MY ETERNAL LEGACY

"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 ...