(Please feel free to use this photo - taken and created by me, but please also include a photo credit and link back to this blog post. Thank you.)
Showing posts with label paul. Show all posts
Showing posts with label paul. Show all posts
Saturday, 19 March 2011
Beautiful Messengers...
(Please feel free to use this photo - taken and created by me, but please also include a photo credit and link back to this blog post. Thank you.)
Saturday, 4 July 2009
Thanksgiving...
After a few weeks of trials and tribulations, I have been presented with various revelations from the Lord, and I am truly thankful for His constant presence. I am slowly reading through the New Testament and this morning I started on 1 Corinthians. Paul is the epitome of one called by God to serve Him, and I always enjoy reading his invaluable contribution to The Word.
Two passages of Scripture stood out this morning - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Both of these remind me to be thankful for God's presence in my life, for the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and for their enduring presence in my life.
While reading through the first passage, I wrote the following down:
Thank God
Life enriched
Wait on Jesus
He is my strength
God called me
God is faithful
Simple yet poignant reminders about the simplicity of the Christian walk amidst the complexity of it. These are basic truths for me to hold onto throughout my walk.
Thanksgiving then leads onto a reminder of who I was before God chose me. It’s an open and honest reminder of the fact that He is wiser and stronger and I am to never forget that.
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NIV)
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence in my life, thank you for the blessing of Jesus' sacrifice for me and thank you for your enduring presence through the good and bad times in my life. All things, good or bad, serve a purpose, and I have been strengthened by this truth through You. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen
Two passages of Scripture stood out this morning - 1 Corinthians 1:4-9 and 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Both of these remind me to be thankful for God's presence in my life, for the sacrifice that Jesus made for me, and for their enduring presence in my life.
While reading through the first passage, I wrote the following down:
Thank God
Life enriched
Wait on Jesus
He is my strength
God called me
God is faithful
Simple yet poignant reminders about the simplicity of the Christian walk amidst the complexity of it. These are basic truths for me to hold onto throughout my walk.
Thanksgiving then leads onto a reminder of who I was before God chose me. It’s an open and honest reminder of the fact that He is wiser and stronger and I am to never forget that.
"It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." - 1 Corinthians 1:30-31 (NIV)
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for your presence in my life, thank you for the blessing of Jesus' sacrifice for me and thank you for your enduring presence through the good and bad times in my life. All things, good or bad, serve a purpose, and I have been strengthened by this truth through You. In Jesus' Wonderful Name, Amen
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
Failing and Succeeding...
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed; and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I can fail and keep on trying.” - Tom Hopkins
This is the quote on my 'busy women's' calendar today and it is an appropriate one for me at the moment. I feel as though I am failing in the most important role of my life; being a mother. I feel that way but know that I, in actual fact, am not. Not entirely, at least! So, this quote is a positive reminder to me that even though I have instances where I do fail, they are not as many in number as the times that I succeed!
Being a solo parent who works full-time wears me out from time to time, and I'm going through one of those phases now. I know I am doing a good job in raising my daughter, and doing the best I know how to, but it's the times when I fail that affect me the most, and that's because I fail phenomenally, or at least I think I do! This is an area that I need to pray to God about; the kind of prayer that requires a cushion to rest my knees on and a box of tissues near by so that I can unburden the anger and disappointment I feel towards myself. Yes, this is a raw, cut to the bone blog about how I really, really, REALLY dislike myself when I fail at being a parent!
Last night's quiet time with God led me to 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 where Paul talks about the thorn in his flesh. How appropriate for me to be led there! My failing as a parent is the thorn in my flesh at present, and it's also my flesh that causes me to fail. My body aches, I get tired, my head gets scrambled, and I fail. So what I need to do now is pray to God to ask that He lead me on the path where I can overcome this. I can't do it alone, and I know that for a fact. I get weak, and instead of calling on my Heavenly Father to assist, I forget that I don't have to do it all alone. It seems that it's also my memory that fails too! Another thorn!
These thorns are here so that I can learn to be glad about my weaknesses so that God can be glorified. It's all about Him after all! He reminds me of that in verse 9 - "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." As Paul found out, God isn’t going to take away my weaknesses or my thorns - at least not straight away, and perhaps not in their entirety – but He will be with me and help me to work through this latest area of development in my walk with Him.
Dear Lord, thank you for keeping me grounded and thank you for being with me through the bad times, even though I forget to call on your for strength. With each failing comes the opportunity to develop my character more so that next time I will succeed! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
This is the quote on my 'busy women's' calendar today and it is an appropriate one for me at the moment. I feel as though I am failing in the most important role of my life; being a mother. I feel that way but know that I, in actual fact, am not. Not entirely, at least! So, this quote is a positive reminder to me that even though I have instances where I do fail, they are not as many in number as the times that I succeed!
Being a solo parent who works full-time wears me out from time to time, and I'm going through one of those phases now. I know I am doing a good job in raising my daughter, and doing the best I know how to, but it's the times when I fail that affect me the most, and that's because I fail phenomenally, or at least I think I do! This is an area that I need to pray to God about; the kind of prayer that requires a cushion to rest my knees on and a box of tissues near by so that I can unburden the anger and disappointment I feel towards myself. Yes, this is a raw, cut to the bone blog about how I really, really, REALLY dislike myself when I fail at being a parent!
Last night's quiet time with God led me to 2 Corinthians 12:7-9 where Paul talks about the thorn in his flesh. How appropriate for me to be led there! My failing as a parent is the thorn in my flesh at present, and it's also my flesh that causes me to fail. My body aches, I get tired, my head gets scrambled, and I fail. So what I need to do now is pray to God to ask that He lead me on the path where I can overcome this. I can't do it alone, and I know that for a fact. I get weak, and instead of calling on my Heavenly Father to assist, I forget that I don't have to do it all alone. It seems that it's also my memory that fails too! Another thorn!
These thorns are here so that I can learn to be glad about my weaknesses so that God can be glorified. It's all about Him after all! He reminds me of that in verse 9 - "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." As Paul found out, God isn’t going to take away my weaknesses or my thorns - at least not straight away, and perhaps not in their entirety – but He will be with me and help me to work through this latest area of development in my walk with Him.
Dear Lord, thank you for keeping me grounded and thank you for being with me through the bad times, even though I forget to call on your for strength. With each failing comes the opportunity to develop my character more so that next time I will succeed! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
God Can Use Anyone...
Paul is a classic example of God being able to use anyone for his purpose and glory. When you think of how Paul (then named Saul) persecuted Christians and also sat back and watched as Stephen was stoned to death, it’s amazing how God is able to touch a heart and transform it. What is even more special about Paul’s conversion was the fact that Jesus spoke to him on the road to Damascus. It wasn’t God speaking and commanding Paul, it was Jesus himself whom Paul was persecuting directly.
“Who are you, Lord? “ Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied.” (Acts 9:5)
As I sit here and ponder Paul’s conversion, I wonder about how he then felt about his past and all the horrible things that he did. Did he feel guilty? Did he struggle to rid himself of his shame? Or was he transformed instantly, washed clean and thus able to do God’s work unhindered?
I believe it was the latter. I believe that hearing our Saviour’s voice and being blinded cleansed him and gave him the confidence and comfort he needed to just get on with God’s work. We, as humans, can learn a valuable lesson from this. I know that I certainly can.
Paul knew that God had forgiven him of all his sins, so he was able to leave the past behind and move forward. He knew his purpose, which was to serve God and spread the Word. I need to take this knowledge and apply it to myself. I need to really feel it; to care enough about myself, as God does, to realise that I have been forgiven and can move forward.
God is amazing. His grace is awe-inspiring; how He can love us for who we are with our faults and all. It’s incredible that He touches hearts like He does. Every Sunday in church as the pastor prays for those who have heard God’s voice during the meeting to raise their hand, I pray for them too. I pray that their hearts will be opened and they will give themselves over to our wonderful God who loves and cherishes and cares for them. And who will transform their lives so that they will not feel needful, wanting, lacking, insecure, or insignificant ever again because they will have God, who is all they need.
God has a purpose for all His children, thus why He can use anyone for His glory. I am grateful that I have made it through the hard yards of life; the years of walking on the wrong path and making the wrong choices. I am thankful that even during these times I knew God was with me, even though I was acting like an ungrateful child and not wanting to take on board His guidance. I now know my purpose, and it’s to share His love for me, His grace, His favour, His mercy, His kindness, and so much more, with all those around me.
"...Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and...the Lord had spoken to him, and…he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus…speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 9:27, 28).
God saved Paul and God saved me, and God used Paul for His glory and will use me for His glory. God has proven on many occasions that He can save and use anyone.
(See Acts 9:1-31 for Saul’s Conversion and Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem.)
“Who are you, Lord? “ Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, he replied.” (Acts 9:5)
As I sit here and ponder Paul’s conversion, I wonder about how he then felt about his past and all the horrible things that he did. Did he feel guilty? Did he struggle to rid himself of his shame? Or was he transformed instantly, washed clean and thus able to do God’s work unhindered?
I believe it was the latter. I believe that hearing our Saviour’s voice and being blinded cleansed him and gave him the confidence and comfort he needed to just get on with God’s work. We, as humans, can learn a valuable lesson from this. I know that I certainly can.
Paul knew that God had forgiven him of all his sins, so he was able to leave the past behind and move forward. He knew his purpose, which was to serve God and spread the Word. I need to take this knowledge and apply it to myself. I need to really feel it; to care enough about myself, as God does, to realise that I have been forgiven and can move forward.
God is amazing. His grace is awe-inspiring; how He can love us for who we are with our faults and all. It’s incredible that He touches hearts like He does. Every Sunday in church as the pastor prays for those who have heard God’s voice during the meeting to raise their hand, I pray for them too. I pray that their hearts will be opened and they will give themselves over to our wonderful God who loves and cherishes and cares for them. And who will transform their lives so that they will not feel needful, wanting, lacking, insecure, or insignificant ever again because they will have God, who is all they need.
God has a purpose for all His children, thus why He can use anyone for His glory. I am grateful that I have made it through the hard yards of life; the years of walking on the wrong path and making the wrong choices. I am thankful that even during these times I knew God was with me, even though I was acting like an ungrateful child and not wanting to take on board His guidance. I now know my purpose, and it’s to share His love for me, His grace, His favour, His mercy, His kindness, and so much more, with all those around me.
"...Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and...the Lord had spoken to him, and…he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus…speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.” (Acts 9:27, 28).
God saved Paul and God saved me, and God used Paul for His glory and will use me for His glory. God has proven on many occasions that He can save and use anyone.
(See Acts 9:1-31 for Saul’s Conversion and Saul in Damascus and Jerusalem.)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)