Today Reminder - 14 February 2012 (God's power)

My prayer for you for today is that you will know that Jesus is in you and that you have God’s power living in you, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 13:3-4

I will give you all the proof you want that Christ speaks through me. Christ is not weak when He deals with you; He is powerful among you. Although He was crucified in weakness, He now lives by the power of God. We, too, are weak, just as Christ was, but when we deal with you we will be alive with Him and will have God's power.

God’s power. Once upon a time not so long ago, in a country not so far away lived a little battery with his mom and dad. All the other kids always made fun of him, because he looked so different. He would often come home upset that he did not know why he was so different, and he would almost always ask his parents why he was not like the other kids. His dad would always smile and say “You were made for a special purpose, my son. Just be patient.”

Time went by and the little battery grew up. He got a job working at the power plant where he was responsible for client queries. One day, a bright and beautiful day, there was a huge accident. A very big and old tractor lost control and crashed into the main power line building. This caused the whole city to be without power, as well as the hospital where there were many sick people. When the little battery heard this on the phone from a very concerned client, he knew he must do something. Inside he heard a little voice, but not so little, calling him. He was amazed that he could hear it. The little voice said “My power is in you.” He knew immediately that this was the voice of the master power generator of the world. He ran to the city as fast as he could, as he reached the city, he ran to the hospital as fast as he could, as he reached the hospital, he ran to the intensive care unit as fast as he could. Standing outside he took the power lines in his hands and within, but strangely flowing out of him was unlimited power filling the whole room and finally the whole hospital and finally the whole city. 

The little battery knew then, as he now knew so well that even if he looks funny and round on the outside, inside of him is so much more than the normal eye can see, but when he opens his eyes and touches someone, they can feel it.

Although He was crucified in weakness He now lives by the power of God, as He lives in you, you are filled with this amazing gift. 

God is calling you, He loves you so much and does not want you to feel that you are not important to Him. He wants to restore you, build you up and give you strength. He is the master power generator and His power flows through us. I pray that wherever you are and whatever you are facing, that God will give you His power to face your troubles and that you will find Him and restore your faith and that His love and peace will flow through you.

My dear little battery, you are more than what you see. Have an awesome day!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 13 February 2012 (Weakness)

Today I just want to share a glimpse from Paul’s life. This part in 2 Corinthians is quite humbling. I know we face many trails and problems in our lives, but this is purely inspirational. 

2 Corinthians 11:23-30

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served Him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.
Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?
If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

In all of that Paul remained determined and focussed. I love how he says if he must boast he would rather boast about his weaknesses. This is so nicely summarised in 2 Corinthians 12:

2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Each time He said, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That's why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

What a powerful thought! This is so important for us to remember, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." It is then when God’s power will be so much clearer to the world. My dear friend, Jesus is more visible in your weakness when you survive the hardships you face and glorify God during your problems and after they are gone. 

My prayer for you for today is that you will stand and face all that this world can throw in your way and that you will remember the Lord when He said "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." I pray that you will know and feel that you are strong when you are weak, in Jesus Name.

Have an awesome day mighty warrior!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 10 February 2012 (Gift of giving)

My prayer for you for today is that by receiving God’s love and grace so freely you will be encouraged to give and also give more of yourself for His glory, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 9:6-9

Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say,

"They share freely and give generously to the poor.
  Their good deeds will be remembered forever."(Psalm 112:9)

The gift of giving. It is been said that it is far more satisfying and uplifting to give than to receive, yet we give so reluctantly. We hold back on giving, I think, because of a fear (again created by an ever present enemy) that we will not have anything left for ourselves. I believe that we must give but give what you can, I think it is not what we give but the way we give. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 8:12” Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have.”

I believe giving eagerly is what will show Jesus in you and not what you give. Jesus made the remark about the poor widow that gave all she had compared to the wealthy people that gave out of their abundance. Jesus said that in the little she gave, she gave more than what the rest gave even if the value was so much less. Remember, whatever you have you did not give it to yourself. I said in an earlier post that the ability to work is a gift from God. Your arms, legs, eyes and yes your brain was given to you before birth. You did not get those by yourself, so yes everything you have and are is a blessing out of God’s great love. 

To me the greatest challenge in giving is not a few cents you place in a poor man’s hand but in giving of yourself. Now hear this: 2 Corinthians 8:5” They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.”

I love that: Give yourselves to the Lord! Now I guess I can write days on this specifically but let me try to summarise: It all started when God spoke, He created the heavens and the earth. He matched the right cells to start your birth and formulated you into the person you are by giving you “life” first and then adding all the nice stuff, your arms and legs and eyes and hair, your smile, your voice and your talents. You are a work of art changed and made more perfect every day. By giving yourself to the Lord and accepting Him in your life it will all start to fall in place as your picture becomes more perfect. When your relationship with God is your primary goal you will be able to give eagerly, because you will follow His example and His direction. You will know when to give and what to give and this gift will magnify and glorify God. You will not only be blessing other but you will be blessed too - "For God loves a person who gives cheerfully." And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.

Give a little more of you, give a little more love, a little more patience, a little more joy, a little more laughs, a little more kindness, a little more time and little more Jesus.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus. You remain in my prayers.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 09 February 2012 (Treasure)

My prayer for you for today is that glow in the generous grace of our Lord knowing that you are rich, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 7:10

For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There's no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

2 Corinthians 8:9

You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich.

Treasure! I found these two awesome scriptures this morning and just had to share both. God allows sorrow in our lives to lead us away from sin and into salvation. This is quite a mind blower. We have gone through a number of sorrows in our lives and I know out of my life, every time things go wrong we end up questioning it and almost always ask this question “Why me?” But what do we gain from sorrow? Paul says that worldly sorrow that lacks repentance results in spiritual death. I think that even in questioning our sorrow we are drawn closer to God. I find myself spending more time with Him asking about the things that go wrong and eventually letting God take control of my doubts and my sorrow and finally seeing the result for what it is supposed to be – drawing me closer to Him.

Combining sorrow this morning with grace I think might just be the right medicine. You see the Lord’s grace is so much more than we can possibly think. He became poor so that we can be rich, rich in the salvation that follows His grace. The Lord Jesus gave up His life so that we can have eternal freedom. I feel that I must just remind you again today that He died so set the captives free. The enemy wants to control you with pain and sorrow, where God wants it to lead you to Him, to freedom. I guess it is where we place our trust and where we end up asking for help and whether we accept that help. Asking God for help but still complaining about it is not going to change you, asking God for help and trusting Him will.

I don’t know what it is that you are facing at this moment nor do I know where you stand with God, but what I do know is that He send His son to give up His life to save yours. If He loves you that much, He will not  let the enemy defeat you, He will not allow more problems in your day than what you can handle, and sometimes the pain we feel is there to open our eyes to something greater.

I told a friend that life is in the sunrise, in the way the sun clears away the darkness, it is in the dewdrops on tiny leaves, it is in the song of a bird, it is in time, it is in moments, it is joy, it is sorrow, it is in the sunset and it is in the moon rising and in the stars magnifying it – it is all in and for God…

God is waiting, wanting to hear all about you, your life, your troubles and your sorrow. He is ready to listen, but already busy changing it. Take a moment today and just talk to Him…

Have a great and awesome and amazing day. It is still dark outside but I can feel the sun is on his way.

You remain in my prayers dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 08 February 2012 (A new life)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be confident living in faith as you follow a new life in Jesus, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 5:6-7 and 17-18

So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing.

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to Himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to Him.

A new life. Do you dream of a different life, do sometimes wonder what it would’ve been like if you had chosen another career path? Are you unhappy or are you bored with your current way of life? Do you think there must be more than what you see? Do you sometimes wonder what other people do for a life when you are stuck in traffic? Do you long for more?

God designed you and placed you on a path that He planned out for your life. It is normal for us to fall into the trap of wanting more than what we have at this moment and what the enemy does so well is to throw more problems your way to push you to your boundary so that you will end up in a place where you desire something else. You don’t care what that is but you just want out. This is satan at his best. Oh boy does he want you to want more and more. This is place where I have found myself in so many times and I have burned my hands in so many ways listening to the wrong voice. 

This is how I fight the enemy lately. I know God has a plan with my life, I know that because of where I have been and where I am now. And because God loves each one of us equally He also has a plan with you. I know that this body and this life is not permanent, and that there is so much more waiting for me when Jesus returns. I have given up my old life and accepted a new one, which means that I am a new person reconciled to God. To be grateful for what I have and content with my life has been a struggle on my own, but placing my needs in the hands of Jesus and spending time with Him allowing Him to change me and focussing my energy on a stronger relationship with Him, it becomes easier to face my struggles. Believe me when I say on my own it is a mayor struggle but with Him I am victorious. This is why we live by faith and not by sight, we live for what is to come and not for what we have, we live for a living God and an eternity that we will spend with Him. This is why I will not give up, no matter how much more trouble the enemy will throw my way, I will remain confident and I will stand firm in my faith. God will never leave us nor will He ever forsake us. 

Don’t give up, because in your victories other will be reconciled to God. 

You are in my prayers dear friend of Jesus. Today will be a day of reconciliation, a new day, a new life, a new me and a new you.

Have a great day!

Cheers

Today Reminder - 07 February 2012 (Jars of clay)

My prayer for you for today is that the Light of Jesus will shine in you as you face all the obstacles that lie ahead in this day and your victory will highlight God’s power in you, in Jesus Name

2 Corinthians 4:6-10

For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

Jars of clay. What a week, it is Tuesday and already it feels that it should’ve been Friday. The constant flow of time and the waves of work and troubles are just unbelievable. It is as if in the one side all is falling in place and looking good and on the other side it is falling apart. It is so clear in all of this that the enemy is relentless, satan never gives up. He is indeed a hungry lion stalking his pray just waiting to destroy it. I love Paul’s comparison when he compares us to jars of clay, we are indeed like that. Not only are we fragile beings but we are also fragile when it comes to emotions. We all have different defence mechanisms but in the end we are all fragile on the inside as well as on the outside. It is amazing how the smallest of virus can bring down the strongest of us, how a small problem can look like a forest fire. What I love most about this whole comparison is not the jars of clay but the treasure that lies within. Oh my!, inside me dwells a mighty God just waiting to lift me up and shine through me as the morning sun breaking the darkness and drying away the clouds so that a whole world can bask in His glory. What an awesome thought, even if I am fragile and weak, I am powered by God. His glory and His power shine every time I stand up again and face a new day ready with new energy. So you see my dear friend, in you there is unlimited power, don’t let the enemy deceive you in thinking you are weak and not worthy, don’t try and contain God and don’t ever try and box Him in. We have to right size God, He is far greater and far bigger that you can ever imagine. 

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).

God is beyond our imagination and therefore I will walk into this day singing with the Psalmist: The LORD is my light and my salvation—so why should I be afraid? The LORD is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble? (Psalm 27:1)

Have an awesome day, friend of Jesus.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 06 February 2012 (Undercover)

My prayer for you for today is that the Spirit of the Lord in you will change your image as you become more and more like the Lord, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 3:16-18

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into his glorious image.

Undercover. It is cold and damp as I make my way out into the street. Living two lives is beginning to take its toll and I can feel my insides ready to explode. My nerves are killing me as I have to face yet another day under the veil of another person that I am not. I slowly make my way towards the gang, laughing, joking and keeping the cover up. My cover must not be broken, it can change everything. All my hard work, all my time and effort as I struggled to be accepted, must not be destroyed. I try not to make too much eye contact as I struggle to keep up the act. I can feel the burden being lifted slightly as we part ways and I can make my way to my desk. I must continue, I must keep it up, I must remain friends with these guys even if I don’t agree with them, because I don’t want to be the one they laugh at and joke at, because I am a child of God…

How hard is it to turn back and stop living two lives? How difficult is it to let go of the wrong friends, even if it will leave you standing alone, laughed at and mocked. It is not easy to change when you have been used to a certain way of live and certain group of friends. It is not easy to give up a life of fun and popularity, for a normal life. When we accept the Lord as our saviour and we are filled with His Spirit, the veil of a life lived incorrectly is taken away and we can see clearly for once. Do we change our lives or do we live a secret live not to lose what we have. Once that veil is removed your life will start to reflect the glory of God. It is not something we can turn on and off as we please, no it is something that changed us and will change other and will make us shine in an unstoppable way. Yes you might face more hardships, but they will be worth it once you receive the prize of eternal life with God. Don’t be afraid to stand up for Jesus, because He will stand up for you. He will not let you take on your daily struggles alone. So my dear friend, let the Lord change you into His glorious image more and more with each new day. In the end it is Him that I would rather try to impress, than anyone else in this world.

Have an awesome day friend of Jesus, my prayers are with you.

Cheers.

Today Reminder - 03 February 2012 (The mailman)

My prayer for you for today is that your letter will resemble Christ and that you will allow the Holy Spirit to continue to write your letter as we trust in a living and amazing God, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 3:3-6

Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This "letter" is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.
We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. He has enabled us to be ministers of His new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.

The mailman – you’ve got mail. I am once more amazed at how dependent I am on God and how important it is to place my trust in Him. I cannot succeed one day without His help. Sitting at the table and listening to the guys talking about the things that happened in their lives and how easy it is for us to slip and fall. How the devil will take the most innocent circumstance and disguise it to look good and right and convince you with nice ideas that it is all good, just to set you up for destruction. How the world has become a place of misery and pain, and how easily we can turn our backs on God. Each time we slip and fall, satan will try and convince you that you are bad, and that you are not worthy to be a Christian, and it is best to stay defeated and stop fighting it. He will finally use all your mistakes to make you think you are not worthy to enter heaven, and he will convince you that hell is not even real.

The funny thing is and this is so amazing, nobody’s letter is perfect. Every person’s letter will have sections that they are ashamed of or not proud of. This is what makes our “life letter” real. Real pain, real struggles, real mistakes and not a perfect picture that will let others feel it impossible to reach God. I am confident that this is why God made humans and not robots, because it is in our mistakes and bad choices where God will be visible. Satan may lead you into a place where you are fair game, but it is God that rescues, God heals and God restores out of love and out of grace. It is these real letters that will make people see Jesus for who He really is and why He gave up His life for us. It is then when this new covenant will be clear to everyone. 

So yes it is not right to sin, but when you have humbled yourself before God and asked Him for forgiveness and you allow Jesus to clear away the dust so you will shine, you will shine out of love. The bottomless love of an all-powerful and limitless God. By giving up a life lived for this world and accepting a life for God we will glorify Him and be His letter to the world and the people we meet. An imperfect letter to show a perfect God, so don’t give up my dearest friend, for we live by faith and not by sight, we make mistakes to learn not to fall in satan’s trap once more, we make mistakes to help those that is caught in the trap and is struggling to get free…

I pray that today your letter will have a new chapter, one of hope and forgiveness and one that will glorify God.

Live free and have an awesome day.

Cheers

Today Reminder - 02 February 2012 (Where is Jesus)

My prayer for you for today is that you will be a life-giving fragrance for Jesus, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 2:15-16

Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume.

Where is Jesus? Once upon a time not so long ago in a little house not so far away lived a little ant no so little at all. He no longer lived under the rule of an evil dictator but was free and lived a quiet live in the country side. Every day was the same even though he tried to make it interesting it was still a little the same. He still felt little in this rather large world and he thought that he needed some change in his life. He felt sad and lonely and rather bored. One morning with coffee and rusks sitting at his little table in his little kitchen he heard on his little radio “Jesus can change your life”

Oh boy he leaped from his little chair and thought to himself “I must find Jesus.” He rushed outside and watched as the normal country side traffic made its way towards the fields and houses for work. A grasshopper came by “Sir, Sir” he shouted “Do you know where I can find Jesus”. The grasshopper looked at the little ant. He seemed a little confused, smiled and said “Sorry young fellow, I don’t have any money with me” and he flew off. “Oh my” the little ant thought “Where can I find him?” he walked on towards Bug City and on his way he saw two flies arguing with a moth. “Excuse me” he said “Do you know where I can find Jesus” the flies turned around and said in a rather unfriendly voice “Go away, we are busy” the little ant, being a little scared swiftly walked away. As he reached the outskirts of Bug City he came across a mosquito sitting in front of a rather familiar yet peculiar place called the: The Joyful Bug Pub. He looked at the mosquito and asked “Sir, do you know where I can find Jesus?” The mosquito slowly looked up from under his sad eyes and slowly said “Nope, is he a relative of yours?” and then continued without giving the little ant a slight chance to explain, about his wife and about the bottle and my goodness he just buzzed away and finally said “Sit down, have a drink, it all will look a lot better soon…” as he continued to talk the little ant turned around and continued walking looking, searching and wondering in his little mind where he could possibly find Jesus…

Would the little ant see Jesus when he meets you? Is your life a Christ-like fragrance? Don’t let little ants slip by when your eyes are focussed on large caterpillars. Let Jesus shine from within you, this is where change begins. It begins with us. My prayers are with you dear friend of Jesus, be different, be like Jesus so that He will be visible to each and every person you meet.

Have an awesome day.

Cheers.

Today Reminder - 01 February 2012 (The comfort of knowing)

My prayer for you for today is that the Lord will comfort you in all the troubles that you face, in Jesus Name.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ.

The comfort of knowing. We have a 3 month old baby, and it is amazing how he change from being upset to where he’s got this big smile on his little face. This is because he sees us, he can be crying, but the moment he sees us he stops and then comes this beautiful little smile. It is the knowledge that we are near and ready to help him in any problem he might have. I think when it comes to us as Christians we are a little like that. When we face problems we are unhappy and stressful and we get upset that we do not see a way out or we can’t get past it. We are almost arrogant in a way when we want to tell God what to do and how we would like the outcome to be. 

I had an almost similar experience now when we wanted to build on to our house. At first I was upset because it was too expensive, but then God found a way to help us with funds. Then when the final quotes came in, I realized we still did not have enough and was upset again. Then God brought in help to make small changes that made it more cost effective and affordable. In the beginning I was annoyed, because we had to wait so long, but looking back I can clearly see how God blessed us with this whole process and that it all fell into place just a He wanted it. He send the right people to help us and He is constantly part of the whole process. So I can clearly see His hand at work, because in the end we can do more than we thought. 

What the enemy wants is for us to try and standalone so that we can be easily beaten. God will comfort you and He will help you. He is just not on your schedule nor does He need advice from us. He will comfort you and let it all happen as He planned it, for His glory. So I can honestly say that God is visible in everything. In the eyes of our children, in the smiles of our friends, in the laughs of our parents, in the walls of our homes, in the jobs we have, in the joy we share, in the sorrow we hide, in the pain we feel, in the happiness and in the sadness, in the good and the bad, God is always and ever present, ready to listen and ready to comfort. It is in this knowledge that you will find your peace.

He died and defeated death to live and give the greatest comfort to us all. The comfort of freedom.

Have an awesome day dear friend of Jesus.

Cheers.