NHCF Blog

Romans 11:33-3633 Oh, the depth of the richesand the wisdom and the knowledge of God!How unsearchable his judgmentsand untraceable his ways!34 For who has known the mind of the Lord?Or who has been his counselor?35 And who has ever given to God,that he should be repaid?36 For from him and through himand to him are all things.To him be the glory forever. Amen. Paul includes the above hymn of praise in his letter to the believers in Rome. The words acknowledge God's awe-inspiring sovereignty over all things, His infinite wisdom and power, the fact that He is the source of all life and goodness and beauty. Therefore it is right that He should be forever glorified. This hymn reminds us of God's praiseworthiness and yet at the same time it highlights one of the frustrations we sometimes have when it comes to God..."How unsearchable His judgements and untraceable His ways!" Wouldn't we love to understand God, to know what He is thinking, to have insight into His plans. Especially now during this time of uncertainty. We'd love to know when God will end the pandemic, when nations will begin to recover from the after effects. We'd love to know what His plan is for us, for our family, our Church, our nation. Many have prayed and prayed but no one really has an answer. God does mercifully reveal things to us, but we'll never know the whole plan, we'll never fully understand what He does and why He does it.Verse 35 refers a line from Job 41:11 and emphasises the fact that God owes us nothing for, as verse 36 makes clear, all that we have, all that exists is already a gift from God. It is appropriate that Paul refers to the story of Job as we see in that account that God does not justify Himself before Job. In fact, speaking from the mighty storm, He asks Job the question of who he is to demand an answer from God, he who doesn't understand how the earth was created and sustained, he who speaks of things he doesn't truly understand.God doesn't owe us any explanation or justification. His judgements are unsearchable, His ways are untraceable. And yet, despite owing us nothing, He gave us everything when He gave His own Son for our sake. He is both Great and Good.To Him be the glory forever. Amen.God BlessGraham

For today’s blog I have another song to share with you. I came across this a long time ago while going through a First15 daily devotion which always includes a song to listen to. The reason this song speaks to me is because it is a much needed reminder that Jesus is always with us regardless of what we are going through. It doesn’t matter if we are in the best or most difficult season of our life – Jesus is right there beside us just as He said he would be:"And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:20I love how Jesus tells us to remember this fact as it is something I am often prone to forget! Below are the lyrics and link to the song. I trust you will be as blessed as I have been by this beautiful song. When your faith in perfect loveCan’t explain the pain that you feelYou will find you’ve looked for a sign up aboveBut He was there in the dirt where you stoodHe was there in the dirt where you stoodAnd there's hope foundHere and now, here within the realIn the midst of all we’ve doneAll we’ve given up onHe was with us every stepFeeling what we feelWhen the soul was buried downBurdened by the long roadAnd in time we will learn to growThrough the pain and into hopeFor the storms they comeAnd swallow up the sunBut the light lives on and onBut the light lives on and onAnd there's hope foundHere and now, here within the realIn the midst of all we’ve doneAll we’ve given up onHe was with us every stepFeeling what we feelWhen the soul was buried downBurdened by the long roadAnd there's hope foundHere and now, here within the realIn the midst of all we’ve doneAll we’ve given up onHe was with us every stepFeeling what we feelWhen the soul was buried downBurdened by the long roadhttps://youtu.be/LoD353mnddkMuch love,Luke

You may have recently come across the following message that has been going around lately:You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you, making you spill your coffee everywhere. Why did you spill the coffee? You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea. The point is whatever is inside the cup, is what will spill out. Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which will happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It’s easy to fake it, until you get rattled. So, we have to ask ourselves, “what’s in my cup?” When life gets tough, what spills out? … You choose! It's a great little analogy that gets us to reflect on what's inside our hearts because, as Jesus says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks," (Matthew 12:34). We've all been experiencing a time where life has come along and shaken us at the moment. And we've had a chance to see what has come spilling out. The good and the bad.The great thing is, as the analogy points out, is that we can choose what to fill our cup with. As we consider that point let us hear the words of the Apostle Paul as he prays the following benediction over the believers in Rome:May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)If we place our trust in the God of hope, believing in Him and His promises, we will be filled with all joy and peace. Joy being the delight of anticipation in seeing one's hopes fulfilled; and peace that results from the assurance that God will fulfill these hopes. This joy and peace and hope all comes by the power of the Holy Spirit as He fills our hearts. His presence in our lives results in us not only spilling hope when we're bumped by life, but also results in us spilling-over with hope at all times. Then, when we interact with others, our words, our attitude and actions will spread hope into their lives as they see the hope overflowing in us.We could all certainly do with a little more hope in our lives right now. God BlessGraham

Guest Post During this lockdown, there is so much media activity, both social and mainstream. One’s emails and cellphones are constantly being bombarded by articles, videos or people’s opinions. Even watching the news can be very frustrating and frightening.One doesn’t know what to read with all the media overload. Some things are informative and useful, like how to keep yourself safe and steps to take when washing your hands. Some articles and videos are funny and lift the spirits. But other articles are very scary. All the doomsday prophets and conspiracy theorists are having their say. Then everyone dives in on the various media platforms, and either supports or attacks a certain view point. This gives rise to fear, uncertainty and insecurity.Even Christian messages, which can be very encouraging, can sometimes get very long winded and lose your attention before the conclusion is reached.  This does the very opposite of what it is meant to do. Some Christian’s messages even seem to be at odds with God’s word. We read in 2 Timothy 1:7 - “For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but a spirit of power and love and self-discipline.”There comes a point where you have to say “enough”! I will decide what I am going to read, watch and listen to. Do not fall into a trap of being swamped by the media. Be selective and wise. Do not be pulled down by the ways of the world. Above all, keep your eyes on Jesus and read from the Bible to discern God’s message for us and pray unceasingly."Finally brothers, whatever is True, whatever is Noble, whatever is Right, whatever is Pure, whatever is Lovely, whatever is Admirable-if anything is Excellent or Praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you.”  (Philippians 4:8-9)Change your focus. Make a stand and stand out from the world!BlessingsHelen Meintjies