A Boulder in the Ocean

We had the privilege of being blessed with a week at the sea recently. I have been dealing with some hard things lately and this was a very welcome break away from home. Now I love the ocean a lot, there are so many beautiful things to see when you are sitting next to this beautiful creation of the Lord.

As I sat there thinking about the hurt, stress and things currently in my life, Speaking to a dear friend on the phone about it I saw all these stones. Beautiful stones, stones that started out with rough edges and and bumps, stones that people probably would not have taken a second glance at before, are admired and even collected. Then it hit me, if these stones where not in the ocean where they have been tossed to and fro by the waves and grinded by the sand, they probably still would have been "ugly" and unwanted.

You see, being a disciple of Jesus will mean that we have to go into the hard places and no matter what we do, there will be waves and sand and even other stones like that we will bump into. Jesus' words of counting the cost (Luke 14: 25-33;34-35)rings so much truer to me now, you see Jesus promised us that it would be tough. So many of us want it easy, but being a disciple of Jesus is not going to be easy at all as we are literally cast into the ocean amongst the waves where it is rough. I am reminded of Jesus' words to the 12 as he sent them out in Matthew 10; in verse 16a he said: "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves" (ESV). Go read through the whole of chapter 10, it is a reminder of what some of the cost of being a disciple can be.

Me and my friend spoke about how people in ministry seems as if they immediately step in front of a firing squad of Satan, how they are attacked from all sides the moment they take that step of faith. It is then that it hit me, even though a lot of sufferings these past 8 years in the missions community has been tough, and like the most recent one; excruciatingly painful, it was all beneficial to me. How can I say that? Well, through all of these hard times God has been present and He has been using it as a way of shaping me more into the stone that He wants me to be. 

My heart resonates With James' words : " Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing." [(James 1:2-4) HCSB]. I know that my Saviour has sent me into the world to be the salt and light so others can get to know Him too, I will make a decision to gladly face these trials with joy, no matter how tough they are. My Redeemer knows what He has pictured for me in the end, I will be His work of art bringing Him glory just like these stones on the beach. I will trust Him, because His Word says in Romans 8:28; " We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose." (HCSB). 

How about you? Are you willing to be tossed into the ocean? To endure hardships for my King, your King? 

Salt&Light: A call to stand out.

We are Believers, called to be the salt and light of the world. I thought about that today and I am convicted in so many ways about this, day to day I am not really different from anyone else around me. Do I really stand out in the crowd? If you observe me in my daily life would you know if I really walk in a relationship with my Lord? Am I just going along with the flow without impacting someone's life? 

In Matthew chapter 5 Jesus starts out by teaching the sermon on the mount, a really controversial type of teaching in those days and I am sure even more so today. Now I cannot talk about the whole sermon on the mount through to Matthew chapter 7, but I want you to please look at verses 13 through 16 with me.

13-15 : "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It's no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled on by men. You are the light of the world. 14. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. 15. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lamp stand, and it gives light for all who are in the house." (HCSB)

I am humbled today, I need Jesus now more than ever. My actions are to be full of flavour, pleasing to God. Not to even speak of how culture has taught us that certain things are acceptable, culture even teaches that these things are ok for believers. We no longer measure how we should live by using God's Word as a standard, we are too afraid to stand out in the crowds. Have we lost our flavour? Is people's lives not important to us? We have to realise that sometimes we are the closest some people are ever going to get to hearing the good news of God's salvation for man, By the death of His son Jesus Christ, we can have life in full and be reunited with Him. 

You cannot see a blemish in the dark, there has to be light present in order for you to do so. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not talking about telling them that they are going  to hell because of what they are doing (There is a time and a place for that). You first have to be the light for them to see that you are not doing things the way they do. In missions we call that: Earning the right to speak. You cannot approach someone and talk about their sin if you are unwilling to be obedient to do what God has told you about yours.

I am preaching to myself as there are many things that I have not completely surrendered to God, will you take a step with me as I surrender my whole life and everything I have into God's hands to do as He pleases? 

With regards to standing out, I really want to share another 2 verses with you that I know is not easy to obey. These verses have the ability to change the way that the world sees followers of Jesus as a whole, a simple command of Jesus to us as His disciples: 

John13:34-35: " I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you must also love one another. 35. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (HCSB)

This is hard, we are to love one another as believers. Regardless of our differences, imagine if we all join forces together in love? People will see Jesus in us. That my beloved, is being the salt and the light. Join me as I seek more of Jesus and as I strive to shine my light and to be the salt.

I end with Jesus' words in Matthew 5:16: " In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. " (HCSB)

Humbleness- Close to God.

I have started working through the Old Testament lately and noticed someone that had an extraordinary life, not that he was anything on his own. I have read about Moses many times before, but this time around I saw something that really drew my attention. Moses' relationship with God really started with a burning bush that was not consumed by that fire. He stood up to investigate, and God called to him from the bush. Notice that at first God just drew Moses' attention, God didn't call out to Moses until he noticed and out of curiosity went closer to the bush. Exodus 3:1-5.

My question here is this: Can you remember your own burning bush experience? I can recall mine to this day, it is a moment that I will never forget. It is the moment that God came and completely turned my life upside down, and I am glad He did. God came to me, a sinner unworthy of God's Love.

So as I read on, I saw something awesome. Look at Numbers 12:3: "Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth."  (HCSB). When you continue to read on in this passage God speaks to Aaron and Miriam and tells them something that really knocked me off my chair. Numbers 12:6-8: " He said: Listen to what I say: If there is a prophet among you from the Lord, I make Myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream. Not so with my servant Moses; he is faithful in all my household. I speak with him directly, openly, and not in riddles; he sees the form of the Lord." (HCSB).

I desperately long to have a relationship with God the way that Moses did, and I see a wonderful connection between a deep relationship with the Lord and being humble. I want to be that humble, I struggle with pride all the time. My nature is to seek the praises of men, but I have decided to crucify the pride of Pieter. I will no longer seek my own praises, I no longer care what people think of me. I care about the name of God alone and His name glorified over all the earth.

I pray that the Lord will make me a humble man, I desperately need His presence everyday. I want to experience God the way Moses did.

So I encourage you dear friends, do not look to bring honour to yourselves if you want to experience God in a way that will make your face shine so that everybody can see that you have been in His presence (Exodus 34:29). Jesus' words in Matt. 23:12 ring truer than ever before to me: "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (ESV).  

Making Disciples

Okay, I wrote this post on Facebook on the 23rd of May while we were in Mozambique on an outreach.

I felt that I should share it again, but this time here on the blog.

The more I look at God's Word and the more I study it, the more I am convinced that if we do not make disciples at all or even try to share God's Word with the lost, that we don't really know the heart of the Lord at all. 

Consider Ephesians 4:11-12, we are supposed to be equipped for the work of the Ministry. It is not just the work of the Pastors, prophets, evangelists, teachers and apostles to do God's work. We as God's church is supposed to reach out to the lost by all means possible. Will you allow someone to burn to death in a building if you know you can help and save them? 

We do not have an excuse, we have Bibles. Friends, I beg you to take God's Word and to study it and to apply what you read to your life. The time for Chri
stians to be bottle-fed with milk has to stop. Start reading the meaty stuff and do what the Bible tells you to do. Please consider James 1:22-24: "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror. For he looks at himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was." (HCSB). 

Do not be concerned with what the World is doing and their sins, but look at your own heart and strive to live a life giving to God alone. We will only make an impact if we live God's Word. 

Also go and read Matt. 28:18-20. Jesus's call for us to make disciples is something no Christian can deny. The one who has been given all authority is sending us. 

May the Lord Bless you and help you to make disciples for His name's sake.

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