Last Words

They are not just idle words for you--they are your life. (Deut. 32:47)

In Deuteronomy 32, Moses presents his final thoughts to the people of Israel before he goes up the mountain to die. Final words....if I knew I was about to die, what would I want to say? I am sure I wouldn't be telling a 'knock knock' joke.....or singing a Top 20 hit.....or running through a list of all that I don't like about myself.


I hope I would be surrounded by those I love and have words of encouragement and thankfulness pouring from my mouth. I hope words of anticipation of eternity in heaven would be spoken as well.


Needless to say, we'd all - if we knew it was to be our last conversation - make those words count. We'd say what was true and real and important.


As Deuteronomy 32 draws to a close, Moses has just finished a long song about the story of God and His people. He has reminded the Israelites of God's greatness and His goodness to them. He has reminded Israel that their response to God's faithfulness has not been good enough. And he has reminded them of what is the most important....


God's word(s). Not a work of fiction or a fairytale. Not idle words said for the sake of Him hearing His own voice. Not words to be ignored. Or forgotten. 


No! God's words are words of life. And if we are a follower of Jesus, God's words ARE our life. They are what we must know and live. What we must meditate on and follow. They are the foundation of our beliefs and values and they drive our thoughts, behaviours, attitudes. They are what challenge us and bring us hope. They guide and direct and they bring wisdom. They comfort and inspire. They strengthen and fill us with joy and peace.


Please, after reading this post....open your Bible (or use an online version @ BibleGateway or Blue Letter Bible) and read His word for yourself. Perhaps you'd like to read Deuteronomy 32 and see for yourself why Moses called his song 'your life'.

Friday Friends & Faves #9

Friends:
My friends Heather and Cam work for Student Life - a Christian group at work on a number of university campuses throughout Australia. God used time in Student Life small groups and one-on-one with SL staff, way back in the mid-90s, to change my life forever. And Heather and Cam were at uni with me and involved as students with SL.

Now, years later, they continue to share the love of God, the salvation gift of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit with new generations of uni students. They do it on campus...and off (as you'll read below). And it is their heart to share the life-giving and changing message of Christianity that has challenged me in the past couple of weeks since I read the email below.

I hope that as we head into December...a time for remembering Jesus' birth and all that event sparked....we might take to heart Cam's example and have a real boldness and passion for sharing the faith we have.

A recent trip to Victoria by Heather and Cam was marked by this little gem in their journey. They shared it in a recent email:

Well, we’re not even in Victoria yet (still staying with friends in Sydney) but Cam has shared his faith multiple times – with servo dudes and a guy we met on the bus on the way to see the sights of Darling Harbour. Cam’s still dripping from the apartment complex pool where he shared his faith with residents Athol and Zumi. I’ve learned to substitute prayer for panic whenever Cam is taking longer than I thought in the shops, or down town or even in the toilet. He’s just sharing his faith (or in the case of the toilet, reading apologetics books). But Cam would be quick to remind you not to be in awe of his gift of evangelism (or ablutionary reading), but to ask God to give you courage to step up to bat. He would say that remembering to ask the Golden Question – have you had much to do with Christian things? – is a matter of practice and courage. So fresh from the pool, here’s how the conversation went 5 minutes ago...

Cam: Hi I’m Cam. Do you guys live here?

A&Z: yes. What about you?

Cam: I’m from Toowoomba and I’m on my way to Victoria to help Christian uni students reach out to schoolies and see if any of them want help connecting to God. What about you? Have you had much to do with Christian things?

A&Z (positively): we’re Hindus, but we’ve just been to Hillsong Church, our first experience of Christian things.

Cam: was that a positive experience for you?

A&Z: it was great!

Cam: what did you like about it?

A&Z: people were so alive and enthusiastic and loving. And we’ve got Christian friends now.

Cam: how does that affect what you think about Christianity?

A&Z: we like it, but we don’t think it’s right to just follow a religion.

Cam: you mean a religion where it’s all about following rules?

A&Z: yes. It doesn’t seem right to have to follow a lot of rules to get something.

Cam: I’ve got good news for you: the essence of Christianity is actually relationship, not rules. It’s all about having a friendship with God. Following rules can lead to problems like pride and thinking you’re better than others because you’re following rules well. But Jesus said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So I had a close look at Jesus to see if what he was saying was true, and I learned that the way we go through Jesus to God the Father is through Jesus’ forgiveness for things we do wrong. This leads to us being humble, which puts us in a better position to extend friendship to others.

A&Z: wow! That makes sense. It would stop a lot of wars and things.

Cam: now, because I’m grateful for forgiveness, I make choices to do what God wants, not because it’s a rule, but because of my friendship with God. So are you interested in finding out more about a friendship with God through Jesus?

A&Z: yes!

Cam: do you have an iPhone?

A&Z: yes!

Cam: go to the Apps Store and get a free application called Knowing God Personally (gospel presentation developed by Campus Crusade for Christ)

A&Z: Great! I’ll do that!

Favourites:
My sister Megan has put her talents to work this year and been very creative....with material. I really admire her efforts, particularly as Home Ec was not my strong suit in school and I spend way more time unpicking than sewing if I ever do it. Megan's on-line store has lots of cute items for kids and if you're looking for a special Christmas gift, check out Tail Endz Even if you're not in the market for kids' clothes and bags, have a look anyway, just for the "Awwwww....cute" buzz:)

Listen to the Lyrics #9

Hold on to Jesus - Steven Curtis Chapman


What matter's in life? 
The things of eternal value are the most important....wouldn't you agree? 
I've heard it said that when we get to our final minutes on earth and we look back at our time here, the three things that will matter most are: 'Who we loved....who loved us....and what we accomplished for God together." 
With that as the guiding principle for our lives, it challenges us to get the right perspective on the things that are not eternal. 
Does it really matter if the house is not perfectly clean...all the time? Is it essential that I get HDs in my studies if it means me being stressed and grumpy with my family? Do I need to get a new car? Is what colour/style/size/brand of clothes I have in my wardrobe a matter of grave importance? 
Ultimately, those things (and so many more that I stress about and let consume me) are 'fleeting.' So why waste so much time...thinking...money on them? 
Instead, I need to hold loosely to those things...that way I have my hands free to hold tightly to the hand of Jesus. 
That's what really matters in life.


Listen to the song here


And here's the lyrics....
I have come to this ocean

And the waves of fear are starting to grow
The doubts and questions are rising with the tide
So I'm clinging to the one sure thing I know

I will hold on to the hand of my Savior
And I will hold on with all my might
I will hold loosely to things that are fleeting
And hold on to Jesus
I will hold on to Jesus for life

I've tried to hold many treasures
They just keep slipping through my fingers like sand
But there's one treasure that means more than breath itself
So I'm clinging to it with everything I am

Like a child holding on to a promise
I will cling to His word and believe
As I press on to take hold of that
For which Christ Jesus took hold of me

Hold on for life

Meaningless! Really?

Hmmmmm.....if you say something often enough, you'll start to believe it.

So the author of Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament must have truly believed life to be 'meaningless' because he uses that word over and over and over and..... In fact he uses it 37 times in 30 verses and my personal favourite....Ecclesiastes 1: 2 - "Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." (4 times!!!!!!)


Now I think the author is King Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world. And for him to be so adamant about how meaningless it all is, surprises me. Surely money buys meaning? And if not money, then knowledge...right? Perhaps not.


So while I don't feel I have much of either, I do feel like I have a bit more grip on the non-meaningless of life. I mean, I understand at least some of what makes life meaningful.


For me, it is:

• Walking with God....spending time in His word, drawing on His wisdom, His peace and strength to do life
• Thanking Jesus.....there is no life or truth apart from Him....He is the one who paid the price for my freedom from sin and from death. He is the one who gave me life.
• Listening to the Holy Spirit....as the power source for living this Christian life I am so glad He is a patient and gentle friend to help me along the way.
• Appreciating family.....hugs and kisses and gifts given to me. Prayers prayed for me and sacrifices made for me. Now it's my turn as I do life with my beloved J and my treasured j.
• Serving God....through daily worship, helping others and trying to see my world as God sees it, and respond accordingly.
• Loving friends....people in our lives who provide that light and warmth that we as humans need.

Yes there's more...perhaps you'd like to add a comment to remind me of the ones I missed.


May you know a day today where meaning is stamped all over it. Where you can look beyond the bills, the TV, the traffic, the dirty nappies, the floor that needs vacuuming, the looming Christmas shopping, the chaos around meal times, the long haul of a night spent doing prep work, the pile of laundry, the too-long grass, the ant trail, the overflowing inbox, the sore foot/throat/head/tail....and see Him and the meaningful life He offers, moment by moment. 

Simple Pleasures

We had a lovely weekend away for my Dad's 60th birthday. Drove all the way south to the Sunny Coast for a family get-together on Saturday. What a special day! In thinking about it afterwards, I was reminded how much I have to be thankful for...
there's both BIG things and little things.
And more often than not, it is the little ones that just make life that bit sweeter.

We listened to a podcast on the way home where the author of Pure Pleasure....a new book about Christians and pleasure was interviewed. (Apparently you can download this one for free...see: this website) I was reminded by the author, Gary Thomas, that God has made His creation as a gift for me and when I embrace that and enjoy it, the benefits are two-fold. He is pleased AND I experience greater joy and contentment in life. Mr T said that an understanding and appreciation of pleasure can do 3 things for us:

• lead to more and deeper and spontaneous worship of God
• help us appreciate relationships much more
• protect us from temptation

My weekend certainly prompted the first 2 in me. Below is a list of some of the simple pleasures of the past 62 hours. Once you've read my list, would you add a comment to the post with a few of your simple pleasures of late...and would you take a moment to thank God for them, if you haven't already?

• calm clear waters of the lake
• brilliant sunshine 
• warm days and cool mornings
• pelicans
• caring family
• laughter
• my sisters
• Mum making me proud
• Dad's gratitude
• cheesecake
• generous people giving gifts to Jacob
• Jacob traveling so well
• casting a fishing rod
• sitting by a fire
• posing for family photos
• a wonderful husband
• safe travel
• green grass and brom flowers
• time to relax on the deck
• waffles and freezer jam
• quick wits
• sparklers
• family devotions and prayer
• planning Christmas
• hugs
• a 3 year old's version of 'Kirsty'
• imaginations 
• kindnesses
• being able to take the time and have the eyes to see and enjoy these pleasures

Your turn now....