How the mighty have fallen...

"How the mighty have fallen..."  

This common adage is repeated when someone rich and powerful 'topples' over and our envy of their success turns into smug satisfaction at their fall.

However, this saying actually originates from a song David penned before he was a king; back when he and his rebel soldiers were hiding in the desert to avoid King Saul's attacks. Jonathan, King Saul's firstborn and the heir to the throne, had every reason to align himself with his father in seeking the death of their rival to the throne. 

However, Jonathan believed that God had chosen David to be the next King and so he put his own ambitions aside and was to David the most "faithful of friends, shielding David's life at the peril of his own." Jonathan also was "...steadfast at his father's side through the dark days of his declining power, and at his side falling at the last during the terrible battle with the Philistines at Mount Gilboa." David wrote this song in his grief when he heard the news of the deaths of Saul and Jonathan. 

"The name of Jonathan is treasured in heaven, and it stands on earth a witness to the existence and the power of unselfish love."

The word 'love' is much abused in our language but in the truest sense of the word, it means to have the courage and sacrifice to do what is good for others, even at the expense of our own interests.

May God, who is the author of love, help us to be the sort of people who will love others. Whoever we are, if we love those who God has entrusted to us in our life, our name will also be treasured in the eyes of heaven.


(excerpts in speech marks are from the account of David's life in Patriarchs and Prophets).

The narrow path

My dear friend Ivana sent me some links to her favourite Bible verses and one of those was Psalms 19. I love all of the Psalms but have a look at this excerpt and may it be a blessing:

 "The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart..

More to be desired are they than gold,
         Yea, than much fine gold;
         Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
         And in keeping them there is great reward. "

The riches of this world are deceitful...and I'm not just talking about money! The riches- the best this world has to offer- are deceiving because they promise much but in the end cannot offer an eternal reward. The pleasures, the entertainment, the honour, the admiration of this world is nothing compared to knowing God and walking in His way.  Apart from the infinite risk and sacrifice of coming to this world as a human, Jesus also never had the praise of men- He chose the praise and favour of God.  Look to God to meet your needs and look to God's will for your life. His way is the path of life even if the journey is difficult sometimes because to follow God, you have to swim against the current (i.e. your natural desires and also the influence of our society's values). But keep walking:) (or swimming or whatever). hehe:)

Blessings and a happy rest-of-the-week to everyone.

Monday Manna, hang on

As the dad was watching his three sons playing in the snow, he challenged them to a race where the winner would be not the first to cross the snowy field but rather the one who could run in the straightest line. The boys stood at one end of the field and their dad at the other end. 

The first son decided to focus on his feet to make sure he stayed in a straight line.

The second son thought that if he looked to his brothers on either side of him, he could kind of stay parallel to them and try to run better than them.

The third son fixed his gaze on his dad and decided he would keep his path straight by having a goal to run towards.

Who do you think kept his path the straightest? The third son of course! Maybe you're better drivers than I am (most probably!) but I know that if I look down at the radio or if I look at something outside the car window, I start to veer off the road, in the direction of where I am looking. Scary, I know! This is why I have to concentrate really hard when I drive:) The point is, the best way to stay on path is to be focused on a goal.

If you want to finish the race of life successfully and win eternal life, don't look to yourself like the first boy did. You might become proud and then fall ("pride comes before fall") or you might become discouraged and give up. Don't look at others like the second boy did because the Bible says it is foolish to compare ourselves to others...Do not compete with others, do not look to the praise of others to give you strength to reach your goals. Follow the example of the third son...

"Wherefore, seeing we are surrounded by a great number of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which clings to us so easily and instead run with perseverance and patience the race that is set before us... [How can we achieve this? Verse 2 tells us the answer...} by "Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, thinking not of the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of God." Hebrews 12: 1 and 2.

Look to Jesus and don't let go...never give up because where would you go? 

"Lord, you have the Words of eternal life."  John 6:68

Do you believe?

One man decided to cross the great, roaring Niagara Falls and to perform various daring feats such as riding his bicycle and once even carrying a stove and cooking an omelette on it (he ate the omelette). 

On one occasion, Charles Blondin (for that was his name) after crossing the tightrope with a wheelbarrow, asked the crowd, "Do you think I can do it again?"  "Yes, yes!", cried the excited crowd.

     "Who will then get in the wheelbarrow?", asked Blondin. 

       

No one did. The point of this oft-told story is that faith is shown in our actions.

  Do you believe in Jesus? Do you really believe in Him?

 When you sin, do you believe in His mercy enough to come to Him?

 When what you want clashes with God's will, where do you put your trust?

 When you are searching for happiness and fulfilment, who or what do you turn to?

 If you ever want the clouds of doubt, fear, anxiety, stress, depression and uncertainty chased away and to live with confidence, strength, courage and faith, here is the secret: "So then faith comes from hearing and hearing comes from the Word of God." Romans 10:17.

It doesn't matter what our story has been so far because "...The end of a thing is better than its beginning" (Ecclesiastes 7:8). So keep fighting the good fight of faith.

Monday Manna: Perfect Peace

"You will keep in perfect peace those whose mind is fixed on you, because they trust in you." Isaiah 26:3

"There are many whose hearts are aching under a load of care because they seek to reach the world's standards. God bids us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and His promise is that all things needful to them for this life shall be added. Worry is blind and cannot discern the future but Jesus sees the end from the beginning. In every difficulty He has His way prepared to bring relief. Our heavenly Father has a thousand ways to provide for us, of which we know nothing. Those who accept the one principle of making the service and honour of God supreme will find a plain path before their feet...

True happiness is found in learning of Christ. Those who take Christ at His Word and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence.

It is the love of self that brings unrest to our soul." -excerpts from my daily devotional by e.white

May God help us to keep the great law of His universe- love God with all your heart and your neighbour as yourself. Yes it's natural for us to put ourselves first but when we do, we are going against the way God created us to be. The path to happiness is in keeping God's law. Though we cannot manufacture this love in our own hearts, by spending time with God, love will spring up in our hearts.

"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19

"Now may the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and the patience of Christ." 2 Thess. 3:5

Monday Manna: What to do with guilt

"Love forgives all wrongs." Proverbs 10:12

Who likes being wrong? Not I! Depending on the size of the misdeed, you either feel slightly foolish or deeply ashamed.

All throughout our day, God sends us impressions to do good through His Holy Spirit. How loudly or softly we hear His voice depends on how much we value His will for our lives.

When we resist impressions from God, we feel bad. No one likes feeling bad/wrong, so what to do? We were not created to bear a burden of guilt in our minds! Humans cannot bear this for long so we end up doing one of two things:

1. Give our guilt to God: confess/admit we've done wrong (1 John 1:9) and allow God to forgive our wrongs and to give us the strength and freedom to move on from those mistakes and learn a better way!

OR

2. Put the guilt somewhere else: we rationalise and justify our mistakes away and play the blame game. If we keep doing this, we will become blind to our own faults and weaknesses. We will end up always minimising our own faults and responsibilities and our own contribution to our problems and we will maximise the faults and wrongs of others.  This distorted way of thinking is what causes conflicts in our relationships. 

If we will just come to Jesus, we can claim this promise: "He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way." Psalms 25:9.

If we want to have wonderful relationships, be that in the workplace or at home or wherever we are, we need to humble ourselves and come to God for freedom, forgiveness, peace and joy and only then will we be able to be the sort of people who love others in a truly selfless way. The great God who created the entire universe stands ready always to help us.  

Monday Manna on a Tuesday- Our worst enemy

I first read the diary of Anne Frank (well-known Holocaust victim) when I was 13 years old, the same age that Anne was when she started writing. I recently reread her diary and was moved so much by her story.

There are many other nameless people who have also suffered great injustice in their lives, not just during the Holocaust but throughout the entire history of the human race. The Roman philosopher Cicero said, "Man is his own worst enemy."  The sins and mistakes of those around us wound us but often we also sabotage ourselves. A small example is when we try to convince someone of our point of view (we want them to understand our hurt feelings or to better understand our needs and rights) but the more we try, the further we alienate that person. Perhaps it is because they are also busy trying to make us understand them. 

Anne Frank's last entry in her diary before she was found by the Nazi's has something very profound written in it...Consider that Anne was stuck in a tiny attic with 7 other people for 2 whole years! Hunger and also the tension created by their fear of discovery meant that the relationships grew strained. Anne writes, 

"I am trying very hard to change myself but I'm always up against a more powerful enemy... 

Keep trying to find a way to become what I'd like to be and what I could be if...if only there were no other people in the world."  (diary ends here).

In each of us is the potential to reflect God's character. However, in each of us is also a natural selfishness which makes it hard sometimes to relate to others. How can we win against our 'strong enemy'? I believe the only way is to turn to God for help. We need someone stronger than ourselves! Only by having a relationship with Him who is loving, patient, understanding, forgiving strong, courageous and kind can we also have those character traits in us as we relate to others.

 "Hear my cry, O God;
   listen to my prayer.

 From the ends of the earth will I call to you,
   When my heart is overwhelmed,
   lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
   a strong tower from the enemy."  

      Psalms 61.