About this Blog Seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
|
By Anushka, on 7th April 2012 New Life
Spring is here what a relief
The Winter time is past
It means we can look forward
To the lighter nights at last
There is New Life all around us
Wherever we cast our eye
The bulbs are out what beauty
We behold as we walk by
Their colours are so many
White, yellow pink and blue
Purple, orange, red all shades
Giving gardens life anew
The little lambs are bleating
Oh what a lovely sound
There are baby chicks enjoying
The new freedom they have found
This New Life is not limited
To nature, don’t you see
We too can have a New Life
If we come to Calvary
And lay our sins on Jesus
Who died for you and me
He suffered death upon the cross
A spotless lamb was He
We all can be his little lambs
And He our Shepherd, Friend
Who never will forsake us
On that we can depend
So let’s celebrate this Easter Day
The Lord is Risen indeed
He has paid the price for all our sin
Halleluiah we’ve been freed.
(c) Sue Towler
By Anushka, on 10th March 2012 Living forever is the ultimate goal. The secret of immortality has been the quest of man throughout the ages. In the realm of myth and legend think of the Philosopher’s Stone from which can be produced the elixir of life, or the Holy Grail whose keeper is given eternal life. In the opposite world of fact and science, scientists are always working towards extending our lives and improving our health, and trying to create spontaneous life by themselves. Needless to say, both the fact and the fiction have failed.
But why do we have problems coming to terms with our mortality anyway? Why do people want to live forever anyway? It seems that there is a little something inside most of us that can’t imagine not being there. Call it your mind, your conscience or your ego – its the thing that makes you who you are and its hard to comprehend or accept one’s non existence as a concept. People also dread losing those around them; they want their friends to live for ever so they can go on enjoying one another’s company, and together experience what life has to offer.
There are people who do come to terms with their finite lifespan; people who fully embrace life as it is. They focus on getting the best out of what they have and trying to partake in as many fulfilling life experiences as they can. I suspect many such people are atheist or agnostic and are simply trying to accept life as they see it.
Other people consider that their legacy truly lives on through their genes in their descendants and that this is the real meaning of living for ever – the continuation of the gene pool.
Some people suffer greatly during this life, with physical or emotional problems or disabilities, and it must be difficult in such circumstances to wish that life continues. Maybe the end of life in this case is seen as a welcome relief.
However, when Christians talk about eternal life, they are talking about a perfect life that will never end. They are looking forward to a life without problems and illnesses and disabilities, and without the stress and hassle of life as we know it. This surely is something to look forward to if indeed it’s a real possibility.
As science and legend have failed us the only viable option left to consider on the quest for eternal life is religion. Many people scoff at the thought that a religious writing can truly offer something that the worlds best scientific minds cannot, but can we really afford to ignore a book that states:
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” – Romans 6 : 23
Surely its worth checking out. If what that quote says is true then eternal life is there for the asking. God wants to give it to you. That’s got to be better than waiting for a scientist to come up with the answer.
So what are you waiting for? Eternal life may be just around the corner. Open the Bible and have a look for yourself. The quest has begun …
By Anushka, on 6th February 2012 If you belong to any Christian church I can guarantee that there will be someone in your church who will hold a different viewpoint to you in respect of some aspect of Christianity. Given that there are around 50,000 different Christian denominations which have evolved from early Christianity 2,000 years ago, it is obvious that different people interpret Bible passages in different ways, and have different opinions about the way services should be run, whether certain doctrines should be adhered to, and what traditions should be followed.
Dealt with in the right way, our differences can build us up. Dealt with in the wrong way, they can cause division and dissension. Should one attempt to reconcile differences or is it best to “let sleeping dogs lie”?
Once again, this is not a question for which I have an answer! There are as many opinions as there are Christians, and none of us have the answers 100%. I know what I think the answer is but many may disagree with me. The only person who knows all the answers is God. So what can we do if we are in a situation where division threatens to spoil unity?
Firstly, remember what you have in common with other Christians, and use this as a starting point for any discussions. Most Christians will believe that:
- The Bible is the Word of God
- Jesus is the Son of God
- The Bible speaks of the Second Coming of Jesus
- Jesus wants us to remember his death and resurrection by taking communion on a regular basis
Then remember why you meet with other Christians. When you are with them, you are either remembering Jesus, or having fellowship with people who also believe in Jesus. How would Jesus want you to behave towards your fellow believers?
“For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Jesus is listening to all your discussions, so don’t say anything you know he wouldn’t like to hear!
Finally, don’t forget that the way you say things is as important as what you say. If everything you say is in accordance with the Fruits of the Spirit – you will probably have fewer differences in the first place!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control.” (Galatians 5:22-23)
If in your discussions you realize that you are not speaking in love, with gentleness and self-control – then your viewpoint is tainted.
I’m not saying its not important to discuss doctrine, or tradition, or church practices, but if you try to remember all the above points, and focus on the heart of Christianity – our common belief that Jesus came to die for our sins, and also pray that God will open your hearts and minds as you read His word and ask Him to guide you, maybe we will find that our differences can be lightened and resolved, and bring us closer together in fellowship with each other and our Lord.
If you find that your problems don’t stack up when looked at in context of the Bible – don’t be afraid to change your mind and acknowledge it may be you who is wrong – if we let Bible teaching guide our lives we will move closer to the Truth, step by step every day.
“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4 v 8 )
By Anushka, on 15th January 2012 At this time of year its easy to feel down. The daylight hours are short, and its probably still dark when you get up and go to work, and when you leave work to come home as well. In the UK this year its been a wet and windy winter so far. Whenever you try and go for a walk outside often the weather sends you back indoors only a few minutes later.
The holiday season is over, and many people will be facing the Christmas bills coming through the door, and the winter utility bills. Most people feel a bit short of cash, and it can feel like winter is going to drag on for ages still because we have the rest of January and February to go.
If you have problems in general in life it may be easier to feel overwhelmed at this time of year, and the lack of sunlight can be shown to have a negative effect on those who suffer from depression and seasonal affective disorder.
So how can we cheer ourselves up? First, a few practical things:
- Spend some time with people you love
- Indulge in humor – watch a funny TV program, or read a cartoon book, or find some jokes on the internet
- Cook yourself some warming stews and casseroles, a bit of comfort food
- Make the most of rainy or cold afternoons by curling up with a good book or film
Next, a few spiritual things:
- Don’t forget to say your prayers and remember that you have a Father in heaven who is always there to listen
- Count your blessings – try and focus on all the good things you have in life – food to eat, shelter from the weather, clothes to keep warm, and central heating if you are lucky enough to have it
- Try and do something nice for someone else – it may make you forget about yourself for a while
- Remember that all things come from God – even the rain and the wind have a purpose, and before too long spring will be on the way
- Find some comforting Bible passages and try and read them every day to remind you of the comfort you have in your faith
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls . For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11 : 28-30)
By Anushka, on 7th January 2012 I expect most of you are back into your normal routine. Adults are back to work, children are back to school, and life continues as it did before. The holiday season is now behind us. We always start a new year with fresh ideas and thoughts about what we are going to achieve during the next twelve months. Do you ever write down your new year’s resolutions, and then review them at the end of the year to see how you did? I think most people’s resolutions rarely see the month out and by the end of the year they can’t even remember what they were!
Perhaps we go about our resolutions the wrong way. Often we jump in at the deep end and try to make dramatic changes at once, which then we find impossible to keep up with, instead of trying to slowly introduce new habits. Apparently it takes a whole six weeks for a new habit to become part of your normal behavior.
What about spiritual resolutions? I think many people resolve that they will read the Bible every day, and start again on January 1st. I’m sure many people also resolve to be better people and to help others. But why do we always leave these resolutions to the new year? Surely we can try to be a better Christian starting on any day we choose?
Lets remember what Paul says:
“If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
When you choose to follow Jesus you are part of the new creation! This means that we are part of God’s covenant of grace and forgiveness, and if we choose to walk towards God’s kingdom every day, we can start fresh every single day. We don’t have to wait for the new year. So if you haven’t made any spiritual resolutions, you can do it today, or tomorrow, or next month – it doesn’t matter. Every step we take brings up closer to the kingdom.
As for the next twelve months, let us pray that this year will see the return of Christ to the earth to sort out the many problems we have, and set up that glorious kingdom.
In the meantime, if you do want to start off a new spiritual habit, why not sign up for the Bible Reading bookmarks on the Bible Quiz site:
Why not make this the year that you finally make regular Bible reading a habit!
May God bless you this year, whatever your spiritual resolutions may be.
|
|
