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.