Midweek Thought ~ Time

I’ve been acutely aware recently how time can so easily pass quite legitimately in a flurry of activities and in response to daily demands. Not so much the bigger picture of ‘wow where did that year go’, but more the day to day hours and how hard it is to protect quiet time ... time to ponder and deepen our appreciation of God’s majesty ... to truly get to know Him.

I am often helped and have real fleeting moments of appreciation for God, with a glimpse of something I wish I could really grasp, understand and protect, as though I could hold onto it within me and never let it go. Once again, David Gooding’s book ‘Bringing us to Glory’ provided one of these moments. In part 6 ‘Prayer’ (the disciple’s journey), he reminds me that I am justified and no longer need to ‘stand at a distance’ ... I can come right into the presence of God because I am completely accepted by him ... I am a redeemed personality and by abiding in him, my mind will begin to renew and I will begin to bear fruit. Yet what is amazing to me, is not just that I can approach God, but that he in the highest, elevated position of power and undisturbed glory, infinitely above earths affairs, “regards the prayer of the destitute and does not despise their prayer” (Psalm 102v17). He looks down from his sanctuary, he views earth from heaven and listens to us ... the transcendent God has not only looked down, but has come down ... his care is beyond our comprehension. He always hears the prayers and cries from earth.

We have lost appreciation for God’s name ... it is not honoured and hallowed as it should be, it is devalued and defamed even by us as Christians. We have most definitely lost the sense of holiness and what it means day to day.

I believe that if I were to protect time each day to learn more about my God ... his holiness, his glory, his majesty ... then my very being would become more aligned with his will for my life ... my choices, my prayer requests, my attitude and perspective would become more like that of Christ’s ... how marvelous! I know that I have a sense of who he is in a basic way, but it’s growth is thwarted by the lack of dedicated time to develop it into anything deeper, plus the fact that my mind is so puny and can only cope with a certain amount of thoughts each day, most of which are absorbed with mundane day to day ‘stuff’. I get so frustrated when I try really hard to stretch my mind to attempt at comprehending eternal and heavenly things only to hit what is the wall of human limitation and ignorance with a lot of tired thrown in! 

I long for more glimpses of glory.

I long to live in the light of them.

In amongst the daily existence of being a mother and many others things, if I am to grow and deepen my appreciation for the God whom I will one day meet and spend eternity with, I must be resolute in my time management ... I must stand my ground so that I can grow healthy roots, to flourish and enlarge my capacity to understand and live for his glory. Not an easy task ... more of a committed grind, but one with consequences of significant magnitude eternally. Of course our enemy with his machiavellian plans to prevent this very desire, will be upping his attacks ... thank goodness God is greater and is available to strengthen us daily to cope with and defeat his undermining tactics and lies.

I feel small and insignificant, a speck ... yet God in all his magnificence chooses to notice each of us specks on this earth and he hopes to hear from us. Quite astonishing!

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Be a person of truth

Chuck swindoll (Insight for living 25.6.21) wrote:

“We need heroes. I mean genuine heroes, authentic men and women who are admired for their achievements, noble qualities, and courage. Such people aren’t afraid to be different. They risk. They stand a cut above. Yet they are real human beings with flaws and failures like anyone else. But they inspire us to do better. We feel warm inside when we think about this rare breed of humanity. The kind we can look up to without the slightest suspicion of deception or hypocrisy. The kind who model excellence when no one is looking or for that matter when half the world is looking.

I am certain of this—if you are one of those people, then you’re not like the majority. You’re living differently, and I commend you for it. It takes unusual people to make a difference in our world. Mediocre people impact no one, at least not for good. But one person of truth can impact the whole world!”

Do any of you remember that old children’s chorus ... “Jesus bids us shine with a pure, clear light. Like a little candle, burning in the night?” It was first published in 1868. The words were written by Susan Warner and the music by Edwin Excell. At the end of each verse the words are simply: “you in your small corner and I in mine”.

Here’s the thing ... if we’re more concerned about others noticing our impact and light in the world, then we may as well shoot ourselves in the foot. It’s only when we are content with representing the light of the world in our own small corners, with the voice of truth, that we would ever be ready to impact further afield. The goal is never to be ‘known’, but to deflect any recognition or accolade to the one who is the giver of light and life. If we can be authentic and full of integrity within our immediate spheres of influence then indeed that truth can impact the world.

As the chorus says ... a pure, clear light ... there’s no room for debris, impurity or hypocrisy... God wants a truthful, honest heart, one that’s happy to serve him in the corner he has placed them.

Never give in to fear ... have courage to pursue what God has given you to do. If you voice truth in love then you will never be guilty of mediocrity, but will be aflame with a passion for God’s work and your light will shine clear, leading others to the knowledge of eternal life.

This life is a journey and as with any journey, it must have a destination. To meander in circles without any hope of arriving, would be a somewhat disillusioning state of existence. To loose sight of our destination and purpose is to thwart any impact or spreading of light to those around us. David Gooding wrote: “If life has an eternal goal, then every step of the journey has eternal significance ... We rob this life of its eternal, and therefore of its most important and enjoyable, dimension ... For eternal life is not a something that we must wait until we get to heaven before we receive it; it is an added eternal dimension to this life”.

I am living eternal life right now! 

“Lord, may the rest of my life here on earth, be witnessed as infused with the scent of eternity. May I be known for your truth and your love. Keep me from the corrosive and cancerous nature of comparisons and covetousness so that I remain content and will always accept that what I have is yours and is best used for your glory. Help me to guard my mind and protect my heart from falsehood and wrong influences ... that my life may be busy with tending to the needs of others and filled with thoughts from your word and in many daily moments, in communion with and chattering to you”.

Ingrid x

Midweek Thought ~ Freedom to live in the light ☀️

Dear friends, you will know by now, that I frequent the subject of liberty and the beauty of being broken but restored ... that we are set free to continue on our path of pursuing holiness because God sees Christ in us and has forgiven us through him.

Well here I go once again and it’s partly down to some daily readings by David Gooding, so a lot of these thoughts are originally his from his book ‘Bringing us to Glory’.

The starting point is salvation ... the amazing forgiveness found through grace in Christ’s death for us. He said “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8v12). Therefore we follow the light and he lights our path as we take the next step. If only we kept our eyes constantly on that light and followed closely to the lit path, but we don’t ... we’re innately human and have a natural tendency to fail. I don’t think that’s a surprise to anyone and we are all as equally likely to fail as the next person ... the tricky part however, is to deal with our failure and return into close proximity to that light. 

I have always felt so guilty about any wrong doing, that to turn back and ask forgiveness and to allow the past to be the past, is really hard. I want to be forgiven but I don’t feel deserving, therefore I can put off doing what is best for me by keeping short accounts with God, and linger too long in a self inflicted state of guilt.

In his book David Gooding says: “Sin need not have dominion over you! It is possible for you to get up and start again ... Why? Because the penalty of sin has been paid. I’m not telling you sin doesn’t matter; sin matters a lot, and if we’ve ... gone into sin as Christians, there is no penalty, but coming back can be difficult ... But ... you can do it! And you are free to do it! You are not chained by the penalty of the law. You are free, thank God ... You are free to get up and begin again in the path of holiness and in the school of Christ”.

I find it encouraging to look at some of the biggest characters in the Bible ... take Abraham and David as examples ... they wandered and failed, then got back up again not just once, but many times. They were acceptable to God because of their hearts and even though they messed up but turned back a thousand times, God chose them for vital tasks because they had hearts relatable to Him ... they were aware of their human frailty and were willing to acknowledge their weaknesses ... they knew their God and were sincere in their relationship with Him. 

God can use us if we learn through our failings and acknowledge them ... there’s no room for pride, but a heart full of compassion and tenderness, even if it has taken a beating in the past, God loves and can use for the benefit of others and his work. No matter how many times I need to ‘start again’, I am free to do so because I am under grace and not the law.

Often guilt and shame can take a strong hold on our lives, limiting our freedom and hindering us from starting again. It’s inevitable that we will continue to go in circles fairly often ... a freeing, spiritually high time, to a despondent pit of anxiety and guilt. We need courage to face things about ourselves with which we have every right to be discontent, but we should never stay there ... to see ourselves as God sees us ~ accepted through Christ; liberated to walk in the light; forgiven permanently; unconditionally loved and restored to a perfect standing with God. We are his beloved and of great worth to him.

Personally, I feel that what hinders us on our journey of living in liberty and starting over many times if it’s necessary, is less about God and his amazing grace, but more about the voices of others around us. If we feel alienated or shamed; fearful of isolation or disappointment, then we will withdraw and hide in the shadows. Often those closest to us can be the ones who judge the harshest and will seemingly forgive and love, but hold the sin of your past over your head like some expected foreboding that of course you’re going to let them down again, or commit the same offense. Thankfully with God, even if you did do that, it’s as though you’ve started from a clean slate. He has no wish of failure or regret ... he is saddened by sin ... but his heart to forgive and pick you / me back up again is just the most beautifully liberating love that you could ever wish for. He doesn’t condemn (look at John 8) but encourages us to walk in faith and to follow his light. In fact, it is our duty to do so as his disciples ... to hide and feel shame or fear, or to let the threat of others dictate our freedom, is wrong and dishonoring to God in whom we trust (or say that we do) ... we have this great God on our side who rules with justice and pure love ... what can anyone do against that?

With a focus on Him as our path lighter, we will prevail ... and if we should fall ... He will be there to pick us up and welcome us back onto the path. Any shame put on us by others whether through abuse, legalism or a misinterpretation of love, is not God’s love. Those who know what it is like to fail and falter, to be belittled and made to feel worthless, can stand the tallest, knowing that the God of all the universe accepts them, (scars and all), and with this knowledge, he can use them for mighty works because they have tender hearts, closest to his own.

Ingrid x

An excerpt ~ from David Gooding

I was pleasantly surprised yesterday, to read something in keeping to my previous post about names. My life, my name, should begin and end with Christ, the alpha and omega.

I can recommend this book and will share yesterday’s reading with you. To be honest, I think any book written by David Gooding would be a good read.