Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Find a way to keep being challenged

I sat there watching a movie last night and continued to ponder away today, processing what I saw, comparing it to what I thought I knew or understood...realising that it some way that it is a healthy thing to do.

Why is that good thing?

Time brings a lot to our lives. Experience. Learning.
You work out what you think you know and build some blocks of knowledge and experience around you.
The negative is we can either become complacent, arrogant, blinded or all of the aforementioned negatives things, if you are not looking to be challenged in some good way.

Jesus main issues were never with the sinful people of the world.
He seemed to have huge compassion for them. Again and again His attention and heart was drawn to them in a good way and His desire was to serve them.
The people who rubbed him up the wrong way.
The people who struggled with what he taught.
Those people were never the sinners or the less educated.
It was the people who thought they knew it all or at least enough to navigate the world and life in general. They are the ones who struggled and sometimes fought against his teaching.

The way I look at it, I want to grow in my knowledge and understanding on as many things as possible. But no matter what I learn, experience and disseminate, nothing compares to allowing Jesus to challenge the assumptions I make about life, my life, how I should lead etc.

I watch movies.
I read books (be it ever so slowly).
I study scripture.
I watch doco's on different topics.
I listen to others I trust.
And all the while try to keep my heart as soft and open to him as possible.

Can I encourage you to make sure God has room to always challenge you?
Don't think you ever graduate from the classroom of Christ. The moment you do you head down a pretty tricky road that many never recover from.
Pray with me today that God challenges any wrong thinking, understanding or more.
Let God challenge us in only the way He best can.

Something to think about...

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Take your time

It is kind of a simple 'simple thought' this week...

Recently I was out around our town to deliver some stuff and other errands.
It took a whole lot longer than I had put in my diary planner earlier that same day.
Why did it take longer?
Because I kept bumping into people. People wanted to chat. Offers of coffee (which I very rarely decline). Fantastic conversations ensued.

The problem I have sometimes is that can get so focused on task or on productivity...even both at the same time, that I forget that life doesn't always work like that.
I have also found the the Kingdom of God doesn't fit into neat 15 minute time slots.
When you take your time with your day, trying to listen as you to the Spirit of God, the day can be different than you planned. Satisfying without the next to keep ticking off task lists.

As you navigate the rest of your week, take your time while being purposeful about your time.
Take your time with people around you.
See what God does through you and in you.

Something to think about...

Wednesday, May 11, 2016

Questions that GOD asks...(blog series part 6)


God asked a guy a question that is recorded way back in the beginning...
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?" Genesis 4:6
And that question has got me thinking...

Why was indeed Cain angry?
Why am I sometimes angry?

I hope this doesn't come across as too simplistic of a thought, of an answer to that question?
I wonder if being angry is many times a symptom? When I am angry am I just frustrated or disappointed?
And is that frustration and disappointment simply manifesting itself as an emotion called anger?

Cain was angry because his offering wasn't as 'good' as his brothers.
The emotion manifest was just an outworking or overflow of what was going on in his heart at the time. Maybe it had been brewing for a while and this was the latest thing to tip him over the edge into anger?

When I am angry and then get a moment to think about why, I have many times realised that what made me angry was not the thing at all.
I had pent up frustration about something else.
Disappointment in regard to some other area of my life.

So when God asks me "why are you angry?", I wonder if God is hoping I will take a breath, take a moment to reflect, and work out with him what is really going on inside?

This week can I encourage you that if you are angry about something, don't hide from it or quickly try to justify it?
Take a moment for you and God and pray/talk it through.
See if God shows the root of your frustration and then deal with that.

Something to think about...

Wednesday, May 04, 2016

Questions that GOD asks...(blog series part 5)

I want to finish this little simple thought series with a question that God asks, that is kind of confrontational...
The thing about God is He is passionate about not leaving us unchanged by an encounter with Him in some way. His presence should affect us and leave us changed. His word is designed to do the same.
Hebrews 4:12 explains how His word isn't just some nice encouraging thing to meditate on, but something with the ability to affect the very core of your being.

That is true for me when I God asks me this question...

Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?" Luke 6:46 niv

I don't know about you but this question has some bite to it.
It challenges me to my core. Makes we stop and think for a moment...
- Am I doing everything the way Jesus would like?
- Are my motives for what I do right?
- I need to make sure I am not being a hypocrite!

I don't shy away from scriptures that aren't all encouraging and uplifting...because as Paul put it "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16 niv).

May this question remind you to consider again what God would like you to do or to focus on this week?
What has He asked of you? What is He reminding you?
That is your next step...

Something to think about...