Life Lessons

Free at Last!

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Freedom at Last!

       We can hardly believe it! No more signing in when we go to a shop! No more having to stand out in the cold in a queue while waiting to get our groceries! We don’t realize how precious our freedom is until we lose it. We could see the reason for our recent lock down, but that didn’t make it any easier to put up with the restrictions.

   As we look around, we can see that there are many restrictions that we suffer from in life, and yet we don’t stop to analyse them. How many older folk are restricted by their failing bodies! This is something that we could all face in the future, and mostly through no fault of our own. As we look around our garden at this time of the year (winter), we see that this is a force of nature, and a natural time of rest and later, rejuvenation.

   Then again, others are restricted by their bad habits which have turned into addictions. In these cases, they only have themselves to blame, not that that makes it any easier to break them! The main thing is to not slip back into old ways if we have for some reason, been able to get free of  them.

   Some people are restricted from having a good relationship with others because of a bad attitude…either theirs or yours. To hug a resentment, refusing to apologise for some wrong done, does no-one any good. As it was once said, “There’s no point in getting on your high horse, because you will only have to eventually come down!”

   People today are so easily “offended” by some chance remark, and carry it until it becomes a full blown resentment that eats them up!

   There is only one way to become free of these restrictions (apart from those of old age), and that is through our Lord Jesus Christ. He can set us free if we will only ask Him. You might say that you don’t believe that sort of thing, but that doesn’t make it any less real. Have you ever asked Him? He has done His part for us, and we have to do our part in responding positively to Him!

Random Devotional Thoughts

How Old is Your Soul?

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The older we get, the more we tend to think about what lies ahead. We get to the stage of avoiding going to reunions where everyone looks SO old! Then we realise that they are probably thinking the same about us!

   It gets to the stage when invited to a grandchild’s engagement or birthday party, that we look around and see with horror that we are probably the oldest ones there!

   I stopped to think about this one day and remembered an incident when a young man said to his grandmother, “Granny, tell me, how old do you feel?” (She was in her early eighties by this time).

“Well,” she said, “It’s like this, I know my outside looks old and wrinkly and my bones ache when I get up, but inside I don’t feel any older than fifteen!”

“Really!” said the young man astonished, as he went on his way.

    The reason for this is that a soul is ageless. It never ages. It has been made to live for ever regardless of the age of the body it inhabits and when it dies. Every soul is precious in the sight of God, and His great desire is that each one will live with Him for ever.

    But along with God’s great love which people like to think about, goes God’s innate holiness and sense of justice. All wrongs must be righted and dealt with, and we would all agree with that. God knew that man could never pay the debt of all these injustices so He took on Himself to pay for these in the Person of His Son Jesus Christ, the only sinless Person who has ever lived on earth.

   We may choose to not believe this, and this is our right, but then we must bear the consequences. God has done His part, and now we must do our part which is humbling ourselves to accept this free gift  so that our soul will live for ever in God’s presence. Don’t let anyone put you off making the right decision because the alternative of living without God or anything good for ever and ever doesn’t bear thinking about!

Morning Musings

The New Normal!

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       At long last life is beginning to almost be normal, as we settle back into level two of the covid-19 pandemic. And yet for many people, it will never be normal again. There are those who will have lost loved ones at the worst,  or  their jobs and livelihood leading to despair if not panic. Still others will see their businesses dissolving under their eyes, even as they try to pick up the pieces. We have been able to resume some sports (with reservations), and Christians have been able to go back to their church gatherings under strict regulations.

     The authorities are doing their best to tide people over, not seeming to realise that at the end of the initial short period, things are still going to be the same. What to do? Dish out still more millions from the money tree? Try to create jobs out of thin air?

   These are very interesting times that we are living in and only time will show the final outcome. It is very interesting to think that with all of man’s inventions and yet more technology, yet the future cannot be accurately forecast. We know that things are not going to get back to the old normal, and that we will have to adapt even more in ways that we cannot imagine, even at this point in time. So we cannot predict exactly what is going to happen tomorrow, we can barely be sure of this evening!

    Every week that goes by there are new things happening that open up new scenes….for instance, who would have imagined that this latest event in America would cause such a rumpus right around the globe? Words like anarchy and arson flow into our minds, as we see the scenes of senseless destruction on our TV screens. These merely show us how close to the surface, this sort of thing is, in the hearts and minds of many people. It just show the contrast between this sort of behaviour and the words of Jesus Christ who said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives is what I am giving you. Don’t let your hearts be troubled or your minds be afraid.”  (John 14:27)

   So if you are feeling all  upset and uncertain,  respond  to God who gives peace as we come to Him in genuine and sincere enquiry. He says, “Those who seek Me will find Me” (Luke 11:9-10)

Adult Testimonies

God’s Patience.

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The Lord said…..  “My Spirit will not always strive with man…”  (Genesis 6:3a)  The following  story illustrates this point very clearly.

“Hi Ozzie”, Keith sang out as he drove up to the house, “Are you coming out with me tonight to the church service?”

“Aw, I can’t make it tonight”, Ozzie said, “We’ve got a visitor coming for tea, so that cramps my style a bit. Maybe next Sunday.”

“OK, That’s a pity”, Keith  said as he swung the car around.

   He went down the road in a thoughtful mood. He had been taking his cousin Ozzie to the church services for nearly twelve months, and he had noticed a big difference in him in that time. His language had cleaned up, and he seemed to be more cheerful and not so complaining.

    Keith hoped that Ozzie had been really listening to the different preachers as they spoke each Sunday night, and not just been enjoying the singing and company of the other people there. After all, that was only part of it all. He thought of those verses in the New Testament where Jesus frequently said, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear”.

    He knew it was one thing to hear what is being said, but quite another to let the words sink into one’s mind and then down to the heart and put them into practice .

Keith knew what it had been like for himself….once he was faced with the facts, there was no turning back and now he couldn’t have been happier. Now he really wanted his cousin Ozzie to know the same peace of mind and heart that he had found in believing the things concerning Jesus Christ..

   But from that time on, Ozzie seemed to be making more and more excuses as to why he couldn’t make it on Sunday nights. The day came when he told Keith  that he wouldn’t be going any more….it just wasn’t convenient, he said.

   Keith was disappointed, but he knew that people have a free choice. He had made his mind up himself to continue going to the church services and as he did, his understanding grew. He wasn’t going to let Ozzie’s attitude change his mind.

   Over the intervening years, they met occasionally and still did certain jobs together (both were farming), but the old camaraderie was missing. More years went by, nearly twenty in fact.

    Keith was visiting his father one day. “You know, I had a visit from Ozzie the other day”, his father said. “He said a very strange thing. He told me that he’d had a very vivid dream one night recently…. He dreamed he saw a big blind coming down from the sky and he knew that it was between him and God. And then he said, ‘You know Unc, I couldn’t come to God now, even if I wanted to!’ I really didn’t know what to say to him”.

   Keith knew the verse in the Bible where God says He won’t strive with people for ever, that there comes a day when He will take people at their word, and leave them alone. He was very sad to hear that, and yet he himself had been unable to pray for Ozzie for some time, and felt that this was indeed a message from the Lord concerning him.

   We do well to take heed to the consequences of Ozzie’s choice and realise what a sad plight he was in. That was still his attitude when he eventually died.

Grandma's Stories, Stories for Teens

It’s Too Hard!

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“Oh, it’s too hard!” Sarah cried out in disgust, and threw her study book down. Uncle Jeff was there having a cup of tea with the grown-ups in the other room, and he came in just in time to hear Sarah say this. “Is that your study  for this week Sarah?” he asked, “What is it about, that you think is too hard?”

“Well, it’s that part that talks about doing what God wants us to do, and then we find we can’t manage it”, Sarah said, “And that’s exactly what I’m finding! I tell God I’m sorry for the mean things I’ve done and said, and promise I won’t do it again, and then by the time next week comes, I’m right back to square one!”

“What sort of things do you want to do, Sarah?” Uncle Jeff asked.

“Well, I want to do what God wants me to, but when someone does something mean to me then I fly off at them, and I know that’s not right and not pleasing God”.

“Well, you know”, Uncle Jeff said thoughtfully, “I used to be like that too. I always desperately wanted to do what God wanted me to and then I would fail and feel miserable. But one day I realised that I was putting things the wrong way around. I saw that it didn’t depend on me doing anything at all!”

“Really?” said Sarah, “Well, what DOES it depend on then?”

“I heard a preacher that said it is three “D”s …we have to DEPEND on God, DIE to   ourselves, and do it DAILY, and I realised that it isn’t what I do, it is what God does for me!”  

“Really?” Sarah said again, “What exactly does all that mean Uncle Jeff?”

“It’s not a question of US hanging onto God, it’s a question of us letting God hang onto us. It is HIS work IN us, not our work FOR Him that matters.”

“Does that mean we don’t do anything then?” asked Bobby who had been sitting there quietly all through this conversation and suddenly piped up, “That’s good, then I don’t have to try to be good!”

“It’s not quite like that”, Uncle Jeff said, “It means we have to ask God to help us because we can’t do it ourselves, and we have to ask that every day!”

“Oh, I see what you mean”, Sarah said, “It means that we die to things we want to do, and then depend on God to help us do this every single day!”

“Yes”, said Bobby with a grin, “That means you don’t grumble about doing the dishes and other things when Mum asks you to help!”

“Mmm yes,” said Sarah slowly, “And it isn’t going to be easy either but I’ll try my best!”

“That’s right, my girl!” said Uncle Jeff, “Remember, we have to let go, and let God do it in us!” (Romans 7:14-25)

Life Lessons

Opinions versus Facts.

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     We all have opinions about things….very strong opinions in some cases. But we have to make sure that our opinions are based on facts, and not just on our feelings! I’ve noticed that some journalists reporting on the radio, keep passing their opinions on certain news items….we aren’t interested in what they think or feel, we want to know the news! Facts, not opinions!

      Opinions can very easily become convictions, and if they aren’t based on the truth, and  are wrong, then all our talk is worth nothing.  People aren’t prepared to die for an opinion, but they WILL die for a conviction….we see this continually today in the people who become suicide bombers to promote their beliefs.

    So it is with all the talk about the current corona virus. There is so much being published and said about it, that one hardly knows what is fact and what is merely another’s  opinion. Such a thing of this magnitude has not been within living memory, nor has the speed with which it has travelled been seen before. We really have no idea whether it is under control yet or not. As we progress into level three of the control effort, we all want the time to go quickly as we are not used to restrictions such as have been in place for the last month. What seemed painless to begin with has quickly palled….doing puzzles and having unlimited time for reading has turned to boredom when the books have got filled and  finished.  

    But let’s remember the blessings that have come with it, and concentrate on the positive side of it all, turning this time into a time of learning new skills and practicing patience. We need to look at the wider picture than at just our own annoyances, and ask ourselves if maybe God isn’t wanting to teach us to look upwards to Him for the answers instead of merely listening to other’s opinions and what is passed off on the news as facts!

Morning Musings

Fear Not!

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    Have you ever noticed how many times God says to people, “Fear not! Don’t be afraid!” In these days of the unknown future, fear has taken hold of many people. That is why the panic buying was going on in the supermarkets lately….something that was world wide and not just confined to our small corner. The speed with which the corona virus has spread to all corners of the world is unprecedented. Life as we have known it may never come back again. For many people their livelihood has gone, and their very homes are on shaky ground. Only time will tell how well the world can weather this storm.

   Yet there is some good that has come out of it. Families have found each other again. We have found that simple things like walking around our neighbourhood is still there and what is more, it is free for the taking! Fathers have time to play around in the kitchen with their children and mothers have the time to take up handcrafts again.

   All the crazy running around takes so much of our time and energy, and the small things at home tend to be pushed to one side until “there is more time!” That time is now there to be found and used constructively. Not just in doing chores around the house, but taking time to listen to one another, and to rediscover the things about each other that once attracted us but have somehow got lost in the high pressures of our modern life style.

    So for those who know their God, take some of this time that has been given to you to spend with Him, because who knows what lies ahead. And for those who have never found Him yet, take this time to think these things through and to find this One Whose love is beyond measure. His promise still stands of “Those who seek Me shall find Me.” Then nothing of what happens around us will be able make us afraid as He is our Strong Tower that we can run into and be safe.

Life Lessons

Lock Down!

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   At first it didn’t seem real! Lock down? Impossible! But as the days wore on, it became apparent that perhaps it was the only way to halt the spread of the deadly virus that was sweeping the world. Looking back, we wonder if it would have worked more efficiently if it had come into force a few weeks earlier! But it is, what it is, and now we have been shut down completely, and at what a cost to the whole country remains to be seen. We’ve heard it said that life as we have known it, will never return. Time alone will tell that story.

   There are some pluses. For instance, we see whole families out walking together up and down our road. Then again, we see neighbours who we’ve never met before as they go past our garden fence. Life on the whole has slowed down. There are no dead lines to meet; no meetings to attend; nothing that simply HAS to be done! There is time to get the garden back into order, and time to catch up on all those jobs that get pushed into the background waiting until “there is time”.

   The disadvantages are mostly in our minds. The children cry that they are “bored”! What is that, but simply a matter of attitude? We had a snippet come through the email box the other day that reminded us that the virus can’t take away our enjoyment of a brilliant sunrise;  it can’t take away a smile; it can’t stop an encouraging word, nor can it stop a phone call or email!  

    If we know the Lord, we realise that this thing is all part of God’s wider plan….the only trouble is that we can’t see the big picture yet! So let’s take heart and look upward, waiting for Him to work everything out, knowing that it will be for the best, even if we don’t particularly like the outcome.

See what God has to say to YOU.