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Life is busy, as women, moms, wives, daughters, friends, employees ,leaders etc.,having passion for our calling and the investment we make in those in our lives or we are leading can be depleting. This is something that God has really had to work with me on since I tend to be passionate about life and what I commit to. If a little passion is good then allot is GREAT, right?
loved this wonderful devotional by one of our leading and loving it community group ladies today - rest and spending time with Jesus was so on my heart in hosting the conversation so was neat we were "on the same page!" loved what she shared out of Mark - that the disciples were called into REST before feeding the 5000, their ability to "go and feed them" came out of that place of overflowing out of being with Jesus.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul
~ Psalm 23
today: i had no light therapy because i got burned at wednesday’s session. so feeling a bit sore and fragile.
want to be: healed. whole. strong. faith filled. faithful.
blessings: my lovely Leading and Loving it community group meets today online. these woman fill my heart and spirit with joy and strength. and today i am leading it! scary/exciting. our usual wonderful leader liz has had something pop up, so she asked me to host 
) fingers crossed aka praying the technology side goes well! i do so love these women and what God is doing!
thinking: about growth, change, transformation.
planning: a holiday!
writing: my message on jonah for 14th April Sunday AM, and a housegroup message on leadership
listening to: just discovered WORSHIP CENTRAL so being spotifying them a bit… loving GUNGOR… loving KIM WALKER SMITH… loving WILL REAGAN…
reading: unglued by lysa terkeurst
loving: my children. my son turned 11 this week and is off to a super 14 rugby match tonight at eden park and my daughter got 3rd place in the school talent show last night dancing with some friends. they fill my heart.
grateful: for grace, both human and divine
inspired by finding joy
there are days when i am sure we wonder what we are doing and if “it” is worth it. days when we seem stretched and give everything we have. when we feel out of balance and overwhelmed by the to do list and needs we see around us.
then there are the other days, days when it seems God pulls the curtain back and reveals the true worth and beauty and significance of what we do: people getting saved, a message that changes lives, an event that shines light in the community, amazing worship services etc…
i want to remind us all today, that God sees everything we do and that it counts and there are things He is orchestrating behind the scenes and ways He is using our lives that we may be unaware of. You are HIS vessel and HE is at work in and through your life. You saying YES to God counts.
Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Hebrews 6:10 For God is not unjust to forget your work and labour of love which you have shown toward His name, in that you have ministered to the saints, and do minister.
God is faithful. It is HIS WORK and for HIS NAME and HIS GLORY that we serve. He is at work in our churches and families in ways that sometimes we cannot see. But as we hold onto Him and trust in His character and power, as we find strength and peace in His love, we will see the reward of faithfulness and service.
This is our mission. This is our purpose. Don’t give up in serving Jesus.
Our purpose and mission and the outworking of that may look like details and rosters and work but it is for Christ and His Kingdom. it is for the lost. it is for the broken. it is for the seeking.
Don’t give up because God is faithful and He keeps His word.
My word that goes out from my mouth: it will not return to me void, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:11
God doesn’t work to microwave timing. He works to HIS timing. At the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. At the proper time. Not our time, but HIS time.
The key is to not give up, to keep pressing in, to find an internal strength based on the promises and faithfulness of God that keeps us motivated that keeps us refreshed and motivated.
- Refocus Sometimes you need to change perspective – see life from His perspective – from His promises. “He is the God of the multitude and the God of the individual…He will not overlook your tiniest need.”
- Refuel Just as we need food to keep our bodies going, and fuel to keep a fire going, and fuel to keep a car going… we need fuel to keep our spirit going.
- Remain Often in this time of weariness – this time of discouragement – this time of refocusing and refuelling the enemy can pounce on our vulnerability and make us want to not only give up but to pull back… to step back or to drop out. Don’t listen to him. REMAIN where you are, continue to press through, continue to do good.
- Resolve In the midst of the PROCESS between the promise and the fulfilment sometimes you just have to resolve to stand up, to press in and to move forward. No matter how long it takes and not matter how hard it is.
The Bible says every good deed will be rewarded, no matter how insignificant and regardless of whether anybody else on earth sees it.
God says, "I see it and it doesn’t matter who else sees it."
Every encouragement you give to other people, every kind word you give to your children, every time you do a thoughtful act for your husband, every time you pick up around the office when it’s not your job, every time you set up chairs in church or fold the church newsletter, every act of courtesy, every time you refuse to gossip, every time you’re positive instead of negative – God sees it all, no matter how small.
‘Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.’ Matthew 10:4-42
today, may you know that God is with you and for you. He is at work through you to reach people with the gospel. He is changing lives. I pray that He will pull the curtain back a little so you can see the magnificence of His purpose and the Holy Spirit at work in your church and community. and i pray for refreshment for your spirit, that you would be strengthened on the inside, aware of His peace and grace for this moment.
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference this week
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:13
FREEDOM IN FORGIVENESS
unforgiveness and bitterness is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die
proverbs 25:21-22 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the Lord will reward you
often we’re happy with the part b of that verse… but find part a really really really hard
to forgive someone is to wilfully accept the wound someone has given you
give up the right and desire to get even and to inflict revenge
retribution is a false sense of justice
give up the right and desire to withhold forgiveness
to bottle it up and internalize it
control mechanism
but it kills us and imprisons us
galatians 5:1 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.
christ has forgiven us so we should free others by forgiving them
ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
we are agents of forgiveness
healing comes through forgiveness but comes through the action and choice of the one who is wounded
whatever sin done to us has been forgiven by Jesus and justice has been done
jesus knows what we feel like, he knows the cost and pain and choice of forgiveness
in forgiving we discover the heart of Jesus
those who are forgiven much, love much
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference this week
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the bands of your yoke and made you walk upright. Leviticus 26:13
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high. Leviticus 26:13
FREEDOM IN PRAYER
prayer is something we feel like we *should* have figured out… but often we don’t… we have to LEARN how to pray / to ride
remember HE is our God – He loves us
we shouldn’t be burdened down or yoked into slavery – how often do WE put the yoke on us
Jesus came to set us free and create relationship
expectations can create yokes instead of relationship and freedom
Are there things you choose to lead and/or do because you think that’s what a pastor’s wife/woman in ministry is supposed to do?
Matthew 6
dont make a show of what you pray – praying for the spotlight instead of a deeper relationship with jesus
prayer is private and personal
approach Him as a child
prayer isn’t a formula or a to-do list
Jesus starts with OUR FATHER
the beauty is that God invites us to come as Father
we are children, dependant upon our Father, who supplies all our needs, powerful and creative, and invites us in to relationship with Him
we can cry out to Him and share the most personal places of our heart
isaiah 30:19b How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you.
psalm 107:6 Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.
romans 8:26 – In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.
He asks us to ask Him
prayer is putting feet to the acknowledgement that HE is God and we are NOT
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference this week
Joy + Passion + Compassion = Freedom in Serving
serve out of your passion
what stirs your heart into discontent?
increase your heart for it and stir your passion for it and find a solution to serve in
take time to find out what your giftings are
too often we serve out of guilt but we should serve with freedom and true compassion
have JOY in your service
choose a new perspective to motivate and inspire your serving
“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.” Henri Nouwen
serving allows us to participate in God’s plan to change the world
He uses US to meet the needs of the world
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference this week
FREEDOM IN PARENTING:
love this woman’s passion for parenting! makes me want to be a greater mum!
Galatians 5:1 it is for freedom that Christ has set us free
Jesus doesn’t want us to live with the yoke and burden of slavery
the burden can be because i am parenting out of fear
* i don’t want
* i don’t want
* i don’t want
we want to parent out of VISION
* i want
* i want
* i want
focus on what we DO want
what is my vision for my home? what is my vision for my children?
what is GOD’S vision for my life and my children and me as a mum?
don’t base your parenting based on what happened to us
the negative experiences in our life is part of our STORY but we have a CHOICE about passing it on and repeating it with our kids
allow God to REDEEM our life and experiences
let God redeem so it won’t be repeated!
God wants FREEDOM for us in parenting and in our home
the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy but Jesus came to give us LIFE
does it mean every day is fun? no. but it means we know that God has placed these kids in our care, in my care – PURPOSED and PLANNED
i am used by God to shape their lives
i am called by God to parent my children
people will often evaluate us and our ministry through our parenting and children’s behaviour
parenting our children is our PRIMARY ministry
we are parenting to enjoy the next 20 years – a life time of relationship with our children
don’t be limited by what OTHERS think
CHANGE the way you think
* i want my kids to love God, to love church and have a passion for His will
how do we achieve that end goal?
teach them, through MY LIFE – i am an example
i love God, i love church, i love His ways and His will!
if i am living with joy and freedom then that will translate to my kids
we can trust God with our kids, with all our hearts, and lean not on our own understanding and in all our ways, in our parenting, acknowledge Him and He will have our back!
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference this week
Living Free
1. i will press into God like my life depends on it
fight for your purpose and worship through the storms of your life
2. committ to love
dont’ stop loving God’s people, even in the pressure and the storm
3. surround yourself with people of faith
dont give oxygen and space to the negative voices
i will surround myself with the right voices
we BELONG in that promised land – dont let people and their opinions keep you out
4. rehearse and remind yourself of the great things God has done
* notes from the Leading and Loving It JustONE Virtual Conference today
When we live bound by our past we can’t live the life that God has called us to live!
Live in the freedom of who we are in Christ and don’t be in bondage to what we can/’t do
Don’t freak out or be in bondage to what you’re *not* able to do but rather step out in who you are in Christ!
Let God use your past to give others a future. Facts vs truth means choose what God says about you, not the world!
Don’t let fact bind us up—live in the freedom found and available in Christ
are you going to build your life on the facts of the circumstances or on the truth of the Word of God
john 8 – if we ABIDE in HIs Word the truth will make us free
dont let the facts keep you in a prison of fear or doubt or insecurity
you reproduce who you ARE not what you say
so much of our leading isnt about TASKS but about BEING
the degree with which you are willing to go after your freedom the degree you will have that freedom in your ministry
Don’t be bound and limited by your past. Allow God to use it to help someone else’s future.
we cant do anything to change the past but the good news is we can all do something to change the future
The pain of recovery is more difficult than the pain of the injury – but it is PURPOSEFUL
He rescued me and set me free so i could turn around and see others set free
God uses everything to accomplish His purposes
God takes every aspect of our lives and weaves it into a tapestry for HIs greater glory
with us *brokenness* stops
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