A poem about weed

I will wait for you

Relationships, specifically courtship and marriage have always been of interest to me. However i'm not going to express  my view here today, but instead share the view of someone else. I pray this video gives those out there who are currently under pressure to marry and may inadvertently settling for less than God's best - to wait. God is never late. He makes everything beautiful in its time.

Ps 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord"

We see in (Acts 16: 16-36) from the experience of Paul and Silas that Praise is one of the greatest tools used in defeating the enemy. Their joyful singing didn’t go unnoticed as the prisoners themselves began to listen. But more importantly, their worship reached the ears of the father who delighted in their sacrifice of thanksgiving and delighted in their praise. As a result, one prison guard and his entire family were saved that night with the gift of salvation and eternal life. Praise is a powerful weapon, many times in the Old testament, when Gods people would go into battle, they would send out the ‘Worshippers’ first. That is because praise precedes victory, which is why the enemy loves to silence the tongue of a worshipper.

What is praise?

Praise is more than just singing songs; it is a ‘heart attitude’. It’s not uncommon for praise in ones heart to prompt singing, but it can also manifest in many different ways such as our words and actions like telling others about the things God does. And it’s a whole lot more than lip service. This is not to say that the effect of ‘singing’ is in anyway reduced. I once read that ‘God created music and the composer only arranges it’. God is a great lover of music. Ps 100:2 urges us to ‘serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing’. In many instances, music is a natural expression of one’s joy and can also add meaning to a message by affecting the hearer through emotions. I remember a few years ago, on the day of my brothers graduation, I was waiting in a room with a friend who began to sing praises to God. A few seconds into the song, the stone faced receptionist began to smile. It really touched me because we had all been in that room for at least 30mins before he began to sing, and all through that time, the receptionist had been frowning and irritable. Heartfelt praise is a very beautiful thing.

Sacrifice of praise 

‘Sacrifice means to give up or offer something of value we would rather hold on to’. As humans, we find ourselves ‘being thankful’ in good times. When life is good, praise and thanksgiving flow freely from ones heart, then comes darker times and praise doesn’t flow as easily. However as Christians, these are the times when we need to praise God the most. Praise helps us focus on what God is going to do in our life, rather than keep focusing on the not so good happening in one’s life.....This is our sacrifice of praise. You may not feel like praising the Lord at every given instant of the day, but enough sin has probably been committed to require an burnt offering for atonement every instant of the day, but Good in his infinite mercy has rendered a burnt offering unnecessary. A few questions to think about;

How often each day do you praise him?

How often each day do you prise him when you don’t feel like?

How often each day do you praise him for dying on the cross for you?

So I urge you my brothers and sisters, as you go through your day, take time to acknowledge God. Remember to put him first and continually offer him praise. As praise goes up, his blessings, peace, joy and strength come down and overtake every area of your life. Also remember God wants our all, if we live in love and obedience to him, our songs- the fruit of our lips- will be a pleasing sacrifice of praise.

Pride

Most dictionaries define Pride as ‘an arrogant or disdainful conduct or treatment; haughtiness’. And human understanding of what the word represents is not too far from this. Pride is often linked to a sufficiency in self; an ‘i can do it’, ‘i am better than’ attitude. So imagine my surprise when a dear friend of mine spoke to me about pride a few days ago. I had always looked at pride as ‘self-righteousness’, which i look upon as a sin which God hates as it’s a hindrance to seeking him. In my wildest dreams i never thought of myself as one who fell into this category, neither did i think it applied to the situation he was counselling me about. But i took his advice and prayed.

Bingo!!!! Now i see it. I have found that the best way to actually tackle this issue of pride is to break it down to examine what it implies, once we see pride as ‘self-orientation’ which is contrary to the character of God, it becomes much clearer, and we can see ‘inverted pride’ for what it really is.

It is easy to recognise the 'big prides' (as stated above), however ‘inverted pride’ is a hidden pride that has to do with self condemnation and perceived inadequacies. This kind of pride is disguised as the virtue of humility, but brothers and sisters it is soooooo far from that. Using myself as an example, mine was looking at my motivation for doing certain things instead of looking at what God had accomplished using me......’pride is giving ourselves credit for something God has accomplished’ even if it’s by removing him from the equation and giving ourselves negative credit. By feeling bad about my ‘not so selfless’ reason for doing something good, i removed God from the equation and completely disregarded what he had used me to accomplish. In my mind i was being humble by downplaying what i had done, but this is a lie from the devil, most times to deceive us, to lead us to despair which might gradually draw us away from God as we continue to feel inadequate.

I guess the lesson here is, the devil is a liar (no big surprise there), we are not perfect by any means, but we are all gifted in our own special ways. Anything satan tries to use for evil, God can turn and use for good when we commit totally to him. We all need to remember that the devil will try to find ways to destroy the good we try to do, be it by questioning our motivation for doing it, or by letting us believe it’s not good enough. But remember, it is not by our power nor our might Jehovah is the author and finisher of all things.

Scripture refs

John 5:44

Psalm 10:4

1cor 4:7

The Good Shepherd

Many, if not all of us can recite Psalm 23 by heart. But how many of us have ever actually sat down to carefully examine what the words actually mean? I know the good book is filled with loads of promises from God, but what i find quite amazing is that a lot of them are found   in the single chapter of Psalm 23.

The Lord is my Shepherd.......Gods promise of care.

I believe this first verse calls us to immediately put ourselves into the care of Jesus Christ. We see in Isa 40:11, He promises to feed His flock like a shepherd, but nothing beats Jhn10:11; The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

I shall not want.......Gods promise of provision.

A popular story that comes to mind is that of Abraham and Isaac, when Abraham answered Isaacs question regarding the lamb for the sacrifice by saying ‘my son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering’. I find it very reassuring to know that God sees our needs and provides for them. Having said all this. It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean the world is your oyster, that you receive each and everything you desire. It simply means that you will lack nothing that is necessary for your best interest. A very popular passage that illustrates this promise is Philippians 4:19; And my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. 

He makes me to lie down in green pastures....God’s promise of rest.

Simply put, i think this means fully trusting that Jesus has done all the work of salvation for us. We’re to rest in his saving grace. This is what Jesus means when he urges us in Matt11:28, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest”. It means the end of all your fleshly striving, all your human efforts to obtain peace. And it means relying totally on Jesus’ work for you.

He leads me beside the still waters....Gods promise of peace.

God promises we will find the much yearned for peace of heart and mind we long for as ‘’He leads us beside the still waters’’. He, the shepherd, knows all about our need for peace and provides the peace we need for fulfilling His will for our lives. (Further reading Jhn14:27)

He restores my soul.....Gods promise of restoration and healing.

Life is hard! No one is a stranger to its downs, pains and hurts. Unfortunately, many people stay down when they fall, they remain broken and crushed in spirit. But the good news is that we have a shepherd- The good Shepherd- to walk with us along life’s way. Armed with the promise of healing restoration, we can all walk through life with the help of the Lord, we can handle its challenges and heart aches.

He leads me in the path of righteousness.......Gods promise of guidance.

Its true that we live in a time were the world seems to honour those who can go with its flow, those willing to compromise and bend to its will and ways. But we are the righteous saints of a righteous God. And He makes sure we walk in His straight paths of righteousness. And He is faithful to tell us in His word exactly what those paths are. He clearly spells out what He considers right and wrong and for those so called ‘grey areas’, he reveals the truth to those who diligently seek it. Christs example we follow and that its to Gods glory when we obey.

Though I walk through the valley ......you are with me.......Gods promise of presence. One of my fav bible verses is Matt28:20; I am with you always, even to the end of the age. So keep walking. Do not pause. Do not falter, for God is with you.

I will fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me......Gods promise of Comfort.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies, You anoint my head with oil, My cup runs over.....Gods promise of protection. (Further reading Ps7:1, Ps 31:15)

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, all the days of my life.....Gods promise of Hope This to me speaks of moving from experience to faith. You dwell in the presence of the Lord, under His protection, your every need satisfied. Believe that every moment of your future will be filled with Gods richest blessings too. Surely!!!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.....Gods promise of a home.

God has called us to prepare for our journey back home.

It may get harder and harder to get up, but get up you must

She hated wearing her glasses, but today, that was the only way she could hide the fact that she had been crying for the past 2 days. What hadn’t she tried? She’d prayed, she’d read her bible searching for a word. Something! Anything!

Going through the events of the past day in her mind, she really wondered where she’d gone wrong and what she could have done differently. She was the kind of person who found meaning in everything, a hopeless (albeit closet) romantic. With their wedding anniversary coming up in a week, and the regular misunderstandings they’d been having for the past month, she’d decided to give him something she thought he’d appreciate.

For a while now, he’d been complaining about her inability to express what she was feeling concerning certain things. It was no secret between them that this was extremely difficult for her to do. She’d been hurt so many times over the years that she’d survived by bottling things up inside. She wouldn’t know what to do, our how to function with her emotions floating around the place and she’d often told him she didn’t like telling him things because she didn’t want him to feel bad about something that may have happened between them. But as the tears she desperately tried to stop kept pouring out, she remembered what he’d said- how he’d told her she to tell him anyway, that the truth might hurt, but the truth was still the truth. Sitting with the wet tissue in her hand, she replayed in her head the podcast that had finally given her the courage to do it - the one that told her that her husband was a ‘safe place’ that she should be able to tell him anything.

She was totally and utterly confused. And worse, she was afraid and could still feel his anger as she replayed the conversation in her head. She just didn’t understand what happened. This was a man who had told her times without number that he often got frustrated because he didn’t know what she was feeling; they’d had numerous arguments because of it. And the first time she had tried to share her feelings with him; he had exploded in her face. She felt like she was left holding a bleeding heart after the doctor had told her not to go elsewhere that he would fix it, but had abandoned her when she had gone to him.

She got on her knees again. Maybe one more prayer would take this pain away. She flipped open the bible again. Maybe she would find that one verse that would bring the comfort she so desperately needed. At some point, she realised it was past time for them to pray. She checked her phone. No missed call. He hadn’t called her.

As she dialled her husband’s number she wondered if it’d be wise to attempt to share with him how his reaction had made her feel. She decided against it. She just couldn’t risk it. Instead she made small talk with him before they prayed. She asked him what she could have done differently to prevent what had happened the previous day. She could tell he was irritated at how low her voice was when she said her ‘amens’. But she blamed it on network issues. She wouldn’t let him know that she couldn’t speak louder so it wouldn’t be evident to him that she’d been crying while he prayed. She cried herself to sleep that night, not because it made her feel better, but because she had nothing else to do. She just didn’t know what to do with the flood of emotions she was drowning in. She’d never felt so alone in her life. There was no one she could tell of her secret pain. She was alone.

                                             

***

She woke up the next morning with tears on her pillow and realised she’d been crying in her sleep. But as she got out of bed, she knew something had changed when she heard the still small voice whisper ‘old things have passed away and all things have become new’. Making her way to the shower, the tears that had been her companion in the last few days threatened to pour out again, she was surprised when she heard herself say, ‘Ore, enough with the tears. You will not cry today. Your weeping endured last night, this morning claim your joy’. She was not convinced. She thought of her wedding anniversary only a few days away, the custom made card she’d ordered for her husband.....it’s words. And then a voice she clearly recognised as the Holy Spirit said to her “child, have you learnt nothing? A second does not define your life; neither do these last few days define your marriage. If you will take anything from Me, take this- Love is patient, Love is kind It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

***

As she waited for her husband at the arrivals gate, she wondered if he realised how hurt she still was by what had happened the past few day, she was tempted to let him see her red swollen eyes. But instead, she put on her glasses and threw her arms around her husband and told him how much she’d missed him. Because that’s just what you do. These misunderstandings may get harder to recover from, but she knew she just had to get up- every time.

***

1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!”

There was a time when i thought love was a ‘feeling. I’d always known that there was a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone, but i’d always thought they were 2 different types of feelings/emotions. However, now that I have a better understanding, I know love is not a feeling, it’s something you do, (yeah, yeah, yeah I know I stole errr I mean borrowed that line from a song).

So what is love?

As children of God, we are called to love others in the way we see modelled by God and his son. But is this really possible when most of us don’t even understand what love it?! I once read a book that defined love as ‘the sacrifice of self....not necessarily an emotion, or feeling loving towards a person, but an act of self sacrifice.

• Love involves effort, not merely emotion

• Love demands action, not just feeling

• Love is something we do, not something we only feel or say

Love is action 

In 1John 3:18 we are told not to love in word or in tongue, but in deed and truth....meaning love is something we do, not just the words we say.

Love reaches out to the ‘Unlovable’

Luke 6:32; ‘But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them’. This again I feel illustrates the fact that love is just not a feeling but a choice we make, a choice to love those who aren’t nice to us or those who treat us badly, even when we don’t feel like. It should be remembered that God’s love is never deserved- it simply is, so to love as God loves is not to choose to show love only to those who are nice to us, or love us back the way we want.

Love expects nothing in return

We are told in Luke6:35 to do good to others without expecting to get anything back. Love is not selfish, so to love as God loves is to love with no expectation of reward for that love.

God helps us

It’s all well and good that we are asked to show this enormous amount of love to everyone every time, even when we are so angry we can’t tell the difference between night and day. What we need to realise is that we have all the help and support we need in God. I know it’s easy for people to say this, but we need to remember we cannot create love, it is a gift from God as we are told in Rom5:5, and only His grace gives us the strength to keep getting up, to keep loving.