February 28th 2009
Think Positive Things
“And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise”.
Philippians 4:8 NLT
What do we allow into our minds?
Your mind is a precious commodity and you need to treat it with respect. Today the purpose of media and marketing is to get into your mind and to capture your thoughts for one reason or another. Maybe it is to sell you something, or to influence how you think. Everyone wants a piece of your mind.
The Bible tells us to “capture rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5). Obeying Christ is to be the filter through which thoughts and ideas and imagination pass. Whatever is not obedient to Him and His ways should not get through to lodge itself in our thinking, to clog up our minds.
GIGO used to be a well known phrase in computer circles. Garbage in, garbage out. It means that the quality of the data affects the quality of the output. The same is true of our minds. What we allow into them affects how we feel, think, speak and behave. Our output is affected by our input.
Paul loved the church in Philippi and had a close relationship with them. He tells them that his desire is that the peace of God would guard their minds (Philippians 4:7). He knows it is easy to let negative and destructive thoughts pollute our thinking, and therefore encourages us to think positively.
All around us we are bombarded with messages. TV, radio, songs, newspapers, movies, conversations, internet, etc. Information overload. Let your primary source of data be the words of Christ, and let the Spirit of God protect your mind.
Take some time out. Write down some things that are true, honourable, right, pure, lovely and admirable. Think on those things.
Prayer
Great and wonderful Father, let your peace flow through me to guard my mind. Help me to think on things that are edifying to others and to me, and not to dwell on negative and destructive thoughts. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by James Henderson
February 27th 2009
Where Is Your Treasure?
“Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
Matthew 6:19-21 (KJV)
Where is your treasure? Is it in the bank, or your jewellery, in antiques or your physical possessions? Perhaps your treasure–those things that you value–is your job, or your children, or your beauty? This scripture is speaking of anything that you care more about than God. Treasure in heaven involves those things that are priceless, such as a good reputation, charity, integrity, things that are not perishable, that stand the test of time. Someone sent me one of those sayings that amuse us, but have that gem of truth:
The Lord won’t ask what kind of car you drove: He’ll ask how many people you drove who didn’t have transportation.
The Lord won’t ask the square footage of your house: He’ll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
The Lord won’t ask about the clothes you had in your closet: He’ll ask how many you helped to clothe.
The Lord won’t ask what your highest salary was: He’ll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.
The Lord won’t ask what your job title was: He’ll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
The Lord won’t ask how many friends you had: He’ll ask you how many people to whom you were a friend.
The Lord won’t ask in what neighbourhood you lived: He’ll ask how you treated your neighbours.
The Lord won’t ask about the colour of your skin: He’ll ask about the content of your character.
So in laying up treasure in heaven, remember, God’s work doesn’t pay very well, but the retirement benefits are ‘out of this world’!
Prayer
Dear God, help me to value those things that have true and lasting value. Help me not to get so caught up in the ‘cares of this world’ that I have no time for you, and those things that are priceless treasure.
Amen.
Study by Nancy Silcox
February 26th 2009
“Cutty Sark Is A Tea Clipper!”
“Live a life filled with love for others, following the example of Christ, who loved you and gave Himself as a sacrifice to take away your sins. And God was pleased, because that sacrifice was like sweet perfume to Him.”
Ephesians 5:2 (NLT)
The Cutty Sark is the only survivor of the great British tea-clippers. She was launched in 1869 and is now being restored and renovated at Greenwich, following the fire on board a couple of years ago which almost totally destroyed her.
Apparently the name comes from a poem by Robbie Burns, which tells of a Scottish farmer who was chased by the young witch Nannie, who wore only her “cutty sark” or “short shift”. The ship’s figurehead is a representation of the witch with her arm outstretched to catch the tail of the farmer’s grey mare on which he was escaping.
A lady who visited this famous ship some years ago declared, “The Cutty Sark is a tea-clipper! No one who goes aboard her can remain unaware of the many tons of tea she has carried across the world from China. Tea is in the very air, and every plank of her decks is steeped in its lingering fragrance.”
Isn’t that interesting. You can identify the purpose of this vessel; the reason for its being; the special design behind its creation – just by the aroma it gives off.
In the same way you can identify flowers by their fragrance. I’m sure many of us could if we were given a test name lots of flowers just by their smell. For example: Lavender, Rose, Pinks, Honeysuckle… and on and on it goes. Why is this? Well, the aroma of every flower points right back to the source. In a TV gardening programme, one expert who was interviewed declared that he could identify 5000 flowers from their fragrance alone. What a great nose! This aroma is of course is exuded by the oil that the plant produces. Crush a lavender leaf in your hand, and that distinctive aroma will linger on your skin for hours.
Paul tells the Corinthian church in his second letter chapter 2 and verse 15, “For we are to God the aroma of Christ amongst those who are being saved and those who are perishing.” (NIV). What a big, big responsibility.
The aroma of tea revealed the Cutty Sark’s identity and purpose. So we mere mortals who profess the Saviour of the world are drenched, soaked, suffused with His beautiful and exquisite perfume. Revealing our identity and purpose to everyone we come in contact with on our daily journey.
We know very well that fragrance rubs off on others. When my little grandson was about two years old his mother would tell him “You smell of your grandfather’s aftershave.” Why was this? Well, it was usually after we had been crawling around the floor together or sitting snuggled up reading his favourite stories. Close contact stuff or as we say, “Up close and personal!”
I believe this is the secret behind the perfume of Jesus – the closer we get to Him the more we carry. Just like the fragrant tea that Cutty Sark carried over those long sea miles from China. Like her and as a direct result of this fragrance of Jesus we too reveal the purpose, the reason, and the special design behind our creation!
An old Asian proverb says: “The fragrance of holiness travels even against the wind.”
Prayer
Thank you Lord for your precious fragrance in our lives. May we continue to distribute, to diffuse and scatter it wherever we go…to Your glory.
Amen
Study by Cliff Neill
February 25th 2009
Don’t Know How To Pray
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will”
Romans 8:26-27 (NIV)
It was the day after my mother’s funeral. I felt so tired and empty, greatly missing my mother’s loving presence…wanting to pray and yet not knowing what to pray for or even where to begin.
My little 4-year-old granddaughter, Nikki, was playing on the floor not far away. She had been watching me, and with a sorrowful look of concern on her little face, she came over and laid her hand gently on my arm. “Do you want me to pray for you, Meemaw?” she said.
“Oh, that would be wonderful, Honey,” I replied.
“Okay,” she said, and taking a deep breath, she bowed her head, closed her eyes and folded her little hands. What seemed like ages passed, and still there was silence. Finally, she looked up at me and said, “I think I am going to have to wait until I’m bigger to do this!”
I smiled, trying so hard not to laugh, and gave her a big hug. She would have been devastated to think that I might not be taking her efforts to help seriously. She knew what to do; she just didn’t know quite what to say. Her mother had always helped her pray by supplying the words and then Nikki would repeat them. She had never had to go solo before.
But in fact, her efforts to pray for me did have the desired effect. It was as if she had prayed the most eloquent and beautiful prayer ever spoken.
There are many occasions in life when the problems seem overwhelming, and I seem so inadequate. Those are the times when I too am tempted to cry out to God, “I think I am going to have to wait until I am (spiritually) bigger to do this.”
God reminded me, through this little child, that he understands and he has provided for me when I don’t know how to pray.
Prayer
Loving Father, through your Holy spirit teach us how to pray. Help us to find the words we need to express our deepest emotions in our times of need. And thank you that even when we can’t find the words, you understand through the intercession of the Spirit.
Amen
Study by Pat Halford
February 24th 2009
Find Your Life
“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.”
Matthew 16:25 NIV
Who doesn’t want to save their life?
We cling to life with the most incredible tenacity.
Amazing stories are told of the struggle for survival.
Yet here we are told that if we want to save our life we will lose it!
The answer to this paradox lies in the meaning of what life is spoken of.
There is the life of struggle and misery, pain, ill health, failed relationships, poverty and disappointment that we cling to against all odds-and there is the life of eternal peace, happiness, joy, accomplishment and fulfilment promised to those who follow Jesus.
When we concentrate all our efforts on this temporary physical life and shut out any higher thoughts, we are in danger of losing the future life of Christ’s kingdom.
When we turn our lives around and lose them to Jesus, we are not only beginning to find the future life, but we will be able to enjoy our physical lives better.
Jesus came to give us not just existence, but abundant life. In John 10:10 (KJV) Jesus says, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
When we allow his spirit and mind to guide us we begin to develop a better attitude to living. Our personal relationships improve; our priorities are directed to what is really important; we gain strength to endure through trials; we have bright hope for the future even when the present seems in darkness.
When we lose our life for Jesus’ sake, He comes and lives in us and transforms us from the inside out.
We can find that new life now, and see beyond the troubles of today to the marvellous hope for the future.
Prayer
Father in heaven, thank you that you have sent your Son to give us life. Thank you for your love that wants us to be blessed by all that’s good. Help us to give up the selfish life that always seeks to get, and to turn instead to the life of your Son who always wants to give.
Grant us the courage to put our trust in you.
Thank you.
In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Study by Jim Robertson