Friday 23 December 2011

Candlelight...


Today is a miserable, rainy, gloomy day. Happily, I have not had to venture out and cope with driving in the rain or going to the shops, especially as the parking lots and shops are crowded and crazy!
My daughter has a lovely candle holder, so in the cause of taking a photo, I put a tea light inside and captured this shot…a lovely warm glow to brighten up a gloomy day :)
It also reminds me of the Light of the world...
12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)


12Jesus once again addressed them: "I am the world's Light. No one who follows me stumbles around in the darkness. I provide plenty of light to live in." John 8:12 (The Message)


I should always be aware that Jesus is the light in my world. I should always be aware that, with Him as the light in my life, I do not need to stumble around. I should always be aware that, with Him, there is plenty of light to live in. Am I always aware of that? Sadly, no...but each time I see a candle, I hope that in future I will be aware of the Light of the world.



Thursday 22 December 2011

Colours of Christmas...

The colours of Christmas, red, green & gold represent the following to me:


Red: Atonement, the blood of Jesus
Green: New life, growth
Gold: God's divinity and glory



Wednesday 21 December 2011

Thoughtful...



“Somehow he [Tim] gets thoughtful sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant for them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.”–Charles Dickens (A Christmas Carol)
It makes me think, as it also appears to have made Tiny Tim think, about the reason for this season. Yes, it all came about because of the birth of The One who makes lame beggars walk and blind men see. I wonder, if the Son of God had not been born on that day, some 2,000 odd years ago, what state would the world be in now. That could bring on a long debate, depending on one's point of view…

Tiny Tim's attitude to his "crippledness" is a lesson that I, for one, should learn from. How often do I feel sorry for myself when life throws challenges at me? Surely those challenges should cause me to remember who it is that can help me overcome them - Jesus.

Along with Tiny Tim, I leave you with the hope that you will find it “pleasant to remember … who made lame beggars walk and blind men see”.



Tuesday 20 December 2011

No Matter What...

I always wonder why it is so easy to believe what people, the world says and not what Scripture says. Well, maybe not for others, but I have to confess that it is so for me!


The world says, "There is no God".
The world says, "It's a load of rubbish".
The world says, "You are crazy...god is just a fairy story!".
The world says, "He is just a crutch for those who are not strong enough to manage their own lives".


And so the list of what the world say goes on and on.


No matter what the world says, Scripture says...


10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
   in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
   to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:10-11 (NIV) (words in bold emphasised by me)



If God does not exist, why are so many of those naysayers celebrating Christmas?


Thank you my God and Saviour for giving us such a joyous time of year!



Linking up with Shanda for On Your Heart Tuesdays








Friday 9 December 2011

Encourage...

As I said in my previous post, written over two months ago (!), I have been discouraged about this blog. However, that is not the only thing...I have been feeling discouraged generally in my spiritual life.

There, I have said/put it into print! That is quite a scary thing for me to do.

Do you ever feel...God is just "not there"?  Do you ever feel that you do not seem to be improving in your character at all?

Well, I do. Then...little things happen and one of those for me was coming across Shanda's blog. Amongst other things she has a blog hop "On Your Heart Tuesdays", where she encourages others to share their thoughts, feelings, how God has been working in their lives. So I decided that this is the kick start I need :)

Let me back up a bit and explain that, for various reasons, I have been away from home for several months. As a result, I have not been in regular fellowship with my Bible Study group and friends.

So often, I feel guilty that I cannot keep going without the spiritual support of others, then I remembered that several times in Scripture we are exhorted to encourage each other. We are not meant to go it alone. One of the advantages of today's technology is that there are many Christian bloggers out there.

Thank you, Shanda, for being one of those encouragers out there.

 12 See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. 13 But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. 14 We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end.  Hebrews 3:12-14







Monday 3 October 2011

Persevere...

I had been thinking about closing this blog. I have been discouraged, wondering if there is any point in keeping it. I have also been wondering about my motives in keeping this blog. Is it because I want people to "notice" me? Do I want their accolades? Or do I really want to encourage those "out there", if that is possible?


I checked my blog today, after quite a long time of ignoring it, with the intention of closing it down and then this Scripture came to mind -


...And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1


So I thought...Let me give it some more time. It is too easy to give up, at least for me it is. Our walk with Christ is all about perseverance and not giving up. I think sometimes persevering with seemingly unimportant things in our lives is part of the discipline of following the Lord. 


So I hope that in persevering with this blog, whether it is read by others or not, it will help me in my very wobbly walk with my Lord and Saviour, Jesus.


P.S. How funny...after I first published this post I saw that the Scipture in the sidebar was Hebrews 12:2!!


A picture...because I do not like to post a blog without a picture if I can help it :)





Wednesday 6 July 2011

Obadiah...

I have just started a Precepts study called "Spare Your People, Lord".  It is a study on two of the minor prophets, Obadiah and Joel.

Over the next few weeks, I will share my thoughts and what I am learning. These are my personal thoughts and not, necessarily, those of Kay Arthur, who authored the study.

I have done a couple of Kay's studies before and am in awe at what God teaches her. She is passionate about encouraging people to dig into Scripture. If you have not done any of her studies, I encourage you to find out about them.

Saying that, this week's study was on the book of Obadiah. This book is only one chapter in length and, to my shame, I had never read it before!

Oh my goodness, was I convicted about pride and arrogance! That has been key for me this week - beware of arrogance and do not gloat over others' misfortunes, even if they are doing ungodly things; even if they "deserve" it. Ultimately, the Lord God is in control and He will judge people and the nations.

The encouraging thing for me is that it is not too late to repent of my sins. The Lord wants me to come to Him in humility and He wants me to return to the path of obedience when I wander away from it (which is pretty much every day!!).

Trust and obey.

Sunday 26 June 2011

Blocked...

If you look back to see when I last wrote a post, you will see that has been three weeks! I have felt, and am still feeling, totally blocked.

I feel blocked creatively, inspirationally and in my communications with God. The cause of all this is unknown to me. Maybe it is because the general situation in the world is unstable and unpredictable (end times??). Maybe it is because I am in need of a break from Lagos - we expats are a spoilt breed here in Nigeria; most of us have chance to go away at least three times a year. However, since my better half has been pretty much self-employed, we do not have the luxury of "free" air flights, so I have not been out of here since January. Sad, I know, as most people in the world do not even get one holiday a year! Anyway, back to possible causes of my block - maybe another reason is that I am hoping that we will retire next year and move to our yet-to-be built home in South Africa. So many of our good friends have already left and I am really finding it difficult to feel settled here. I am longing for the future and not living in the moment.

Note to Rachel: Live in the moment!

This morning when I looked at my blog I saw that today's verse is Hebrews 13:8.

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV)
For Jesus doesn't change—yesterday, today, tomorrow, he's always totally himself. (The Message)


How comforting it was to read that. The world may change, my world may change, but God does not change. No matter what I am feeling, God does not change. He may feel far from me; I may feel far from Him, but He does not change. I have to believe that and trust Him, no matter what my feelings or circumstances are. Jesus, God, is ALWAYS the same.






Saturday 4 June 2011

Devote...

Recently I have been reading through Colossians and have reached Chapter 4. For several days I have not been able to get past v2 which says:-

"Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful."


The key words for me are - devote, prayer, watchful, thankful.


Why can't I get past this verse? Hmm...obviously God is saying something to me!

Am I devoting myself to prayer - methinks not! Ok, God is telling me to do so.

A definition of devote from the Oxford Dictionary is:
To give one's time, energy etc to somebody or something.

The definition tells me that prayer requires time and it requires energy. Why is it easier to devote my time and energy to watching tv, taking photographs (that often takes a lot of energy!), doing puzzles etc etc, whilst prayer, Bible Study and spending time with God gets put on the sidelines?

That is a hard question to answer. The answer would reveal my selfishness, my short-sightedness and my weakness. Surely I am not those things?? The stark reality - yes I am. Of course, I also know that there is an enemy who makes sure that there are things to distract me from devoting myself to prayer.

I cannot work and strive to suddenly become a devoted prayer warrior, but I can begin by asking the Lord to place a desire in my heart to do so. As with any discipline in life, I can also start with small steps, even if it is only devoting 5 minutes a day to prayer.

Now I am going to write out this verse on a card and keep it next to my chair where I sit and watch TV!






Wednesday 1 June 2011

God Likes To Talk To Us...

Today I am posting a link to an excellent message by James Robison from Life Today. I found it very encouraging, especially as I am feeling a tad far from God at the moment. It is good to be reminded that He does like to talk to us!

Life Today has very graciously allowed me to post the link to this message, so please go to the Life Today site and read James' message for yourselves.

Tuesday 31 May 2011

Security...

Living in Lagos, many of us know what it is like to live with security around us. There are security guards posted at the gates to our compounds, homes, places of work etc. Some people have to have guards in their cars whilst driving around or an armed escort following them.

Royalty and heads of state have security posted around them. As a child of the King of kings and Lord of lords, I have security guards posted around me.

"For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways." - Psalm 91:11


               

Sunday 29 May 2011

Reflect On...

Reflecting on, thinking about, filling one's mind with positive, good, honest and beautiful things is not easy. Well, not for me, that is. In today's world where there is so much ugliness, bitterness, anger and sorrow, the beauty seems to be disappearing.

However, in Philippians 4:8 Paul tells us to meditate on, to think about good things. This takes time; it is not a quick flash in the mind. Therefore, as we take time to look for the positive in the murky waters of life, we will begin to see the gems. We will see that tiny, perfectly formed flower amongst the weeds; we will see the pearl in the oyster; we will see the smile on the face of a passer-by and we will begin to see God's touch in our lives and in our hearts.

Meditate on, reflect on the treasures...


Wednesday 25 May 2011

A Voice Behind...

Ok, this is not going to happen everyday. Writing a post, I mean. However, I happen to have a couple of thoughts squirreled away, so I am taking advantage and using them.

Isaiah 30:20-21 tells us that we will hear a voice behind telling us which way to turn. For quite a while I puzzled over this. After all, we are meant to follow the Lord, not walk ahead of Him.

Then the light bulb came on...He is ALL around us. As we are following Him, so He is also able to guide from behind.

Don't you just love God? He is so much more than we can ever imagine!




Tuesday 24 May 2011

Write...

"I feel that God says you must write", she is told. "Huh?? Write?", she says with an intense look of intelligence on her face. So, being the very model of obedience (don't ask her mother or God about that one!), she begins to write...

Thoughts and words come easily. "Aha!" she thinks, "Just put pen to paper or finger to keyboard and the genius emerges." That happens for about two or three lines and then...reality sets in. The words stop flowing, the thoughts become confused and, reading over these gems, she sees the reality. She is a FRAUD! Who on earth does she think she is? She has no training; she cannot even speak in a clear and precise manner, let alone write in one!

But (never start a sentence with 'but')...what if it is God speaking to her, what if she is being disobedient in not wanting to continue, what if...

Going back a few lines to the word 'reality', is it reality or is it doubt? Is it Satan trying to stop her from doing God's will? Is is a lack of confidence that is trying to stop her.

One way for her to find out is to continue putting those little thoughts that come to mind on paper and whilst doing so, to keep seeking the Lord's face and will.

We are constantly told in Scripture to seek the Lord (Ps 105:4; Ps 119:2). Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us that we should not trust our own judgment, but to acknowledge God in everything we do and He will direct our paths.


Monday 23 May 2011

Perfection...




This blog has come to be after a long time of debating as to whether to start it or not. In the end, I decided to do so in order to keep my other blog for my various photo and art challenges and this one is to be the one where I record my experiences and thoughts as I make my personal journey with God.

The other debate I had with myself was what to call this blog. One day I read one of my favourite scriptures Psalm 91:1 and the name "Under His Shadow" came to mind. I must say that this is not an original name! After I set up the blog I came across another one with a similar name, but I decided to keep the name anyway.

I have to say that I am a work in progress - my life verse is Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." In other words, I am not perfect, I make mistakes, I am often wrong - oh my, what a shock!

I think I must have had a perfectionist streak in me all my life. I want things to be perfect. I hate mistakes on my pages. I will unpick my stitches in my embroidery because they are not perfect and so on. (On a side note: I don't unpick my stitches so much now).  I often castigate myself for sinning and falling short of God's standards.

Well, we live in an imperfect world and that is the reason God sent Jesus to our world. He is the only perfect one who ever walked on this earth. He does not expect perfection of me now. He only wants me to accept Him and His saving grace in my life. I cannot do it in my own strength and without God's help.

He has started the work in me and will bring it to perfection on the day I see Him face-to-face.