At this mornings service, the speaker asked people to voluntarily stand and speak of an item that they were thankful for in 2014. Some items spoken of were witnessing opportunities, jobs, a grandchild accepting Christ, celebrating 50 years of marriage, a birth of a child after a previous miscarriage and the list went on.
As items were spoken, I wondered about those who attended who really struggled in 2014. Was it easy for those whose marriage separated to give thanks when their wounds were still raw, especially just after Christmas time, which is so much about family. Was it easy for those to be thankful when they have suffered illness? Did thankfulness overflow from those who have pleaded with God, but there pleas seem to have fallen on deaf ears? How was it for these folks to listen to the items of thanks?
Sometimes we have to look a little harder for something to be thankful for, we have to dig a little deeper and we have to be thankful in spite of. Perhaps that is a true test of how thankful someone can be, when they are not getting what they want, but they can look past it and still be thankful.
While our 2014 included 2 trips to the hospital for my wife who is immune compromised, on going cancer treatment and monitoring for me, an appendix removal for my son, an on going lawsuit against us for a vehicle accident where we were not found at fault, the reality that we will not be able to go south because of health reasons, etc., it also included items of thanksgiving.
In fact many of the items I just listed also have a component of thankfulness. While my wife's condition may not be convenient or fun, it has opened doors for us to grow and minister and God has sustained her through much for which we are very grateful. My cancer has been in remission which is a happy dance type feeling. We were spared from that accident and perhaps the lawsuit process will provide witnessing opportunities. We are grateful that our sons appendix was removed before it burst and while we won't be able to go to Florida, we will have a relaxing mid winter vacation at a water park.
My point is that there are usually things to be grateful for, but its so easy sometimes to look at the mountain of life's challenges and not to see the bigger mountain behind it containing God's provision.
For those out there who have been stung by difficult experiences, I challenge you to look for God within those experiences and to see how he has provided, how he has helped you persevere and carry the burden. How you do this will likely be an encouragement to many.
Your reality may also require you to look at the much larger picture, which is God's picture and to simply trust him that the pieces will fall in a way that will work for good. There may not be an immediate item of thankfulness, but if we give the situation to God and trust him with it, there will be something to be thankful for at some point. Perhaps your situation is being used to bring someone to Christ. This too, would be a truer test of ones thankfulness and perhaps even spiritual maturity....to be able to look at things with God's perspective.
Sunday, 28 December 2014
Sunday, 7 December 2014
A God of deliverance, a God of provision
In our me first society it's very easy to let the things we thought we deserved and didn't get, overshadow the things we did get and didn't deserve. We easily forget that we turned our back on God in Eden when we had his newly created world to enjoy. We forget that the human race has rejected God over and over again and yet somehow we still expect that we should only get what we want when we want it.
At the end of church service today an older gentlemen in front of me asked how my week was. I responded by explaining to him that we are involved in a lawsuit filed against us for an accident we were in back in 2010, that we had not been charged, but that a party involved was suing. While the word unjust screams at me and the tendency is to focus on that and wallow in why me self pity, I was reminded by the kind gentlemen, of God's provision. Yes life has not been easy for my family, but as I reflect on our experiences, I would have to say that God has been faithful. We were spared from that accident and have been spared so many times since, so my heart should be overflowing with gratitude.
When I reflect while keeping in mind that I am deserving of hell, then God's provision become abundant and undeserving provision. I need to remind myself that while I don't always get want I want and while law suits, health issues, etc. have presented challenges, I do serve a God that is faithful and provides even in my darkest times.
I have experiences health miracles, I have seen God's hand at work in beautiful ways ensuring that we have what we need. I have experienced more than I deserve.
So when I am asked how I am, perhaps my first words should be of thankfulness rather than to wallow in my circumstances. Perhaps my words should reflect a faith and trust in a God who has always been so faithful.
Carrie Underwood with Vince Gill How Great thou Art
Celtic Woman - Amazing Grace
All i need is You " Kim Walker Jesus Culture
I Surrender - Hillsong Live
Josh Groban You Raise Me Up
At the end of church service today an older gentlemen in front of me asked how my week was. I responded by explaining to him that we are involved in a lawsuit filed against us for an accident we were in back in 2010, that we had not been charged, but that a party involved was suing. While the word unjust screams at me and the tendency is to focus on that and wallow in why me self pity, I was reminded by the kind gentlemen, of God's provision. Yes life has not been easy for my family, but as I reflect on our experiences, I would have to say that God has been faithful. We were spared from that accident and have been spared so many times since, so my heart should be overflowing with gratitude.
When I reflect while keeping in mind that I am deserving of hell, then God's provision become abundant and undeserving provision. I need to remind myself that while I don't always get want I want and while law suits, health issues, etc. have presented challenges, I do serve a God that is faithful and provides even in my darkest times.
I have experiences health miracles, I have seen God's hand at work in beautiful ways ensuring that we have what we need. I have experienced more than I deserve.
So when I am asked how I am, perhaps my first words should be of thankfulness rather than to wallow in my circumstances. Perhaps my words should reflect a faith and trust in a God who has always been so faithful.
Carrie Underwood with Vince Gill How Great thou Art
Celtic Woman - Amazing Grace
All i need is You " Kim Walker Jesus Culture
I Surrender - Hillsong Live
Josh Groban You Raise Me Up
Sunday, 16 November 2014
what would Jesus do
If we are truly Gods and dead to self why do we do what we do? Its an interesting question to ponder. As I look at my own life I am reminded constantly of Gods goodness and provision. Still I find myself trying to be self sufficient, worrying through things when he already knows the outcome. It seems so silly and yet it can be so hard to let go and let God, and while so hard, it can be so freeing to give up control.
Do my every day actions reflect a life surrendered to God? Sadly they do not. There is always that tension between trusting God and thinking, well he did give me a brain, he must expect me to use it. It can be a slippery slope, because yes I think he does expect us to use our God given abilities, but when is that point where we say here it is Lord. How often do we go beyond that point and he gently reminds us that he has our best interests and his purposes in mind and that we only need to trust him.
Another aspect of a life surrendered is that we would want his vision, we would want to be part of his purposes. In every little circumstance we would want to be pleasing to him. That could mean being thankful in a time of blessing, it could mean trusting him during times of uncertainty and on an every day basis it could mean reminding our selves that in every situation we are to aspire to be Christ like. How do I know that the annoying situation placed before me is not an opportunity to show his love by forgiving, showing mercy, love or any of the other attributes of our savior. Its human nature to look at annoying circumstances as just that, but just maybe they are a great opportunity to show Christ rather than to be annoyed, frustrated and even in a mud slinging mode, "saying why did that idiot do that to me".
The saying "what would Jesus do" is really one we need to keep at the forefront of our everyday thoughts. He has a plan, he has purposes and it would seem to me that showing his love in the smallest and possibly annoying aspects of life is what he has asked us to do.
We tend to look for big ministry opportunities when he simple wants us to exude him in all aspects of our life.
I need to remind myself that instead of putting someone down for an act of stupidity, instead of being angry, jealous, etc., each and every circumstance I face is an opportunity to show his love.
Do my every day actions reflect a life surrendered to God? Sadly they do not. There is always that tension between trusting God and thinking, well he did give me a brain, he must expect me to use it. It can be a slippery slope, because yes I think he does expect us to use our God given abilities, but when is that point where we say here it is Lord. How often do we go beyond that point and he gently reminds us that he has our best interests and his purposes in mind and that we only need to trust him.
Another aspect of a life surrendered is that we would want his vision, we would want to be part of his purposes. In every little circumstance we would want to be pleasing to him. That could mean being thankful in a time of blessing, it could mean trusting him during times of uncertainty and on an every day basis it could mean reminding our selves that in every situation we are to aspire to be Christ like. How do I know that the annoying situation placed before me is not an opportunity to show his love by forgiving, showing mercy, love or any of the other attributes of our savior. Its human nature to look at annoying circumstances as just that, but just maybe they are a great opportunity to show Christ rather than to be annoyed, frustrated and even in a mud slinging mode, "saying why did that idiot do that to me".
The saying "what would Jesus do" is really one we need to keep at the forefront of our everyday thoughts. He has a plan, he has purposes and it would seem to me that showing his love in the smallest and possibly annoying aspects of life is what he has asked us to do.
We tend to look for big ministry opportunities when he simple wants us to exude him in all aspects of our life.
I need to remind myself that instead of putting someone down for an act of stupidity, instead of being angry, jealous, etc., each and every circumstance I face is an opportunity to show his love.
Sunday, 2 November 2014
Elizabeth health - Oct 2014
Everything seemed to be ticking along quite well and then came Saturday Oct 25. First it was a friend texting, telling me about another friend who was experiencing sudden mental health challenges. Then it was my dear wife Elizabeth experiencing stomach pain. This is not new for her, it is something she has experienced several times a year since her gull bladder was removed in 2011.
Her pain escalated to very severe and then vomiting several times, much the same as she experienced in the spring of 2014. As we did in the spring, we arranged for an ambulance and she was admitted to what seems like her second home, Grand River Hospital. As per usual when they admit her, they run tests right away and get her hooked up to IV, all in preparation to be able to deal with the worst, another potential bacterial infection. Tests indicated a high white cell count indicating she was fighting something. An x-ray did not show anything and a CT scan showed abnormal (more fluids in pelvic area than normal). Nothing was conclusive, yet there were also to many concerning signs.
Again to be cautious, she was kept for several days and released Tuesday evening Oct 27 with the doctor simply implying, "we don't really know what's going on". If this was an isolated case, it would be easy to move on, but for us, unfortunately these hospital visits have become a fairly routine occurrence since my wife's battle with flesh eating disease in 2005 (2009, 2010 x 2, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 x2). Many of her ailments since 2005, you could say are secondary issues due to that 2 month roller coaster ride in 2005 (see http://woundedbutvictorious.blogspot.ca/p/how-does-one-deal-with-multiple-close.html.)
While we rest in the fact that our God knows best and is our provider, the frequency of these events, the speed at which bacterial diseases can advance and the limited medical answers leave us in a cloud of uncertainty and anxiety. Our kids have been a part of this journey for their whole lives and to see the impact on them is painful. While we know God has great plans for them and these experiences will be a big part of shaping them, to see the uncertainty that they have to deal with at such a tender age is heartbreaking.
Our values tell us to plug on and trust God with the many unknowns. At the same time a raging storm of frustration, anxiety, spiritual warfare and anger brews as Satan works nonstop to rip us out of Gods hand and to destroy our family. At times my head space feels tormented.
We rest in God's promises knowing that he will prevail and that in the end we will live in eternity with him, an eternity that Satan, sickness, sorrow and death will have NO part of. We soldier on because our God is there to carry us when the quick sand is up to our ears. We march on knowing that because of our sin we live in a world of heart ache, but that because of our choice to accept his free gift (John 3:16), we will have eternal life with him, free from heartache.
Aaron Keyes - Sovereign Over Us
Alan Jackson - Blessed Assurance
Her pain escalated to very severe and then vomiting several times, much the same as she experienced in the spring of 2014. As we did in the spring, we arranged for an ambulance and she was admitted to what seems like her second home, Grand River Hospital. As per usual when they admit her, they run tests right away and get her hooked up to IV, all in preparation to be able to deal with the worst, another potential bacterial infection. Tests indicated a high white cell count indicating she was fighting something. An x-ray did not show anything and a CT scan showed abnormal (more fluids in pelvic area than normal). Nothing was conclusive, yet there were also to many concerning signs.
Again to be cautious, she was kept for several days and released Tuesday evening Oct 27 with the doctor simply implying, "we don't really know what's going on". If this was an isolated case, it would be easy to move on, but for us, unfortunately these hospital visits have become a fairly routine occurrence since my wife's battle with flesh eating disease in 2005 (2009, 2010 x 2, 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014 x2). Many of her ailments since 2005, you could say are secondary issues due to that 2 month roller coaster ride in 2005 (see http://woundedbutvictorious.blogspot.ca/p/how-does-one-deal-with-multiple-close.html.)
While we rest in the fact that our God knows best and is our provider, the frequency of these events, the speed at which bacterial diseases can advance and the limited medical answers leave us in a cloud of uncertainty and anxiety. Our kids have been a part of this journey for their whole lives and to see the impact on them is painful. While we know God has great plans for them and these experiences will be a big part of shaping them, to see the uncertainty that they have to deal with at such a tender age is heartbreaking.
Our values tell us to plug on and trust God with the many unknowns. At the same time a raging storm of frustration, anxiety, spiritual warfare and anger brews as Satan works nonstop to rip us out of Gods hand and to destroy our family. At times my head space feels tormented.
We rest in God's promises knowing that he will prevail and that in the end we will live in eternity with him, an eternity that Satan, sickness, sorrow and death will have NO part of. We soldier on because our God is there to carry us when the quick sand is up to our ears. We march on knowing that because of our sin we live in a world of heart ache, but that because of our choice to accept his free gift (John 3:16), we will have eternal life with him, free from heartache.
Aaron Keyes - Sovereign Over Us
Alan Jackson - Blessed Assurance
Monday, 15 September 2014
Scott - health update Sept 2014
My time flies, its been almost 3 years now since my diagnosis of B cell Follicular Lymphoma. My initial 6 treatments were followed by 8 maintenance treatments over 2 years which was completed in Feb /14. I have now completed my 2nd 3 month check-up since then and all seems well.
While I look forward to more infrequent check ups that may come with time, I have much to be thankful for. While working during this timeframe in what has been a 2nd career that I ventured on in 2010, has had its challenges, I am grateful for God's provision in helping me prove myself and progress in the banking field.
I have continued on my path of emotional healing and learning to trust God in even the smallest of details. I have found that as I age and experience life, my own reserves have depleted and my need to rely on my saviour has increased. God has been showing me what dependence on him can look like in every aspect of my life journey. Relying on him is a beautiful thing and watching him work and provide is an awesome display of his power when I am willing to sit back and say, "it's yours Lord, work in this according to your will".
I am in awe of God's patience as he continues to show me what a relationship with him can look like. In a fast pasted pressure packed world, life can be overwhelming with its pressures. It can seem too much, like a deafening roar, an overwhelming wind or even a storm. In all of this my God stays strong and is my refuge for which I am eternally grateful. He is my ground zero, my point of reference where I need to abide.
Meredith Andrews - Draw Me Nearer
Hillsong - Velocity - HOW GREAT THOU ART
Meredith Andrews - In Your Arms
Westlife - You Raise Me Up
While I look forward to more infrequent check ups that may come with time, I have much to be thankful for. While working during this timeframe in what has been a 2nd career that I ventured on in 2010, has had its challenges, I am grateful for God's provision in helping me prove myself and progress in the banking field.
I have continued on my path of emotional healing and learning to trust God in even the smallest of details. I have found that as I age and experience life, my own reserves have depleted and my need to rely on my saviour has increased. God has been showing me what dependence on him can look like in every aspect of my life journey. Relying on him is a beautiful thing and watching him work and provide is an awesome display of his power when I am willing to sit back and say, "it's yours Lord, work in this according to your will".
I am in awe of God's patience as he continues to show me what a relationship with him can look like. In a fast pasted pressure packed world, life can be overwhelming with its pressures. It can seem too much, like a deafening roar, an overwhelming wind or even a storm. In all of this my God stays strong and is my refuge for which I am eternally grateful. He is my ground zero, my point of reference where I need to abide.
Meredith Andrews - Draw Me Nearer
Hillsong - Velocity - HOW GREAT THOU ART
Meredith Andrews - In Your Arms
Westlife - You Raise Me Up
Thursday, 24 April 2014
who will we serve - Joshua 24
The below passage is Joshua's last speech. A phrase that struck me is choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. It seems to me that that it is a constant choice we need to make, while we are saved by grace, obedience to him and reliance on him is something we need to constantly strive for. Even one small glance away can lead to walk through the thistles instead of a stroll hand in hand with our savior.
Joshua 24:14-15
Joshua 24:14-15
New International Version (NIV)
14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
God is willing to go before us - Joshua 23
In Joshua 23 Josh is bidding farewell, his days are near an end and he is giving his last speech of encouragement and caution.
Two things struck me when reading this, the first is in verse 10 when I am reminded of God's awesome power and how he goes before us and is willing to fight for us. How often do I allow him to do this though?
The second is in verses 11 to 13 where it is made clear what traps the Israelites were to avoid, but it doesn't just apply to them does it? When I think of my life, in this day and age there are so many traps that take me away from focusing on God. Being busy is certainly one of them, but the list can go on from wealth to lust to jealously and son on.
So the question is, what am I doing to remain focused on God? Even as I write this, I feel anxious about what I have to get done today, but isn't that taking away from my focus on God, is that a subtle item that is creeping in and posing a threat or am I willing to ask God to help me with busyness, to pave the way, to help me fight my battles whatever they may be?
Joshua 23:8-13 http://www.biblegateway.com
12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.
Two things struck me when reading this, the first is in verse 10 when I am reminded of God's awesome power and how he goes before us and is willing to fight for us. How often do I allow him to do this though?
The second is in verses 11 to 13 where it is made clear what traps the Israelites were to avoid, but it doesn't just apply to them does it? When I think of my life, in this day and age there are so many traps that take me away from focusing on God. Being busy is certainly one of them, but the list can go on from wealth to lust to jealously and son on.
So the question is, what am I doing to remain focused on God? Even as I write this, I feel anxious about what I have to get done today, but isn't that taking away from my focus on God, is that a subtle item that is creeping in and posing a threat or am I willing to ask God to help me with busyness, to pave the way, to help me fight my battles whatever they may be?
Joshua 23:8-13 http://www.biblegateway.com
New International Version (NIV)
Joshua’s Farewell to the Leaders
. 8 But you are to hold fast to the Lord your God, as you have until now.
9 “The Lord has driven out before you great and powerful nations; to this day no one has been able to withstand you. 10 One of you routs a thousand, because the Lord your God fights for you, just as he promised. 11 So be very careful to love the Lord your God.12 “But if you turn away and ally yourselves with the survivors of these nations that remain among you and if you intermarry with them and associate with them, 13 then you may be sure that the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you. Instead, they will become snares and traps for you, whips on your backs and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from this good land, which the Lord your God has given you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)