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Will you let the Chaff Fly Away?

This is a thought that came to me during a prayer meeting. We had just been singing and praying about wanting more of the Holy Spirit to flow.

The thought went, “When the wind blows, will you then let the chaff be blown away, or will you try to hold onto it?
Will you hold onto all things with a light grip, and then let the wind take away the chaff?”

Letting go of some things can be easier than others. If it’s something that we don’t like, then it can be easy to say, “Goodbye”, to it.
But what about the things that we like?
If The Wind comes to take it away, then will we let go of it?
If it is chaff, then the best thing to do, is to let it go, and to keep hold of the good stuff. To take hold of that, which will nourish and feed us.

My thoughts then went to, “Are we doing our threshing in the right place, where the wind can flow?”

Gideon was threshing his wheat in a wine press (Judges 6:11),because he didn’t want the Midianites to come and take what he had.
Fear had driven him inside, when he should have been doing his threshing out in the open.

Do we suffer from any of this?
Are we where we should be, or are we in a wrong location, that won’t see a wind blowing?

Can we place ourselves in the right location, so that when the wind blows, the chaff will be taken away?
Will we allow it to be taken away, so that we can then be left with the good stuff?

Heavenly Father,
Help us to Hear and to Know Your Words to us.
Help us to let go of the things that You ask for.
Help us to take hold of the Good that you give to us.
And Please, give us the wisdom to know the difference.
Our Loving Lord God Almighty,
Amen.

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It can be all too easy to drop the ball.

I shared a blog post this morning with my pastor, which he then shared with the church.

I tend not to do this. I don’t tend to get the moments of, “I need to share this now.” This morning wasn’t that different, but I did have an inclination that a post was relevant to what had just been spoken.
So I just accessed the post on my phone, and shared it with my pastor, with the words, we can all fall back on, of, “I don’t know if this is just me or God, but I just thought that I would show this to you.”

Short version, he did like it, and shared it with the church.

A few people said that it was good, but then one person said, “That was good what you shared today, it was for me.”

This is where I dropped the ball.
The post was, I see a Vessel.
Short version of the post, it’s about someone being broken on the inside, while appearing that everything is OK on the outside. God is then asking, “Let me in, so that I can then rebuild and strengthen you.”

Rather than sharing a further word from the Lord, (He will sometimes bring just the right word) or asking, “Would you like me to pray for you about this?” Well I did neither of these things.
Instead, I just explained that it was a post from my blog site, and then went onto to show were the post could be accessed on line.
I’m thinking that it wasn’t just shameless blog post advertising, but a thought of, “You can find a written version here, if you would like to re-read it.”

But why didn’t I just offer to pray for, or with this person?
I could have so easily made the offer. I feel that I should have done just this, make the offer of prayer.

I’ve been in that position.
The picture was given to me when I was the broken one.
I’ve also seen someone get excited, that they had heard correctly from God about a picture, that they had been given, about my being broken, and then miss what the message meant. Namely, about me being broken.

That time left me thinking, “It’s all well and good, you being excited about your hearing correctly from God, but have you actually heard the message you have been given?”

And now I’m effectively doing the very same thing.
Oh dear, how quickly we can drop the ball.
I did pray for them, afterwards, but wouldn’t it have been better, to have made the offer of prayer, to them, at the time?

Did I become the fool who offered to get a cup of tea, when an ambulance call was needed instead? (That’s a reference to “A modern day plank in the eye” post. Sorry, but there’s no short version for that one.)

Instead of feeling pleased with myself, that I might have got something right, couldn’t I have actually seen the person in front of me who was opening up to me, about their struggling, and then try to offer something else, that may be of help to them?
Something from Our Heavenly Father, would have been the best thing to bring.

Hopefully it wasn’t as bad as I’m making it out here. But even if it was, all I can do now, is to admit, ball dropped. Now don’t try to be too hard on yourself.
Just pick it up, and try to do better next time.
After all, you don’t learn to juggle, without dropping a ball or two.

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When the darkness comes, Seek The Light!

When the darkness comes, it can be all consuming, Seek the Light.
When the darkness comes, it can keep you on a constant replay of things gone and done wrong. Seek the Light.
When the darkness comes, it can accuse you of all that you have done wrong, trying to tie you up in knots of shame. Seek the Light.
When the darkness comes, it can try to convince you to just run and hide, to just bury your head in the sand and wait for it to pass over. Seek the Light!

The Light is Our Lord God Almighty!
He does not come to condemn, but to set Free, those who are held captive in chains.
He is LOVE, and He Loves ALL. Even those who have gone astray and made mistakes.
He comes to make Good, that which has gone wrong.

Stepping into the light can be a painful thing to do.
Push past the pain. Press on into the Light.
As you do, you will start to see the truth, and The Truth will set you Free.
Who The Son sets free, will be free indeed.

John 10:10-11

10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Heavenly Father,
Please help all who are struggling.
Help them to seek Your Light.
Open eyes and ears, so that Your Light is easy to find.
Help them to step into Your Light, which sets captives free.
Please let Your Love and Peace fill everything.
Our Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

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Good is Good and Bad is Bad.

I’ve been reminded of a picture recently. It’s the title of this post.

In the picture, good and bad meet up to play a game. The outcome of the game will determine whether good or bad will be poured out onto a situation.

As they are playing, good is playing good and bad is playing bad.

A neutral observer watches the game, and immediately makes a complaint to good. “Hey Good, did you see that. Bad just cheated!”

Good just smiled at the observer and said, “Of course bad cheated. It’s what bad does. I wouldn’t expect anything else. After all, bad is bad. You just need to know that the outcome of these games are determined by who we are.”

The observer was a bit upset and perplexed by good’s response. He thought, “If bad keeps cheating like this, then bad is going to win through blatant cheating. This just isn’t right!”

Good had no such concerns. Good knew, that in order to be good, good needed to play by the rules and not concern itself with what bad was doing.
If good was to cheat, then he would no longer be good, but would become the very thing that he was trying to defeat.

When the final score was in, Good had won.

Good turned to the observer and said, “I knew that we would win, you see good always triumphs over evil, if good can just remain true to itself.”

I know that the above picture doesn’t always appear to be true in real life, but can the principal of good being good and bad being bad, be something that is worth reflecting on?

Does the ends of doing …… justify the means???
What if the means, that we do, then becomes the something that we don’t like?

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

As I have been writing this, the words of Psalm 73 have been coming to my mind. Verses 16 and 17 mainly.

Psalm 73:16-17
16 When I tried to understand all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

It’s a bit like, before verse 16 the writer of Psalm 73 is looking at the world and is seeing the wicked prosper.
But after the writer comes to God, in verse 17, he then sees the final result. You could consider reading psalm 73 to get the whole picture.

So, will we endeavour to remain true to who we are?

Will we allow God and His Goodness be the main guiding force in our lives?

Father.
I know that You are Good.
Please help me to hear, know and follow You that much better, so that I can follow Your Good example.
Please help me to remain in Your sanctuary all the days of my life.
Amen.

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Too much, Oil of Olay

Last week I wrote about the parable of the ten Virgins, in Matthew 25:1-13. Five were wise and five were foolish.

This week something happened that could be a retelling of the lesson. 🙂

My wife has a bottle of Oil of Olay moisturising cream.
For some reason, she doesn’t bother to put the lid back onto the bottle. It appears that she just couldn’t be bothered to do so. (She is the one who suggested that this might be a post to write.)

One morning she was trying to use the Oil of Olay, and started to complain, “I can’t get any out.” So I just took the bottle, and had a go at squeezing some out, with a vice like grip.
Little did I know, that the small hole for the moisturiser to come out of, was blocked. It was soo blocked, that nothing was going to come out, that way.
Instead, under the pressure of a husbands vice grip, the whole end stopper shot out like a cork released from a bottle, along with a handful (and a bit more) of moisturiser with a sudden splurge.
It was a bit of a shock. 🙂
It seemed that my wife’s top, the floor, and a few other places needed a bit of moisturiser too. 🙂
We both ended up laughing about it, but a bit of a clean up, was needed to be done.

When I looked at the Oil of Olay cap, I noticed that it has a small pin like bit on the inside of the cap.
It seems that the maker knows that the hole could get clogged, and as such, has made a way to clear the hole the moisturiser goes through, if the cap is used as it should be.
Namely, all the time.

My wife (and myself) got caught out, in effect, because the effort of putting the top on and off all the time was too much for her.
She was acting like one of the foolish virgins who didn’t take any extra oil with them.
She has since told me that she will change her ways, and now make use of the lid, in turn, using the all important cleaning pin.

She has in effect, decided to stop acting like one of the foolish virgins, and to instead, act like one of the wise virgins.

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These Tickets are Non Transferable.

I’ve just recently re-read the parable of the ten virgins. Matthew 25:1-13

I have to admit that I have always thought that the five wise virgins, who didn’t share their oil with the five foolish virgins, who didn’t have any extra oil, we’re just a little bit mean. This is a wrong thought.

Jesus is the speaker of the parable, and it is Jesus who states that the oil can’t be shared.

This time I was reminded of a scene from The Polar Express. The young boy has lost another passengers ticket, and tries to make up for it by giving his ticket, in place of the one he lost. The conductor then shouts out, “These tickets are NON Transferable!”

I do believe that the oil in the parable is non transferable in the same way. Not because the five wise virgins are mean, but because Jesus says it is so.

What does the extra oil represent then?
In some ways, could it be the effort taken, earlier on in the day? The effort of having picked up the extra oil, of carrying it around with them? Of doing the work that could have been done earlier in the day, when the opportunity was there for it to be done?

Does this then mean that the five foolish virgins were acting like a stubborn child who is dragging their feet?
Doing a task, but only grudgingly?
Moaning a bit about it?
“Oh, do I really have to do this?”

Viewing the parable in this way, paints a whole new picture to me. It makes it more understandable as to why the oil is non transferable. The effort that one person puts into something, can’t really be transferred, in some instances.
When I do some exercises, then I reap the benefits from the exercises.
You don’t become fitter by watching someone else doing exercises, you just need to do them for yourself.

So, which group would you like to be like?
The five wise virgins, who put the extra effort in, when they could, and as such, then entered the party?
Or the five foolish virgins, who only did what they had too, to then be found lacking and left outside, wanting to enter the party, but unable to do so?

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Is it Ever OK to say, “No, you can’t do that.” ?

In today’s world of all inclusiveness, is it permitted to say, “That path isn’t open to you?”

In short, is it ever OK to say, “No” to anyone, anymore?

Sometimes, “no” is the right word to use.
If a small child wants to play with matches or an electrical socket, then who would just let them? No should be the answer.

But what about older and supposedly wiser people?
I do believe that the answer should be, it depends on the circumstances.
But who sets the boundaries for what is allowed and what is not?

This is where we can find ourselves possibly with different opinions, which could then lead to difficulties on some level.

I guess that what I am trying to get around to, is the question of, can the church say no, to certain things anymore?
Is, or will the church be allowed to believe and practice biblical truths?

I’m not trying to say that everyone Must buy into what the bible says. (Although, from my point of view, that would be a good thing to do. 🙂 ) We all have freedom of choice, and as such are able to make our own choices, of what we believe and how we act, for the better or worse.

I’m also not trying to say that you need to reach any kind of standard or act in any way to be able to go to church. Hopefully all churches are open for all to enter in, so that all can then have the opportunity to make a connection with Our Lord God Almighty.

To be honest with you, even trying to write this post feels like trying to walk through a minefield. I also think that many would quickly understand that thought.

As I was about to go to work one day this week, the road in front of my house was covered with rubbish from a split black bag. I knew where it had come from, as it had happened before.
Now I had a choice, just ignore the rubbish and drive over it, or, at the very least, move it. I didn’t like the idea of just driving straight over the rubbish, it could contain something that could damage my car. So I went and fetched my broom, and then swept the rubbish over to the front of my neighbours drive. (Hopefully, the right neighbours drive. 🙂 ) If I was a better neighbour, I might have picked it up, and put it in another black sack. But this time I wasn’t, and I just didn’t have the time.

This post in some ways, is just trying to sweep something, that is just there, slightly to the side.
In some ways, it is trying to say, “There are some issues, which we may need to navigate in some way.” How we navigate them, well …. ???

A picture comes to mind.
A police station is a place of safety for all.
All are free to enter into the reception area to seek help, safety or protection, regardless of who they are.
But the other side of the desk is another matter. To be a police man (or police woman), a certain standard needs to be met. Anyone may be able to apply to join the police force, but some may be told “No, your application will not be processed any further, because a standard has not been met.”
Who would be happy with a known bank robber being a member of the police force. A known bank robber might have a tough time getting a job as a bank manager as well. 🙂

So, are there actually some roles and responsibilities where someone will need to be told, “No, that path is not open to you.” ?
Will we be allowed to say “no”, without fear of recriminations?

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While the Glue is Setting, the Clamps are Needed.

I needed to glue two bits of wood together recently.

It was an easy enough task to do. Apply the wood glue. Bring the wood together, then apply the clamps, making sure the wood is correctly lined up. After any excess glue is wiped away, then leave alone, for the glue to set.

As I looked at the wood with the clamps on them, the thought,
“While the glue is setting the clamps are needed.” came to my mind.

For the two pieces of wood to become one piece, the the clamps are needed. The clamps apply a strong pressure, that then means that the bond the glue makes will be better, because of them and the pressure that they bring.

It made me think, “Are there times when we are feeling that we are caught in a clamp that we would rather not be in?”

I dare say that we can all go through difficult times at some point in our lives. But is it that sometimes the difficult times, can be the things that make us who we are?

Now it may not be that Our Lord God has brought the clamps to our lives, (or He might even be the One to bring them,) but regardless of how they came, what if He is using the clamps to allow a glue to set within us?

If there is any truth to this idea, then, can we try to see these clamps (situation we are in) in a different light?

Instead of just fighting it, could we try to ask, “Lord, is there something that You are trying to teach me through this?”

If there is a lesson to be learned, then could it be the sooner we learn the lesson, the sooner the clamps can be removed???
Or even if the clamps do remain, will we be able to come to a place where we are no longer bothered by them, even if we continue to not want them?

Once the glue is set, then hopefully we will be a better version of ourselves, as we allow Him, our Loving Heavenly Father, to have His way in our lives.

Father,
No one really likes it when we go through tough times.
Please help us go always look to You for Your help and guidance.
Help us to let You have Your way in us, so that we can then be more like how You see we could be.
Thank you that You are there for us, to help and guide us.
Our Loving Heavenly Father.
Amen.

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Lord, Help me please, to Not get a Big Head!

How many peple have needed to speak out the title of this post?

Unfortunately I have. I’m not too pleased with myself for needing to say this to myself, but the need remains.

In some ways I do try to keep this thought in my head somewhere, even if it is towards the back of my head. But there can be times when it might need to be brought to the front of my mind.

The reasons for this could be many and varied, but one scenario is playing through my head at the moment.

It’s the scenario where you step out and do something for The Lord Your God, and then you are successful in your efforts. Then people see what you are achieving and say something along the lines of, “Your doing really good there, well done.” You then listen to this praise, and then think something along the lines of, “Didn’t I do well.”

If you have ever reached this point, then maybe you need to re-read the title of this post. 🙂

I’m trying to not count how many times I’ve needed to re-read it. 🙂

It’s good to receive praise though, ….. isn’t it?

Hebrews 10:24-25
24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Romans 15:2 2 Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.

A quick search and I have found a couple of scriptures that says it is good to build each other up. (I know that there are many more.) So it is good to recognise something well done and then give encouragement.

But how will that encouragement be given and received?

Will you receive the encouragement and think, “Didn’t I do well.” And then get a little bit too much head growth?

Is there a better way to receive encouragement?

Give the praise and glory back to God….. maybe?
Hopefully the answer to that one is a resounding “YES!”

In the first instance, this could be saying, “Thank you Lord for giving me success in ….. and for the praise that people are giving to me now.”

In the second instance, could it be trying to give the recognition for a job well done, back to God in an outward expression?
Such as “It was the Lord who enabled me to ……”

I really struggle with doing this one. I can become a bit tongue tied and self conscious and can feel that I’m putting on a coat of false humility, when in actual fact, all I’m trying you do is actually acknowledge that anything good from me, is more about The Lord My God having His way in my life.

This blog site could be one such example of this.

I’d like to think that what I write here are not my words alone, but that there is something extra. That extra being The Lord Our God, speaking through what I write.
I’ve already written a post about this called,
My words don’t matter, But His Words DO!!

I do actually believe that the good worth reading on this site are His words and not mine. But to speak that to someone who is saying well done to me, still kind of feels awkward to me.
So I do try to keep the first instance in my mind of saying, “It’s more about You Lord.” Hopefully I’ll be able to move onto the second instance of actually being able to speak this out (without looking and feeling awkward whilst doing this. 🙂 )
A phrase comes to mind, “practice makes perfect.” Maybe I need to practice a bit more. ???

My next thoughts on this are leading to, “Can we give praise in such a way that we give glory to God whilst encouraging the person in front of us?”

How could this work out in practice???

For me personally, I would like it, if when people speak to me about something I have written or said to them, that The Lord Our God then speaks to them about, that they would try to not say, something along the lines of, “What you wrote/shared was really good.”
Instead could they try to say something along the lines of, “The Lord spoke to me through what you wrote/shared.” and then just leave it there. That would be enough, for me to know that I am opening a door and leading someone closer to Our Lord God. (This site is called “Wannabe Christian Doorman”, opening a door that leads to Our Lord God, is the aim. 🙂 )

If you do go to say anything of praise to me (or anyone else), but you then hear a small voice that says, “Keep quiet.” Then please, listen to it and keep quiet.
It could possibly be that my head is already getting too big and it needs to shrink a little. 🙂
Yes I do long to hear a well done, just like everyone else, but I want to remain in step with Our Loving Heavenly Father more than anything. If that means just doing what He asks of me, and not seeing the results, then that’s OK by me.

I’m beginning to think that this post could end up being a non stop ramble, so for a last thought I’ll look to ….

Psalm 27:4
One thing I ask from the Lord,
    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
    and to seek him in his temple.

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Will you Draw your Confidence from The Lord?

I was speaking to a friend just recently. As I was speaking to him I asked how the family dog was doing. The reason that I asked this is because I knew that the dog in question had (and still does have) a bit of a nervous disposition. Because of this nervous disposition, my friend was/is very protective of the family dog.

This protectiveness of the dog, if left unchecked, could lead to the dog becoming even more nervous. I’ve seen it before on the TV programme, “Dogs behaving badily”.

The scernio can kind of go, the dog is a bit nervous, the owner tries to protect the dog from anything that makes the dog nervous. The dog sees the owner being concerned about….. So then the dog thinks, “My owner doesn’t like that. Is that something else that I need your steer clear of of as well?”

The more the owner tries to protect the dog, the more the owner can make the dog nervous, of all things.

When the dog whisper (expert) comes in, he then basically takes the owner through the process of, you the owner are doing this all wrong.
You need to give your dog, your confidence, whilst exposing it to the things of the world that make it nervous.

The dog may well start with a nervous disposition, but it doesn’t have to stay that way. What the owner feeds the dog, will have a great impact on how happy the dog will end up being.

If the dog is fed nervous energy, then the dog will become more nervous, but if the dog is fed confidence, then the dog can be slowly weaned off of its nervousness. It might always be a slightly nervous dog, but it doesn’t have to be ruled by it’s nervousness.

As I was speaking to my friend, I think that I said something along the lines of, “As we can draw confidence from Our Heavenly Father, so you need to bring a source of confidence to your dog.”

I can see this to be a truth for a nervous dog, and I can also see it as a truth for us who might be nervous of something that we might need to go through.

We have a Heavenly Father who Loves us and is for us. As such we can call on His Strength and His Confidence, if we find that we are running a bit short and in need of an extra boost.

Just as a nervous dog can draw confidence from a confident owner, so we can draw our our strength and confidence from The Lord God Almighty, who Is All Powerful and is Able to help and support all, who call on Him.

Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
    the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
    and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in the Lord
    will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.