Lessons from an old lady! (Luke 13)

Lessons from an old lady! (Luke 13)

Luke 13.10-11 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all [niv]

I remember the first time I prayed and God answered. I was nine years old at the time, and a relatively new Christian. My Dad had stopped at a petrol station and while he was inside, I prayed a very simple prayer, "God please let Dad buy me an ice-cream, and I will serve you the rest of my life." If I could go back in time, I would travel back to this day and grab that chubby nine year, look him straight in the eyes and scream, "ARE YOU CRAZY!" But sure enough, when Dad came back to the car, he wasn't empty handed.

Then there was the time when I was a teenager, I asked God for a sign if He was real. The words had barely left my lips when the night sky lit up by a huge streak of lightning, followed within seconds by an almighty clap of thunder which shook the whole house.

There was also the time when I was pastoring my first church in Warrnambool, pleading with God to cover the church's debt of $10,000. Within minutes of praying, I got up, walked out to the letterbox to find a bank cheque for $10,000 in the letterbox!

But there were other times I prayed and heard nothing.

Like the time I prayed for God to heal my Mum of lung cancer, but she died. Or the time I cried out to God to deliver me from certain addictions, but He didn't. I've prayed for certain family members to come to Christ, and they haven't. There have been times when I have tithed and honoured God with my money and nothing happened. The bills kept coming in, the bank balance never changed and the cupboards stayed empty.

The woman in this story was suffering with some form of spinal arthritis for 18 years. She spent 18 years of her life bent over, looking at the ground and not able to straighten up. Yet when Jesus finds her, she is not at home feeling sorry for herself, watching "The Bold and the Beautiful". She is in the synagogue.

According to the custom of the day, she would have gone there at least once a week. So each week she goes to a place of worship, where prayers are offered, scripture is read and offerings made. And each week she walked home exactly the same! Bent over. She did this for 18 years!

As Christians we will all go through times of trouble or pressure. What I have found after 30 years in ministry is that often when faced with difficulty and God seems silent, we tend to stop praying, stop reading the Bible, stop tithing, stop serving and eventually stop attending.

Yet this woman after 18 years still remained consistent even though her situation never changed. She kept doing those things she knew to do, every though her circumstances screamed out at her, "GIVE IT UP!" It was her consistency which made sure she was in the right place at the right time to receive her miracle from Jesus.

When Jesus turned up at her synagogue that particular day, she didn't come to listen to guest ministry, or to receive a prophetic word. She didn't try to touch the hem of his garment, climb a tree to catch his attention or cry out in a loud voice, "Jesus Son of David have mercy on me!" She just stood there, probably towards the back. Bent over. Looking at the ground. Silent. Because that's what she did every week for the past 18 years. And Jesus noticed her out of everyone.

Maybe we can all learn something from her.

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Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Be Thankful for Fleas! (Colossians 4)

Colossians 4.2 Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving

In her book 'The Hiding Place', Corrie ten Boom recounts her experiences as a prisoner during World War 2. While living in Holland, Corrie and her family were arrested for helping hide Jews from the Nazi's. Her parents didn't survive the horror which followed and Corrie and her sister Betsy were eventually transfered to a concentration camp in Ravensbruck, Germany.

It was a large camp with several oversized and overcrowded barracks. Each barracks housed hundreds of prisoners. On their first day there, Betsy and Corrie were shown their sleeping platform, a wooden base covered with mouldly, foul-smelling straw. Corrie felt something pinch her leg. "Fleas!" she cried! Sure enough, the barracks were infested with them!

Through a miracle they had been able to smuggle a small Bible in with them. If caught, they would be severely punished. Betsy opened the Bible and reminded Corrie that the Word of God instructed to pray earnestly and be always thankful.

As hard as it was, they began to thank God for the fleas. Over the next several months, the sisters began to notice something strange. The guards never came to their barracks! They took courage and began to lead the women in prayer and Bible study right in the heart of a Nazi concentration camp! Through this countless numbers of women came to faith in Christ. Their barracks became a sanctuary and a refuge in the midst of hell.

It was only some time later that they discovered the reason why the guards left them alone. They stayed away because of the severe infestation of fleas!

God calls us all to be vigilant in our prayers. And He wants us to do it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Our ability to do this should have nothing to do with our circumstances but rather we obey simply because His Word tells us to.

When was the last time we stopped complaining about our problems and instead thanked God for them. Maybe our problems aren't really problems, just God's blessing in disguise!

It might not be what we expected, but if God can use a flea to keep His children safe during a holocaust, imagine what He might use to help you!

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Forgive and Don't Forget! (Colossians 3)

Forgive and Don't Forget! (Colossians 3)

** please welcome the lovely Cathy Swan as today's guest blogger

Colossians 3.13 You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. [nlt]

I forgive you. A phrase we can often find very hard to say, especially to those who call themselves Christians. Aren’t Christians supposed to be just that – ‘Christ ones’? We seem to hold those in the Church, to a higher standard than unsaved family or friends. We expect the pastor to always be available when we need him, we expect our Christian friends to be always loving and never judgmental.

There are so many self-professing Christians who refuse to even darken the door of a church because they have been ‘hurt in the church!’ Yet when Jesus was here on earth He told us that ‘offense will come’!

The truth is that we will be hurt by people, regardless of whether they are in pastors, family members, close friends or fellow members of the family of God. It’s a natural part of living here on planet earth. If we can understand that, it will help us to move on and deal with the hurt and forgive.

Jose and I have been through two extremely difficult situations in church life that caused us a lot of hurt and even made us question our faith and our future involvement in church. This betrayal of trust and Godliness hurt us badly but if we had not forgiven and walked on, we would probably not be in a place of much use to anyone today.

We hear the phrase forgive and forget thrown around very carelessly today. But the key to forgiveness is remembering. Remembering that the Lord forgave us! Even when we were still locked in our own sin, He loved us and forgave us. His expectation of us is that we go and do the same. We have no right to harbour unforgiveness to others. We need to accept that hurt will come, and then act swiftly to show forgiveness. God doesn't say 'if' we can forgive, He says we 'must' forgive!

Then we can heal and move forward.

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Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Paid in Full! (Colossians 2)

Colossians 2.14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [nkjv]

It was one of those embarrassing moments which has probably happened to most of us at some stage of our life. Frances Martinez was trying to pay for her groceries but was having problems with her debit card. The eftpos machine was refusing to accept it, citing 'insufficient funds' as the reason for its non-cooperation. After a few attempts she left her groceries on the counter and went to phone the bank. When she came back, the cashier had surprising news for her. "Someone has paid for your groceries!" When Martinez asked who this Good Samaritan was, the only clue the cashier could give was that it was a lady who had been standing behind her in the queue. When Frances Martinez arrived home, all she could do was cry. She later told her local newspaper that, "with times the way they are and the economy so bad, it's wonderful to think that someone would do something like that for a complete stranger!"

Although we are no strangers to Jesus, this is exactly what He has done for us! When we were left with no means to pay, He took the long list of sins we have committed and paid for these in full with His blood, nailing them to the cross for all eternity. Our debt is gone!

However we need to make sure that list stays nailed to the cross. The temptation for all of us is to listen to the lies of satan, who tries to get us to remember our past. He wants us to take our list back off the cross. When it is in our hands, it's easy for him to pour on the guilt and condemnation, causing us to doubt God's work in our lives. We forget that it was all settled at Calvary.

Martin Luther once told how satan laid heavy condemnation on him because of his sins. Luther told satan to list them all, and even reminded him of some he had forgotten. Then he told satan to write across the whole list, "paid in full by the blood of Jesus Christ."

Just like Luther, we can rejoice and rest in the knowledge that our sins have been 'paid in full' by Him who loves us. They have been nailed to the cross and to the cross they must stay.

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She Said Yes! (Colossians 1)

She Said Yes! (Colossians 1)

Colossians 1.10 And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God [niv]

On 20th April 1999, Cassie Bernall, a junior at Columbine High in Littleton Colorado, was a typical teenager having a typical day, when a couple of her classmates trained a gun on her head and asked if she believed in God. She said "Yes". Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold pulled the trigger and shot her in the head. They went on to kill another 12 students and a teacher and injured 26 others before turning the gun on themselves.

Christians all around the world were impacted by the news of Cassie's death, with many calling her a modern day martyr. In the wake of the Columbine shootings, many Christian teens began asking themselves tough questions like, "What if it were me?" Many saw the possibility of dying for Christ as attractive. The idea of martyrdom became popular.

Helping this along were merchandisers who saw this as a great business opportunity. Cassie's last words, "Yes, I believe" have been immortalized on everything from key chains and t-shirts, to bracelets and coffee mugs.

While I stand in awe of those who have laid down their life for the Gospel of Christ, we need to be careful not to turn martyrdom into something that it isn't. Yes, dying for Christ is an honour, but so is living for Him. I think dying is easy, it's faithfully living for Him, day after day which is a harder thing to do. In fact the most amazing thing to me about Cassie's story, wasn't how she died but rather how she lived.

May we live a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him in every good work and growing in the knowledge of Him.

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LOL! (Philippians 4)

LOL! (Philippians 4)

Philippians 4.4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! [niv]

In recent years some medical doctors have used "laugh therapy" with their patients. I heard a story about a lady who was healed through laughter. Her doctor prescribed a steady diet of "The Three Stooges." She was instructed to watch the videos of their old films as much as possible. It worked. She actually laughed her way to health. Although there is not a lot of scientific proof when it comes to laughter as a medicine, researchers are gathering evidence that the way we feel can directly affect chemicals in our bodies, influencing everything from our brain to our heart. Laughter is thought to decrease stress and lower blood pressure. It may even increase blood flow and act as a natural pain killer.

Even though this is a relatively new and unknown frontier in modern medical science, King Solomon wrote about it thousands of years ago in Proverbs. "A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."

The Bible says a lot about joy and laughter. As I have been reading, the one thing that God has been speaking to me over an over again is the fact that the source of my joy is not found in what I own, who I know, how much money I have or how healthy I feel. I could be walking through hell on earth, yet according to scripture, still be able to lift my hands, sing and rejoice!

The source of my joy is God. He is good. He is full of grace and love. I find that when I put my trust in Him, even when things don't make sense, I still have peace. I view life from a different perspective. I see things how He sees them and I am able to laugh in the face of adversity.

The Apostle Paul knew this better than anyone. He was whipped, beaten, tortured, shipwrecked, imprisoned, falsely accused and suffered illness, yet through it all was able to rejoice. Amazingly he even wrote this verse while imprisoned in a damp, dark, cold, rat infested Roman jail cell.

The trick of the enemy is to keep us focused on the things around us, because he knows that when we do that, we take our eyes off God and off the source of joy. Eventually our strength will fail and we will fall.

How he must hate it when a Christian stands up against all odds and lifts their hands and voice to praise their God and laughs out loud! I want to be that person!

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Age is a Funny Thing! (Philippians 3)

Age is a Funny Thing! (Philippians 3)

Philippians 3.12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. [nkjv]

Age is a funny thing. Do you realise that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we are kids? When I was younger, I can remember being so excited about aging that when asked how old I was, I'd respond in fractions. I may have been 5 years old but I would say, "I'm five and a half!" I never people hear people in their 30's say, when asked the same question, "I'm 36 and a half."

In our teenage years, rather than think in fractions, we jump whole numbers. When asked how old you are, the response is "I'm going to be 16!" You may only be 12 but you're going to be 16!

Then comes the greatest day of your life, you become 21! Even the way we say it sounds impressive, you BECOME 21! And that's where things begin to go downhill. You turn 30. It makes us sound like bad milk. He turned. We had to throw him out. Then you're pushing 40, you reach 50, you make it to 60 and by then you have built up so much speed on your downhill journey that you hit 70!

After that, its a day by day thing. You hit Wednesday. You hit lunch!

A child can't wait to be bigger, older, better, taller, stronger, smarter, richer. It becomes a driving force in their life. There has got to be more out there. But somewhere along the way, we trade in that passion and drive for something less. We become cynical. Complacent. Content. We settle.

Now these aren't all bad things but they become very dangerous when the same attitude creeps into our relationship with God. There is so much we don't know about God and there is so much He has in store for us. He is the God who does exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ever ask, dream, think or imagine. The Apostle Paul once declared, "I want to know Him. I want to be intimately acquainted with Him!" I want to spend my whole life getting to know Him. Our Christian life is about moving forward, pressing on, growing from glory to glory. The minute we decide to settle where we are, we cap our potential and singing the shoulda, coulda, woulda's.

Henry Varley, a British Revivalist once said, "The world has yet to see what God will do with a man who is fully and wholly consecrated to the Holy Spirit."

Is it any wonder the Word of God tells us to come to God with child-like faith. The adventure awaits us. Our best days are still to come. We need to let go of the past. Be spontaneous. Courageous. Take a step of faith and press on. A spiritually mature person is one who loves God with all their heart, lives life to the full and loves people unconditionally.

Rather than holding ourselves back, hiding behind our religious maturity, perhaps we should let our lives reflect our love for the One who has saved our souls and given us hope.

And just be a child again.

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A Six Year Old Can Make a Difference! (Philippians 2)

A Six Year Old Can Make a Difference! (Philippians 2)

Philippians 2.4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. [niv]

In 1998, when Ryan Hreljac was in grade one he learned from his teacher that people were dying because they didn't have clean water to drink. He started doing simple household chores to raise money to buy a well for a village in Uganda. After four months of hard work, he managed to save $70 only to discover that a well would take $2000 to drill. Undaunted, he set out talking with family and friends, challenging them and raising much needed funds. By then end of 1998 he had raised $3000, making headlines in the local newspaper.

Ryan’s determination continued to grow. Today the Ryan's Well Foundation, has raised millions of dollars and has built a total of 502 water and sanitation projects in 16 countries bringing clean water and sanitation services to over 621,712 people.

And Ryan is not alone. Erin Oquindo received 99 pairs of shoes and 154 pairs of socks last September for her 9th birthday. All of which she promptly gave away. When Erin invited friends to her birthday party, she told them she didn't want gifts for herself but asked them to bring shoes and socks to donate to a local charity for orphans. This is just one of the many mission projects Erin has participated in. She has donated her time and efforts to an array of causes including hurricane relief, clothing and food drive and aid for animals. When asked why she does what she does, Erin commented, "It makes me happy and it honours God. I think it makes Him happy too!"

Although they may be young, these amazing kids have learned something that we as adults tend to forget. They have learned to look out for the interests of others. In our 'me' focussed world, imagine just how different life would be if we all spent a little more time helping others instead of helping ourselves.

After all, this is how Jesus lived!

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God Finishes What He Starts! (Philippians 1)

God Finishes What He Starts! (Philippians 1)

**Please welcome the beautiful Cathy Swan as she guest writes today's s2s post.

Philippians 1.6 Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (NIV)

In 1921 a young missionary couple from Sweden felt the call of God to go to Africa. David and Svea Flood met up with a couple called the Ericksons from Scandinavia, who also felt the call of God. After praying for direction they all felt to leave the main mission in the Belgian Congo and go to a remote village and take the Gospel there.

The chief of the village refused to let them enter the town for fear they would convert the locals and anger their gods. So they went a half mile up the hill and built their own mud huts.

They prayed hard for a breakthrough into the village, but nothing happened. The only contact they were allowed was with a young boy who could come and sell them chickens and eggs twice a week. Svea Flood was a small woman of only 4 feet, and she decided that if this young boy was the only African she could have contact with, then she would try to lead him to Christ. She succeeded!

Meanwhile, malaria continued to strike each of the families down, and in time the Scandinavian couple decided they had had enough and went back down to the main mission. Shortly after, Svea found she was pregnant in the middle of this primitive wilderness. The chief at least allowed the local midwife to help her deliver, and a little girl was born. However the labour was exhausting and because of her many bouts of malaria Svea was too weak and lasted only another seventeen days.

That was the last blow for David Flood. He dug a grave, buried her, and took his newborn daughter down the mountain to the mission station. There he gave his newborn daughter to the Ericksons saying, “I’ve lost my wife, I obviously can’t take care of this baby, God has ruined my life!” He then left for Sweden, turning his back on his calling, and on God.

Within eight months the Ericksons were struck down with an illness and died also. The little baby girl 'Aina' was given to some American missionaries who changed her name to Aggie and brought her back to the States. They loved her and gave her a wonderful upbringing.

She later married a young man named Dewey Hurst and had her own family. After many years Dewey became president of a Christian college that had strong roots in Scandinavia. One day a Swedish magazine was sent to her and as she couldn't read the language she flipped through it. As she turned the pages she saw a picture of a primitive grave with a white cross and the name of Svea Flood on it. She ran to one of the lecturers who could speak the language and asked him to read it to her.

He quickly told her: - It was about missionaries who had come to N'dolera long ago...the birth of a white baby...the death of the young mother...the one little African boy who had been led to Christ...and how, after the whites had all left, the boy had grown up and finally persuaded the chief to let him build a school in the village. The article said that gradually he won all his students to Christ...the children led their parents to Christ...even the chief had become a Christian. Today there were six hundred Christian believers in that one village... All because of the sacrifice of David and Svea Flood!

She later found her father, a broken, bitter man who was very ill and still fell into a rage at the mention of ‘God’. As she talked to him, and told him of her life and the testimony of the African village, he slowly began to soften. By the end of that day he had come back to God and felt peace after so many years.

A few years later, the Hurst's were attending a high-level evangelism conference in England, where a report was given from the nation of Zaire (the former Belgian Congo). The superintendent of the national church, representing some 110,000 baptized believers, spoke eloquently of the gospel's spread in his nation. Aggie could not help going to ask him afterward if he had ever heard of David and Svea Flood.

"Yes, madam," the man replied in French, his words then being translated into English. "It was Svea Flood who led me to Jesus Christ. I was the boy who brought food to your parents before you were born. In fact, to this day your mother's grave and her memory are honored by all of us.

God in all His brilliance will begin a great work in us, and even if circumstances derail us He will be faithful to see that work finished in us. Even though David Flood lived with bitterness for most of his life, God still used the testimony of David’s sacrifice to ultimately win him back to the Fathers heart. God finishes what He starts!

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The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

The Fall of Rome (Ephesians 6)

Ephesians 6.10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. [nkjv]

The Roman Empire was one of the most powerful and influential in human history. At its territorial peak, it controlled approximately 6,500,000 square kilometers of land surface. In fact, Roman influence on language, religion, architecture, philosophy, law and government are still evident today all around the globe.

One of the strengths of the Roman Empire was its military. The Roman army was highly structured and one of the most disciplined military organizations ever. Soldiers trained daily. The threat of severe punishment was used to keep order in the ranks. Minor punishments included the reduction of a soldier's food ration, while corporal punishment and execution was used for more serious offenses such as falling asleep on duty or leaving your post during a battle.

But this vast empire met its downfall. Although there are many contributing factors as to why this happened, most historians agree that Rome brought about her own demise.

Having conquered the world, soldiers became more relaxed and stopped their daily exercises and training. They convinced their officers that their weapons were too heavy and so the sword and shield were put aside. Eventually the neighboring Goths and Huns attacked and the once powerful Roman army was easily overwhelmed.

As Christians, we are in a fight and our adversary is the devil. It's a spiritual battle. To be victorious Paul is telling us that there are two things we need to do; we need to be strong in the Lord and we must put on the whole armour of God.

It's not enough to just do one without the other. If you take a weak man and put him in the best armour, he will still fall. And if you take a strong man and give him little armour, he is exposed and vulnerable.

The Amplified Bible says that to be strong in the Lord is to 'be empowered through our union with Him'. This 'union' is crucial. Our strength in battle is directly related to the strength of our relationship with God. We need to ensure that we don't neglect doing those things which help build that relationship. Things like prayer and reading God's Word.

Just like the Roman soldiers, when we relax and stop our daily disciplines, we put ourselves in a dangerous position. The attack may not come straight away but it is inevitable. The question I ask myself is, if the enemy launched an attack on my life today, would I stand or would I fall?

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Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Lionheart! (Ephesians 5)

Ephesians 5.18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit [nkjv]

Jesse Martin was just 18 years old when he became the youngest solo yachtsman to sail non-stop around the globe. Sailing in his 11-metre sloop, named 'Lionheart', the trip covered 50,000 kms and took 328 days to complete. To Jesse, the dream of sailing was perfect weather, with a nice breeze pushing you along so you can just be steering the boat. His dream of sailing the globe became an adventure of a lifetime and an inspiration to many.

Paul tells us in this verse to be filled with the Spirit. Immediately my mind pictures someone pouring water into a glass until it is filled to the brim. Having grown up in Pentecostal circles, we are told constantly to lift up our hands and be filled with the Holy Spirit. But in thinking about it, once the glass is full, then what? It can't get any fuller, unless of course some spills over the sides.

The picture Paul is trying to paint for us is not a glass being filled but rather of a sail on a ship catching the wind. As the sail is hoisted up, it fills with wind, propelling the boat forward. To me one of the most amazing signs of a Spirit filled life is the ability to move forward in the journey. We are not meant to stand still. A Spirit filled life is not a stationary one. There is movement and energy associated with it.

Just like young Jesse discovered, a boat with wind in its sails can lead to all sorts of adventure and will be an inspiration to many.

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Signs of the Times! (Ephesians 4)

Signs of the Times! (Ephesians 4)

**Please welcome Dom who is guest blogging today's s2s post

Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, I insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. [niv]

As Christians we know from the Bible that we are not meant to conform to the culture we live in. We're not meant to be like the other people who don't live for Christ. We're meant to be different. It's hard though, we are children of the culture we live in. We are completely wrapped up in it, completely dependent on it, right from birth.

We're told not to live as Gentiles do, which is to say, those who don't know Christ and worship him. It's a hard task, a very broad task, a task that seems hard to start. Fortunately for us Paul gives us a great sign post; "in the futility of their thinking."

As Christians we have Christ in our hearts. We live in His power. We thrive in His power. We glow with His power. We don't have to think futile thoughts like "I can't, it's too hard." If we are walking in Christ, we can! We are empowered by Him to live large, active, exciting, joyous lives. We are told to go out and be adventurous, take risks, fall over, knowing that our Saviour will pick us up again, stronger, healthier more vital than before.

Don't be caught thinking you're not big enough, strong enough or clever enough. You've got the Creator of the universe on your side, backing you up. With that, there's nothing you can't do. Don't think there's no hope, you have hope in Christ. Don't think you're not good enough, you're washed by the blood of the Lamb.

Futile, hopeless thoughts are the domain of people who don't know Christ. For us, we have hope, joy and love eternal, right from the top.

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A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

A Place to Call Home! (Ephesians 3)

Ephesians 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love... [nkjv]

In June 2003, Cindy Kennedy was traveling on a bus in Nepal when she read a newspaper article about a 6-year old girl, Lalita, living in a prison with her father and his girlfriend. The two adults had murdered Lalita's mother. Kennedy had arrived in Nepal just 10 days earlier to begin the final stages of setting up Namaste House, an orphanage for Nepali children.

"I had sat here (in the United States) for years reading the internet news and not being able to do anything," says Kennedy. "So now that I was there, in Nepal, we had to go get this girl!"

Kennedy and a Nepali colleague got on another hot crowded bus the next day and travelled 13 hours to the prison where Lalita had been living for nine months. For five days Kennedy patiently tolerated what she calls "a lot of bureaucracy and hurry-up-and-wait." But Lalita was ultimately released. She became the first child to find a home at Namaste House.

Today 27 children, ages 3-12, live at Namaste House. Even though each has a unique story, they all have a common thread of hardship, abandonment and neglect. And despite the difficulties they have had to endure at such an early age, they now not only have a mother's love but also a permanent place to call home. They have been given a gift which will change them forever.

Paul's prayer is this verse is that "Christ would dwell in our heart." The word 'dwell' conveys the idea 'finding a permanent home.' Jesus is not looking for a holiday house where He can come and visit but rather He is wanting to set up permanent residency in our hearts.

If we truly understood the implications of this, just like the children at Namaste House, our lives will never be the same again.

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Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Seven Pounds (Ephesians 2)

Ephesians 2.4-5 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) [nkjv]

I recently watched the movie Seven Pounds. Will Smith plays a mysterious man who calls himself Ben and who spends all his time looking for strangers who need help, people dealing with illnesses, or in financial troubles or caught in abusive relationships. As selfless as that sounds, he has a personal reason for helping these people (don't read on if you intend to see the movie!)

Ben is trying to atone for his past. One night, in a moment of distraction, he caused a car accident which took the lives of seven people, including his own fiancee. Burdened by the guilt of this night, he goes to great lengths to find seven deserving people and help them, even if it costs him everything.

This film could have had a very different ending had Ben read Ephesians. We have all sinned. If God hadn't intervened we would been doomed to carry the guilt of our failures with us all through life. Yet God, so rich in mercy, because of His great love for us, even when we were lost in sin, made a way for us through His Son Jesus.

God offers to all of us His gift of grace, but we need to accept it. Like Ben, so many of us acknowledge our failures, and even realise just how undeserving we are. But the real tragedy is that many stop there. Instead of surrendering to God and receiving His gift of grace by faith, many try in their own strength to deal with the guilt, the shame and the hurt.

Some, like Ben, try to earn their redemption through good deeds rather than receive it by faith. At the end of it all, the peace that we are so desperately looking for, is only found in Jesus.

If we are willing to accept it.

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A Cinderella Moment! (Ephesians 1)

A Cinderella Moment! (Ephesians 1)

Ephesians 1.5 Long before He laid down earth's foundations, He had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of His love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago He decided to adopt us into His family through Jesus Christ. What pleasure He took in planning this! [msg]

After leading worship at Beijing International Christian Fellowship on Easter Sunday in April 2004, Steven Curtis Chapman left through the back door and ran into some missionaries who let him hold one of their Chinese babies. When Steven asked if she was theirs, they said no, but they were trying to find a home for her. He asked, "What is her name?" They said, "Maria". Immediately, a song Steven wrote years ago, called, "Who's Gonna Love Maria," started playing in his head. Steven couldn't believe the coincidence of her name, and was shaken to the core. When thinking about this, he broke down crying and called his wife, Mary Beth, explaining the strong connection he made with this little girl named Maria.

Steven couldn't get Maria of his mind, but he certainly had not planned to adopt another child. Because Maria was a special needs child and was already placed with an agency in a special needs program, Steven thought maybe they were just supposed to help her find a home. But when he returned to the states, Mary Beth already had the paperwork out and said, "I think we're supposed to go and get Maria."

The pieces fell into place, and a couple months after Steven first met Maria in Beijing, he once again returned to China to pick up Maria Sue Chapman. She had a heart condition which classified her as "special needs", but the Chapmans have a different idea regarding why she was special: she was theirs. Before they completed the adoption, she was re-diagnosed as being healthy, and her healthy heart began to constantly overflow into the hearts of those around her. As the youngest of the family, she was certainly a handful, but Steven and Mary Beth knew that their family would never have been complete without her.

For four years, the Chapmans grew together, through laughter and tears, joy and pain. Steven Curtis Chapman has sold more than 10 million albums, has had dozens of No. 1 Christian radio hits, and has won more than 50 Dove Awards, exceeding any other individual artist. Yet he would much rather talk about his family or his work with adoptions and orphans. In addition, they have seen the ministry they founded, Shaohannah's Hope, help over 1,600 waiting orphans find their forever families, raise awareness and champion adoption and orphan care in spheres throughout the secular and Christian arenas, and begin projects such as the home in Luoyang, China, that will care for special needs children.

Throughout it all, Maria has been the beloved youngest daughter in the Chapman clan. Quick to greet you with a big smile, and the first to throw up the "rock fingers" for a little bit of sass. She was also one of the two inspirations behind Steven's hit, "Cinderella". Boisterous and full of life, she loved flowers, ladybugs, birds, anything with wings, coloring, washing dishes, playing make-believe, the color pink, being "butt-naked", water, and her family. Her life was a picture of God's beauty; her adoption was a picture of God's love. Her family certainly loved her, and through the love of her family, she became beloved by the entire world.

On 21st May 2008, in what local authorities termed 'a horrible tragedy', Maria was accidently struck down by a car driven by one of her teenage brothers as he was backing out of the family driveway. She was rushed to hospital but passed away later that day. Over the last year the family have been healing but found great peace in the thought that Maria's eternal adoption was at last finalized on that day, as her Heavenly Father took her home to be with Him.

Just like the Chapmans opened their hearts and home to one poor little girl from China, God has also done the same for us. Through Jesus, we have been adopted into His family as one of His precious children.

According to Roman law, the person who had been adopted had all the same rights as a legitimate child in that family and lost all rights to their old family. All debts and obligations connected with their previous family were abolished as if they had never existed!

This is an amazing picture of what God has done for us through Jesus. He is now our Father and we are His children, free from all that previously held us captive. When the reality of this sinks in, our life will never be the same again.

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Missing! (Galatians 6)

Missing! (Galatians 6)

Galatians 6.9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. [nkjv]

On 1st March 1989, Debbie and Mark Baskin faced every parent's worst nightmare. Their two children disappeared. Christie & Bobbie, then seven and eight years old respectively were abducted. Over the years various sightings were reported to the police however the children were never located. Computer generated images of how the children may have aged were released to the media but to no avail.

Debbie & Mark, who were training to be Baptist ministers at the time of the abduction said, "We've prayed for them each and every day like they were alive and asked God to watch over them and bless them and to give them a normal life in the midst of insanity, in the midst of what they have lived through."

20 years later, God has answered their prayers! In February this year police contacted the Baskins say that they had located the children, now in their late 20's and charged Marvin Maple, the children's grandfather with their abduction. You can check out the news report here

There are many times we pray in earnest and don't see immediate answers to those prayers. No matter how difficult it is or how urgent the prayer, the simple truth is all we can do is all we can do. And we leave the rest to Almighty God.

The key is not to give up. It's easy, but dangerous to lose heart. In the ancient world, this phrase 'lose heart' was used to describe the kind of exhaustion a woman experiences during labour but before delivery. It was used to describe a time when the work is hard and painful, but also unfinished and unrewarded. But the encouragement from the Lord is when you walk through times like that don't grow weary in doing what you know to do, because in due season you will reap a reward.

And if you don't believe me, just ask the Debbie and Mark Baskin.

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