Windows On The Soul

Whilst the choice of sinning or not is the basic question of human free will, the divine answer is "I will forgive you when you do sin, if you repent". This is the very core of Christianity; an absolutely holy righteous God, who is also absolutely lovingly merciful. In prayer, I sometimes find it better to ask God " What's the question? ". Then I am in a better position to hear the answer that I need, rather than restricting God to answering my very human, sometimes selfish, sometimes silly (in hind-sight) questions. If we ask, we get what we need; if we don't ask, then we simply get what we deserve. ----xxxXxxx---- Mt.6:8 "Your father already knows what you need before you ask Him.  This then is how you should pray..." Jas.4:2 "You have not because you ask not" Lk.11:9 "Ask and it will be given you; seek and you will find" Ac.8:22 "Repent of this evil plan...pray to God to forgive you" 1 Jn.1:9 ...

I thank my parents that as a child I was taught to write an "I want" list. This helped me identify those things I "really" wanted well after the initial plea had faded. Then came the hard part of giving up some things to save up the money to buy my heart's desire. The same principles apply to our Christian walk. We want to serve, but are we prepared to pay the price? We want to be humble, but are we prepared to be humiliated? We want to be a true disciple, but are we prepared to truly discipline our body, mind and soul? We want to be loving, but that includes the "unlovely", and carries the cost of sacrifice, non-reciprocation, even outright hostility. We ask in pray, but are we willing to accept and obey the answers given? ----xxxXxxx---- Lk.18:18-23 "'What must I do to have eternal life?'...you lack one thing, sell all you have and distribute to the poor...he was very sorrowful for he was very rich" Mt.16:24 "If anyo...

Confession I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: ... “ We have sinned and done wrong...been wicked and rebelled...turned away from your commands and laws. ”   Daniel 9:4-5 Intercession “ Is any one of you sick?  He should call the elders of the Church to pray over him...prayer offered in faith will make the sick well. ”   James 5:14-15 Worship I prayed to the Lord my God..." O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands. ”   Daniel 9:4 Vision One night, the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: " Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent. I am with you. "   Acts 18:9

One of the frustrating things I have to deal with at work is Change Requests from users. All too often, they ask for things they think they need or explain how something should be fixed, when I can see that their proposal will not fix the real problem. All trades and professions see this sort of thing - patients try to tell doctors what medicine they want, we tell the garage to replace worn tyres when the problem is wheel alignment. The mark of a good professional is to be able to elicit the real symptoms, then diagnose the real problem, and convince the customer of the change/fix they really need. It’s such a human trait to want to appear knowledgeable and in control. But I know that even though I bemoan it in my customers, I still find myself doing it when I am the customer. I think we often suffer the same problem with prayer, trying to tell God what we think we need or how to fix a situation. Instead we should be discovering and sharing the real sympto...

Sometimes God’s answers to our prayer for direction in our life can at first be unrecognised or even harsh. But we must remember that in God’s time, “ All things work together for good... ”. The following member’s submission is unnamed for privacy. “Quite some years ago, I was struggling with God’s direction for my life, especially at work. One morning I was feeling particularly stressed about going to work and prayed about it before leaving. Within an hour, as I arrived at work, the boss met me waving a cheque and generally sounding off about this customer’s cheque bouncing. He challenged me about why I had “not been looking after this customer”. I explained that I had been going out of my way to keep this customer happy, but that I was not a credit manager.  Even so, I was sacked on the spot (this was before ‘unfair dismissal laws’). Some 6 months later, my ex-employer came to my home. He said that he had recently become a Christian and felt that he had t...

It's the "great Australian dream" isn't it, the goal of every newly-wed couple - to "get on our feet". We have so many euphemisms - "getting ahead", "financial independence", "standing on our own two feet", and so forth. From childhood, peaking in our teens, we are exhorted to study hard to get a good education in order to get a well paid job. As newly weds, its scrimping and saving "just until we have enough for a deposit on a house". By then of course its having enough to give the new baby every opportunity. Finally, with the children off our hands, the prospect of retirement and living off our savings is looking us in the face. Right to the end, some are worrying whether they will have enough to pay for their funeral. What a worry-some lot we humans are ( Ps.39:6 ). This isn't the sort of life God wants us to lead ( Mt.6:25 ). The most joy-full life comes when we live by faith and trust ( Lk.12:29 ), when prayer...

Lord, I want to be totally open and available for the working of Your Spirit in my life this year - that my walk with You may be closer; that my walk with [my spouse] may be richer; that my walk with [our children] may be more thrilling; that my walk at work may be more fully as a servant; that my walk in [worship] may be more dynamic and fruitful; that my walk at church be full of encouragement and challenge; that my walk with my neighbours and wider family be of greater impact for You. Lord help me, by Your Spirit within me, to relate more openly and honestly to You, and with all the attributes of holy living which will draw others to You and bring glory to You. Lord, teach me until it hurts, for I deeply desire to follow You this year in a way that is significant and exciting. Grant me the wisdom to discern the paths to take, when to say "Yes" and "No", and to be at peace before You about my choices. Most of all Lord God, teach me to be a [parent and spo...

It is sad that all too often it takes a crisis for people to acknowledge the really important things of life. I spent a lovely time last week-end with my brother and sister-in-law as they renewed their marriage vows. Having acknowledged the shortness of his prognosis (he had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor), they set about prioritizing their remaining time together. This week, they received communion for the first time in perhaps 10-20 years - making peace with their saviour. Time and again, the Bible in both old and new testaments, invites the reader to 'eat and drink' with the Lord; to receive of His liberality. The true seeker will find, the true listener will hear. But be warned, true seeking is impossible without a 'broken and contrite heart'. And as Moses called the children of Israel to 'choose life' and enter the promised land, flowing with milk and honey, there were still 'giants' to conquer. ----xxxXxxx---- Isa.55:6 ...

"The question of how or when to pray is not the most important one.   The crucial question is whether you should pray always and whether your prayer is necessary. Here the stakes are all or nothing!  If someone says that its good to turn to God in prayer for a spare moment, or if he grants that a person with a problem does well to take refuge in prayer, he has as much as admitted that praying is on the margin of his life and that it doesn't really matter. Whenever you feel that a little praying can't do any harm, you will find that it can't do much good either. Prayer has meaning only if it is necessary and indispensable .  Prayer is prayer only when we say that without it a man could not live." (Henri Nouwen, "With Open Hands") ---xxXxx--- Psalm 150 - Praise in the temple. Matt 6:5-13 - Pray with the Lord together, in private Luke 11:9-10 - Ask, and it will be given. James 4:13-18 - Intercede for others. Ask for interc...

The year is 1981. The place, a lounge-room somewhere in Mitcham. The occasion, the weekly prayer meeting of the team running the Drop-Inn outreach in the old Forest Hills shopping centre. An air of depression had hung over the team for weeks. We didn't seem to be "getting through" any more. Discipline in and around the shop had deteriorated. Then to top it all off, an occult bookshop had opened up next door. We were under attack. Then in the middle of our prayer, the Lord spoke to us through a "word of prophecy" saying " Why are you afraid? I have not given you the spirit of timidity. I have given you my spirit of Power , and of Love , and of Self-control . I am with you and for you. Who can stand against you? " ( II Tim.1:7 )  Immediately, the veil of oppression lifted. We were revived. The following weeks proved the Lord. Opportunities for witness opened up. Discipline problems diminished, and within a month or two, we had prayed that book-...

(On the occasion of a Church Anniversary) As we reflect on the ministry of this church over the past years, let's give thanks and celebrate God's eternal presence and out-working through His Church.  Rejoice in past victories, and look forward in glorious expectation. May this Church forever find that the House of God is a place of:- Seeking God's Counsel   - Judges 20:18 "The Israelites went up and inquired of God" Hearing God's Voice  - Isa 6:8 "I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Who shall I send? Who will go for us?'" Receiving Visions  - Luke 1:22 "They realised he had seen a vision in the temple" Filled with Glory  - 2 Chron 7:1 "The glory of the Lord filled the temple" Praise and Thanksgiving - Psa 150 "Praise God in His sanctuary. Let everything that has breath, praise The Lord" Learning God's Ways  - Mic 4:2 "Come let us go to God's house, and He will teach us...

When I can, I try to get out of the office to eat my lunch on the banks of the Yarra River, or take an extra half minute to walk along the river bank from the station instead of joining the rush in Flinders St. But even here, it is impossible to escape the noise of the city. One lunch time I just happened to catch the sound of a small bird. With effort I was able to hear over the sounds of trains, trams, cars, pile-drivers, trucks and building workers. With concentration I listened to the soft lapping water, the rustle of leaves, the scurry of some small animal. God's call is so often a "still small voice" amongst the many other voices and distractions that crowd in on our lives. It takes time apart, concentration and practise to hear His call, to tune-in to God and tune-out the world. ----xxxXxxx---- Ps.46:10 "Be still and know that I am God." 1 Kg.19:12 "...and after the fire a still small voice..." Ex.14:13 "Stand still ...

" Laugh and the world laughs with you, cry and you cry alone " - this is the philosophy of the world - of "fair weather friends"! But Christians are called to march to the beat of a different drum. We are called to bear one-another's burdens for this is the "law of Christ". This is true religion. We even have Jesus' verbatim statement - " This is my command, that you love one-another ". But let's look at this from the side of the burdened - don't we all have our various burdens? Don't we pray to God for strength, healing, courage, support, encouragement, faith etc. Yet our Lord has commanded that these are the very things that we are to share with each other. Could I be so bold as to suggest that the answers to many of our prayers will/should come through the love of a fellow believer? Have you been the answer to some-ones prayers this week? " Lord, open my ears to hear your call, and my eyes to see you beckoning. Help me...

So the circle turns. You are the alpha and the omega, the beginning and the end. I approached you as my Heavenly Father, Holy King; I close, reaffirming your Kingship, your omnipotence, your eternal "I Am". Lord, you have heard my petitions, you know my needs, and again you remind me that it is "Your Will" be done, that it is Your Name and Person who alone is worthy to receive Glory. Let my prayer Lord, always be, first and foremost, the seeking of your perfect will, the seeking of your Lordship over my life, then may I say "Amen - Let is so be". ---===X===--- Jhn.17:5 "Father, glorify me, with the glory I had before the world was" Rev.21:6 "I am the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end" Deu.33:27 "The eternal God is your refuge, underneath are the everlasting arms" Heb.3:3 "...worthy of more glory..." Isa.9:6 "...Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Princ...