Category Archives: Random Devotional Thoughts

Random Devotional Thoughts

How Much Rubbish do you Have?

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     We were staying on a friend’s property in our caravan once. This place had high hedges around the paddock edges. Our friend had taken his hedge trimming machine into these paddocks to cut and trim back the tall trees that were keeping the sun from getting in. This had only made a worse mess than ever. The branches and cut pieces of the trees all fell on the ground beneath as they were cut off. There was no way the grass could grow up fresh and sweet there.     We went home and then came back the following week. By this time he had taken his tractor into the paddock again, and had pushed all the scraps and branches into large heaps ready for burning when the weather was right. It was surprising what a large area was now clear right up to the tree trunks, enabling the grass to grow there as extra feed for the cattle.

   It made me think how this is a lot like our lives. We allow things to creep in and crowd out what is helpful to others. Our time is taken up with things of no real value, and we have no time for the things that matter.      Sometimes the things that we do are creative and beautiful, but if we can’t give them away to someone who appreciates them, we are really just wasting our time. Other things are  frivolous time fillers just to keep us occupied.

    These are the things that need to be cut off in our lives and let fall to the ground, and then pushed up into piles and burned. What is taking up all our thoughts and time? Let’s make sure that we clean up around the edges of our lives, and give ourselves more time and space to do things for others.

   The Bible talks about building our lives with wood, hay and stubble, and how these things are easily burned, whereas if we build with valuable metals these only get refined if a fire goes through them  (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). So we need to take stock of our lives, and see what should be taken away NOW, as it will all go through the refining fires of our Master in a time to come….and then what will be left?

Random Devotional Thoughts

What Are your Little Foxes?

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      The preacher at church last Sunday gave us some good points to think about, that are worth passing on. He read from the book of Song of Solomon in the Old Testament part of the Bible,  these verses….

Song of Solomon 2:13-15….

The fig tree puts forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grapes give a good smell. Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!   14“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, In the secret places of the cliff, Let me see your face, Let me hear your voice; For your voice is sweet,  And your face is lovely.” 15  Catch us  the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes…..

The Gardener has planted his crops and is now waiting to see them grow, and ultimately to fruit, BUT….there are foxes waiting to spoil the beauty!

This is just like us….we could say that God has planted us and given us all that we need to grow in the things of Himself, but there are things that distract us and take our minds and thoughts off Him…how do we react to these “little foxes”?

In our Environment….perhaps there are worries about our job, or we want a change of circumstances. There are other things that annoy us that we can’t change, and maybe they get us down.

In Our Relationships…. In our friendships with others, there maybe jealousy or competitiveness that grates….can we continue without holding grudges or being unforgiving?  Remember that unforgiveness only hurts you in the long run….the other person may be totally unaware of the matter!

In the Workplace….is there someone there that grates on you? Remember that the Lord has said He will bear all our burdens, so take it to Him…there is no need for two of you to carry it!

In Our General Health….do we always feel tired? Perhaps it warrants a visit to the doctor. Do we have continual colds and other aches and pains? Again, check out your health…do you need some supplements to build you up?

In Our Homes….Are there disappointments with family members, or other concerns? Are there differences of opinions? Remember that we just might not always be right!! I remember reading a book many years ago called “Lord, Change Me!” Perhaps we are the ones who need to change….our attitudes and feelings. To say nothing of our opinions!

In Our Relationship with the Lord…..Are we holding grudges? Do we neglect our daily time with Him? Do we remember to take all these things to God in prayer?

    These are all things that are “little foxes”  in the gardens of our lives waiting to spoil the fruit that God desires to see in each of us. Let us be full of courage  and take it all to the Lord in prayer. He will take over and enable us to be what we ought to be!!

Random Devotional Thoughts

Joy to the World!

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Joy is something that many people are not experiencing this year! Maybe it is because a loved one is no longer with you; or maybe some dread disease has shown its face, and then again there may be injuries from some recent accident. But when we remember the true meaning of the Christmas season, we have every reason to be joyful. God come to earth in human form!!

When we look at the world situation, fears may arise (with every good reason for those affected), but even in those places, God will be with His people for He has promised that He will never leave nor forsake those who love and follow Him. So we must look upwards and not downwards….there’s an old saying that says to look at the cup of life as being half-full, not half empty. There are always those who are worse off and we still have much to be thankful for! May it be so.

Have a great Christmas!!

Random Devotional Thoughts

A Joyous Christmas !

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And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).    None of the characters in the Christmas story were important or famous people from other people’s point of view…in fact, they just seemed very ordinary. Elisabeth and her husband Zechariah the priest, were two older people with no children. At the other end of the spectrum was Mary, engaged to Joseph the local carpenter, young and looking forwards to what life had in store for her.

Both these couples had had a visit from the angel Gabriel telling them that they would each have a miraculous child born to them. Elisabeth was too old, and Mary was not yet married, but they both accepted this news as from the Lord Himself with Whom nothing was impossible. Once Mary had ascertained how this miracle would take place for her, she humbly said, “Let it be so as the Lord has said”.

   Elisabeth was already six months pregnant by the time the angel visited Mary, and after talking with him, she immediately went to visit her older cousin. We wonder what these two pregnant ladies would have said to each other! We are told some of their conversation….it was not their condition or their symptoms they spoke about. It was the babies that they were carrying. In fact, Elisabeth the older lady, deferred to Mary the younger girl, recognising the importance of the child that Mary was carrying. She referred to her as “the mother of my Lord” and said how her baby had leaped in her womb at Mary’s greeting.

    Mary immediately burst into a song of praise….this was not a song of someone else’s, this was a spontaneous series of quotations from the book of Psalms that she knew off by heart, and that glorified God for what He was about to do with and through these as-yet unborn sons that she and Elisabeth  were carrying. God’s plan of salvation for mankind was about to be unfolded, and these children were to be the means of bringing great joy to the world.

Random Devotional Thoughts

The Storms of Life

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      We seem to have been attending quite a few funerals in the last few weeks. In each case it has been a man who was taken, leaving his wife to weather the storm that his death was bringing. It reminded me of different times when we too, have been faced with a storm and a decision to make and haven’t known which way to take. Then when things haven’t worked out as we wanted them to, we berate ourselves, saying we have made a mistake.

    But you know, there was a time when the disciples of Jesus were caught in a big storm. They were seasoned sailors and they must have wondered how this came about….why didn’t they see the warning signs? Yet their Master had told them to go across the lake and they had done just what He said. Why then, had this storm come upon them?

      Storms come to us to teach us lessons that we would otherwise never learn. So when the disciples experienced the worst storm of their life, they had been sent across the lake by Jesus Christ. They were experienced fishermen who could read the weather signs and knew how to handle these sudden storms that whipped up the lake surface into a frenzy. Jesus knew all this, and He knew a storm was coming up that would test them to the maximum.  They hadn’t made a mistake that brought this upon them, they were there for a purpose. Remember this….Jesus Christ knows the storm we are in at any given time. He could have stopped the storm coming to the disciples, but He wanted to show them His power. He knows the storm that I may be in right now, but He wants me to go through it so He can show me His power and refine the dross out of my life and strengthen the faith I have in Him.

The Lord speaks to us in these three ways …. In the storm….He comes to us through the storm, walking on the water…”I will never leave you”, He says. Through the storm… He reminds us that He is there with us…”don’t be afraid”, He says, “trust Me”. The storm within you….often when these storms come, they attack us from the inside. We are all in a turmoil because of circumstances beyond our control, and wonder where we are going to turn next.

Don’t be afraid of being afraid….storms always have an end. There will be a period of calm when it is over and then another one may come but because we have proved our Lord’s help with the first one, we have confidence within the next one. These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33) We cannot stop these storms coming, but we have confidence in the outcome because we have weathered the first one with God’s help!

Remember….He is the Lord of all our storms.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Disaster Strikes

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     We have been going through the book of Samuel in our Bible Study, and there are many lessons to be learned and that we can apply to ourselves. So lets read these thoughts about this passage and apply it ….

As time went by, Samuel was able to reveal God’s word to the people, and all Israel accepted him as he took over Eli’s priestly duties. But things didn’t always go smoothly, and the Philistines began to harass the edges of Israel. We notice this in our own lives….if we neglect God’s Word, the world will begin to creep into our lives and harass us even more…..      The first thing the leaders of the land began to do was to blame God….”Why did God allow this to happen?” they asked. Instead of seeking God’s advice, they did what they thought was a good idea…they went out to battle taking the Ark of the Covenant from its resting place which they should never have done. Eli didn’t like the idea, but had no power to stop them as his sons were the main instigators, going along with it.      

   The trouble was that the people looked on the Ark as some sort of mascot, rather than as God’s resting place….they were merely following a form, rather than having their hearts towards God Himself. This is another thing we have to be careful of….how much do we read God’s Word for ourselves, or do we just open it in church once a week as a matter of form?

    The enemy recognised the Ark as God’s presence and doubled their efforts in battle, eventually overcoming Israel and killing many of them in the process including Eli’s two sons. They also took the Ark for themselves as some sort of magical talisman to add to their collection of idols. The trouble was, that this was exactly all that it was at that time  because Israel had .left God out. of their lives. We need to follow the Lord for ourselves and not just follow a form or ritual for there to be any spiritual strength in our lives. The enemy will have the upper hand in our lives for sure if this is all we are doing.

   The chapter ends in further disaster as when Eli heard the news, he collapsed and broke his neck, and his daughter-in-law went into early labour and died giving birth. So the prophecies that God had given Samuel as a child all came to pass.

When we leave God’s Word out of our lives, We cannot expect to spiritually thrive, God acts for us as we  respond, Following  Him we form a strong bond.

Random Devotional Thoughts

Near Enough is not Good Enough!

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      We were working on a new boat that was being built, doing the planing of the hull. My arms were getting tired, and  I felt I had done enough. So I said, “That’s near enough, I’m finishing”. My brother in law looked at me and said, “Near enough is not good enough!”

So I kept going.

   But you know, that comment has stayed with me for over fifty years, and I find that it applies to so many things in life. There is the satisfaction of seeing a good job completed, because near enough is not good enough. Near enough doesn’t guarantee a lasting  finish to whatever job you are doing.  In sewing a garment, near enough doesn’t make it fit properly; and in putting a jig-saw puzzle together, a piece that fits near enough without slotting in perfectly, does not make a good picture.

   It is the same with spiritual things. Near enough is not good enough, and as far as eternal things go, near enough will not suffice. Many people  miss out because they have thought they were good enough, and that this was near enough, but they have forgotten that God has the last say. He says that ALL have sinned and come short of His glory, and our “near enough” does not guarantee a place in His heavenly home. So let’s make sure that our “near enough” becomes the perfect finish and then we will have the confidence we need to meet our Maker.