I have just read Psalm 136 again.
The Contemporary English version says:
verse 1:
"Praise the Lord! He is good. God's love never fails."
The 1933 King James says:
"Give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth
forever."
The New King James version says:
"Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy
endures forever."
The Amplified Bible says:
"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His mercy and loving-
kindness endure forever."
It does not matter how we translate it - the meaning, and the character of God, remain unchanged! Stop and think about that!
Thank You, Lord, for your love and mercy, Your grace towards mankind and your loving-kindness from day to day. Amid all the chaos that surrounds us, what would our planet be without You?
Thursday, 13 October 2016
Sunday, 9 October 2016
A SHORT BUT EXTRAORDINARY VISIT
This afternoon after lunch I was standing in the doorway of our little home, intending to close the stable doors against the cool breeze, when I noticed the figure of a little lady slowly walking in the street passing our home.
As is usual in our little village, I called out a greeting when she got to within hearing distance. She diverted her steps and came towards the door, calling as she came close: "I must thank you for your beautiful garden. I live in a first floor apartment and whenever I go for my walkabout I so enjoy seeing all the lovely gardens around me".
I stepped out and met her outside... petite, rather fragile looking, with wisps of silver grey hair, huge almond shaped hazel eyes, and lovely accented Afrikaans. We introduced ourselves and during the course of our conversation I found out that she was in fact already in her eighties. We chatted for a few minutes, and soon found ourselves on which was obviously very well-loved mutual ground : our need to worship the Creator God for all the beauty surrounding us in nature, including gardens and their inhabitants of all possible kinds.
We took a short stroll in my garden and I picked a couple of branches of the bottle brush tree's beautiful red plumes, as well as a few twigs of a "fynbos" shrub bearing minute, yet perfect white flowers. Around the corner we added five of six golden blooms from the pincushion shrub of the protea family and we completed the posy by adding a few sprigs of lavender.
My, was my new friend chaffed! She could not thank me enough whilst carefully holding the flowers against her body with both hands. Her last remark as she started off towards her apartment was that she felt like a bride with her exquisite bouquet!
Looking at her retreating back, I realised that I had just experienced a moment of intense beauty and joy - as if I had been touched by something beautiful; as if a butterfly had settled on my hand for a few precious minutes!
I was also privileged today to have a bouquet of flowers delivered to my youngest daughter in the U.S.A to celebrate her birthday with her. What a joy!
How little it takes to change an ordinary day into an experience to remember - a thing of beauty!
The words of a childhood song echoed in my head:
"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all...."
(Cecil F Alexander)
Thank You, Lord, for the bountiful beauty and blessings that you continue to provide that give us unlimited pleasure and joy; that we may also share it with those around us.
As is usual in our little village, I called out a greeting when she got to within hearing distance. She diverted her steps and came towards the door, calling as she came close: "I must thank you for your beautiful garden. I live in a first floor apartment and whenever I go for my walkabout I so enjoy seeing all the lovely gardens around me".
I stepped out and met her outside... petite, rather fragile looking, with wisps of silver grey hair, huge almond shaped hazel eyes, and lovely accented Afrikaans. We introduced ourselves and during the course of our conversation I found out that she was in fact already in her eighties. We chatted for a few minutes, and soon found ourselves on which was obviously very well-loved mutual ground : our need to worship the Creator God for all the beauty surrounding us in nature, including gardens and their inhabitants of all possible kinds.
We took a short stroll in my garden and I picked a couple of branches of the bottle brush tree's beautiful red plumes, as well as a few twigs of a "fynbos" shrub bearing minute, yet perfect white flowers. Around the corner we added five of six golden blooms from the pincushion shrub of the protea family and we completed the posy by adding a few sprigs of lavender.
My, was my new friend chaffed! She could not thank me enough whilst carefully holding the flowers against her body with both hands. Her last remark as she started off towards her apartment was that she felt like a bride with her exquisite bouquet!
Looking at her retreating back, I realised that I had just experienced a moment of intense beauty and joy - as if I had been touched by something beautiful; as if a butterfly had settled on my hand for a few precious minutes!
I was also privileged today to have a bouquet of flowers delivered to my youngest daughter in the U.S.A to celebrate her birthday with her. What a joy!
How little it takes to change an ordinary day into an experience to remember - a thing of beauty!
The words of a childhood song echoed in my head:
"All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all...."
(Cecil F Alexander)
Thank You, Lord, for the bountiful beauty and blessings that you continue to provide that give us unlimited pleasure and joy; that we may also share it with those around us.
Saturday, 8 October 2016
BRETHERN/SISTERS WHO DWELL TOGETHER
Last night we attended a very special birthday party.
The birthday man is a respected businessman who had built up an international company, as well as a national company - he achieved and accumulated much in the business world.
He achieved all this success despite the fact that he is a diabetic. His very active life was how-ever, brusquely interrupted last year when he suffered a massive heart attack. The damage to his heart was, in fact, so severe that the professor who attended him was loath to operate on him at all. The medical man explained the very high risk to life; that that he might not live through the operation and left the decision to the patient and his family.
Let's call him Peter for the purpose of this entry. Peter and his family prayed about it, and whilst he was in hospital a very dear friend came to him and gave him the following verse from Scripture:
Ps. 118:17:
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has
chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death."
Peter decided to make this Scripture his own and told his physician that they should proceed with the operation.
The rest is history! More than a year after the operation, we were privileged to celebrate his birthday with him. He told us that we, who were invited to share this celebration, were indeed hand-picked and although the invitations were sent out merely a week before the date of the event, it seems that everyone found the time to be there and one invitee from Botswana, just 'happened' to be in Cape Town at the right time.
The guests were varied - his physician attended, as well as his lawyer, his accountant, his p.a. of many years, some schoolfriends from Grade A, his wife, whom he dated from high school, his children, his grandchildren, members of their cell group from church, three pastors and their wives, friends - we were a motley group.
The purpose of the celebration he said in his speech about his life, is primarily to 'declare the works of the Lord'. He remarked that on the day he left the hospital, the professor saw him walking in the passage and shouted after him: 'You are a walking miracle, do you know that?' Secondly, it was to celebrate his birthday with us, to share this precious moment in his life. Thirdly, he declared his wife to be an angel from heaven. From my own experience, I agree with this statement!
Two of his grandsons were granted the privilege to ask him any questions they wanted and he had to answer within the 30 seconds allowed him by his p.a. One grandson wanted to know what he would receive for Christmas!
His one son-in-law talked about how after his operation, Peter who had been his father-in-law for years, became his father. His younger brother told how they were never close but how, after Peter's recovery, they have become closer and closer and are now sharing many precious moments.
Peter himself acknowledged the power of the prayers of his family and friends and the roll it played in his survival and recovery. His sickness and recovery brought together a band of about 70 - 80 people from all different walks of life in a bond that will always exist with him as the hub. We, although not all blood relatives of Peter and his wife, are in fact, their 'family' in our love and concern for them and their wellfare. Last night we all experienced what Ps. 133 sets out:
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard,
the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord
commanded the blessing- Life forevermore."
There is another similar situation playing itself out in Gauteng at the moment. This event involves my own family. Again the closely knit family is standing together in unity and in prayer. My daughter-in-law has set up a support group on whattsapp and this enables family and friends from all over to be involved in support, also with life and strength infusing prayer for the patient and loved ones. What miracles prayer bring about! What a miracle technology is! How we appreciate the privilege of being involved in this way. Prayer changes things! It has been proven times without count!
God willing we will also be able to celebrate another birthday next year in this greater family as well!
Thank You, Lord, that You answer prayer and recognise and value unity amongst brethren and sisters and that we are able to declare Your works from day to day in many different lives and circumstances surrounding and involving ourselves and our loved ones. Blessed be Your Name!
The birthday man is a respected businessman who had built up an international company, as well as a national company - he achieved and accumulated much in the business world.
He achieved all this success despite the fact that he is a diabetic. His very active life was how-ever, brusquely interrupted last year when he suffered a massive heart attack. The damage to his heart was, in fact, so severe that the professor who attended him was loath to operate on him at all. The medical man explained the very high risk to life; that that he might not live through the operation and left the decision to the patient and his family.
Let's call him Peter for the purpose of this entry. Peter and his family prayed about it, and whilst he was in hospital a very dear friend came to him and gave him the following verse from Scripture:
Ps. 118:17:
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has
chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death."
Peter decided to make this Scripture his own and told his physician that they should proceed with the operation.
The rest is history! More than a year after the operation, we were privileged to celebrate his birthday with him. He told us that we, who were invited to share this celebration, were indeed hand-picked and although the invitations were sent out merely a week before the date of the event, it seems that everyone found the time to be there and one invitee from Botswana, just 'happened' to be in Cape Town at the right time.
The guests were varied - his physician attended, as well as his lawyer, his accountant, his p.a. of many years, some schoolfriends from Grade A, his wife, whom he dated from high school, his children, his grandchildren, members of their cell group from church, three pastors and their wives, friends - we were a motley group.
The purpose of the celebration he said in his speech about his life, is primarily to 'declare the works of the Lord'. He remarked that on the day he left the hospital, the professor saw him walking in the passage and shouted after him: 'You are a walking miracle, do you know that?' Secondly, it was to celebrate his birthday with us, to share this precious moment in his life. Thirdly, he declared his wife to be an angel from heaven. From my own experience, I agree with this statement!
Two of his grandsons were granted the privilege to ask him any questions they wanted and he had to answer within the 30 seconds allowed him by his p.a. One grandson wanted to know what he would receive for Christmas!
His one son-in-law talked about how after his operation, Peter who had been his father-in-law for years, became his father. His younger brother told how they were never close but how, after Peter's recovery, they have become closer and closer and are now sharing many precious moments.
Peter himself acknowledged the power of the prayers of his family and friends and the roll it played in his survival and recovery. His sickness and recovery brought together a band of about 70 - 80 people from all different walks of life in a bond that will always exist with him as the hub. We, although not all blood relatives of Peter and his wife, are in fact, their 'family' in our love and concern for them and their wellfare. Last night we all experienced what Ps. 133 sets out:
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard,
the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord
commanded the blessing- Life forevermore."
There is another similar situation playing itself out in Gauteng at the moment. This event involves my own family. Again the closely knit family is standing together in unity and in prayer. My daughter-in-law has set up a support group on whattsapp and this enables family and friends from all over to be involved in support, also with life and strength infusing prayer for the patient and loved ones. What miracles prayer bring about! What a miracle technology is! How we appreciate the privilege of being involved in this way. Prayer changes things! It has been proven times without count!
God willing we will also be able to celebrate another birthday next year in this greater family as well!
Thank You, Lord, that You answer prayer and recognise and value unity amongst brethren and sisters and that we are able to declare Your works from day to day in many different lives and circumstances surrounding and involving ourselves and our loved ones. Blessed be Your Name!
BRETHERN/SISTERS WHO DWELL TOGETHER
Last night we attended a very special birthday party.
The birthday man is a respected businessman who had built up an international company, as well as a national company - he achieved and accumulated much in the business world.
He achieved all this success despite the fact that he is a diabetic. His very active life was how-ever, brusquely interrupted last year when he suffered a massive heart attack. The damage to his heart was, in fact, so severe that the professor who attended him was loath to operate on him at all. The medical man explained the very high risk that he would not live through the operation and left the decision to the patient and his family.
Let's call him Peter for the purpose of this entry. Peter and his family prayed about it, and whilst he was in hospital a very dear friend came to him and gave him the following verse from Scripture:
Ps. 118:17:
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has
chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death."
Peter decided to make this Scripture his own and told his physician that they should proceed with the operation.
The rest is history! More than a year after the operation, we were privileged to celebrate his birthday with him. He told us that we, who were invited to share this celebration, were indeed hand-picked and although the invitations were sent out merely a week before the date of the event, it seems that everyone found the time to be there and one invitee from Botswana, just 'happened' to be in Cape Town at the right time.
The guests were varied - his physician attended, as well as his lawyer, his accountant, his p.a. of many years, some schoolfriends from Grade A, his wife, whom he dated from high school, his children, his grandchildren, members of their cell group from church, three pastors and their wives, friends - we were a motley group.
The purpose of the celebration he said in his speech about his life, is primarily to 'declare the works of the Lord'. He remarked that on the day he left the hospital, the professor saw him walking in the passage and shouted after him: 'You are a walking miracle, do you know that?' Secondly, it was to celebrate his birthday with us, to share this precious moment in his life. Thirdly, he declared that his wife to be an angel from heaven. From my own experience, I agree with this statement!
Two of his grandsons were granted the privilege to ask him any questions they wanted and he had to answer within the 30 seconds allowed him by his p.a. One grandson wanted to know what he would receive for Christmas!
His one son-in-law talked about how after his operation, Peter who had been his father-in-law for years, became his father. His younger brother told how they were never close but how, after Peter's recovery, they have become closer and closer and are now sharing many precious moments.
Peter himself acknowledged the power of the prayers of his family and friends and the roll it played in his survival and recovery. His sickness and recovery brought together a band of about 70 - 80 people from all different walks of life in a bond that will always exist with him as the hub. We, although not all blood relatives of Peter and his wife, are in fact, their 'family' in our love and concern for them and their wellfare. Last night we all experienced what Ps. 133 sets out:
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard,
the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord
commanded the blessing- Life forevermore."
There is another similar tragic situation playing itself out in Gauteng at the moment. This event involves my own family. Again the closely knit family is standing together in unity and in prayer. My daughter-in-law has set up a support group on whattsapp and this enables family and friends from all over to be involved in support, also with life and strength infusing prayer for the patient and loved ones. What miracles prayer brings about! What a miracle technology is! How we appreciate the privilege of being involved in this way. Prayer changes things! It has been proven times without count!
God willing we will also be able to celebrate another birthday next year in this greater family as well!
Thank You, Lord, that You answer prayer and recognise and value unity amongst brethren and sisters and that we are able to declare Your works from day to day in many different lives and circumstances surrounding and involving ourselves and our loved ones. Blessed be Your Name!
The birthday man is a respected businessman who had built up an international company, as well as a national company - he achieved and accumulated much in the business world.
He achieved all this success despite the fact that he is a diabetic. His very active life was how-ever, brusquely interrupted last year when he suffered a massive heart attack. The damage to his heart was, in fact, so severe that the professor who attended him was loath to operate on him at all. The medical man explained the very high risk that he would not live through the operation and left the decision to the patient and his family.
Let's call him Peter for the purpose of this entry. Peter and his family prayed about it, and whilst he was in hospital a very dear friend came to him and gave him the following verse from Scripture:
Ps. 118:17:
"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord has
chastened me severely, but He has not given me over to death."
Peter decided to make this Scripture his own and told his physician that they should proceed with the operation.
The rest is history! More than a year after the operation, we were privileged to celebrate his birthday with him. He told us that we, who were invited to share this celebration, were indeed hand-picked and although the invitations were sent out merely a week before the date of the event, it seems that everyone found the time to be there and one invitee from Botswana, just 'happened' to be in Cape Town at the right time.
The guests were varied - his physician attended, as well as his lawyer, his accountant, his p.a. of many years, some schoolfriends from Grade A, his wife, whom he dated from high school, his children, his grandchildren, members of their cell group from church, three pastors and their wives, friends - we were a motley group.
The purpose of the celebration he said in his speech about his life, is primarily to 'declare the works of the Lord'. He remarked that on the day he left the hospital, the professor saw him walking in the passage and shouted after him: 'You are a walking miracle, do you know that?' Secondly, it was to celebrate his birthday with us, to share this precious moment in his life. Thirdly, he declared that his wife to be an angel from heaven. From my own experience, I agree with this statement!
Two of his grandsons were granted the privilege to ask him any questions they wanted and he had to answer within the 30 seconds allowed him by his p.a. One grandson wanted to know what he would receive for Christmas!
His one son-in-law talked about how after his operation, Peter who had been his father-in-law for years, became his father. His younger brother told how they were never close but how, after Peter's recovery, they have become closer and closer and are now sharing many precious moments.
Peter himself acknowledged the power of the prayers of his family and friends and the roll it played in his survival and recovery. His sickness and recovery brought together a band of about 70 - 80 people from all different walks of life in a bond that will always exist with him as the hub. We, although not all blood relatives of Peter and his wife, are in fact, their 'family' in our love and concern for them and their wellfare. Last night we all experienced what Ps. 133 sets out:
"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in
unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard,
the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the
dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord
commanded the blessing- Life forevermore."
There is another similar tragic situation playing itself out in Gauteng at the moment. This event involves my own family. Again the closely knit family is standing together in unity and in prayer. My daughter-in-law has set up a support group on whattsapp and this enables family and friends from all over to be involved in support, also with life and strength infusing prayer for the patient and loved ones. What miracles prayer brings about! What a miracle technology is! How we appreciate the privilege of being involved in this way. Prayer changes things! It has been proven times without count!
God willing we will also be able to celebrate another birthday next year in this greater family as well!
Thank You, Lord, that You answer prayer and recognise and value unity amongst brethren and sisters and that we are able to declare Your works from day to day in many different lives and circumstances surrounding and involving ourselves and our loved ones. Blessed be Your Name!
Thursday, 6 October 2016
A WEANED CHILD WITH HIS MOTHER
First, I want to thank each of the 10 002 people who have thus far visited this blog. I trust that you found a word, a Scripture, or a thought to comfort you, uplift you and to position you in the direction of a life fully aware of the circumsances in the lives of those around you and to understanding how much we each in our own lives have to be thankful for.
Ps. 131 has only three verses but what a picture David paints with his words:
"Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself
with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed
and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is
my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever."
Like a weaned child.... not haughty, not driven by ambition, or lust, or greed after power or possessions, not anxious, fretful, or afraid, but cosy, secure, safe, satisfied, loved and cherished on the lap of the one person who knows what he/she needs and the one who will provide his/her needs when necessary!
"Hope in the Lord, O Israel!"
We need to calm our hearts and souls and know that God knows our needs and, in His ultimate wisdom, will supply what is truly necessary when it is truly needed.
Thank You, Lord, that we may be comforted in the knowledge that You know all and You are Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
Ps. 131 has only three verses but what a picture David paints with his words:
"Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty. Neither do I concern myself
with great matters, nor with things too profound for me. Surely I have calmed
and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with his mother; like a weaned child is
my soul within me. O Israel, hope in the Lord from this time forth and forever."
Like a weaned child.... not haughty, not driven by ambition, or lust, or greed after power or possessions, not anxious, fretful, or afraid, but cosy, secure, safe, satisfied, loved and cherished on the lap of the one person who knows what he/she needs and the one who will provide his/her needs when necessary!
"Hope in the Lord, O Israel!"
We need to calm our hearts and souls and know that God knows our needs and, in His ultimate wisdom, will supply what is truly necessary when it is truly needed.
Thank You, Lord, that we may be comforted in the knowledge that You know all and You are Jehovah Jireh, the Provider.
Tuesday, 27 September 2016
THE GREATEST OF THESE IS LOVE
I don't think there is a believer who is not acquainted with the words of 1 Cor. 13. Yet, the other morning, listening to the Word being preached from the pulpit, it struck me that we do not really pay enough attention to the contents of this, one of the most beautiful passages in the Word.
Love. I must have love. I must show love. The very foundation of my every thought, word and deed should be love.
The Lord Jesus said in answer to the question asked Him by a lawyer as to which is the greatest commandment in the law (can you just see that legal mind ticking away attempting to outsmart the Lord?):
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You
shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law
and the Prophets." Matt. 22: 37-40
Interesting last words: What do they mean? Simply that we cannot keep the Law or obey the prophets without love!
Read 1 Cor. 13 again, slowly...
Nothing I do is worth anything at all if it is not founded in love.
The biggest misconception we as human being suffer is that love is mere passion. Yes, of course, passion has its part in loving somebody, but true love asks a decision of your will. Augustinus says of God: "You love your creatures, but without passion." When you love as God does, unconditionally, viewing loved ones lovingly yet dispassionately, your judgment in critical situations will be more just, more lenient, more compassionate, more practical, more beneficial to them; selfless.
If we can convince ourselves to take this all-important decision before making our marriage vows, then, I believe, we will not have half the number of divorces taking place. Instead we will in critical situations be reminded that we had decided to love and keep loving this person, come what may...
Thank You, Lord, that your love is unending....everlasting, from generation to generation, forevermore.
Love. I must have love. I must show love. The very foundation of my every thought, word and deed should be love.
The Lord Jesus said in answer to the question asked Him by a lawyer as to which is the greatest commandment in the law (can you just see that legal mind ticking away attempting to outsmart the Lord?):
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all
your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: "You
shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law
and the Prophets." Matt. 22: 37-40
Interesting last words: What do they mean? Simply that we cannot keep the Law or obey the prophets without love!
Read 1 Cor. 13 again, slowly...
Nothing I do is worth anything at all if it is not founded in love.
The biggest misconception we as human being suffer is that love is mere passion. Yes, of course, passion has its part in loving somebody, but true love asks a decision of your will. Augustinus says of God: "You love your creatures, but without passion." When you love as God does, unconditionally, viewing loved ones lovingly yet dispassionately, your judgment in critical situations will be more just, more lenient, more compassionate, more practical, more beneficial to them; selfless.
If we can convince ourselves to take this all-important decision before making our marriage vows, then, I believe, we will not have half the number of divorces taking place. Instead we will in critical situations be reminded that we had decided to love and keep loving this person, come what may...
Thank You, Lord, that your love is unending....everlasting, from generation to generation, forevermore.
A MAN/WOMAN AFTER GOD'S HEART
What could it possibly mean to be a man/woman after God's own heart?
We often hear that King David of Old Testament times was a man after God's own heart. Yet, when we look at his life, it appears that he was as human as any one of us. He even planned another man's murder to be able to marry his widow! Shocking! Not something that many of us would do, or even contemplate!
What then is the secret of David's life?
When we research his life, we find that he feared no one. Just think about the Goliath incident! Or the time when he came so close to king Saul's person (knowing that Saul sought to kill him) that he could have cut off a piece of Saul's garment!
We also begin to understand that he revered and respected God. In this regard we only have to remember the time when the Israelites brought the ark back to Israel when Ussa died next to the ark because He stumbled and touched the ark, and when David refused to take the ark to his dwelling place as a result of his fear of God. We read about this in 2 Samuel chapter 6.
David sought God's will for his life. We often read how he first consulted God before going to war against other nations.
He loved praising and exalting God's name! We find lots of proof thereof in the Psalms and songs that he composed. He was not mindful of the opinions of others regarding his love and devotion to God.
We read in 2 Samuel 6:14:
"And David danced before the Lord with all his might, clad in a linen
ephod".
He encouraged others to praise and exalt God.
Ps. 117:
"O praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you people! For
His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth and
faithfulness of the Lord endure forever."
He was not without sin, no, but, he was willing and ready to immediately confess his sin and to ask for God's forgiveness; to subject himself to whatever punishment, if any, the Lord would deem fair to meet out to him.
In other words, God took the number one place in David's life and God's honour was of paramount importance to him.
1 Samuel 17: 45-47:
"Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear,
and a javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God
of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will
deliver you into my hand and I will smite you and cut off your head. And
I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds
of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know there
is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not
with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into
our hands."
I am sure that David and his sling would have won a Gold Medal if he were to participate in the Olympic Games at any time!
David knew God, the Almighty.
He did not rely on his own strength, but on the Lord God.
He did not put his trust in people but his faith and trust was in the Lord God
He was prepared to act in the Name of the Lord God on behalf of his people.
He desired to build a house for the Lord God, where the nation could worship the Lord.
Would you therefore agree that when we look at the relationship between David and the Lord God, it is indeed possible for each one of us, man or woman, to also be close to the heart of God?
No, God certainly does not expect any one of us to go out and physically kill a giant, but we must also not limit what God can do in and through each of us.
One of the great men of God of the previous century once said: "The world, and God, is anxiously waiting to see what God can do in and through a man, or woman, who is totally devoted to Him."
By living in such a close relationship to God as David did, by continuously seeking His will for our lives, praising and exalting Him in what we think, say and do, we too will be enabled to do great things for God in our homes, our families, amongst our friends, in our neighbourhoods, our communities, and our countries.
It took one man, Noah, to build the ark. It took one man, Moses, and his brother, Aaron, to lead God's people out of Egypt. It took one man, Isaiah, to pray for a drought and three years later to pray for it to rain - our prayers are powerful instruments in the sight and hand of God.
It also does not matter what age we are. It was a young Samuel, not yet of school going age, to whom God gave a message to deliver to Eli. It was a teenager, Jeremiah, whom God annointed as prophet to His people, Israel. John, the baptist, was in his thirties when he was preaching repentance and baptism and preparing the way of our Lord. Paul, Peter and John, preached the Gospel, and wrote the books of the New Testament, when they were already old, infirm and even imprisoned.
2 Cor. 4:16 says:
"Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted,
and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is (progressively)
decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being (progressively)
renewed day after day." (Amplified Bible)
Also remember that God's mercies are new every morning and that He has promised that He will be ever present until the end of the age.
Rom 12:2 reminds us to "not be conformed to the world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you]." (Amplified Bible)
The most wonderful words ever uttered about any person is this : "He/she was a man after God's own heart".
Let's live it!
Thank You, Lord, that I also can be a woman after Your own heart. Please help me to reach this goal.
We often hear that King David of Old Testament times was a man after God's own heart. Yet, when we look at his life, it appears that he was as human as any one of us. He even planned another man's murder to be able to marry his widow! Shocking! Not something that many of us would do, or even contemplate!
What then is the secret of David's life?
When we research his life, we find that he feared no one. Just think about the Goliath incident! Or the time when he came so close to king Saul's person (knowing that Saul sought to kill him) that he could have cut off a piece of Saul's garment!
We also begin to understand that he revered and respected God. In this regard we only have to remember the time when the Israelites brought the ark back to Israel when Ussa died next to the ark because He stumbled and touched the ark, and when David refused to take the ark to his dwelling place as a result of his fear of God. We read about this in 2 Samuel chapter 6.
David sought God's will for his life. We often read how he first consulted God before going to war against other nations.
He loved praising and exalting God's name! We find lots of proof thereof in the Psalms and songs that he composed. He was not mindful of the opinions of others regarding his love and devotion to God.
We read in 2 Samuel 6:14:
"And David danced before the Lord with all his might, clad in a linen
ephod".
He encouraged others to praise and exalt God.
Ps. 117:
"O praise the Lord, all you nations! Praise Him, all you people! For
His mercy and loving-kindness are great toward us, and the truth and
faithfulness of the Lord endure forever."
He was not without sin, no, but, he was willing and ready to immediately confess his sin and to ask for God's forgiveness; to subject himself to whatever punishment, if any, the Lord would deem fair to meet out to him.
In other words, God took the number one place in David's life and God's honour was of paramount importance to him.
1 Samuel 17: 45-47:
"Then said David to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, a spear,
and a javelin, but I come to you in the Name of the Lord of hosts, the God
of the ranks of Israel, Whom you have defied. This day the Lord will
deliver you into my hand and I will smite you and cut off your head. And
I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds
of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know there
is a God in Israel. And all this assembly shall know that the Lord saves not
with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's, and He will give you into
our hands."
I am sure that David and his sling would have won a Gold Medal if he were to participate in the Olympic Games at any time!
David knew God, the Almighty.
He did not rely on his own strength, but on the Lord God.
He did not put his trust in people but his faith and trust was in the Lord God
He was prepared to act in the Name of the Lord God on behalf of his people.
He desired to build a house for the Lord God, where the nation could worship the Lord.
Would you therefore agree that when we look at the relationship between David and the Lord God, it is indeed possible for each one of us, man or woman, to also be close to the heart of God?
No, God certainly does not expect any one of us to go out and physically kill a giant, but we must also not limit what God can do in and through each of us.
One of the great men of God of the previous century once said: "The world, and God, is anxiously waiting to see what God can do in and through a man, or woman, who is totally devoted to Him."
By living in such a close relationship to God as David did, by continuously seeking His will for our lives, praising and exalting Him in what we think, say and do, we too will be enabled to do great things for God in our homes, our families, amongst our friends, in our neighbourhoods, our communities, and our countries.
It took one man, Noah, to build the ark. It took one man, Moses, and his brother, Aaron, to lead God's people out of Egypt. It took one man, Isaiah, to pray for a drought and three years later to pray for it to rain - our prayers are powerful instruments in the sight and hand of God.
It also does not matter what age we are. It was a young Samuel, not yet of school going age, to whom God gave a message to deliver to Eli. It was a teenager, Jeremiah, whom God annointed as prophet to His people, Israel. John, the baptist, was in his thirties when he was preaching repentance and baptism and preparing the way of our Lord. Paul, Peter and John, preached the Gospel, and wrote the books of the New Testament, when they were already old, infirm and even imprisoned.
2 Cor. 4:16 says:
"Therefore we do not become discouraged (utterly spiritless, exhausted,
and wearied out through fear). Though our outer man is (progressively)
decaying and wasting away, yet our inner self is being (progressively)
renewed day after day." (Amplified Bible)
Also remember that God's mercies are new every morning and that He has promised that He will be ever present until the end of the age.
Rom 12:2 reminds us to "not be conformed to the world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind [by its new ideals and its new attitude], so that you may prove [for yourselves] what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you]." (Amplified Bible)
The most wonderful words ever uttered about any person is this : "He/she was a man after God's own heart".
Let's live it!
Thank You, Lord, that I also can be a woman after Your own heart. Please help me to reach this goal.
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