Airing your spiritual laundry

(A devotional)

Laundry tends to pile up in our busy home and I’m often forced to omit important steps in the cleaning process – like pre-treatment of stains. Often, I cross my fingers, in the hope that the stains will simply disappear during the washing process.  It's most frustrating when some persistent stains remain and I have to throw the item of clothing back in the wash.

The stains in our souls are also sometimes difficult to deal with. How often do we simply brush off our transgressions? In the process, our relationship with God is affected.  We stand tainted in His presence: we forget about the unkind words that have left our mouths, or the outstanding apology. Maybe we hurt someone badly and simply swept the incident under the carpet.  Or perhaps our sin is more serious; almost unforgivable. These are the times that we fall short in God’s presence.

But there is hope. No matter what our personal blemish is, we can have confidence that our God is a God of amazing grace. His gift on the cross offers us the opportunity to come clean, and to be forgiven.  We can start again; a spotless new life, with a wholesome relationship with our Heavenly Father.

 

So next time, you spot a stain on your laundry, consider using the opportunity to reflect on your own life.  Is it time to come before the Father and confess?

Prayer focus:

 “Thank you Lord, that I am able to come before you, confess my sin and find forgiveness. Thank you, Father, for the sparkling new and clean life which you offer me.”

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“Repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you – even Jesus.”

 (Acts 3:19,20)

Have a wonderful, blessed day.

With love

Caryl

Let Your living water flow over my soul...

(A devotion)

As we all know, water is essential to life.  It is a commodity that makes up 50-75% of our bodies, yet we often forget to drink enough and substitute it with fizzy, commercial drinks which really do us no good.  Indeed, many of us spend our days slightly dehydrated.

I love the parallel between these facts and what Jesus says in Scripture: “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13)

Recently, I decided to internalise these thoughts in a really tangible way by putting a little ritual into practice. Every morning, when I get out of bed, I make my way to the bathroom. I pick up the special glass that I’ve placed next to the basin and turn on the cold tap.  Then I fill the glass up turn my mind to Christ and this teaching.  In gratitude, I sip the contents slowly, thanking Him for the life He offers me through this water

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It’s a wonderful way to start each day.  It is a reminder that Jesus is the source of my life and is all that holds me together. It is also a reminder that I need to spend time in His word – the ‘Living Water’ which sustains me in this world.

 “Let your living water flow over my soul…”

Why not give it a try? 

The frugal life...

Dear reader
I am trying my hand at some devotional writing.
I hope you enjoy my piece

I was standing in a slow-moving supermarket queue today, leaning warily over the handlebars as I edged towards the cashier.  My eyes fell on the contents of my own trolley and I looked up to study others. Like mine, many were piled high – filled with things that, to my mind, weren’t really necessary: crisps, sweets, the latest magazine, the pre-prepared meal for the lazy cook.

I venture to suggest that, with a bit of thought, we could all live more frugally. But, what prompts us to buy so much?  Is it simple carelessness, or do we like to stock pile?  Or perhaps there’s an element of worry - about keeping up with the latest trend, or what the adverts tell us we have to have. Maybe its vanity, greed, gluttony…the list goes on and on.

Do we even recall what is in your trolley when we get to the till-point? The reality of our strange world is that opulence runs side-by-side with poverty.  And the fairness of it all is questionable.

In Scripture, Jesus teaches us not to worry about unnecessary things and assures us of our value in His kingdom. He calls us to look at his creation and observe how God cares for the animals. When God cares so much for the animals, how much more does he care for us?

I believe that if our focus is on Him, we wouldn’t spend so much. We’d give that unnecessary item a second thought. Perhaps the money we would have spent could be used to help someone in need rather than to line our own cupboards. Giving to someone in need is sure to transform a downcast expression. We may well discover that our own lives are enriched too. I don't know about you, but I'm going to think twice when I reach for those supermarket shelves.

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26)

GOD USES US IN THE LITTLE THINGS

VIDEO: "Lexi, this is how you swim"

I am acutely aware that God has a plan for me.  Indeed, God has a plan for us all who believe in Him.  I am also aware that this plan often plays out in the simple things we do in our lives.  Anything we do with joy in His name will multiply.  His light will shine through us and will find some desperate darkness.  God is inexplicable. You can’t put Him in a box, nor define Him.  His plan is a mystery, but it is always for our ultimate good

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Over the years, I have come to know that the best way to honour God is simply to be myself.  The trick, however, is to keep my focus on Him.  By being myself, in Him, I ‘Let His light shine through me.” 

God touches me deeply.  I have always been passionate about the beauty of His creation. Although there is obvious evidence of man’s destruction of this incredible planet, God’s light still shines brightly.

This morning, in particular, as the sun streamed through the windows, the beautiful colours of Autumn and the warm, balmy sunshine, reminded me of His incredible love for us all.  I am aware of the changing seasons as God works his miracles.  As I look at the trees, I see this amazing beauty.  So, how do I share it?  How do I claim the glory of our Lord in all of this?

Well, the answer lies in the simple things in my life. God uses me in the most unlikely of ways.   The things I express in love and joy are multiplied beyond my imagination.  It could be a kind gesture, a simple smile, a moment when I marvel at His amazing Creation…and then share it.

My difficulty in living in a bustling city (as opposed to in the bush) has been lovingly compensated by God.  The most profound thing He’s done for me was to bring Golden Retrievers into my life.  Through this, I was able to write the book, ‘Maxdog’, knowing that my prayer, “Wherever Maxdog goes, let it do good!” would be honoured. (And it has!) My writing on the internet has mostly been about sharing  these beautiful animals who have touched my heart. 

So why this particular video in this blog-post?

Some time ago I started putting a few videos together and uploading them onto Youtube - for the benefit of readers who chose to read my little pieces.  The videos are often simple in their construction, but I always try to share the joy of what I see around me.

In January 2013 I was in a flippant mood. We were outside in the garden and my dogs were having fun in the pool.  I took the opportunity to throw a short video together and uploaded it onto the internet.  Little did I know that this video would suddenly, for some unknown reason, go viral.  If you look at the video, it’s really silly, but admittedly, it’s sweet and cutesy.  Unbelievably, this little video has got close to 100 000 hits! 

Shortly after I put it up, I was approached by an internet agency whose aim is to supply news stories to various outlets.  They wanted to manage my little video and, in turn, I would be paid a portion of money for every hit.  I agreed and the video went world-wide.

I was shocked when my first instalment of royalties – R2000 – was paid out to me a few months ago.  Amazingly, the money came at a time when my domestic worker passed away and I really wanted to do something for her funeral and her family.  I knew God had a hand in it and felt that this ‘out-of-the-blue windfall needed to be paid forward. It came at a time when this family really needed some support.

This month there is another large royalty from this quirky little video.  Wow! I've yet to decide what I will do with the money - perhaps save it to add to something important in the future.  It will be put to good use.

So, there you have it :  God uses us in the small things. Don’t ever be shy to share your joy in Him

 “Delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart”

So, readers and fellow-bible-school- students, let us resolve to be a beacon of light for our Lord.  Let us delight in the abilities He has given us.  Let us share our joy of His creation; His amazing love; His perfect plan and His precious salvation.  I encourage you to share your joy in the Lord.  Do it in ALL the simple things in your life.  Even if you don’t even mention God in the process, let your heart rest in Him…and he will use it to His glory.

With love

Caryl