Life Lessons

Reaching for the Sky!

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    As I said last week, I’ve been trimming and tying up the young rose cuttings from last year, and imagining a conversation I could have had with one of them. The particular rose in the photo had one long strong branch coming out of the main stem, reaching out to the side. It’s head wasn’t particularly strong looking and certainly wasn’t a good shape. So I picked the strong stalk up and tied it firmly  into an upright position onto the stake.

“Ouch!” exclaimed the rose, “That hurts!”

“I’m sorry about that,” I said, “But this is how I want you to grow. I want you to look up and grow into a taller plant with your head on higher things.”

The rose got a bit sulky at that and muttered, “I wanted to grow my branches out low, down to the ground because that’s how I would be if you weren’t watching me. After all, I AM a carpet rose you know!”

    I looked further along the row and saw a rose that I had trained a few years earlier. It is tall, with a bushy head  looking up to the sky, and is covered with flowers being a thing of beauty and joy to everyone who sees it.

 “Do you see that rose over there?” I asked the one I was dealing with, “That’s how you will look  too in a couple of years time. You will be able to have other flowers growing beneath your branches instead of being a tangled mess lying on the ground with other branches growing all over the place. You are a good strong plant and have great potential if you obey my pruning and staking!”

“I suppose so,” sighed the one I was dealing with, “But it’s not very nice being tied up tight like this. It hurts when you take my little side branches off too!”

“It’ all for your own good, my dear,” I said, “and you will thank me for it one day!”

   This little story has an application that we should all take to heart. It is only as we respond to the tying and staking of the Master Gardener in our life, and lift our heads to look up into His face that we will be able to reach our full potential that He plans for us. Yes, there will be experiences that we could well do without, but if we remember that He always knows what is best and can see the wider plan, we can take it all happily and rest in knowing His love for us.

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Excuse me a Moment!

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I am finding that this web site has updated itself past me! So I am going to have a little play around on it to see if I can get my pictures back on track as they seem to have disappeared on me!

But I’m finding there are other things that this update can do that I am not familiar with. So bear with me a little longer.

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The Trials of Life.

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Trusting in God….“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man”.

    As I read those words in my morning Bible reading recently, my mind went back many years ago to the time when we HAD put confidence in what people had told us and were badly let down. We were contemplating buying a commercial building with two tenants leasing it. The tenant downstairs seemed reliable enough, but the we had some doubts about the ones upstairs. We asked them how long they were likely to need the lease for, and they said as long as they didn’t expand, there was no likelihood of them moving. So with that assurance, we bought the building.

   For a few months, everything went well, and then the tenants upstairs gave notice that they were moving but would continue paying their rent until the end of their lease in six month’s time. This was a blow that we had hoped we wouldn’t have to face. Once the lease ran out, we were left with only half the income we had reckoned on, and as time went by we were unable to lease out the top floor. It was either too big, or there wasn’t enough parking. It was certainly never classed as being too small by any prospective tenant!

    Things were not easy and we began to wonder if we had made a mistake in “putting our confidence in man “. We had prayed about the proposition before buying it and done our homework as thoroughly as we could, but now the only conclusion we could come to was that we must have made a mistake in buying the place.

   During this time, my morning Bible reading was about the time when the Lord told His disciples to row across the lake, all the time knowing what was going to happen. He knew the storm was going to come and toss them about. Yet He still told them to go. They hadn’t made a mistake in setting off across the lake….they went at His bidding. He didn’t divert the storm, He allowed things to work out their course.  He knew He would meet them in their hour of desperate need and calm the storm.

    After reading this story, my mind settled down somewhat. We hadn’t made a mistake after all, the Lord just wanted to teach us that He was in control and would release us from the situation in His good time. It didn’t happen overnight but the building eventually sold and we were released from the situation we were in. How relieved we were and overjoyed at not having to go through this hard time any more!!

    I now know that whatever comes our way, God is always in control. If things are easy, we must give Him thanks, and when things come tough, we are to tighten our belts (figuratively) and still give Him thanks that things are no worse than they are! Above all, we are not to put our confidence in what people tell us, but to always trust in God and what He says. �����

Life Lessons

Another Family Broken.

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  We attended the funeral of a very much loved wife, mother, grandmother and friend the other day  who  seemed to have been taken far too soon. It was an extremely large funeral service, one that paid many tributes to our friend and to her faith in her God. Once again, it impressed itself on me the brevity and uncertainty of life, and I wondered how many of those who were present were ready to take this, their last trip from this earth.

The overall message from the Lord to several members of that family was that verse that says…”You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You”, and that is what makes all the difference. If our mind is stayed (or steadfast) on the God of our salvation, we have nothing to fear, but if we don’t know Him, the best that we can face is an uncertain hope.

When an untimely death like this occurs, we can know with certainty that it is God’s doing, not man’s. It is a clean break that can heal in time, giving the opportunity for a fresh new start in another direction. What a difference to a messy break in a family that is caused by man’s interference!

Yes, the sorrow is still there, and the gap is still as great, but it is like a pot of  boiling water that has a potato and an egg in the shell put into it. The boiling water makes the egg go hard, while the same boiling water makes the potato go soft! When the boiling water of serious trouble strikes us, which are we going to be…the egg or the potato? Let’s remember that picture and turn to the God of all comfort, softening to His will and moving on.

Life Lessons

Beauty in the Garden!

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I’m a fan of bearded irises! They are such a beautiful flower, coming from a rather uninteresting looking plant. There are many different coloured varieties, from deep purples and wines, to delicate mauves and pure white. Still others have a faint blush of pink. Each petal in the flower has its own brush (or beard), often a yellow in contrast to the rest of the flower. Over all , the flower when picked has a definite faint scent, that can be noticed as soon as you enter the room where it is.

Many have been cross bred to have the most distinctive colours and the combination of colours is quite startling. This all goes to show the creative genius of the Master Gardener who has given them to us to enjoy.  Man may have adapted and bred different colours into them, but it all comes from the Great Creator in the first place!

I couldn’t help thinking how we are like this beautiful flower in many ways. We may not have had the most wonderful start in life, but if we give ourselves to God, He can mould us and breed in us the things that please Him, making something beautiful from a very mundane beginning. Not a one of us can say that we are good for nothing, or have nothing to give….this is a just an excuse and often because we can’t be bothered making the effort. We can all give a smile and make a comment that will brighten someone else’s day, from the girl behind the supermarket counter to the gardener working in the council gardens in the car park! People don’t remember you for how you look, as much as for how you make them feel!

Life Lessons

Looking Ahead!

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How this year has flown! As you get older, so the time seems to go quicker. What once seemed endless, now seems to have the end come too quickly. When we were going to school, we would think at the beginning of holidays, that they seem to have no end. But then suddenly,  the end would  come  and they were over. This is just like one’s life.

When we are growing up, the years stretch ahead of us endlessly.

When we are middle aged, they are still there…we think ten, twenty years, even thirty years still to go to do things in.

When we get older at retirement, we think that now is the time to get things done, with plenty of time and leisure.

But when we reach our eighties, what is left? Looks have gone, health has gone, strength is not there, energy has left, and we see  how much has been left unaccomplished.  What remains?

Without the assurance of a life to come, nothing is left, there is no hope. But for someone who knows the Lord Jesus Christ, there is everything to look forwards to. Not only will we see Him face to face, but there will be so much more to discover. The Bible tells us that “eye has not seen, nor the ear heard, the things that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

   Did you notice that phrase….”for those who love Him”? If we don’t love Him enough to get to know Him while here on earth, how are we going to know  Him in a time to come? It is never too late to come to Him…He is calling to all….”Come until Me all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). What a wonderful invitation!

Life Lessons

Go All Blacks!

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The All Blacks are the New Zealand National rugby team, and as such are very special to New Zealanders. At the moment with the world rugby games on in Japan, the teams’ results make news most days. Thinking about this and the distinctive uniforms that each team wears brought several thoughts to mind.

Firstly, each member of the team is chosen. In the same way each person who belongs to God has been invited, chosen and called. The only difference in this analogy is that ALL are called by God, but not all choose to respond to Him positively.

Secondly, all wear the uniform with pride. How much pride do we have in wearing the uniform that marks us out as different when we belong to God? Do we hide our light or do we wear our uniform openly?

Thirdly, our uniform and belonging to the team, shows commitment. We must live up to what the uniform stands for, and any member of the team who disgraces the uniform is dealt with immediately. How thankful we can be that God has patience with His people when we let Him down!

Fourthly, all members of the team wear it, and are responsible to each other. We cannot take it off and sneak into doubtful places to have “fun” which only brings shame in the end. Whenever a member of the national team gets into trouble when on tour, it makes the headlines at home in the papers. Let’s make sure we hold God’s standard high above reproach.

Fifthly, members of the team need daily training, there can be no slacking off. In the same way we need to keep up our daily training in God’s Word. It is only as we do this that we can keep our spiritual strength up.

Lastly, team members depend on each other to get the ball to winning goal. We are told to pray for one another, and to bear each other’s burdens when things go wrong for them. It doesn’t take much effort to make a phone call to encourage those who are part of your fellowship. We must remember the Owner of our team and keep our eyes on Him….

Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Daily Devotionals

Why Scrap?

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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 beak-fuls as they can gobble down 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!

See what God has to say to YOU.