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Philippians 3:2 Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh.
It is very hard to stand up to physical pain without giving in in one way or another. I used to think there was no greater pain than a migraine, but then so many things have happened to me since my first migraine, I now know there are many forms of pain – none of which are pleasant!
Physical or emotional pain will often stop us from seeing the truth and even stop us from reaching out to God because it is so encompassing.
God knows what we go through and will wait patiently for us when we wander off in pain!
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Philippians 2:27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow.
One thing I have learned is God is not going to give up on you, no matter what you are going through in your life!
I have been afraid of my life, near death in hospital, just plain scared out of my wits and even at the stage of wanting to give up on everything – but through every one of those stages, God was with me and got me back on track!
I continue to try to encourage others to seek God and be saved by our amazing, loving, faithful God who cares for each of us!
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Philippians 1:12 Now I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has actually served to advance the gospel.
When bad things happen to us, they kind of wash all the goodness out of our minds and our hearts are filled with all the pain and worry that comes with the situations.
Paul did not allow what was happening to him outweigh the goodness which was coming out of it. He knew what he was going through would lead to God’s glory!
If we are able to have that same attitude to what happens in our own lives, we will be able to experience the same joy Paul knew in his life – the joy of Christ!
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Philippians 1:3 I thank my God every time I remember you.
How many people do you know who invoke this feeling in you? Just the name of some people being said raises my spirits and gives me hope and fills my soul with joy!
And yes, they are Christians! There is just something about a few people in life which brings everything home and allows you to see God for who He is…
God loves every one of us and cares for us in ways we can only imagine. We need to share that love with others to build our communities with God in the middle.
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1 Corinthians 13:2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
How do you measure your faith, your bible knowledge or your ability to prophesy?
Without love, all of these measures are pretty much worthless. You may be able to do something extraordinary, but people forget facts quickly when they get their own way.
It is the love we display which makes things worth while and allows people to remember the truth.
Jesus showed us extraordinary love and because of that love we remember what He has done for us and for many more people.
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Mark 5:34 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”
Often we feel like we are just one person in amongst millions of others and wonder why God would even think of us, never mind love us!
But this simple story should put some of those fears of isolation and insignificance behind us. Jesus was surrounded by a crowd pressing up against Him – not social distancing here!
And yet, the touch of a single person who had faith enough to trust doing so would heal her ills, was all it took for Jesus to stop and explain the love He had for her.
Remember, Jesus does love you!
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Mark 5:17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.
When we live in a place where we hide from the truth because we are so caught up in the deeds we do in darkness, we will hate anyone who comes in and turns on the light!
As I look at the demonstrations going on around the world where someone dared to turn the light on, I see many people running for the darkness and demanding the lights be turned off again.
We need the light on constantly so we can root out the evil and replace it with righteousness all the way.
God has created us all and loves us all, because we are all His children.
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Mark 4:24 “Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you - and even more.
I love small snippets like this in our bibles. Be careful for what you give out, because what you get in return will be this and more!
This can be taken two ways! If we give grief to others, then we can expect to receive even more grief ourselves!
But if we give out love and light, then we can expect to receive even more love and light back from others.
How much to you give to God each day?
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Mark 4:21 He said to them, “Do you bring in a lamp to put it under a bowl or a bed? Instead, don’t you put it on its stand?”
We are the lights God has placed in this world, to bring light and love to the people around us, not to hide behind a bush or inside a church building, but to be in communities!
God wants us to continue to bring the gospel to our communities, where we live, where He has allowed and encouraged us to be!
Give control about what you should be doing to an awesome God who knows the best place and time for you to be you...
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Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
Jesus did not come to change the law which God had laid down many years before, but to uphold that law because mankind had lost its way!
If we want to see change I our communities then we have to uphold God’s ways and not our own ways – we cannot try to build a community with broken pieces, but we can start with broken people!
Jesus came to the broken not to blame them, but to show them the truth about how God’s ways could help and give them hope.
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Mark 2:7 “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
How closed a view do you have of Christianity? Do you view it as a church building where you can separate yourself from the world and ask God to forgive you for what you have done all week?
I learned a very valuable lesson from a church leader who told me to always use ‘us’ and ‘we’ when talking about Christians to show we are Christians – not just other people!
Christ has given us authority to do many things in His name, not to go out and do things because we think we are better than others, but to do things because we want people to be with us with God!
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Mark 1:20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.
How willing are you to follow Christ? If God called you to move away from what you loved doing, would you listen?
It is hard to obey someone who is asking you to do something out of the ordinary. It is harder still when it is something you think you hate!
God calls each of us, not to make life difficult or even easy, but because we are the best person for the job He is calling us to do.
If we are willing to listen and obey, we will become more than just disciples of His!
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Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
What is your first reaction to something bad happening in your life? Is it to hit back, to rebel, to shout out, or to do nothing? None of these should be the right answer…
What we should do first and foremost is to stop and spend time in prayer and then to stop and listen.
Spend time in prayer to let God know your feelings, not dumb words, just pour it out.
Then stop again and spend time waiting for an answer. Wait for it... Wait for it… wait...
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Isaiah 42:2 He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets.
How often do you tremble at the thought of having to stand on a street corner and shout out like some of these street evangelists do? I take my hat off to them, but I’m just not made like that.
I prefer to quietly talk to people who are willing to listen, to make them feel as comfortable with God as I feel, to allow them to share in the love Christ has for us.
God gives each of us a different way of telling others about Him. Find out what suits you and just do it!
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Exodus 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
Today is Sunday, the day the Western World has put aside as the Sabbath day, the day we should be worshipping God on, the day of rest…
But how the world has changed and how busy we seem to be on our ‘day of rest!’
I struggled with the concept of stopping everything for Sunday after I became involved with running Sunday services – it turn out to be quite a busy day in the end!
But there is worldly work and there is working with God – as long as we can separate those and also be able to have time to ourselves for rest, we can live our lives with God!
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Exodus 20:15 You shall not steal.
It seems simple enough. It seems clear enough. It seems black and white… but people continue to bend the rules and try and justify their illegal actions all the time!
God tried to law down the simplest rules He could for us to follow. He tried to show us the consequences of our greed and lies. He gave us the truth.
Now is the time for us to face the consequences for the actions we have done and said. Bring your community together in God’s truth!
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John 4:34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”
How many times a day do you walk into the kitchen and rummage through the cupboards wondering what you can eat?
I have caught myself doing this quite a few times and it is probably showing on my waist-line!
But God has given us a different kind of food, our Daily Bread. But this bread is not just to eat, but to share with others.
Share your bread today with someone else.
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John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours.
How often do you pray for other Christians? Not just the famous ones or even the infamous ones, but the ones standing next to you!
Jesus took time out to pray for the disciples, even though He knew they had this personal relationship with God fairly well sorted, He still prayed for them.
Sometimes it is the one standing in front of you giving you advice who needs the prayer because they are always giving and helping others.
Take time out to pray for your church people.
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John 7:41 Others said, “He is the Messiah.” Still others asked, “How can the Messiah come from Galilee?
The people from Galilee must had had a bad reputation with the Jewish leaders, one which prevented them from seeing how their own Messiah could possible come from there!
Sometimes we too have blinkers on because we think other people are not worthy or we think we know they are bad…
I still get things wrong and I still have to catch myself from pre-judging others just because they come from a different place to me… even though I am the foreigner in this land!
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Psalm 104:31 May the glory of the Lord endure forever; may the Lord rejoice in his works
Let us rejoice in the world God has given us and allow us to praise Him for all He does in the natural world around us!
After so long having been in hospital and recovery afterward, after so long of my garden being neglected, it continues to thrive during spring time and amazes me!
God has surely given us something to be proud of and something to look after and cherish. Stop and give time to the natural world around you today… and praise God for giving this all to you!