Who cares?...
No-one understands!...
What's the point of living?...
My life is a mess and doesn't make any sense...!
Are these questions and thoughts new?
In looking back over history—we can say most definitely—'no'!
The same thoughts have plagued us all at one time or another.
Some find the answers and others, sadly, do not.
You see, history tells us of the real answer, the real way and the real life.
Something tried and true, tested and reliable—not just a theory or fiction.
SomeONE to know and who, more importantly, wants to know us!
SomeONE who designed and made us and has a purpose for each one of us,
who knows ALL about these thoughts and wants to walk alongside us each day
and who says "Come, walk with Me …. this is the way!"
This is what we, as Christian women, want to communicate to you …
So, come along and let us share together and encourage one another,
learning along the way—it's for young and old, whatever stage and age!
It's for you!
If you had the opportunity to meet one celebrity, who would you choose?
It would probably be a hard call, because celebrities sometimes lose their status almost overnight. Politicians are voted out of office; sports stars tarnish their reputation, prominent business people are found guilty of dishonesty and famous "stars" die and are soon forgotten.
Which historical person interests you the most?
Would you choose Alexander the Great, Captain Cook, William Shakespeare, Isaac Newton, Charles Wesley, Florence Nightingale, William Booth, Winston Churchill, or someone else. These were all famous but we would each choose differently.
What about Bible characters?
My list would include Abraham, Melchizadek, Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Nehemiah, Paul, John, Mary and many others. We can't meet any of them today. During the last week before Calvary, some Greeks who had come to Jerusalem to worship at the Passover, came to Philip and said "Sir, we would like to see Jesus". (John 12:21) We are not told whether or not they did meet Him, but He may have been speaking to them and the disciples in the verses that followed.
Jesus is different because we can meet Him every day, through His Word, and prayer. We do not have to ask to be introduced to Him; we are already known and welcome. He is the Creator God, who was crucified for our sin, and the Risen Lord who triumphed over death. He sustains everything by His powerful word. He is the Author, not only of the Bible, but of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). He longs to share with us, but accepts our choice. We may not have much free time, but even ten to fifteen minutes spent with Him will enrich our day and our relationship with Him. Come with open eyes, listening ears, and a mind and heart ready to share with Him and allow Him to share with you. Moments with the Master will change us, now and eternally.
Joan Suisted
"God blesses those people who are treated badly for doing right. They belong to the kingdom of heaven. God will bless you when people insult you, mistreat you, and tell all kinds of evil about you because of Me. Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven. People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago." Matthew 5:10-12.
If we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and love Him with all our mind, heart, soul and strength and live as He has exhorted us to do in the Beatitudes, then it is inevitable that we will be different from the rest of the world.
The world sees the poor in spirit as those to be trampled on. You must have self-esteem and be great in spirit. Those who mourn over their sins should get over it and get on with their lives, says the world. Why be meek? That will not get you anywhere. As for being pure in heart, do not worry about it, you will miss all the fun. Pursuing right living? What about the feel good factor? No time to help others; have to do my own thing even though I have been helped. More esteem in being a peacekeeper than a peacemaker, it does not matter if the truth is compromised.
Jesus tells us here that the world will not like us for doing that which is right. For some reason living right can upset people and because they feel uncomfortable they take it out on us. But Jesus said, "Be happy when you are persecuted or picked on because of your faith." This can be really hard to understand, but persecution should only make us stronger. The fact that we experience persecution is evidence to show we are being faithful because faithless people would go unnoticed.
We need to ask ourselves, are we suffering for His sake and if not, why not? Are we out there in the dark places being a light in the world? Are we being silent about our Christianity? Are we becoming like the world?
Jesus said, "Be happy and excited! You will have a great reward in heaven." The suffering for being faithful is something we endure with thankfulness and gladness.
Let us ask the Lord for the strength not only to be called faithful but to be faithful. Let us ask our Saviour, who gave us the Beatitudes, to help us live them. They are the promise of joy on earth, and an anticipation of joy in Heaven.
Lorraine Harvey
"God blesses those people who make peace. They will be called His children." Matthew 5:9
Being a peacemaker is not the same as being a peacekeeper.
- A peacemaker does not say yes to everybody and everything,
in an attempt to keep everybody happy
- A peacemaker builds their character on truth and right living.
We can only create true peace if we are at peace with God.
- Peacemakers are also those who try to make peace
even in difficult circumstances.
True peace however can only come if we are at peace with God. We must be reconciled to God. Romans 5:10 tells us, "Even when we were God's enemies,
He made peace with us because His Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will
be saved by His Son's life."
But there is more, by disciplining ourselves and by accepting discipline in the right way, peace will be created. Romans 14:19 tells us, "We should try to live at peace and help each other have a strong faith." As children of God we should practise living in harmony and encourage each other in our walk with the Lord. James 3:18 says, "When peacemakers plant seeds of peace, they will harvest justice." Being a peacekeeper is not the same as being a peacemaker.
- A peacekeeper will try to keep everyone happy whatever the cost, even if it means going against God.
- A peacekeeper will say "yes" to everyone.
Yes the world is full of peacekeepers. We need to be different and make peace and communicate it to those who have need of it. As peacemakers we will be blessed and will be known as 'children of God'.
Lorraine Harvey
"God blesses those people whose hearts are pure. They will see Him!" Matthew 5:8
A pure heart has to do with all that we think, say and do. In the Bible the heart stands for the inward man and is the source and instigator of our thoughts, attitudes, desires, character and motivations. Today we would use mind instead of heart, since the mind is where we hold knowledge, attitudes, motivations, affections, desires, likes and dislikes. It is clear from God's Word that God desires purity in all we think, say and do.
What do we see in our hearts?
Impure thoughts, attitudes, and desires which we may hide from others, but not from ourselves. This in turn affects our whole being as we battle to overcome the disappointment and depression that overtakes us.
We need help! Thankfully there is help in God's Word.
Purity of heart is a work in progress in which both God and we share the responsibility. Many scriptures show that God will cleanse by pardoning sin. But our responsibility in cleansing is very important and frequently mentioned along with what we must do to be cleansed. James in 4:8 shows our responsibility, "Come near to God, and He will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who cannot make up your mind."
How is this purifying done? Read I Peter 1:22, "You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now sincerely love each other. But you must keep loving with all your heart."
Pursue purity by maintaining a living daily active fellowship with God. Reading His Word, praying and allowing God's Spirit to work in us.
Jesus says "Those whose hearts are pure hearts will see God."
What a blessing. What a hope. What a motivation.
To see God is also to enjoy Him!
Lorraine Harvey
"God blesses those who are merciful,
for they will be shown mercy." Matthew 5:7
What is mercy you may ask?
Mercy is compassion, a love toward those who need our support, and it is expressed in forgiveness. Mercy is the love of God that forgives, and the love of God that pardons another who is wrong. How privileged we are to have a relationship with God who shows us mercy. We who are not perfect and sin daily are shown mercy.
We are shown mercy but are we merciful? What does it mean to be merciful, how do we put it into practice? What prevents us from being merciful?
To show mercy we must have a desire to have compassion upon a dying world, a poor world; and if it is not it in our hearts to forgive our brothers and sisters in Christ, as Christ has forgiven us, we are in grave danger.
What then must we do? Come before the Lord and for example, pray through the beatitudes. Admit that we are spiritually poor
v 3; mourn over the needs of God's people v.4; admit our need to completely rely on God and be humble, v 5; desire to do what God requires v 6.
The following are some of the practical ways of showing mercy. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, visit the sick, be available when people are grieving, invite people into your home to name a few. There are a number of ways to help spiritually; by word and example show the love of Christ, teach truth and goodness, comfort the grieving, forgive with all your heart, pray for those around you.
Before we can do the above however, as Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones has put it,
'A Christian is something before he does something'.
Lord, as we look into the mirror of Your Word we see ourselves, and Lord, it is not a pretty sight. Jesus Himself said: 'If you give a cup of water in My name, you do it unto Me'.
Lord, how many cups of water have we given in Your name?
Have we shown mercy to the poor?
Do we show mercy and compassion and forgiveness to our brothers and sisters in Christ?
Lord, help us to see that the road of obedience is the road of blessing.
Help us Lord to be more like Jesus.
Lorraine Harvey
"God blesses those people who want to obey Him more than to eat or drink. They will be given what they want."
Matthew 5:6 CEV
We have all sorts of desires. "Hunger and thirst" is simply another word for desires. You name the desires and we've got them. And it is just as well that most people don't know what we desire. Being honest with ourselves, we know that not all of our desires -- these hungers and thirsts -- are for what is right. There are so many things that clamour for our attention and present themselves as appealing. "Choose me" they are saying. A few more appealing actions and we are torn. So the question that should be on our minds is not how appealing a thing is, or how sweet or fragrant, or melodious, but how right it is.
What then should be foremost in our minds as we follow Christ? Surely desiring and choosing to do what is right. The beauty of doing what is right as compared to the other appealing things, is that we will be rid of all our frustrations or unfulfilled desires. Why? Because we will find that choosing to do what is right satisfies all our desires. Isn't that wonderful?
What is the "right" for which we are to hunger and thirst? The Good News Bible says, "Happy are those who greatest desire is to do what God requires; God will satisfy them fully." Matthew 5:6. This suggests that right living or a life style that is in complete conformity with the will of God is what we should desire. It is a lifestyle that is not only pleasing to Jesus but one He approves of. For the Christian this means that all daily actions, everything that is thought about, every decision that is made, everything that is read or looked at will be done in the same way that the Lord Jesus Christ would have done them. The true Christian will know immediately whether something is right or wrong, godly or ungodly.
Hunger and thirst are appetites that return frequently and require that they be met often during the day. Just as the physical body needs daily food, so too, we need to ensure that we have constant meals of reading God's Word and talking to Him in prayer.
What then is the secret to life here and now? To desire what is right, to desire what pleases God. What is the promise? 'They will be given what they want', not just for the future but for the here and now. Provided, that is, if we choose right.
Lorraine Harvey
Matthew 5:5, "God blesses those who are humble.
The earth will belong to them!"
The Greek word for meek/humble, was used to refer to domesticated animals. The word does not refer to a wild, unruly animal; it refers to a strong and powerful horse or an ox that was trained and disciplined so that it could be controlled by a human. The word humble/meek used in Matthew 5:5 refers to a strong person who is under control--a God controlled person. A meek person is a man or woman of God whose strength is controlled by God. He or she is controlled by God in thought, word, will, emotion, and action. The meek person is one who submits, not to his own will or to the will of the world, but to the great and gracious will of God.
What makes a person meek? They see God and they see God in everything. No one becomes meek unless they can see this infinite, personal, almighty, all-wise, all-holy God, and when they see God they are immediately humbled. When we are able to see God by faith, then that is the time when the Holy Spirit allows us to become meek. Thus the meek person does not rely on himself, saying, I can do all things. I have confidence in myself. After all, I am strong and able. No, the meek person says, I see God, and He is able and willing to help me. I can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.
In everyday life we are tested constantly as to the source of our strength. Are we truly relying on the Lord for our strength in all the situations we face?
Consider the following questions.
If someone were to interview your husband or your children, would they say you are treating them properly?
When you bump into people that irritate you how do you react?
If we asked your friends if you are a gentle person what do you imagine they would say?
Do you insist on your own rights?
Do you act as if you are perfect?
Do you treat someone that annoys or disappoints you better than they deserve?
Remember you are never more like God than when you treat a sinner with grace.
What a way to start each day!!
Lorraine Harvey
"God blesses those people who mourn. They will find comfort." Matthew 5:4.
What does it mean to mourn over sin?
It means to be sensitive to sin, to feel pain.
Jesus did not say blessed are the moaners, or the complainers.
He was saying the people who meet with God's approval are those who come to terms with their own hurts and the hurts of the people around them. To mourn is to acknowledge the overwhelming sinfulness of one's own sin, feel indescribable sadness and brokenness over the wrong that has transpired.
If we are humble and appreciate that all of our gifts and blessings come from God, then we grow in love and gratitude to Jesus Christ, our Saviour. But this, in turn, can only produce mourning and regret over our own sins and the sins of this world. Mourning in this context is called a blessing, because mourning our fallen nature creates in us a desire to improve ourselves and to do what is right.
Do you have that desire?
Do you want change?
Is your desire for holiness greater?
Has your hatred for sin increased?
By tolerating things we would not have allowed before and by allowing ourselves to become used to the things that go on around us, we become desensitised to sin.
Does this describe me?
If so will I mourn today?
There is a promise to those who mourn.
They will be comforted.
The person who mourns over their sin, Jesus says, will be blessed and there is no greater blessing than to receive divine approval. This kind of mourning brings unbelievable joy and hope to the believer.
Those who mourn will be comforted.
Why will only such people be comforted?
Because they alone know that Jesus Christ came to seek and save that which is lost.
They alone look to the cross of Jesus Christ and realize that Christ died for their sins.
Two questions to start your day:
Will I depend only on God today?
Will I mourn over sin today?
Next week we look at the third question:-
Will I Be Gentle with Fellow Sinners Today?
If you would like to know more please do contact us.
Lorraine Harvey
As we move into a New Year,
as we pull up the blinds to a new day,
there are three primary attitudes we need to adopt if we want
to experience what it really means to know God and live for Him.
Before we can do this, there are some questions we must ask ourselves.
What determines our attitudes?
What about our actions?
How we perform and how we look is so often foremost in our thinking, perhaps giving the impression of generosity to the needy, a person of prayer, a great reader of the Bible, one who has it all together and so on. How we act is how we are.
When it comes to true spirituality, what determines our actions and our attitudes? What is it that God is really looking for?
Is the Lord concerned with our actions?
Yes, but according to the Sermon on the Mount, the main thing God is interested in, is our attitude to Himself and to fellow sinners. But first we need to learn to live our lives before an audience of one, God Himself.
Matthew 5:3-5,
"God blesses those people who depend only on Him.
They belong to the kingdom of Heaven!
God blesses those people who grieve. They will find comfort!
God blesses those people who are humble.
The earth will belong to them"
The most repeated phrase in the beatitudes is "blessed are", or translated "happy are", or "God blesses". The phrase, "blessed are" in each of the beatitudes implies a current state of happiness or well-being. To the people of the day the expression held the powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect happiness". In other words Jesus was saying, "divinely happy and fortunate" are those who possess these inward qualities. By repeating this same word to His band of simple-hearted loyal followers, He assured them that tossing aside all the extra baggage that comes with religious hypocrisy and a performance orientated life-style, we will travel the road that leads to inner peace.
The first of the three questions to start the day is:-
Will I be depending on God today?
Matthew 5:3
"God blesses those people who depend only on Him.
They belong to the kingdom of Heaven!"
We do not like to think about being absolutely helpless in the hands of God. With all of our faith and with all of His grace we still prefer to maintain some semblance of control over our lives. When difficulties arise we like to think that there are certain steps we can take to alleviate our anguish and be happy.
To depend only on God is to realize that I have nothing, am nothing, and can do nothing, and have need of all things.
To be spiritually poor is a consciousness of my emptiness, the result of the Spirit's work within. It comes from the painful discovery that all my best performances are unacceptable.
Depending on God therefore means to be humble and completely empty and open to the Word of God.
When we are an empty cup and devoid of pride, we are humble. Humility brings openness and an inner peace, allowing one to do the will of God and allowing the grace of God to work in us.
How often do I need to return to this question,
"Will I be depending on God today"?
Next week we will look at the 2nd Question,
"Will I mourn over sin today"?
Lorraine Harvey
Julie Alexander takes up the role of International President
Summer Retreats 2009 | Speaker: Liz Curtis Higgs
You have shown me
the path to life,
and make me feel glad
by being near to me.
Sitting at Your right side,
I will always be joyful.
Psalm 16:11