Hebrews 4 vs 14-16 : Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet he did not sin.

Recently, we were watching an action packed thriller movie on DSTV.  As we are in the midst of Cape Town winter that brings loads of rain, the DSTV connection went out just minutes from the end of our movie due to yet another rain storm!  The only thing we were able to view was not the end of the movie but the words on the screen that read: “the decoder is attempting to re-establish connection.”

Well, needless to say, the rain storm continued, and we didn’t get to enjoy the movie ending.  We felt frustrated and unfulfilled. 

Transitioning to our spiritual lives, do you feel disconnected to God?  Do you feel frustrated and unfulfilled in your walk with the LORD?  Well, good news abounds.  “we can approach the throne of grace with confidence, so we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Hebrews 4:16)

 So what is the cure to feeling disconnected to the Lord due to the storms of life?

We can have the absolute confidence that when we pray through Jesus to the Father we trust that He hears us and cares for every one of our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.   I encourage you to take some time to call out to the LORD.  His mercy and grace are yours because of who you are “in Christ.”  And then share this good news of mercy and grace with a family member, friend, neighbor or co-worker.

Jesus is able to sympathize with every single one of our weaknesses!

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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.

Lying

Ephesians 4:25 “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbour, for we are all members of one body.”

Amongst the people of God there should be no lying or untruthfulness. We belong to the One who said: “I am the Truth” and truth and transparency should categorize everything we do.

Many of us will know the hurt, chaos and conflict that has been brought about by people telling other people lies. Perhaps you yourself have been the victim of some sort of deceit. You then will know how hurtful and shocking it can be.

We know of course that we live in a world of lies. Not only do our politicians and public figures often lie to us but we can hardly escape the falsehoods and deceptions contained in the small print of many of the documents we have to sign just to live in this world. Our TV shows are full of all the things that break our society. Just think of the titles of some of the soapies as you read this. They all speak to you of lies, deceit and unfaithfulness.

Proverbs 19:5 says: “A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells lies will not escape.” We all know that lies and half-truths all eventually get found out, but how sad to see the characters of young people often forged and formed by living in an environment where everyone lives by lying to each other.

Not so with us as Christians. We know by instinct that truthfulness should form and shape our lives. We know the truth of Proverbs 19:22 “…..it is better to be a poor man that a liar.” We remember the teaching of James chapter 3 about the power of the tongue and how it can set a great forest on fire with a small spark.

Let us avoid lying at all costs. We follow the Lord Jesus Christ in whose mouth no falsehood was found. Whatever others may do let’s always determine to tell the truth and people who are known to be trustworthy and dependable for Christ’s sake.

Prayer:

“Almighty God, How easily I fall into the sin of corrupt speech. Help me to rather emulate my Saviour and to remember that I am indwelt by the Spirit of truth. Please forgive my sinfulness and carelessness. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.”

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Is all sin equal in God’s eyes? It is a common question, and the answer is of the variety that is always a little bit unsatisfying: It is one of those “yes and no” answers.

There is a sense in which all sin is the same. Every sin is an act of rebellion against God. Any sin, no matter whether it is an angry thought or outright murder, is a declaration of independence from God, a means of saying, “I am going to do this my way instead of your way. I choose my will rather than your will.” In that sense every sin is sufficient to justify an eternity of separation from God. Every sin grieves God and arouses his just wrath. God hates sin because his very nature is contrary to sin. This is not God being mean or arbitrary, but God simply giving us the wages due to our rebellion.

However, it is equally correct to express that some sins are more serious than others. Certain sins are more significant than others because the consequences are more significant.. online shopping cart,
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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. 

I have a dream …… wait, I do?!?

The other day, I watched Chicago, the movie. It’s one of my favorite movies and mostly, because of the music. I’m a sucker for musicals as it is – my kids have watched Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang since they could get them to sit still for longer than 5 minutes. Old classical musicals are quality.

Anyway, this all got me thinking about dreams and when last I’d actually thought about mine. Since I was a little girl, I’ve wanted to be on Broadway. Theatre has always been my first love. Musical theatre – that’s my game. I was in musicals all through my school career and since I would talk, I’ve loved to sing. There’s an electricity you get from performing for a live audience. There’s a certain camaraderie between a cast on stage that’s you can’t describe. . It’s like an artistic chemistry that buzzes between people who share a common passion for the stage. Ok, I’m gushing.

So, since I’ve had my kiddies, I subconsciously gave up dreaming. Ok, I have dreams that are mommy-specific like “oh I dream of the day that I can sleep uninterrupted, longer than five hours at a time” or “oh I dream of the day that my living room doesn’t look like a toy factory that blew up and I can see the floor.” But I terms of MY DREAMS, the ones I had from when I was a baby and disappeared when I had my own babies? Those were packed so far away in the attics and basements of my mind, that I had all but forgotten them. Watching Chicago the other night, it was like a trip into the back roads of my mind.

When you become a mom, it’s almost as if God turns a switch on in your being and you automatically push everything related to you – your dreams, your needs and wants, your sleep! – onto the back burner and the funny thing is, you’re happy to do it! The very essence of being a mom, in my opinion, is ensuring your children are cared for – emotionally, physically, spiritually – and whether you have one child or five children, that means that you’re always at least second or third in the queue, and you’re totally happy and content with that.

Don’t get me wrong. I think that’s the way it’s meant to be. It’s a season of a mother’s life. But I think once your kids reach a certain age, while kids should always be a top priority, life starts to allow you space to dream for yourself again. Your kids will start to follow their own dreams and you’re bound to be an integral part of helping them reach their goals and aspirations. They start to spread their wings, which will gives you chance to spread yours.

C S Lewis said: “You’re never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.”  So……….

Hold on, Mommy and keep dreaming, for you. There will come a time when you can once again follow your dreams if you want to, and on the sidelines, you’ll see your babies (who aren’t so baby anymore), cheering you on, knowing how much you’ve given up to watch them chase theirs first.

Oh and keep your eye on Broadway. You might see me flying in on an umbrella, singing a cracking version of Spoonful of Sugar – hey, I’ve got the experience looking after kiddies, don’t I? 🙂 Mary Poppins, I’m coming for you. Give me ten years or so…… 

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