!
(Taken from a Daily Devotional book called "Treasures of Wisdom".)
Readers, ideally, at this time of year, our thoughts are cast toward Jesus and the gift He was and is from God moreso than ever before. For those of you who know Him, share Him!!! Tell your family and friends, tell an acquaintance or a stranger. SHARE HIM!!!! Not only is it our obligation as Christians, but it should be our uncontainable desire and JOY to do so!
For those of you who do not know Him, He is waiting, with open arms for you to accept Him, and in turn share in the JOY that comes from a life of knowing Him as Lord and Saviour. You won't regret it! :-)
NOTE:- The author of the above piece wrote a book called "The Parables of Jesus". Highly recommended reading for anyone who does, or has struggled with understanding some, or all, of the parables told by our Lord. (**hand shoots up in the air...Me - Me!!) A very, very good book.
Now, from me, Dearest Readers...
MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I still feel so new to this whole blogging thing, but in the short time I have been at this I have felt so blessed by you, your thoughts, prayers and comments - those directly here to my blog, and those who have commented on FB, Twitter and personally to me by TEXT message. (I've been challenged too, and as a Christian looking to continually grow in my faith, I welcome that!) Thank you to each and every one of you who have taken the time to read and comment on my posts. I look forward to where God will guide me through writing in 2012, and hope you will continue to travel this literary road with me.
Have a truly wonderful and blessed Christmas, and a safe and healthy New Year - 2012. Be a blessing to others in Jesus' Precious and Beloved Name, and take care of yourselves. God bless.
Hugs - Jeanne.
Monday, 19 December 2011
Sunday, 4 December 2011
TAKING RESPONSIBILITY...
Focus point taken from a Devotion by - ( (c) Edward Hindson, D.Phil. & Edward Dobson, Ed.D.) - source, "The Knowing Jesus Study Bible".
People want to be in charge of their own lives. This theme began to unfold in the Garden of Eden, when humanity first turned away from God. God created a perfect world and placed man (Adam) and woman (Eve) in the Garden of Eden. In the entire garden there was only one tree whose fruit they were forbidden to eat - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that, if they were to eat the fruit from that tree, they would die. Adam and Eve were not innately prone to sinful choices, nor were they surrounded by temptation in an evil environment or victims of dysfunctional backgrounds. They were sinless people in an idyllic environment - and still they chose to disregard God and indulge in sin.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS FOCUS POINT?
Sometimes it's hard to imagine two people who had everything, including freedom and a sin-free existence, could so completely mess it up. I've often thought on Adam and Eve and wondered primarily why God put the tree in the garden in the first place...it was almost like being shown every day something you couldn't have. If it was detrimental to Adam and Eve to touch it and eat it, why was it there? Why couldn't God have put it somewhere else, out of their sight? Surely, because He created them, He was aware of their human weaknesses? Right?
This is the approach I take with my life sometimes...actually I am smack-bang in the middle of that right now! - wishing for the easy way that requires no effort or commitment on my part. God is more than aware of my weaknesses, but He allows temptation (He doesn't tempt us, but He will sometimes allow the things or people around us to be a temptation) as a way of strengthening me and my resolve as a Christian, and teaching me to rise above them in His strength - not as a way of teasing me into falling headlong into a place I should go, but as a way of building my character and my Christ-like-ness.
I suppose we can get caught up in thinking that because Adam and Eve were the first people to walk the earth that they were perfect...completely, utterly and unequivocally perfect. But what we must remember is that although they were the first and, as the authors of the above piece say, were void of all hurdles we can lay claim to as to why we do the things we do, they were still mere humans! They were not gods, they were not equal to their Creator God in any way. They needed to be taught and guided and shown and warned and told, just like we do. They needed instructions and they needed to know they had to follow them, that they were for their own good! It was no different for the angels God created, who were required to do His will. If that was the way it was for the angels why would it be different for the first man and woman?
If we think back further, before the Creation and remember an angel who fell because he wanted to be in charge, and run his own existence, and be God! - Satan - we see another act of disobedience and rebellion. Like Adam and Eve who came after him, Satan was also banished from what should have been his perfect paradise home.
For whatever reason - and who are any of us to question Him? - God did put the tree there and said don't touch! He set boundaries and made it clear what they were and what would happen if they were crossed...and Adam and Eve still crossed them. By whatever human reasoning - and that is a powerful tool, isn't it? - they did what God said not to do. We parents know sometimes we have told our kids 'don't touch' and when they have asked why we answer, 'Because I said so!' We all have at some point in our lives, disobeyed the will of God, and in days to come we still will.
And on top of it all, when they were found out they played the blame game. Adam blamed the woman and God. Eve blamed the serpent. In the wording of Genesis Chapter 3, I don't think either of them actually owned their mistake. Neither of them took responsibility. Neither of them even said they were sorry. They just made excuses.
Genesis 3:11-13;
11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman You put here for me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
When God asked; "Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?", Adam didn't say, "Yes, Lord." He said, "She made me do it, the one You gave me." When God said to Eve; "What is this you have done?", she didn't say, "I ate from the tree when I shouldn't have." Instead she said, "That snake lied to me." And God wasn't asking because He didn't know, He was asking to see if they would tell the truth and take responsibility.
I think also they were complacent and naive, and many of us still are, about the seriousness of God's commands, believing that He didn't really mean it, or He changed His mind...because He loved them, adored them, enjoyed having them around. Perhaps once they realised that they'd made a right mess of things they thought God would be upset - rightly so - perhaps angry even, before giving them a good talking to and that would be the end of it. But instead they lost everything. All the beauty and wonder and perfection God had given them was taken away from them again. God's judgement is sure and severe, and we all need to remember that. It doesn't mean He stops loving us, or loves us less, but He is a perfect God commanding righteousness from His creation - us! Of course, when we foul up, we are forgiven when we repent and turn away from our sins, and as long as we live we are given one second chance after another, but there are still consequences to anything we have done. A large percentage of people now languishing in prisons around the world are living the consequences of their stupid, ill-thought out choices.
HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
These things can be applied by owning up to our mistakes instead of trying to hide from God. And doing so, not because He can see into our hearts and knows them anyway, but because we love God and want to obey and honour Him with Christ-like living. And instead of wishing God would make our life easier by taking temptation out of our way completely, we can grow in His strength toward continuously being able to resist the temptations we are faced with through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, and growing as a person, as sons and daughters of the King.
Hugs - Jeanne.
People want to be in charge of their own lives. This theme began to unfold in the Garden of Eden, when humanity first turned away from God. God created a perfect world and placed man (Adam) and woman (Eve) in the Garden of Eden. In the entire garden there was only one tree whose fruit they were forbidden to eat - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that, if they were to eat the fruit from that tree, they would die. Adam and Eve were not innately prone to sinful choices, nor were they surrounded by temptation in an evil environment or victims of dysfunctional backgrounds. They were sinless people in an idyllic environment - and still they chose to disregard God and indulge in sin.
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THIS FOCUS POINT?
Sometimes it's hard to imagine two people who had everything, including freedom and a sin-free existence, could so completely mess it up. I've often thought on Adam and Eve and wondered primarily why God put the tree in the garden in the first place...it was almost like being shown every day something you couldn't have. If it was detrimental to Adam and Eve to touch it and eat it, why was it there? Why couldn't God have put it somewhere else, out of their sight? Surely, because He created them, He was aware of their human weaknesses? Right?
This is the approach I take with my life sometimes...actually I am smack-bang in the middle of that right now! - wishing for the easy way that requires no effort or commitment on my part. God is more than aware of my weaknesses, but He allows temptation (He doesn't tempt us, but He will sometimes allow the things or people around us to be a temptation) as a way of strengthening me and my resolve as a Christian, and teaching me to rise above them in His strength - not as a way of teasing me into falling headlong into a place I should go, but as a way of building my character and my Christ-like-ness.
I suppose we can get caught up in thinking that because Adam and Eve were the first people to walk the earth that they were perfect...completely, utterly and unequivocally perfect. But what we must remember is that although they were the first and, as the authors of the above piece say, were void of all hurdles we can lay claim to as to why we do the things we do, they were still mere humans! They were not gods, they were not equal to their Creator God in any way. They needed to be taught and guided and shown and warned and told, just like we do. They needed instructions and they needed to know they had to follow them, that they were for their own good! It was no different for the angels God created, who were required to do His will. If that was the way it was for the angels why would it be different for the first man and woman?
If we think back further, before the Creation and remember an angel who fell because he wanted to be in charge, and run his own existence, and be God! - Satan - we see another act of disobedience and rebellion. Like Adam and Eve who came after him, Satan was also banished from what should have been his perfect paradise home.
For whatever reason - and who are any of us to question Him? - God did put the tree there and said don't touch! He set boundaries and made it clear what they were and what would happen if they were crossed...and Adam and Eve still crossed them. By whatever human reasoning - and that is a powerful tool, isn't it? - they did what God said not to do. We parents know sometimes we have told our kids 'don't touch' and when they have asked why we answer, 'Because I said so!' We all have at some point in our lives, disobeyed the will of God, and in days to come we still will.
And on top of it all, when they were found out they played the blame game. Adam blamed the woman and God. Eve blamed the serpent. In the wording of Genesis Chapter 3, I don't think either of them actually owned their mistake. Neither of them took responsibility. Neither of them even said they were sorry. They just made excuses.
Genesis 3:11-13;
11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"
12 The man said, "The woman You put here for me - she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it."
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
When God asked; "Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?", Adam didn't say, "Yes, Lord." He said, "She made me do it, the one You gave me." When God said to Eve; "What is this you have done?", she didn't say, "I ate from the tree when I shouldn't have." Instead she said, "That snake lied to me." And God wasn't asking because He didn't know, He was asking to see if they would tell the truth and take responsibility.
I think also they were complacent and naive, and many of us still are, about the seriousness of God's commands, believing that He didn't really mean it, or He changed His mind...because He loved them, adored them, enjoyed having them around. Perhaps once they realised that they'd made a right mess of things they thought God would be upset - rightly so - perhaps angry even, before giving them a good talking to and that would be the end of it. But instead they lost everything. All the beauty and wonder and perfection God had given them was taken away from them again. God's judgement is sure and severe, and we all need to remember that. It doesn't mean He stops loving us, or loves us less, but He is a perfect God commanding righteousness from His creation - us! Of course, when we foul up, we are forgiven when we repent and turn away from our sins, and as long as we live we are given one second chance after another, but there are still consequences to anything we have done. A large percentage of people now languishing in prisons around the world are living the consequences of their stupid, ill-thought out choices.
HOW CAN WE APPLY THIS TO OUR LIVES?
These things can be applied by owning up to our mistakes instead of trying to hide from God. And doing so, not because He can see into our hearts and knows them anyway, but because we love God and want to obey and honour Him with Christ-like living. And instead of wishing God would make our life easier by taking temptation out of our way completely, we can grow in His strength toward continuously being able to resist the temptations we are faced with through the strength of the Holy Spirit within, and growing as a person, as sons and daughters of the King.
Hugs - Jeanne.
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
A CALL TO PRAYER......Dear Fellow Prayer Warriors, In Sydney, Australia this Saturday, December 3rd, at 12 midday a rally will be held for what is being termed the demand for "Marriage Equality". Basically the Homosexual community is calling for Australia to join the ranks of more than a dozen other countries who recognise and accept (and condone) the marriage of two same-sex individuals. Our current stand against this is being called outdated. Any Christian knows where God stands on this issue - but it seems for some the words 'detestable' and 'abhorrent' have escaped their understanding. (Read all of Leviticus chapter 18.) Or perhaps for some that is just one of those parts of the Bible they choose not to believe. In the eyes of the world Australia's stand against gay-marriage may well be outdated, but not in the eyes of God. God does not change His mind to suit a modern world. (Malachi 3:6.) I am not usually a campaigner, or a person who makes a big noise about anything in the political arena, but this is striking a nerve with me. Please, come together in prayer over this; for my country, for a united stand for Christian and Biblical beliefs, for my own, yours and our joint, personal stand in adherence to God, as brothers and sisters in Christ. Thank you, and God bless. P.S. Pray also for safety for those attending....these things do tend to get out of hand.
Sunday, 20 November 2011
PRAYER AND SHARING GOD...
We are all weak and powerless, and filled with fear.
We are all weak without God.
This describes so many of us in all walks of life, no matter our circumstances or situation. When fear strikes us in whatever personal form that takes - for me it's dogs - we hide, we are paralysed, we back away, sometimes we run.
In some situations people face in their lives even our church doesn't know how to help...each other or other people. Just like each individual, the church needs the power of God in order to help and guide itself and others. The church needs God's power.
We - the church - cannot do anything without the power of God.
How often do we try, though? I know I go about my life, my day, so often under my own strength and the result is always a colossal mess. That's coupled with feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, the overwhelming desire to hide or run away...yeah, at my age!!! However, recently I have found - perhaps because I am more aware of this shortfall in me than I used to be, and most definitely because God refuses to give up on me - that following close on the heels of this mess-making caper I keep embarking on, is the sense of relief when I realise (finally) that God is right there, waiting to take over and fix my mess, and take charge of the rest!
Sadly society is having more of an impact on the church than the church is impacting on society. How frightening is that? Media attention is freely given to those who speak out about their disbelief, but whenever any attention is given to the church through the media it is usually from a negative viewpoint. In the celebrity circles there are numerous Christians, or people of faith, but it seems very few of them are even willing to speak out about their belief, for whatever reason. Perhaps they are afraid of its effect on their celebrity status or careers. Perhaps they are fearful of the reactions from their peers. After all, the world is just a big 'ole High School, right? And as one secular song suggests High School Never Ends! Whatever the reason, it's a sad state of affairs when they have at their disposal a fantastic platform for the spreading of God, His Word, and His Kingdom, and they are not using it, or certainly not as they should be.
Even as ordinary, everyday, un-famous people we should still take every oppotunity presented to us BY GOD to speak out about our own beliefs. Do we? Are we afraid too? Okay, confession...I know at times I am!!! I admire the candour of the minister at my own church who reveals to us even his own fears of this. It happens to all of us at some point or another, but the difference in his case is that, more often than I do, Vince (my minister) pushes forward anyway, despite the fear!
I remember years ago I had a friend who lived in another state, and we spoke often on the phone. She was a Christian I found out months after getting to know her, but she revealed to me that she didn't want anyone to know. She had her reasons...we all do for whatever form our short- or long-term hesitation takes, whether they are valid or not. Fear, I believe, will remain the greatest of these. Fear of rejection because of our faith, of mocking and humiliation, fear of persecution, fear of finding ourselves standing all on our own outside the popular group or the charmed circle...I could go on, this is a long list!
We need to remember again to draw on the power of God within us...the same power that rose Christ from death.
We need to know God's power to experience the Lord's power in our lives. We mustn't try to live relying on our own power and strength. Satan wants to get control of our children, our family and friends, and us. We need to encourage our children and the people around us to turn to Christ, get to know Christ, to accept Christ...we need to get to others through Christ before Satan gets to them. And whether those very people want to know it or not, the truth remains that a life apart from Christ is a life in allegience of Satan! Anyone who does not accept and follow Christ, sins against God and rejects Him, whether they are a good person or not, whether their lives are an action by action itinerary of good works or not!!! The misconception of evil is that it is only the ugly, the heinous, the abhorrent, but anything that keeps us apart from a relationship with God is all those things to Him...it is rejection of Him. Anything less than the acceptance of Jesus Christ is sin against God.
"Bible Answers for Almost All Your Questions" by Elmer L. Towns gives this answer to the question 'What is sin?'; Sin is an act, attitude, or response against the Person or law of God. No acceptions!
T.V., music, newspapers, magazines...any media outlet is bombarding our young people with immorality and evil. And so much is being passed off as acceptable. The censorship scale is being widened allowing in more depravity, not only on a world-wide arena but in our own homes as well. Children and young adults need the power of God to break free of this, and to live successfully in this life. Really, I think this applies to anyone of any age. There are men and women, church leaders, people (including Christians) in every area of life and in any age group, who are influenced by the effects of the media, and most especially today by the internet.
We will continue to repeat our mistakes if we don't have God to guide us right, and if we don't pay attention to that guidance - we stay with what we know if that is all we know! Those in prisons are a great case in point. I've encountered inmates, through Crossroad Bible Institute, who before coming to Christ admitted that they would go back to their old ways if they were freed because it was all they knew. It is our responsibility to show them that there is something new for them to strive toward. As Christians we need to speak out to these people, to anyone who lives apart from Christ and through the power of God within us show them a new way...the ONLY way.
We need to confess our needs to God in prayer, and show people that they can do the same. We all have needs, and whilst it is good to pray for others we need also to pray for ourselves and bring our needs, troubles, confusions and our desire to grow ever closer to Him, before God. Our joys and happiness too, of course. God wants it all.
Before you can solve a problem you must first recognise the cause. Some of the reasons why we may struggle in our day to day life, and through the trials life throws our way, are:-
*Unbelief
*Doubt
*Little faith
*Too much faith in past victories!
That last one forces accountability, doesn't it? I've experienced that! :-( I've had successes in the past and then the next time tried to march forward on the wake of that rather than on the power of, and the ability presented by God.
Instead we need to have faith through God, confindence through God. I heard a saying; "Pray and doubt and you do without. Pray and believe and you will receive."
PRAY!!!
Spend time in prayer before doing anything. Seek God. Prayerlessness is a cause for lack of faith. Where there is little prayer there is little faith. All too often we lack faith. Our failures are God's reminder to rely fully on His power. Jesus has complete dominion over Satan and his followers. Satan just doesn't know when you're dead lie down!!! As Christians we should want and desire to see more people saved....to see ALL people saved.
Have faith in Jesus. Bring it all to Jesus. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome everything - problems, temptations, etc. Consider these things that can bring us into a deeper faith.
*Remember what Christ has done.
*Read God's Word.
*Share our own experiences of God.
*Ask God for stronger faith.
*Ask God to cast out our doubt.
*Claim God's promises.
God cannot lie! Return to the promises of God all throughout His Word.
Have faith, of course, but also be persistent in prayer. Have regular prayer time. Prayer is an acknowledgement of not only God, but God's power. Pray and believe, and the faith, insight and wisdom will come.
Hugs - Jeanne.
We are all weak without God.
This describes so many of us in all walks of life, no matter our circumstances or situation. When fear strikes us in whatever personal form that takes - for me it's dogs - we hide, we are paralysed, we back away, sometimes we run.
In some situations people face in their lives even our church doesn't know how to help...each other or other people. Just like each individual, the church needs the power of God in order to help and guide itself and others. The church needs God's power.
We - the church - cannot do anything without the power of God.
How often do we try, though? I know I go about my life, my day, so often under my own strength and the result is always a colossal mess. That's coupled with feelings of hopelessness, loneliness, the overwhelming desire to hide or run away...yeah, at my age!!! However, recently I have found - perhaps because I am more aware of this shortfall in me than I used to be, and most definitely because God refuses to give up on me - that following close on the heels of this mess-making caper I keep embarking on, is the sense of relief when I realise (finally) that God is right there, waiting to take over and fix my mess, and take charge of the rest!
Sadly society is having more of an impact on the church than the church is impacting on society. How frightening is that? Media attention is freely given to those who speak out about their disbelief, but whenever any attention is given to the church through the media it is usually from a negative viewpoint. In the celebrity circles there are numerous Christians, or people of faith, but it seems very few of them are even willing to speak out about their belief, for whatever reason. Perhaps they are afraid of its effect on their celebrity status or careers. Perhaps they are fearful of the reactions from their peers. After all, the world is just a big 'ole High School, right? And as one secular song suggests High School Never Ends! Whatever the reason, it's a sad state of affairs when they have at their disposal a fantastic platform for the spreading of God, His Word, and His Kingdom, and they are not using it, or certainly not as they should be.
Even as ordinary, everyday, un-famous people we should still take every oppotunity presented to us BY GOD to speak out about our own beliefs. Do we? Are we afraid too? Okay, confession...I know at times I am!!! I admire the candour of the minister at my own church who reveals to us even his own fears of this. It happens to all of us at some point or another, but the difference in his case is that, more often than I do, Vince (my minister) pushes forward anyway, despite the fear!
I remember years ago I had a friend who lived in another state, and we spoke often on the phone. She was a Christian I found out months after getting to know her, but she revealed to me that she didn't want anyone to know. She had her reasons...we all do for whatever form our short- or long-term hesitation takes, whether they are valid or not. Fear, I believe, will remain the greatest of these. Fear of rejection because of our faith, of mocking and humiliation, fear of persecution, fear of finding ourselves standing all on our own outside the popular group or the charmed circle...I could go on, this is a long list!
We need to remember again to draw on the power of God within us...the same power that rose Christ from death.
We need to know God's power to experience the Lord's power in our lives. We mustn't try to live relying on our own power and strength. Satan wants to get control of our children, our family and friends, and us. We need to encourage our children and the people around us to turn to Christ, get to know Christ, to accept Christ...we need to get to others through Christ before Satan gets to them. And whether those very people want to know it or not, the truth remains that a life apart from Christ is a life in allegience of Satan! Anyone who does not accept and follow Christ, sins against God and rejects Him, whether they are a good person or not, whether their lives are an action by action itinerary of good works or not!!! The misconception of evil is that it is only the ugly, the heinous, the abhorrent, but anything that keeps us apart from a relationship with God is all those things to Him...it is rejection of Him. Anything less than the acceptance of Jesus Christ is sin against God.
"Bible Answers for Almost All Your Questions" by Elmer L. Towns gives this answer to the question 'What is sin?'; Sin is an act, attitude, or response against the Person or law of God. No acceptions!
T.V., music, newspapers, magazines...any media outlet is bombarding our young people with immorality and evil. And so much is being passed off as acceptable. The censorship scale is being widened allowing in more depravity, not only on a world-wide arena but in our own homes as well. Children and young adults need the power of God to break free of this, and to live successfully in this life. Really, I think this applies to anyone of any age. There are men and women, church leaders, people (including Christians) in every area of life and in any age group, who are influenced by the effects of the media, and most especially today by the internet.
We will continue to repeat our mistakes if we don't have God to guide us right, and if we don't pay attention to that guidance - we stay with what we know if that is all we know! Those in prisons are a great case in point. I've encountered inmates, through Crossroad Bible Institute, who before coming to Christ admitted that they would go back to their old ways if they were freed because it was all they knew. It is our responsibility to show them that there is something new for them to strive toward. As Christians we need to speak out to these people, to anyone who lives apart from Christ and through the power of God within us show them a new way...the ONLY way.
We need to confess our needs to God in prayer, and show people that they can do the same. We all have needs, and whilst it is good to pray for others we need also to pray for ourselves and bring our needs, troubles, confusions and our desire to grow ever closer to Him, before God. Our joys and happiness too, of course. God wants it all.
Before you can solve a problem you must first recognise the cause. Some of the reasons why we may struggle in our day to day life, and through the trials life throws our way, are:-
*Unbelief
*Doubt
*Little faith
*Too much faith in past victories!
That last one forces accountability, doesn't it? I've experienced that! :-( I've had successes in the past and then the next time tried to march forward on the wake of that rather than on the power of, and the ability presented by God.
Instead we need to have faith through God, confindence through God. I heard a saying; "Pray and doubt and you do without. Pray and believe and you will receive."
PRAY!!!
Spend time in prayer before doing anything. Seek God. Prayerlessness is a cause for lack of faith. Where there is little prayer there is little faith. All too often we lack faith. Our failures are God's reminder to rely fully on His power. Jesus has complete dominion over Satan and his followers. Satan just doesn't know when you're dead lie down!!! As Christians we should want and desire to see more people saved....to see ALL people saved.
Have faith in Jesus. Bring it all to Jesus. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome everything - problems, temptations, etc. Consider these things that can bring us into a deeper faith.
*Remember what Christ has done.
*Read God's Word.
*Share our own experiences of God.
*Ask God for stronger faith.
*Ask God to cast out our doubt.
*Claim God's promises.
God cannot lie! Return to the promises of God all throughout His Word.
Have faith, of course, but also be persistent in prayer. Have regular prayer time. Prayer is an acknowledgement of not only God, but God's power. Pray and believe, and the faith, insight and wisdom will come.
Hugs - Jeanne.
Monday, 14 November 2011
ME & GOD...YOU & GOD.........
Dearest Readers,
I didn't write these questions, and sadly I don't know who did in order to give them due credit. This is something my mother gave me months ago and she has had it for more than 40 years. But they remain timeless, and can still be a guide for each of us in our times of prayers and conversation with our Lord. Feel free to copy this and keep it...and follow it. Feel even freer to answer some or all of the questions next time you talk to Jesus. Oh...and finally, feel free to leave a comment, or a question of your own, or even share here something of your own prayer life.
THINK OF OUR LORD SPEAKING TO YOU AND SAYING OR ASKING THE FOLLOWING...
* "You do not have to be clever to please Me. All you have to do is to want to love Me. Just speak to Me as you would to anyone of whom you are very fond." .....JESUS.
* "Are there people you want to pray for? Say their names to Me, and ask Me as much as you like. I am generous and know all their needs, but I want you to show your love for them, by trusting Me to do what I know is best." .....JESUS.
* "Tell Me about those in need, the sick, and those you know are in trouble." .....JESUS.
* "If you have lost the friendship or affection of anyone tell Me about that too." .....JESUS.
* "Tell Me about your husband or wife, about your children...are any of them causing you anxiety? Tell me about it." .....JESUS.
* "What about the church to which you belong? Your ministers and those who teach? Tell Me about them." .....JESUS.
* "Is there anything you want for your soul? If you like, you can write Me out a long list of all your needs, and come and read it to Me." .....JESUS.
* "Just tell Me about your pride, your touchiness, self-centredness, meanness, perhaps laziness. Do not be ashamed. There are many Saints in Heaven who had the same faults as you. They prayed to Me and little by little their faults were corrected." .....JESUS. (Dearest Readers, this one especially I have been actioning in the last few days. I have become starkly aware of many of these faults in myself and I have taken my shame and guilt to Jesus, and He is fixing the mess I made, and repairing the damage done! Praise Him!!!)
* "Do not hesitate to ask Me for blessings for the body and the mind, for health, memory, success. I can give everything and I always give everything to make souls holier." .....JESUS.
* "What is it you want right now? Tell Me, for I long to do you good. What are your plans? Tell Me about them." .....JESUS.
* "Is there anyone you want to please? What do you want to do for them?" .....JESUS.
* "Do you want anything for Me?" .....JESUS.
* "Do you want to do a little good for the souls of your family or friends, who perhaps have forgotten Me?" .....JESUS.
* "Tell me about your failures, and I will show you the cause of them." .....JESUS.
* "What are your worries?" .....JESUS.
* "Who has caused you pain? Tell Me all about it, and add that you will forgive and forget, and I will bless you." .....JESUS.
* "Are you afraid of anything? Have you any tormenting, unreasonable fears? Trust yourself to Me. I am here. I will not leave you." .....JESUS.
* "Have you any joys to tell Me about? Share you happiness with Me. Tell Me what has happened since yesterday to cheer and comfort you. Whatever is was, however big, however small, I prepared it. Show Me your gratitude and thank Me." .....JESUS.
* "Are you determined not to run into temptation? Have you made up your mind about bad influences in your life? To be done with them? They disturb the peace of your soul." .....JESUS.
* "Are you going to be kind to that one who has hurt you?" .....JESUS.
* "Go along now. Get on with your work. Try to be quieter, humbler, more submissive, kinder, and come back again later and bring Me a more devoted heart. Tomorrow I shall have more blessings for you." .....JESUS.
God bless....hugs - Jeanne.
I didn't write these questions, and sadly I don't know who did in order to give them due credit. This is something my mother gave me months ago and she has had it for more than 40 years. But they remain timeless, and can still be a guide for each of us in our times of prayers and conversation with our Lord. Feel free to copy this and keep it...and follow it. Feel even freer to answer some or all of the questions next time you talk to Jesus. Oh...and finally, feel free to leave a comment, or a question of your own, or even share here something of your own prayer life.
THINK OF OUR LORD SPEAKING TO YOU AND SAYING OR ASKING THE FOLLOWING...
* "You do not have to be clever to please Me. All you have to do is to want to love Me. Just speak to Me as you would to anyone of whom you are very fond." .....JESUS.
* "Are there people you want to pray for? Say their names to Me, and ask Me as much as you like. I am generous and know all their needs, but I want you to show your love for them, by trusting Me to do what I know is best." .....JESUS.
* "Tell Me about those in need, the sick, and those you know are in trouble." .....JESUS.
* "If you have lost the friendship or affection of anyone tell Me about that too." .....JESUS.
* "Tell Me about your husband or wife, about your children...are any of them causing you anxiety? Tell me about it." .....JESUS.
* "What about the church to which you belong? Your ministers and those who teach? Tell Me about them." .....JESUS.
* "Is there anything you want for your soul? If you like, you can write Me out a long list of all your needs, and come and read it to Me." .....JESUS.
* "Just tell Me about your pride, your touchiness, self-centredness, meanness, perhaps laziness. Do not be ashamed. There are many Saints in Heaven who had the same faults as you. They prayed to Me and little by little their faults were corrected." .....JESUS. (Dearest Readers, this one especially I have been actioning in the last few days. I have become starkly aware of many of these faults in myself and I have taken my shame and guilt to Jesus, and He is fixing the mess I made, and repairing the damage done! Praise Him!!!)
* "Do not hesitate to ask Me for blessings for the body and the mind, for health, memory, success. I can give everything and I always give everything to make souls holier." .....JESUS.
* "What is it you want right now? Tell Me, for I long to do you good. What are your plans? Tell Me about them." .....JESUS.
* "Is there anyone you want to please? What do you want to do for them?" .....JESUS.
* "Do you want anything for Me?" .....JESUS.
* "Do you want to do a little good for the souls of your family or friends, who perhaps have forgotten Me?" .....JESUS.
* "Tell me about your failures, and I will show you the cause of them." .....JESUS.
* "What are your worries?" .....JESUS.
* "Who has caused you pain? Tell Me all about it, and add that you will forgive and forget, and I will bless you." .....JESUS.
* "Are you afraid of anything? Have you any tormenting, unreasonable fears? Trust yourself to Me. I am here. I will not leave you." .....JESUS.
* "Have you any joys to tell Me about? Share you happiness with Me. Tell Me what has happened since yesterday to cheer and comfort you. Whatever is was, however big, however small, I prepared it. Show Me your gratitude and thank Me." .....JESUS.
* "Are you determined not to run into temptation? Have you made up your mind about bad influences in your life? To be done with them? They disturb the peace of your soul." .....JESUS.
* "Are you going to be kind to that one who has hurt you?" .....JESUS.
* "Go along now. Get on with your work. Try to be quieter, humbler, more submissive, kinder, and come back again later and bring Me a more devoted heart. Tomorrow I shall have more blessings for you." .....JESUS.
God bless....hugs - Jeanne.
Wednesday, 9 November 2011
JUST A GOOD MORNING...
Hello,
For no reason other than I can, I thought I'd send a good morning shoutout! Thank you to the fifteen wonderful people who are following my blog. I am honoured and overwhelmed! I am still learning how all this all works and add to that the fact that I tend to be technically challenged, it all makes for an interesting experience. All of you Dear Readers who are more computer savvy than I am will have noticed that a couple of previous posts have been posted as TITLES. LOL, that was from my phone, because I haven't worked out how to do it a different way. However, from an ordinary PC I am managing to get that part right anyway! :-)
I'm enjoying keeping a blog, for two reasons especially. Firstly because this is yet another way to share God. Secondly because I love to write. So combined I think God has got a good thing going on. And I am honoured and astounded that He wants to use me....but He does, so I am willing.
I trust that today, Dearest Readers, will be a good day for you all. I pray that you are blessed in many surprising ways and that you in turn are a blessing to others. Big hug, and catch you next time.
Hugs - Jeanne.
For no reason other than I can, I thought I'd send a good morning shoutout! Thank you to the fifteen wonderful people who are following my blog. I am honoured and overwhelmed! I am still learning how all this all works and add to that the fact that I tend to be technically challenged, it all makes for an interesting experience. All of you Dear Readers who are more computer savvy than I am will have noticed that a couple of previous posts have been posted as TITLES. LOL, that was from my phone, because I haven't worked out how to do it a different way. However, from an ordinary PC I am managing to get that part right anyway! :-)
I'm enjoying keeping a blog, for two reasons especially. Firstly because this is yet another way to share God. Secondly because I love to write. So combined I think God has got a good thing going on. And I am honoured and astounded that He wants to use me....but He does, so I am willing.
I trust that today, Dearest Readers, will be a good day for you all. I pray that you are blessed in many surprising ways and that you in turn are a blessing to others. Big hug, and catch you next time.
Hugs - Jeanne.
Monday, 7 November 2011
HOLINESS AND GOD'S WRATH
In a Selwyn Hughes devotion I read some time ago the topic was the character of God, and one collection of readings was on the wrath of God, and how this is a crucial part of what makes God God. All too often we are happy overlook or ignore God’s wrath, because to consider it makes us feel...what? Uncomfortable? Accountable? Awkward? Afraid of a grace giving, merciful, compassionate God??? The devotion looked at God’s perfect holiness and His intolerance of unholiness in His people. On the surface that seems cruel and uncaring – especially from a supposedly loving God. But in actual fact it is this truth about God which affords Him the reverence and awe He deserves.
First of all, the intense and full wrath of God belongs upon those who purposely and willingly disobey God and His will. There are many accounts of God’s wrath upon such people, that we can read about in the old Testament. So, in that thinking, it is good to remember that there is a difference between wrath and discipline. Those of us who follow God, trying (and often failing in that trying) to follow God’s will still at times (some more than others) need to be disciplined, and also need to be shown that with our actions come consequences...sometimes harsh consequences.
Unholiness is an imperfection. How could we even begin to serve a God who was fallible? Or, how could we serve a God who is perfect, yet tolerated or overlooked our imperfection? Wouldn’t our view of Him be altered...tainted? Wouldn’t we then try to push the limits and expect to get away with it? Wouldn’t we lose respect and reverence if we knew we could sweet talk our way out of the discipline we deserve, and need? Wouldn’t we also cease to grow and, more so, cease to try to be more like He Who created us? Wouldn’t He be just like any other earthly leader, or created god or idol, we have now, who either demands perfection from his or her subjects and fails to adhere to them themselves, or is (near) perfect but too wishy-washy to follow up with those who neglect their edicts or flat out rebel against their authority.
If God was that kind of God what purpose would there have been in Jesus’ death in the first place?
What we need to look at now is the immense love that is birthed from the fact that God is intolerant of imperfection, and deals with it justly. So that we may still be freely given the opportunity to commune with God, and have a relationship with Him, God made a way for that when under our own strength and unholiness it simply could not be. He went over and above...He went the extra mile...He did the humanly impossible...God repaired the damage...He rebuilt the bridge...He closed the gap...and how? By sending His Son to die on our behalf - to wear it all; all our sins, all our imperfections; all our shortfalls, all our unholiness...so that we can now walk freely back where God always intended us to be – in His presence, in His company, in His arms...safe and secure in His everlasting love.
First of all, the intense and full wrath of God belongs upon those who purposely and willingly disobey God and His will. There are many accounts of God’s wrath upon such people, that we can read about in the old Testament. So, in that thinking, it is good to remember that there is a difference between wrath and discipline. Those of us who follow God, trying (and often failing in that trying) to follow God’s will still at times (some more than others) need to be disciplined, and also need to be shown that with our actions come consequences...sometimes harsh consequences.
Unholiness is an imperfection. How could we even begin to serve a God who was fallible? Or, how could we serve a God who is perfect, yet tolerated or overlooked our imperfection? Wouldn’t our view of Him be altered...tainted? Wouldn’t we then try to push the limits and expect to get away with it? Wouldn’t we lose respect and reverence if we knew we could sweet talk our way out of the discipline we deserve, and need? Wouldn’t we also cease to grow and, more so, cease to try to be more like He Who created us? Wouldn’t He be just like any other earthly leader, or created god or idol, we have now, who either demands perfection from his or her subjects and fails to adhere to them themselves, or is (near) perfect but too wishy-washy to follow up with those who neglect their edicts or flat out rebel against their authority.
If God was that kind of God what purpose would there have been in Jesus’ death in the first place?
What we need to look at now is the immense love that is birthed from the fact that God is intolerant of imperfection, and deals with it justly. So that we may still be freely given the opportunity to commune with God, and have a relationship with Him, God made a way for that when under our own strength and unholiness it simply could not be. He went over and above...He went the extra mile...He did the humanly impossible...God repaired the damage...He rebuilt the bridge...He closed the gap...and how? By sending His Son to die on our behalf - to wear it all; all our sins, all our imperfections; all our shortfalls, all our unholiness...so that we can now walk freely back where God always intended us to be – in His presence, in His company, in His arms...safe and secure in His everlasting love.
Monday, 31 October 2011
GOOD MORNING DEAREST READER, My well planned and fine-tuned intention for this morning was to fill in time, while I waited for the Post Office to open, at the library with a little social networking. However, my memory...it slides! Today is the first Tuesday in November!!! Lol, and a lot of you are now probably wondering what that has to do with anything, right? :-) The first Tuesday in November is Melbourne Cup day! The Melbourne Cup is the biggest horse race in Australia. It's "the day a nation stands still"...or something like that!! It's annoying, is what it is! When I was penpalling it just meant an extra day without a mail delivery. When I was a bored housewife it meant the race was aired on TV instead of daytime soaps!!! It was a disruptive inconvenience!!! :-( Today it means the library and council buildings are closed and I can't get on a proper computer!! Blast! So...here I sit outside the town hall...on my phone...in semi shade...smiling at strangers passing by....exchanging nicities with people I know...listening to construction to the left and the sound of passing traffic to the right...hoping the dog passing by doesn't decide to stop and scare me into an anxiety attack ― yeah, I have an unreasonable fear, so what! ;-)...and I'm waiting for the Post Office to open. :-) What do you do when you're bored...and waiting? This is what I do! :-) I write! :-) Happy Melbourne Cup Day, Dearest Reader! :-)) Hugs ~ Jeanne.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
DO YOU BELIEVE BY FAITH OR BY SIGHT?
Recently I was asked the following question;
If angels could appear in dreams or in plain sight, and deliver messages in Biblical days, could they still do that today?
The short answer would be YES, if it is God’s will.
However, I am not a person of short answers – ha, ha, ha – so here goes….
I’m not sure whether it is as common today as it was back then, or whether it’s more a case of most people don’t experience angels like that. There are still angel sightings; there have been books written about people’s experiences with angels, or what they believed were angels. But just as in Biblical days, they don’t happen to everyone….or even to most people. It seems as if it happened much more back then than now, because in such a widely read book like the Bible, it’s mentioned repeatedly…it’s fallen into the category of common knowledge. How many people, even with the most limited knowledge of the Bible, still know that an angel appeared to Mary, the mother of Jesus? But the Bible, by way of being an account and guide for us of what God wants us to know on order to seek and accept Him, tells us of the events and happenings of only some people…only a handful in comparison to how many people there still would have been in the world at that time. And, like today, not all of them would have encountered angels, or anything supernatural.
I absolutely believe angel sightings still happen today, but I don’t think we’re made aware of it as much now, for whatever reason….too many other modern-day distractions perhaps, or the fear of mocking and disbelief. Think about it, how many people in your own life would even believe you if you tried to tell them you saw an angel? And having said that, I can tell you (whether it is believed or not) I’ve experienced what I believe was angel presence several times. I didn’t see an angel but I was pulled back from stepping off a curb years ago in Sydney
The Bible tells us that God uses His angels in His service, and they act with the sole function to do His will.
Bruce Marchiano writes in his book THE FOOTSTEPS OF JESUS; “If anyone believes the Holy Spirit does supernatural things in our natural world, it’s me; but for the most part, for whatever reason, as much as I’d love to be swimming in a sea of experiences, they just don’t seem to come my way.” A lot of people could say the same thing, then and now!
The strongest thinking for me on this is that God wants us - especially when there is more than 2000 years of verbal, visual, and written evidence about Him and His will for us - to believe through free-will and desire, rather than only because something as supernatural and miraculous as an angel’s appearance leaves the truth undeniable. Almost everybody would believe if an angel appeared and said so! For a little while, at least, and if they did would it be for the right reasons??? But how many would believe without that? How many did back then???
The same applies, sadly, for many when it comes to believing in Jesus Christ. I know many in my life and immediate vicinity who are baulking their commitment based on a need for concrete answers and proof, who cannot (or will not!!) surrender to faith alone. Jesus says in John 20:29 – “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
In the Christianity Explained short study, one of the frequently asked questions is along these same lines – it specifically asks about why when Jesus performed a miracle He often said not to tell anyone, and this can apply to queries regarding angel visitations also, I think – and the answer given is this; Jesus did not want to become like a side-show with people coming to see signs and wonders. He rejected such people (Mark 8:11-13, John 4:48). If people would not respond to the preaching of the Kingdom of God
The truth of this is unmistakable. People will easily follow what they can see, but not so easily what they cannot. I spoke to two friends a few days ago about the fact that people were created to love, to have a passion for something, and in turn to worship. For most Christians it is understood and believed that the focus of our worship is, and should be, God! But for other non-Christians this inbuilt desire extends even so far as to the creation of new religions and belief networks, possibly driven by an intense human need to stand out and be individual, and to a degree retain their control over their own being. Whether it be God or some other focus, people will seek out something! And when something aside from God is settled upon as their belief system, it is often for two primary reasons; a lack of understanding about Who God truly is, or the free-will choice to reject God.
Before I started listening to God, ten years ago, I was deep into angels. I read every book I could get my hands on, especially those written by Doreen Virtue. I had the angel cards – a form of tarot, if we’re honest about it! I had the figurines – which amounted to a shrine, I am ashamed to admit! In hindsight I can see that the focus of my need to worship something was angels and not God. Praise be to God that He was persistent in His desire for me, and relentless in revealing the error in my ways! But my mistakes of the past mean I can sit here now and ask - knowing that angels do exist, that they are diligently about the will of God, but they are not to be worshipped – Who or what is the focus of our worship, love, devotion, and obedience? Do we believe because we have surrendered to faith, or do we believe based only on what we have seen with our eyes, or had unequivocally proven to us? Do we serve and honour and glorify God because we HAVE TO, or because we WANT TO???
Hugs – Jeanne.
Thursday, 27 October 2011
A PRAYER FOR TODAY....
As this day begins....
May you see beauty all around you,
And feel peace alive within you.
May you receive surprises unexpected,
And share laughter with a friend.
When the day slides into evening,
May night come down to hug you.
And, may you always know and believe
That the Lord Jesus loves you.
Amen
( (c) 2011 Jeanne Francis )
May you see beauty all around you,
And feel peace alive within you.
May you receive surprises unexpected,
And share laughter with a friend.
When the day slides into evening,
May night come down to hug you.
And, may you always know and believe
That the Lord Jesus loves you.
Amen
( (c) 2011 Jeanne Francis )
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
HOW MUCH FUN CAN BE EXPERIENCED IN FOUR DAYS?
Now technically I was ‘away’ for six days, but two of those were travelling to get to where I was going. However, that being said, the travelling time was ripe with ‘experiences’ because - *raising eyebrow in a ‘ya know’ manner* - I was embarking on this mini adventure with my brother Gareth. One poor train passenger on the ‘to Sydney’ leg of the trip did agree (amused) when Gareth asked that he take our picture, possibly left convinced we were mentally challenged. Was it the perfectly reasonable need for photographical evidence that we were actually on the train that cemented his mirth, or was it the idiotic laughter emanating from my brother and I? And it’s not even like neither of us has ever been on a train before…though this was the first time in many years together. Just to set the scene, Dearest Reader, phone calls between Gareth and I usually result in nonsensical conversation and laughing like that of fools! The ‘from Sydney
In-between all this travelling there was four days packed full to bursting. Now keep in mind that I spent 17 years living in Sydney Sydney
I could write a very lengthy blog (and this will be lengthy enough!!!) about all the reasons why I love these two within an inch of their lives. Oh, I am mad-crazy in love with all my kids!!! J Any parent will know this feeling, I’m sure – that of, after almost a year without seeing them, looking through the sea of the unfamiliar and finding the unmistakable face of the man my son has become. Ahhh, be still my heart! And his beautiful fiancée who I love like a daughter. *Contented sigh* God’s blessings are an overwhelming abundance.
I took photos of everything, most especially in an attempt to share this (for me) simple little holiday with a dear and treasured friend, by way of seeing everything so ordinarily recognisable to me through his distant and first sight eyes, and through pictures. Thankfully I am blessed with patient and understanding (albeit bemused) family well used to my idiosyncrasies. Ha, ha, I have one picture of my brother taken month ago, with a look on his face that reads; “You take one more and I will have to hurt you!” His patience this trip was award-winning! Blessings upon Natalie also for not wanting to run for the hills because I was taking pictures of everything she cooked. (Natalie, you are an indescribable addition to our family, honey!)
Natalie calls me Mil – for mother-in-law – and as I grow accustomed to that I love it more and more. She introduced me to the wonder of a spa pedicure, showed me that a pretzel is more than just a salty, saliva absorbing, twisted cracker, and exposed me the pure decadence of churroes and strawberries dipped in melted white chocolate. She coloured my hair, enthusiastically encouraged as I shopped, shared her music with me, and most heart-hugging of all, shared her precious free-time willingly with me…her future mother-in-law. I praise God endlessly for the gift He has given not only me but my son as well in this amazing woman.
Our first full day in Sydney
Concert night was followed by a much needed deep tissue massage for both Gareth and I. Kudoes to my way-cool brother for enduring almost an hour and a half of it! I can’t believe either of us actually paid someone to hurt us like that, but WOW, it was sooooo worth it!
Amidst all the concert going, pampering, shopping, eating and socialising, my son had his 22nd birthday. That involved more friends, so much more food, a lot of laughter and another very late night. There were the antics of a very lively and decidedly ostentatious cat named Loki. And on top of all of it, it was discovered that DVD board games are not a good idea when one is tired and too sore (or old) to be crawling around the floor tossing dice. I drank so much soft drink that I forgot to drink coffee. I ate so much delectable home cooking (done by someone else – bless her!) that I can’t find it in me to get excited about my own cooking anymore…it pales in comparison. When I arrived home after this time away dinner was on the way to being cooked, and my mother and daughter were happy to see me.
I can’t believe how fast it all went! After two months of anticipation, like a dissipating puff of smoke, it is all gone. But the memories (and photos – sorry Navjot!) remain. I can daydream and pretend with surprising certainty that when, from a stage so far away it was little more than a chimera, Rick Savage, when he pointed at ten thousand screaming fans, knew I was there! ;-)
Life continues as routine again but in-between domestic duties and normality I can steal moments of happy reflection and be amazed once more how much God loved me, because His blessings come in so many wonderful, surprising and joy-giving ways.
God bless each of you, Dearest Readers,
Hugs – Jeanne.
Tuesday, 18 October 2011
WHAT DO YOUR ACTIONS SAY ABOUT WHO YOU ARE? In an article recently written for a friend's (Navjot) blog, I posed the question; "How is a Christian supposed to live and act and speak?", and suggested in answer to that, that a firm foundational beginning was LOVE, as exampled by the life of Jesus Christ. This can be looked at further...Love as an action, as a basis and motivation for all we do. Love for God, love for Jesus, love for others, and for ourselves. It's a beautiful and rewarding place to begin and continues as the perfect fuel source for all our actions. But how detrimental are the situations where the actions fail to measure up to the words? We all know of people who have been turned off church and 'religion' (and sometimes God, sadly) by a Christian not walking the walk. I was speaking to a man today about that very thing. People wear crosses around their necks, have the Jesus fish on their car and ritually attend church every Sunday, and on the surface the first thought is CHRISTIAN. But with mediums like Facebook and Twitter, and any number of other platforms for fraud, all of us are aware, surely, of how easy it is to fabricate a truth in a way so believable it may never be revealed. What is spoken of as truth can be as far from that as possible, limited only by one's creative imagination and another's naivety. For many years I was a Character Writer. For those of you who don't know, it's much like Role Playing, only on paper. Each writer assumes a fictional identity of their own creation and a correspondence is begun. The storyline builds and is reliant on the imaginational input of another writer. I did this form of writing with a girl (Jennifer) from Texas for about three years. For the first six months of this writing journey all I knew her as was a terminally ill French woman from a year somewhere in the 1800's, and Jennifer knew me only as a 25yr old biker who died in 1955. Now, in this case the fiction was evident. But there are many times in real life when it is not! If I was to stand before you wearing a Karate Gi, cinched at the waist by a black belt would you presume I was a martial arts master? If I had a tennis racket and sweat bands would I pass as mixed doubles partner to Rafael Nadal? (I wish!!!) Holding a Gibson guitar, even with Phil Collen or Santana in tow, wouldn't make me a guitar player any more than wielding a machete or crossbow would make me a weaponry expert. A potential maniac perhaps! I think I'd be in a world of trouble if any of these was how I presented myself, and then I had to prove it with actions! Words are all well and good, sweet to the ear even, but they amount to little more than lip-service when they come without the backing of our actions. Often enough in the past I have been told (and fooled by) the things I wanted to hear. Well articulated words that sounded so good at the time, but which fell to nothing when it came time to back them up. How many of us, honestly, have encountered Christians even, who, based on their words and Sunday activities alone have led us to believe wrongly in the depth of their Christian walk? When I was newly returned to the fold of the church, about ten years ago, I encountered a situation where I saw a side of a Christian man outside the walls of the church building that, at the time, was disillusioning to this 'new Christian'. To this day I am thankful I have a mother I can go to for right Spiritual guiding. It can be confusing, even to seasoned Christians, to know what is right and wrong behaviour for Christians. Some things are obviously wrong, like stealing, murder, adultery. What about the fine-lines? I know the well known question 'What Would Jesus Do?' (WWJD) has seen many quandaries more easily answered for me. Would Jesus sit and watch that movie with me? Would Jesus listen to that song? Would Jesus blow off Bible study because the tennis was on? At the 2008 Hillsong Colour Conference in Sydney, Priscilla Shirer used a similar thought process. Would we do things differently if we knew Jesus was right there with us? Well, He is, you know. Would we rethink taking just one bottle of soft drink from work without paying? Or taking ten minutes more on our lunch break than we know we should? If I'm telling people I'm a Christian, they are not going to believe me if I then say it's all right to gossip about someone from church or craft group? It's not all right! And even if we're convincing them and ourselves, we are NOT convincing God! So, in our Christian walk, by way of our desire to be honouring and obedient to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, let's walk as He did. Let's love like He does. Let's be a truthful and unquestionable example to those God places in our path. Because as one statement I recently heard reveals, WE may be the only BIBLE that person ever sees. Hugs ~ Jeanne.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
WHO ARE YOU GIVING YOUR HEART TO?
WHO ARE YOU GIVING YOUR HEART TO?
(AUTHOR NOTE:- Love…a topic very close to my heart, and I’m sure, close to the hearts of many! I think it’s easy to become disillusioned with love, especially when looked at from an earthly point of view. The following is a mix of fiction and fact…I’ll leave up to you, Dearest Reader – if it matters to you at all – to decide which is which.)
There once was a HEART…a beautiful and gentle HEART.
Like any heart, this was a HEART born to be bursting with kindness and compassion, filled with caring and the longing to give. Most of all there was born within this HEART the desire to love (and be loved)…fully and with every resource birthed from its creation.
This HEART had been in existence for a while now…longer than many, the HEART knew, but not as long as some. It also knew it wasn’t the only heart to have experienced the things it had, but at this very moment the HEART also knew it was battered, and bruised, and most of all broken.
As the HEART sat alone, fresh from another rude awakening, thinking over the past years and the others it had encountered, all now a distant and painful memory, a new sorrow flowed. They had been the hearts of family and friends, of lovers and even strangers. The growing years of this HEART had been hindered by torment and fear…things contradictory to its fashioned purpose.
There had come a day, early on, when, mustering an already weak courage, the HEART began to step out in faith…a huge step, and seldom reaping the remuneration the HEART so desperately longed for.
In the 16th year there was the popular one who hadn’t even known of this HEART’S existence. -----Overlooked!
In the 22nd year there came the heart this HEART thought it would be united with for the rest of its time. But the HEART was left. -----Abandoned!
The 37th year brought one who had all the tight things to say, but who turned out to be beyond merely a liar – a deceiver of premeditated malice. -----Betrayed!
When the 42nd year came, the HEART was hesitantly surprised to find itself daring to trust again, daring to believe this was the reason it had been created. Only, the HEART was wrong…again. -----Used!
There was the crushing devastation of losing a brother; the struggles of friends walking away without reason; the reflections of happiness all too often short-lived; the rebirth of hope too soon deflated. Anger and bitterness now seeped from every vessel as the HEART thought also upon the feelings of abuse, rejection, mocking, humiliation, judgement and diminishment.
Now through today’s resentment, the HEART looked toward the darkening sky, hopelessly defeated.
Then the voice came. “Will you allow sourness to keep you from being what you were created for?”
“I’m never giving myself to anyone again,” the HEART’S reply revealed all it felt. “I will open to no-one!”
“Would you deny all I created you to be?”
The HEART turned toward the voice. Surrounded by intense brightness He stood silhouetted, and everything around the HEART vanished into unimportance.
“Saviour Jesus!” the HEART cadenced.
“Beloved HEART,” the Lord Jesus soothed. “Who do you give yourself to?”
“I give to everyone,” the HEART cried, “and all I get is pain. Why did You leave me??”
“Beloved HEART,” Lord Jesus said again.
“I give myself repeatedly, only to lose again and again. Why was I even created?” The tone used was accusing, and immediately regretted. Filled with sudden shame, the HEART tried to retreat into itself.
A third time Lord Jesus spoke, His words, instead of berating, were adoring and passionate. “Beloved HEART. I have plans for you. You were created by My Father, for Me. Love others as I love, for I am Love. Upon those who would hurt you, love anyway. Upon those it becomes difficult to love, love harder. Give yourself wholly unto Me, and all else will be your reward.”
The HEART became aware of the embrace, even though He did not move.
His voice remained comforting as He said finally, “I have never left you. I will never leave you. My Spirit is within you…Beloved HEART.”
(Dearest Reader, there is none who will tenderly treasure your precious heart like Jesus Christ will. Hugs – Jeanne.)
Saturday, 8 October 2011
AN INTRODUCTION: I've been trying to think of a name for my blog, now that I have been convinced to start one. A name―something striking?...something catchy?...something representing who I am? The answer? "Organised Chaos"! That pretty much sums me up, especially in terms of the condition of my mind. It's chicken soup in there! *laughter* But the chicken soup catch phrase has kinda been done to death, don't you think? So, organised chaos it is. Welcome to the cauldron, Dearest Reader. :-) So, let's begin with the introduction and then see where we go from here. Given that my desire is to hand over to God the reins of my hands and words, only He knows what is to come! :-) That's kinda exciting too, because the second biggest piece of information about who I am is that I'm a writer...a fiction writer...a FANTASY-fiction writer!! You know what that means, yeah? It means firstly, that ordinarily when I write it's all fabricated. Poetic license to the nth degree! Not just the plot...conjured beings, places, worlds, and very little need for historial accuracy, when the worlds I've created don't actually exist! Which leads me to the second thing ― embarking on a writing journey of non-fiction is a massive (and foreboding) leap of not only faith, but of confidence also. Considering that when you make it up, you're in control, you say what goes, and in the long run it doesn't matter what others think. In short, it's a very egotistical way to write! :-) But then given that, in the case of this blog, it is my mind and my words...and my organised chaos...that will be captained by God, I think we're gonna be okay! I'm relinguishing control, and as a writer that is also massive for me. I'm not sailing this ship alone...Ha!!!...I'm NOT sailing it at all. God is! *wipes back of hand across forehead* Phew! And therein lies a segue back to the first and foremost thing about me...I am a Christian! I am the daughter of the King. I am a complete and utter...and chaotic...mess being moulded and refined by the hands of the Master Creator! I am winging it most of the time on prayer and faith alone. And that's okay! I am learning from my mistakes...sometimes painfully slow! I am sooooo thankful I serve a God who is patiently picking me up every time I fall, even when it's the same hurdle I've stumbled over a dozen times before. I'm thankful He's not counting my past against me...and is instead diligently setting my feet back on His path of truth and salvation again. So, Dearest Reader, let this blog journey begin. (I'm nervous!) My desire is to bring glory to God and not myself. Your thoughts and comments are welcome, and encouraged. All praise and glory to God! Blessings upon you, and much love in the name of our Saviour and King, Jesus Christ. Hugs ~ Jeanne.
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