My God fits into a box

Recently I bought myself a new bible, the ESV study bible. It came it a lovely box and inside the box was a beautiful leather bound book of life, truth, love, hurt and pain. Exciting stuff I tell you.

I was chatting to my friend about when life plans change and when things don’t always work out according to our plans. Even when we think God has told us otherwise. So often we loose site of the mysteries of God and his will and awesomeness and try to impose our will and understanding on situations. We feel hurt by the current circumstances so therefore it has to be someone else to blame, rather than our own misunderstandings or personal pride to say “maybe I didn’t hear right”

So many people want the God that fits into the box the bible came in, rather than the God the bible speaks about. The God that inspired the word of God. The God that knows no limits.

What in your life needs to be revisited and given a fresh pair of eyes, perhaps a deep breath and a sigh of relief that things worked out the way they did. Perhaps a prayer to God for saying thanks for the bigger picture even when I was against it.

Time does not answer all questions, it just puts in into perspective. 

Stop pushing me, I need petrol!

Yesterday I was on the way to fetch Vicky, when at the stop street there was this lady's car that had broken down. For my story sake, let's say she ran out of petrol. On the other side of the stop street was a petrol station. She was so close to getting what she needed... what she wanted. As I was pulling over to help (modest much) this very large CHROME MAGNUM individual came running across the road from the direction of the garage. He came from the same side the lady wanted to go, and with one hand started to push the car backwards, even though the old lady still had her foot on the brakes. He started pushing the car away from where the lady wanted to go, simply because he did not ask where she wanted to go. He assumed what she needed rather than asked a simple question.

He pushed her away from what she wanted. How many times do we push people away from what they need, simply because we don’t ask questions? We don’t ask the hard questions about what is really going on.

Christmas Time Charity = Bad idea?

Christmas cannot be the only time we help people, people’s needs at Christmas are no different to their needs the rest of the year. If we are to show God’s love to these people, is it a true reflection if it is only once a year? Or an everyday account of grace and love and relationship. When we show God in acts of once off love, rather than through relationship. It shows that God is not a father of constant love, rather the God of once off acts of love and abandonment!No different from their earthly fathers. 


If we are the only Jesus some people will ever see... what reflection are we? 

Gym today or never!

I have been thinking about the word “active” a lot lately, with getting older and eating hamburgers as much as I do. I have been thinking I must be more active, maybe start to go to gym, start running, skate more. All of these things are activities that require action to do, while thinking of them makes me feel good, without obedience it falls away to nothing more than just thoughts! Without active obedience we are all just talk and thought rather than action! What do we need to be obedient in? What is God calling us to act upon not just think upon? We think thinking upon it is the same as doing it. Especially when it comes to God. My belly pouch says otherwise to that train of thought and lack of logic :)

It is unfortunate that I ran over your cat, it was in my way

I am sorry but…

How many times have we said sorry but… I can’t help but get the feeling that when we say sorry and then give excuses we are trying to excuse our actions rather than accept responsibility for it. If we will not accept fault or responsibility then actually are we truly sorry?

Sorry I ran over your cat, but… it ran in front of me. We are now shifting blame to the dead cat, saying we are sorry because it’s the politically correct thing to do. However we don’t really mean it, we just don’t want to feel shame. It is about us again, justification is the rooted in pride. We view our actions as more important and with more value than people around us.

I think apologies need to have no pride attached. I messed up and am truly sorry. If not then don’t say sorry. Just simply say, it is unfortunate that I ran over your cat, it was in my way.

Let us rather be honest than superficial! 

Proudness is a word...

My son crawled today for the first time in his life, and I was lucky enough to witness it. There is a sort of overwhelming joy that comes upon a person when are so filled with ‘proudness’ That it is difficult to explain.

I wonder though if God sometimes looks down on us with the same ‘proudness’ as I do with my boy. I love my son unconditionally and always, but surely ‘proudness’ is based in response to an action. Are we making God proud of our actions or does he get sad like I get for Seth when the dogs won’t come near him. All he wants to do is drool on them.

My concern is while we are not saved by works, surely there is something in us that wants to make God proud of us? A motivating factor in our lives perhaps?

Perhaps we are more concern with ourselves than with God and therefore by default don’t have to care what he think…

I hope and prayer my heart is never that hardened to the joy of God.