MIXING IT UP WITH FAITH & LOVE

Hi everyone,



I was thinking this morning about that challenging idea of doing the right thing. It's not too difficult to do the right thing once, but to keep doing the right thing over and over again can be difficult.



We want to do the right thing, we want to please the Lord, we set out to do just that and then get 'weary in well-doing' as time goes by. This weariness can cause us to get angry and want to give up. We might find ourselves saying such things as, "it doesn't work anyway - why bother?"



What brings the spark of life into our efforts of doing the right thing?



1. FAITH. We need to actually put some belief and trust into our efforts. It's not really a good idea to put all our faith into people because they may not realise what we are trying to do, or they may not care leaving us hurt and dissapointed. We need to put our faith in the Lord.



Why?



Because He has promised that He notices, and will reward us for our efforts. It may seem to take a long time in coming, but it will come!

"So lets not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we dont give up" Galatians 6:9

2. LOVE. You know how we feel when someone does something for us, but you know instinctively that there is a 'price tag' to it? Well, even though the Lord promises to reward those who dont give up doing the right thing, how much better it is to say to the Lord, "I'm not doing this to get anything, I just want to please you", thus simply making our obedience a gift to Him.



This is the essence of true worship and true faith.



Here is a favourite saying I heard once....

"My desire is to minister to the audience of One"

This may not sound very appealing to you, but I have found that when I mix my obedience with the element of faith, it raises my level of expectation and hope.......and when I mix my obedience with love, it adds sparkle and joy to what otherwise may be dull drudgery.

A much better way to live the Christian life I'm sure!

Perhaps if we all remember to apply this truth (myself included) others that look at Christians may get a pleasant surprise, and Christianity would lose it's reputation for being legalistic and boring.

Now there's something to believe for!

Aside from all these comments I sincerely hope that you are doing well, and enjoying life.

Much love,

Lynda

PS. My book "A Fistful of Diamonds, living on full when life serves empty" can now be ordered and paid for online at www.drministries.com making it not only a great book to have, but an easy book to get hold of!

Great News...

Hi everyone,

I have some great news, but first of all.....

.....What an amazing few weeks we have had since Christmas! For the last 20 years or more the word 'drought' has been a very familiar word...we have almost grown to expect that 'drought' is normal.

However, in the last few weeks that has changed. We have been dealing with a new word... 'flood'.

No - we're not going to adopt this as the new normal!!

However, with quiet confidence we can expect that once the crisis of the flood is over, the drought be broken, and, maybe a healthy amount to rain to refresh the earth, water our crops and a return us to good seasons.

Can I just say that the crisis will continue for a long time after the media have forgotten this. There will be lots of rebuilding of property and livelihoods.

I am reminded of Psalm 18. The psalmist cries out for help and the answer comes in the form of dark clouds and storms. It seems that the Lord came to the psalmist clothed in catastrophe. The result of this is that the psalmist finds himself delivered and established in a broad place with plenty of room to move.

My prayer for those who are struggling with flood waters at the moment, is that when it all settles down they will know the restoring power of God adding to their efforts in rebuilding.

There is something else that we can draw from this. Sometimes in our lives we accept as 'normal' things that are not. I know that normal is a relative word, so perhaps 'healthy' is a better word. May we realise that in Christ, we can believe for 'healthy' and not accept anything less than that as 'normal'.

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.

I have come that they might have life, and that they might have it

more abundantly." John 10:10

Now for my good news..... as you can see by the image my new book, "A Fistful of Diamonds - living on full when life serves empty" is now published! It is a beautifully bound hardback book with colour illustrations and a silver ribbon marker. If you would like to know any more information about this book you can email me on hammond_lynda@yahoo.com.au

You can also take a look at my website www.drministries.com There you will find some more information.

Rich blessings!!

Lynda

News from my house....

Hi everyone,

Once again, it has been ages since I wrote anything. I have an inspirational thought, but first, because it's been so long I want to give you an update.

We have had just celebrated Jeff's birthday, and it was so good to have all the family over. It wasn't just a celebration of his birthday, but of a shared journey and the gifts that has brought us..... (like grandchildren!)

I also want to tell you about 'Desert Rain Ministries' and my new and improved book, "Fistful of Diamonds, living on full when life serves empty" The website can be found at http://www.drministries.com/ and there you will find some information about us and what we are about! You will also see that my beautiful hardback giftbook will be available soon. (hopefully before Christmas)

I have another book on the way, "Desert Rain - the promise and process of personal renewal" in which I share some principles of seeing our own personal 'desert' whatever that may represent, come to life. Let me say, the photos and gifts I spoke of above are evidence of that promise and process. God is so good!

NOW TO MY ENCOURAGEMENT TO YOU

Gen 32:24-31 "Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket in of Jacob's hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, "Let Me go, for the day breaks." But he said, "I will not let you go unless You bless me!" So He said to him, "What is your name?"

He said, "Jacob."

And He said, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed."

Then Jacob asked, saying, "Tell me Your name, I pray." And He said, "Why is it that you ask about My name?" And He blessed him there.

So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: "For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."

Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip."

There are a few points I want to draw from this.

The first is that Jacob was left alone. You may be in that place right now.

Alone.

I'm not talking about that nice 'aloneness' where we enjoy some peace and quiet, I'm talking about alone with our pain, our fears, our failures, our sinful selves. Alone, facing the reality of what we really are, looking at an ugly reflection in the mirror of life.

It's when we come to this place that the miracle of the presence of God becomes some wonderfully real. When all the support systems of a 'neat' life are taken we get to know that God is really present.

The weird thing is that instead of yielding to His magnificent Lordship, Jacob took him on in a wrestle!..... Hang on, that isn't quite as weird, I think we have all found ourselves sometimes 'wrestling with God', as futile as that might be.

Jacob was pretty stubborn, when the Lord saw he wasn't going to win, in His power, love & sovereignty reached out and weakened Jacob at his hip. Why? So that Jacob would finally be in a position to receive instead of fight.

Next, why in the world did the Lord ask Jacob what his name was? Surely He knew. Because in order for Jacob, to get his fresh new name, Israel (Prince with God) he had to face the fact that he was currently Jacob (he who supplants, tricks and trips up another). We cannot step into our future without dealing with our past. And the best place to deal with our past is in the presence of our Saviour King, Jesus Christ.

The Lord could have spared Jacob this long dark night of struggle. After all, God can do anything, right?

But without that lonely dark night I don't believe Jacob would not have been able to say, "For I have seen God face to face...."

Verse 31 says, "Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip."

Let me encourage you that the sun WILL rise on you, inspite of the limp that you may come out of this night with. You WILL be able to say with Jacob "I have seen the Lord face to face, and lived". You will come out of this dark night with a new name, a new future, and a new confidence in who God is in your life.

Yes, He could have spared you this lonely dark night, but He knows the sun will rise on you bringing in a new day of bright hope and joy.

For those of you that I know, who are going through a dark night right now. Please hear me. Your name is on my heart and on my lips in prayer often, particularly in the night when I have those wakeful moments.

Much love,

Lynda

Hidden Treasure

Hi everyone,

It has been too long since I have been here, and so much has been happening.

I have been reading through 1 Samuel lately and it has been so very good! Tonight I want to share a thought from 1 Samuel 16:12...

"...and the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is the one"

Where does the Lord call His servants from? He calls them from the secret place. He didn't choose His servant from the front line, those who polished up and paraded. Those who looked the part and had the right words to say. He chose His servant by what He knew of David's activities and priorities in the secret place.

The secret place of David was not a vacume, and neither is the secret place of your life.

What was going on in David's secret place?

1. He was developing faithfulness. A shepherd was a lonely and lowly occupation but David was content and faithful there. What lonely and lowly place are you in right now? Are you faithful in carrying out your responsibilities, or are you constantly restless and discontent, wishing for something else. Settle down and embrace your current season as if it was your whole life's work, because it may well be. But that work, done with love and faithfulness will send ripples of blessing out over future generations, and to places you may never go!

2. He was getting some wins. How would David ever have been ready for Goliath and other battles ahead without the confidence and skill of the wins he had alone on the hillsides of his home farm? These weren't people he was protecting, they were mere sheep, but to him they were worth fighting for. The battles you are facing right now are worth winning. The fact that there is no-one watching and cheering you on is immaterial. God is watching...and please get this - HE REALLY WANTS YOU TO WIN THIS ONE - its worth fighting for.

3. He was worshipping. 'Worship' has almost become just about the music, and that was certainly a huge part of what was going on in the sheep paddocks with David. But David's worship was never just about the music. He enjoyed God. It was a walking/talking vital relationship with God, a sharing of all of his life with God. The good, the bad and the ugly; the highs and the lows. His worship wasn't about the form, it wasn't even about the heart... it was from the heart. The only audience David had was a few sheep but that didn't matter to David, the only One that mattered was God Himself - and isn't that the truth?

I believe there were days in David's life as the national hero that he longed for the obscurity of the hillsides of the family farm.... but one thing is for sure - he never lost the capacity to retreat to that secret place of faithfulness, victory and worship as the only man God ever called 'after my own heart'.

We need to ask the question...

"What's going on in the secret place of my life?"

Much love,
Lynda

You're OK :)

Hi everyone,

I had a chat with some people this morning about acceptance. Not acceptance of circumstances..acceptance of ourselves.

Do you know that we can sometimes appear really calm and accepting of difficult situations, unfair treatment and demands, but inside rage against ourselves with self-rejection, or a painful conviction that we are not accepted by the people around us.

I know what this feels like. I grew up with the idea that I was ugly and stupid. I was desperately shy and socially inept. My parents would be surprised to know this because this wasn't communicated to me at home. But amongst my peers I struggled deeply. Let me be totally transparent for a moment. I remember at the age of about eleven writing a letter to my class mates asking them what I had done wrong, why didn't they like me?

You guessed it... I was the laughing stock!

When I was in my teens I would not leave the house without make-up on. It was my 'safety mask'. Without it I felt naked and vulnerable. So whether it was to work, or to shop, or to visit people, whatever it was....I would not walk out the front door without make up on.

Then at the age of 17 I gave my heart to Jesus Christ. Of all the decisions I have ever made I can say without exception this was far and away the most life changing one I ever made.

For the first time in my life I knew total forgiveness, a sense of purpose and destiny.... and a true sense of belonging! This had nothing to do with anyone else, it was a purely personal connection with Him.

There is a beautiful scripture in Ephesians 1:6
".......He made us accepted in the beloved"

This change in me was real. Shortly after this life changing decision we were going out to a church youth meeting. It was the first time I had ever gone to one of these meetings. I decided to wear casual clothes and ..... no make up! As I ventured out I was surprised and delighted to recognise not a sense of vulnerability and fear, but of freedom!

This sense of acceptance doesn't just impact our need to look good. It impacts our need to perform well, to 'fit-in', to be heard, to be recognised etc. No matter what life and the people in our world throw at us, knowing that God accepts us, truly accepts us is like coming home after a hard day at work, kicking off our shoes and totally relaxing with the people we love.

Can I encourage you. If you struggle with a sense of being unacceptable just being you, understand that God knows you inside and out, and He loves you deeply. No need to dress up and perform....you're OK!

PS: By the way, I do love to dress well, and I do love to wear make up, but now it's for my own personal enjoyment, not self-defence ;)

Until next time,
much love,
Lynda

A huge month!!

Hi everyone,

I'm just checking in briefly to say that I will be doing a proper blog in the next couple of days... I have been working on a writing/publishing project this month, so there has been very little time to be working on THIS writing project!! :)

Suffice to say I have discovered something wonderful through the whole process..... As I have stepped out in this project, the timing, encouragement and custom-made help that has come my way has been nothing short of perfect!!

It's true that you cannot steer the car until you get moving, and when we get moving, we can trust God to lead us forward.

I'll keep you posted on the developments as they unfold!

In the meantime.... keep moving forward in faith and see how the Lord will lead.

Much love,

Lynda (ps..this is a photo of my magnificent family)

High time....

Hi everyone,

Thought it was high time to write something fresh. Life has been so very very busy, I'm not complaining, it's been good. A lot of activity at work, for both Jeff & myself. A busy time in the family, and a visit from my parents.

Anyway.... I was reading something pretty special in my devotional written by FB Meyer

"Come, my soul, thou must awake to sing a new song. You have dwelt long enough on those old, sad, minor chords of loss and dissapointment, of regret for the withered past, of bitter remorse."

What beautiful words!

When we are stuck in bitter remorse, they sound like harsh words... but there comes a time when we need to say, "enough". It's high time to sing a new song, even though we feel stuck in the old season.

Do you think I'm talking nonsense? You could well be forgiven for feeling like logging off right now......but don't.

I used to think that I shouldn't ever feel down, because the Bible says I have been given a garment of praise. (Isaiah 61:3) Then I realised it was my choice whether to wear that garment or not!

When the day is wet, we put on a raincoat. When our spirit is heavy, we put on praise! It's guaranteed to put us in a position of strength and lightness of spirit.

The Bible has much to say about singing a new song. Singing a new song can be a prophetic act that ushers in a sense of joy where there is no circumstantial evidence for joy. It can actually usher in a fresh new season.

• Ezekiel was instructed to prophesy life to the dead bones (Ezekiel 37)- now that doesn't make sense!
• The barren woman was encouraged to sing. (Isaiah 54:1) - that doesn't make sense either.
• God calls those things that are not as if they were (Romans 4:17) - Ok, this one really takes the cake!

Psalm 98:1 "Sing a new song to the Lord, for He has done wonderful deeds, His right hand has won a mighty victory; His holy arm has shown His saving power"
It's as we sing that new song we begin to see His mighty victory and saving power.

Back to FB Meyer...."The psalmist was master of his soul; and when he bade it bless the Lord, all that was within him broke forth into melodious thanksgiving. Let your spirit, energised by the Holy Spirit, lead the entire realm of your inner life."

Come on now....let me encourage you...it's high time to sing a new song.

Until next time,
much love & rich blessings,
Lynda