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A Life without Purpose???

A thought that I had just recently was, “What is a life without purpose?”

We all need purpose, in some way.
Whether we are aware of this or not? But I still think that it is true for all of us. Purpose is the reason we get up out of bed, even if that purpose is just to go to the toilet. 🙂

But do we actually know what our purpose is?
Our reason for just being here?
We may all try to find our purpose in different things, whether they be relationships, activities, possessions or anything else.

So the next natural question to ask, is… “Is it a good purpose that we are looking to?”

I’m not even going to try to answer that one here and now, but I’ll just suggest that you might want to seek out Our Lord God Almighty for His view on how good our purposes are.

The thing that is currently coming back to me though, is along the lines of, “How much do we seek to entertain, or more to the point, be entertained?”

We even have a very well known song, with the words, “So come on let me entertain you”, in it.

My thoughts are going to, “Is this what life boils down to?
To either be entertained or to do the entertaining?”

How much of our entertainment is just a filling of our time?
A distraction, from what really matters?

A bit of a cheeky bible verse keeps coming to me at the moment, and I’m just going to put it in. 🙂

Proverbs 31:6-7
6 Let beer be for those who are perishing,
    wine for those who are in anguish!
7 Let them drink and forget their poverty
    and remember their misery no more.

No, I’m not suggesting that we all go out and drink to excess, but if we put the word “entertainment” in place of the word “beer” and “wine”, then how many of us are actually doing this, without even realising it?

How many of us have just made “Entertainment” our purpose for being here?
To just be filled in the moment of now, without a care of what comes next?
To just be entertained in the here and now, so that we don’t even need to look at what is coming next?

Have we let the want to “entertain or be entertained”, take the highest honour?
Is there someone else who should be taking the Highest Honour?
Is there a better song that we can sing?
“Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart” … ???

Our Lord God has so much more for us than just a temporary distraction from the moment that we are in.

He wants to know us personally, for all time, and beyond.
He wants us to know Him, in the here and now, and beyond!

But do we want to know Him, as He wants us to? …
Or would we rather be distracted with ….. ?

We do have free choice, and we can choose to seek Him, Our Lord God, or we can seek …..

Which will we choose?
Can we seek something of Greater Value?

Revelation 3:17-22

17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. 18 I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

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Realise, and Move into, What you Have.

A couple of pictures have come to me, as a dream, recently.

There was a person who was missing a foot, who then just grew a new foot. The one who had grown the new foot, was not used to it.There was an apprehension, of making use of the new foot. But there was a need to use the new foot, in order to realise the benefit, of the new foot.
There was a sense of “Enlarge your tent“, as an underlying theme to the picture. The feeling was one of, “Your tent Has been Enlarged, now make use of it!”

Then there was a second picture, in the same dream.

A quadcopter (radio controlled drone) was being flown inside, in a crowded location. The controller for the quadcopter, was just thrust into a new person’s hands.
The one who had just been handed the controller, just knew that this was very wrong. As such they were desperate to land the quadcopter, whilst also trying to learn how to fly it.
The quadcopter was landed, without any incidents. (No persons were hurt throughout the playing of this picture. 🙂 )
As soon as the quadcopter had landed, it was just removed from the scene. There was a real sense, that it had been removed by someone with good intentions. There was an unspoken feeling, that it would be returned, at the right time, in the right location.

I have been referring to these as pictures, rather than dreams, because as I have been considering them, it just seems to fit better.

Both pictures talk about, something new.

The first picture seems to be a bit more straightforward to me.
You have something new, given to you, that can’t be taken away. But you need to use it, and make use of it, to truly appreciate just what you have.

The second picture speaks to me about how we can feel, if we are ever thrown into the deep end, without any training or experience, of the something new. (The short version.)

In the second picture, the quadcopter represents a new project, to be done. The one who has been put in charge of the project, is the person who has the controller, thrust into their hands.
As soon as they are in control, they just know that things are wrong. (A quadcopter shouldn’t be flown over a large group of people, and being inside makes it even worse. On top of all that, handing the controller to someone who needs to learn how to fly…. it’s just all wrong!)

The one who lands the quadcopter, without incident, does the right thing. It just needed to be done.
This part of the picture speaks to me of taking a time out, hitting the pause button, the moment the project is handed over.
Taking a time out, the moment a project is handed to someone, may not be a popular thing to do. But, if it’s needs to be done, then it should be done.

In the picture, the controller was never taken away, only the quadcopter was removed, by someone with good intentions.
This speaks to me of something being removed, that will be missed, but at the right time, and in the right way, what has been removed, will be returned. Being handed the controller, can be seen as being put in charge of the project, and in the picture, the controller was never removed.

Well, there we have it. Two fun/strange pictures about stepping into something new. 🙂

If these pictures resonate/speak to you in any way, then I would suggest that you ask Our Heavenly Father to highlight which bits apply to you more.
Seeking His thoughts and His guidance, is always going to be the Best route to take.

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Lost a First Love, or Forsaken the Love you had at First?

Is there a difference between the two statements of this post’s title?
On first look, it may appear as if both statements are describing the same thing. But, I’m starting to think that there is a big difference between the two statements.

To put this into context properly, I feel there is a need to quote the orginal passage that I am referring to, as I’m posing my thoughts.

Revelation 2:4
4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

In order to understand the full scripture, it would be good to read Revelation 2:1-7. But my thoughts are going to be on verse 4, in particular. (The full passage is the letter to the church in Ephesus.)

I believe that I have inadvertently, been miss quoting this passage to myself, for quite a while now. 😦
I didn’t mean to, but I think it has just crept in.

Whenever I thought about Revelation 2:4, I have thought of it as if it was losing a first love.
But is the passage actually saying this?

The words that the passage uses are, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”

A first love is exciting, all consuming, and if we are going to be really honest with ourselves, if it carries on for too long, it can be exhausting.
A good first love, if it follows a good path, will grow into a more mature love. Not a lost love or a love that burns out, but a love that knows a sustainable pace.
I’m thinking of an old ox being yoked to a young ox, where the old ox sets the pace, effectively saying, “In order to last the day, this is the pace you need to go at.”

I hoping that you are able to see the difference that I’m trying to show.
A first love, isn’t necessarily meant to last, but hopefully it will bloom into a mature love, that builds on itself, that does last.

So, can you see that there could be a difference between losing a first love, and forsaking the love you had at first? (Whether that love was a first, adolescent or mature love.)

I really do feel as if I’m splitting hairs here, but I also feel that it is a difference that matters.

When I think of a love that has been forsaken, I think of the nuns in the film Philomena.
The nuns were doing, what could be considered a loving thing, by taking in young pregnant unmarried women, in a time when they were not accepted by society.
But, the nuns appear to have become worn out and frustrated from the hardships of caring for the women, so that they then resented them. It’s seems that they lost any love, for the young women, who were in a difficult situation.

You could say that, the nuns were doing a loving thing, by taking the women in, without any love, by allowing frustrations to be the driving force, in there actions.

Could this be a picture of doing a loving thing, without any love in it?
Forsaking the love you had at first?

If there is any doubt about how bad it could be, to be doing a loving act, without love being the driving force, well, I think that the scripture below, removes all doubts.

1 Corinthians 13
13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

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A Correct Word, at the wrong time, can do Great Damage.

I took a wrap taken out of the freezer just recently. I must have caught the very edge slightly, as the edge broke off in my hand. It made me think, that if I tried to fold the wrap, straight our of the freezer, then it wouldn’t fold, as it is meant to. Instead, it would just break.

Now, a wrap when it’s not frozen, can be easily folded.
It’s what’s meant to happen to it. You are meant to put a filling in it, and then fold it over to make a tasty treat.

But if you tried to fold it when it’s frozen, well, it’s a different matter as it’s brittle, not willing to be folded.
Try to fold a frozen wrap, and it will break! It needs to be defrosted first.

Once it is defrosted, it can then be folded, as it is meant to be, so it can be that useful tasty treat.

It all made me think, can we sometimes know a correct word that needs to be spoken, but, it can be the wrong time to speak it?
Maybe because it will not be received well, for whatever reason?
(Sometimes we may have an idea of the reason, and other times we may have no idea of the reason.)
Do we sometimes need to wait for the right time to speak the correct word?

Our Fathers timing is always going to be best!
We just need to follow His prompting of when to speak, and when to remain quiet. Hearing Our Heavenly Father’s thoughts, could make all the difference.

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Another thought has just come to me.
If we speak a word, as directed by Our Heavenly Father, and then it all seems to go wrong, it doesn’t necessarily mean that we have done the wrong thing. (Although sometimes it might be just that.)
But sometimes, things can have a way that they just need to go, before they improve.
Sometimes, do we need to, not be afraid of the pre-breakthrough pressure?

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Do we think that we are better than we are?

This is a question that has been playing on my mind recently.
I’d like you think that I am perfect, but I know that I’m not. 😦
I know this for certain, as the bible tells me so.

Romans 3 10-12
10 As it is written:

“There is no one righteous, not even one;
11     there is no one who understands;
    there is no one who seeks God.
12 All have turned away,
    they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
    not even one.”

So, if the bible tells me that I’m not perfect, as there is no one righteous, then why do I have so much trouble truly knowing and understanding this?

I can know this in my mind, but my actions can speak a different story. My actions can sometimes bring me to the place of arrogance.

I don’t think that I’m generally an arrogant person (please, don’t let me know if you think differently 🙂 ).
I like to think that I’m a seeing and understanding person.
Oh dear, is that arrogance rearing it’s ugly head? (In a post about arrogance.)
Is there any hope for me? (Hopefully, the answer to that one is yes. 🙂 )

Part of my problem is that I can see things and get them very right, but in the same sentence, I can also get things very wrong, on a huge scale, to the point where onlookers can think, “What is going through his head?”

I do actually know this to be true. So when someone points out an error to me, I do want to know, if I have got something wrong.
My outward actions may speak a different story, but if I am wrong, then I would like to know it. So that I can then do better next time.

How do we react to correction is something that I have written about in a previous post of, Sahara desert or Sahara dessert?

Now, the bible also tells us to be bold.

Joshua 1:9
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

2 Timothy 1:7
7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

In the above scripture it talks about us having power, but with love and self-discipline. Does having those last two characteristics make the difference between boldness and arrogance?

If we are operating from a position of love and self-discipline, then are we more likely to be keeping in step with Our Lord God’s will?

So if we are acting in our own strength, could we be heading towards arrogance, but if we are following the Lords prompting, then are we just being bold, acting out of obedience?

Keeping in step with Our Lord God can make all the difference.

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What does it mean, to be Yoked to The Lord?

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

In last week’s post, I effectively asked the question, “Can we find our rest, in the work that we should be doing?“
This week’s post, I guess is part 2. 🙂

When we look at the bible passage above, we can see in verse 28 that a rest is available to us, if we are willing to go to Our Lord.
But do we read verses 29 and 30, in order to see how we can enter into the rest, that is available?

Verses 29 and 30 speak of a work to be done.
You don’t put a yoke onto on ox, and then send it out into a field to graze. You put a yoke onto an ox, because there is a work to be done, of some sort. To put a yoke onto an ox, to send it out, into a field to graze, just seems to be a bit mean, to me.

In verse 29, we can also see that we are meant to take on Our Lords yoke. “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me”. It matters, who we join ourselves to.
What or who, is the biggest influence, in our lives?

It may still seem a bit strange to associate rest with work, but I can’t, not see it anymore. As I continue to look at it, it just makes more sense to me.

Being yoked, means that a load is shared between the two, who are yoked together, so that a greater work, can then be done, than could be done by one alone.
Is this part of where the rest comes from?
Someone to share our burden with, as we work with, the One we are yoked to?

Being yoked, does mean that there is a need to remain at the same pace, working together. In verse 29, we can see that we are meant to take His yoke onto us and to learn from Him.
I clearly see this as us going at Our Lord’s pace, and not the other way around.

But what does this yoke actually look like?
Sometimes it may seem as if nothing has changed, even after trying to come to Our Lord. We can go through our week, just the same as we usually do, looking for a difference, but not seeing any.

But what if the difference is being yoked to Our Lord, with Our Lord setting our pace of how we should be going, whilst He bears the load with us?
Does He sometimes bear a greater load, than we realise?

If we are tired and weary, is it because there is an element of us trying to do things at our pace, using only our own strength?
If we try to do things at His pace, and relying on His strength to help us, is this where a restful state can then become a reality?

I shared these thoughts with a friend recently, and he said that he could see where I was coming from. He then went onto effectively say that, if he was mindful of Our Lord, by praying or just including The Lord in what he was doing, then things just kind of came together and worked.
But if he lost sight of The Lord, then he could end up being overloaded, and just chasing his tail.

It amazed me to hear a testimony from a friend, agreeing with the thoughts, that have been shared in this post.
Could we all have a similar testimony, if we all came to Our Lord God, and then took on His Yoke?
If we allowed Him to set our pace and let Him bear our load, with us?

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Will we find Our Rest, in the Work that we Should be doing?

Matthew 11:28-30
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Yes, I know. The title of this post may seem to be a bit strange. Finding rest, in doing work???
But is there something to it? A yoke does imply that there is a work to do, of some sort.

I’m not suggesting that we go out and find as much work as we can, in order to find rest, that would be a recipe to be overburdened. But what if we can find a work, that brings about a rest?

I do think that we can see this, in action, in 1 Kings 17:7-16. It’s the account of when Elijah was fed by the widow at Zarepath.

There was a famine in the land, and God told Elijah to go to Zarepath, where God had instructed a widow to feed him. (1 Kings 17:9) There was only one problem with this plan. The widow had next to no food.
She was about to go home and make a final meal for herself and her son, and then die. (1 Kings 17:12)

She was not in a restful state, but one of desperation, as Elijah was asking her for some food, as God had directed him to.

How would we respond to a request, like Elijah’s?

“Are you for real? I have next to nothing, and the little that I do have, you want?” Could possibly be one of our reactions???

Fortunately, for all involved, the widow didn’t ultimately react in this way, but did make some food for Elijah, and then some for herself and her son. The result was, that her supply didn’t run out, but a miraculous provision occurred, as Elijah had spoken to her in…

1 Kings 17:14.
14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

The widow was appointed to provide for Elijah, by God.
In doing her work, she was provided for.
She saw rest, by doing a work, that she was meant to be doing.

Are we able to do likewise?
Can we see the work, that we are meant to be doing?
Then will we do it?
If we can and do, will it then lead to a rest, through doing a work?

One final thought on this is, we are told that she made food for Elijah, herself and her son. She didn’t provide food for everyone in Zarepath, just the ones she was meant to.
Can we sometimes miss our rest, because we take on more than we should do?

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Why are you so upset by what you are reading?

Have you ever read something, to then be so upset by it?
Have you then ever thought, “Why am I so upset by this?”

A lot of the time, we may know why we are upset by ….. as it could be obvious that it is just nonsense that is just insulting. Hence the upset.

But are there times, when we just can’t put our finger on the thing that is causing the upset?
When it’s not just nonsense that is just insulting, but it unsettles us all the same, for whatever reason?
A reason that just seems to be outside of our grasp?

It can be all the more annoying, if we can kind of see something to the …… and possibly in part (or more fully) agree with the …… that we have just read. (Or even heard.)

How will we respond in such instances?
Bury it?
Turn away?
If I don’t look at it, then I’m not going to be upset by it?

Sometimes, this can be the right and valid choice to make.
But are there other times, when it could be the wrong choice to make?
Are there times when, if we just ignore the thing that unsettles us, that it is just us burying our heads in the sand?
Hoping that the trouble will just pass us by, and not cause us any harm or upset?
If we do act in this way, is this just us taking the the path of denial?
If I don’t look at it, then I don’t need to deal with it?

Are there times when God upset us, with the things that He brings to our minds?

How will we react to the thoughts that we don’t like, that actually come from Our Lord God Almighty?
Will we even recognise them as thoughts from Him?

Can we learn what His voice sounds like, so that we can then know, the difference between what we should ignore, and what we shouldn’t ignore?
Are we even willing to try to hear Our Lord God’s words to us, even if they do unsettle us?

John 10:27-28
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.

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If you are struggling with the idea of Our Loving Heavenly Father, bringing an unsettling word to His people, then have a read of the letters sent to the churches in Revelation. The letter sent to the church in Laodicea, is a bit of a challenging letter to receive. It can be found in, Revelation 3:14-22

One of the reasons,of why God could bring unsettling thoughts to us can also be found in Revelation.

Revelation 3:19-22
19 Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. 20 Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.

21 To the one who is victorious, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat down with my Father on his throne. 22 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”

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Prophetic Dream, or just too much Cheese???

I shared a weird dream I had recently, and the response that I got was, “That could be prophetic?”
So I thought that I’d have a go at writing it up.

The dream, as I have said, it was weird. 🙂

There was an army unit doing a trust exercise, by passing their rifles around to each other. As a rifle was given away, a rifle was received.
If everyone was doing as they should, then everyone should get their own rifle back.

But their was one, or a number of untrustworthy members among the ranks. They had the thought of, “If I hide this one over here, I can sell it for a personal profit latter.”
When the exercise was finished, there was a number of soldiers without their rifle.
The soldiers without their rifles thought, “Oh. What do I do now? I really don’t want to make a fuss, but I have no rifle!! ???” Then I woke up.

My first thought, was, “There is a need to speak up, and highlight, that something, has gone wrong.” It may be uncomfortable to do so, to highlight that there is one among us who can’t be trusted and depended on. But the truth needs to be spoken.
A soldier without a rifle, is a problem that can’t be ignored.
The one without a rifle, is not to be blamed for being without, even if they do feel, in some way, responsible for the issue.

Another thought that I have had is, “Is there a need to be on the look out for those who can’t be trusted?”

Matthew 7:15-20
15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Another thought, that I had, was… In the trust exercise, how would you do?
Would you freely give, or would you only give, once you knew, that a replacement was coming your way?
Would you give in a way that leaves you vulnerable, or would you give, only if you knew that you wouldn’t be left short?

The worldly view, may be one of, I’ll release mine, when I know that a replacement is coming.
In the bible, we can see a different viewpoint.

Luke 6:37-38
37 “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Acts 20:35
35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

2 Corinthians 9:6-7
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

There are many bible scriptures, that teach about giving, in a similar way. When I am thinking about giving, it doesn’t just mean finances, but of all that we have. Our time, skills or anything else that can be shared. In the picture, it was the soldiers rifle that was being shared. One of the soldiers most important pieces of equipment.

When it comes to giving, what view point do we take up?
The worldly view of, “I’ll give, when I know that I’m able to do so.”?
Or will we be more generous, following what Our Heavenly Father asks of us?
At times, that one can be quite a challenge.

Having just re-read this, I’m thinking that maybe there’s more here than just too much cheese before going to sleep. 🙂

A final thought has just come to me.
The untrustworthy ones were only made known, as the trust exercise was happening. If everybody refused to take part in the giving exercise, then the untrustworthy would not have been found out, but still in amongst the ranks.
Is there a need to be freely giving, as our Heavenly Father calls us to be, so that the untrustworthy, can then be seen, for what they are???

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Is it, Simply Complicated, or Complicatedly Simple?

The title of this post might sound like a lot of nonsense, but I do think that there is something to it. It’s a kind of, is the glass half empty of half full post.
(No, I’m not listening to the engineer who thinks that the glass is twice as big than it needs to be. 🙂 )

In all tasks, we can normally see parts that are complicated and simple in varying measures. The question is, how are you left feeling about the task at hand?

Are you left thinking, “This is simply complicated!” ? Or can you flip it around, to then be left thinking, “This is just complicatedly simple.”?
The order you place the two words in, can make a big difference.

If you see an issue as simply complicated, then it’s seeing, that there are some simple bits, but the overall impression is one of, “It’s too difficult!” It can leave us in a position of, “Where do I go now?”

If we can flip the two words around, so we then have “complicatedly simple”, then can we change our perspective?
The complications remain, but if we can break down what we need to do to smaller manageable pieces, or even just the next bit to do, then can we see the simple bits that we can do, even though the whole picture remains a bit complicated?
Hence we can end up with something that is “Complicatedly Simple”, where we can see what the next steps are.

So, when difficulties arrive, how will we see them?
Are they simply complicated?
Or can we flip it around to be Complicatedly Simple?