Why?

Some friends of mine are going through a time where their faith could so easily be tested. In fact, a time when many of us around them could start questioning "Why God?"

Through everything that happens to us, God wants us to love him. He will see us through anything and everything that life throws at us. At this time, I know my friends have turned to him for everything they need.

I'm sure most of us are feeling useless at this time, last night I told them that all I could do was pray for them. It made prayer sound such a small thing! Yet prayer is the most powerful and wonderful tool that God has given to us! I don't need to know the details, God knows them! I just need to support my friends, to show my love for them through prayer.

1 Peter 1: 22 says

Now that you have purified yourselves

by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers,

love one another deeply, from the heart.

These people need to know how precious they are to us, how deep our love is for them, how sincere. If ALL we can do is pray, then we can show them love in no greater way than praying! If we don't know what to pray for our friends in need, we pray in tongues letting the Holy Spirit lead our prayers. Our Father in heaven will provide all they need.

I'll go back to verse 13

Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled;

set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Chris is revealed.

Our hope is in all that Christ has done for us through his death on the cross. Let us worship God and not question him. Let us be active for him in our support for our friends. Active in prayer.

When God Speaks

When God has something important to say, he usually says it loud and clear and repeatedly! Yesterday he spoke at least 3 times to me about the same thing.

In the morning, I'd shared about preparing my mind for action. At church a couple of hours later, there was an amazing anointing of God's Holy Spirit amongst the people. We were being to called to not only BE anointed in the Holy Spirit to also to be an anointing to others. To be active for God! In the evening we went over to Coventry to a different church and the call was once again to serve, to be active for God.

In some ways there were 3 messages given, but in others I really felt a sense of God calling me to action. To live the life he has chosen, to be a visible example of God's love. I'm not sure how God wants me to serve him, I only know that by preparing my mind each morning, by living in his kingdom, by seeking him in everything I do, I will learn to hear his voice. If I truly want to serve my Saviour King I will obey his will. For the present, I need to just be the person he created me to be. As I learn to live my life in obedience to him, by honouring him in everything I do, then he will begin to show me what he wants me to do.

One thing I do know for sure. I love God more than anything else. His love is the most precious thing I have and I don't want to allow anything in my life to seperate me from the joy of living in his kingdom. I want to serve my King. I need to listen to his voice, to be prepared and to obey.

Prepare Your Mind!

1 peter 1 13 - 16 tell us to prepare our minds and be self-controlled.

Last night I was watching The Bourne Supremecy with my son. He'd seen the first film but I hadn't, so I was a bit lost about some of what was happening. The lead man was acting on instinct. He had been well trained, his mind had been prepared to succeed in the tasks set before him. Sadly, (and I don't know how as it was in the first film) he was suffering from limited amnesia and there was a lot in his past which he was incapable of remembering. This meant that although his mind was prepared, he was often mixed up and confused. He didn't know what or why he was reacting the way he was.

Peter calls on us to prepare our minds. We are still living on earth and unless our minds are fully prepared, we are more likely to react in an earthly way instead of a godly way. We need to keep our minds fixed on the things of heaven. We serve a holy God and we cannot expect to come into his presence unless we ourselves are holy.

Peter calls us to be holy in all we do. Unless we prepare our minds for action by reading God's word, by chatting to him, talking to him, and above all, by listening to him, we will not be prepared for the tasks he sets for us.

Time for a bit of honesty? The past couple of days I've slotted in a quick read of my bible at the end of the day when my eyes are tired. Friday I didn't even make that much time! The days when I get up and the first thing I read is God's word, those are the days I know I am prepared for my day ahead. I've often in the past done my quiet time at the end of the day, but I'm finding I am so much more prepared for life when I read in the morning.

Think about it... how often does a general plan his attack at the end of the battle?

Our times with God are our times of preparation! We need to prepare our minds in order than we can face each day. We need to spend time with God in the morning, not in the evening. Don't get me wrong, added time in the evening is excellent. We must get our minds prepared in the morning. Our final thoughts of the day can be a time of reflection and praise but our early morning time is a time to focus and prepare. Just like Jesus did every morning.

A Disappointing Expectation Realised

This week I'm in the middle of producing an assignment to end my Open University's present course. I've found the course tough going because of the style of presentation in the course text book. Every few comments are interupted by yet another task for me to complete and I have found the flow of the text too severaly interupted to be able to follow the ideas. The assignments have been even more frustrating to complete and I have struggled, not to do the work, but to complete them in the format they have insisted we use.

Next week I begin two more courses. The start of new courses is usually an exciting time. yesterday my course material arrived for the courses but sadly the only difference on one of the courses is that instead of studying algebra, I'll be studying goemetry. I'm greatly disappointed as I know I'm going to have to work harder about being positive about the course, than on the course content.

The course I attended in the summer provided times of reflection on our learning the previous day. One of the things we openly talked about was how the course was giving us, often painful, reminders of what it is like to be a learner.

Looking at my disappointment for the coming months, in a way it must be how many of my pupils feel when I say we're about to study an area of maths they find difficult. Or when I keep badgering them to set work out in a particular way and they want to just jump straight in with an answer.

Having met the authors of these courses in the summer course, I hold them in great respect as people who are not only knowledgeable, but from observing them, also great classroom practitioners. I need to change the way I view the coming months. There will have been great discussion amongst them about not only the course content but also the way it is presented and the best way to enable us as learners to formerly write down our thoughts about our learning.

This is a challenge, not a trial! Although at times it will feel like one. If I go into the coming 12 months with the expectation that I will hate it, I most probably will! Alternatively I can choose to see this experience as more than just a means to an end, but as an opportunity to learn new ways to improve my own skills as a teacher and to extend my learning and understanding of topics which I really enjoy in maths.

Life is full of challenges, it's how we choose to approach those challenges which determines our enjoyment, success and commitment.

Learn to face life's challenges with good expectations and excitement of what is in store. Never predetermine they will be unpleasant and a waste of time. Yes, I'm talking to myself as well!

Testing Faith!

1 Peter 1: 7

These (trials) have come so that your faith- of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire- may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.

How often do we say "God is testing my faith!". God will not test us! He will not tempt us! Tempting and testing come from Satan. God is incapable of hurting us, it is not in his nature!

Trials in life are not tests of faith! They help us to see that the faith we have is genuine. If our faith is not genuine, we will fall. If our faith in God is genuine, we will survive! Not because we have a strength of character, but because we have a God who holds us strong. We are kept safe in his hands, secure and loved.

When we come through tough times our hearts are full of praise for the love of our God who has held us safe.

So don't see trials as testing, but as a means to demonstrate to yourself that your love of God is genuine. Think of all the tough times David suffered during his life. So many Psalms begin with frustration and panic as he worries about how he will ever get out of whatever trial he is facing. Yet each psalm ends in praise as David acknowledges the awesome majesty of his Lord. His faith was never tested! His faith proved to him that his love of God was genuine and would always keep him safe.

Let the trials you face be an opportunity for you to be reminded that your love of God is genuine and not just superficial.

A Living Hope

Can you remember a time at school when you were reprimanded for using too many commas and full stops in your work? You then start writing great big long sentances with no commas no breaks you just waffle on and on without any break and the sentance just grows and grows. You feel you're doing a great job that your english is improving! Then later the teacher appears to change her mind. Use them less frequently! You're told not breaking up your work properly! Create sensible sentances!

Life seems to be full of comments which later appear to be contradicted.

As I return to 1 Peter this morning, I come across some amazing comments, all bunched together into one long sentance! I want to break it down into chunks to meditate on but I struggle to find the end of the sentance! Yet when I reach the end of the sentance and glance at the next one... I appear to find a contraction from Peter!

(3) Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (4) and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you, (5) who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

(6) In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.

Verses 3 -5 speak of a living hope and God's shield of power keeping us safe until Christ's return, yet verse 6 speaks of the grief of many trials we will face!

If we are protected by God's power, why are we facing trials?

We visited relatives on Saturday. As young people they went to church and had a faith in God which held them fast. Sadly, Shirley's brother died. He was struck down by lightening! Along with her brother, Shirley's faith died. How could a God of love allow such a thing to happen? Especially when we are told that lightening (for insurance purposes) is an act of God!

It's often so hard to understand why God allows all the cruel things of this world to take place. I don't profess to know the answers. I try to live through my faith and accept that for me, my hope is in the future. Whatever I face here on earth will not change my future when Christ comes again. I have a living hope that sustains me. I can say these things, I haven't suffered the way so many have suffered. I really don't know how my faith would stand up if I lived in south USA at present or in the many countries where christians are being persecuted and killed for their faith.

In my faith, I will hold on to my living hope, that through the resurrection of Christ, my Lord, I will come into an inheritance that will never spoil or fade! My hope is not for an easy life on earth, but for an eternity to be spent worshipping God!

I cannot imagine how fantastic that will be. All I have is the knowledge that when I worship God, when I come before him in reverance and awe, there is no greater feeling, no greater time in my life. I am glad that I have Christ Jesus, who has sanctified my life, in order than I am able to enter God's presence for eternity to worship him.

time to meditate

How often do we read the opening of a letter and just glance at the welcome?

1 Peter 1-2

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

To God's elect His chosen people, selected for a purpose! That's me!!!

Strangers in the world we are called to live in God's kingdom, we are no longer part of this world but strangers in it. it seems strange to think that for so many years we have lived on this earth, yet now as citizens of God's kingdom, we are alien on this land. Our kingdom is not the earth but God's kingdom!

who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father God's plan for each of our lives causes us to be chosen, not just to live in his kingdom, but to serve there too.

through the sanctifying work of the Spirit I had to look up a definition of sanctify ( just to check it before I typed here) but it means made holy! we are people who have been made holy by the Holy Spirit!

for obedience to Jesus Christ how can we be anything other than obedient to Christ when the Holy Spirit has made us holy? Often it is so easy to forget God and just get on with life. But if we allow God's Holy Spirit to truly dwell in us, if we make ourselves aware of his amazing presence around us and in us in everything we do, then we will strive to be obedient to Christ through our everyday living.

2 small verses at the start of a short letter yet they are full of amazing truth and encouragement for who we are and how we should be living our lives.

Kingdom living! That's what I want! God's kingdom here on earth!

Gideon and Peter

Ian bought a book about Gideon. The sub-title has made me inquisitive! "Power from Weakness". I'll read the book when Ian has finished, but to start this morning I decided to read the story of Gideon.

The first thing that hit me was those moaning and complaining Israelites! They were once again the victims of superior powers, constantly under attack, losing their land and their harvest and their livestock! They complained to God, "Why have you deserted us? Where are you when we need you?"

Yet they were unable to see the link between God's "desertion" and their own! They were no longer acting like God's people! They were once again worshipping Baal, building alters to other gods, yet expecting the one true God, whom they no longer worshipped, to rescue them when things turned bad.

I didn't study the story, just read it through. I then turned to the New Testament and skimmed through the end of James. Following James are the letters of Peter. Peter, the loud, out-spoken desciple is now writing as a mature man of God.

In 1Peter, Peter talks about living our lives in God's kingdom. 1 Peter 1 - 2 Peter 11 tells us about how we should be living. Not as worshippers of other gods in our busy world, not as citizens of this world, but as citizens of the kingdom of God, worshipping him and him alone.

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Peter begins his letter with an amazing declaration. He writes to just about anyone who is a believer with the following opening lines...

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God's elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,

2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

I feel I should spend quite some time reading and meditating on the truths of this letter.

Expect more thoughts to follow!

You will need your brain in gear to understand this!

For a few days now I've been aware that I'm not reading my bible as much as I used to. It can be a few days between me picking it up, and when I do, I tend to just quickly scan few verses. I've been quietly challenged by the Holy Spirit that I must get into God's word.

So this morning I got up early to read. One of those small voices, we need to learn to ignore, spoke to me challenging me as to the reason I was going to read it was out of guilt and not desire! Thankfully I was able to reason that God doesn't mind WHY we read his word as long as we obey him! Rather than not read because I feel guilty that I'm reading it because I've been neglecting it, I decided I would read it because God has told me to. I would rather be obedient to God than to not do something because I'm only doing it because I've been told to!

Healing Spirit

I dragged myself to cell group last night, exhausted and needing sleep. My head was hurting, I had a numb arm and I really just wanted to be in bed.

We talked about being a citizen of God's kingdom and humility. We prayed for two people who have been suffering long term migraines. I just stood by and prayed quietly in tongues for most of the time.

By the end of the meeting, my numb arm was feeling lots better, my own headache was fading. I fell into bed grateful for the sleep to come.

This morning I awoke to a pain free head and an arm which is not misbehaving! God heals our sickness even when we don't directly ask for healing. His Holy Spirit ministered to me during the time of prayer.

Being amongst God's family allows us to draw on the strength of others. The love and caring of this particular group of people always gives me strength and encouragement and no matter how tired I am, I always make the effort to meet with them. I am blessed with incredibly sensitive leaders. They are sensitive to the nudging of the Holy Spirit allowing them to be aware of when we need support. I know last night I received a quiet reassuring and encouraging word from one of them which lifted yet relaxed me allowing me to benefit from the sleep I needed. This particular person needed rest as much as I did, yet in her humility and love for others she offered me the words I needed to bless me.

I am so fortunate that God has placed me amongst such loyal citizens of heaven. People who lead through example.

I pray today that I may be sensitive to your Spirit and not senseless and selfish, full of the "Poor Old Me" attitude that is so prevalent in today's world.

I am NOT of this world! I am a citizen of heaven! Help me to live according to your will today!

Thank you for the wonderful new world in which I live. Thank you I am a new creation and able to draw on your power as I seek to live my life for you.

On eagle's wings

I'm absolutely shattered! 5 days back at school and all I want to do is sleep!

Yet I not only do a worthwhile job, it's also the most satisfying I have ever done.

Seeing children learn, seeing them achieve makes my spirit soar!

I wonder if it's the same with God. He must have the biggest classroom ever and the Holy Spirit is the most patient teacher. How many times have I been taught the same lesson? How many times am I reprimanded for not following the class rules? How patient is my teacher?

Since Bible week I feel I'm getting to know the Holy Spirit in a totally different way. He's always been the slightly mysterious part of the trinity. I'm now finding I'm talking to him more easily, asking for his help and guidance, for wisdom and comfort.

I worship a God who loves me so much, he sent his son to die in payment for the many things I have done wrong and the many things I am yet to do wrong. But not only does my God forgive my sin, he has also sent a helper to work alongside me. Jesus was the greatest example of how to live life on earth. As Matthew Ling explained on Sunday (yes I made it to church!) Jesus lived on earth as a man not as God. He experienced all the emotions and pains that we experience. Yet through it all, he remained in control because each day he began by drawing on the strength of the Holy Spirit. If Jesus needed to power of the Holy Spirit in his daily life, then how much more do I need him?

At this present time I am physically and mentally tired. Yet I know that if I keep my mind fixed on God then I will have the strength to carry out his plan for my life.

For tonight though, I don't feel my mind is working and this is probably very waffly. So I will close for today and leave myself to ponder on the growing relationship I have with the Holy Spirit and also to accept my need to develop this relationship further if I am to achieve God's will for my life.

I am so angry!

I'm sorry, I just have to get this off my chest!

I have a neighbour who likes to party! No often, but loudly! Last night we had to put up with her entertaining her friends until 2 in the morning, music blasting out, loud singing and lots of shouting. We resorted to sleeping on the sofas downstairs as the party was at the back of the house below our bedroom window.

She believes she has a right to party on a Saturday night, the noise is acceptable because it's a party!

In reality, we can complain to Environmental Health, but they canonly act if they hear the noise! Of course, they dont work at weekends or at night, so partying is a difficult issue. But the essence of the law these days is that it is unreasonable noise if it occurs after 10pm. Her daughters had a party 10 days ago on a Thursday night which went on until 4.20pm when we telephoned the police.

Again, we were unreasonable! For the next few days, people I haven't spoken to before, who live in our street, came up to talk about the noise from the party! We were not the only ones disturbed and I'm sure the same is true of last night.

I just want to sleep now! I've got to go to church, but I can't imagine how on earth I can praise God when I'm still so angry!

What a scary creature!

Today I've spent over 3 hours, shut in a classroom with 29 quivering year 7s.

They sat quietly whilst I talked to them about the school's expectations.

They did everything they were asked to do, first time.

It was bliss after the form I had last year!

On the way down to assembly, I commented to another teacher about how well-behaved and quiet they were. She replied "well you are pretty scary Sue."

Later, whilst chatting to one of my form I discovered he knew plenty of boys already at the school. The names he mentioned are the ones we hear on a daily basis, which generally means for bad reasons! They'd been telling him about me! The comments?

She's scary! BUT she's a nice lady!

I'm chuffed! I guess if the kids think I'm scary but nice, then they must have some respect for me. I have a job to do, which is to not only educate these children to pass exams, but to also prepare them for life.

Rights and responsibilities are extremely important in lessons.

Every child has a right to an education. Every child has a right to expect their lessons to be well planned and well presented.

Every child must take responsibility for their own actions! Often children complain that it's the teacher's fault that they never learn. Occassionally it is! Sadly, in many cases, a poor learning environment is down to just a very small minority who believe it is their right to play up and have fun instead of allowing the others to gain their right to an education.

I may be scary, but generally the scariness goes when the group have accepted and learned their responsibilities in the classroom.

I love my job! I love seeing children suddenly grasp an idea and begin to understand something which has previously always been just out of their mind's reach.

Most of all, I love seeing troublesome children learn the skills required to achieve their potential without the need to constantly disrupt.

I am so glad God has placed me in such a fulfilling career!

Back to school

Today, Laura goes to college. She's been working for 2 years now and has decided her life is going nowhere. So now she's taking the big step of going back full-time to study.

She's so nervous and insecure about what she's doing that she's coming up with lots of excuses not to go in. Even down to :My feet hurt!!! So we've put on elastoplasts and given them a kiss (not really!!!) and she's getting herself ready for her big day.

It's amazing how after a short time away from study, we can get so nervous about returning to it! I think of all the students we teach at school who are in the opposite boat and are nervous that they are out in the big world and have left the security of school life behind.

It seems that no matter what stage of our life we are in, change is always a scary thing! Insecurity can often ovewhelm us!

I'm glad I've got Jesus! He's there everyday. Before work yesterday I prayed for guidance and strength and also wisdom to know when I'd gone wrong! I spent most of the day getting wisdom! Oh boy what a day!

But I'm glad I had the Holy Spirit beside me all day! He held me and upheld me through all the things that confronted me and at no time, when I went wrong did he do anything other than nudge me into a realisation of my mistake.

Insecurity? No! Security! I'm held fast in loving arms!

Thank you Father!

Who am I?

I'm one of those people who really struggles with confidence. Or rather I was!

I've never been very secure about who I am. Never really had any belief in myself or value of myself. Yet God has been telling me so much recently about himself, that the one thing I know about myself has suddenly given me self-belief.

Over the past few months I have been aware of God's awesomeness, his holiness and his love of all his creation. I know his love is so great that he sacrificed his Son for me that I can come into his presence. But that isn't the end of his love, he continues to show his love daily by the presence of his Holy Spirit within me.

Yet what does all this mean to me as a person?

It means I am a child of the living God! I have been made pure and holy in his presence (how else could I be allowed into his throne room?).

Catching a glimpse of God, of who he is, of all he has done, is changing my life. Oh, my circumstances are bad, there's lots I can stress about but as a child of the living God I can just reach out and ask for his help. I don't have to worry about anything.

This sounds so glib, but getting an understanding of who I am and where I stand in his kingdom is radically changing my outlook on life, my confidence and certainly my self-esteem.

Yesterday we heard about the citizenship of a disciple. As a citizen we have rights and also responsibilities. Sadly in the kingdom of earth people are concentrating on their rights! Few are taking any notice of their responsibilities. If we are to live in the kingdom we have a duty to stick to our responsibilities, THEN the kingdom will give us the security which is rightfully ours.

Yesterday focussed on humility as a the main duty of a citizen of heaven. As a child of the living God I have authority on earth to do God's will, but I am also a person under the authority of God. I must live my life in submission to God's will, to humbly go about my life doing God's will, seeking only his glory in everything I do.

Today is the start of a new term. Two days without the pupils to prepare for the work ahead. My desire for today is to do God's will. That in everything I do, people catch a glimpse of God. I want people to see Jesus in all I do. The whinging, the moaning, "it's not fair", attitude is not part of God's kingdom. Instead a willingness to do what God wants me to do humbly means that I joyfully get on with the tasks set before me. Reaching out to God for strength and wisdom in all aspects of my life, constantly keeping an attitude of praise to God and humbly submitting my life to him is the key to living in God's kingdom.

Knowing who I am in God means dutifully carrying out my responsibilities that I may access the rights of a citizen of his kingdom.

Good citizenship - rights and responsibilities!