Today Reminder - 29 November 2013 (Day 21 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

Then the LORD asked Satan, "Have you noticed my servant Job? He is the finest man in all the earth. He is blameless—a man of complete integrity. He fears God and stays away from evil." Satan replied to the LORD, "Yes, but Job has good reason to fear God. You have always put a wall of protection around him and his home and his property. You have made him prosper in everything he does. Look how rich he is! But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face!"  "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 1:8-12)

I was awake earlier and it started to rain again. The sound of the rain falling on the roof always has this calming effect over me. I love to listen to the rain and watch it as God washes away the dust and cleans the world. It is the smell of the air after it rained that stays in my mind and the humble understanding of the power of water. I guess it rains in our lives sometimes to change our direction or to wash away something that would have hampered us later in life. Job was an outstanding man and reading these verses left me quiet for a moment. The question is – would God say the same about me? And if so would I remain righteous and fearful of God when the storm comes.

God asked satan if he noticed Job and God stated that Job was the finest man in all the earth and he lived a life that was blameless, filled with integrity and that he feared God and stayed away from evil. Satan’s remark is what caught my attention - But reach out and take away everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face! It is said that Job was not without sin and he must have made mistakes in his live, but he lived a life of fear towards God which means that he repented his sin and remained blameless for he realised his mistakes and therefore stayed away from evil. This off course is very important to us in our journey towards a life of change. This means that we understand we made a mistake and then we repent it and finally we live a life staying away from that evil so that we too can become blameless with integrity. 

Now comes the tough part. If God allows satan to take away everything we have, would we turn our backs on God? This is a tough a one. You could pray about something and instead of waiting for God you try and do it on your own or when the outcome or result of something does not go your way you get angry. I suppose I can continue to ask hundreds of questions about things we do. The fact is – Could God trust you to remain faithful and continue to fear Him through every challenge you may face? Would you continue to worship Him when everything changes and your walls came crumbling down? 

We know that in life we will always have trouble, because satan wants you to turn your back on God. His attacks did not end with Job and Jesus confirmed that we will face many more challenges in life. Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you. They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me. (John 15:20-21)

My dear friend, I pray that you will remain faithful to the Lord and continue to fear Him as we strive to live a life that is blameless through every challenge this world and satan can come up with. I pray that your sprits will be lifted and that your strength will be renewed so that you will not get weary, but that you will be strong and courageous in every battle. In Jesus name.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 28 November 2013 (Day 20 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

There once was a man named Job who lived in the land of Uz. He was blameless—a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil. (Job 1:1)

It is a beautiful Thursday and I certainly look forward to the day and all its challenges. I must say that the Lord gave me so much wisdom and help that I did much more than I expected yesterday, which is just awesome. How are things at your side, my friend? How are you coping? Have you started with your Christmas shopping and what are your plans for this Christmas? We are looking forward to spend our time with our family and to celebrate the birth of our saviour. I believe in a life of change it should be Christmas every day.

Job was blameless and a man of complete integrity – Wow, wow, wow!!! He feared God and stayed away from evil – another Wow. When you open a book in the bible and the very first verse just puts you in your place, you know that God is so much more than what you could ever imagine. Job is a man that we can aspire to be like. There are three words here that are vital to our life of change – blameless, integrity and fear. To be blameless is to live a life of exceptional devotion to God and I know this is not so easy, but it is possible. It is something we should strive towards and it is definitely something that will be visible wherever we go. 

Integrity – honesty, truth, honour and reliability. These are key factors in our lives as Christians and followers of Jesus Christ. It is also vital in your role as an employee in your place of work. It is also so important in our relationship with God and with our family and friends. Integrity breaks the barriers that satan tries to create in our lives.

Fear – Fear God: I often hear people explain the fear of the Lord as a mere respect or reverence. But the Bible uses the word fear at least 300 times in reference to God, so we make a mistake when we downplay it. So it's clear that fearing God is good because it saves us from caving into our own sinful nature. That's why hearing someone is God-fearing actually makes us trust that person more. If they fear God, they are more likely to keep their word and treat others with kindness. In fact, Romans 3, a classic chapter on sin, says that our chief sin is that we "have no fear of God at all" (Romans 3:18).

So how does fear of God, who is perfect love, take away fear? William D. Eisenhower puts it this way in his article 'Fearing God" in Christianity Today:

Unfortunately, many of us presume that the world is the ultimate threat and that God's function is to offset it. How different this is from the biblical position that God is far scarier than the world …. When we assume that the world is the ultimate threat, we give it unwarranted power, for in truth, the world's threats are temporary. When we expect God to balance the stress of the world, we reduce him to the world's equal …. As I walk with the Lord, I discover that God poses an ominous threat to my ego, but not to me. He rescues me from my delusions, so he may reveal the truth that sets me free. He casts me down, only to lift me up again. He sits in judgment of my sin, but forgives me nevertheless. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but love from the Lord is its completion.

And, of course, the ultimate example of fear and perfect love working together is Jesus Christ. He warned us at every turn to fear God, not men—and he confirmed that in everything about his life and death. He spoke lovingly but frankly to all and didn't mince words when people needed to face their sin and repent. But he also demonstrated love beyond human understanding when he lived out his words, "There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends (John 15:13)." With love like that, what is left to fear but God?

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 27 November 2013 (Day 19 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

Mordecai the Jew became the prime minister, with authority next to that of King Xerxes himself. He was very great among the Jews, who held him in high esteem, because he continued to work for the good of his people and to speak up for the welfare of all their descendants. (Esther 10:3)

How are you my friend and how was your day yesterday? I am amazed at how the Lord is working in my life and how He is doing wonderful things for our family. The Lord blessed us with a beautiful new home with enough space for our kids and He has blessed us so much in our work and taking us beyond our challenges and just unfolded His love over our family. I am once more in place where I just want to praise His name and worship Him for all the good that came out of all the bad the enemy brought over our lives. I am humbled by His mercy and grace as I write to you today. As we look at the lives of Mordecai and Esther and how God used them to save the lives of many, I realise that we are so easily blinded by the enemy so that we miss out on life and changing life.

You can clearly see a life of change in both Mordecai and Esther’s history. In this last verse there are once more a few things we need to take with us as we journey towards change and especially as we are heading for Christmas. 

One: Mordecai became prime minister – God took Mordecai and gave him this position so that he could look after the welfare of his people. God has placed you in your position so that you can look after His work. You see God is working with people all around you and when they realise that you are His follower and that you are an example of His love and grace, they will seek your advice or learn from your way of life.

Two: He was great among the Jews – This is what God wants you to remember. He wants you to know that you will be great among the people for your life will change other and save lives. 

Three: He was held high in esteem – Living a life for Jesus and seeking to bring about change will make people hold you high in esteem for God is with you and they will soon realise this as God will lift you up to where you are needed the most.

Four: He continued to work for the good of his people – Living a life of change is surely not a once off/once in while thing. It is an everyday thing. We must strive to live in such a way that Jesus will be visible in our lives each and every day and in each and every moment.

Five: He spoke up for the welfare of all their descendants – Do not keep what is in your heart a mystery, but speak up about it and let the people know that you follow Jesus and that you are a Christian. To speak up about what you believe in is to honour God. In your perseverance you will see God’s work and in His work you will see miracles. Don’t give up. You are not alone in this battle.

To live a life of change is no easy task, but living that out in this time of the year is so important. We are about to celebrate the essence of our religion so don’t let the enemy try and steel God’s glory by trying to take away the real reason for Christmas. Come and let is not celebrate a bearded man in a red suit, but let us celebrate a saviour. Let us celebrate the change that His birth brought in our lives and let us celebrate it openly. Let us change Christmas so that our kids does not expect an old guy down the chimney, but instead let them see the effect a saviour in our lives.  

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 26 November 2013 (Day 18 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

"Who would do such a thing?" King Xerxes demanded. "Who would be so presumptuous as to touch you?"
Esther replied, "This wicked Haman is our adversary and our enemy." Haman grew pale with fright before the king and queen. Then the king jumped to his feet in a rage and went out into the palace garden. (Esther 7:5-7)

You know I always say Monday is filled with challenges so that Tuesday is not so tough. Indeed this Monday surely had his share of challenges and yes it is not the end of that. I guess I am a little addicted to challenges at work. I love the excitement of finding the answer and creating a workable solution, but sometimes that takes time and effort. You see the enemy does not want us to succeed and he will always try and challenge us up to where we get frustrated and angry. Off course this makes finding a solution harder, because impatience and anger are never there to help you think. It just causes more irritation and in the end you will struggle longer. God’s peace certainly plays a role in my work and challenges, because His wisdom provides me with an answer to every problem.

Esther had a huge problem. Haman wanted to destroy all the Jews and mostly Mordecai. In this verse she shared her concern with the king and after realising what is happening, the king was furious and yes, this was the end of Haman. You see to make devious plans to hurt someone will result in your own downfall. Haman’s own self-idolizing made him blind for the unnecessary pain he wanted to inflict on Mordecai and sometimes our own self-idolizing makes us blind to the solution. I do not want to stand before God on judgement day with a pale face. I want to enter His presence on that day knowing that my life placed Him first and that I did not live to worship anything else but Him.

My dear friend, Esther approached her problem trusting God for the outcome. Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: "Go and gather together all the Jews of Susa and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. My maids and I will do the same. And then, though it is against the law, I will go in to see the king. If I must die, I must die." (Esther 4:15-16) Esther trusted God and not her own ability. She knew that God will be with her and that He will alter the bad and use it against Haman. Then Harbona, one of the king's eunuchs, said, "Haman has set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall in his own courtyard. He intended to use it to impale Mordecai, the man who saved the king from assassination." "Then impale Haman on it!" the king ordered. (Esther 7:9)

In the end Haman faced the very death he intended for Mordecai and Mordecai was honoured by the king. My dear friend, God wants you to remember that you are loved and that He gave His life for you. Most certainly He will not allow evil to prevail in your life, but instead He will use evil to lift you up and turn it around so that those who intended you harm will end up with the result of their own plans. Remember that you are made for greatness and that you will do great things through Jesus our saviour. Do not fear the mountains in your path, because God can move mountains.

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers

Today Reminder - 25 November 2013 (Day 17 - A Life of Change)

A reminder for today

That night the king had trouble sleeping, so he ordered an attendant to bring the book of the history of his reign so it could be read to him. (Esther 6:1)

How are you my dear friend and how was your weekend? Mine was just great. We had a great time with friends and family on Saturday as we celebrated my brother-in-law’s birthday. Yesterday i took my son to watch the movie “Justin and the knights of valour” and it turned out to be a very nice story which both of us enjoyed. It is all about following your heart and doing what you are destined to do. You see Justin’s father wanted him to become a lawyer, but Justin wanted to become a knight like his grandfather. So he set out on a quest to find the tower of wisdom so that he could be trained to become a knight - without his father’s consent. 

Have you ever felt in your heart that there is something you need to do? Did it keep you awake or did it take over your thoughts and kept you from doing anything else? King Xerxes could not sleep and so he called them to read the book of history that was kept of his rule. You see the day before Haman decided to ask the king to kill Mordecai and made a devious plan to convince the king to do this. But God intervened and kept the king awake until he called them to read the book. In there he saw that Mordecai saved his life. In those records he discovered an account of how Mordecai had exposed the plot of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the eunuchs who guarded the door to the king's private quarters. They had plotted to assassinate King Xerxes (verse 2).

Now the part that follows is what left me in awe of God and His mercy and grace. The king asked: "What reward or recognition did we ever give Mordecai for this?" His attendants replied, "Nothing has been done for him." At this very moment Haman arrived at the palace with his plan to convince the king to kill Mordecai.

So the attendants replied to the king, "Haman is out in the court." "Bring him in," the king ordered. So Haman came in, and the king said, "What should I do to honour a man who truly pleases me?" Haman thought to himself, "Whom would the king wish to honour more than me?" So he replied, "If the king wishes to honour someone, he should bring out one of the king's own royal robes, as well as a horse that the king himself has ridden—one with a royal emblem on its head. Let the robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king's most noble officials. And let him see that the man whom the king wishes to honour is dressed in the king's robes and led through the city square on the king's horse. Have the official shout as they go, 'This is what the king does for someone he wishes to honour!'" "Excellent!" the king said to Haman. "Quick! Take the robes and my horse, and do just as you have said for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the gate of the palace. Leave out nothing you have suggested!" (Verse 5-10)

Now that just put a smile on my face. It is amazing how God can turn events around. God can take evil and turn it into good and when this happens it always leaves one speechless. You see God will take the evil that other have planned against you and turn it around so that in the end it will uplift you. I must admit I just loved this part and off course Haman was furious and embarrassed. 

My dear friend, God is reminding us today that He will take the bad and turn it into good. He will rescue us from the hatred of other and He will turn events around. So do not hesitate to follow your dreams, because of someone else’s jealousy or misconceptions. Listen to God’s voice and follow His direction and do it with no fear of what other will say or do. Follow your heart for in your heart lives an almighty God.  

Have and awesome day dear friend of Jesus

Cheers