Faith: Circumstances of Our Birth

Ever felt like you weren’t wanted? Where you told you were a mistake? Where you given up at birth? Did you not have a good upbringing? Do you feel unloved? Do you feel you are on you own in life and no one wants to bother with you?

Well, let me ensure you that you are wanted. You were not a mistake. You are loved and you are not alone in life.

Our births are all different. We all arrive on earth in different ways. Some babies are loved and prayed over by their loving conscientious parents. Some babies are surprises or unwanted by their parents.

Some babies are born prematurely and some arrive later than expected. Some babies are both breech, others arrive by C-section and others are so eager to come out there are pushed out in few minutes.

After being born some babies go home to lovely nurseries with lots of toys, some get hand me downs or nothing at all. Some babies don’t go to a loving home, some go to orphanages, some go to foster homes and some end up on the streets.

Some babies who are not wanted by their birth parents are wanted by other couples and get adopted into loving families.  In this case some may not like or know the circumstances of their birth and struggle with the not knowing, and then those who know their circumstances still struggle.

However, the amazing thing is that not one person needs to be defined by or limited by those circumstances. Every person has the chance to be born again in Christ, a second birth, to connect with our eternal purpose.

We do have a purpose in life even if we do not feel like we have. Before the earth was even created, God says you were designed and made to do good works in Christ – those works were prepared before the making of the world.

So no matter how you got to where you are, no matter the particulars of your birth, you were chosen in eternity long before you ever arrived in time, on earth.  Isn’t that mind blowing?

God made you, God loves you and His plans for you are good! So in the hard times, hold onto that.

Psalm 139

Christianity: Truths to Dwell on

Christine Caine is a very Godly woman and her daily devotionals are excellent, here is one which really spoke to me so thought I would share it here on my blog:

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen (Ephesians 3:20-21).

Dwell on these truths today:

• There is no promise too hard for God to fulfill.
• There is no prayer too big for God to answer.
• There is no problem too big for God to solve.
• There is no disease God cannot heal.
• There is no heart God cannot mend.
• There is no relationship God cannot restore.
• There is no sin God cannot redeem.
• There is no bondage God cannot break.
• There is no need God cannot meet.
• There is no mountain God cannot move.
• There is no enemy God cannot defeat.
• There is nothing my God cannot do!

Christianity: The Government Rests on His Shoulders

Each day into my email inbox I get a daily devotional from Christine Caine, who is the founder of the A21 organisation against Human Trafficking. They are always very good and often speak to me.

Last week the following devotional arrived with me:

“I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken (Psalm 16:8).

Let’s stay focused on the truth today.

• The government rests on Jesus’ shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).
• All things are possible with God (Matthew 19:26).
• He is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
• Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

When we follow Jesus with everything we are, we will always be at the top and never at the bottom (Deuteronomy 28:13)”

And immediately this spoke to me as God is always in control and his ways are the true ways. What especially resonated with me was “The government rests on Jesus’ shoulder” (Isaiah 9:6) because more recently the news of governments have been bad:

Trump was elected in America and to me, it didn’t seem like a good choice as he was always getting himself in trouble – but throughout it all, I have to cling to the truth that God is Sovereign and in everything he has his hand.

Brexit happened and now we are having a new election – I am confused about Brexit as I thought it was for the whole United Kingdom but Theresa May, in my opinion, is making it an English Brexit – what about Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.  Again throughout it I have to cling to the truth that God is Sovereign and he has all nations’ interests at heart.

Northern Ireland’s government no longer exists because the two main parties DUP and Sinn Fein will not work with each other mainly because of distrust and specifically from Sinn Fein’s point of view as Arlene Foster has not been a very truthful politician (well if there are ever any truthful politicians)… but she has been seen doing backhand deals and she should have stood down when asked but she is stubborn and didn’t causing us to have an election.  And now coming into this election called by Theresa May most of us in Northern Ireland do not know who to vote for as our parliament is not working and no one seems to be doing any campaigning.  But again throughout it all, I have to cling to the truth that God is Sovereign and things will turn out alright in the end with Him in control – and it does say in Matthew 19 v 26 that ‘All things are possible with God”!!!!

So no matter what happens in the political world and the individual governments of each country we need to hold onto the fact that God is Sovereign, He is in control and the government rests on his shoulders meaning that the government of the entire world is in his hands. 

Book Review: I before E except after C: Old School Ways to Remember Stuff by Judy Parkinson

I before E except after C is an important thing to remember when writing essays, reports etc. – but what else do we need to remember and what have we forgotten and would like to? Well, this book can help you as it offers us reminders of mnemonics from our school days e.g. Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain which reminds us of the colours of the rainbow – Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet.

As we get older we all need memory aids so I do recommend reading this – it helped me and also taught me stuff I did not know like ways to remember different Mathematical techniques such as long division which I have always struggled with and Geography nuggets like the great lakes of North America which in case you did not know are: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. And to remember this you just need the mnemonic Sally Made Henry East Onions – easy huh! Not sure how that would help me remember but hey I still remember Every Boy Deserves Good Foods which is a mnemonic for EBDGF - the notes of the treble clef in music.

The book is full of interesting information and can be very useful, so get reading if your memory is fading and you need aides to help you remember. 

Book Review: Unstoppable: Running the Race You Were Born to Win – Christine Caine

We recently read this book at the Women’s Ministry book club and it was enjoyed by all and brought about an interesting discussion on the topic of being unstoppable in our lives with God and running the race as a relay, not a marathon – passing the baton on instead of doing everything ourselves.

Christine Caine starts her book by talking about the Olympics and more specifically the relay race – focusing on the USA team and how it is important to be in the exchange zone at the right time in order to pass the baton correctly and efficiently to the next runner without dropping it, which shows us the importance of working as a team.  Did you know that it takes less time to run a 400m relay race as a team than it does to run a 400m race as an individual!

By telling stories of people in her A21 campaign against human trafficking she shows us the importance of listening to God and realising He puts us in places for a reason - to be ready to take the baton that God has put in our hands and that we are called to be a team assembled by God to achieve His purposes. And God is unstoppable.

God has plucked us out of eternity and positioned us in time and given us the gifts and talents to serve Him and to bring the light of Jesus Christ into a broken world.

Our race is now so get ready to run it and run it with others – if we receive and pass on the baton in the divine relay we will be unstoppable.

Book Review: The Resurrection by Mark Meynell

Easter has just been and it inspired me to read this wee book on The Resurrection.  In this book, we are given the accounts of the Resurrection from Matthew, Luke, and John – three of the Gospels.

Each account of the resurrection is examined and the individual, distinctive style of each author is discussed and we are shown eye-witness accounts of people’s first encounters with the risen Christ:

• Mary
• The Soldiers
• The Disciples

Through this book we are shown that we can believe each account and have confidence in what is being told and that without Christ, a Christian has no Saviour, no power, no eternal life or no hope without the resurrection – but Jesus being raised from the dead gives us hope and each gospel account shows us the truth.

I found this book really helpful and it opened my eye to facts that I had previously missed while reading Matthew, Mark and John’s account of the resurrection. It helped me this Easter to reflect more on Jesus and what he did for me on the cross and the hope that the resurrection gives me – eternal life with the risen King. 

Book Review: Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller

The Empty Promises of Money, Sex and Power, and the only Hope that Matters

Have you placed your faith in success, true love, and the life you have always wanted – believing they are the key to your happiness? But then realised they don’t and you are left disappointed.

In Timothy Keller’s book, we are shown that these are ‘Counterfeit Gods’ through biblical truths shows us where the truth lies.

This book was very helpful to me to highlight what the idols in my life are and how to overcome them and place my faith in the true God. For example, the perfect job – I believed if I had the perfect job I would be truly happy, but that’s not true as you can find happiness in any job as long as you go in with the right attitude and trust you have been placed in the right place by God.

Counterfeit Gods is easy to read, there are no big theological words or hard to understand ideas. However, it is a book to savour, to take it all in and reflect on what Keller discusses. It is thought provoking and I recommend it to everyone.