Recently I began to read a proverb a day again.  The bible has a handy 31 to read through in a month.  One a day.  I was up to Proverbs 11 when verses 3 and 5 jumped out at me in a new way.

³ The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.

⁵ The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them,
but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
New International Version 1984 (NIV1984)

We have a direct hand in how easy our lives can be, to a certain extent.  If you lead a quiet, honest life, chances are you won’t end up in court with charges laid against you or something similar.  If you lie and cheat and act selfishly, these things will not lead you to a good character check when looking for employment.  It makes it a harder path to travel.

These things may be evident to many, but I particularly wanted to take the line of thought of those who believe that all bad or hard circumstances are from the devil or God is punishing them.  When the simple fact may be that they are a consequence of some earlier action which is playing out naturally.

So while we can trust with surety, our saviour Jesus’s sacrifice which leads us to our eternal life; our actions will determine the quality of life lived on this earth.

As I was pondering this the other morning I came to a realisation that not only does God not move, He also is not hard to find.  He doesn’t hide Himself from us.  He hides his face, but that’s all.  I’d like to give you a mental picture of a facet of who God is and how we can approach Him.

Have you ever seen a first-time Dad playing hide and seek with his toddler?  The don’t hide very well.  The usually sit or stand somewhere very obvious and put their hands over their faces.  Now what does the toddler do?  They call out, usually with expectant joy in their voices, to their Daddy.  Does the father wait with bad intentions, wanting to punish the toddler? No.  He has expectant joy too.  His face is probably smiling and he would be ready to be found then catch up his child in his arms.  Will the child wail in fright knowing that he will be in trouble?  No.  He will squeal with delight at being in his father’s arms.  Safe and secure where no one can snatch him away.

This is where God is.  He’s not very far from you.  He’s in an obvious place hiding His face, waiting to be found.  Waiting to catch you up safely in His arms where He can love you and keep you secure.  Go find Him.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. John 3:17

But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

Robert Murray M’Cheyne

“I am deeply persuaded that there will be no full, soul-filling, heart-ravishing, heart-satisfying outpouring of the Spirit of God till there be more praise and thanking the Lord.”

Robert Murray M’Cheyne – one of Scotland’s greatest preachers – lived a very short life. His influence, however, would live on for years to come.

By age four, Robert Murray M’Cheyne knew the Greek alphabet. At age eight, he entered high school. At age 14, he entered the University of Edinburgh, where his good grades earned him many awards. One day, he gave his life to Christ, and eventually he was ordained to preach.

While he was growing up, Robert Murray M’Cheyne had been a “good boy,” but he did not truly know Jesus Christ. Instead of a relationship with God, Robert relied on how smart he was and how hard he worked. But when his brother died suddenly, eighteen-year-old Robert Murray M’Cheyne realized the shortness of life, and he put all his trust in Christ alone for salvation. His brother’s death had a profound effect on the rest of Robert’s choices and he began using his intelligence to learn long sections of Scripture.

As a preacher, his fame spread quickly through his homeland of Scotland, and his church grew to over 1,100 people. He took a special interest in helping the Jews and did everything possible to win Jewish souls to Christ.

Mr. M’Cheyne was only thirty years old when he died on March 25, 1843, of the typhoid fever. Though he was actually in ministry for only seven years, he left an impact on Scotland for the rest of eternity. He often said, “Live so as to be missed!” And so he did.

Are you using the gifts God gave you (your intellect, your physical energy, etc.) to glorify Him? Are you a thankful, praising person? Are you living for Christ now, or are you waiting to grow up? Are you living so as to be missed?

1 Timothy 4:12 – Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through
I’ll be found in you

There’s distraction buzzing in my head
Saying in the shadows it’s easier to stay
But I’ve heard rumours of true reality
Whispers of a well-lit way

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through
I’ll be found in you

You make all things new

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
When the sky rolls up and mountains fall on their knees
When time and space are through
I’ll be found in you

When the world has fallen out from under me
I’ll be found in you, still standing
Every fear and accusation under my feet
When time and space are through
I’ll be found in you
Brooke Fraser Shadowfeet 2006 Albertine

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

In 1 Timothy 4:8 The Apostle Paul writes that physical training is of some use then contrasts that spiritual training is useful in all things.  I agree completely, I couldn’t live a productive life without spiritual training.  I wholeheartedly believe that my life would be useless if I hadn’t found God.  I don’t even know if I would have been alive.  I have been a Christian for more than 17 years, in that time I didn’t just accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour then just do what I used to.  No I began a journey of renewal and change that has gradually improved me, my attitude, thinking and behaviours.  This will not end until I leave this body and go to be with Him.  There is no way I could do it without input from solid biblical teaching and taking up my own responsibility to further learn about what it is to follow Christ.  This is Spiritual Training.

Physical Training is useful for a little.  It’s not saying it’s completely useless and does nothing.  It’s saying it does something.  I want to highlight the fact that Paul was writing this in the first century.  Life then was different to now.  What would have benefitted them a little, would probably benefit us a great deal more.  The household duties alone of a woman would have been an entire workout.  Think of it, carting water, grinding flour for bread, beating clothes clean, not to mention the processing of animals for food.  So you can see how physical exercise would have been of little use.  NOW, in my house water comes out of a tap, flour comes from the shops (that I drive to), bread is baked and ready to buy or otherwise I use my bread machine to make it.  Clothes are cleaned in a washing machine, a few pushes of a button and they’ll be ready within an hour to hang out.  We skip the processing of animals in our house, I process vegies, but still I buy them from a shop and could easily pick up a few prepacked slabs of meat from that section if I wanted to.  Gee – how hard is that?  Not hard enough.

So I add exercise to my lifestyle.  To offset the calories I take in and don’t use and to add strength to my muscles to support my ligaments and bones as I age.  I hope that I won’t have any wasting diseases that effect our western societies as people age.  I don’t want to be bedridden and unable to support my own weight because a bone might snap.  I want to be strong and healthy in body, mind and spirit so I can continue God’s work until the day He takes me home.

What is Grace? According to Dictionary.com grace is:
the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God;
the influence or Spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them;
Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God’s favor or one of the elect.

So when I chose to believe that Jesus saved all of humanity, including me, when He took on the sins on the world and died of the cross He extended GRACE to us and now calls me one of the elect.
Also daily the Holy Spirit operates with GRACE in my life (and body) regenerating and strengthening me (as I go from glory to glory).
Both of these aspects of GRACE are freely given, unmerited favor and love of God which is more GRACE!  Grace upon grace.

The crux of Joel’s message was that God’s grace is sufficient always but we only need it for today.  Today is where we live.  Our minds might be in the past where we can’t change things or in the future where we can’t influence things but today is where we live and where our minds should be.  Practicing the Presence of God by Brother Lawerence was one of the most influential books of my life.  It changed many things, but mostly it introduced me to NOW.  God is here NOW.  You are here NOW.  You only have this second. Live NOW.  God’s GRACE is NOW (yet eternal).  We can rely on His Grace always, especially now.

My now is Sunday.  I am listening to quiet small birds enjoying coolness.  I am hearing the hum of the computer and the morning movements of people in the house starting their day.  I’m thinking of what to cook for the week as I shop on Mondays and I’m thinking of what I’ll be doing to relax today.  I try to treat Sunday as a rest day in my mind because otherwise I feel like I never stop.  In reality, the household needs never stop, of course, we eat daily, we do things daily and these things need to be cleaned up after.  But I give myself leniency on a Sunday to sit longer in between.  To do more crochet. To read more online.  To play more games.  To not exercise.  To do simple yet indulgent meals.  I guess it’s a kind of grace.

Groceries: I like to think about the week’s meals in advance because as I become more busy on shopping day my mind tends to become stressed and overwhelmed and I just want to get the whole thing over with and get home again.  The girls could be in a talkative mood or want to show me lots of things I’m not even looking for or I’m feeling a bit off with a headache or something else, so I can’t really think clearly and forget things if they aren’t on the list.  So the list has to be finalised.

I tend to be the only one to write on the shopping list now, even though it’s posted on the fridge, because it was becoming a wishlist instead.  Things that the girls wanted me to buy, not what we needed, started appearing.  Such as chocolate, soft drinks and other junk food.  Of course I do buy these things sometimes, but they’re definately not NEEDED.  I plan dinners down to the ingredients needed.  We are all pretty boring when it comes to breakfast and eat the same thing, so that is supplied.  Also with lunches, but not quite so boring, so I keep the fridge and cupboard supplied with enough ingredients for my family to get their breakfasts and lunches.  I ask what would be wanted for different meals and sometimes specific things for other meals are requested also.

I try to plan according to weather, seasonal availability and recent meals. We go around and around on the same meals much of the time, but you can only eat so much of the same thing.  Recently I’ve be trying to introduce one new meal a week.  Something a little different to what we would usually eat, such as Polenta Stuffed Capsicum or Ratatouille.  This week I think I’ll try a Chili.  Something I’ve never made and only eaten a few times because my Mum doesn’t like and can’t eat spicy foods, so I have limited experienced with it.  Just this morning I read three different recipes for Vegetable Chili from three different sources!  I think I have to give it a go.  Hope the family likes it.

Growth: This, trying something new each week, is a kind of growth for me because I’m a relatively new Vegetarian.  It’s so nice to have the energy to try new things and not be overwhelmed and too exhausted to do it.  My growth over the past few months has been mainly in the health and nutrition areas of life, but before that (and during) it’s been spiritual.  I’ve grown in many ways with God and am so thankful for it.  I’m glad He isn’t distant like people think He is.  I’m glad He cares for the little things in life and works it all together for good.

Riches Are Meaningless

⁸ If you see the poor oppressed in a district, and justice and rights denied, do not be surprised at such things; for one official is eyed by a higher one, and over them both are others higher still. ⁹ The increase from the land is taken by all; the king himself profits from the fields.

¹⁰ Whoever loves money never has enough;
whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income.
This too is meaningless.

¹¹ As goods increase,
so do those who consume them.
And what benefit are they to the owners
except to feast their eyes on them?

¹² The sleep of a laborer is sweet,
whether they eat little or much,
but as for the rich, their abundance
permits them no sleep.

¹³ I have seen a grievous evil under the sun:

wealth hoarded to the harm of its owners,
¹⁴ or wealth lost through some misfortune,
so that when they have children
there is nothing left for them to inherit.
¹⁵ Everyone comes naked from their mother’s womb,
and as everyone comes, so they depart.
They take nothing from their toil
that they can carry in their hands.

¹⁶ This too is a grievous evil:

As everyone comes, so they depart,
and what do they gain,
since they toil for the wind?
¹⁷ All their days they eat in darkness,
with great frustration, affliction and anger.

¹⁸ This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. ¹⁹ Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. ²⁰ They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart.