How wonderful is God!! When my computer bailed out on me, I felt quite lost. Isn’t it funny how odd it feels without our technological marvels, even though we existed just fine without them a mere 10 or 20 years ago. After sending the computer in for repairs, the quote came back… and oh my… the repair of the computer would cost the same as buying a new and improved model!! What a crazy world we live in! But to say it yet again… how wonderful is God!! The insurance agreed that a new computer would be the way to go and now I am typing my first blog from my brand new laptop. I truly feel spoiled rotten by our Father, my new computer is marvelous!
Do you remember what I wrote in June? It was under the heading: “Light affliction”. It is with much joy that I share my witness with you today: there are no symptoms of ‘disorientation’ or ‘lack of balance’ to be found in me any more! To God alone be the Glory!
Mariette and I are still preparing for the Momentum 94.7km Cycle Challenge in November and everything is still going according to plan. I was training on the road over this weekend, planning on doing an easy ride, and 15km from our house it started raining. Unfortunately it not only started raining cats and dogs, but also ended up developing in a hail storm! Needless to say; it was the fasted 15km I have ever done!
I am constantly thanking our Father for the many blessings we are experiencing in our ministry at this moment. We are seeing people’s lives being transformed (never to change back). I’m not talking about people on temporary emotional ‘highs’, but people who are experiencing the power of Christ’s life in them and who are continuously being transformed from one degree of glory to another. Christianity really works! Christ is very real and He is the Power and the Strength in us, He is everything in us that we were created to be and never could be on our own.
When I say that the Son is everything in us, I really mean everything. It is through the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit that we walk where we walk, meet the people that we meet, have the conversations that we have and say what we say… There is no such thing as coincidence when you have found your new life in Christ. Nothing happens per chance. Of course, this would all imply obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit! Have a look at what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:11 “ I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.”
This verse doesn’t talk about chance in the sense of luck or a twist of fate. When you cross reference this verse with Psalms 33:16-19 and Romans 9:16, the message of Solomon becomes more clear; we, as humans, may study and become more capable, we may have many talents or money or opportunities in life, we may be strong, high ranking and socially powerful, but nothing happens apart from or ‘outside’ of God. It is only He Who determines life. It is through His guidance that we are placed in the right place and at the right time. And it is through Him that we do whatever we do (Act 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”).
The important thing here is to understand what life is all about, and not to be influenced by what we see in the natural, because that is to be caught up in the net and the snare that Solomon speaks about in the next verse: Ecclesiastes 9:12 “For man also knows not his time [of death]: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when [calamity] falls suddenly upon them.”
So many times, in fact way too many times, our circumstances and physical things become so important that we do not even see that we are walking into these traps. Many times we fall for these snares due to a lack in the knowledge of who we are in Christ and we tend to think of Christianity as only another religion with more rules and regulations to obey. Religion (or Christ) is placed on the shelf right next to everything in our lives: work, politics, family, leisure, etc. And just to make sure we maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle, we do a little of each of these spheres of our existence… How confusing! We are taught not to loose ourselves in either one of those, but to do a little of everything… no wonder our generation is complete confused about who we are. We’re supposed to figure out who we are, whilst we’re not to over indulge in one of the aspects of who we are – therefore we are someone at the office and completely someone else in church! We have become expert chameleons, changing shape and form according to our surroundings! This is the snare and the trap! In Christ (or Christianity) everything is tied up in Christ… there is no separation in identity! You are in Christ and because you are in Christ, you can be the sympathetic colleague at the office or the loving parent at home!
Colossians 1:17 “And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).”
It is in Him that we have our Life, and it is in Him that all the other things are held together! This is where true happiness and true fulfilment is found. What am I saying here? That it is good to work, it is good to train, it is good to socialise, it is good to study, but it is best to do all of this in Him and through Him! And the best part is that He has equipped you with everything you need to live in this way, through the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2Peter 1:3)
Proverbs 16:9 “A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” Again, it is those who walk in God’s timing, through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who walks in victory, who has success and who has favour!
Be blessed and remember to live loved!
Do you remember what I wrote in June? It was under the heading: “Light affliction”. It is with much joy that I share my witness with you today: there are no symptoms of ‘disorientation’ or ‘lack of balance’ to be found in me any more! To God alone be the Glory!
Mariette and I are still preparing for the Momentum 94.7km Cycle Challenge in November and everything is still going according to plan. I was training on the road over this weekend, planning on doing an easy ride, and 15km from our house it started raining. Unfortunately it not only started raining cats and dogs, but also ended up developing in a hail storm! Needless to say; it was the fasted 15km I have ever done!
I am constantly thanking our Father for the many blessings we are experiencing in our ministry at this moment. We are seeing people’s lives being transformed (never to change back). I’m not talking about people on temporary emotional ‘highs’, but people who are experiencing the power of Christ’s life in them and who are continuously being transformed from one degree of glory to another. Christianity really works! Christ is very real and He is the Power and the Strength in us, He is everything in us that we were created to be and never could be on our own.
When I say that the Son is everything in us, I really mean everything. It is through the gentle guidance of the Holy Spirit that we walk where we walk, meet the people that we meet, have the conversations that we have and say what we say… There is no such thing as coincidence when you have found your new life in Christ. Nothing happens per chance. Of course, this would all imply obedience to the voice of the Holy Spirit! Have a look at what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 9:11 “ I returned and saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong, neither is bread to the wise nor riches to men of intelligence and understanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all.”
This verse doesn’t talk about chance in the sense of luck or a twist of fate. When you cross reference this verse with Psalms 33:16-19 and Romans 9:16, the message of Solomon becomes more clear; we, as humans, may study and become more capable, we may have many talents or money or opportunities in life, we may be strong, high ranking and socially powerful, but nothing happens apart from or ‘outside’ of God. It is only He Who determines life. It is through His guidance that we are placed in the right place and at the right time. And it is through Him that we do whatever we do (Act 17:28 “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”).
The important thing here is to understand what life is all about, and not to be influenced by what we see in the natural, because that is to be caught up in the net and the snare that Solomon speaks about in the next verse: Ecclesiastes 9:12 “For man also knows not his time [of death]: as the fishes are taken in an evil net, and as the birds are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when [calamity] falls suddenly upon them.”
So many times, in fact way too many times, our circumstances and physical things become so important that we do not even see that we are walking into these traps. Many times we fall for these snares due to a lack in the knowledge of who we are in Christ and we tend to think of Christianity as only another religion with more rules and regulations to obey. Religion (or Christ) is placed on the shelf right next to everything in our lives: work, politics, family, leisure, etc. And just to make sure we maintain a healthy balanced lifestyle, we do a little of each of these spheres of our existence… How confusing! We are taught not to loose ourselves in either one of those, but to do a little of everything… no wonder our generation is complete confused about who we are. We’re supposed to figure out who we are, whilst we’re not to over indulge in one of the aspects of who we are – therefore we are someone at the office and completely someone else in church! We have become expert chameleons, changing shape and form according to our surroundings! This is the snare and the trap! In Christ (or Christianity) everything is tied up in Christ… there is no separation in identity! You are in Christ and because you are in Christ, you can be the sympathetic colleague at the office or the loving parent at home!
Colossians 1:17 “And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).”
It is in Him that we have our Life, and it is in Him that all the other things are held together! This is where true happiness and true fulfilment is found. What am I saying here? That it is good to work, it is good to train, it is good to socialise, it is good to study, but it is best to do all of this in Him and through Him! And the best part is that He has equipped you with everything you need to live in this way, through the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2Peter 1:3)
Proverbs 16:9 “A man's mind plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps and makes them sure.” Again, it is those who walk in God’s timing, through the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who walks in victory, who has success and who has favour!
Be blessed and remember to live loved!
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