Useless!

“Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good. It is useless for you to work so hard from early morning till late at night, anxiously working for food to eat; for God gives rest to His loved ones.” Psalm 127:1-2 (NLT)

Have you ever worked a whole day – or even longer - to find that all your work was unnecessary or no longer needed? That building permit; that job for a customer; that tidy home… How did you feel? Frustrated? Even angry?

The Latin motto “Nisi Dominus Frusta” …is based on this psalm, “Without the Lord, Frustration”. Wanganui’s own motto, “Sans Dieu Rien” – “Without God, Nothing” is even more accurate. What is your life’s motto? Are you trying to live your life without God?

Just working harder and harder will not give meaning to your life! You will only eat ‘the bread of anxious toil’… Bring on the stomach ulcers, the tension headaches, the handfuls of pills. Yes, you may even get more toys in the short run but even the one with the most toys dies in the end. Then what? Listen to God’s wisdom and allow Him to give your life meaning and eternal purpose.

 ‘Without God, nothing’? Or ‘With God, everything’?

Don’t come to the end of your life and realize you’ve wasted it because God was not the builder of your life…

Reaching for Jewels...

“And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul?” (Matthew 16:26)

“Excavations in Pompeii have revealed the petrified body of a woman with both hands full of jewels. The victim had been overwhelmed by ashes during her flight just outside the city.” The Sydney Morning Herald (Sat 24 Dec 1910)

Previous issueSaturday 24 December 1910

Someone once said, “The trouble is that too many people are spending money they don’t have for things they don’t need to impress people they don’t like.”

It’s easy to get caught up with the transitory “jewels” in life at the cost of those things which are of critical importance. We ‘have to have’ certain things; we ‘have to’ impress certain people… and we lose sight of that which continues when those ‘have to have’ things fade away…

What will happen to you the moment your heart stops beating and all your gathered goods lie useless around you or clutched in your hands? Your soul will continue to live. Have you made provision for that eternity? Is anything worth more than your soul?

Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in Me will live, even after dying. Everyone who lives in Me and believes in Me will never ever die…” (John 11:26)

This truth is the only “jewel” worth holding on to… but it needs to become a reality for you before you can “have” it.  Believe in Jesus and live!

You can run but you can't hide...

Watching the developing saga of the Oscar Pistorius trial and seeing Oscar’s struggle to keep the verdict of ‘Guilty’ from being hung around his neck… brings to mind the court scene that will play out with every single one of us when time as we know it, comes to an end.

The Apostle John records this future event in great detail, “I saw the dead, both great and small, standing before God’s throne. And the books were opened, including the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to what they had done, as recorded in the books.” (Revelation 20:12)

There will be no place to hide on that day because the Judge will be able to read your thoughts and your heart. Every action ever made by you will be examined…every thought scrutinised.  How does one keep anything from an ‘all-knowing’ Judge?

There will only be one Defence Attorney able to successfully keep the ‘Guilty’ verdict from being put around your neck – and that is Jesus Christ. If you have asked Him to control your life, He will get an “Innocent” verdict proclaimed over you because the Judge accepts His evidence on your behalf as the Truth.

Until then, you can run… living your life, following your dreams and ambitions but can you dare to do so while not under His protection?  You can only have your name written into His client list, the ‘Book of Life’, while you are alive… After that – no hiding place!

“God sent His Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through Him” (John 3:17)

Charities Commission NZ in 'Upside Down Land'

Open Letter to Charities Commission, New Zealand

Do you live in the same society we do? Your decision to deregister 'Family First New Zealand' as a charity blows the mind. It is seemingly ok to keep gambling and lottery organisations on your books but not an organisation which fights for family rights and values? Which one has the greater good of the community at heart?

 

Your decision makers need to stand in front of the mirror and squarely face what you are doing to our society. Come out of 'Upside Down Land' where bad is good and good is bad. The same society which employs you needs your support, not your undercutting of organisations which do good in our communities.

 

Start by looking up 'Charity' in your dictionary ... it may bring you back to reality!

 

Liquorice Allsorts Living...

I love Liquorice Allsorts – especially the ones with triple layers of liquorice! They get chosen first, above all others! The rest are … ok. Are they good for me or part of the essential food group? No – but I love them anyway!

Many people have this consumer attitude to life in what they choose or don’t choose to do. They choose to do just the things they like – not what is essential for their health or continued existence. This is very evident when it comes to believing in God or rejecting God. He’s just one of the “choices” out there, right? Wrong! God is the “essential food group” you need, to come out of this life intact. In Jesus is “Life” – life that will last past the time you cease to breathe on this earth. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die…” (John 11:25-26)

There is a choice to be made – and that choice has consequences, like any other decision in life. Choosing just the ‘triple-layer-liquorice’ activities now, may mean missing out on the whole packet later!

Jesus promises life – even after death. Why would you settle for anything less? Choose “Life” – and live.

Less is More...

“God blesses those who realize their need for Him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them…” (Matthew 5:3)

A wooden chopping board, an open fire, a concave roasting pan, two large knives, a kettle, a wooden mortar and a pestle (short axle from a Land Rover) for preparing coffee beans. That’s it! A fully equipped kitchen in a village in Ethiopia, Africa…

My host seemed very happy with her life. She even took in orphan girls and taught them how to fend for themselves and then to serve the community around them, in their turn. She introduced me to successful ‘graduates’ from her home who were now emulating her example. What an inspiration! From political activist and outright rebel to a living foundation of her community… and all because of Jesus Christ. Through a travelling evangelist, she realized how far away she was from God and yet Jesus had paid the ultimate price for her guilty life. She had found true happiness and a purpose for her life!

What a pity so many of us get caught up in the clutter of ‘get this…, buy that…, drive this…, be seen with…’ - trying to fill that vacuum inside of us – a ‘God-sized hole’ that only God can fill. Maybe we need to unclutter our daily existence and get back to what is crucial to our future contentedness… - a right relationship with the God of this universe. Simple, but so fundamental. Get that right and you will gain so much more!

Flashlight Apps...

Jesus - “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 8:12)

The ‘flashlight app’ on my cell phone came in very handy recently while on a prolonged stay in a small Ethiopian village called Waka. It seemed like everyone in the village had a cell phone with a light – which became evident at night, when we all stumbled around along the unlit, rocky main ‘road’ - small beams of light dancing everywhere…

One night, my phone battery died on me – along with its light. What a difference it made to my walk – long steps, short steps, ghost steps, stumbling over rocks – ankle twisting territory! How I missed my light…

Life is like that road – rocky in places, smooth in others – but we have to walk along it. Without Jesus Christ, we choose to stumble through the rocky bits as best we can … and it affects our walk. We trip over continually and sometimes even fall – hurting ourselves in the process. Yet, Jesus has promised to be our Light – to help us to get through those same rocky places – but with a much more controlled walk as His light takes away the darkness. Now there is hope as He assists us and guides us over the rough patches, and strengthens us while on the smooth patches. What’s more, He gifts us permanent built-in light as He comes to stay inside us.

Walk your life … in Light … in Jesus.