The simple made wise...

There was a time when I believed anyone who had been a Christian a month longer than me, could understand much more than I would ever glean from the Word of God. 

Then I went to Bible College and during the first month one of my teachers would say things which really upset me, twisting what I thought I knew from God's Word to say something different. 

Day after day I would go home confused, then exhaust myself until late in the evening studying whatever passage or book of the Bible my teacher had discussed that day, seeking to uncover the truth.

You know, my response is exactly what my teacher was after. He wanted each of his students to absorb Scripture, to seek out for themselves what God has said, and not to sit back and lazily 'trust' the accuracy of preaching they would be listening to from the pulpit each week.

It turned out this teacher was purposely (that first month) twisting the passages we studied to see how we would respond, to open our ears and eyes so that we'd hunger to prove him wrong, to know intimately the truth held within the Bible for ourselves. 

His style of teaching at the start of my first semester was unusual to say the least, but it was what I needed, what most of the students needed, and the fruit was that for the remainder of my Bible College year and the eighteen years since I've rarely trusted man, but sought the truth within the pages of Scripture. 

Once I followed a particular doctrinal path, but with an open heart for God to draw me away if it was the wrong one. And that's what He does. Perhaps not immediately, in fact the Lord allowed me to traverse one particular path for a few years - but when He revealed the inaccuracies I'd taken on I immediately turned from them and spent much time in the Bible grounding myself once again in His absolute and infallible truths. 

Fortunately God wastes nothing and after He'd corrected me the Lord gave me a heart to pray for others who also may have strayed into teaching what was more man-ordained than God-ordained. 

The Scripture I've shared today is such an encouraging one. 

It speaks truth and lifts self doubt about understanding the Bible. 

It promises us that even though we may never be wise in the ways of the world, we who trust Him, we who invest time inside the pages of His Word with hearts open to learn and obey, we simple souls, shall be made wise in the ways of God. 

Never think you can't understand the Bible. Go slow, open your mind and heart to 'listen and learn', verse by verse, allowing the still small voice of Jesus to instruct you in wisdom, to give you understanding where you have a need. 

I have been a Christian for 26 years and love His Word yet I have only skimmed the surface of the immeasurable wonder and messages still hidden within these pages ready for me to find. 

May your Bible time overflow with wonder, joy, healing, comfort, correction, life, and most especially a closer walk with Our Jesus. 

Your sister in Christ,

Things above...

I think every Christian parent prays their children will grow up to follow Jesus, to choose His example in life over ours, and to invest their heart in 'things that are above'.

My youngest babe is Blossom, herself now a mother and blooming in the role she had hoped for since early childhood. She would tell me all the time that she wanted to be a mother like me and my instruction to her was to be a better mother than I, and to teach her daughters to be a better mother than herself. 

I felt then, and still do, that we should pray for each generation to surpass the one before in their relationship with Jesus so that every relationship they build in life - whether that be as a mother, father, friend, leader or server - increasingly carries the essence of Him.

My daughter will turn 23 next month and just as when she was a young child we still share our deepest thoughts and tell each other what God is doing in our lives and in our hearts. We often share life changing insights but as time goes by it's no longer a mother leading her young daughter, instead we've become two women seeking to encourage and inspire each other, using the Word of God as our guide.

Recently Blossom started a small home business making beautiful handmade baby and toddler clothes which she sells online. We were discussing the financial side of things and she told me about her desire to give generously in life and not be focused on money. She shared of the immense joy she experiences in doing good, being kind, and pursuing a generous attitude in all things.

My heart melted, such pride I felt for this young woman who has faced many struggles and trials in life these past eight or nine years. It's been hard to accept that only one out of my seven children loves Jesus but as she opened her heart that afternoon heartache fell by the wayside and I could only praise my wonderful and gracious Lord for His faithfulness in her life and mine.

I told her how much she inspires me, how proud I was of her resolve. 

And you know what she said?

"But, mum, I've watched you live like that all my life, and I have seen how much you love God and how He's always provided for your needs...and I want to be like you, I want to have that relationship with Him, that same trust in His provision, that same generous heart."

I was speechless as tears filled my eyes.

Why am I telling you this? 

Because I don't want you to lose heart if you're not yet seeing fruit in your children's lives.

Keep your mind on things above, seek to live a life worthy of Jesus and let your children see it all.

Let them watch you stumble (mine did many times!) then let them see you at the foot of the Cross laying all before Jesus and rising again refreshed, forgiven and renewed.

Don't hide your struggles, or your fears. You know you'll fall at Jesus' feet and grow into a deeper walk with Him inside your valleys, so let the children see this as it happens because you're teaching them to always look to God for the answer. 

I didn't know until a few days ago how much of my life and relationship with Christ was being observed by my youngest daughter. My eyes are still overflowing with tears as I write about that moment, but the most precious thing which has my heart swelling with hope and thanks is that her 9 month old daughter will now be watching and learning and growing in relationship with God because of Blossom's own example. And I know her example will exceed mine.

Parenting is hard, and parenting children who turn their backs on Christ is shattering. But dear sister, they have been watching you all their lives. Pray for all your children every day, the saved and the prodigals...pray that they remember how you walked with Jesus, and pray they choose to walk even closer to Him than you. 

Pray they seek eternal things above, and let go of the the temporal things of earth.

 May the Lord BLESS you each and every day,

May He refresh your broken and discouraged hearts, and remind you of His goodness.

hugs

Drawing near...

Isn't this a beautiful promise?

I admit there are moments in life when weariness, struggle and anxiety consume my thoughts and I choose to sink into a time of quiet solitude before turning to God. 

When this happens a season of unrest can last longer, gathering tumbleweeds of self-doubt and despondency, with nothing good coming from it all.

Yet the many times I have turned to God first, seeking to lay my heart and woes at His feet, the tumbleweeds are quickly blown away and even though my trial may not disappear quickly I am stronger because HE is carrying me. 

He has drawn near to me and I am not alone. 

His Holy Spirit at work within me shines light in the darkness and speaks words of confidence and hope into my heart. 

Yes, even in the darkness He is there.

You and I are never alone, never abandoned, never rejected...when we draw near to God.

Father God in heaven, I praise You for your promise to never leave nor forsake us, to draw near to us when we draw near to You. This very day I pray for myself and every precious soul reading this, that we may run and not walk to You, that we will seek You above all else, that we will know the truth of Your promise and what it means to have You draw near to us.

Fill us to overflowing with your goodness and mercy and grace, dispelling our doubts and fears.

Lift us from the shadows which threaten our peace of mind and our joy, and shine the precious love of Jesus into our thoughts and hearts that we may be transformed to beauty from ashes and glorify You above all else.

May we sing songs of praise to our Saviour as our eyes look above circumstance and rest on Your wonderful truths.

Remove from the dark places in our minds the sorrows and mistakes of our past, and empty us of every negative attitude about who we are in Your eyes. Remind us that we are wonderfully made by Your plan and to Your delight and that everything You make is good.

Forgive us of all our sins, wash them away by the blood of the Lamb and renew us from the inside out that little by little we may become more and more like Jesus.

To You we give all honour and glory and praise,

In Jesus most precious name.

Amen

Dear friend, draw near to God and He will draw near to you.

hugs

Blessed assurance...

There is a cyclone approaching our coastline, predicted to make landfall on Tuesday.

As in years past when these events threaten the town everyone is securing their home and belongings, clearing the yard of any debris, stocking up on essentials should we lose power, preparing safe shelter for pets and livestock and generally making sure that when the time comes to lock the doors and stay inside it is with some form of self assurance that all which could be done was in fact accomplished. 

For those in the Northern Hemisphere you would be more acquainted with calling our cyclone a hurricane, and though this one is not a threat on the scale of Cyclone Yasi (2011) which decimated our coastline and even hundreds of kilometres inland, it is predicted to be a Category 4 and that's nothing to take lightly because it will cause a great deal of damage when it arrives.

Impending threats loom often in life, don't they? 

Fear of what's ahead, a reaction we're dreading, expecting the worst outcome when all hope has faded, the long and frightening wait for a diagnosis, wondering when the next paycheck will arrive and how to survive until it does - all can fill our minds with fear and uncertainty.

But you know, God is bigger than all that and though we may still have to walk through our valleys or hide out from the storm, HE IS WITH US the entire time.

Hold fast to Him no matter what you face, and trust Him to carry you through.

I'm singing "Blessed Assurance" as I type this...'praising my Saviour all the day long'.

Is there anything better?

Not at all.

Be blessed

Who holds me...

In the mundane living of day to day life too often my thoughts are captured by the concerns of this world, the 'what ifs' and the seemingly insurmountable obstacles placed before me.

My eyes have shifted from God and settled instead on what I see and feel, at times overwhelming me with an obvious inability to remove sorrows and struggles, or 'fix' the past.

It's during those moments, those seasons of life, those dark nights of the soul, that I need to crawl into the welcoming, waiting arms of my God more than ever. I need His embrace, His comfort, His hope and soothing promises...I need to behold His beauty and relinquish my darkness.

I need to be reminded Who holds all my concerns in His care and Who cares for me.

Today's Scripture is a balm to my weariness and a light to follow.

May it be so to you as well.

hugs

Beloved...

This week we had a cool night, the first in many months so I didn't stir my beloved at the normal hour but let him sleep a little longer as I brewed coffee and sliced fruit to serve with thick slices of peanut butter and banana smothered toast.

As I stirred my husband to wake and prepare for work that morning I could see he was more refreshed than usual. Our minds and bodies rest more deeply when sleeping through a night with windows wide open, especially when the gentle patter of rain rings a melody on the tin roof, but it's so rare an experience these days that this one cool wet night was appreciated more than I can say.

I made the bed while he showered and dressed, then set the dining table for breakfast, poured the coffee, sat...and waited. No husband.

Where was he? Breakfast is not leisurely on a weekday morning as he needs to be out the door and off to work on time and I'd already taken some of those precious minutes by leaving him to sleep a bit later.

Then a noise from under the house made me jump.

Down the back steps and around into the carport I found my beloved under the hood of my little yellow car. Knowing I planned to drive north of town and visit a friend that day, he wanted to check the oil, water and tyre pressure to assure himself the car wouldn't fail me, that I'd arrive safe and sound at my destination and return home again that afternoon. The noise I'd heard from the breakfast table was his air compressor inflating the car tyres as they were a bit low. 

That's one of the many things I love about my husband.

He cares, and it's not so much in words but in the many acts of love he shows me each and every day. Love is a verb to him, an action, a response which shows the depth of care and concern and gratitude he feels towards me, his wife of twenty five years.

My beloved is not a man of gushing displays or eloquent speeches of heartfelt emotion, he's solid as a rock, dependable, and uncompromising in his devotion to our Lord and our marriage. Not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but a man who made an oath at the altar to love, honour and protect me as long as we both shall live and to this day endeavours to follow through.

I have learnt a lot from this imperfect man.

But mostly, having come from a family line littered with divorce, I have learnt about marital commitment.

How to walk through the valleys of life side by side, to help each other climb the many mountains of trial, to celebrate every victory and blessing, to trust God that as long as we allow Him to be the glue which binds our separate lives together as one, we will be okay. 

I have learned not to give up, that there will be many seasons in a marriage but spring always returns, and if we sow generously with grace and mercy and forgiveness and kindness we will reap more love than our hearts can hold. 

Marriage is more about giving than taking and my husband was the first example I ever saw of this.

Today I just wanted to share about him...to honour him, my dearly beloved.

Blessings,

Being transformed...

The change of season this month is a reminder that we too are changing.

I thank God that He has not left me the same woman I was ten years ago, a year ago, or even a month ago...that He loves me enough to prune, tend and transform my life, gently preparing me always for new growth, a fresh season.

As some of us welcome autumn and others invite the first bursts of spring, shall we also ask our Father to make a transformation within our lives too?

One transformation which is important to pray for at this time of the year and yet is often overlooked is physical recovery and refreshment.

After this long hot summer my physical body is in need of cool refreshing and I believe my spirit has become weary and parched too, so I'm praying today for the Lord to shower my life with His precious Holy Spirit, to wash away the aching effects of this past season and soak me in everlasting streams of His goodness, mercy and peace.

Perhaps you've come through a harsh winter and the cold has taken it's toll. Pray to the Lord of Heaven and Earth, that He would send bright buds of spring to gladden your eyes, the warm and life-bringing rays of the sun to rest upon you and strengthen your limbs once again, lightness of heart to lift your spirit.

Another transformation, the most important one, which is not bound by seasonal change, is the transforming of our imagine from the inside out to become more and more like Jesus.

Let us pray for that too.

Be blessed,

The virtuous wife (a printable)...

I jarred my finger polishing our bedroom furniture this morning and don't want to aggravate it by typing for the next few days so this weekend's devotion is more of an opportunity for each of us to seek the Father's direction about our wifely ways.

I find a great deal of instruction, gentle encouragement and warmth in the example of the Proverbs 31 woman and thought it would be a good idea to create a lovely printable of this passage for framing and displaying in my home.

How about we ponder and pray over this example of a virtuous wife and ask God to draw our attention to one area we may be neglecting? 

You're most welcome to download the printable for your own use (here) or to frame and give it as a gift to friends. 

May the Lord bless us as we draw closer to His heart and allow Him to make us more and more like Jesus,

hugs

Are you enjoying the fruits of your labor?

Ecclesiastes isn't often on my reading list and that's not a purposeful avoidance by any means, it just isn't where my Bible opens most days, weeks or even months.

But a couple of times in the past few days it did, and both those times it fell open to same page in Ecclesiastes. The verse that on those two occasions caused me to stop, ponder and sigh, was...

"and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor - it is the gift of God"

You may think me odd, and to be sure in many ways my husband would agree, but both days my reading of this verse brought forth in my mind a picture of a large freshly baked apple pie. 

The pie had one piece missing and I felt within myself a deep satisfaction, as though I were the one who had baked the pie and eaten that delicious slice.

Now that's not something which would happen in my kitchen. 

I bake for the family and it is from my love of serving them that when a pie such as this is placed on the table they are always served first. 

Generous slices are cut and slipped into aged dessert bowls with scoops of ice cream on top for all to enjoy, and only after everyone is seen to do I attend to my own piece - and I see nothing wrong with that.

But I sensed with this Scripture that God was wanting to make a point with me.

My life runs on a track of serving, working, giving, working more, serving more, giving more...all with good intent, loving intent, giving intent. I grew up watching my Nana do this and her example is the only one I knew to follow so it was natural that her rhythm of life would become mine, and the rhythm of my life would have an effect on my daughters years later. 

What I failed to realise until now was the lack of Ecclesiastes 3:13 in Nana's life, in my life.

That 'vision' I had this week of the fresh baked apple pie with a slice eaten filled me with delight, a wonderful sense of satisfaction in work well done. 

It was as though I'd spent the morning picking apples, peeling, chopping, stewing them with a little sugar and cinnamon for the pie filling. Then I would have rubbed butter and sugar into flour and deftly made pastry dough, rolled it out and blind baked the pie case before filling it with the cooled apples. Another roll of dough and perhaps a lattice criss-cross of half inch strips like Nana would do across the top, a few leaves cut from the pastry scraps pressed onto the centre, a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar and into the oven to bake.

A tidy of the kitchen bench, wash the bowls, sweep the floor, hang up my apron and 'ping' goes the kitchen timer - my pie would be ready!

"and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor..."

Then imagine.

I don't wait for the family dinner.

I brew the kettle, choose my favourite tea cup and pretty cake plate and I cut into that apple pie. 

One lovely thick slice, the fruit of my labor to enjoy. 

No guilt. No rushing to do other things. Not today. 

I savour every delicious morsel because I'm relaxed, just letting myself delight in the reaping of my 'harvest'.

There's plenty of pie left for everyone else but right now it's okay to serve myself and thank God because...

"...eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor - it is the gift of God"

Don't forget yourself.

Don't forget to enjoy life, to enjoy the fruit of your labor, to enjoy the gifts of God.

Working, serving and giving are very important and we must continue doing those things, especially from the heart with generous and loving motivation - but we must also laugh, breathe, embrace each day, be kind to ourselves, learn to say no sometimes, and enjoy the fruit of our labors.

It's not just about apple pie, though sometimes it may well be. It's about stopping to enjoy what you've put effort into - whether that be a relationship, a project, an event, a harvest, anything that required something from you. 

There's something else I should mention.

Teach this to your children if like me your example has been one of too much work and not enough enjoying the fruits.

I see two of my girls especially, who diligently care for their families and expect nothing in return because they love being wives and mothers, they delight in being homemakers, and find ways to work from home.

 I see them weary, burnt out, laughing a little less and in need of a harvest.

I see a bit of me in them already and think it's time to update the family rhythm. 

It's time they knew about Ecclesiastes 3:13 too, so they can teach their daughters.

Be blessed dear child of God, you are worth more than you know.

The Master Craftsman...

Before threading my needle to begin stitching a new design I must first choose an array of threads, decide where to place their different hues along the traced lines, and hope there will be a beautiful marriage of colour and style at the end of my labour.

It's not uncommon for me to unpick sections of my work, changing a rich rose for a faded pink or a sea green for an olive shade. I may even pull out a line of backstitch and rework that section in chainstitch, my eyes surveying the overall effect as I go along and adjusting accordingly. 

Today's Scripture reminds me that God is the Master Craftsman of my life.

It is He who must unpick my worldly and selfish ways, and it is He who can be trusted to rework my less than righteous choices - but what He needs is my permission to do so. 

When I hold tight to the fabric of my life, closing Him off, even pushing Him out - well, gentleman that God is, He won't force His will on me. 

When I hold Him at arms length and declare, "No Lord, not Your will but MINE be done" then the stitches of my life are clumsy, the colours of my ideals clash and the final appearance of who I am to the world makes no sense at all. Jenny is a mess and everyone knows it.

BUT...hold out the cloth that is the background of who I could be and humbly offer it before Him, and now we're talking beauty for ashes.

My God makes every stitch count for His glory.

My God breathes life into each colour so that it shines with integrity and hope.

My God weaves a picture that no man could conceive possible in the life of one lost soul such as I. 

My God is The Master Craftsman and I desire that He keep stitching my life one lesson at a time, changing me from glory to glory until that blessed Resurrection Day when I meet Jesus returning on the clouds of Heaven! 

Oh Glory, I get goosebumps just thinking about that day! 

I pray I see you there, sweet friend.

In the meantime, who is stitching your life?

hugs

A messy life made clear...

I often reflect on the 57 years I have lived so far, and in my mind's eye there is a littered highway covered with mistakes, pain, grief, loss, sin, anger, confusion, fear, betrayal, missed opportunities, pride and so much more. But if I dig through the trash on my highway of life there's also good stuff to be found - like provision, forgiveness, surrender, restoration, hope, love, freedom, grace, mercy and immeasurable blessing.

It's a shame I see the bad stuff before I see the good.

It's a shame I too often see my life thus far as a tangled mess that makes no sense. Kind of like looking at the back of a stitchery.

Yet, turn the stitchery over and there's a clear picture, a beautiful design that makes perfect sense.

That's what God sees when He looks at my life, at your life.

Where we see only a maze of circumstances, both good and bad, He stands back and sees the full tapestry our lives are going to become. 

He knows why every hard or gracious event occurred, even though we cannot grasp His reasoning.

What we need to remember, what we must take deep into our heart, is that ALL things work together for good, to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose.

Whether today you stand on a mountain top or find yourself on your knees in the valley, trust Him to create something worthy and beautiful from the threads of your precious blood-bought life.

Much love,

your sister in Christ,