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Doing What We Can

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by Luke KincaidLast week I found that I was feeling rather down. I was feeling hindered at times by my sadness when trying to comprehend what was going on in our country while also dealing with a few personal things. In these times, I find that I can be largely inactive when it comes to the importance of an active faith. I was reminded this past week that when we are feeling down, we can still do what we can when it comes to serving Jesus. Even small acts of love toward others are possible when we are going through difficult times. The following verses are one of my biggest motivators when it comes to loving others practically:14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? 15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, 16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? – James 2:14-16 NLTI often pop to our local petrol station to a grab a few things when needed and this is when I often bump into my friend I wrote about last week. Something that I have been doing for him recently is purchasing him some bread and cup of hot coffee when I can. A warm beverage and some food to someone who finds themselves fighting from day to day can be such a blessing. On a few occasions I have also asked the security guards where we are currently staying if they would like something from the shops when I am making a trip.Now my intention of sharing this with you is not to get brownie points of some sort or to puff myself up, but to instead show you that when it comes to loving others practically, we don’t always have to do this in an extravagant way. We can simply do what we can when we feel led by the Holy Spirit to do something. I often find that when showing obedience in this way it often has a positive impact on me in some way thus proving the following words of Jesus that Paul quotes in Acts 20:35 NLT:35And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’So even though many of us may be going through times of darkness – may we resolve to do what we can to bring some love and light to the world around us. Much love,Luke

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Be Attitudes

https://youtu.be/i787yB0eYoI?t=1163 Audio Recording "Blessed are you..." So begin the famous sayings from Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount. These qualities, these BE Attitudes, help us to be salt and light to the world, a positive godly influence in our community and nation. We are blessed to be a blessing.  Sermon by Graham Mol Download the Summary

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Lean not on unto thine own understanding

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by Calven CelliersThis has been a crazy week to say the least. And as the events that beset our country unfolded, I stood dumb founded, not to mention deeply saddened and at times angry, at peoples appetite for destruction, corruption, greed and ability to be stirred to mass hysteria.Many of the citizens in our country have blindly followed others this week, with little thought where all of this will end and the long-term suffering this week’s actions will cause. Before we let others lead us, it’s helpful to know what direction they’re going in and where we’ll eventually land up. I once heard a story about a woman driving through a terrible snowstorm. She was completely lost and struggling under the hazardous weather conditions. She was understandably relieved when she happened upon a snowplow. She decided to follow the truck and kept as close to the machine as she possibly could while it removed snow from the road in front of her vehicle. After some time, however, the snowplow stopped and the driver got out and walked over to her car, asking her, "Lady, where are you going?" Upon hearing her answer, the truck driver replied, "Well, you’ll never get there following me! I’m plowing a parking lot!"Far too many people in the world are following people who themselves have no idea where they’re heading. All too often people are only interested in being in the popular crowd, or jumping on the next big craze, and one day they wake up, like the lady in this story, and realize they've been going in circles for far too long.In Proverbs 3, wise King Solomon instructs us to let the Lord lead us into a balanced life and proper decisions, saying “5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3: 5 & 6KJV)So many of the things that cause us the most difficulty and heartache in life, the source of so much of our anxiety, fear, doubt, and anger with others and with God, is the result of leaning on our own understanding. Our limited understanding can easily lead us astray. Scripture tells us that “25There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Proverbs 16:25NIV) When we choose to direct our lives according to what seems right to us, we often reap disaster as this week’s events in South Africa have proven. Every person must make a decision whether to live his or her life according to personal preference or according to the unchanging Word of God. It’s one thing to acknowledge God. Many people admit there is a God and even believe that God is good. It’s another thing to submit to God’s authority, obey His commands, and make Him the Lord of one’s life.To ‘lean not on your own understanding’ is really just another way of saying we need to live by faith.“Faith is the most misunderstood word…

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Food for the Journey: Study

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The following blog post is an extract taken from our Food for the Journey booklet which covers seven disciplines for Christian living. If you would like to download a digital copy of the booklet and work through the daily devotions please click here: FOOD FOR THE JOURNEYDISCIPLINE 5THE DISCIPLINE OF STUDYKNOWLEDGEKnowledge is information + understanding = application.For the Hebrews in the O.T., knowledge was not an accumulation of facts or concepts. For them reality was what happens and knowledge meant understanding what was happening. Knowledge of God meant not thoughts and ideas about God, but recognizing and obeying the One who acted purposefully in understanding what He’s doing and then co-operating with Him. It is no different for us. The Lord speaks strongly through the prophets in the O.T. warning against lack of knowledge – lack of knowledge of the Lord and His ways – which leads us from Him and gets us into trouble. The apostle Paul in the letter to the Ephesians said: “I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,” ch1.v17. Paul as an apostle understood the importance to our journey of an increasing knowledge of the Lord.How do we acquire the knowledge? As in every aspect of our journey with the Lord the Holy Spirit is indispensable for our understanding of the Scriptures and a true interpretation of what we have read and need to apply. Before any Bible Study there should be prayer asking the Spirit to help us understand what we are studying and how it applies to us and what we need to think, do, or feel about it.A Bible dictionary, commentary and concordance are useful tools to Bible Study. Certain Bibles have commentaries and concordances in them and are worth the extra cost.The Biblical concept of knowledge therefore means the combination of information, understanding and application. We can’t claim to “know something” until these three have come together for us.Growing in knowledge through understanding and application, will develop in us a keen listening ear, discernment (wrong from right, what is of God and what is not) wisdom (not our own opinions – but strong biblical understanding,) it will assist in responsible, faithful decision-making, will correct and instruct us, maintain in us a consistent understanding of the Lord. So as you can see it is a vital discipline!It must never be just an academic exercise or superficial study. This discipline will always to talking to our hearts and looking for our response. At the same time we will find we are energized and refreshed as we discover new things, new ways of looking at the Lord, new ability to live as a faithful Christian, hope and encouragement as we meet ourselves in some of the characters of the Bible and their struggles, failures, joys, situations and longings.In your quiet times, as you work through this discipline, you will be gaining experience in how to…

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