Live Light in 25 Words- Day 14. "Time To Fess Up "

" Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life. " Psalm 139:23-24 Q. How often do you ask God to show you the sin in your life, and to lead you away from it? Is this something you can pray today? Asking for the less desirable aspects of our behaviour to be pointed out is probably not on the top of most people's prayer lists. Oh we pray for others who are struggling with sin, we ask God to fix our woes, to change those around us and to bless our endeavours. But how often do we say " God, search the deepest part of me, bring to the surface and expose my short comings. Make me aware of the things in my life that do not please you." It takes courage to face our offences and obedience to follow the path to eternal life. Thing is, He knows what we are like, He knows what we do and will struggle with. He asks that we confess it, and then grace takes over and He leads us forwards. To pray every day " Lord show me where I can do better, and help me to do it ", knowing that he has been both behind us and prepared the way before us, can only lead to wonderful things. For His thoughts about me are precious and innumerable . How awesome is that ! Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 13. " Are you of any earthly good ? "

" 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 know Gods will for you which is good and pleasing and perfect." Romans 12:2 Q. In what ways, today, can we seek to not conform, to the pattern of this world, but rather let God transform you? There is a very fine line here that an awful lot of Christians step over. There is an old saying " too heavenly minded to be of any earthly good". Some people become so focused on not conforming that they become so far removed and are no longer able to relate or communicate with non Christians. I really do not believe that this is what God intended. He wants us to choose His ways, which lead to a rich and fulfilling life but He also wants us to be able to share this with others. Jesus didn't hang out with the " Good " guys all the time. He socialised with the people of his society, He wasn't all weird, He didn't avoid people. They saw that He was different, they were drawn to Him. He met them where they were at. I want others to see a difference in me , to know that I may have differing beliefs but I can still relate to them. When God begins to transform our thinking the areas in our life that change are ones that do not benefit us. It's often stuff that does not endear us to people anyway. In our endeavour to not conform but to be transformed, let us not become so far out of this world that we have no appeal to those that are of the world. Lxx 

Live Light in 25 Words-Day 12. " BELIEVE, It's really that Simple

They replied, " believe in The Lord Jesus and you will be saved- you and your household " Acts 16:31  Q. If someone asked you what must I do to be saved, how would you explain The Gospel to them? Believe, it's that simple! " For God so loved the world that He gave His only son, so that everyone who believes in Him, will not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16 He asks us to believe, that's all, it's not complicated. It's we Christians that put all the conditions on salvation . You don't have to measure up to a set of standards, you don't have to get your act together, you don't have to be good, you just have to believe. Then He changes your life! Once you have opened the door to your heart, Jesus comes in and your desires and dreams begin to change, as you get to know Him better the things that were holding you back will begin to fall away. It's a journey, and not always an easy one, but worth every single step. Why ? Because He knows who you were really meant to be. Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 10 " Live Like You BELIEVE It "

Today's verse is John 16:33 and I love The Message version; "I've told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." Q. What can we expect as we live in the world as Jesus' disciples? Just because we believe in Jesus and are "Christians " it does not mean that life will be all smooth sailing with no rough and treacherous seas, quite the contrary. We are no different to any one else, trouble and trail, sickness and sorrow will come our way. But there is one significant attitude that should set us apart. The assurance and trust that, no matter what we must travel through, Jesus will carry us. That isn't to say that we won't flounder at times, but we have a peace available to us, a peace that the world does not understand. Have you ever gone through an incredibly stressful time where you have totally relied upon Jesus and others have stated " I just don't understand how you have coped and functioned through all this!"  Being a disciple is not so much about what we say........it's in how we live our life. Jesus said He has conquered this world, how about we take up the challenge and live like we believe it! Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 9 " The ULTIMATE "

" I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep." Q. What sort of a leader is Jesus, how far is He willing to go for His people? He is the Ultimate leader. He sacrificed Himself, suffered humiliation and died an horrendous death, on a cross. All for us, all for you, all for me. He wore the sins of each and every one of the human race in order that we might have eternal life. He gives us the option to choose Him, and as a leader He offers to carry our burdens and to carry us when we most need Him. He is just and fair and He does not turn anyone away that seeks to follow Him. His love knows no end and His Grace is ever flowing. He is trustworthy and true to His word and He will never let you down even if you turn your back on Him- He will wait for your return. There is no other like Him, none can compare. He is THE ULTIMATE LEADER. Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 8

"UNFORCED RHYTHMS" I love today's verse, it's one of my favourites. Matthew 11:28,30 "Come to me , all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.......For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I especially love The Message version of this passage, it has spoken so clearly to me on many an occasion . "Are you tired?Worn out?Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly." It's interesting that today's question is- How would you explain what it's like to follow Jesus to someone who doesn't know Him yet? Why, because I think this verse has it in a nut shell. Life and all it's expectations, commitments and ups and downs, can really wear you out. The confines of religion and its zealots can become a deterrent and distraction. Jesus offers me a place of real renewal, He offers me a way to real rest and life as intended. He knows what I need and what I can handle, and He doesn't expect of me any more than He equips me for. He knows my heart, He knows my thoughts , He knows my dreams, He accepts me and His grace continuously flows no matter where I'm at. The more that I get to know Him, the deeper my relationship develops with Him, the better my ability to navigate all that life throws my way becomes. He's always there, He never changes and I will never be turned away from His presence. Following Jesus isn't meant to be complicated, it's quite simple really, look to Him and He'll change your life. You can leave all your baggage behind, no matter what it is. Lxx

Live Light in 25 Words- Day 7

MY ALL " Let all that I am praise The Lord; may I never forget the good things that He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases."  Psalm 103:2-3 It's easy as time goes by and troubles come our way, or in simply living life to forget the good things that God does for us. It seems to be a part of our human condition to be drawn to and focus on what's not going right or what we don't have. MAY I NEVER FORGET, when we are reminded of the good stuff, no matter how small, we are drawn towards Him. I purchased a prayer journal just the other day to record my prayer requests and more importantly, the many ways He has blessed me. It's good to have a reminder, especially if you are a little forgetful like me :) LET ALL THAT I AM PRAISE. All that I am, what does that really mean? all-2 to a supreme degree. supreme-2 greatest, strongest or most important The greatest, strongest and most important part of me, all the fibres of my being are to praise Him. I know that feeling it comes from deep within, often an unexplainable innate desire to worship, it's how we were created. But all too often we try to stifle it for whatever reason. Sometimes it's fear, fear of what may happen if we let go and let God or fear of what others may think. Today's question was " what will you praise God for today?" Actually there are a lot of things, answer to prayer, life changes, there is so much happening at the moment to be thankful for. But today, I praise Him for teaching me to bring Him my All. Lxx