Day 23: Blessed are the Gentle

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not sure who to credit the picture to - found it on google

Verse: Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Thought

My older sister used to sit on me and dangle her long hair in my face to torture me!  I can remember my Dad quoting this verse with a laugh in his voice when I was whining about it one day. And I always think of that when I hear this verse.  One day I will inherit the earth!!!
But meekness shouldn't be confused with weakness.  It's not about being the loser in the battle, but rather the winner.  Some versions of the bible use the word gentle. Gentleness or meekness describes a person's humbled spirit which is finally willing to live by God’s principles of life.  There is a genuine recognition of past failures and the gentle person has opened their heart to God's ways for their life. 

I don't think that I am a particularly meek or gentle person.   I get huffy about things quite easily and self-defensive.  I don't believe we are being asked to be passive or pathetic, but to recognise our unnecessary feather ruffling when faced with something we don't like and adjust our response.  You know those bracelets that have WWJD (What would Jesus do)?  That is what we should be considering. 

But I think there are some things that make meekness as opposed to weakness recognisable

You should only be driven to anger when you think God is being dishonoured.  You must defend God.  It's not about you coming out on top but rather God.

You respond to God's word with obedience and humbleness.   Hmmm, I always find this tricky.

You look to make peace in your environments (work, social and home)and encourage people.

You should accept criticism and act on it, especially if it is truly and given in by someone who has God's interests at heart

You try to give gentle encouragement and instruction to others.

 Meekness is absolute power under perfect control.   And if you are given to God, your power is God's.  That is scary!   

Go the meek!

Prayer

Keep me meek Lord, so that I can serve you humbly and with obedience.  Help me with my stubbornness that keeps me from being the gentle person You ask me to be.

Day 22: Blessed are those who mourn

Verse: Matthew 5:4

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

Thought

To me, the mourning spoken of in this verse is not about mourning a physical death.  This is a calling for me to be repentant and see not only the consequences of my wrongdoing but into the real offences done to others.   I need to become aware of my personal offence to God and the pain that I have brought to others by my sinful behaviour.

When Joe has done something mean or naughty, or had a fight with one of his friends, I can see from his pale face and trembling lip that he is truly sad.  When he knows that he has been the one in the wrong, he hides himself in his room and weeps copiously.  And when he admits his “wrongdoing” to me and apologises to the offended party, I will cuddle him and love him and try to make him smile again.  When he is defiant and refuses to acknowledge it, we end up with general unhappiness in the house!

So it is with us and God.  We need to recognise our offending behaviour and if we come before God in apology and repentance, He forgives us and comforts us.  When we are defiant and wrongly justify our behaviour, it leads to unhappiness in the house.  It doesn’t lessen God’s love for us, but it is a barrier to a gentle and loving relationship with our father.

Prayer

Father God, I come before you as a humble sinner.  I am truly sorry for the things that I do that cause you unhappiness and pain.  give me the strength of character to recognise my wrongs and to try and be the person you long for me to be.

 

Day 21: Blessed are the poor in spirit

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Verse: Matthew 5:3
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
 
Thought
I often hear this as “Blessed are the poor”, but it is “poor in spirit”.    This isn't about financial economics but about spiritual economics. Being poor in spirit is not being lazy or indifferent. "Poor in spirit" describes the result of being overwhelmed by personal problems or going through a personal moral crisis in which I realise I have really messed up.  I have been there and this was an awful place to find my self.  It was when I felt furthest from God and most afraid. And all aspects of my life seemed to be breaking apart.  It was that tummy dropping moment of realising that I was spiritually empty.  There was nothing to run my faith on.  I know that only by depending upon God can I fill that emptiness.
A person who is poor in spirit has no sense of self-sufficiency and recognizes they are empty. God wants us to come to Him in the knowledge that we are spiritually bankrupt.  We need to be emptied of our self importance so that we can carry the importance of God.
It may help to think about the opposite of "poor in spirit." The contrast would be "proud in spirit;" self-sufficient, arrogantly independent. There are lots of my friends and people I know who aren’t Christians, but who are good people.  They feel they don’t need God to give their lives direction, they are happy with their own moral standards.  This is the modern spirit of humanism or a view of life that is centred on man and his capacity to build a worthwhile life for himself and his fellows here and now. The emphasis is placed on man's own intellectual and moral resources, and the notion of supernatural religion is rejected. This is all very worrying if you live by the standards set by modern society.
I find this a frightening, but increasingly real attitude.  There is no respect for our creator.  I recently wrote to the BBC to complain about the constant use of “OMG” and the actual phrase “Oh my God” that is used on Children’s TV.  And the response was essentially “get over yourself and back into reality.  That is how children speak”.  (All a little politer than that though.) As Christians we need to keep ourselves filled with Gods’ spirit and wisdom and not that of the world.
Prayer
Oh my Father God, I pray that you would help me maintain balance in my life.  I pray that I would recognise when I am losing sight of You and focusing on the standards of the world.  Please prod me when I am justifying my actions and excusing my behaviours.  Let me try to live as You would have me live.  Keep my spirit poor and Yours rich in me.

Day 20: Salt and Light

 Verse: Matthew 5:13-16

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is not longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Thought
A Peanuts cartoon showed Peppermint Patty talking to Charlie Brown. She said, "Guess what, Chuck. The first day of school, and I got sent to the principal's office. It was your fault, Chuck." He said, "My fault? How could it be my fault? Why do you say everything is my fault?" She said, "You're my friend, aren't you, Chuck? You should have been a better influence on me."

When we say we are Christians, people tend to watch us. What do they see? What we say and do can have an influence on them. And it should. Jesus told us that we would have an influence in this world. He tells us this in the verses above. When we look at the Beatitudes at the beginning of Matthew 5 we are given the characteristics God wants us to live out.  

He calls us to be spiritually bankrupt before a Holy God, that we mourn over our sin.  We must be meek but not weak.  We should hunger and thirst after righteousness, and be merciful,  pure in heart and a peacemaker.  We may be persecuted for righteousness sake.  These things will help us be salt and light.

In the last census in the UK (2001), about 70% of the population claimed to be Christian. Yet statistics within the church show that only 2.4% attend church regularly.
Not only are those numbers frightening, but sadly the average Christian in the average church is almost indistinguishable from the rest of society. Not necessarily in some artificial and outward way, but rather in the basic moral and ethical difference that Christ can make in how we live. Within our Church we have people having affairs, hurting their families, cheating, lying etc.  Perhaps that is the reason why our influence has not been felt in a way that points people to Jesus.

Does your life make a difference? What kind of difference do you make? Jesus makes no bones about the fact that we should make a difference. When Jesus said, "You are the salt of the earth" and "You are the light of the world", He made those verses a statement of fact. He did not say you should be the salt or you should be the light of the world. He said you are salt and light.

Prayer

Please make me make a difference Lord God.  Let me be full of Your salt and light, that others may see your goodness. Help me be part of a living and challenging church that can direct people to you

Day 19: Living in me

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Verse 1 John 1: 5-7

This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.  If we claim to have fellowship with him, yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin.

Thought

I have had family to stay this weekend and it has been lovely.  We have welcomed them into our home and given them the run of the place.  While there is an element of formality having guest in your home, it is easier with family or close friends to say 'My home is yours, please feel free to make yourself comfortable.'

We have chatted, drunk gallons of tea, eaten laughed and shared.  They have packed dishwasher, cleared tables and helped tidy up.  There has been no burden in having them to stay.  And our relationship has grown stronger for it.

Why then, when we invite Jesus into our home, do we say 'My home is your home' and then shut him in the living room and ignore him?  Give him the odd cup of tea and quick chat and then go out again, leaving him on his own?  And definitely don't let him into the bedroom/study/bathroom......

When we invite God to live in us, we should give Him an 'access all areas' pass and love spending as much time with him as we can.  He should be that guest we totally open our lives too, who shares in every aspect of our day to day living.  He doesn't mind the mess and will gladly help us tidy up our lives.  We just need to let Him.

Let Him fling open the curtains in all the little dark rooms of your life, open the windows and let the freshness of the Holy Spirit fill them with living air.

Prayer

Father God, let me not be a bad hostess to you.  Please feel free to have access to all areas of my life.  Open curtains and show up the dust in the rooms I don't want to face.  Let me begin to spring clean my heart for You.

Day 18: Rejoice!

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Verse  Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.

Thought

When Paul wrote this, he was sitting in a dark and filthy prison with the death sentence hanging over his head.  And yet he was able to shout Rejoice!

We are told that we should take our needs straight to God, not to be anxious, but to pray and give our worries to Him.  When we do put our trust in Him, He will give us the peace beyond all peace, the peace we long for.  

When I am worried or anxious, I become increasingly ratty and short tempered, not gentle at all!!  As for shouting Rejoice….just doesn’t happen! I find it incredibly difficult to hand over my worries.  I always hang on to them while paying lip-service to handing them over.  How liberating it would be if only I could let go!  You always read of stories where people have done exactly as Paul suggests.  They hand everything over and just trust that God will take care of them.  You hear of wonderful things that happen like exactly the right amount of money, the right job, the thing that is their greatest need being presented to them. 

But I’m sure that equally, people hand over things to God and the miracle cheque doesn’t arrive in the nick of time.  I am one of the people who harbour little doubts and find it very difficult to trust and let go. I worry about not worrying!   I need to just take that leap of faith and know that God has my best interest at heart and let Him take control.  Without keeping my foot on the brake pedal…….

Prayer

Father God, let me trust in you, not only in dark times but in good times too.  Let me shout Rejoice in the sure knowledge of Your love.  Please fill me with Your peace that transcends all understanding.  Guard my heart and mind in Jesus Christ.

Day 17: Love your enemy

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Verse:  Proverbs 25:21-22

If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink;  For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the LORD will reward you.

Thoughts

I have always struggled with these verses.  I get that we should give our enemies bread and water.  I understand the value in showing love and compassion to everyone.  The thought of physically piling coals onto your enemies head is a little gruesome - even for the old testament. 

I read somewhere that, in these times, there was a person who tended a fire all night and kept the hot coals burning.  In the morning he would walk the village, carrying the hot coals in a bucket on his head, an go from home to home giving them enough coals to start the fires they needed to get their own fires burning.

So maybe the kindness of feeding and watering your enemy is the equivalent of giving them those coals.  By treating him with kindness you are giving him the source of starting his own fires of kindness. The 'enemy' may then review the way he treats other people and recognise that he needs to change too. 

It is also telling us that God will reward us for treating our enemies with love and kindness.  He sees all we do and recognises the good that we do.

Imagine all people are God's children and your family - treat them as you would treat those you love.  It is the greatest commandment after all....

Prayer

Lord God, please help me treat everyone with respect and love.  Let me not be the enemy shamed into good behaviour, but let it be an intrinsic part of who I am.  Help me to show kindness and to share what I have.

Day 16: Keep on Running

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Verse Isaiah 40:30-31

Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

Thought

 

At the end of every week, I feel exhausted, mentally and physically.  Last night I felt physically exhausted having just completed a rather gruelling karate grading.  the above picture shows me at the end of the Bristol Half marathon - my tiredness is totally apparent!

My job can be emotionally draining as I deal with overworked people reaching the end of their tether.  I counsel exhausted people almost daily.  These days, people are expected to work longer hours and achieve a lot more for less and we overwork ourselves continuously.  And our body shouts STOP AND REST and we all too often ignore it.

We are not robotic super-humans.  We need to regain our strength.

The same can happen with our faith.  Sometimes we get so caught up in the ways we serve the Lord that we simply run out of the energy our faith needs to flourish and grow.  We can even start resenting that very service that we took on with  joy and eagerness. But in these verses God promises us that He will renew our strength.  When we feel weak He will feed and refuel us.  Rest in Him and let Him replenish your energy. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.- Matthew 11:28

Prayer

Father we confess that we are only human. We do get tired. But we have a God, that’s always willing to strengthen us.

Day 15: Precious stone

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Song:  Dave Bryant (1978)

Jesus, take me as I am, I can come no other way,

Take me deeper into You, Make my flesh life melt away. 

Make me like a precious stone, crystal clear and finely honed. 

Light of Jesus shining through, giving glory back to You.

Thought

I am using a song today that has been on my mind for the last couple of days.  I love this song and the concept of being a sparling jewel.

Think of a diamond and how it is formed.   It starts off as a lump of coal buried deep in the the dirt of the earth.  Under extreme heat or pressure, it slowly crystallises until if forms the diamond.  Diamonds are the hardest substance known to man.  But if you put a diamond in the hands of an amateur jeweller, he can turn it into worthless stone by chipping off the wrong bits or striking it in the wrong place and shattering the stone. But, if you hand this raw diamond to an expert jeweler, he will cut and polish it with extreme skill and care.  And the end product will be a diamond that shines with amazing brilliance and sparkle. He will find the most beautiful diamond within that raw stone and cut many facets to add to it's brilliance.

The words of the song ask us to be prepared for God to gently cut and polish us.  

If you take a lump of coal and carefully cut and polish it, shaping it like a diamond, you will still only have a prettily cut lump of dirty, black coal.  

We may have to suffer great pressures and heat of life to become the rough diamond that God can then take to cut and polish.  He can produce the diamond that will sparkle with His light and truly reflect His beauty.  And the more facets the diamond has the greater the sparkle.  Be prepared to shine in every facet of your life.

God knows our limits and He will not allow us to be tested or tempted beyond what we can endure. Sometimes it feels like He has taken us way beyond what we can handle; yet if we focus on Him, lean on Him and trust Him absolutely, He will strengthen us.
To Him we are more precious than the most beautiful diamonds, and He wants to bring out the greatest beauty in us.

Prayer

Lord God, please help me be the diamond you want me to be.  Let me work with you to shave off the rough edges and polish up the true beauty within.  Lord shine through me.  Let all facets of my life reflect Your glory.

Day 14: Bear the fruits of the Spirit

The Picture:

The Verse: Genesis 1: 11 ‑ 12
Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed‑bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
The Thought
I have a little apple tree in my garden that I planted when Joseph was born.  It has delicious apples called sunshine or sunrise - I forget which - but for a little tree it produces an impressive crop.
But it requires a lot of care - pruning, feeding, defending from little boys who pluck the fruit before it is ripe, keeping off slugs and snails which are prolific in my garden and have found a way to get into the tree, wasps etc.
This is our like our faith.  We all have the opportunity to produce God's wonderful fruits, but we need to feed our faith, fight off the external factors which can destroy the fruit and trust God to care for us and keep us pruned.
And we aren't expected to just produce one crop - like the apple tree has a new crop every year, we produce new and sometimes different fruits at different times of our life.  
So when you see the spring blossoms, stop and look within yourself to see what blossoms God has blooming within you and look forward to and be open to the fruit's of the Holy Spirit that you will bear
The Prayer
Spirit of God, set us alive with the blossoms to bear your fruit.  Let us flourish and grow under your care and trust in You.  

Day 13: And the trees will clap their hands

The Picture

The Verse Isaiah 55:12

You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and hills will burst into song before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands."

The Thought 

The book of Isaiah is so rich in promises and prophecies.  The Saviour is promised to us.  I read this verse as an outpouring of the elation Isaiah felt at the promises of Jesus.

When I became a Christian, I can remember the zinging feeling of joy!  And if the hills and mountains had sung or the trees clapped – I wouldn’t have been too surprised.  Although I grew up in a Christian household, I didn’t become a Christian until I was about 12.  We were on our confirmation camp up in the Cedarburg mountains and were camping in the pine forest.  I can remember the hissing and singing noise the needles made as the wind passed through them.  Indeed the trees clapped their hands!  My dad (as always!) was at the camp and I can remember his joy when I made that commitment.  How much greater must God’s joy be when we turn to Him as our Lord?

My dad gave me a bible after that weekend and I wrote the date of  my conversion.  When I found that Bible recently, I was thrilled to find that my Joseph was born on the same date (some 26 years later though).  I hope that I am around when he makes his commitment to God.  

When I am out walking in the mountains or moors, the song from this verse often comes to mind.  And I am filled with the joy of God!  I hope that I sing it all day today! 

The Prayer
Father God, thank you for the joy we can find in You.  Thanks you that the very earth breaks into song at the thought of you.  Help me maintain that joy even when times are tricky, that I might always have a song in my heart to worship You.

Day 12: The Moon and Stars

The Picture

The Verse:  Nehemiah 9:6         

You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

The Thought

Last night the moon was the closest to the earth that it has been for 20 years.  The picture above was taken last year because it was too cloudy last night.  But the moon is beautiful and seeing a huge full moonrise is always a special moment.  In Cape Town it is very popular to climb to the top of Lion's Head and watch the sun set in the west and minutes later the full moon rise in the east.  It is a breathtaking experience.  You are given such an overwhelming sense of  day and night, light and darkness.

http://leecasalena.com/fullmoonhike.swf   (This is a 360 application, you can pan up and down and all around!)

The full moon gives light to a dark night and can help you when you travel over difficult terrain.  Equally God guides us and gives us light in dark times.  We need to use His light to follow the paths of our life, even when things seem dark.  Don't let doubts and worries turn into the clouds that can block out the light, but  trust in Him.

The Prayer

Thank you for your guiding light, Lord.  Help us trust that you will always be the light for our paths, both in good times and when things seem dark and difficult.  Don't let us cloud your guidance with our human worries and fretting.

Day 11: Don't Litter!

The Picture

The Verse Numbers 35:33-34

You shall not pollute the land in which you live.... You shall not defile the land in which you live, in which I also dwell; for I the LORD dwell among the Israelites."

The Thought

I am so aware of how we are destroying our world.  My heart aches every time I walk past litter in the beautiful countryside, or see the sunshine hazy through the smog.  If you look at the worlds "beauty spots" they are slowly being ruined with buildings, roads and litter.  We all strive to find unspoilt areas to holiday to, and then proceed to destroy them.
I have been trying to use my car less, although I must confess that I struggle with this in winter.  David cycles to work every day and I want to walk or run to mine more than I do.  With the ever increasing price of fuel, this may be made a bit easier though! 
Last lent I tried to follow a daily challenge which involved incorporating an element of "greenness" into your life each day - taking a light bulb out of a multi-bulb light fitting, walking to the shop, avoiding boiling full kettles for 1 cup of tea.  You know the sort of thing.  I have managed to continue with some of them, but it is so easy to slip back into bad habits.  Especially with the driving (note the guilt).  Now that the weather is warmer, I can hopefully start walking around more.
We seem to have so little regard for God's creation.  With the current radiation crisis in Japan, the Gulf oil spill from BP, I find man's intervention on earth so disturbing.  We are always trying to make our lives easier and somehow the earth seems to pay the price. 
My heart breaks every time I go past a little furry pile of road-kill.  We are so determined to race through life in our cars, regardless of the decimation of nature we leave behind.
How God's heart must ache as he watches us destroy his beautiful world.  
Pay attention to the impact you make.  It is the best you can do.

The Prayer

Oh Lord, I am sorry for the way we use and abuse what You have given us.  Make me aware of the way I am wasting resources and destroying life with my actions.  I want the world to be the beauty spot You created.

Day 10: The Rainbow Promise

The Picture

The Verse: Genesis 9:8‑10, 12‑13, 16‑17

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: "I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you‑‑the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you‑‑every living creature on earth  And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.... Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth." So God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

The Thought

I love rainbows.  Again, they always make me think of my dad.  We used to live near the sea and there was a tidal lagoon at the bottom of our road.  One year we had some flooding and the water rose a couple of meters.  The houses at the end of the road were flooded.  We lived higher up the hill so weren’t really at risk, but I was convinced we were all about to be washed away – and we didn’t have an ark!

Dad sat with me and talked about the story of Noah’s Ark and comforted me in his best Daddy fashion.  A rainbow didn’t magically appear in the sky as he spoke, but it may as well of. 

I am transported back to that day every time I see one. 

This was the gist of our conversation:  God’s beautiful rainbows appear after storms, just when things are looking grey and dark.  If it is a sunny day you won’t get a rainbow.  It has to be a dreary and rainy day to fully appreciate the rainbow.  The sun shines through the clouds and onto the rain, so you need the storm to see the beauty of the sunshine and the rainbow.  Otherwise you just take all the sunshine for granted.  They are a sign of God’s promise that He will guide us through any storm, through any troubles.

When you are feeling battered and bruised by life and are filled with doubt, think about the rainbow and remember it is coming.  It is only a prayer away….

The Prayer

I thank you for the beautiful rainbows you send us during stormy times Lord.  When we are focusing on the greyness and dreariness of the time, You shine through in yoiur splendour and fill the sky with colour and beauty.  Help us focus on You and to look for your rainbows in our lives.

Day 9: Worry is Illogical

The Picture
photo: Dave Troughton

The Verse  Matthew 6:26

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

The Thought

When we worry about daily things we are actually slandering God's character. When we worry, it suggests that God is more interested in creatures than in His children. He provides for them and we must trust that He will provide for us too.  Birds are kept alive by food provided by nature, such as worms and insects. They have to spend a lot of time hunting and searching for the food, but it is there to be found. Jesus encourages us to look at them and to think about these facts. Worry misses the point of life because it is illogical.

 Jesus says, 'Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.' (Matthew 6:34)

God has given us our lives in days and we should take life a day at a time. If we wish to live a long and fruitful life, we should respect and live by the biological clock he has built inside us.

Many have recognized the senselessness of worry at least with their minds.  We reason something like this:  There are only two things you can worry over—things you have control over, and things you don’t have control over.  It makes no sense to worry about things you have control over because if you have control over them then you can do something about them and there is no sense in worrying about them.  It makes no sense to worry about what you don’t have control over, because if you don’t have control over them there’s no use worrying about it. 

We know worry doesn't do any good.  We know this because we know most of the things we worried about didn't happen. 
It doesn't mean you can sit back on your laurels and hope for the best.  The birds hunt for their food and build their nests.  They just don't fret about it.

Can you think of one good thing worry adds to your life?  Worry is senseless.

The Prayer
Dear God, I would love to not worry about things.  Teach me to live each day as a unit and to celebrate in the small things that make our days interesting.   Help us not to worry needlessly but to trust in you.  It is so easy to get wound up by irrelevant things until they affect our lives in so many ways.  Help us leave these concerns at the foot of your cross.

Day 8: Why Worry

The Picture

The Verse:  Matthew 6:24-34 

No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?  Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Thought

These verses are packed with thoughts – I may spend a couple of days sifting through all the affirmations, promises and teachings from them. 

What does Jesus mean? Why are we not to worry?

Here He addresses some of the things we worry about.

·        Health—“do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body”

·        Possessions—“what you will wear”

Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.

There’s plenty to worry about for EVERYONE.  Christians like to pretend that they don’t worry.  They just call their worries, prayer concerns.  Though Christians struggle with worry, we don’t have to be defeated by it.  

To worry is to Miss the Point of Life

Jesus tells us life is far more important than material things. So often our worries are about relatively unimportant and trivial matters, such as food, drink, clothing, houses and cars. Look any typical magazine and you will find it is preoccupied with the very things Jesus told us not to worry about - with clothes, food and drink.  Jesus says that life 'is more important than these things.’
Jesus says here that if we seek fulfilment in material things we are missing the whole point of life. The point of life is to have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Worry misses the point of life.

When you hear Jesus’ words, it sounds like he is talking to people who are in poverty here, doesn’t it?  I believe wealthy people worry just as much if not more than poor people.  There’s plenty to worry about for the wealthy and the poor.

The poor worry about how they will get these, the wealthy worry about losing them.

What’s your biggest worry right now?

The Prayer

Father God, I want to begin my prayer by asking for your forgiveness.  I have all allowed worry to have its way with my hearts.  I know that worry is senseless and harmful.  I know this in my head, but I still struggle to choose the way of faith over the way of worry.  Thank you for loving me even though sometimes I have such a little faith that I worry.  Lord, I choose to trust you.  I choose to seek you first. 

Day 7: Living Water

The Picture

The Verse John 4: 13-14

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life

The Thought

Water is truly amazing. Simple, yet brilliant. 
I came across these thoughts once and they made sense to me.   Water is able to dissolve nearly any substance, given enough time, even metals and minerals can be dissolved and carried to living organisms such as plants, trees, and animals. Without these necessary elements, life could not thrive on earth, as these metals would not be found in a consumable state. 

Water's high surface tension not only allows ships to float, but it also is responsible for "capillary action". Think of what water does when you place a paper towel in it. It "climbs" up the paper towel. Trees use narrow channels to take advantage of capillary action. Large trees are able to carry several tons of water per day as high as 100 meters to the very top of the tree. Were it not for water's capillary action, plants and trees could not exist...and neither would we!

One of the most unique and powerful properties of water is that it freezes. Instead of getting more dense when it freezes, water actually expands when it freezes into ice. This causes ice to float. If ice sunk, then during winter, a lake or even ocean would progressively freeze over as water froze on the surface, then sank to the bottom, and so on. Instead of fish and plants surviving under the blanket of protection of a surface layer of ice, they would be frozen along with the rest of the water, and ocean life would cease to exist. This would also affect land life, since a proportionately small amount of the oceans and lakes would be expected to melt during summer causing draught on the land. 

Water evaporates from the oceans and comes to land as rain. The rain falls into rivers and lakes and drains from the land into the oceans and the cycle is repeated. Without evaporation, this cycle would cease to exist and the land would become dry as a desert, and little life could survive or thrive.

Water is God's miracle and is the source of physical life and vitality on the earth. Jesus said that He is living water

Without PHYSICAL water, we will die physically
Without JESUS--the "Living Water", we will also die spiritually

The Prayer

I thirst for your living water Lord God.  Please quench my thirst through the love of your Son. Help me absorb and share His living water and share it with others.  We thank you for physical water to cleanse and hydrate us.  Praise you Lord.

Day 6: The Sea

The Picture

The Verse Psalm 104:25

There is the sea, vast and spacious, teeming with creatures beyond number - living things both large and small.

The Thought

The seaside is my number one place to be!  I grew up near the sea and we could go down to the beach after school.  I would go and sit on the beach and think about stuff - sort out my thoughts and just find peace at the sight of the enormous Atlantic ocean that didn't stop until it got to South America. The power of the water crashing on the beach, the rhythmic roar of the waves, the smell of the salt, the warmth of the sun. I love the sea in all it's moods, in all it's different guises.  It can be a friendly sea to play in, or a mighty destructive force as we have just witnessed in the Tsunami in Japan. 

As for the creatures of the sea, I used to scuba-dive and have dived in various parts of the world.  Seeing the underwater world is fascinating, even when you find yourself cowering behind a rock as a shark swims gracefully past!  And being near dolphins or whales is an experience hard to beat. 
The sea provides us with food, with a route for travelling between continents, with power, with pleasure. 
When I need space to be alone with God, near the sea is my first choice!  Sadly, here in Bristol I don't have easy access to the sea, just a muddy river channel, but if we are going away or out for the day, my family always know my first choice! Our God created the sea and all that lives in it.  He created creatures that live down in the dark depths of the oceans, creatures that no-one seas and yet they are unique and precious to Him.
What magnificence, what greatness!  How awed am I by the hugeness of our God!

The Prayer

Lord God, I thank you for the ocean and for all that lives in it.  Thank you for it's raw power and beauty.   I recognise that the sea can be a dangerous and scary thing too.  We pray for those affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  Lord, may the world come together to provide aid and help as the Japanese people try and rebuild their lives after this devastation.

Day 5: The Path of Life isn't always straight

The Picture

The Verse Psalm 25: 4-5

Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Saviour, and my hope is in you all day long.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.
                                                                                 - Proverbs 3:5,6

The Thought

Have you ever been for a walk and noticed how paths change?  This is typical in a walk through the English countryside.  Some have been clearly defined – very easy to see and with clear markers.  Some are more difficult and have been covered in debris.  Some once were tracks but have grown over and are difficult to follow.

We somehow always expect to be able to follow a straight path when we become Christians, We imagine life will be easy and things will be set out in front of us.  But life is full of curves with sharp bends and the mystery of what is around the corner.  

I can't read maps and somehow am always in charge of the route when we go out.  So we often take wrong turns and it all ends in growling!  I bought David a SatNav a couple of years ago and our journeys are much more peaceful, straightforward and we get to our destination a whole lot quicker!  Every now and again a mad moment comes over me and I challenge the SatNav and persuade David to follow my directions.  We quickly revert to the old  arguments and getting lost!  We need to ensure that we have God set as our SatNav and trust that He will lead us to our destination on the best route!

Do you sometimes feel that God’s paths are not always clear?  You don’t always know where you are going?  Trust in God’s guidance- even when you can’t see it.

The Prayer

 Father God, help us to set you as our guide through life and to trust in the route you have set for us.  Sometimes we feel we know better and stray from the path, which always leads to trouble.

Give me the discipline to listen to and to follow you

Day 4: Are you ready for pruning?

The Picture

The Verse John 15: 1-2

I am the vine and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.

The Thought

At this time of year, gardeners are starting to clear up all the dead winter wood and plants out of their gardens to make room for new growth. Plants and gardens need a lot of care and attention, and need to be tended to regularly by a gardener so that they don’t become unruly and tangled.  At different stages of growth, they need to be pruned.  Pruning is the removal of unwanted growth from a plant.  The most common reason for pruning is to give the plant shape and structure which keeps the healthy and ensure a good crop of fruit or flowers.

 My little garden is looking pretty shabby at the moment and I have asked a friend who is a gardener by profession to come and give me a hand clearing it up and preparing it for the summer.

So it is with our faith.  Sometimes we neglect it or we go through a dark, wintery patch and we need some serious pruning and clearing.   We have to remember God has planned our lives and can see the way we will look and the fruit we will bear, so while we feel stripped bare, it is all for the good.  He shapes us so we can grow towards our full potential and bear the fruit of our faith.  He can see what needs to be cut out of our life, what branches are weighing us down and stunting our growth.

It can be painful and we need the support, prayers and love of fellow Christians to help us through. 

How is God shaping you for His service?

The Prayer
Father, we recognise that we sometimes need to be pruned and have parts of our lives cut out because it is preventing us from growing into the shape You want us to be.  Lord, help us accept that You know us and can see our full potential.  Let us trust your pruning and to grow towards Your light.  May we support our friends going through this process as well as accept their love and prayers. Shape me as You would have me grow.

Day 3: Even the spiders!

The Pictures

The Verse Psalm 104:24

How many are your works, O Lord!  In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. 

Job 12:10

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

The Thought

Allow yourself to be amazed at all that God has created.

Mighty lions, gentle springbok, beautiful birds and tiny spiders.  God created each of these and their individual beauty.  Animals can teach us how to live.  They don't hoard material things, they hunt what they need.  They sleep easily every night and wake rested.  They aren't malicious and scheming.  They don't pick fights for no reason.  They live their lives trusting that things will be OK, not fretting about what tomorrow will bring. 
They all have a role and live within that role without trying to be what they aren't.
And when they have babies, they teach those cubs/kittens/puppies the life skills they will need when they grow up to be independent.

I have a real fear of spiders.  I'm not sure what initiated it or where it comes from.  But spiders make me want to cry out and run away.  My heart races and I begin to breathe fast.  It is irrational and silly, but I can't help it.  I am horrified to find that Joe has picked up on this and exhibits the same fear as me.  I am trying to put a stop to this, both in him and me.  We go outside and examine spider webs, and take photos of spiders and catch them in his nature pot so we can have a good look at them.  And they are amazing. 
But having passed this phobia to Joe makes me realise how much he copies me.  I hope that I will set good examples in my life - the way I speak to people, the way I behave, my relationship with God.  
Look around and let the creatures of the earth teach us to live by their example.  

The Prayer
Lord and creator of all thing, we thank you for the animals, insects and birds you have put on this earth.  Lord, each of these is precious to You.  How much more so are we precious to You.  Let us learn from an animals simple faith in life and provision.  You have promised to care for me, help me to put that trust in You.

Day 2: Face the Storms

The Picture

By Joe Holmes

The Verse: Job 37:14-18

Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God's wonders. Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash? Do you know how the clouds hang poised, those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge? You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind, can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

The Thought

 When I was a little girl, I used to be terrified of thunder storms.  When I was about 5 or 6, I remember my my dad picking me up and carrying me outside during a typical African summer storm.  As I sat with my arms tight around his neck and with him holding me equally tightly, we watched the lightning and listened to the thunder.

He said to me "You are safe, the storm is quite far away.  Just be brave and look at the lightning, listen to the thunder, smell the air and feel the storm."  I was terrified, but did as he told me.  When my head eventually came out from his neck, I really saw how beautiful the purple clouds were, how stunning the lightning was, and although very loud, how thrilling the thunder was.  We stood for ages as it rumbled away and as the storm passed, the sun came out and it grew peaceful.

Dad then said, "Always remember this, and you won't be scared of storms again."  And he was absolutely right.  I love storms now and relish in their power.  When we get a storm over Bristol, which isn't often enough for me, I take Joe out and show him the wonder of the storm too.  I hope that he will have the same love of storms that I have.

But when we face the turmoil and storms of life, we are often scared and run and hide under the bed!  I have to remember, God is holding me as my dad held me all those years ago.  He carries us through difficult and scary times.  The thunder doesn't get quieter, the lightning isn't less dangerous or powerful, but we can sit close in God's arms and he will hold us while the storm passes over.  I have to remember to rest there, have faith in Him and trust Him.  He has control over the elements.  His power is greater than that of earth.  He is more powerful than any crisis I might face!  How boring would our lives be if we never had storms, never had rain or wonderful cloud formations.  David once remarked that the sky was always too blue during a holiday in Cape Town and I know what he means.  We need the rain and storms to blow away the smog and wash away the dust and dirt.  Life can get too complacent and lazy if we aren't made to shiver once in a while.

The Prayer

Father, help me rest in your arms when facing storms.  I try too often to run things my own way instead of trusting in you.  Help me to face life's storms in the knowledge that they are strengthening me for my walk with you, stopping me from being to comfortable in an easy life.