Five years ago... on August 11th, I believed in my heart, and confessed with my mouth that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He is Lord.
Five years ago, I was an utterly different girl, absolutely miserable, and totally desperate - I turned to Jesus as a last resort. My life today is the opposite to what it was then... Jesus has transformed me, placed me in a wonderful church, surrounded me with amazing people, and I know that He has an incredible plan for my life as part of His purpose for His glory to cover the earth, for His Kingdom to come.
Five years on, I have never regretted the decision I made that day. God has always been faithful - He has never let me down. He has provided for me in abundance. He has been my loving Father, my almighty King, my sovereign Lord, my awesome God. The more I know Him, the more I love Him, and during this next year I want to know Him more, and therefore love Him more. Everyday, I want to be more in love with Him than I the day before. I want God to have His way in my life, I want to fulfil His will for me, knowing that I'm never at home when I'm outside of His will.
If you don't know Jesus, I want you to know that giving my heart to Jesus was and is the best decision I have ever made in my life, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it's the best decision I will have ever made, or could ever make. Should you make that decision, if you choose life, then it will be the best decision you ever make, and it will lead to the best life you could ever have.
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Living a Life of Seeing Above and Beyond
I actually started to write a really long post... but I decided just to declare this:
Having returned from an incredible week in Staffordshire, having seen above and beyond, having had half of a beautiful kebab with my ex-housemate Becky (who has now returned from Canada and y'all have no idea how happy that makes me) and having slept in a bed, inside (although, I loved camping)...
I am ready to live the life that God planned for me, seeing above and beyond what the natural eye sees, doing above and beyond what I could do in my own strength, and living a life in which I I continually see and live above and beyond what the world expects of me, and in doing so live the life that God purposed for me...
... and guess what? I can't wait! So... quite simply, I won't.
Having returned from an incredible week in Staffordshire, having seen above and beyond, having had half of a beautiful kebab with my ex-housemate Becky (who has now returned from Canada and y'all have no idea how happy that makes me) and having slept in a bed, inside (although, I loved camping)...
I am ready to live the life that God planned for me, seeing above and beyond what the natural eye sees, doing above and beyond what I could do in my own strength, and living a life in which I I continually see and live above and beyond what the world expects of me, and in doing so live the life that God purposed for me...
... and guess what? I can't wait! So... quite simply, I won't.
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
My Faithful God
The past two weeks have been a bit crazy, emotional... waaah is the best word I have to describe them. I guess 'waaah' because they've been good, hard, mad, breaking, softening, building... yeah... 'waaah' pretty much does it for me I think! Phew! I've been looking for a job. And hadn't found one... was almost out of money... and then!
Surprise! Surprise! (NOT - that is, in retrospect) God has shown Himself to be faithful and to be my Provider once again. Praise God! I got a job :-)! I start on Monday, at CIS (where I have heard that they at least used to give employees free lunch... hmm... maybe I'll start confessing that too!) with the exact shift I wanted, full time, until September, with Bible Week off! Yay!
I got a call today from a temping agency telling me I could have the job they put me forward for on Monday (which was my birthday, it was a good present!). They said on Monday they'd let me know Thursday or Friday. I've been confessing that it's my job since Monday... Today I was claiming it on a rather more regular basis (every 5 minutes?!) inbetween which I asked God to let them call me earlier (meaning Thursday but not actually saying it specifically) rather than having to wait 'til Friday to hear. So He more than answered my prayers (again, in retrospect, it shouldnt have been a surprise) and the call came today! Yay!
Praise be to my faithful God!
Surprise! Surprise! (NOT - that is, in retrospect) God has shown Himself to be faithful and to be my Provider once again. Praise God! I got a job :-)! I start on Monday, at CIS (where I have heard that they at least used to give employees free lunch... hmm... maybe I'll start confessing that too!) with the exact shift I wanted, full time, until September, with Bible Week off! Yay!
I got a call today from a temping agency telling me I could have the job they put me forward for on Monday (which was my birthday, it was a good present!). They said on Monday they'd let me know Thursday or Friday. I've been confessing that it's my job since Monday... Today I was claiming it on a rather more regular basis (every 5 minutes?!) inbetween which I asked God to let them call me earlier (meaning Thursday but not actually saying it specifically) rather than having to wait 'til Friday to hear. So He more than answered my prayers (again, in retrospect, it shouldnt have been a surprise) and the call came today! Yay!
Praise be to my faithful God!
Saturday, June 17, 2006
A 2nd attempt... on Seeking God.
Seeking God...
This is my calling. This is my life. I live to seek God. God created me that I would worship Him. I seek Him in order that I may worship Him.
My greatest desire is to know God. To know God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. My heart longs after God above all else, but that is not enough. It will not suffice for God Almighty. It is less than what God wants of me. It undermines His deity and sovereignty. God demands everything from me - not just to be the thing I want most.
It does not suffice to love God most, to want God most, to treasure God most, to worship God most, to seek God the most.
It suffices to love - only God, to want - only God, to treasure - only God, to worship - only God, to seek - only God.
It means that I must seek God with all that I am - everything else means nothing, is nothing, is of no importance. When applied to my life, it means that for every decision - no matter how small or big - I must seek God for it, because as I seek God with all that I am, for all that I am, He reveals Himself to me, His plans for me, all that He has for me. Why seek after other things when God has it all for me anyway? As I seek Him, I get to know Him more. I get to comprehend more of God. Why would I want to know or comprehend anything of this world at all if as I seek God, I can know and comprehend Him: God that created the universe, God that created me, God that rules and reigns over the universe, God that is omnipotent, God that is omniscient. Only God is all-knowing, we never will know-it-all. But as we seek God, we seek after Him that knows all, is all.
My God is God, He is not a god, but God Himself, because He is the only God. It is illogical that there could be more than one God because God is by definition omnipotent. And this God of mine is Love. He died that I might be saved. He demands to be worshipped. And so, I do. I have been seeking God my whole life. We all are in our own way. Almost five years ago, I chose to worship Him with my life, my heart. Seeking God did not stop there. To seek God, is to want to know God, to find Him. The more I know of God, the greater my passion for Him becomes. He chose me that I might seek Him and worship Him, and so I do.
It is as simple as that.
This is my calling. This is my life. I live to seek God. God created me that I would worship Him. I seek Him in order that I may worship Him.
My greatest desire is to know God. To know God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. My heart longs after God above all else, but that is not enough. It will not suffice for God Almighty. It is less than what God wants of me. It undermines His deity and sovereignty. God demands everything from me - not just to be the thing I want most.
It does not suffice to love God most, to want God most, to treasure God most, to worship God most, to seek God the most.
It suffices to love - only God, to want - only God, to treasure - only God, to worship - only God, to seek - only God.
It means that I must seek God with all that I am - everything else means nothing, is nothing, is of no importance. When applied to my life, it means that for every decision - no matter how small or big - I must seek God for it, because as I seek God with all that I am, for all that I am, He reveals Himself to me, His plans for me, all that He has for me. Why seek after other things when God has it all for me anyway? As I seek Him, I get to know Him more. I get to comprehend more of God. Why would I want to know or comprehend anything of this world at all if as I seek God, I can know and comprehend Him: God that created the universe, God that created me, God that rules and reigns over the universe, God that is omnipotent, God that is omniscient. Only God is all-knowing, we never will know-it-all. But as we seek God, we seek after Him that knows all, is all.
My God is God, He is not a god, but God Himself, because He is the only God. It is illogical that there could be more than one God because God is by definition omnipotent. And this God of mine is Love. He died that I might be saved. He demands to be worshipped. And so, I do. I have been seeking God my whole life. We all are in our own way. Almost five years ago, I chose to worship Him with my life, my heart. Seeking God did not stop there. To seek God, is to want to know God, to find Him. The more I know of God, the greater my passion for Him becomes. He chose me that I might seek Him and worship Him, and so I do.
It is as simple as that.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Seeking God
...I have returned...
I wasn't here on Sunday, so I didn't hear Tony's preach until this morning (as Becky brought me breakfast in bed... yum.) but upon hearing it, I thought I'd write a piece on seeking God, because God has been speaking to me about it for about a fortnight... So, here we are.
... but do you know what? I'm listening to DAVID CROWDER BAND and I just can't concentrate. So here are some lyrics:
I wasn't here on Sunday, so I didn't hear Tony's preach until this morning (as Becky brought me breakfast in bed... yum.) but upon hearing it, I thought I'd write a piece on seeking God, because God has been speaking to me about it for about a fortnight... So, here we are.
... but do you know what? I'm listening to DAVID CROWDER BAND and I just can't concentrate. So here are some lyrics:
you are more beautiful
than anyone ever
everyday you're the same
you never change, no never
and how could i ever deny
the love of my saviour
you are to me everything
all i need forever
how could you be so good?
there is no one like you
there has never ever been anyone like you
everywhere you are there
earth or air surrounding
i'm not alone, the heavens sing along
my god you're so astounding
how could you be so good to me
eternally i believe
you, you, you, you, you, you
how could you be so good to me
how could you be so good to me?
we're not alone, to sing along
we're not alone, to sing along, sing along, sing along
there is no one like you
there has never been anyone like you
there is no one like you
there has never been anyone like you
there is no one like our God, yeah
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Back Home...
Keri Jones said, "Your Home is in God's will".
It's true. It is nice to go away from time to time, to visit family, to see people that you're not used to seeing... but inevitably you miss where your life is.
If we love Jesus and He is Lord of our lives, our lives must be where He wants them to be.
In the knowledge that God has called me to be in Manchester, to study Law, to be part of King's Church... this is where my Home is. This is where life happens to its fullest extent that it can do. It's wonderful. Fabulous. Fantastic. Great... and... wait for it... AMAZING!
It was awesome to be back in Aberdeen and see my awesome mum and just as awesome sister... Nonetheless it's nice to be back Home... and imagine my excitement at finding Manchester exactly as I remembered it?! That is... grey and drizzling... B-e-a-utiful.
It's true. It is nice to go away from time to time, to visit family, to see people that you're not used to seeing... but inevitably you miss where your life is.
If we love Jesus and He is Lord of our lives, our lives must be where He wants them to be.
In the knowledge that God has called me to be in Manchester, to study Law, to be part of King's Church... this is where my Home is. This is where life happens to its fullest extent that it can do. It's wonderful. Fabulous. Fantastic. Great... and... wait for it... AMAZING!
It was awesome to be back in Aberdeen and see my awesome mum and just as awesome sister... Nonetheless it's nice to be back Home... and imagine my excitement at finding Manchester exactly as I remembered it?! That is... grey and drizzling... B-e-a-utiful.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Forgiveness
I listened to Women's Hour (10-11am on BBC Radio 4) yesterday. It was about God, and womens' relationships with God and so on and so forth. I think (although I haven't checked so don't take my word for it) that you can listen to previous programmes online from their website. So if you would like to listen to it, feel free.
There was some interesting discussion on forgiveness, which I, for the most part, didn't agree with, but it was interesting all the same.
This is my response.
What does it mean to forgive?
To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.
To renounce anger or resentment against. To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).
Such is the dictionary definition. But what does it mean to excuse?
To serve as justification for
To free, as from an obligation or duty
So, to forgive means to serve as justification for a fault or an offense. It also means to free, as from an obligation or duty regarding a fault or an offense. Therefore it means that when forgiven, that person is justified in one's heart and mind. Not only that, but they are freed from any obligation or duty related to that fault or offense. Forgiveness is thus not an easy word to define. It is more that just a word given for description. To forgive is a verb. As I was taught in primary school, a 'doing' word. The word necessitates an action. One cannot truthfully say "I forgive you" without actually having forgiven, or forgiving that person in their hearts (and what that means has been outlined above).
What are the limits of forgiveness? The questions of how many times? How repeatedly? For what kind of faults or offenses? These questions will be addressed. Jesus said to forgive your brother seventy times seven times (meaning to go on forgiving them, and forgiving them, and forgiving them, and not stopping there). However much we forgive another person, Jesus has always forgiven us more times, more repeatedly, and more graciously. He is our Lord. When Jesus is Lord, He requires our obedience in being like Him. In the knowledge that He forgives over and over and over again, we must follow in His footsteps. We also know, all from personal experience, that Jesus forgives us even when we repeat a sin. Over and over and over again. Thus it is not only a question of "I have forgiven this sin, and this other one, and yet another one", but also "I forgive this sin now, and again, and again, and this other one now, and again, and again, and yet another one - now, again, again". Are there sins that we cannot forgive? The only one mentioned in the Bible is in Matthew 12v31-32, Mark 3v29 and Luke 12v10. That is God's business. As regards faults against us, wrongs against us, it is not an optional extra to forgive someone. It is a command. The Word does not say forgive up until grievous bodily harm but no further. We are called to forgive, commanded to forgive. He forgave us even though our sin nailed Him to the Cross. Sometimes, I believe, we are powerless to forgive. But because Jesus is Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, by His power, and His strength, we can forgive: we can be free.
So I meet another contention. What do I mean free? What is the connection between forgiveness and freedom? (Confession - I looked at a Greek dictionary thing and the words appeared to stem from the same thing but lack of logic meant I couldn't get my head around exactly how it worked, and how to get the root word. Under the words for Liberation, however, came a word also meaning Forgiveness.) Before forgiveness, there is a sense that one has been wronged. Depending on the wrong, one may feel different levels of bitterness. This is not, in my opinion (which clashes with that of the lady on the programme) a positive feeling in particular circumstances. In fact, it is never a positive feeling. Bitterness can feed other emotions in negative ways (i.e. anger, sadness, hurt). Bitterness destroys. Jesus doesn't want us to keep a hold of bitterness. It really is that simple (not use of language: simple, not necessarily easy). In forgiveness, bitterness is let go of, and Jesus deals with it. Forgiveness will not only free the wrongdoer from obligation or duty (which, by the way, if they have sought forgiveness of God and of you, whether you forgive them or not, God has done, so they are free anyway) but will also free you of bitterness, because you let go of it.
1 Peter 3v9 says 'Do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult.' Vengeance does not belong to us. But it does not stop there. It goes on to say to repay these things with blessings. To do that genuinely, one must have forgiven.
Forgiveness is at the core of what God has done for us. How one can say that they cannot forgive, it would be wrong to forgive in this sense, I do not know. It may not be the easy choice short term, but it frees us from the destruction wrought by bitterness.
A long blog entry I know, but I could not sit idly by and write about something else when many heard that Radio programme. I disagree with what was said. The only thing I agreed with was that the contributor seemed to understand, on the surface at least, what forgiveness meant per se. What forgiveness means from a Biblical viewpoint, I do not think was understood. That is what I have attempted to convey here.
There was some interesting discussion on forgiveness, which I, for the most part, didn't agree with, but it was interesting all the same.
This is my response.
What does it mean to forgive?
To excuse for a fault or an offense; pardon.
To renounce anger or resentment against. To absolve from payment of (a debt, for example).
Such is the dictionary definition. But what does it mean to excuse?
To serve as justification for
To free, as from an obligation or duty
So, to forgive means to serve as justification for a fault or an offense. It also means to free, as from an obligation or duty regarding a fault or an offense. Therefore it means that when forgiven, that person is justified in one's heart and mind. Not only that, but they are freed from any obligation or duty related to that fault or offense. Forgiveness is thus not an easy word to define. It is more that just a word given for description. To forgive is a verb. As I was taught in primary school, a 'doing' word. The word necessitates an action. One cannot truthfully say "I forgive you" without actually having forgiven, or forgiving that person in their hearts (and what that means has been outlined above).
What are the limits of forgiveness? The questions of how many times? How repeatedly? For what kind of faults or offenses? These questions will be addressed. Jesus said to forgive your brother seventy times seven times (meaning to go on forgiving them, and forgiving them, and forgiving them, and not stopping there). However much we forgive another person, Jesus has always forgiven us more times, more repeatedly, and more graciously. He is our Lord. When Jesus is Lord, He requires our obedience in being like Him. In the knowledge that He forgives over and over and over again, we must follow in His footsteps. We also know, all from personal experience, that Jesus forgives us even when we repeat a sin. Over and over and over again. Thus it is not only a question of "I have forgiven this sin, and this other one, and yet another one", but also "I forgive this sin now, and again, and again, and this other one now, and again, and again, and yet another one - now, again, again". Are there sins that we cannot forgive? The only one mentioned in the Bible is in Matthew 12v31-32, Mark 3v29 and Luke 12v10. That is God's business. As regards faults against us, wrongs against us, it is not an optional extra to forgive someone. It is a command. The Word does not say forgive up until grievous bodily harm but no further. We are called to forgive, commanded to forgive. He forgave us even though our sin nailed Him to the Cross. Sometimes, I believe, we are powerless to forgive. But because Jesus is Lord, and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, by His power, and His strength, we can forgive: we can be free.
So I meet another contention. What do I mean free? What is the connection between forgiveness and freedom? (Confession - I looked at a Greek dictionary thing and the words appeared to stem from the same thing but lack of logic meant I couldn't get my head around exactly how it worked, and how to get the root word. Under the words for Liberation, however, came a word also meaning Forgiveness.) Before forgiveness, there is a sense that one has been wronged. Depending on the wrong, one may feel different levels of bitterness. This is not, in my opinion (which clashes with that of the lady on the programme) a positive feeling in particular circumstances. In fact, it is never a positive feeling. Bitterness can feed other emotions in negative ways (i.e. anger, sadness, hurt). Bitterness destroys. Jesus doesn't want us to keep a hold of bitterness. It really is that simple (not use of language: simple, not necessarily easy). In forgiveness, bitterness is let go of, and Jesus deals with it. Forgiveness will not only free the wrongdoer from obligation or duty (which, by the way, if they have sought forgiveness of God and of you, whether you forgive them or not, God has done, so they are free anyway) but will also free you of bitterness, because you let go of it.
1 Peter 3v9 says 'Do not repay evil with evil, or insult with insult.' Vengeance does not belong to us. But it does not stop there. It goes on to say to repay these things with blessings. To do that genuinely, one must have forgiven.
Forgiveness is at the core of what God has done for us. How one can say that they cannot forgive, it would be wrong to forgive in this sense, I do not know. It may not be the easy choice short term, but it frees us from the destruction wrought by bitterness.
A long blog entry I know, but I could not sit idly by and write about something else when many heard that Radio programme. I disagree with what was said. The only thing I agreed with was that the contributor seemed to understand, on the surface at least, what forgiveness meant per se. What forgiveness means from a Biblical viewpoint, I do not think was understood. That is what I have attempted to convey here.
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