3 Days

I have often wished that I had the patience for 3 days. 72 hours of waiting before I made a decision or reacted to a situation or demanded an answer or a resolution for whatever it is I'm facing. This world of right-here-right-now-I-wanted-this-done-yesterday-instant-gratification has made all of us into on demand beings and it's robbing us of so many things.

2000 years ago there was a bunch of people that faced a 3 day wait, although not all (if any) of them realized it would only be 3 days. They're whole world had been shaken, and it seemed like the enemy had won. In fact for 2 days the enemy did claim victory, evil proclaimed that it had been victorious, there was celebration (and relief) on and above the earth because it seemed like the evil one's mission had been accomplished. A stone had been rolled in front of the grave holding the hope and salvation of mankind, and evil thought that's where it would stay...

But there was a 3rd day...never before has the sun shone so brightly as on that Sunday morning. The air was crisp and an the tomb was empty for those who went to visit it. They were shocked and surprised to find what has been prophesied came true. I can just imagine evil's shock and horror at what happened, facing it's failure and realizing that it's has been defeated...a major defeat, that left mankind with the upper hand in all it's battles from this day until the end of time. The rulers on earth made up lies trying to cover up their ultimate defeat but there was no stopping what happened, because once the followers saw Him and touched him and commune with Him, a fire was lit in their hearts that raced around the world and even today is burning brightly, lighting the way to salvation and freedom for a lost world.

How much more could I wait 3 days for the stone to be rolled away over my situations and for Hope and Release to come. The realization that I have victory in all areas of my life through Him that saved me by giving his life for us all. In this world that teaches us that we are what we have, we soon realize that we have nothing without Him...Jesus Christ our Saviour, Prince of Peace, The Mighty God!!

06/10/06 = 26

It's that time of year again, when I wake up to the sound of birdsong and telephone rings, family and friends singing songs over the phone and smsing to wish me a happy birthday...that's right it's my birthday today! 26 years old and going strong, I'm now on the serious side of 25 and feel that there's so much still to be done especially regarding the Kingdom, I do think that we fall into the mindset of "life is downhill from here". Man do I disagree with that!! Still so many battles to fight, victories to be won, hearts to show His love to, ears to tell the good news to and eyes to show His kindness to. There's much to be said for old age, and although I'm nowhere near that, I did stumble across this piece in my daily readings.

God Bless :)


"At evening time it shall be light." —Zechariah 14:7

Oftentimes we look forward with forebodings to the time of old age, forgetful that at eventide it shall be light. To many saints, old age is the choicest season in their lives. A balmier air fans the mariner's cheek as he nears the shore of immortality, fewer waves ruffle his sea, quiet reigns, deep, still and solemn. From the altar of age the flashes of the fire of youth are gone, but the more real flame of earnest feeling remains. The pilgrims have reached the land Beulah, that happy country, whose days are as the days of heaven upon earth. Angels visit it, celestial gales blow over it, flowers of paradise grow in it, and the air is filled with seraphic music. Some dwell here for years, and others come to it but a few hours before their departure, but it is an Eden on earth. We may well long for the time when we shall recline in its shady groves and be satisfied with hope until the time of fruition comes. The setting sun seems larger than when aloft in the sky, and a splendour of glory tinges all the clouds which surround his going down. Pain breaks not the calm of the sweet twilight of age, for strength made perfect in weakness bears up with patience under it all. Ripe fruits of choice experience are gathered as the rare repast of life's evening, and the soul prepares itself for rest.
-Charles Spurgeon

look there, go there

So as some of you may or may not know, I've been contemplating the idea of going from 4 to 2 wheels as my daily commute, mainly because my current car is falling apart and I can't justify paying what we pay for cars in South Africa and the traffic is getting horrendous! And before you tell me how dangerous it is, I've heard all the horror stories thank you very much.

With this in mind, I attended the BMW riding course recently and I was amazed how much there was that I didn't think off. In the USA you guys have the MSF coarse I think, and from what I've heard it's even better than ours...I would HIGHLY recommend it for anyone thinking of getting onto a bike.



The very first thing they taught us were 4 simple words...."look there, go there" and it's basically the same principle that applies to cycling and skiing in that where ever you are looking or your focus is, the rest of you (and the bike) will follow. They told us that 90% of new riders when asked to ride through a double gate with one side closed will smash right into the closed one because they are fixated on it. Having drilled this into my head for a few days, I realised that it's like that in our lives/marriages/businesses as well. If you're running a business but your mind is constantly on something else, or if you're married and your eyes are wondering towards your secretary for reasons other than work (you know what I mean), the rest of you is sure to follow...please don't get me wrong, I'm not saying all men with secretaries are about to slam into the gate, but that our actions will follow what our hearts and minds are focused on. (Luk 6:45)

So if I want to be more and more like Christ everyday, it's clear that my focus and effort and eyes should be on Him, less I too will smash into one of the gates the enemy so craftily leaves half open. May you look through the corner, past the obstacles and may your hearts and minds be on Him.

what a diiference a day makes

Well it's finally here! You can smell it in the air, you can see it on people's faces, and even the birds sounds chirpier this morning...it's spring!! (at least in the Southern Hemisphere). Of all the seasons this is the one that speak most to me, maybe because I was born in it, but it makes me want to whistle even if things are going hard. It's like a gift from God we don't deserve...come to think of it, we don't deserve any of the gifts God gives us, that's just how awesome he is!

Take fresh air for instance, I love the stuff, and there it is freely available to us even though we insist on polluting it. Sunlight is another one, warm and energy giving and African sunsets are breathtaking...not to mention being woken up by sunrise every morning. The list is endless; thunderstorms, bush veld, family, friends, flowers, oceans, beaches, love, compassion, hope, faith...and the most important one, salvation through Jesus Christ. Above all the others, this is the one gift none of us has any "right" to, yet it the one that's the most readily and freely available...and also the one that had the highest price tag. Yet it's paid for in full...praise the Lord!!

Psa 62:11 One thing God has spoken,two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.

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blowing in the wind

Growing up I was taught that the August winds that blows on the highveld (geographical area where Johannesburg is located) serves the purpose of removing and blowing away the old dead leaves left by winter to make space for the new spring blossoms. This resulted in me looking forward to the windy month with a sense of expectation! It came as amusement then today when I heard someone express surprise about the wind that was gusting today, and when I asked if they knew August was known for it's winds they said: "Yes, but still..."



I suddenly realised that this is the attitude allot of us (myself included) has towards the attack of the enemy. We know our weak points, just like we know August is usually windy, yet we're surprised when he targets them and more often than not we're caught off guard. In 1Pet5:8 (Be self‑controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.) we see him portrayed as a lion looking for an opportunity, and those opportunities are our weaknesses, the very ones we know about. So if I may echo Peter in saying, the wind blows in August...wear a coat!

\-|-/

planet no more

It's with a sense of sadness that I found out this morning the International Astronomical Union (IAU) has decided that Pluto is no longer a planet but instead a "dwarf planet". I was rooting for Pluto to keep it's status and not fall into the mediocrity of it's cousins 2003 UB313 and Ceres mainly because Pluto, the Disney dog, is my all time favourite cartoon character. This means that our solar system now in has 8 planets and as it turns out my answer on that grade 6 earth sciences paper was right Mr Slabbert!! Oh well, I guess less is more...

Now on to space of another kind, more specifically the black hole of the abyss that is under my car's front passenger seat. I've lost countless bills and other pieces of paper and the most recent victim of it's light crushing jaws was my basement parking remote control. This means that I know have to park outside and seeing that summer rolled into town yesterday with a beautiful thunderstorm, I'll be getting plenty wet this season. Speaking of which, our prayers go out to all the folk in the Eastern Cape suffering with the recent flash floods.

Have a good weekend.

\-|-/

silence

We watched this DVD Sunday night as part of a series, and it really highlighted something in my life...silence, or at least the lack thereof.

If I had to be honest with myself, then it's been a while since the last time I was in absolute silence, total solitude, just listening. I know more about what's happening in the middle east than in my friend's life, I can't drive my car without the music blaring away, we feel awkward during times of prolonged silence, people have an opinion on everything and there's so many theories on everything out there being thrown at us, wikipedia takes up allot of my time, information on anything is readily available at the click of a mouse and still we can't seem to find the answers...yet when last did I just sit somewhere and listen.

If I were to ask any of my friends if God still speaks to us they would all say "no", if they were to ask me I would probably say no too...the question should be when last did we listen, only then are we qualified to answer the first question. I believe God does still speak to us, we're just choosing to drown out His voice by all the other noise we indulge our eyes and ears in...may our "quiet times" really become that, a time where we're quietly sitting with God and prayerfully listening to His voice as we read His word.