Mark and Helen Smith

Today – Monday morning! Recession, no money, need a holiday, last weeks issues and problems resurfacing? A sneaky despair comes creeping into our hearts when we  are not seeing progress as we would like to see it, or feel like we’ve missed God’s best for us or taken a wrong turn. Sometimes the pain of what others have done or said weighs heavy on our shoulders. Sadness catches us in its grip and it is hard to see beyond  and into the spring of promise. In our souls, we lose the ability to believe that things will ever change.

A vague thought  that things will eventually will work out and a “this too will pass” attitude isn’t what we need. No, we need more… we need something solid and strong to cling to, something that is true and will never fail.

The prophet Jeremiah understood all this:

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me.”

But he didn’t stop there! He called to mind something that was deeper, more solid and sure than his despair… “ Yet I still dare to hope  when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning. Lamentations 3 NLT

Hope is a solid place for us to stand in the midst of despair… God is faithful! God never fails to show loving kindness. God’s great love is the reason we can dare to hope! You may not feel it today but these words are true! Let them be as a grappling hook… a mountain climber’s security -when he throws the rope with the hook high up, to catch the solid rock and hold him securely while he climbs to the heights!

Why am I discouraged?
Why is my heart so sad?
I will put my hope in God!
I will praise him again—
my Saviour and my God! Psalm 42:5

God tells us in the book of Hosea that He “Will transform the valley of trouble into a Gateway of Hope” Hosea 2:15

So today … throw your hook of hope into God’s promises of unfailing love and faithfulness – He will be your strong and steady Rock !

At the end of an email  that I sent to an old friend, whom I had not seen or been in touch with for many years,  I wrote the words, “keep in touch!”  I didn’t want the  connection to be lost again!

Someone else said to me after I visited her at home the other day,“Don’t be a stranger”… encouraging contact and communication and that closer relationship.

The Bible has a lot to say regarding strangers: how to treat them , welcome them , look after them etc.

It also talks about how we can be a stranger to God… not knowing Him and His ways.

^{Psalm 39 :12} “Hear my prayer, O LORD,
And give ear to my cry;
Do not be silent at my tears;
For I am a stranger with You,
A sojourner, as all my fathers were.

That’s not the heart of God… He wants relationship! He doesn’t want us to be a stranger in His presence!

^“That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all…” Ephesians 2:19-22

For many, it is so easy to allow our busy lives, our routines, our circumstances and the people around about us to make us “strangers “ to God – we don’t know Him as we should, maybe as we used to – we’ve lost contact with Him through lots of reasons. Just as I lost contact with my friend … It took me a few moments to discover her address, and put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard now!) and make that contact again! Finishing my letter with – keep in touch! – she did! And the lovely thing about it is she has now been in touch with a few more of our mutual friends, because – I made contact again – I picked up the friendship we’d had a long time ago.

God really wants us not to lose contact and He’s not slow to contact us as it were – He just waits for the invitation to be part of our lives. His Word is full of the grace and mercy we need to give us hope for the days ahead.

It’s really nice knowing barriers are down, the renewed contact has such potential with my friend… but with God it’s more than just a letter or phone call now and then… it’s a daily relationship and lifestyle He offers us… look at some , just some of the promises He gives to those who walk with Him:

Matthew 11:28-29 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Psalm 27: ¹⁴ Wait on the LORD;
Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart;
Wait, I say, on the LORD!

John 14: ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Matthew 28:20 I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

SO many invitations to have the best! There are many invitations to come and have what we long for inside… relationship, friendship, wisdom, peace, health.

We simply have to receive the invitation and accept it… maybe for us it’s time to respond to God’s email/ letter /phone call to us… to actually become a friend of God and not a stranger anymore.

Simply ask Him – then read His letter (His Word) to you and get to know Him better

EVERLASTING LOVE:

The Lord said…
“I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love.
With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.
I will rebuild you, (and you will be rebuilt) Jeremiah 31: 3-4

What sort of love is this??

It is Everlasting love: not the current trend of  romance and love – but an Everlasting love that’s stays for us whatever our situation, our mood, our likes and dislikes . Love is not a feeling …… it’s an act of the will – a dedication, commitment and willing heart to believe in, live for , serve, give everything for the “object” of our love.

It is Unfailing love: the love that endures – doesn’t wane, doesn’t grow weary of loving, even when not loved in return, of keeping on keeping on…

Love that doesn’t let you down or disappoint, love that doesn’t give up on you when you mess up

It is Drawing love: love that attracts you, draws you – gently and firmly and persists in letting you know you are valuable, precious, treasured, worth more than nations and wealth.

Love that will not let you go, love that always believes in you, love that lets you make choices, doesn’t force or mislead you

It is Building Love… always believes in you, encourages you, tells the truth and helps you grow. Love that doesn’t allow messes to hinder your development and becoming all that is planned for you to be .

Love that never gives up. Love that completes what has been started. Love that holds you and strengthens you … Love that “gives you wings” to soar beyond your own capabilities into the capacity believed for you.

Love that doesn’t destroy or tear apart, Love that is patient, firm and strong, Love that is so KIND… not soppy , but genuinely kind an strongly gentle!

Love that promises and keeps promise… to rebuild you!

This love is God’s love for you!!

GOD IS LOVE (1 John 4: 8)…. not just shows love – He IS love!!!

We can have fun and romantic  days at valentine’s weekend but the Love of God is this very love we have been looking at – Immense .so free, so wide, so high, so boundless and  unlimited . so empowering… we need never fear not being loved!

And His invitation is “Come to me” Matthew 11:28

“Come – let us reason together” Isaiah 1:18

^{John 635} Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again.

Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:37

Song 2:10-12 (NKJV)

¹⁰ My beloved spoke, and said to me:

“ Rise up, my love, my fair one,
And come away.
¹¹ For lo, the winter is past,
The rain is over and gone.
¹² The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come,
And the voice of the turtledove
Is heard in our land.
Come – Believe- Rise up… and let His Love equip and empower you for Life!

A work in progress

I blogged this a couple of years ago – but just felt it would encourage you again !! You are not forgotten!!

1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (The Message)

“Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.”
I was reading Corinthians in The Message over the weekend, just for a change, and was so struck by this short passage. I have been going over it again and again and just letting it settle in my spirit… God is going to keep me steady and on track!!! Wow! that is such a comfort to know and that He will never give up on me! I love it! All His master plans and designs for my life – He will bring to completion … Paul says it again to the Philippians in Phil.1 v 6 “There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.”
It makes me really want to allow God more access to my life to see His handiwork in me – that I might bring Him honour!

Have a “muse” on it yourself … it is a wonderfully encouraging Scripture … a work in progress – a masterpiece at that!

Seeing!

What do we see? I mean what, when we look at a picture, a view, a movie, do we really see?

I was chatting to a precious, older lady, today, who was telling me about something she once taught her class, many years ago. She was showing them a beautiful garden picture with many shrubs, trees and pretty flowers in it , and asked her class what they could see… as expected the children pointed out the colours of the flowers, the trees an occasional bird, the clouds… everything that she expected them to see. Only one or two, though, took time to “see” into the picture and find the butterflies and snails that were camouflaged in the flowers!

I was reminded of the “Where’s Wally” books that my children poured over when they were younger – looking to see if they could spot the elusive “Wally”. How hard it was to see the real Wally when there were so many stripes to distract you from the unmistakable (or was it?) Wally-hat!

It took time, and patience, to filter through, stand and wait and keep looking, keep on keeping on … until he was found.

God says: “When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you”— GOD’s Decree — “Bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.” Jeremiah 29:12-14 (The Message)

Keep still, keep looking… Keep on Keeping on – He won’t disappoint!

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Guard your heart – important – very important… guard your     reactions, your thoughts, your feelings about regular stuff.

Why? – because out of your heart come reactions to “Life  issues”.

How do you react to criticism, rejection, misunderstanding, fear,    loneliness? How do you stay faithful, make right choices, speak good, helpful  words, encourage , serve, go the extra mile – or 6?!
How we care for our heart and guard it, nourish it, watch over it will determine how healthy it is and what the outcomes of our life are!

On a natural level – we are encouraged to look after our heart, keep fit , healthy and eat the right foods, not just one day, occasionally, but always !

What you eat and how you exercise is crucial to being fit and healthy….is our soul any different? – and here the Bible teaches us to watch over our heart!

It’s a very positive thing, guarding your heart! Whereas when we guard our emotions and soul, we step back, we put up barriers and walls to stop us getting hurt, we retreat and pull back, because we have been burned or disillusioned with people, usually. Guarding your heart doesn’t retreat – but steps up to inputting the good things of the Word of God in your life. Reading and meditating on His Word so that we no longer “react” but are able to respond in a way that is positive and not destructive !

James 5: 8 Establish your heart!!! … means to make stable, steady, sure.

How we guard and establish means to build a firm steady stable basis, means to settle in place, to prove and show to be valid and true! As we take the word of God and decide to accept it, live by it , ask Holy Spirit to transform us and work it out in us, we find we are guarding our hearts, we are able to respond rather than react!

Start today … build God’s Word into you as an integral part of your life, then when the day of stress, trouble, doubt comes- we are guarded and can look above and beyond to see that God’s plans for us are indeed good!

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