God will use it ALL for good

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose."
―Romans 8:28

by Jon Walker

Joseph’s life was anything but peaceful. He was sold into slavery by jealous brothers and later thrown into prison on false charges. Yet, he remained free of bitterness or regret and saw God as the 'Great Engineer' behind even the worst of circumstances.

In a final confrontation with his brothers, he graciously noted, “You meant it for bad; God meant it for good" (Gen 50:20).

“God meant it for good” says:

You can accept the past. No sin, no action, no choice on your part is too big for God to handle or too big to be worked out for good. Just ask Joseph! Better yet, ask his brothers who ended up relying on him for their survival.

You can embrace the present. There’s no need to play the 'what if' game. The past is forgiven and gone, and the future is in God’s omnipotent hands; so you’re free to focus on the present: “Wherever you are, be all there,” says Jim Elliot. God wants you in the present because that’s where His grace will flow.

You can look expectantly toward the future. Even if you make mistakes today, God still controls your future. Walking in the Spirit, you can live life to the fullest, without fear of making mistakes that take you out of God’s control. Even when things appear to be terrible, you can trust that God is still working out His divine plan for your life.

Jon Walker is editor of the Daily Hope Devotionals and author of Costly Grace.

Commit to regular exercise

"Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come." 1 Timothy 4:8 (NLT)

As a long-time proponent of the huge importance of physical well-being if we're to be all we're designed to be, this recent Purpose-Driven posting hit home.

One of the ways we train for godliness is by maintaining our physical health. The truth is, your body was not designed for inactivity. God created you to be active. Even a daily walk will make a difference in your physical and spiritual well-being. And even while I've been away in Australia these past few weeks, I've done my darnedest to keep up my 'prayer walks': my physical/spiritual exercise combo.

Most of us are convinced but not committed. We know exercise is good for us. We are convinced, but that doesn’t mean we are committed to exercise.

What is the common excuse? ‘I don't have the time.’

Let me ask, do you have time to be sick? If you don't make time for exercise, you'll probably be forced to make time for an illness. Is that how you want to spend your time?

What is the common mistake? We overdo it at the start. We have the philosophy that if something is good, then more is better. We’ve been out of shape for several years, but then we try to get in shape in one week! And so we work ourselves to death, get totally exhausted and, as a result, we wear out quickly and give up.

The key is training not straining. If you want to get in shape fast, exercise longer, not harder. And that will help you stay committed to a consistent, regular exercise program.

As mentioned, I find simple walking works the best. Proven one of the best, easiest, most natural and least-expensive exercises, it fits easily into almost any life or environment. You get to know your neighbourhood and neighbours (new or old) as you walk, and can pray for them,  for others, for your own concerns, for whatever.

A goal for all churches

"This was the work of Jesus himself: to heal the sick, feed the hungry, give sight to the blind, care for the poor; give righteousness to the scandalous and scandalize the self-righteous; give hope to the hopeless and love to the loveless. And he's not done yet."

These final lines in an article by John Ortberg published earlier this year by the Christianity Today organization sum up what needs to be the prime work of those who now represent Jesus on earth, the Church.

Ortberg, a pastor, writer and editor, begins by ruminating on Paul's words in Colossians 1: “We proclaim Christ, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this reason I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me."

“If your church is looking for a big hairy audacious goal,” he continues, “this will do for starters."

The piece wanders through concepts of maturity, even touches on the movie Avatar, before coming to the conclusion "the church must be in the compassion business." You can read the original article here.

God wants you to enjoy life

[adapted from Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Connection devotional]

Many fear letting God into their lives, thinking God will make them give up anything and everything fun. In other words, they believe that to become a Christian is the same as saying the party's over; that to be spiritual is to be miserable.

People frantically look for fun fixes, but that means they operate under the law of diminishing returns. They spend more time, more money, and more energy to get less and less of a thrill. They go around asking, "Are we having fun yet?" or, "Is that all there is?"
 
But the way you fight fear is with truth. And the truth says: God "richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment" (1 Tim. 6:17b, TNIV). He doesn't want you to live without fun.

The apostle Matthew spent three years with Jesus. "Jesus came, enjoying life" is basically what he wrote in the 11th chapter, 19th verse of the book bearing his name. In Jesus' first recorded miracle, after all, he turned water into wine for a wedding party that had already drunk plenty!

"Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life." —1 Tim. 6:17-19, The Message

 God wants you to enjoy life. Honest to God!

A further powerful point is that even through the worst times, while it will in all likelihood be impossible to be happy, let alone 'have fun', we can still have that internal "joy unspeakable and full of glory" (see 1 Peter 1: 6-9).

Ave Petch: “Well-done, good and faithful servant”

St. George’s church has probably never been so full—of people, of Presence, of sorrow and of joy—as it was recently for the funeral of Ave Petch, longtime parishioner and tireless community worker.

Chris Postlethwaite knew her well. The following is excerpted from an article Chris wrote for the parish newsletter back when Ave was awarded "The Bishop’s Award for Faithful Service" from then Archbishop Terence Finlay.

"Ave received the award for her untiring service to her God, church and the community throughout the years. This has included her quiet work as Directress of the Chancel Guild, assisting [then rector] Christopher [Greaves] with server training, working with brides for their wedding arrangements, and decorating the church for festivals and special occasions as only Ave can, with such artistic talent.

She has been instrumental in keeping the ACW functioning, and has made endless phone calls for organizing Pancake Suppers, receptions for funerals, comforting the families, and organizing fund-raising lunches. The list is endless, but all these functions are handled with quiet dignity and tasteful presentations.

As Director of the 4 C’s, she dons another hat, and organizes the ordering, receiving, and distribution of huge quantities of groceries for the food bank. She has been involved with this organization since its inception by the Rev. Trevor Denny in 1979.There is no mistaking Ave’s love for God, and her courage to serve Him. She may not be a missionary in faraway places—her discipleship is close to home, where she has shown by her actions that serving God is a rewarding and often humbling experience."

All the activities Chris mentioned Ave kept up till her sudden passing.

As the master in the book of Matthew congratulates his servant on faithful and fruitful activity, we know our Lord does the same for our friend and fellow-parishioner, Ave Petch. We’ll miss you, Ave.

Ave Petch with her 2003 ‘Bishop’s Award for Faithful Service’

Empire vs. Love

By Bill Guerrant

In the 4th century, the Roman emperor Julian was concerned about the spread of Christianity in his empire, and was determined to revive the traditional Roman pagan religions.

Here's how he expressed his frustration at his seeming inability to stop the growth of Christian faith:

"Nothing has contributed to the progress of the superstition of these Christians as their charity to strangers. The impious Galileans provide not only for their own poor, but for ours as well.”

No empire can stop humble servants empowered by GOD's love

Julian failed. Christianity was irresistible. Why? Because no matter what charge could be made against the Christians, their charity to strangers and their provision for the poor, Christian and non-Christian alike, was evident for all to see. Love won. It still can.

Stepping into a new life

By Jon Walker

'Come!' answered Jesus. So Peter got out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus.
Matthew 14:29 (TEV)

When Peter stepped out of the storm-tossed boat and onto the water, where was the safest place to be? In the boat or in the arms of Jesus?

The answer, of course, is to be with Jesus, and for a brief time, Peter saw that. Right then he got a glimpse of what it is like to TRUST in Jesus and what it is like to operate within the realm of costly grace as a citizen of the kingdom of heaven.

And we get a glimpse of that too. We see that following Jesus requires us to step into apparent insecurity in order to find true security.

It's a paradox of faith: Our first step of faith places us in a position where faith becomes possible. By our obedience, we learn to be faithful. If we refuse to follow, we never learn how to believe. We stay stuck in the shallow end of faith, trusting in ourselves, living by sight and not by faith.

The essence of discipleship is Jesus constantly pushing us into new situations where it is possible for us to trust him even more. He pushes us toward "the impossible situation in which everything is staked solely on the word of Jesus," says the German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

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Jon Walker is the author of Costly Grace: A Contemporary View of Bonhoeffer's 'The Cost of Discipleship', from which this has been excerpted.