God’s Cinderella


 

I really don’t believe God gets any kind of joy at seeing us suffering in our daily lives, as we go about the challenges we face. God certainly is not like a human being. As a genuine Father, He wishes to see us succeed in getting to know Him. Why would He want us to know Him? Simply put, so that we have someone to help and guide us daily – a spiritual Father of great wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Who better to call on during our day than one who is compassionate and caring?Calling God

God is not bound by time as we are, and therefore He can see into our future. From the ‘foundation of time’, God saw our whole life span on this earth. This is quite an astonishing thought. As a result, He knows the correct path for us to travel through time, in order to end up firmly in His spiritual kingdom forever.

In a sense we are very similar to Cinderella in the famous fable. As Cinderella’s Step Mother and sisters were jealous of her, treating her badly, so the world is the same with us. Because our world is filled with people soaked in self-centred natures, we are more often than not, in an uphill battle as our lives unfold. Inclusive in the uphill battles are the down sides – the times when we seem to miss the mark with God. Getting angry with Him, blaming Him, not managing to do the things that please Him or just misunderstanding Him.

We look at fellow believers and think that we fall far short of God’s expectations, while others are constantly flying in their walk with the Lord. We seem to use other believers as a measure, comparing ourselves to them. As we dwell on thoughts of failure, we become more demoralised and eventually believe there is no hope for us.

According to the fable, when the fairy Godmother asked Cinderella what she wanted, Cinderella replied that it didn’t matter what she wanted because it would be impossible for her wishes to be granted. The fairy Godmother’s reply to Cinderella was, “Let me be the judge of that!”Cinderella and Godmother

How many times have we thought it impossible to achieve God’s expectations…? In a way we are right! In our own strength it is impossible. However, if we allow the Holy Spirit within us to do HIS work – in us and through us – we will begin to find a greater peace flowing throughout our lives.

The truth of the matter is this: For by that one offering, He perfected forever all those whom He is making holy.

God sees us as a finished work. Isn’t that astounding? For those who have received, by grace, God’s gift of salvation, He sent His son to pay the ultimate price so that sin could be removed forever. Not only did Jesus die to remove our sin, but also to put to death our sinful nature which came into the world via Adam’s sin of disobedience. Through the death of Jesus – the scripture in Romans tells us – we are no longer slaves to sin!

As God looks upon us, He sees what we look like ‘in Him’ – our glorified bodies – our future.

If you knew that by tackling a certain difficult task, there was an absolute guarantee of a great reward at the end – you would certainly persevere through that task with excitement. And so it is with the Lord and our lives. For those God's Rewardwho have committed their lives to Him, believing by faith that change will come, He sees the finished work and is excited to commit Himself to us on a minute by minute basis. He fully commits to us because He knows His reward is great.

The final product He witnesses is worth everything He has had to put up with from us daily – our every outburst of anger, our every rebellious thought, our every tear shed. As we commit to Him, remember: He no longer sees our weaknesses but through His son, He sees the joy and peace he has longed for us to walk in.

“…And so Cinderella and the handsome Prince were married and lived happily ever after…”

YOU… ARE God’s Cinderella – married to Him – His bride – forever to live happily ever after!

From: “…time with the Master…”

“…time with the Master…” is an on-going series of teachings, about lifestyle in the Church and is published bi-monthly.
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How Deep is Your Well?


How lovely it would be to have our own personal drinking Well? The water at the bottom of a natural source is beautiful. Cool, clear and full of nutritious minerals – untainted by the outside world. Drinking water from a Well such as this would certainly have health benefits for us, I’m sure you’ll agree?

The challenge is getting to the water if there was no outlet. The sides of the Well would most likely be very steep and the deeper one goes, the darker it would get. Quite a scary experience!

The water near the surface may be good, but it would not be of the same standard as the water at the bottom of the well. As the water nears the surface, it can become affected by other contaminates, agricultural chemicals, city waste and other not so healthy additives….

…and so is our relationship with the Lord.

He says to us:
“Come and drink of My Well. The sustenance you will receive, will be pure and life giving. The Well, which I offer you, becomes richer the deeper you go with Me. The Water of Life is so nourishing that not only will it revitalise you, but as you pass it on, it will give life to others”, says the Lord.

“Be washed by the Waters of My word. My Word will make you clean. A cleanliness such like you have never experienced before. Day by day, the waves of my living water will wash over you. Tier upon tier, strength upon strength, My Water will change you. The process of sanctification is not pleasant in the natural, but as I gaze upon you – I see My finished work, complete in Me. Yes – My work in you is complete”, says the Lord. “I see no more sin in you, I see no more heartache or pain in you, I see no more sickness, but as I look at you My child, I see peace, Joy and blessing. Blessing to Me and blessing to those around you”, says the Lord.

“I have placed a desire in your heart to seek Me. A desire that wants you to be more like Me. Do not be afraid of this desire”, says the Lord“. Allow Me to have My way with you. Do not be concerned with those around you who try to pull you away from Me. As you drink of My Well, all those fears will melt away. Take courage and seek the deeper part of My Well. As you go deeper in Me, do not fear that things appear cold and dark. Do not fear that you cannot see clearly with your spiritual eyes, but allow Me to guide you. Trust in Me. I have commanded My angels concerning you”, says the Lord. “I will guard you”.

“There are many around you who drink from the water near the surface”, says the Lord. “You can tell them by their fruit. The water is Water 3tainted and not able to give them the full needs of My relationship with them. They hear with their ears but do not listen. They have eyes but they do not see. They have hearts but only understand what THEY want to understand. All this because they drink from a tainted Well”, says the Lord.

“The more you drink from the deep waters of My Well, the more you will desire Me. My living Well will give you new sight. A sight with which you will see Me as you never have seen Me before. A sight with which you will see My Spirit in you. A new sight with which you will see your sinful nature. Do not fear when you see your sinful nature”, says the Lord, “but trust ME. At that time, trust Me. Do not turn away because of fear and seek the water at the top of the Well – that water will only comfort your flesh, My child.”

“Your reward for trusting and following Me will far outweigh anything this world can offer you. All that you see now will pass away, but that which you drink from My Well, will last forever…”, says the Lord your God.

Our Father is waiting on us to ask Him to take us to the deep part of His Well. Try Him. He is seeking those who want to go to the deeper places with Him. There is a worldly saying which says…”You’ve tried the rest – now try the best…”

Go ahead and ask Him now, right in the midst of your current burden. The darker things seem to get, the more brightly His light will shine in your heart – the deeper the place we drink from, the greater the peace and Joy.

How deep is your Well?

From: “…time with the Master…”

“…time withe Master…” is an on-going series of teachings, about lifestyle in the Church and is published bi-monthly.
If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others, Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers and very often when we share them, it results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.

Please feel free to send in questions (see ‘Contact’) and comments (hit ‘Comments’
button).

A Year of Fulfillment


Hello to all my family, friends, followers and readers.
I am excited, as I’m sure you are, that today, January 1st 2019 has dawned.

I am convinced that as Paul says, “….there are three things that remain – faith, hope and love – and the greatest of these is love”. (1Cor.13:13).

There is no doubt in my mind, that when we have faith in the accomplishment of our dreams – they will come to pass. If we are blessed with the gift of faith, then we are rich.

However, where our faith is weak, there is always hope. Hope keeps us moving through the suffering, pain, loneliness, loss, fear and the many other human traumas that we experience along life’s long rocky road. Hope gives us the strength to push on.

Yet, it is said in these words of wisdom that faith and hope will pass away in due course and the only one to remain, will be love. Of course, the love that these words of wisdom speak about is not the romantic love that is so exciting when we experience it; it is not the love we have for our Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, but it is the love we have of God, ourselves, our fellow humans; the gratitude we experience for the world in which we live in and also the many different experiences we go through in this life.

The mystery in discovering this Love, that the scriptures speak of, is found in it’s advice to: “…….ask and you will be given what you ask for, seek and you will find, ….” (Matt. 7:7).

Have you ever asked God for His love, to come and live inside you, to become part of you? If love is the only lasting quality, then you are wise to ask for it, wise to search for it.

My hope for you is that this year of 2019 will be the best year of your life, that all your dreams will be fulfilled, that you learn how to negotiate the rocky parts of your journey through life, with peace, joy and contentment in your heart.

Above all, I wish that you will find the great everlasting love of God.

All rights reserved sirpeterjamesdotcom©2019-01-01

Please Note:
I will not publish articles on this site until end January, 2019 as I shall be taking a much needed break from all my usual activities, which include my business and writing.

 

If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others, Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers and very often when we share them, it results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.

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A Day in the Life of the Narrow Road


“Consider it all joy”, says James from his book in the new testament, “When you encounter various trials…”

 One wonders why somebody would make that kind of statement. James goes on….. “Knowing that the testing (trying) of your faith produces endurance”. He further goes on to say,”And let endurance have its perfect (mature) result, so that you may be perfect (mature) and complete, lacking nothing”.

Continue reading “A Day in the Life of the Narrow Road”

Something to Celebrate? – Part One


We received an invite to our Granddaughter’s 7th birthday party. What an exciting event! I began to ponder that seven short years ago she was about to be born. At that time our lives still had an empty space that she was about to fill – what a joy! Reason to celebrate? – most certainly!

Recently our youngest daughter got married. Who would have thought 26 years ago that she would make such a beautiful bride and indeed, wife. Reason to celebrate? – most definitely.Marriage Celebration

Over the last two years, our youngest son had been having a great challenge finding a job after we had spent a good sum of money putting him through his training. Two months ago, he received a job offer in the industry he loves and is now employed. Reason to celebrate? – absolutely!Quatar Cabin crew

All of us have reason to celebrate something in our lives at one time or another, however big or small. Generally speaking, we put a lot of effort into the celebrations because we want to show those concerned how much we love and appreciate them.

Our spiritual relationship with the Lord should not really be any different.

Among the many reasons that we have to be filled with joy at what the Lord has done for us, are two incredible truths. These two acts are worth us celebrating – wholeheartedly.

Truth One (of many):
Jesus died for our sins. Our debt has been forgiven . Why do we still go through our journey of life bearing the weight of our mistakes?

Provided we accept Jesus as our saviour, and are truly sorry for things we haven’t got right in our lives, then our Lord has paid the ultimate price so that we can be free of the guilt of all our wrongdoings. “…and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more”, says the book of Hebrews.

Friends, from this moment onwards, let us walk in the newness of life, unburdened, as we realise we no longer have to account for our wrongdoings. Jesus gave us this free gift, all we need do is accept it. Reason to celebrate? – most certainly!

How do we celebrate this wonderful gift?

In 1 Corinthians we see that we should “..celebrate the feast…in sincerity and truth…”.

As we gather around the table to celebrate, we have something in common. Communion – from the word ‘common’. Jesus shed His blood for our sins. ALL sin for ALL who will accept the gift. ALL sin for ALL cultures. ALL sin for ALL nations. Jesus gave His life that the whole world could have something to celebrate – in common. A universal ticket out of spiritual death.

As we take the drink (which maybe any suitable liquid), we remember the words of Jesus when He said, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me”.

To Be Continued……

Something to Celebrate? is a two part series, join us next week for part two.

From: “…time with the Master…”

If you feel this article has value, please send this link to others, Writings are meant for people, not for dormant files in our computers and very often when we share them, it results in positive changes in the lives of individuals and communities.

Please feel free to send in questions (see ‘Contact’) and comments (hit ‘Comments’
button).

A Timeless Tale – Chapter Twenty Four


Living a Life in the Kingdom of God – Continued

What is God’s Desire?

Continue reading “A Timeless Tale – Chapter Twenty Four”

Our Pillar of Salt


Our Pillar of Salt

From the time of the Garden of Eden, mankind has continued to inherit a sinful nature. Scripture shows us in Genesis 1:26 that ADAM was created in the ‘image and likeness’ of God. Genesis 5:3 goes on to show us that Adam had a son in his (Adam’s) image and likeness. We descend from the lineage of Adam.

The sinful nature passed down from Adam to us today (and the one which we continue to procreate), can be likened to a car engine which drives a car in a certain way. Despite modifications being made to the engine, the car still moves the same way. The only way to drive that car differently would be to replace the engine completely.

It is little wonder then that mankind has survived for centuries but the world is no better morally than it was from the time of fallen Adam. Irrespective of culture, race or government, the nature of mankind continues to seek its own desires, not caring what others think or feel. Human (Adam) nature drives mankind in its quest for success.

Continue reading “Our Pillar of Salt”