December seems to lead to something special on our calendars…Something called Christmas.
But if there was a time of the year when your life may feel a little wobbly or not quite where it could be, it is now.
I thought we could take some time to reflect not on the season, but on our place in the Christmas season.
Our lives are like a bicycle wheel.
There are many spokes that make up the whole wheel and give it structure and stability. But if one of the spokes in our lives comes lose of fails, our lives tend to go the same way.
If you ignore a loose spoke it doesn’t get better. It always gets worse.
And eventually more spokes join in the activity until your wheel collapses.
Many of us wait until we are really sick before we get help.The reality is that if we ignore the small stuff, it sometimes grows into big stuff!
We ignore a small tooth ache until it becomes a root canal.
We ignore a something wrong on our skin until it becomes a growth.\
Here are 3 spokes for you to consider this Christmas time…
ONE. people spoke
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without there being people around.The people you relate too make or break your Christmas!
Romans 12:17-18
Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
If you want to feel good over Christmas, make every effort to get along with others.
TWO. finance spoke
Putting yourself into large amounts of debt for any celebration, no matter how religious it is, is not a good idea.
My children can not remember what I got them each Christmas.What they do remember is what I was like on the day…how I behaved.
Matthew 6:20
Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.
I know that when this spoke is loose in my life I don’t feel very good.It robs me of any peace and enjoyment.
THREE. God spoke
This is the most important of all!Without a relationship with God your life, your wheel, can take any shape.
Jeremiah 29:13-14a
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD
God is not hiding from us. He is there if we want to spend time with him.We just have to purpose in our own hearts to have that time with him.
Set realistic goals. Don’t set yourself up to fail.
William Booth said “I do promise God that I will rise early every morning to have a few minutes – not less than five – in private prayer…I hereby vow to read no less than four chapters in God’s Word every day.”
Have a plan to spend what meaningful time you can with God.
Don’t just hope you will, otherwise others things will bury it.
I believe God’s plan for you over this Christmas is for your spokes to stay strong and true.
God’s heart is for you to have a great holiday season!
Don’t wait for the crash to happen in your life!
Take the time to resolve it now.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 05, 2007
Have you looked at any bumper stickers lately?
It is not something I do all the time, but when I was stuck in traffic today I had a chance to look at the world around me...and one particular sticker jumped out at me.
It went like this…
Heaven doesn’t want me and Hell is afraid I will take over
I wasn’t upset by it.
I didn’t chase the vehicle down the motorway, throwing bible tracts at them.
And I didn’t get the guys number (it was a work van) and phone him for a chat.
Now I am probably guessing, but I guess the owner of the van has a problem with eternity.
They are hoping that there isn’t one.
Sometimes when you are uncomfortable with a subject you make fun of it.
It is a defense mechanism to make you feel better.
The reality is that ‘Heaven’ or more specifically God, 100% does want the driver of that van.
That ‘Hell’ is in no way worried about him and whatever management skills he thinks he possesses.
The Bible says that people in this world have been blinded to the truth.
And that somehow we need to help them find the truth.
Now I don’t think it is all about Heaven and Hell either. Yes they exist and are important.
But what is more important to God is relationship with him.
Today I want you to know that God actually wants you!Jesus said that he is preparing a place for you. A place in heaven where you can have uninterrupted relationship with him.
Hell is not for you or anyone you know.
Hell was designed for Satan and his band of little demons.
Many of us will be doing events with family and friends over Christmas, most of whom will probably not be interested in eternity.
Can I encourage you to pray for them?
Pray that eternity will become all important to them.
The Bible says that God desires that all people be saved, so when you pray for them you will know you are praying according to his will.
Something for you to think about...
Locky
It is not something I do all the time, but when I was stuck in traffic today I had a chance to look at the world around me...and one particular sticker jumped out at me.
It went like this…
Heaven doesn’t want me and Hell is afraid I will take over
I wasn’t upset by it.
I didn’t chase the vehicle down the motorway, throwing bible tracts at them.
And I didn’t get the guys number (it was a work van) and phone him for a chat.
Now I am probably guessing, but I guess the owner of the van has a problem with eternity.
They are hoping that there isn’t one.
Sometimes when you are uncomfortable with a subject you make fun of it.
It is a defense mechanism to make you feel better.
The reality is that ‘Heaven’ or more specifically God, 100% does want the driver of that van.
That ‘Hell’ is in no way worried about him and whatever management skills he thinks he possesses.
The Bible says that people in this world have been blinded to the truth.
And that somehow we need to help them find the truth.
Now I don’t think it is all about Heaven and Hell either. Yes they exist and are important.
But what is more important to God is relationship with him.
Today I want you to know that God actually wants you!Jesus said that he is preparing a place for you. A place in heaven where you can have uninterrupted relationship with him.
Hell is not for you or anyone you know.
Hell was designed for Satan and his band of little demons.
Many of us will be doing events with family and friends over Christmas, most of whom will probably not be interested in eternity.
Can I encourage you to pray for them?
Pray that eternity will become all important to them.
The Bible says that God desires that all people be saved, so when you pray for them you will know you are praying according to his will.
Something for you to think about...
Locky
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Last night I was running on a treadmill at the gym, and all of a sudden all I wanted to do was quit!
If you have been to a gym or done exercise you will know the feeling…
I was tired.
I was a little sore.
And I was running out of motivation!
But I kept going with what, I was not sure...
Maybe the thought of quitting in the middle of my run and how guilty I would feel afterwards?
Maybe also the knowledge that I would loose out on some sort of benefit?
Anyway I kept going. I pushed through. And eventually completed my programme.
As I drove home I thought about what I had just gone through.
That even though it was hard and uncomfortable, I did feel good that I had made it through without quitting.
At this time of year you can be tired, worn out and not feeling like you have anything else left to give…You may even want to quit or run away?
Galatians 6:9 says…
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Don’t give up even though you may be tired.
Yes be wise about how you live and the pace you live it at…
God promises us all to reward us if we will just hang in there and complete what we have started.
Something for you to think about...
Locky
If you have been to a gym or done exercise you will know the feeling…
I was tired.
I was a little sore.
And I was running out of motivation!
But I kept going with what, I was not sure...
Maybe the thought of quitting in the middle of my run and how guilty I would feel afterwards?
Maybe also the knowledge that I would loose out on some sort of benefit?
Anyway I kept going. I pushed through. And eventually completed my programme.
As I drove home I thought about what I had just gone through.
That even though it was hard and uncomfortable, I did feel good that I had made it through without quitting.
At this time of year you can be tired, worn out and not feeling like you have anything else left to give…You may even want to quit or run away?
Galatians 6:9 says…
Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Don’t give up even though you may be tired.
Yes be wise about how you live and the pace you live it at…
God promises us all to reward us if we will just hang in there and complete what we have started.
Something for you to think about...
Locky
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
On Sunday I had the opportunity to speak at a church that I hadn’t been to before.
I wasn’t sure where to park so found a spot around the back and went on inside.
After the service there was a lot of commotion outside around the area of my car so I went to check it...dreading what I might find.
I didn’t know until just then but I had actually parked beside the worship leaders car...and his car had been damaged during the service by someone trying to break into it.
I drove away eventually not sure how I felt…
On one hand I felt bad for the guy.
I couldn’t understand why they attacked his car and not mine.
On the other hand I was thankful they hadn’t attacked mine.
At the same time I felt guilty for being thankful….
Aaaah!...how am I supposed to think?
In America this weekend they celebrate a holiday around being thankful called thanksgiving day.
It was started many years ago by some immigrants who were very thankful for what God had done for them. They had been through many hardships and were even still going through many. But they took the time out to focus on what had done for them so far.
Martin Rinkert lived in the town of Eilenburg in Germany 350 years ago.
The son of a poor coppersmith, he became a minister of his local parish in 1617.
Just one year later, in 1618, the Thirty-Year War broke out and Eilenburg was caught right in the middle of it. In 1637, the plague that swept across the continent hit Eilenburg and it is recorded that over 50 people died each day. The man called upon to bury most of the corpses was Martin Rinkert.
In all, over 8,000 people died, including Martin’s own wife, but his job was to keep on digging graves. His ministry spanned 32 years and all but the first and the last were overwhelmed by the great conflict that engulfed his town. It must have been tough for Martin Rinkert to be thankful. But somehow he was…he even managed to write this hymn?
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom his world rejoices.
In the midst of terrible darkness and death Martin Rinkert was able to write these words because he knew what it meant to be truly thankful.
Maybe it is not that we are ignoring the things that have gone wrong…it is just that focusing on what has gone right stops the bad things having the same power over us.
In the midst of whatever you have been through recently...
I am sure you have something you can thank God for!
Locky
I wasn’t sure where to park so found a spot around the back and went on inside.
After the service there was a lot of commotion outside around the area of my car so I went to check it...dreading what I might find.
I didn’t know until just then but I had actually parked beside the worship leaders car...and his car had been damaged during the service by someone trying to break into it.
I drove away eventually not sure how I felt…
On one hand I felt bad for the guy.
I couldn’t understand why they attacked his car and not mine.
On the other hand I was thankful they hadn’t attacked mine.
At the same time I felt guilty for being thankful….
Aaaah!...how am I supposed to think?
In America this weekend they celebrate a holiday around being thankful called thanksgiving day.
It was started many years ago by some immigrants who were very thankful for what God had done for them. They had been through many hardships and were even still going through many. But they took the time out to focus on what had done for them so far.
Martin Rinkert lived in the town of Eilenburg in Germany 350 years ago.
The son of a poor coppersmith, he became a minister of his local parish in 1617.
Just one year later, in 1618, the Thirty-Year War broke out and Eilenburg was caught right in the middle of it. In 1637, the plague that swept across the continent hit Eilenburg and it is recorded that over 50 people died each day. The man called upon to bury most of the corpses was Martin Rinkert.
In all, over 8,000 people died, including Martin’s own wife, but his job was to keep on digging graves. His ministry spanned 32 years and all but the first and the last were overwhelmed by the great conflict that engulfed his town. It must have been tough for Martin Rinkert to be thankful. But somehow he was…he even managed to write this hymn?
Now thank we all our God
With heart and hands and voices;
Who wondrous things hath done,
In whom his world rejoices.
In the midst of terrible darkness and death Martin Rinkert was able to write these words because he knew what it meant to be truly thankful.
Maybe it is not that we are ignoring the things that have gone wrong…it is just that focusing on what has gone right stops the bad things having the same power over us.
In the midst of whatever you have been through recently...
I am sure you have something you can thank God for!
Locky
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Sometimes I wish I was a bit more ‘gifted’ at gardening…
I am not completely useless in this department but I am far from being a David Bellamy or some other famous plant dude.
Our backyard is a mixture of things.
Some completed projects and lots of “I got it started” types.
One of those was an area of soil we moved many months a go, which left a large area of bear earth.
In my mind, I was quietly hoping that it would grow grass again on its own.
And for a while it looked like it might make it.
But as you can guess, different types of weeds crowded in around and eventually took over.
We have now started to rectify the situation with some proper grass seed.
But we also know that the weeds want to come back. We have to be on weed alert whenever we can to protect the new life that is coming through.
Jesus talked a few times about things growing and weeds.
Matthew 13:3-8 (niv)
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
An area inside of us I think God plants ‘seed’ is in our heart.
It is this extremely fertile area of our lives.
God deposits the seed he needs to into our heart and waters it.
The trouble is our hearts can become unfertile if we don’t look after them.
A question for you today is…
What is the soil of your heart like?
Do you still keep your heart soft or has life hardened it?
Have you let things come in and crowd it?
Can I encourage to do as David did many years a go, to examine your heart.
Not so you can feel stink about something wrong.
But so you can deal with any things that need dealing with.
If you ignore them for too long it hurts even more to sort out!
God wants to produce a huge crop from our lives.
Our job is to simply look after the soul.
Something to think about...
Locky
I am not completely useless in this department but I am far from being a David Bellamy or some other famous plant dude.
Our backyard is a mixture of things.
Some completed projects and lots of “I got it started” types.
One of those was an area of soil we moved many months a go, which left a large area of bear earth.
In my mind, I was quietly hoping that it would grow grass again on its own.
And for a while it looked like it might make it.
But as you can guess, different types of weeds crowded in around and eventually took over.
We have now started to rectify the situation with some proper grass seed.
But we also know that the weeds want to come back. We have to be on weed alert whenever we can to protect the new life that is coming through.
Jesus talked a few times about things growing and weeds.
Matthew 13:3-8 (niv)
A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up.
Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root.
Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants.
Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.
An area inside of us I think God plants ‘seed’ is in our heart.
It is this extremely fertile area of our lives.
God deposits the seed he needs to into our heart and waters it.
The trouble is our hearts can become unfertile if we don’t look after them.
A question for you today is…
What is the soil of your heart like?
Do you still keep your heart soft or has life hardened it?
Have you let things come in and crowd it?
Can I encourage to do as David did many years a go, to examine your heart.
Not so you can feel stink about something wrong.
But so you can deal with any things that need dealing with.
If you ignore them for too long it hurts even more to sort out!
God wants to produce a huge crop from our lives.
Our job is to simply look after the soul.
Something to think about...
Locky
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