Morning Musings

Keeping a Diary.

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

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

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

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

Life Lessons, Uncategorized

What is Set Before You?

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We have choices every day, As we step along life’s way;

In God’s Word they shine so clear, So let’s take note, their message hear.

I have set before you life and death….Deuteronomy 30:19…..

God sets before each person born, The choice of life or death forlorn,

We must each one make this choice, Death to mourn, or life rejoice.

I have set the land before you….Deuteronomy 1:8,21…..

God sets the land before our eyes, The land that waits beyond the skies,

It’s joys we now can plainly see, Awaiting there, God’s gift so free.

I have set before you an open door….Revelation 3:8…..

God knows our works, He’s set before, Each one of us an open door,

As we go through to serve Him there, His Word and Work with others share.

Let us run the race that is set before us….Hebrews 12:1…

A course is set before our eyes, A race to run to win the prize,

Of knowing Christ who bore our sin, And gives us power this prize to win.

Set a watch before my lips….Psalm 141:3….

Before my lips a watch I set, ‘Tis only God this need has met,

Help me to hold my tongue each day, Be quick to hear, and slow to say.

I will set no wicked thing before my eyes….Psalm 101:3

Set your affections on things above….Colossians 3:2

No wicked thing I’ll watch or read, For on these things my soul will feed,

I’ll set my eyes on Christ above, And think of His amazing love.

God now has set these things before, Each one of us just like a door,

It is for us to open these, If we our Lord would seek to please.

Stories for Teens

God STILL Does Miracles!

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    We recently did a motor-home trip around the North Island of New Zealand, and on the way home attended a Rally for Christian Motor-homers, called the Good News Vanners. The last night there, we had  a young missionary doctor come to speak to us, who told us about a lot of the miracles he had seen in healing in the land of Sudan in Africa. One poor child was born with two back to front feet, and had learned to walk like that….hard to imagine. The parents were desperate for help for their child, but refused to go to  the missionaries for either medical or spiritual help.

   By the time the witch doctors had finished with him, the parents could see there was no help there, and finally went to the missionaries in desperation. The missionaries told the parents that God could heal him if they would only believe that He could. The parents agreed, and the missionary medical people  prayed earnestly for him. Lo and behold after a while, one foot began to turn around to normal. So they then decided to operate on the other one to fix it, and the boy now has two good feet that he can run and play on. They felt that doing it this way showed the people that God uses many different ways to answer prayer….the first one was a straight out miracle, and the second one was an equal miracle but answered by the surgeon’s expertise.

   It reminded me of a story I used to tell at Bible-in-schools classes, where there was small girl who had brown eyes, but she didn’t like them. She asked her mother if God really could answer prayer  and when her mother said, “Of course”, then said she was going to pray for blue eyes. The next morning she couldn’t wait to run to the mirror to see these beautiful blue eyes that God was giving her. Alas, she was so disappointed to see her own brown eyes looking back at her. Her prayers weren’t answered the way she wanted them to be! Her mother was a wise woman, and she said, “Look dear, God HAS answered your prayer. The only difference is that He has answered it with a no, and not with a yes”,

   When the little girl grew up, she became a missionary in India and felt so sorry for all the poor ladies there, that she set out to help them. She dressed like they did, and with her dark hair and big brown eyes, she almost looked like an Indian herself. She was able to make friends with them easily as they felt comfortable with her, and told them about the love of Jesus, as well as show it to them practically by all she did to help them. It was only then (all those years later), that she realized that if God had given her the blue eyes that she so badly wanted when she was little, she couldn’t have made friends with these people like she had,  and helped them as she did.

    The point of this story is that God knows what is best for us when we pray for something we badly want, and answers us accordingly. There were many other stories that the missionary told us that last night about his work as a doctor over in that country, and we were glad that we had been there to hear them. God had performed many miracles, some supernaturally, and some through medical help, but all miracles for those concerned.

Life Lessons

Are you a Leader?

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    There is no doubt about it, some people are natural leaders while others prefer to just follow someone else. Perhaps they don’t have the self confidence to take the lead, or perhaps they just can’t be bothered making the effort.

   How do we know we can be a leader if we aren’t sure about these things?  The quickest way is to turn around and see if there is anyone following you! We might feel that we aren’t important enough or have anything to offer….but, what is that in your hand? Moses had every excuse under the sun when God accosted him out in the desert and told him to go and tell the king of Egypt to let His people go.

 “How can I do that? I’m not important enough,” was his first excuse.

Then he said, “The people won’t listen to me. What do I tell them when they ask whose idea this is?”

   God was very patient with Moses, and He said, “Look, I will be with you. Just tell the people that ‘I AM’ has sent you; the One Who spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob years ago. That is My Name. When you tell them that, they will listen.”

“But what if they don’t?” Moses persisted.

“What is that in your hand?” God asked.

Moses looked at his shepherd’s stick, and said, “It’s my rod.”

“Throw it down on the ground,” God said.

   So he did, and immediately it became a wriggling snake, and Moses hastily got away from it.

“Now pick it up by its tail,” God said, and as Moses reached out his hand and grabbed it, suddenly he found he had his stick back! Twice more, God had to show Moses the miraculous things that would happen when he did what he was told.

But he still hung back. “I can’t talk well enough”, was his next excuse.

   God’s patience started to wear thin. “Who made your mouth?” He demanded. “Very well, I know your brother Aaron is a good talker. He is coming to meet you now. Take him with you, and he can do your talking for you and you will tell him from Me what he is to say.”

Moses finally agreed, and did as God had told him, and became one of the greatest leaders there has ever been.

    We can see several things from this story that can apply to us. Firstly, we may think we are only an unimportant person, but if God is calling us to do something for Him, He will give us the strength. Not only that, but He will be with us as we make a start, and will give us others to support us  in the task that He wants us to do. That is on God’s side. On the other hand, we have to respond on our side. We have to be willing to hear His voice and obey what He is saying to us.

As we make the first move, God will step in and open up the doors for us. All we have to do is to use what we have.

   Perhaps you feel you are only a mother with little children, and ask what you could possibly do. Well, you have the most important job in the world, that of shaping the attitudes and manners of the little ones in your charge. All too soon they will grow up and be gone. Be a worthy leader under God’s direction, of your home and family, and He will bless you in it.

Life Lessons

In Fighting

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      Once again, it is that time of the year that we have put a bird feeder outside our dining-room window, and it gives us a lot of pleasure watching the little birds feeding there. But you know, even among the birds there is continual scrapping going on. The small silver-eyes stand on a branch nearest the feeder and fluff their little wings angrily at each other. The bold mynah struts around at the base of the tree and even jumps up on the branch to take a few pecks before he gets chased off. The sparrows take no notice of the others and greedily grab as many beakfuls as they can while the others are scrapping among themselves.

    It reminded me of how we as people often scrap among ourselves, sometimes vying for the better places or positions. This is not how we are meant to behave, especially in church situations. The Lord Jesus told us to be prepared to take the humble place and wait for others to give us a higher position rather than angrily (or sneakily)  try to take it from others.

    It is not smart to behave like this anywhere, and only causes hurtful situations that often can never be remedied. People can forgive, but they very seldom completely forget!

Our politicians as we get near the election time, too, seem to do all they can to take each other down so they can get the place they want. It almost seems that the good of the country is completely forgotten as the candidates each extol the virtues of their campaign hoping to gain that seat!

Let’s make sure that we aren’t like this, but be prepared to take the lower place and support those who have been promoted over us!

Random Devotional Thoughts

God’s Word is Like….

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    I was reading the verse from Hebrews 4:12 where it describes God’s Word as being ” quick (living) , and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”.

     There is nothing so convicting and convincing as God’s Word if we allow it to sink into our minds. It IS possible to shut one’s mind to it, but if we do that, it won’t be long before its influence on our ways and thinking will disappear and we will become hard and unyielding.

    This verse shows that it is like an extremely sharp two edged sword, cutting both ways, as it goes in and as it comes out…there is a story that illustrates this point perfectly….

   There was a man once who had didn’t believe in all this God rubbish (as he put it). One of the old time evangelists came to his district and was holding meetings several times a week. One of our man’s friends persuaded him to go to one of these meetings.

“You know I don’t believe in all that stuff”, he said complainingly to his friend, “I’ll go just the once, but no more, mind!”

He sat through the meeting, working out all his arguments against the preacher in his mind. His chance came when the preacher offered to take him home.

“Well, Sir,” our man said, “I don’t believe all that stuff you told us tonight. What about…..?” and he presented his first argument.

The preacher was silent a moment and then he said, “I don’t know about that, all I know is that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin.”

Our friend was a bit taken aback. He hadn’t expected a reply like that. But he rallied and then put out his next argument which was guaranteed (he thought) to get the preacher’s hackles up.

    Again the preacher was silent a moment, and then he said, “Well, I haven’t heard that one before, but all I know is that the blood of Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin.”

Our friend wasn’t going to be deterred, and he thought of several more arguments that he felt sure the preacher had no answers for.

    But each time the preacher just quietly said, “Well, I don’t know about that…..all I know is that the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin!”

     By this time they had reached our friend’s house and the preacher pulled up to let him out. Our friend gave one more parting shot as he left the car…”Well, I’m not coming back any more to hear that stuff!”

“That’s fine friend,” the preacher said, “But just remember,” as our friend went off into the darkness, “the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleans us from all sin!”

   The preacher went home, prayed for our friend and didn’t expect to see him again. But God’s Word which had been used as a sword, and as a strong hammer which can break rocks, began to work in his mind. A couple of nights later, the preacher heard a knock on his door just he had gone to bed. He opened the door, and there stood our friend looking rather distraught and haggard.

“I haven’t been able to sleep a wink since that meeting the other night,”  he said, “All I can hear in my mind are those words, the blood of Jesus Christ cleans us from all sin….I can’t get rid of them. What do I have to do to put my mind at rest?”

“Come on in,”  the preacher said, “It’s never too late to talk about the things of God”. He was able to explain to our friend that the way to have peace in his mind, was simply to tell the Lord that he realised he was a sinner and needed to be made clean from all the bad thoughts and habits he had formed over the years.

   He gladly did this and became a different man as a result. He had different aims now, and went to different places. The old ways didn’t attract him any more. Now he could say, and mean it with all his heart….. “The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, cleans me from ALL sin!”

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

Who’s Driving Your Car?

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         Sarah was sitting in church one Sunday morning with her mind only half on what the speaker was saying. ….

“I’m going to tell you a modern day parable to illustrate what I’m trying to get across to you”, he said, “We hear people talk about being ‘filled with the Holy Spirit, and allowing Him to control you’. The Apostle Paul tells us that we are to allow the Holy Spirit to fill us….we are not to be controlled by strong drink like a drunk person, but we are to allow Him to control us in the same way….”

   Sarah suddenly sat up when she heard the preacher say….”It’s like this. Imagine you are driving your car along the road of life, and you see a hitch-hiker with his thumb up asking for a ride. You somehow know that this is the Lord Jesus asking to come into your life. You have the choice of either going straight past Him or stopping and giving Him a lift. Most people will just go straight past Him and not give Him a thought. But perhaps you think you would like to ask Him into the car with you.

 You stop and let Him in….but where are you going to put Him? In the luggage compartment? No, you are not that mean. In the back seat then? Well, no, you would like to talk to Him a bit on the trip. What if He asked for the keys of the car? No way, you think, I’m driving this car and I want to go here or there where I please.

    This is just what we all do with the Lord Jesus…we might let Him drive a short distance after we’ve been to camp and got a spiritual lift, or after hearing a good speaker at church. But then you simply HAVE to make a stop along the way, and when you get back into the car, you are back behind the wheel again!”

   Sarah sighed. Why did preachers always have to put you on the spot? She knew very well that there were times when she did wrong things and went to wrong places or looked at wrong things, and that Jesus certainly wasn’t driving her car at those times.

    The preacher finished his talk, but the things that he said stuck in Sarah’s mind, and as she got older she always thought of this little parable whenever she was tempted to do something she knew wouldn’t please the Lord.

    She really DID want to let Him drive her “car” but it wasn’t always easy. After all what was it the Lord Jesus said to His disciples?  “If any person will follow Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me”. (Luke 9:23)

Random Devotional Thoughts

Where is Your Helmet?

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

 I was listening to a preacher the other day who was talking about hope. Not hope with the thought of it may or may not happen, but hope as a confidence and certainty. There is another verse in the Bible where it says to put on the helmet of the hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 5:8). Once we have this helmet firmly on our head, no matter how many darts of doubt and fear Satan fires at us, we can overcome them.

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

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

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

See what God has to say to YOU.