Inspired by a sermon by Christine Caine.
Be in the right place at the right time
God will find you when He wants to you if you are in the right place at the right time just like Elisha, David and Moses.
Elisha was ploughing (labouring) when he got summoned by Elijah. He wasn't handing out a "I want to be anointed CV." He was just in the right place at the right time.
How to position yourself in the right place.
Serve at church - do the small jobs no one else volunteers to do (plough) . You are encourage to be a labourer.
Be a labourer where you are
This world taught us to market ourselves and create a CV. Do not follow the modern worlds marketing techniques which suggest you need to be in a high position to be called. Be a labourer where you are and God will find you where you are.
The call comes to he himself who is engaged. Get your hands dirty. God won't come to you unless you are already working. Most of us want the cloak without doing the ploughing. Don't wait for a red carpet moment. Do not be too concerned about the final outcome *when am I going to get called*.
Do not underestimate God
He has unlimited lanes and opportunities for us. We are just not using them. We believe when it comes to volunteering or serving at church for example; someone else is already doing it so we are not needed, or if we start doing the same we will get less attention if lots of people are doing it already so no one will notice you. How small do you think God is.
The cost of following Jesus
Some of us have too many excuses holding us back. * I need to finish this before I find time to serve at church*
In the Bible a disciple asks Jesus to go back and bury his father before following Jesus.
"And another of his disciples said to him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead."
In some cases when we receive the call we will have to sacrifice family, relationships, jobs and anything else holding us back from doing Gods work.
Burning bridges
In contrast, when Elisha receives his calling he is allowed by Elijah to go back in order to burn bridges.
"So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his servant."
Notice it says Elisha followed Elijah and became his servant. He did not feel too superior, he did not regard the calling a higher position. He was humble enough to serve Elijah.
When you receive the cloak the last thing you should do is seek the spotlight. You will even begin to feel the weight of it.
God wants people who want to serve Him.
Top quote: The bridge that brought you here may not be the bridge that will take you there.
Tuesday 11 June 2013
Thursday 2 May 2013
Survival tip
I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves.
Detect and avoid danger, while giving no provocation or offense.
Are you stuck in perpetual puberty?
Symptoms:
- you constantly worry about what others think of you
- you over react to stressful situations
- you're too proud or stubborn to listen to those older and wiser
Thursday 25 April 2013
Focus on what you have
Jesus says in Matthew 25:29 For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
In simple terms: when you focus on what you have, the abundance already in your life, you will always have more and more. And when you focus on what you do not have or your seemingly decreasing abundance, you will always have less and less.
In simple terms: when you focus on what you have, the abundance already in your life, you will always have more and more. And when you focus on what you do not have or your seemingly decreasing abundance, you will always have less and less.
The story of the 3 servants
It speaks of the 3 servants asked to look after money by their master. The first servant gets 5 bags, invests them and gives 10 bags back to his master. The second servants gets 2 bags invests them and gives 4 bags back to his master. The final servant has one bag, he buries this and returns just one bag to his master.
When I first read this I thought well surely if the final servant returned the bag in full and did not steal any surely he did nothing wrong. But as I read on I realised he was indeed lazy and foolish and perhaps selfish because he felt too often his master harvested crop he had not planted hence did not deserve the interest from the investement. His master trusted him but he did not appreciate this instead he seemed jealous of his masters wealth. This kind of relationship is similar to my relationship with my boss at work. He often trusts me to complete work which I decide to carry out at a slower pace in his absence because I feel because he is not there, there's no need to rush. After reading this I aim to take on the attitude of the first two servants who appreciated the masters trust and used the opportunity to improve the relationship with their master. Investing the money for their masters benefit was a selfless thing to do.
When I first read this I thought well surely if the final servant returned the bag in full and did not steal any surely he did nothing wrong. But as I read on I realised he was indeed lazy and foolish and perhaps selfish because he felt too often his master harvested crop he had not planted hence did not deserve the interest from the investement. His master trusted him but he did not appreciate this instead he seemed jealous of his masters wealth. This kind of relationship is similar to my relationship with my boss at work. He often trusts me to complete work which I decide to carry out at a slower pace in his absence because I feel because he is not there, there's no need to rush. After reading this I aim to take on the attitude of the first two servants who appreciated the masters trust and used the opportunity to improve the relationship with their master. Investing the money for their masters benefit was a selfless thing to do.
Monday 18 March 2013
Purity: without mixture
I thought I'd share one of the topic of discussions at my bible study group.
The following question was asked:
What do you think when you see the word purity?
Presented with the word 'see' we all began thinking visual representations and mentioned things like water, the colour white i even visualised a water filter.
But when asked what purity means to you? We seemed to have different responses. The other girls suggested it's a state of virginity but my arguement was it's more than that and indicated how purity is not just about abstaining from sex you have to avoid acts that result in contaminating the body so not just sex but alcohol, drugs and it goes further to even hateful words coming out of your mouth and hateful thoughts being impure.
The next question was about cultural myths about sexuality and purity we had been brought into.
At this point I questioned the word myth, was it suggesting they are all lies? No one really understood but we just went on to describe sort of guidelines given regarding sexuality and purity. One we were all familiar with was "no sex before marriage." We then went on to debate sexuality and I asked what view the girls had on homosexuality. Admittedly none of us seemed to have an issue with gays/lesbians. I told a story about a previous church I attended where they asked members of the church to sign a petition against gay marriage. None of us could firmly say we would have signed such. I think perhaps this is a topic that is walked over too often, swept under the carpet. The discussion ended because we simply did not know if not opposing against gay marriage was the wrong thing to do.
We moved on to the next question which was what does with mixture/ without mixture mean to you? Someone suggested it might mean a mix in race. I thought about it some more but the response seemed a lot clearer to me and I said it means impure/pure. I used the visualisation of pouring high juice into pure water and it becoming a mixture hence impure.
The next question was : if un-purity is a state of mixture, how can we achieve a state of purity?
My thoughts were that no one can be totally without mixture because they either have impure thoughts or do not look after their body and add harmful things to their body whether it's fatty foods or alcohol but it contaminates the body to some extent and therefore no one can ever be 100 % pure. That's the way I see it anyway.
I tried to imagine a state of purity. Christians do what is known as water fasting which is 0% intake of calories and is a form of purifying practice both physically and spiritually. Water fasters consume the purest water available with nothing added to it.I thought back to my Muslim friends during Ramadan. During fasting hours, they must refrain from evil thoughts/actions, eating, drinking, smoking, sex and even music. They do not listen to those who swear or look at obscene or unlawful things. If anything these are the closest states to purity I can imagine. Realistically though they are done for a fixed period. It made me think how does God measure purity? Can anyone even call themselves pure?
The session ended with this final message :
Lets imagine a sealed water bottle. The worth of the water is based on it's purity. If I were to give you the sealed bottle of water I am sure you wouldhave no problem drinking from it. If I opened the bottle & drank from it, added dirt, spit & old milk to it no one would want to drink from it because it is no longer pure. It's no longer consistent with it's label. In the same way our lives are not consistent with God's original plan because we have been compromised by impurities.
The following question was asked:
What do you think when you see the word purity?
Presented with the word 'see' we all began thinking visual representations and mentioned things like water, the colour white i even visualised a water filter.
But when asked what purity means to you? We seemed to have different responses. The other girls suggested it's a state of virginity but my arguement was it's more than that and indicated how purity is not just about abstaining from sex you have to avoid acts that result in contaminating the body so not just sex but alcohol, drugs and it goes further to even hateful words coming out of your mouth and hateful thoughts being impure.
The next question was about cultural myths about sexuality and purity we had been brought into.
At this point I questioned the word myth, was it suggesting they are all lies? No one really understood but we just went on to describe sort of guidelines given regarding sexuality and purity. One we were all familiar with was "no sex before marriage." We then went on to debate sexuality and I asked what view the girls had on homosexuality. Admittedly none of us seemed to have an issue with gays/lesbians. I told a story about a previous church I attended where they asked members of the church to sign a petition against gay marriage. None of us could firmly say we would have signed such. I think perhaps this is a topic that is walked over too often, swept under the carpet. The discussion ended because we simply did not know if not opposing against gay marriage was the wrong thing to do.
We moved on to the next question which was what does with mixture/ without mixture mean to you? Someone suggested it might mean a mix in race. I thought about it some more but the response seemed a lot clearer to me and I said it means impure/pure. I used the visualisation of pouring high juice into pure water and it becoming a mixture hence impure.
The next question was : if un-purity is a state of mixture, how can we achieve a state of purity?
My thoughts were that no one can be totally without mixture because they either have impure thoughts or do not look after their body and add harmful things to their body whether it's fatty foods or alcohol but it contaminates the body to some extent and therefore no one can ever be 100 % pure. That's the way I see it anyway.
I tried to imagine a state of purity. Christians do what is known as water fasting which is 0% intake of calories and is a form of purifying practice both physically and spiritually. Water fasters consume the purest water available with nothing added to it.I thought back to my Muslim friends during Ramadan. During fasting hours, they must refrain from evil thoughts/actions, eating, drinking, smoking, sex and even music. They do not listen to those who swear or look at obscene or unlawful things. If anything these are the closest states to purity I can imagine. Realistically though they are done for a fixed period. It made me think how does God measure purity? Can anyone even call themselves pure?
The session ended with this final message :
Genesis 3:6 : When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirablefor gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to herhusband, who was with her, and he ate it.Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed figleaves together and made coverings for themselves.We find that Gods original plan for humanity was corrupted & mankind was contaminated. Adam & Eve's purity had been compromised, they felt shame, we find man with mixture.
Lets imagine a sealed water bottle. The worth of the water is based on it's purity. If I were to give you the sealed bottle of water I am sure you wouldhave no problem drinking from it. If I opened the bottle & drank from it, added dirt, spit & old milk to it no one would want to drink from it because it is no longer pure. It's no longer consistent with it's label. In the same way our lives are not consistent with God's original plan because we have been compromised by impurities.
Anyone know what a Connect Group is?
So recently me and a few girls from Hillsong Church started what Hillsong call a Connect Group which is basically a weekly weekday bible study and prayer group for young adults. Because Hillsong Church is based in London, there wasn't one in my area so we basically started one with the following ingredients 3 girls + 1 plate of wedges and garlic bread + a tube of HEINZ ketchup! Such a simple recipe but the end result was beautiful!
Monday 4 March 2013
The financially confident woman foregoes temptations to spend her money today and by doing so she manages to be good to herself tomorrow
In one of Jesus's parables in the New Testament Jesus likened spiritual faithfulness to being a responsible manager or steward of funds.
Good advice: Money is for managing first and spending second.
According to this devotion I read, two women exist; the financially foolish woman and the financially confident woman.
The financially foolish woman
· lives beyond her means
· confuses desires with needs
· loses sleep over unpaid debts
· wonders where all the fun associated with having her own money has gone
The financially confident woman on the other hand
- recognises God is the source of her money
· has a sound plan for her money
· knows she cannot afford to keep her money so she gives generously
· out of what is left she pays herself, saving aggressively
Then she is free to enjoy the rest of her money
The financially confident woman foregoes temptations to spend her money today and by doing so she manages to be good to herself tomorrow!
Thursday 21 February 2013
Good place to start was finding out the truth for myself
Interpretation : The enemy knows how powerful the Word of God is and satan is mustering every force and deception he can to keep us from studying God's precious Word.‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'
I personally have fallen into the trap of avoidance. Avoiding picking up the bible, avoiding going to church. I have been involved in debates with friends who have challenged something from the bible and I felt unarmed, unprepared, I did not know what to say in defence. I realised I was dependant on hearing from others what the bible said, but left to my own defence I didn't know enough. I read something inspirational that said
"Let's not just take someone else's words as truth either, instead, let us search the Word of God in the Bible ourselves to see if what we have been told is the truth."Finding out the truth myself instead of just hearing from others will certainly put me in a better position if ever faced with another "friendly" debate. The way I struggled to think back to my childhood bible stories or maybe what I heard in church last Sunday to support my arguement was quite pathetic. I never went into school debates without key points from a reliable source, I would make sure I read a good book by a recommended author and compile a set of key points to fight my opponent. Why can't i apply the same methods to bible reading. I will surely meet a new challenger, plenty of my friends love asking me questions about the bible. I will surely be better armed for the next battle. Finding a piece of evidence (the truth) myself, surely that sounds like dedicated contender who is making the effort to prepare for battle.
To be honest the reason why I vaguely remember the bible stories from when I was younger is because all I ever did was hear them read to me, I did not put any of it into action. Jesus said we don't just live by bread alone (food), which feeds the flesh, but we must also live by the Word which feeds the soul. The key phrase here is live by the Word. The word from the bible is powerful when read but even more so when put into action. As they saying goes no point being all talk and no action!
It is also important to focus on the part that says "every word." One thing I noticed I do is I tend to listen to what I want to hear. I don't listen to everything just the nice parts or easier to do parts. This has probably come from years of being told to focus on key points, or simplyfing information to make it easier to understand or remember. Unfortunately with the bible it's not about focusing on some parts or following some commandments or doing things half heartedly. I need to receive the word with all readiness of mind. Be willing to accept what is written. A challenge for someone as stubborn as me!
Great advice from a friend on bible reading
You should start with a gospel so... Mark, Luke, john or Mathew because these are the ones that recount the story of Jesus and Jesus is at the centre of the Christian faithSo, u should read maybe one chapter a dayIf it’s a long chapter, then read halfIf you feel you can do more, then do moreSo there are many psalms (like 150!!) and they are there to worship God and to ask for God's help they were written by King's I think who struggled and asked for Godi n a beautiful way or they thanked God.Proverbs will give you a direction on how you should live what is good and what is not they are written in a poetic kind of way, a bit like the psalms if you find it hard to read, then try reading one of the easier translations like The Word
First ever post- Welcome :)
Hello,
I've decided to start a blog to aid my daily bible readings. I would say I have been reluctant to just pick up the bible and start reading for years now and I thought it has to stop. I remember hearing stories from the bible when I was younger and going to Sunday School but now I've grown up I'll be reading it for myself and I want to try better understand what I'm reading. I'm an economics student and former English language student, analysing text is my expertise, so it's about time I paid the bible more attention than my textbooks!
I am a very web based person who spends a lot of time in the office and haven't voluntarily touched a hard copy book in nearly a year since starting my office job! A friend recommended I check out Bible Gateway this great online resource with several translations of each book. It's so easy to understand and best of all its online which I prefer as I can copy and paste what stands out to me into a word document, I can read another translation if one version doesn't make sense, I have Google just a click away if I really don't understand, I can go from book to book and chapter to chapter at just a click of a button. It just works better for me because I spend an awful lot of time at the office so I can always sneak onto the website while at work and have a read!
The idea to start a blog actually came from my wonderful sister, we were just bouncing ideas off each other and I always ask her for advice on how I can improve my bible reading. My sister is more of a write things down in a notebook person, I am more of a type it up because I will lose that piece of paper person! So I thought I would give the blog a go, even though I am not quite sure how the posts will go. Either way I hope to finish reading and understanding this wonderful book and you're welcome to join me on my journey.
Enjoy :)
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