MY ETERNAL LEGACY

During my holidays I hope to spend some quality time with the Lord, seeking His guidance and encouragement for the new year. As it is my favourite book and David happens to be one of my heroes, I thought I'd start with the PSALMS. Psalm 71 is where I stopped today. "O Lord, you alone are my hope. I've trusted you, O Lord, since childhood." Psalm 71:5 I have been searching through some old photos and while doing so have been thinking about those people who have there `since childhood', keeping me on that path of hope and trust, as I have sought to grow and mature in the Lord.  There were of course my parents - my Dad and stepmother; my Sunday School teachers and pastors; and of course those special friends and mentors.  Oh I haven't always liked their advice and at times I may not have heeded it; but even when I have fallen, they have been there to lift me up and put me back on the right path.  Thanks! "My life is an example to many because yo...

"You are members of God's very own family, citizens of God's country and you belong in God's household with every other Christian." Ephesians 2:19b Recently, after 3 years of attending Gold Coast Christian Family, Mark and I decided to become CHURCH MEMBERS. This is the longest we have attended a church without committing to membership, but you see these days it is not the `accepted' thing.  These days Church membership is not always encouraged, as long as you are a regular attender. So when people have asked me, `why bother about membership when you don't need to', it got me thinking.   In our Church non members still get to vote, they are still encouraged to serve, and most importantly they are accepted into the family. So, why become a member?  Are we just going through the ritual, or is Church membership really important to us.  I can't really speak for Mark, though after being married for 29years, you get an idea of how your spouse thinks,...

"Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:13 "Being included in God's family is the highest honour and the greatest privilege you will ever receive."  (1) Not only do I feel it is an honour and privilege to be a child of God, but I want everyone to know it. One of the first steps I took to show that I was not `ashamed' of my Lord was to be BAPTIZED. It seemed like such a simple act at the time, but over the years the significance of what I did has become more real to me.  I knew as a small child that being baptized was a declaration of my faith, and I wanted everyone to know that I was committing myself to a life of service to my Lord. I grew up in a loving family, with a single dad and two sisters.  Dad worked hard, not just to provide for our physical needs, but to make sure our spiritual needs were met too. My best...

"See how much our Heavenly Father loves us, for He allows us to become His children, and we really are." 1 John 1:3 "It was a cold winters day in June 1972, but for me, all I could see as I came out of the waters of baptism was the warmth of my Father's arms surrounding me." This is the first line of a book I started writing many years ago, `In the Palm of His Hand'. I still remember that day so clearly - 40 years ago. I still remind myself often that God is my loving Father, and I still feel the warmth of His loving arms each day - yes, even on those days when I am a little cranky and depressed. You see it was always God's plan to adopt us as His children.  It is His plan that we accept this adoption and the love that comes with it. "God decided in advance to adopt us into His family, by bringing us to Himself, through Jesus Christ." Ephesians 1:5   It is also God plan that as His children we are to be blessed now, but we also have a...

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  Mark 12:30 Over the years I've learnt some important lessons about TRUE WORSHIP, most importantly that God desires ALL OF ME.  Not just on Sunday when I go to Church or when I put on my worship music, but every hour of every day. "Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that pleases Him." Hebrews 12:28 "True worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, for these are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."  John 4:23 Worship must be `genuine and heartfelt, authentically representing YOUR love for God. * 1 A few years ago I learnt an important lesson about worship: MY WAY IS NOT THE ONLY WAY!  God made us `different', so it stands to reason that we will worship Him differently. What God wants is `honest' worship from sincere hearts.   *2 Just after our son's wedding Mark and I took 6 weeks off to travel with ...

"Draw close to God and He will draw close to you."  James 4:8 This verse in James reminds us that our friendship with God is a choice we need  to make. We then cultivate this friendship through prayer and meditating on God's Word. We also need to be honest, obedient and passionate about this friendship, so others can see that it is something they need too. I have said it many times before that when it comes to prayer I am not the most articulate or disciplined of people. So I loved reading what Brother Lawrence had to say. Brother Lawrence was a humble cook in a French monastery. His key to friendship with God was sharing his everyday life with Him. We know that God is with us all the time, so why not pray all the time - `short, conversational prayers'.  1 "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer; and in the noise and clutter of my kitchen, while several persons are at the same time calling for different things, I possess Go...

"Smile on me, your servant, teach me the right way to live." PSALM 119:35 (MSG) ` The smile of God is the goal of your life'. Rick Warren In this BLOG I am not advocating salvation by works.  It is not my intention to judge others for their way of life. Simply, since surrendering my life to Christ and allowing the Holy Spirit to take over, this is what has worked for me. One of the first passages I look at when asking myself this question: `How can I please God', is Psalm 119. "Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey His laws and search for Him with all their heart." Psalm 119:1&2 (NLT) "How can a young person keep is way pure? By OBEYING your word." Psalm 119:9 (NLT) As a young person I wanted more than anything to obey the Lord, to live according to His Word. When the Holy Spirit entered my life, I decided through His help, I would endeavour to do what I felt would please ...

One of the difficult things I have each week is hearing about or seeing people doing things that I think I should be doing. A few weeks ago I read my son's mother in law was guest speaker at a Christian Education Conference. Cliff Richard - at age 70 - is still the best rock `n' roller ever. Just watching him makes me feel tired. My favourite Children's Ministry worker, known as `funky' Duggie Dug Dug, is about the same age as me. I seemed to have lost my funkiness a long time ago. Even Women's Conference this year left me feeling sorry for myself.  Wonderful speakers, full of energy and passion. All I could do was worry about where mine was gone. Some great men of God had this problem too. ISAIAH "I have laboured for no purpose. I have spent my strength in vain for nothing." Isaiah 49:4 JEREMIAH "What sorrow is mine, O mother. Oh that I had died at birth." Jeremiah 15:10 JOB "My life drags by day after hopeless day...... I give...

Many of us are driven by our past and these have become the driving forces for our future. I know three things that have driven me: GUILT - For many years I have been driven by guilt, spending a lot of time running from regrets and hiding my shame. Isn't it great though, that these products from our past don't have to keep us prisoners. "Oh what joy for those whose guilt is FORGIVEN, whose sin is put out of sight." Psalm 32:1 "Even if we feel guilty, GOD IS GREATER than our feelings. If we don't feel guilty we can come to God with confidence." 1 John 3:20&21 RESENTMENT AND ANGER - This, unfortunately, has been a real driving force for me over the last 2 years.  Just when I think I have let them go, the hurts still come back and haunt me.   I read about people who are doing what I want to be doing, but instead of feeling happy for them, I keep saying `it's not fair'. Still, I have learnt from pass experiences that bitterness only ...

"Don't copy the behaviour and customs of this world. 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."  ROMANS 12:2 "You did not create you, GOD DID! Only He knows what purpose He created you for". "How do we discover the purpose God created us for. The only way is to see what God has revealed in His Word. IT ALL STARTS WITH GOD - He is the source of our life. Not self help, not the world's wisdom, but ETERNAL TRUTHS"   Rick Warren - `Purpose Driven Life'.  As a child and a teenager I lived a pretty sheltered life.  I always thought it was due to my parents, but realize now it was more my own doing. You see - I was terrified of the world. In an earlier blog I mentioned that temptation was never really a problem for me. Well actually, that probably isn't exactly true. I know that I had weaknesses and if not for the Lord, I could have ...

" So dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give you to give your bodies to the Lord 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." Romans 12:1 (NLT) What does it mean to truly SURRENDER your life to Christ? I am discovering that at age 51, it is a lot more difficult than when I was 11. At age 11 I hadn't yet faced any real fears, pride was no problem and there was no confusion. GOD LOVED ME AND I LOVED HIM.  As a child of God all I wanted to do was serve Him and obey. Then things happened - bad things, scary things and worst of all, things I had no control over. Oh I still knew God loved me, but fear was becoming overwhelming. Unlike my simple childhood faith, as an adult I had started to develop a little pride. I discovered this inner need to be in control of everything.  I needed to be `in charge' of my life, and when faced with my limitations I b...

                " The eyes of the Lord search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him." 2 Chronicles 16:9 Do you remember the day you committed your life to Christ? I do, and I remember the hymn I sung with gusto.           "All to Jesus I surrender,                                              All to Him I freely give.                    I will ever love and trust Him,                    In His presence daily live." At 11 years of age I meant every word. I was determined to `surrender' all to the Lord. I was a goody-goody and found most temptations easy to pass up. Peer pressure wasn't a real problem as nobody wanted to be around me. When everyone was sin...

"What a wonderful inheritance! I know the Lord is always with me...... You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasure of living with you forever."  Psalm 16:8&11 What kind of legacy do I want to leave to my children and grandchildren - one with wealth, knowledge or FAITH? It definitely won't be one of wealth. No matter how hard we work and try to save money, we never seem to get ahead. I believe one reason for this is that we are not very good givers. Oh we have always given our time in service, but I don't think our pastors and their families live off what we put in the offering plate each week. No there won't be a great financial legacy left behind when we go, but I would hope there will be a legacy of SERVICE. Knowledge and Wisdom?  Well I can't say I am the most intelligent of people.  At the end of the day my husband and I will not win any Nobel Prizes for intelligence, but if you have read any of my ear...

"God is working in you and giving you the desire to do what pleases Him." Philippians 2:13  Most of my life, up until now, seems to have been set aside for creating an earthly legacy: education and material wealth. These are not necessarily bad, but recently I discovered a need to create an ETERNAL LEGACY, not just for myself, but for my husband, my children and grandchildren. "Remember, we will stand before the judgement seat........ Each of us will give a personal account to God." Romans 14:10b&12 Rick Warren, author of `The Purpose Driven Life', reminds us that there are two crucial questions God will ask us on that day. 1. What did you do with my son Jesus Christ? Did you accept (`learn to love and trust him') or did you reject him? 2. What did you do with what I gave you - those gifts, talents, opportunities and energies? Did you spend them on yourselves or use them for the purpose God made them for? So far I believe I can answer positiv...