Written by Gordon Mcdonald : Sponsored by Good Book Company

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Ephesians 2: 7-8   So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith.  And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.

God wants us to experience the riches of your salvation:  the Joy of being loved constantly and perfectly by Him.  We make a practice of judging ourselves based on how you look or behave or feel.

If we like what we see in the mirror, we feel a bit more worthy of His Love.  When things are going smoothly and our performance seems adequate, we find it easier to believe we are His beloved children.  When we feel discouraged, we tend to look inward so that we can correct whatever is wrong.  Instead of trying to “fix” ourselves, we should fix our gaze on Jesus, the Love of our souls.

Rather than using up our energy to judge ourselves, we should redirect it to praising Him instead.  Remember that He sees us clothed in His righteousness, and radiant in His perfect love.

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Written by Daniel Abraham of Avant Ministries

Breaking the Myth of Islam

What is religion? Many people may think they know the answer, but in the halls of academia the term religion has several definitions. One of these definitions I subscribe to is a functional definition by the theologian Paul Tillich that religion is an ultimate concern.

I grew up during the Iraq-Iran war. The bombs falling around us made death a tangible reality to me. Death was imminent, real, and near. I was ultimately concerned with death and the solution for death resided in the faith of my childhood (Islam). Islam says that there is a life after death with reward or punishment for what you do in this life. This life became nothing but a temporary place of preparation and a test for the eternal life in heaven or hell.

I held these Islamic religious views because I inherited them from my family and my society. I accepted them as the ultimate truth, just as a child accepts by faith that Santa Claus is real and that he has this omnipresence to deliver Christmas gifts to all children everywhere in one night. As silly as this may sound to an adult, to a child who has faith in this myth it is unquestionable truth.

The Bible, the best spell breaker, disenchanted me with Islam. Being disenchanted from a myth can lead to two actions: rejecting the myth or accepting the myth as a beneficial tradition that you know is not true but like to keep (like the case of Santa Claus). Rejecting does not mean one is adopting a new belief. In my case, rejecting Islam did not lead to an automatic conversion to Christ; it was a process to break free from the myth that imprisoned my mind. For me, conversion was accepting new beliefs as truth after rejecting the old ones. I was awakened to the truth, until my soul yearned and earnestly sought God in the darkness of the night of that spiritual affliction.  Read more…

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By Tim Challies

There are some subjects in the Christian world we probably talk about too much and some we may talk about too little. Over time, I think we swing back and forth, often overcorrecting. In my experience money has been one of those subjects we sometimes over-emphasize and at other times almost forget altogether.

I have benefited tremendously from frank, Bible-based discussions on how Christians are to use their money. I have modeled my use of money after people who spoke to me, or who wrote candidly, about their own use of money. As far as I can discern they did not do this in order to boast, but in order to lead and disciple. Their practical counsel has shaped my understanding of the right use of money at least as much as any sermons I’ve heard.

Someone once drew my attention to four questions to ask when I am about to make a purchase—any purchase. Looking back, I can see how much better I am at managing money when I keep questions like these in mind (which, I believe, were first posed by John Wesley).

• In spending this money, am I acting as if I own it, or am I acting as the Lord’s trustee? 
• What Scripture passage requires me to spend this money in this way? 
• Can I offer up this purchase as a sacrifice to the Lord? 
• Will God reward me for this expenditure at the resurrection of the just? 

Read more here…

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By Tim Challies

With Father’s Day just 2 days away, I wanted to share with you a post by Tim Challies on the one small unseen thing his parents did that impacted his faith…

I grew up in a church culture, a catechizing culture, and a family worship culture. Each of these was a tremendous, immeasurable blessing, I am sure. I am convinced that twice-each-Sunday services, and memorizing the catechisms, and worshipping as a family marked me deeply. I doubt I will ever forget that my only comfort in life and death is that I am not my own, but belong in body and soul, both in life and death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ, or that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. I can still sing many of the psalms and hymns of my youth, and I have precious memories of my family bowing our heads around the kitchen table.

What was true of my family was true of many of my friends’ families. They, too, grew up around churches and catechisms and rigid family devotions. In fact, in all the times I visited their homes, I don’t think I ever witnessed a family skip over their devotions. It was the custom, it was the expectation, and it was good. Our church had near 100% attendance on Sunday morning and near 100% attendance on Sunday evening. It was just what we did.

But despite all of the advantages, many of the people I befriended as a child have since left the faith. Some have sprinted away, but many more have simply meandered away, so that an occasionally missed Sunday eventually became a missed month and a missed year. Not all of them, of course. Many are now fine believers, who are serving in their churches and even leading them. But a lot—too many—are gone.

Why? …… Read more

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By Tim Challies

I find one of the trickiest matters of Christian living to be the matter of motives. I often find myself wondering why I do the things I do. Just as often, I find myself wondering why I do not do those things I refuse to do. Sometimes, even with a lot of focused thought, I can make little headway.

I think the Apostle Paul would identify with me. In Romans 7, he wrote, “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (vv. 15–16). He was not looking to his motives per se, but he was still considering his life and finding that he was unable to discern why he did sinful things even when he wanted to do holy things. He saw his lack of holiness and his pursuit of sin and marveled at his own inability to do even the good things he wanted to do.  Read more…

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By Trevor Bradley

Isaiah 33 vs 2.  Who couldn’t do with a bit of help?  Someone to come alongside and share the burden or to take it in totality.  Many feel lonely crusaders, even to the extreme that God has forgotten them…

Here’s a cry for God to come, to make Himself known, to demonstrate his power.  “O LORD be gracious to us; we have waited for you. be our strength every morning” (note, not every week, every month, every year).

It’s the striving – me wanting to fix, to take things into my hands – that thwarts and frustrates God’s plans and purposes.  Psalm 127 says that unless the Lord builds the house, we who labour, labour in vain. It is all in vain.

Remember Saul?  He had to wait for Samuel to bring an offering to God on behalf of the nation of Israel.  He got impatient and took things into his own hands and suffered the consequences (Read 1 Samuel vs 15).  Saul’s theme song which was echoed from the lips of Frank Sinatra ‘I did it my way’.

Then the verse says “be our strength” for we are powerless, without you we can do nothing. (check out John 15 vs 5, Zechariah 4 vs 6 and  2 Chronicles 20 vs 12).

Also “be our salvation”.  To that the promise is given in Isaiah 40   “Behold, the Lord will come with might ( in power, to deliver)”.

So we wait for Him, and when He comes, He will strengthen us and deliver us.  That is my prayer today, is that yours?  I must do what Psalm 123 calls me to do. ” So our eyes look to the LORD, until He is gracious to us” (and rest assured He will be be according to His word as you and I ‘wait’ for Him)

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Frank Retief was pastor at St James Church Cape Town for 31 years, having planted the church in 1968 with his wife Beulah.  He became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of England in South Africa until he retired in 2010.  Frank remains active in ministry through preaching, teaching, pastoral work & writing, and has authored a number of books. 

 Preparing the way of the Lord

Mark 1 v 1:4 “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way” a voice of one calling in the desert,’Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.” And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

These words apply to John the Baptist.  He was sent as a messenger to prepare the way for the Lord.  This is a very significant development and we should not miss out on the importance of this passage for us today.

In those early days of the Roman Empire it was a common thing for a messenger to be sent ahead of a victorious Roman general to proclaim his victory on some far off battlefield.  It served as a spur to confidence and encouragement in the local people regarding the ability to their armies to protect them.  But in this passage we have the fulfilment of an ancient prophecy (Malachi 3 v 1 Isaiah 40 v 2) regarding the long awaited Messiah.  God would raise up a messenger who would prepare the people for the Messiah’s appearance by appealing to them to repent and to be ready to receive Him when He appeared.

There are two ways in which John the Baptist’s proclamation helps us today.  Firstly, we can be sure that the One to whom he pointed was truly the Son of God.  He was not a fake, not an illusion.  He was the true Messiah who came to bring redemption to his people.  But secondly, John’s proclamation was one of the signs that marked Jesus out as utterly unique.  So unique was he that a messenger was sent ahead of him. Unlike the messengers who were sent out to proclaim military victories for Roman generals, this messenger prepares the way of the Lord Himself.  Furthermore this “Lord” who comes does so not as a mighty warrior, but as a servant who will rescue HIs people by dying for them.

The uniqueness of Jesus is spread throughout the opening chapters of Mark’s Gospel but it is probably better to describe His uniqueness in terms of His great authority.  Have a look at Mark chapter 1 and see how many signs of his uniqueness there were at his baptism with the voice from Heaven, His temptations in the desert, His power over the men He calls to be His disciples, His authority over evil spirits, His power to heal the sick – these all point to a truly unique individual with unusual authority over all the brokenness of the human condition.

We should take great courage from this.  No matter how much it may seem from time to time that Christ’s kingdom is about to disappear we must remember His power and greatness.  It is this authority He has exercised over you when he called you to Himself and it is this authority and power that accompanies us on our way.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for endowing your Son with such power and authority so that I may be sure my sins are all forgiven and that He will keep us safe until we reach that Heavenly Kingdom. “Amen”

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Candice is a busy wife to Matt and mom of Noah (5) and Tyler (3 going on 21).  Candice also works part-time at our Rosebank Store of Christian Book Discounters.  In her spare time Candice writes for her own blog and is a travel consultant.

Dear Me,

Right now, I know you feel like you’re drowning. I know you feel like your world has crumbled, that when everyone finds out about the little baby you’re carrying, you’re going to shatter people’s dreams – dreams they had for you, and dreams they had for themselves which involved you. I can see how you feel like the baby you’re carrying, is actually carrying you. You feel like people will only see the baby and what your pregnancy says about you right now, and people will never see you as you. People don’t see you struggling for every smile and fighting for each step.

• I know you wish you were invisible but instead, you feel that you give failure a face.
• You feel like you are the poster child for pain.
• You feel like your name symbolises shame.

I see you are walking in the valley. You feel that God has left you – that any kind of good He could’ve done through your life is now shattered. You wonder about your worth, you question your character. No-one could possibly love you through this right? Including God? He abandoned you before you even knew yourself that you walking this road to motherhood. He knew you were, before you did and He gave up on you then, along with everyone else when they find out.

Stop…

You see that empty seat in the doctor’s waiting room? He’s sitting there.

You see the man sitting next to you, whose life has plunged into chaos just the same as yours has been? God chose him, for you, to walk with you right now (and forever) – Noah and you, He’s entrusted to him. Funny, his name is Matthew. Matthew means gift from God. Yes. He’s a gift from God for you. Dear Candice, Love Jesus.

Listen, me, six years from this day in the doctor’s room, you will tuck your little boy into bed, hold him close and realise these things:

1. Your baby boy will be the dream that, those close to you, never knew they had. He will heal relationships, he will bind up broken hearts and he will shine light into lives that are trapped in the darkness.
2. God never left you. In fact, when you look back to this time in your life, you will realise that it was this time right now, that He as closer to you than ever before.
3. God doesn’t make mistakes.  Ever.
4. From your greatest trial, came your greatest blessings. You will look back on this time and not wish it away, I promise you. These few months defined who you are, made you re-evaluate what you thought about God and carved your character in a way that you can’t even conceive right now.
5. The little boy’s arrival will teach you all about unconditional love. Your friends and family will show you more about God’s grace lived out, than you will have ever experienced before. Abandonment should not even cross your mind. The next few months, they will prove that to you.
6. The life you have now, six years later, is so much more fulfilling than the one you planned. I know you can’t see that now. Right now, you’re broken hearted about the life dreams you lost. I can assure you, this life you didn’t plan for – a life of jumping headfirst into motherhood and marriage so suddenly – that’s the life that actually makes your heart happy. You won’t cry for what you feel like you lost – because you actually didn’t lose anything of significance at all. You gained. You are where you weren’t planning to be but nonetheless, you are where you are meant to be.
7. The greatest lesson you will learn is that grace means that everything in your life, including the hurt, the disappointment, the pain you’re going through right now, the products of your mistakes, all serve a purpose instead of serving shame.

Everything you believe about yourself and about what God thinks of you is eradicated by what is there on the screen. Look over.  You see that little hand on the sonar screen? Can you hear that heartbeat?  Noah is created by God. His time is right now. God loves you enough and finds you worthy enough to be his mom.

This time is the right time…

You are worthy, in fact so worthy, God entrusted you with another life. He made you a mother.  If I could hug you right now, me six years ago, I would. I know you feel you don’t deserve it. I know you will have to learn to love yourself again, and it won’t come easily. In fact, you will have days where you feel like you’re back here again.

But at least in the future, you know where to run to. He’s waiting. He never left you. Nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, you do will ever change that.

Now if you weren’t where you are right now, on this day six years ago, where you are at a tipping point of grace without knowing it, you may have never had the chance to experience that for yourself.  God is about to become more real to you than you’ll ever know. He’s there. Just lean into Him – you’re carrying a baby, and He’ll carry you both.

Love,

Me

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