Today Reminder – 06 December 2013 (Day 4 – A Real Christmas)

A reminder for today

"But look, God will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.” (Job 8:20-21)

How are you today, my dear friend? As the weekend starts to creep up on us and the days fly by as if they are suddenly shorter, I want to slow down time and take a moment away from all the rush and spend it with God. I feel that our word for this season is - He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.

We are days away from Christmas and I feel that the Holy Spirit is telling me that we will laugh and be filled with joy over this festive season. My theme this month is directed at Christmas and I have this deep desire that we spend this Christmas celebrating for the real reason Christmas is celebrated. I feel that it is so important that our focus is turned back to God and away from the commercialised Christmas that satan so desires. I feel a deep need that we take this time and bring family and friends together. 

My dear friend, if we turn back to God and celebrate the gift we have in Jesus Christ and turn away from this material world with its false intentions, we will once again laugh and be filled with joy.

Many years ago a star pointed out the birth of a saviour and this year I want us to look to the heavens - The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. (Psalm 19:1-4)

Our message is in the stars. The creator of heaven and earth is glorified in the heavens and so should He be glorified in us. Let this be our gift this Christmas as we glorify God and celebrate a real Christmas with laughs and shouts of joy for in this massive universe we are a small spec compared to the stars that is in the universe, yet God loves each one of us so much that He send His son to take the fall for us. Let us once again look to the stars and celebrate the coming of a King, because that is what Christmas should be all about.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 05 December 2013 (Day 3 – A Real Christmas)

A reminder for today

"Oh, why give light to those in misery, and life to those who are bitter? They long for death, and it won't come.
They search for death more eagerly than for hidden treasure. They're filled with joy when they finally die, and rejoice when they find the grave. Why is life given to those with no future, those God has surrounded with difficulties? I cannot eat for sighing; my groans pour out like water. What I always feared has happened to me. What I dreaded has come true. I have no peace, no quietness. I have no rest; only trouble comes." (Job 3:20-26)

Job finally spoke and in his words we can see the difficulty that he is going through. He has reached his end and in his misery he longs for death. He has familiar phrases in these words of anguish, for example: Why was he born? Why did he not die at birth? Why give light to those in misery? Why give life to those who are bitter? What I have always feared has happened to me.

When the burden of life becomes very heavy, we tend to ask similar questions and slip deeper into our misery until we finally break. I can see Job in pain as his body is covered in boils and with a deep sadness over the losses he had. 

Where are you currently, my dear friend? Are you asking similar questions and are you burdened by the heavy tolls of life? To be sad and worried at this time of year is probably the worst it can be. Everybody is making ready to celebrate and go on holiday and you might be in a position where that seems like a distant dream. They call this time of year the “Silly Season”, because people do silly things. People will forget why we celebrate Christmas and seek answers in the wrong places. What gets me this morning is the fact that we will celebrate Christmas with all the wonderful blessings we have and out there in this world and maybe closer than we think there are people who, like Job, will be filled with sadness and will not be able to celebrate Christmas. 

There are people with financial burdens, there are people with losses, there are people with pain, there are people who are alone, there are people in hospital, there are people in prison, there are people on the street, there are people looking for help and there are people seeking God. 

Come my dear friend and let us not miss the opportunity to give and make a difference. Sometimes giving an ear is much more than giving money and sometimes a hug means so much more than a gift. When something is given out of love it will surely bring joy no matter how difficult things are.

So here is a list of Christmas gifts that you should at to your list:

Smile to strangers at work or in the mall, be nice to cashiers and waiters, give the guy on the street a coin, say thank you to the car guard, drive with compassion for other, help where you can, give more time to your loved ones, be friendly at work and hug your friends and family. Give love, because God has given us so much love. Let us break the enemy’s attacks of misery by being there for each other and caring for other.

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ― Mother Teresa

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” ― Charles Dickens

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston S. Churchill

“Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family.” ― Mother Teresa

“Give yourself entirely to those around you. Be generous with your blessings. A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” ― Steve Maraboli, Life, the Truth, and Being Free

“Happiness doesn't result from what we get, but from what we give.” ― Ben Carson

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder – 04 December 2013 (Day 2 – A Real Christmas)

A reminder for today

When three of Job's friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and travelled from their homes to comfort and console him. (Job 2:11)

What would you like for Christmas? The greatest gift anyone could have is family and friends. Christmas is all about giving, because God gave His only son to free us from sin and take the burden upon His shoulders. To spend Christmas with family and friends is how it should be. Job was in pain from the terrible boils that he had. His friends heard about his tragedy and went to visit him. This is so awesome; this is what friendship is all about. We should stick together and support each other through good times and through bad times. Now you will love these verses:

When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words. (Verse 12-13)

That is so cool. They shared in his grief, but what is so amazing is that they spend seven days with him not saying a word. Do you have a friend like that? A friend that will be with you, understanding you and supporting you, without even saying a word. My dear friend, now that is a true friend. Let us take this into Christmas and be true friends that will support our friends no matter what.

The language of friendship is not words but meanings. – Henry David Thoreau

True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable. – David Tyson Gentry

A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow. – William Shakespeare

A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you. – Elbert Hubbard

My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me. – Henry Ford

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art…. It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival. – C.S. Lewis

Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life–and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next. – Dean Koontz

Thank you for being my friend and sharing in my life. You are so valuable to me and even if we have not met, there is a bond between us in Jesus Christ, which makes our friendship truly special.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 03 December 2013 (Day 1 - A Real Christmas)

A reminder for today

Satan replied to the LORD, "Skin for skin! A man will give up everything he has to save his life. But reach out and take away his health, and he will surely curse you to your face!"  "All right, do with him as you please," the LORD said to Satan. "But spare his life." So Satan left the LORD's presence, and he struck Job with terrible boils from head to foot. (Job 2:4-7)

It is December and Christmas is just a few days away. We have come to the end of our theme on a life of change and I feel that we should enter this month focusing on the real reason we celebrate Christmas. It is a time of the year when everybody is tired and emotions flare much quicker than usual, but it is also a time in the year where we must be more giving and more joyous. So our theme for this month will be “A Real Christmas” as we continue our journey through the Old Testament with the book of Job.

So satan failed the first test and told God that if Job’s health would get worse he will turn his back against God. God allowed satan to continue his tests and he struck Job with terrible boils. Job’s wife told him to turn against God and curse God, but Job replied "You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. (Verse 10)

This is a time of the year where everyone expects everything to be great and without any obstacles. But it is surely a time where satan will try his best to ruin us. Here in South-Africa they have introduced a new toll system on our roads and I am concerned that this new expense on an already heavily burdened tax payer will only have a ripple effect of price increases. So our Christmas already starts with a new burden that will affect everyone travelling on the high ways. It is a way that satan wants to change our perspective on the time we are in and focus our attention on money and therefore indirectly turning our backs on God.

My dear friend, Job said Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? Let us not focus on money and let us not go crazy with gifts and expenses this Christmas but rather let us take Jesus with us and spend our time with our families. It is a great time to fix differences and mend relationships. It is a great time to celebrate the gift we have in Jesus Christ. No matter how hard our time here could be, let us celebrate the birth of our saviour and turn our focus back to God.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 02 December 2013 (A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

"All right, you may test him," the LORD said to Satan. "Do whatever you want with everything he possesses, but don't harm him physically." So Satan left the LORD's presence.

Job stood up and tore his robe in grief. Then he shaved his head and fell to the ground to worship. He said,
"I came naked from my mother's womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The LORD gave me what I had,
and the LORD has taken it away. Praise the name of the LORD!"  In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God. (Job 1:12 and 20 – 22)

Oh boy it is Monday! Another awesome week awaits us filled with challenges and victories so that we can show the wonder of God’s love in our lives. How was your weekend my dear friend? I do hope you rested well and that you are ready for today. It’s been an eventful weekend for us and I am sure today will be too. So God allowed satan to test Job and in one day Job lost everything. He fist lost all his oxen and donkey’s, then all his sheep and camels and finally all his children. All this in one day!

In one day satan destroyed all that Job had in hope that he will blame God and turn his back on God. Job was stricken with grief and tore his robe, but he did not turn against God. Job said that he came into this world with nothing and he will leave with nothing and he praised God. Now this is where I go wow! What do we do when things do not go our way and when we lose something or when they steal from us?  We get angry and we want to get back at those who took from us. Job’s reaction reminded me of this verse - "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be. (Matthew 6:19-21)

Jesus taught a valuable lesson here. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be ­– this is something we forget so easily and especially in this time of the year. We tend to lose focus of the real reason we celebrate Christmas and instead we focus on the gifts and in the end we waste a lot of money and also loose a great deal of that treasure in heaven. 

This is a hard lesson my friend and a lesson that we will have to focus on. Do not let this world corrupt you with possessions and a need to waste your time on things that will eventually decay, but let God be your focus and your journey towards a life of change must focus on heaven as your final destination. When we moved in to our new house we gave much away, because I believe we hoard up things and in the end we do not need it. We waste the opportunity to bless someone and we make our possessions our idols. Listen to Job’s words: The LORD gave me what I had, and the LORD has taken it away. God blesses us with possessions and He can so easily allow it to be taken from us, because it is not our possessions that God is interested in, it is our hearts. It is not the car that you drive that defines who you are, it is the way you live your life and how you live your life. So let us live for God, because all that we are and all that we do comes from Him. 

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers