You've Got The Love

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need To see me through
Sometimes it seems that the going is just too rough
And things go wrong no matter what I do
Now and then it seems that life is just too much
But you've got the love I need to see me through

When food is gone you are my daily need
When friends are gone I know my savior's love is real
You know it's real

You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love

Time after time I think "Oh Lord what's the use?"
Time after time I think it's just no good Sooner or later in life, the things you love you lose
But you've got the love I need to see me through
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love

You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love
You got the love

Sometimes I feel like throwing my hands up in the air
I know I can count on you
Sometimes I feel like saying "Lord I just don't care"
But you've got the love I need to see me through

                                                                                           (Florence And The Machine)

 

The above song is by a band called Florence And The Machine. I don't much about this band but I don't think they are a christian band (I'm sure my friends will tell me when they see me next).

 

The song has been on the radio quite a lot recently and the verses that I have highlighted in bold really stand out to me at the moment. I'm going through a bit of a rough patch with parts of my life and there have been times where I have said I don't care anymore.

 

The people I've spoken to have said pray to God about it and leave it with him. So here it goes.

 

God you know whats going on in my life. I'm now leaving the situation in your hands. Please continue to be by my side and guide me down the right path. I know I can count on you. You've got the love that I need to see me through this. Amen.

Fishers Of Men

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of Galilee, he saw two brothers- Simon also called Peter and Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.


Jesus called out to them, 'Come follow me and I will show you how to fish for people!'


And they left their nets at once and followed him.
Matthew 4 vs. 18-20


I will make you fishers of men, fishers of men, fishers of men. I will make you fishers of men if you follow me, if follow me, if you follow me. I will make you fishers of men if you follow me.


A few weeks ago I started volunteering at a local homeless hostel. Here they have a display table with wooden fish on with Matthew 4 vs 19. Everytime I walk past the display I have the above chorus going through my head, its one that we sing in my church.


 I think the reason why I have the bible verses and the chorus going through my head is that this is God's way of telling me the reason I am there is to show the homeless people coming to the hostel that there are people who care and want to help them. The longer I am there hopefully God will use to me and show me how to fish for people.


One of my friends recently had this as his facebook status- What an awesome God we have. He works miracles in lives that have been broken, using them to construct something so beautiful words cannot express or explain. He continues to use others who might feel as if they have nothing to offer, to change lives and the world that we live in. Remember that we are called to save souls, grow saints and help suffering humanity. We must fight to the very end.


My pray is that I will continue to do the work that God wants me to do and he will show me the way he wants me to do it.

How does the Holy Spirit equip you to be God's disciple out in the world.

For me the journey to finding this out began in January. Before I had been living my life at my own pace, it was during this time that people close to me had their plans revealed to them. This got me thinking why hasn't God revealed anything to me yet, does he not want to use me for anything.

I was handed a leaflet at the Congress for the Design For Life course. I prayed and talked to people about it and it was decided I should apply for it. A few days before the course I had a conversation with a friend about how I was feeling about things, it was during this conversation that they said I think you need to change the person you are so you can complete God's work. After this I thought what gives you the right to tell me I need to change, the only person who can do this is God but then they said don't change because I've told you too, change because God has told you.

During the weekend it was mentioned that God calls imperfect people, when this was said it made me think I don't need to change who I am, God can use me as I am now. Just before the devotional time on the Saturday night we were focusing on different people in the bible and the different callings that they had. Each of them had to wait different time periods for their callings to be revealed to them. The person who was leading the course said that like these people in the bible we too are being called to do different things and if you're still waiting the door is right but the time isn't you just need to prepare and wait. It was at this moment that I realised that I that if I want to have my calling revealed to me I have to hold nothing back from God. A song came to be that the youth chorus sing called Obiedence. Lord I hear your knocking, hear your voice appealing, open the door of your heart. Let me enter in and take the centre of your life controlling every part. Come follow me to the way of the cross. This is the moment you must start.

I knew then that I had to make a start on this journey. There were different stations set up around the room and I went to the one that was for the future. It was here that the person who came to speak to me read from Romans 12. The verse that stood out for me was verse 2. Don't copy the behaviour and the customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for you. Which is good and pleasing and perfect. After that verse was read it got me thinking if God had chosen that verse to be read and one of my friends saying that I need to change, maybe I actually do need to change. After the weekend it became clearer that God does actually have a plan for me.

Over the past few months I've had a few ups and downs. One of the things I've really struggled with is giving my life over to God because I've lived my life at my own pace for a long time. I know I need to do this so I can progress on the journey with God. There have been times when I've wanted to tell my friends about my struggles but I've never had the courage too because I see it as a sign of weakness. I don't want too burden them with my problems when they've got their own and I feel that they may judge me. I hope and pray that over the next few months and years that I have the courage to tell people about my struggles and that I keep on perserving to give the whole of my life over to God, so I can be his disciple in the world.

Those who do not put their trust in man alone, but in one who is almighty, have no right to despair. To despair is to lose faith; to despair is to forget god without god we can do nothing in this frightful chaos of human misery. But with god we can do all things, and in the faith that he has made in his image all the children of men we face even this hideous wreckage of humanity with a cheerful confidence that if we are but faithful to out own high calling he will not fail to open up a way of deliverance.
William Booth.

Footprints

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many secnes from my life flased across the sky. In each secne I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints

So I said to the Lord, 'You promised me Lord, that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there have only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?'

The Lord replied, 'The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand, is when I carried you.'
(Mary Stevenson)

'Walk a little slower daddy,' said a child so small. 'I'm following in your footsteps and I don't want to fall.

Sometimes your steps arre very fast, somtimes they're hard to see; so walk a little slower, daddy, for you are leading me.

Someday when I'm all grown up, you're what I want to be; then I will have a little child who will want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right, and know that I was true; so walk a litte slower daddy, for I must follow you'.

Romans 12 vs. 1-2

A Living Sacrifice to God

And, so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know Gods will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Called to…

Hi guys, my name is Sam. Now Nat is away this weekend and she has asked that I keep you entertained on here for a day. I have my own blog which I would love you to visit at Sam’s Big Bible Blog.Anyway on with the post.

Are you called? Does God have a plan for you? Is there something God wants you to do that only you can do?

I believe that the answer is yes, I believe that there is a mission and a calling for every single person. Now knowing what this calling is can be a struggle and take a long time to become clear. It can seem at times that God has no plan for our lives or that He is not interested in using us. The truth however is that God does all things in His time, He does things in ways that we cannot imagine and at times we would least expect.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the LORD.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God’s ways and God’s thoughts are so far beyond us that unless God chooses to reveal them to us we have no chance of knowing them. In addition to this God’s time is not our time, what God considers a reasonable length of time and what we consider reasonable are not always the same. In addition to this, what we want to do, where we see our life heading has no bearing on what God will ask us to do.

If we have plans for our lives, if we have ideas about where we would like to be and they are not in keeping with Christlike living you can guarantee that God will have other plans for us. His plans may seem difficult and a complete change to our lives they may even seem dangerous but following Christ is a whole of life change.

Mark 10:17-21
As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honour your father and mother.”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

If we are going to follow Christ then we must start by asking God to help us become the people we should be. We need to pray that we can be given the strength and will to make the changes in our lives that we need to. We need to pray to God for the guidance and help to bring us to the point where we are ready to know what it is that He wants us to do. God will not ask us to do anything that we could not do, He would not ask us to do anything we are not prepared for. He will ensure that we have the skills and have learned the lessons we need before we are sent out into the world to complete the calling God has for us. He may ask us to do something we do not want to do, and at that point we need to decide what we will do, will we be like the young rich man or like the apostles who followed Christ instantly.

There are many things that God may call us to do and we should be careful not to lump special significance on any one calling. There is no person and no calling who is superior in the eyes of God. Whatever it is that God calls us to do we should do it with joy and happiness in our hearts. Rejoice in your calling whatever it maybe, in doing it you will be praising God and shining His light through your life. If you are called to be an office assistant nothing else will make you or God happier than you going out everyday into your workplace and showing Christ in your conduct and actions. If you are called to be a doctor, teacher, fireman or even a minister there is nothing but that calling that will make your life complete.
If you don’t yet know your calling do not try to give yourself one, do not try and attach significance and signs where there are none. Instead pray to God and ask him to show you the way to go, ask God to show you what you should be doing, ask Him how to learn the lessons you need to learn before you can discover your calling. Don’t be impatient, instead ask that He will prepare you to know, and prepare you for the tasks that will be asked of you in the future.

A calling is something that is personal between you and God and no one but God can tell you what that calling is. All we can do is ensure that we do everything we can in order to prepare ourselves and make sure we are ready when He calls. If we ensure we follow right living, study our Bibles and have a healthy prayer life then we are doing what we should be. As long as this is the case and we allow ourselves to be taught by God then we need not worry about what our calling is or when the call will come. If we are always open to God and His messages and signs we can be sure that God will take care of everything else including letting us know what He wants us to do. This does not mean we should sit back and relax or that we should not look for our calling. We should live our lives as we know we should taking every opportunity to grow in faith and learn about God until He reveals His plan for us.

Here is to Nat having a great weekend and making progress on her faith journey. She has made the step in knowing she has much to learn and is trying to learn what she can where and when she can. Pray for Nat, that she will move towards the place that God wants her to be and that she will make strides on the path that God has placed before her.