Monday 25 January 2016

GLORY OR SERVITUDE?

 
 
I have been earnestly seeking God's face wanting to see more of His glory in my life.
 
During the night, the question arose in my heart, "What exactly do you want from God?"
 
This morning, I decided to find out the meaning of the word glory:
 
The Strong's New Exhaustive Bible Dictionary I consulted, has a number of meanings for this word: weight, splendour, copiousness, honour, magnificence, beauty, comeliness, excellency, majesty, to be clear, also of sound, but usually of colour,  hence to make a show, and in a bad sense it could therefor mean also to boast, and thus to be (clamorously) foolish, to rave, to be exalted above others.....
 
That is as far as I got determining the meaning of the word, when suddenly the small still voice that we all know, said to me:
 
"but that is not at all what I have in mind for you, my child. I specifically sent My Son, Jesus, to the earth to set the perfect example for you: even when He rode into Jerusalem and was hailed King by the crowds, He did so on a donkey. His whole life on earth was dedicated to service to others, to washing the feet of His disciples, to a life of dedication to My will; to obedience unto death. That is what I have in mind for you."
 
And that is and will be enough for me.
 
                    "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into
                     His hands, and that He had come from God and was
                     going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His
                     garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that,
                     He poured water into a basin and began to wash the
                     disciples' feet, and to wipe  them with the towel with
                     which He was girded." John 13:3-5
 
God's glory belongs to Him to distribute as He thinks fit.
 
Thank You, Lord, that You are always there to answer our questions, and to indicate the correct path that you wish us to follow; that You have provided the only true example we will ever need.

Monday 18 January 2016

REMEMBERING WHO?


We watched the movie War Room for the second time last night...

You come away not  remembering the  arguments  between the husband and wife; your  memories are not really about the lack of attention the young  daughter experienced, or  the  deception of  the  husband, or  even  the  names of  the  characters - the lasting memories  are  those of the two prayer closets, the prayer warrior, and the faithfulness of Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

We would all like to be remembered for being perfect and for our perfect lives, don't we? But we can never attain that.

But if we remember during our lifetimes that we have our being in Him and that:

            "For none of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself. For if we
            live we  live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore,
            whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." (Romans 14:7-8)

remembering Him in all our ways; loving and serving others as Jesus did, then, when we die, He will be remembered!

What a wonderful legacy that would be to leave to the world and our loved ones!

Father God, thank You for your legacy to us - your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, Your Holy Spirit and your inspired Word. Help us to leave a legacy of love, servitude and devotion that will point our loved ones to You even when we are no longer around.





Friday 15 January 2016

GOD CANNOT NOT DELIVER

God's promises are true - He cannot not deliver.

2 Cor.1:20 says:

          "For all the promises of God in Him are Yes and in Him Amen,
          to the glory of God through us."

Isaiah 48:11:

           "For My own sake, for My own sake, I will do it; For how should
           My name be profaned. And I will not give My glory to another."

God will keep and perform His promises. We do not have to concern ourselves with that. His promises are set and cast by His spiritual laws. He is God. Nothing is impossible to Him.

We need only concern ourselves with keeping the conditions attached to His promises for them to be performed in our lives. The conditions also, form part of the spiritual laws by which His promised are governed.

Thank You, Lord, that because You are God, and because Your glory cannot be shared, You will keep and perform you promises. Help us to fulfil the conditions attached to Your promises, so that Your glory can shine forth in our lives and your faithfulness shall shine in and through us.

Wednesday 13 January 2016

GOOD NEWS!

Up to now, this has been a day of beauty and good news.

My granddaughter, Melissa, is attending grade 1 this year and school started today. Her new teacher is young, beautiful and according to the photograph I have just received, her smile radiates friendliness and the ability to care.

Melissa is very excited about this new adventure in her life, and so are her parents. She is their first-born, so this is also a new and exciting experience for them.

I have just learned that my youngest sister's youngest daughter is pregnant with her second child!
What a blessing! What a joy to look forward to!

I have received, via my cellphone, lovely photo's of Melissa in her new schoolwear, her teacher, my sister's four grandchildren and all these lovely smiley faces have definitely put a smile on my face also.

Another photo I received is of my sister's husband. His head is prematurely bald, and I can see that his face is quite swollen, due to the last chemotherapy treatment he underwent a few days ago, but, standing with a grandchild on his arm, there is a big smile on his face as well.

That smile, in the circumstances, is priceless!

A good day full of good news and smiles.

I want to add to the good news of the day:

John 3:16 :

              "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten
              Son, that whoever believed in Him should not perish, but have
              everlasting life."

Thank You, Lord, for a wonderful day, for good news, for lovely smiles. Thank You that in You we have the ability to smile at and in the storms of life, because we know that You are with us and eternal life is as much a  reality as the sun shining on this beautiful morning.

Tuesday 12 January 2016

I can recommend the following books from my personal library :

TITLE:                                                                                   AUTHOR

Tuesdays with Morrie                                                             Mitch Albom
Pride and Prejudice                                                                 Jane Austen
The Secret Scripture                                                               Sebastian Barry
Die Indringer                                                                          Dricky Beukes
Eiland van Toevlug                                                                Terri Blackstock
Royal Pardon                                                                          William Bosch
Tabernakel                                                                              Annelie Botes
Branded by Grace                                                                   Chippy Brand
Living without Liesl                                                               Douwleen Bredenhann
Die Hemel verander alles                                                       Todd & Sonja Burpo
Die Belofte                                                                              Kim & Krickitt Carpenter
Man of Two worlds                                                                William Cibane
Spore op die Bergpad                                                             Ben Conradie
the one year devotions with Jesus                                          Joshua Cooley
Run, baby run                                                                         Nicky Cruz
Little Dorritt                                                                           Charles Dickens
The old Curiosity Shop                                                          Charles Dickens
Diepsinnig maar tog so eenvoudig                                         David du Plessis
Swing lo, swing hi                                                                  SJ du Toit
Whale Capital Chronicles 1                                                    SJ du Toit
The Left-out Ones                                                                   Lorna Eglin
Hedendaagse Wonderwerke                                                   Frank Foglio
Hey God                                                                                  Frank Foglio
Cranford                                                                                  Mrs. Gaskell
Ons Grootste Taak                                                                  Norval Geldenhuys
How to be born again                                                              Billy Graham
A Painted house                                                                      John Grisham
The Rainmaker                                                                       John Grisham
Good Morning Holy Spirit                                                     Benny Hinn
Where Yesterday Lives                                                          Karen Kingsbury
Pippie                                                                                      Anice Kruger
Die Heilige Gees in Aksie vandag                                          PD le Roux
Studies in die Bevryding van die Gees                                   PD Le Roux
Granate bloei in Jerusalem                                                      Marzanne Leroux-Van der Boon
Eugene Aram                                                                          Sir Edward Bulwer Lytton
Not without my Daughter                                                       Betty Mahmoody
A Man called Peter                                                                 Catherine Marshall
To live again                                                                           Catherine Marshall
Fanie word Grootwildjagter                                                    PJ Schoeman
Treasure Island                                                                        RL Stevenson
Shooting the Moon                                                                 Callie & Monique Strydom
Genoveva                                                                                Chr. v Schmid
Meet Mrs. Smith                                                                     Anna Smith
The Amplified Bible                                                               Various authors
Moed vir elke more                                                                 Milanie Vosloo
Die Natuurwonder van Suider-Afrika                                    Alf Wannenburgh
My eie Droomreis                                                                   Bruce Wilkinson

THE REWARD



Recently, on our way back from Pretoria, we decided to visit Kimberley, to see the historical big hole.

This is the well-known site of a former diamond excavating mine and a tourist attraction. I had not visited the site since I was a child and looked forward to seeing it with adult eyes.

We found a "victorian" guest house opposite the site from the big hole. What a lovely, quaint venue to relax and have a good night's rest. The large room boasted not one, but two comfortable double beds, with lovely finishes and provision for breakfast, should we so desire.

We crossed the busy street and entered the premises of the big hole. What a surprise!! I do not at all recall the first time I visited the site with my family as a child, but now found a complete mining village had been erected alongside the big hole. The old tram tracks were still in place and in use; shops lined the streets and although it was after hours, we admired the antique settings, equipment, and merchandise displayed in the windows. There is a jewellers shop, boarding house, library, saloon, church, and many more historical buildings to admire.

We went along to the restaurant and enjoyed a lovely buffet supper. Unfortunately, it was too late to visit the big hole itself, so we returned the next morning.

Walking along the narrow streets and peering into the library, I was chaffed to find that I owned copies of some of the very old books on display. "Pride and Prejudice", "Barnaby Rudge", and a few others.

I love antiques, and things of old, and walking into the one of the typical authentic mining houses  of the era, filled me with nostalgia. It was almost like walking through my late grandmother's house in Prince Albert.

And when you enter the saloon, a audio recording takes you back to the time when the place was in fact in use and you heard the singing, shouting, and laughter that spilled onto the street at night.

Inside the small corrugated church, there was a quiet, sacred atmosphere whilst you listened to the recording of organ music softly floating through the building.

It was a wonderful experience to walk and browse through the village.

Then we moved on to the big hole itself.

What an awe inspiring site! To think that it was man-made. To think of all the hard work and hours of labour and the number of people who worked the site and formed part of the mine and its surrounding community with all of the hardships experienced; the tragedies that took place there; the joys; the sorrows; the relationships that were forged there; the cameraderie, the love, the hate, the jealousy, the greed, the trading, the magic of finding the world's largest ever diamond there - a diamond which still glistens in the crown of the Queen of England - all contributing to the site which has now become world renowned and visited by tourists from all over the world.

Of course, there are tourist gift shops now, right at the entrance to the big hole. Coffee shops and restaurants as well. You can buy souvenirs that will remind you that you had visited the site. "Been there, done that"!

But the souvenirs and the coffees and muffins, are all small things compared to the reality of standing in awe of the big hole.

You don't travel all the way there to obtain a T-shirt or a cooldrink. The prize, or reward, is to stand in awe of and see the big hole.

Fil. 3: 7 -10:

              "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.
              Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of he knowledge
               of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things,
               and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ  and be found in Him,
               not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is
               through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith that
               I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowhip of
               His sufferings, being conformed to His death."

Christ is the reward, the prize of being a Christian!

When you fall in love with another person, and stand in a relationship with that person, you get to know one another on a very personal level. You spend a lot of time together, talk, touch, do things together, visit places together, you cannot wait to do or say something that will be pleasant and pleasing to the other person.

As you get to know the other party, you become aware of their good as well as bad attributes, characteristics, shortcomings as well as their star qualities.

Sometimes, after getting to know a person, you may be very disappointed in what you learn about their personalities and traits. Sometimes you learn that the person really is not who you thought him or her to be. Who they set out to make you believe they are.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, can and will never disappoint you.

I dare you to read all the prophesies about Him and to explore for yourself whether He has not fulfilled each and every one of those prophesies. I likewise dare you to read and understand all of His promises in the Word of God, and promise that you will not be disappointed.

He has already proved that He is true and obedient unto death and He has promised, if you believe in Him, He will be with you until the end.

Matt. 28:20:

              ".....and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

It's not about the benefits of Christianity; it's not about our needs being fulfilled; it's not about the visits to church, the singing, the choir, the preaching - it is ALL about obtaining the reward: getting to know and having a personal relationship with the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He never changes, but with His Spirit abiding in us, our lives can and will be changed until the full stature of Christ is reflected in us and in our lifestyle.

Thank You, Lord, that we may strive to reflect your love and that You, who have started the work in us, will not abandon the work of Your hands, but You will be with us until the end of the age.

Sunday 10 January 2016

HAPPY TO BE BACK
 
Not being able to add to my blog for such a long time, was a great disappointment and inconvenience.
 
However, now I am once more able and very happy to do so.
 
It is 8.00a.m. on this Sunday morning in Cape Town and already the temperature is 24 degrees C. outside. I have just fed the birds and approximately 30 turtle doves, a number of  sparrows and two finches are enjoying a hearty breakfast outside on the patio.
 
My husband is about to be woken up with breakfast in bed, whilst the rest of the security village in which we reside is quiet and at peace. Would that the whole world were at peace at this moment.
 
I am reminded of a verse in the Scriptures which says:
 
           "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." John 14:27
 
and another verse:
 
            " These things I have spoken to you that, in Me,
               you may have peace. In the world you will have
               tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have
               overcome the world." John 16:33


Thank you, Lord, that we have the assurance that You are greater than anything and all things in the world; that You have conquered the world. This makes us more than conquerors through You who gives us the power to overcome.