Moments from this weekend... Sharing a late night cozy chat with teenage Sons, it was great fun to hang out with them and listen to them share their hearts... Being blessed by generous folk at church who blessed our eldest, just 16 with monetary gifts for his trip to Pennsylvania in less than two weeks, their kindness is really encouraging and I know that they will be praying for him. Seeing my daughter and niece wear matching outfits for church, very cute. An inspirational chat with an 83 year old lady who is always smiling - despite her fair share of troubles.

Making Good Progress

Just a last week during a Prayer meeting and bible study held in our home, one older lady commented on a concern that someone wasn't diligent in their spiritual walk... She responded quickly with such a simple answer that really spoke into the depths of my heart - 'never mind, that will come..! If their name is in the Lambs Book of Life then it'll come!'

Uncomplicated faith.

Of course she is right. We need not be unduly concerned about our young one's walk if they appear to be making slow progress. Sometimes our children will take great strides in Christian grace, compassion and zeal whilst at other time they will meander through quietly finding their way amidst the darkness of peer pressure and temptation.

It is our part to seek, His to grant what we ask; ours to make a beginning, His to bring it to completion; ours to offer what we can, His to finish what we cannot.

—Jerome (c. 345–419), biblical scholar and Latin Bible translator

Just like us, our teens and children will have peaks and troughs in their walk - we must continue to encourage, build up, nurture and pray for our children so 'that in it's season we will reap a harvest.'

He has made everything beautiful in it's time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

I’m no stranger to periods of disillusionment. My husband and I have had several experiences when we have wondered where God is, and how could this outcome be better than what we had planned? Surely, my motives are good and in line with God’s will so why are we going through this?

Mark Dever (9 marks.org) says ‘Success in ministry primarily means faithfulness’.

You see although at times I have wondered why we have suffered pain, lost friends, lost our home and seemingly been denied ministry (for a time), the Lord was working things out in His perfect timing. It is when we look back in retrospect that we can marvel at God’s amazing work. He does all things well.

Sometimes we can feel as though we are being faithful, acting upon God’s call and obeying His Word but the ‘results’ seem poor. ‘God evaluates His servants on the basis of faithfulness to His call, not results of their ministries’. (Kent & Barbara Hughes). We are called to be faithful in whatever season of life that we are in. Each period of change will bring its own trials and we are to continue to strive towards the goal and shun the devil.

In numbers 20, God directed Moses to speak to a rock to provide water for the Israelites. Moses disobeyed and struck the rock twice with his staff. It proved successful; water gushed from the rock. However, God chastised Moses and forbid him to enter the Promised Land. The means doesn’t justify the end! God was looking for faithful obedience not self reliance.

In 1 Corinthians 3 5-7 we find the essential element required for every season of life – trust in God.
What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe - as the Lord has assigned to each task. I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been ,aking it grow. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. For we are co-workers in God's service; you are God's field, God's building.

   There it is – God. We are God’s field, He is doing the real work, we are His building. We are called to be faithful and leave the rest to Him.

In John 15 v 16 Jesus calls us to bear fruit, yet ironically the fruit ultimately depends upon Him.

When sharing God’s Word, we’re sowing seeds. If we not become weary of doing good, these seeds will bear fruit. Faith and faithfulness go hand in hand. The condition if you like is that we remain in Him. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15 v 5.

Even when the winter seems long, I am learning that God is faithful. He calls us to be faithful and to trust His accompanying promises. He makes everything beautiful in it’s time.

Defender of the Faith

Defender of the Faith

Hebrews 12:1

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us

Three things we can learn from Queen Elizabeth

Endurance

During her reign she has had many highs and lows, many of them in private and some of them in public. I am sure everyone can recall the public outcry after the death of Diana, the Queen didn’t live up to their expectations and many questioned the validity of the monarchy. However, as Christians we are not judged upon by our individual mistakes or triumphs; we can safely say that no matter what mistakes we make, our God is a forgiving God. He remembers our sins no more. How amazing! I am convinced that the Queen has a personal faith in the Son of God, Jesus, and because of this she ‘runs with endurance’.

Perseverence

As children of The King of Kings we too can run with endurance. Just this weekend at church we were reminded that:

"No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."

Why? Well, when we look back we become, downcast, we remember pain and it causes us to be fearful. If you have ever seen a baby taking his first steps you can see that he is joyful, even excited but after a few bumps he becomes more cautious, more hesitant to leave the strength of a chair or a hand of love. We need to remember that wherever we go, we have the hand of love. God is always with us and He promises not to let go!

Queen Elizabeth could have said, it’s too hard, the people hate me, she could have sat broken over the breakdowns of her children’s marriages and so on but she didn’t. She persevered towards the goal. I am convinced that her faith would have strengthened her during her darkest hours. She knows that the Son reigns as servant and she follows after His great example. We need this kind of perseverance.

Devotion

Queen Elizabeth has repeatedly and consistently tended to her ‘flock’: the nations of the world, her family, her subjects and even her animals.  We too are called to be good stewards of all that God has given to us. Through faithful obedience may we run with endurance, purpose and devotion to all that God has given us.

Diamond Jubilee Prayer

I will leave you with the  following Prayer, written at The Queen's direction by the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral for Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee, will be used in the Jubilee Thanksgiving Service in St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday, 5 June.

God of time and eternity, whose Son reigns as servant, not master;
we give you thanks and praise that you have blessed this Nation, the Realms and Territories
with Elizabeth our beloved and glorious Queen.
In this year of Jubilee, grant her your gifts of love and joy and peace
as she continues in faithful obedience to you, her Lord and God and in devoted service to her lands and peoples, and those of the Commonwealth, now and all the days of her life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Let us join with the Queen and become 'Defenders of The Faith' through endurance, perseverence and devotion.

Shine brightly

Julie

Friday Favourite

Anneskidmorecbm.co.uk

Today's post comes from Donna, visit her at : http://tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com/

I don't really know why, but today I was remembering the day that I attended the renewing of wedding vows for friends of ours who had been married thirty years. First of all, thirty years is a long, long time to share a life with one person. In light of the state of our present world, dare I say that what we witnessed that day was nothing short of a miracle? God's grace was on glorious display right before our very eyes!

What I want to write about today is the groom. Bride-zilla would have us believe that wedding days and vow renewals are all about her, but I was so taken with that groom. So was the lady sitting behind me. We were anxious to see my friend, and how she would look when she walked down the aisle. But we both agreed that there is nothing like watching the face of a groom when he first lays eyes on his bride walking through the door.

It was like watching a tennis match. Glance at the door. Glance at the groom. Glance at the bride of thirty years coming down the aisle. Glance at the groom again. Oh, we were not disappointed! We saw the sweetest smile come across his face when he caught a glimpse of his wife in the doorway. That smile gave way to eyes that sparkled with just the slightest hint of tears. He whispered something into the pastor's ear. How I wish I knew what he said.

Maybe he said that she looked even more beautiful today than she did all those years ago. Maybe he whispered that he'd do it all again. Maybe he said that he wouldn't have missed her for the world.

Did you know that every time Jesus Christ, your Bridegroom, looks at you, He thinks those same things? He remembers where you were, and exactly what you looked like, the day He found you. He remembers the day that you made your vow to follow Him forever. He thinks that you are infinitely more beautiful today than you were all those years ago. You are a beautiful bride, radiant with His Holy Spirit.

He has no regrets about choosing you. He'd do it all over again in a hot second. For better or worse. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Through laughter and tears. From eternity past, until death, and in eternity beyond. He would choose you over and over again.

Every time He sees you coming to spend time with Him, each time He hears your voice, in each moment of joy when you praise Him, and in each dark night, full of tears, His eyes are fixed on you. You are His beloved Bride, and He grins from ear to ear. His eyes well up and sparkle with tears of joy over you. In His eyes, you are the most beautiful sight He's ever seen.

He turns and whispers to His Father, "I wouldn't have missed her for the world."



  This beautiful post comes from Donna over at Tuesdays with Jesus - thank you Donna.


May the Lord bless you all this weekend.
Shine brightly
Julie

What do you need?

What are you in need of this next hour?

For a beggar with a begging bowl, it's a penny. For a man with an injury, it's a doctor. For someone who is hungry, it's food. For a new Mum it is sleep.

What are the things we need in our churches? I remember visiting a church in England that had a 20 year old tea urn that required a 'special' way of pouring the hot water. It was leaking but they were content. What struck me was that there was a wealthier church just 100 meters away with amazing facilities but they neglected to share with their brothers and sisters on the same turf! This is not an isolated example, the list could go on...

I guess all things are relative. This small faithful needy church needed a Minister far more  than they needed a new tea urn, the church around the corner had other needs, maybe  more workers, more teachers...

Just recently, our family has been praying for missionaries that went out to South Sudan, we prayed that they would find shelter. They also needed an open door in a predominately Islamic country.

The Bible says, 'And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus' Philippians 4 v 19. He will provide all that we need to accomplish the work that he has set us to do. We will not lack anything that we need. We may have periods of having to do without the things that our culture values as essential but He is faithful and His Word is true.

The last thing that Christ told the disciples was to teach all nations, this mandate is still in force. We can pray, partner with missionary organisations or even go as far as participate in a missionary venture. He will provide for us in our calling to make disciples of all the earth. Start with the neighbours, the lonely, the sick, the new Mum... demonstrate contentment and love. And may we have the type of faith that is known throughout the world.

Shine brightly

Julie

Salt is good

Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavour, how shall it be seasoned? Luke 14 v 34-35

In the previous verse, we read that whoever does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

Historically salt has been used as a form of currency, Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt and in fact word "salary"  comes from "sal," the Latin word for salt. This gave rise to such expressions as 'being worth one's salt'.

The Christian disciple is different to the 'believer'. I have come across lots of 'believers', you know them, they believe that Jesus came to earth, rose again and is in heaven BUT, they do not follow him.  They see him as a good man, maybe a prophet or even as the son of God BUT He is not their leader. They don't pursue Him or His Word. They will not stand for Him.

We must count the cost of following after Christ. We cannot say yes we believe and then go our own way. I am not talking about earning favour or salvation, but we must remember that we are no longer our own once we have come to saving faith.

Jesus was the 'salt of the earth'. We are to be more and more like Him every day:

  And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Cor 3 v 18.

We are called to become more like Him and since He is the salt of the earth we should be too.

Matthew 5:13-16

 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Wherever you find yourself today, be determined to be as salt... The Lord provides a myriad of subtle opportunities every day for us to take hold of and speak truth, show grace, and demonstrate love.

We need not fear, we hold the truth. The world is changing but our God isn't and He remains the same today and forever. His Word is for today and forever. Be a believer AND a follower. Are you worth your salt?

Shine brightly

Julie

How are your investments?

Most people have some kind of investments: Property, careers, stocks, savings etc. but what about the priceless things we have invested time, energy and love into: our marriages, our children, our friendships?


Taking stock of material things is a useful thing to do; we are instructed to be good stewards of all that God has given us. There are numerous blogs and websites on budgeting and making lists for grocery shopping and these help us to be more efficient steward of God's provision. These investments are temporal, but they are necessary for our lives on earth, however, we should also ask ourselves if they consume our time to such a degree that we neglect the eternal matters.


The Christian family has the Bible at the centre of their universe, it provides the perfect answer to every problem or situation. We can encourage our children to examine their own ways of thinking and teach them to align their ideas with the Word of God. When they are taught its precepts from a young age, chihldren begin to view the world through biblical eyes... Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God, and we can expect that those who are consistently taught the Word to at the very least questions the world's 'norms'.


For every minute we invest into our children, we can view it as storing up treasure.

1 Timothy 6 v 18-20. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge, which some have professed and in so doing have wandered from the faith.

Here Timothy is told to 'guard what has been entrusted to his care....' In the same way, we should guard what has been entrusted to our care: our children, marriage, church, home, friends...


Teach them to love God with all of their hearts, let them see you handle conflicts with grace and kindness, demonstrate to them that the Word of God holds the answer to every problem they will ever face and remember that 'God honours those that honour Him'. 1 Samuel 2 v 30.

Check your investments today, sow generously and reap the rewards of faithful stewardship.


Shine brightly
Julie

Are you a gossip?

I don't think anyone would admit to being a gossip, it is so hard to define. Often we say words without filtering them in the light of our Saviour, people get hurt because of our fleeting words and it is draining to be with someone who continuously gossips.

We have all met well meaning people who ask us to pray about certain people and we just cringe once we have listened to the embarrassment that others must be feeling. We need to examine our hearts in the light of scripture on this topic and check that we aren't being drawn into gossip or even spreading it ourselves.

A good way of checking ourselves is to remember that gossip is something we would never say if the person was present.

He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbour no wrong and casts no slur on his fellow man... he who does these things will never be shaken. Psalm 15 vv 2-3, 5.

If you have found yourself to be a gossip, repent today and walk on closely with the Lord. Filter what you say, filter everything you hear through the scriptures. Remember if the words of our friends contradicts the word of God, God is always right.

Shine brightly
Julie

Help! I'm a slave to food!

This is the title of a wee booklet I am reading from Day One Publishers. A friend of mine had a vast array of tracts and mini-books that she collects, she uses them as a ministry to share with visitors to her home and there is something for everyone!

This title jumped out at me and we had a bit of a giggle about it! I have several foodie friends, some are overweight, most are slim. You can't always tell a 'foodie' by their weight.

So what is a foodie? Slashfood.com defines a foodie as "someone who has an ardent or refined interest in food." I wonder if it could also be defined as someone who is obsessed by food... Every time you switch the TV on there are numerous options for food programmes, I do feel that as a nation, we are obsessed with food, it's ironic that this is happening in a time when charities that offer free food are inundated with requests. Even in the relatively wealthy area that I live,  food charities have experienced low stocks because of the demand for food.

Nevertheless, if we obsess about anything above the Lord we are guilty of idolotry - whether we obsess about food or whether we obsess about our weight or something else, our focus is not in the correct place. God's Word tells us to do everything to His glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31.

As part of my CDP, I was considering adding a weight-loss section on my blog but I really don't want to be consumed with food and calories and points or low fat, low carb etc. I want to eat to the glory of God. I want to serve my King in every area of my life.

One thing that really struck me when reading this booklet was the point made about drunkenness. 'This feeds the flesh which produces sinful deeds and negative consequences' (p51). Living the Spirit-filled life involves letting the Word of Christ richly indwell you (Colossians 3:16).

The similarities between overeating and drunkenness are evident; both have negative consequences on the body and are exampes of being out of control. In Galatians 5 16-17 we read
   'But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

As we battle with our sin, may we be mindful of walking in the Spirit - our leader is always near. He can help us to overcome, I know that he will help me in all circumstances when I submit to Him. Praise Him that His mercies are new every day and that because of His great love, we can be called children of God. We can go to Him and bring our sin in exchange for salvation and righteousness.

Shine brightly
Julie

Continuous Development Plan

Ok, so I wrote that I have been to Women Across the Highlands and was inspired by Ann Allen to create a Continuous Development Plan otherwise known as a C.D.P.


Before I set my mind to this task, which incidently I do feel will be helpful in remaining focussed on my walk with God, I want to look at what the scriptures say about making plans.


Whilst it can be profitable to lay down some kind of aims or objectives for our lives it is a blessing to remember that God Himself has already made plans for our lives.

Jeremiah 29:11

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.


He provides for us:


Acts 14:17
   Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

We must not be anxious:

Philippians 4:6
   Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And so with these thoughts in mind, I am asking God to show me what to include in my CDP.

  

A fundamental principle at the heart of many quality management systems is “Plan – Do – Check – Act”, first championed by Deming in the 1950′s:

• Plan – design or revise a business process or system or product
• Do – implement the plan and measure the result
• Check – evaluate the measurements or results
• Act – decide if further changes are appropriate and, if so, what these should be; then back again to…
• Plan – re-design or revise the process, system, product
• etc.

This cyclic feedback process helps you achieve continuous improvement in the way you work, and in many respects it’s pretty obvious.


For Christians it may be adapted like so:

• Plan – Pray, seek a prayer partner or a good friend as a sounding board to share your thoughts. Be careful not to over-commit yourself and so spread yourself so thinly that you don't do anything really well.
• Do – all to the glory of God. Always do your very best. We want to shine brightly in everything that we turn our hands to.
• Check – Be open to constructive criticism - again a prayer partner is invaluable for this. Be humble, ready to learn and grow in Christ.
• Act – Pray again... pray for help where needed - He DOES provide. Commit your ways to Him.
• Plan – Revise your aims and be ready to submit to God when things don't go according to your plans... His ways are perfect - consistently.

Back soon - shine brightly
Julie

Women Across the Highlands

Yesterday, I and two friends went to the 'Women Across the Highlands' conference at Smithton-Culloden Free Church. We had a challenging, encouraging and blessed day as we mingled with other Christian women, worshipped the Lord and listened to the seminars. We were given a very warm welcome and I was truly blessed to learn that a team of women had been praying for everyone that would attend.

The main speaker was Ann Allen, she encouraged us to have a 'CDP'  otherise known as a Continuous Development Plan. She reminded us to grow in Christ, to be like-minded in love, ban selfism and to look out for one another.

I took lots of notes and willcertainly use some of the ideas to prayerfully create my own CDP. On the topic of prayer... one of the seminars that I attended was about prayer and was led by Liz MacQuoid, a pastor’s wife who lives in Aberdeen.

'What Happens when Women Pray? ' was the title of the seminar where she helped us to 'look at practical ways in which women can meet together, to develop a ministry of prayer'.

Shining as Stars was the second seminar that we opted for, this time led by

Fiona MacDonald an enthusiastic, vibrant communicator and works for the Scottish Bible Society.

 

She said that Paul urges us “to hold out the word of life”- but how do we do this in a society that thinks the Christian's God is largely irrelevant? She certainly gave us food for thought about how the church can narrow the gap between itself and society.

 

I am so pleased that I went along and am already looking forward to the next one.

 

In Him

Julie

 "Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts." Isaiah 26:8