I was looking for a fuzzy quote about grace, but there’s nothing fuzzy about it. God’s grace, cost His Son, Jesus, His life. It meant that the King of the universe, stepped down from His throne, into a world that had no time for Him, and gave His life for every single person. The mind-blowing thing about grace, is that Jesus died for every single person who ever walked and will walk the face of this Earth. Even for a sorry little sinner like me.

My prayer of thanks rings up to heaven every single day. Not because I want to ask God for anything. But because God has already done everything for me… on the Cross. Why would God, who is Almighty and the Creator of all things, choose to die for me? There’s a single word that can sum it up – LOVE. I have a song in my heart that no man can silence, or no circumstance can mute. It’s a song of thanks to God. A song of thanks because there was a day in my past, when I realized I needed Him more than anything the world could offer. A day when I realized that I was lost.

And now that I know that I know that I am safe in His arms, it is impossible to be quiet. How can I keep it to myself what my Lord and Saviour has done for me on the cross? I have prayed before, that God would break my heart, for what breaks His. And I can tell you that my heart is shattered. When I look at the world and the hatred that is spewed out towards the very One who is stretching out His hands to all, it breaks my heart. When the world sets out to ‘downgrade’ God to a hateful bigamist, it breaks my heart.

I’m going to be blunt right now. There are so many of us who have things too easy. Our Christian walk doesn’t require faith because things are too comfortable. How willing will we be to stand up to the attacks of the world. Every day we see the church giving in to the wokeness surrounding it. In a world we have been called to be the light, we have chosen to join the darkness. It’s time for Christians to stand strong and to pray less for the things we would like – for selfish things – and pray more for a world that is hopelessly lost.

The world is not evil because of those who do wrong and don’t know better. It is evil because of those who know better yet do nothing to shine the light of God in a dark world. So, what will it be?

Slavery, as a practice, has long been abolished. But we continue to hang on to it in our own lives. Every day that I try to do things in my own strength, is a day lived in the shadow of fear. I’m not in control of the way the world is moving, so I fear. I don’t have complete control over my health, so I fear. I don’t have complete control over what others may think of me, so I fear. Why do we choose to be a slave to fear, when there’s another way?

You see, the opposite of fear is faith. I’m not sure about you, but I can’t see any hope when I look at the world from my own pedestal. From my vantage point everything is hopeless. But when I sit at the foot of the cross, everything changes. I get to see reality from God’s perspective. One that says, “Get out of the boat and trust me!” One that invites me onto the battlefield and tells me to face the giant because I already have the victory.

So, we can do one of two things: Live in fear of our future, or we can hand it all to God. The way I see it, is that I don’t have complete control over my physical health, but I do over my relationship with God. My spiritual health is in my hands. He has done everything for me, now I need to live for Him. I don’t need to worry about the future of the world. God has already won the battle and He will reign for eternity.  And I certainly don’t need to worry about what others think about me.  I know how God feels about me and that’s more than enough.

When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, he succeeded in not fearing the lions. And as a result, the lions feared him because he knew he was not alone. When we face challenges in this life, nothing can cause us to fear if our faith is firmly rooted in God. So, today I declare that fear has no place in my life because my life, is too full of faith.

Have a wonderful day.

The end of each night is greeted by the sun.

How amazing is Scripture. No matter how many times a person reads from God’s Word, new things are revealed. Maybe I’m just slow, but I saw, for the first time this morning, that Jesus was “…about  to pass by them…” in Mark 6:48. Now the disciples were in a boat on a stormy sea. On the other hand, Jesus was about to walk right past them. He was ‘okay’ to do that, knowing full well that their lives were in danger! Why would he do that to His closest followers?

One might argue that away, and say that it wasn’t meant to read like that. We would love to believe that Jesus would never do such a thing. However, the Greek word ‘thelo’ is used. That means he ‘chose’ or ‘willed’ to walk by. But why would He do that to someone He loves?  It’s exactly because He loved them, that He did it. God wants us to recognise who He is. We read in Mark, that even after Jesus fed the 5 000 with a miniscule amount of food, they didn’t really recognise Him as the Messiah. “Wow, how shallow of them!” we might be saying.

Don’t we tend to do the same. God does the most amazing things in our lives, yet we fail to see Him in it. The most incredible gift of salvation should be enough for us to praise Him no matter our circumstances. Yet, we freak out when the storms rage in our lives. We see ‘waves’ and ‘ghosts’ around us, but we don’t recognise our Saviour. Storms are good for us and God knows that. We experience difficulties for 2 reasons:

• It strengthens our faith and resolve
• If we truly trust God, it forces us to recognise Him in the midst of the storm

Maybe it’s time that we stop asking God to take away the dark clouds. Let’s rather recognise His Majesty in the darkest part of the storm. I would rather find myself in the middle of life’s hurricanes, knowing my God; than ; living in the sunshine without Him. Who knows, maybe our blessing are found in raindrops. Maybe our healing does come through tear. If that’s what it takes to know that God is near, I say, “Bring on the rain. I want to know Him more!”

Have a wonderful day in the rain, knowing God is near.

 

 

God made the universe big and man small, for a reason.

I try to listen to “How Great is our God” (International Version), by Chris Tomlin,  every morning. It’s an amazing song about just that – God’s greatness. And maybe we should all remind ourselves, on a regular basis, how small we are, and how great God is. Not to make ourselves feel useless, but the exact opposite. Because if such a great God chooses to love someone as small and insignificant as me, it should make me feel honoured, loved and blessed.

But you see, when we begin to focus on how great we are, we tend to diminish God’s greatness. There’s a reason why there is such chaos in the world today. Society chooses to believe that mankind is great and that we can decide who God is and we begin to mould Him in our likeness. Some clergy have even decided that they will not be calling God, “Our Father” anymore, because it’s sexist. Are we serious. Is this the level that mankind (and I’d probably be stoned for not saying humankind) has stooped to.

How dare we mould God the way we want Him to be? It is unfathomable that small humans want to put the God of the universe in a box, and decide who or what He should be. It’s time we remember our place. And until we do that, the world will continue to fall into a black hole of despair and hopelessness. But even if those of us who know our place in God, are living in this dark world, we have the King of the World to lead us. We know that we don’t need to make ourselves great, because we know exactly who we are in Christ – there’s nothing to prove.

God is great and there’s nothing the world tries to do, that will change that. Mankind can never take His place. And there is a day coming, as sure as what you are reading this, that every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that He is Lord. And no warped idea that society might present about God, will change that. What a day that will be – when everyone will recognise His greatness.

Have a blessed day.

God wants to lighten our burden. But He wants us to trust Him to do so, even when things look bleak. Nothing can lighten that burden, even when we have to carry it, but Him. 

We so often want to serve God because of what He can do for us. But you see, if that is our motive, then we might as well not follow Him at all. It’s not about what we want God to do for us, but about what He has already done on the cross. It blows my mind that we can sometimes be so arrogant, that we want to tell Him what He should and shouldn’t do. The one and only motive behind worshiping God, should simply be because we love Him. And there are so many reasons why we should love Him.

When we think of that word LOVE, it can conjure up so many things. That’s why our love for God needs to be Agape love. Because if it isn’t, it is not the love that God deserves. Agape love is sacrificial. In the same way that Jesus was sacrificed for us, in the same way we should sacrifice ourselves for Him. It wasn’t fun for Jesus to go through what He did, but He chose to do it anyway.  Following Christ has become something we do, only when our church pews are warm and our coffee is tasty. Following Christ should happen even when it seems as if our world is falling apart around us. It is a choice in spite of our circumstances.

And in this world, we will have trouble. Any Christian that tells you your life will be a bed of roses when you invite Jesus in, is preaching an untrue word. In fact, choosing to follow God and to love Him unconditionally, is extremely challenging. Sometimes our world might be giving way under our feet,  and our  dreams and plans might be crumbling into the sea. Even when that happens we can know that God will always be there for us. When we love God, unconditionally, with an agape love, He might not remove our struggles, but He will strengthen us to keep going.

So, today, if you are feeling weak and heavy laden, why not come to the foot of the cross. God wants you and I to call on Him in our time of need. And if we do, He will carry us. I have tried everything in this world to alleviate pain and struggles. But there is only one place in which my soul finds rest. It is in God alone! He alone is my Rock. And in Him I have never, and will never be shaken.

A great place to start when we are spiritually stuck, is to look up.

This morning, as Bev and I were having our morning coffee at Vida e, we noticed a pigeon stuck between a massive glass pane, and a cement ledge that was about 4 feet high. All it had to do was to look up. If it did, it would have realised it wasn’t really stuck. It simply needed to fly up and out.

I’m not sure about you, but I’ve had ample times when I had to remind myself that I’m stuck because I choose to look in the wrong direction. I try to find self-help books and advice from others to get me out of the mud in my life, but I only sink deeper. And in the process, fling mud in all directions. I must admit, this morning when I saw that bird, I thought, “How stupid can one creature be?” Come to think of it, that creature is me.

God has proven His love for me through and through, yet I try to find my identity in things of this world. He has provided in miraculous ways on more occasions than I can remember, yet I continue to live in doubt. That simple lesson of a stuck bird reminded me once again, to stop getting stuck in the mud of this world, and to go back to the very source of life – the One and only true God.

Instead of reading books about the Bible, why don’t we choose to get first-hand knowledge by reading it ourselves? Instead of expecting a church and a pastor to guide me in my Christian walk, why don’t I go to the very One who it’s all about – Jesus Christ? Instead of depending on mere mortals for help, why don’t I simply go to the Father whose arms are welcoming us home.

I look up to the mountains, (books, people and my own strength). Where does my help come from? Does it come from (any of these things) the mountains? No, my strength comes from God, who made heaven, earth and the mountains.

Instead of getting stuck in our own issues, why don’t we get stuck into Godly issues and become His hands and feet in a broken world. Who’s with me?

 

 

The greatest danger in life is when we choose not to listen to the voice of truth when we always have the option to hear it. 

The strangest thing happened recently. Two nights ago, we drove down to the beach for a quick ‘cool down’. Even though it was already dark, it was still very warm. As I was enjoying the refreshing water with my boys, I saw Bev chatting to someone on the beach. It turned out to be someone a taught about 15 years ago, who is now a chiropractor. The amazing thing is that she didn’t recognize me in the dark, but she recognized my voice and went to ask Bev if I was ‘Mr Davidson’.

Not only was it great to be reconnected with an ex-pupil, but it reminded me of how we need to be tuned in to be able to recognize things that are important; and the most important thing we can do is to listen for the sound of our Father’s voice. If I were to call a flock of sheep, they wouldn’t bat an eyelid. But when their shepherd, whose voice they know, speaks, they will immediately respond. The question we need to ask ourselves is this: “If sheep are smart enough to only listen to the voice of the one who cares for them, why don’t we?”

God so loved us, that He sent His Son to die, so that we may live. He cares about us more than we can ever fathom. Why then, do we choose to listen to the distractions of a world that doesn’t give a hoot. God is calling us to enjoy life’s banquet. He is calling us to a life of purpose and hope. He is calling us to a life of peace and joy. Don’t get me wrong, following Christ is not always easy. In fact, it can be really tough. But the benefits are out of this world. The world might offer short-term fun, but it always comes with long-term pain.

We can hear His voice in His Word – so let’s get stuck in. We can hear His voice in the quiet of the night, in the crashing of the waves, in the whisper of the breeze and in the beauty of creation. So let’s tune out to the noise around us and become still. He speaks to us in the silence of our hearts and in our quiet time with Him – our prayers. The more we focus on Him, the clearer we will hear Him. You see, it’s a choice! We can either choose to fill our time with the world and listen to its noise, or we can listen to the One voice who really cares.

Have an amazing day as you and I choose to listen to the voice of Truth.

 

“You will never know the fulness of Christ, until you realise the emptiness of everything else!”

We are creatures of habit. We love comfort and routine because it makes us feel safe. But when the foundation of our safety is built on the things that surround us, and the people we are with, we are living on shaky ground. Because people will walk out of our lives, and the things of this world that give us comfort, will fade away.

And it’s because of our reliance on things of this world, that taking the first step on a journey that will change our lives forever, is so difficult. Nobody wants to walk in a direction that is dark and unknown. Yet God is asking us to do just that. He is asking us to tread where we have never trodden before, so that He can take us where we have never dreamt, we could ever go.

Today is the day we are called to trust Him, and not our circumstances. You see, when we allow our circumstances to determine our steps, we will always procrastinate and step back into our comfort zone. It’s the fleshly thing to do. And that’s exactly why Paul says in Galatians 2:20 that it is no longer he that lives but it is Christ that lives in Him.

So, because Jesus was never afraid to step into His calling, no matter what the circumstances, we need to live with the same faith. The lives that have the most impact for God, are the ones who put their complete trust in God; the ones who move and get out of the boat.

Have a wonderful day as you step into it with complete and utter faith.

 

When the noise and the rush of each day fades; when the masks we wear each day are stripped away; when it’s only me and God…

Those are the moments we need to focus on in 2023. Because it’s during those times, when there’s nobody else around that we need to impress, when we become who we really are. There’s no hiding our insecurities from God. There’s nothing we can do that will make God love us more. There’s no mask in the world that will hide our true identity, from the One who created us and knows every intricate part of us.

But what we tend to do is avoid those moments. We prefer to surround ourselves with noise and distractions from the world, so that we don’t need to deal with the ‘real stuff’. By spending alone time with God, we will be confronted with our own mortality in a world that makes us believe that we are invincible. By getting away from all the distractions, we need to face the reality that we are all just messed up human beings who are in need of a Saviour. And that, my friends, is the complete opposite of what the Enemy wants you to see.

And slowly but surely, by choosing to spend more time in the ‘plasticness’ of the world, we become more like it.  The sad reality is, we end up becoming less and less like Jesus. Doesn’t the Word say that we need to be Holy as God is Holy? My prayer for me, my family, my friends and every single Christian out there, is that we block our ears to the lies of the world; and that we block our eyes to the distractions out there, and that we open our hearts to the One who deserves all our attention.

By making 2023 a year in which we choose to listen to the One who is Truth, we will become a reflection of Christ’s Love, Joy and Peace in a world that needs it more than ever before. By becoming God’s hands and feet, we will be the instruments that He wants us to be in a broken world. To everyone out there… let’s make this the year of our Lord and Saviour.

Have a wonderful 2023 away from the distractions. Let’s choose to sit at the feet of Jesus.