Thanks, Mum!

 

Erma Bombeck wrote: ‘When God was creating mothers, on His sixth day of overtime the angel said, “You’re fiddling around a lot on this one.” God replied, “Have you seen the specs on this order? She’s to have 18,000 replaceable moving parts, run on black coffee and leftovers, have a kiss that cures anything from broken legs to disappointed love affairs…and six pairs of hands!” “Six pairs of hands? No way!” the angel said. God said, “And the challenging bit is the three pairs of eyes mothers need. One pair that sees through doors, another in back of her head that sees what she shouldn’t be able to see, another in front for looking at a child who’s goofed and saying, ‘I understand, and I love you’, without speaking.” The angel said, “Lord, take a break. Tomorrow…”  “I can’t,” God said. “I’m close to creating something so like

God Will Help You to Succeed

‘…He said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.” Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.” When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signalled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch… Then Jesus said to

God Is Working It Out for You

You must believe what God says about you, over what everyone else says! Stop listening to those who claim you’ll never amount to anything. You might’ve had a bad childhood, or a failed marriage or career. ‘…Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before [you]’ (Philippians 3:13 KJV). The Bible doesn’t say that we call those things which are not as though they are. Nor does it say others have the power to speak things which are not as though they are over your life. No, it is God, through His Word, Who speaks into existence His will for your life. And you should be glad about that. You wouldn’t want anybody else to have power to determine your destiny. Our responsibility is to line up our will with God’s will. When we do, He empowers us to accomplish what normally would be humanly

Do You Appreciate Your Pastor?

Does your pastor or minister know you appreciate them? Now’s your chance to let them know: October is Clergy Appreciation Month, when churchgoers are encouraged to give thanks for their pastors, ministers, and leaders. (And yes, Hallmark has cards for it…)
It’s easy to take your pastor for granted, not noticing (or bothering to find out) the amount of work that goes into their everyday ministry. Pastors don’t “just” prepare sermons and lead worship services—they visit the sick, counsel the struggling, take the lead point on countless church ministries, and in many cases manage a staff and tend to the countless little details that keep your church running smoothly. Not to mention graciously listening to complaints about the length of their sermons, the choice of worship music, and the type of coffee served following the worship service!
Even when they don’t realize it, people place very high expectations on their leaders. And that’s not entirely inappropriate—the Bible also sets the bar very high for people called to the ministry. Read this quote from pastor and writer A.W. Tozer on the burden of responsibility pastors must bear… and consider what it would be like if these expectations were added to your job description:

You Can Overcome Your Fears

Sunday, 06 April 2014 01:48

'When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.' Psalm 56:3 NLT

Is fear causing you to hide from somebody today? Your boss? Your husband or wife? Your strong-willed child? Your grouchy co-worker? When God asked Adam, '..."Where are you?", he replied, "I hid...I was afraid..."' (Genesis 3:9-10 NLT) And we've all been hiding from things ever since. We hide behind forced smiles, agreeable words we don't mean and social rituals we detest. Or worse, we hide behind things we do believe but don't express because we are afraid of what people might think or say. We try to avoid the pain of confronting someone, and the emotional energy we're afraid we'll have to invest in cleaning up afterwards.
Short-term it may be easier to act as if things don't bother you, or pretend to agree when, in reality, you disagree. But long-term it doesn't work, because peace isn't the absence of discord. When we remain silent

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (4)

The older brother couldn’t rejoice about his younger brother’s homecoming because he resented it. He said to his father, ‘You threw a party for him, but you’ve never thrown one for me! I served you faithfully for years and you never once acknowledged my service or celebrated my accomplishments’ (vv. 29-30). We learn three things from the older brother. The first is about attitudes. Even though he was invited to the party, his anger kept him away. Why are you angry? You won’t talk to anybody, or forgive anybody. You’re afraid to love anybody, or reach out to anybody, or learn from anybody. You’ve blamed everybody for everything; now you’re blaming God. Don’t let anger lock you out, rob you of blessing, poison your spirit, and destroy your joy. Forgive, celebrate your brother, and walk in fellowship with your heavenly Father. The second is

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (3)

The Prodigal Son didn’t really know who his father was or how his father felt about him until he left home. Looking back, he thought, ‘I left the best thing I ever had’. After ending up in a hog pen he ‘came to himself’ (v. 17). Looking around, he thought, ‘This is not how I was meant to live’. At that point his life took a dramatic turn. Upon his return, his father threw a big party. When the Prodigal Son got a revelation of who his father was, he discovered who he was; then he could really celebrate. Until you discover who God is, and who you are, there’s nothing to celebrate. You’ll just keep trying to buy love, get people to like you, try to win their friendships, try to make connections, try to be with the right people at the right place at the right time in order to get to the right destination, etc. But once you know Who your Father is, and who you are,

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (2)

Sometimes you have to reach your lowest point to understand who God is and what He can do for you. When the younger son ended up in a hog pen, ‘He came to his senses’. But his next decision was crucial: ‘I will…go back to my father and say…”I have sinned”…’ (v. 18 NIV). And when he did, his father restored him to his rightful place. But the older brother needed his father’s forgiveness too. What was his sin? Jealousy and judgmentalism: ‘…This son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’ (v. 30 NIV). He built himself up by tearing his brother down. He tried to earn his father’s love by making points. The trouble was, he already had his father’s love; he just didn’t know it, so he kept trying to ‘prove himself’. Are you doing that? As a redeemed child of God you are already accepted, justified and clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Today your heavenly Father is

The Parable of the Prodigal Son (1)

The real star in the Parable of the Prodigal Son is the father. He had two boys. One was rebellious, the other was religious. But he loved each of them. And because they were his family he refused to give up on them. While the younger brother was away wallowing in sin, the older brother was at home wallowing in self-righteousness. One was guilty of the sins of the flesh (the obvious ones); the other was guilty of the sins of the spirit (the not-so-obvious ones). Only when the younger brother lost everything did he discover that living in submission to his father’s rule was the safest, most fulfilling place you could be. Only when the older brother discovered the difference between rule-keeping and relationship was he able to understand his father’s words, ‘…Everything I have is yours’ (Luke 15:31 NIV). One was a miserable rule keeper; the

TODAY'S WORD FOR TODAY Don’t Let Rejection Stop You

Sometimes the word ‘no’ simply means ‘not now, but ask again’. So don’t let rejection stop you. Only when you see failure as final, are you finally a failure. Take a look at your past experiences. You encountered rejection in school and on the playground. Not everybody liked you, but you made it anyway, right? Jesus experienced more rejection than anybody who ever lived. ‘He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.’ Did He quit? No, He went on to others, to those who discerned His value. ‘But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God’ (v. 12). Someone needs what you have; it is absolutely necessary to their success. Most great salespeople know that 14 out of 15 people will say no. So they hurry and make their presentations to as many as possible, in order to reach that one who will say

Stop Comparing Yourself with Others!

 

Are you so busy analysing your vices that you don’t have time to appreciate your virtues? Or so caught up in scrutinising others that you don’t value what God has given you? God never intended you to compare yourself with anybody else. ‘Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original’ (Galatians 5:25-26 TM). By making comparisons, you’re implying that God made a mistake in making you as you are. Furthermore, you’re allowing others to define your worth, and giving them control over your self-esteem. That’s too much power to give anybody! ‘…Since we find ourselves

‘I’m Praying for You’

 When somebody says, ‘I’m praying for you,’ there is no greater expression of love! The tragedy of religion without power is that it leaves you ignorant of the incredible potential of prayer. Prayer moves God! And when God moves, people and situations change! Jesus told Peter, ‘…Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’ (vv. 31-32 NKJV). And God answered that prayer! In spite of his denial of Christ, Peter ended up leading one of the greatest spiritual awakenings in history, and two of the books in the