Category: Shore

Proclaim

With Patience …

Monday, March 25, 2024

It May Have Seemed A Good Idea,

But Then We Find Ourselves Out on a Limb

of A Tree

Ready to Tip Into the Waters

of Death!

Second Chronicles 18:13

But Micaiah said, ‘As the Lord lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.’

2 Timothy 4:2

proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching.

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Words of Grace For Today

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Proclaiming the Good News ought, it seems, to be a wonderful experience,

but

humans don’t like to have their ‘apple carts upset’, ‘their cheese moved’, ‘their boat rocked’!

Surprise surprise

not!

Most often the Good News messenger is ‘shot’, vary rarely with a camera,

or hung

or burned at the stake

or buried alive

or crucified.

So do we really want to follow Jesus?

…

Well, to whom else shall we turn.

For only Jesus has the message that brings life,

true life to all who hear and follow

a rather humbling path

of service to God’s will

in service to others.

It’ll take all the patience we can muster to face down the opposition and derision others will throw at us,

but God walks with us,

and there is no greater blessing.

So onward, One Step, One Word at a time.

Forever

And Ever??

Sunday, March 24, 2024

it may seem the horizon of life goes on forever

past the moon setting orange and down ….

First Chronicles 17:27

… therefore may it please you to bless the house of your servant, that it may continue for ever before you. For you, O Lord, have blessed and are blessed for ever.

Matthew 25:34

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world…”

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Words of Grace For Today

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Ahh, the hubris that would make a human think their kingdom could continue without end!

If ever there were a true saying about everything in life it is simply, “this too shall pass.”

Only God continues without end.

So we know, our sufferings

and our joys

shall pass.

Until one day God gathers us into the home created for us.

Meanwhile there’s much to be done to surrender our wills to God’s

and work to give the essentials

of life to the millions

starving, who face

sure death

today.

The Whole Shooting Kaboodle-dom!

Not for us! But for Christ!

Friday, March 22, 2024

Just When We Thought

It Was All Ours!

We Pass Away Into Oblivion.

Psalm 102:26

They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment. You change them like clothing, and they pass away;

Colossians 1:16

… for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him.

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Words of Grace For Today

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We’ve taken dominion over the earth

and darn near ruined it into being an inhospitable wasteland, wherein we cannot survive much longer, or maybe we’ve crossed over the point of no return and it’s a done deal.

Our error, made new each day, is to assume God made it all for us.

But

God created it all for Christ!

Even us.

So that’s our place, not rulers but servants.

And once we surrender to that truth,

then Christ shares the blessings of life with us,

first and foremost the blessing of being blessings for others.

Walk On

Toward Justice and Love

Monday, March 18, 2024

Take a step in the right direction,

Towards the Light and Love

of Life.

Isaiah 10:1-2

Ah, you who make iniquitous decrees, who write oppressive statutes, to turn aside the needy from justice and to rob the poor of my people of their right, that widows may be your spoil, and that you may make the orphans your prey!

Matthew 7:12

‘In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.

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Words of Grace For Today

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What do we want?

What can we do?

Is it so hard to do for others, what we would want for ourselves,

and to do it first for others,

before expecting it will be done (by us or others) for us?

A small step away from injustice and towards the love that holds the universe together,

and gives life to every heart.

Ready

march

or rather walk on

by Grace alone.

Quietly

Running?

Thursday 8 February 2024

Quietly Wait Here,

Or

Quietly Run Here?

Lamentations 3:26

It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

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Words of Grace For Today

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Waiting

and

Running.

Not really things that are possible at the same time, or?

Running the good race set before us, the race of sharing the Good News with everyone, using out thoughts, words, and actions to point people to God’s Grace and steadfast love.

Waiting quiet;y on the Lord for the salvation that is promised to us.

Two different things, until one realizes that the only way to run the good race (with everything we’ve got) is to know that we can only wait for salvation. Salvation is not something we run towards, or earn by running, or receive after the race is won.

Salvation is something that God gives to us in God’s own good time.

And in God’s own way.

So that we are equipped for the race.

Which we certainly cannot run on our own, not at all.

Not at all.

So we

run

and

wait.

With thankful hearts and open minds to what God will bring us to do this day.

The Heavy Gift

Of Righteousness

Tuesday 6 February 2024

When Most of Life is Like

a Tumbled

Jumble

of Upturned Roots,

Where is Righteousness?

Exodus 19:6

… but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.

2 Timothy 4:8

From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

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Words of Grace For Today

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If only …

If only longing for something would make it so …

If only longing for something would make it so, the world would experience more chaos than even now.

But if God longs for something, then … well then it is going to happen, well maybe. And if we long for what God longs for then it will surely happen, or?

Then comes into play human freewill that makes love possible, and what God longs for most is that we freely choose to love, which means God does not make it happen, but waits for us to choose love, which can take a long time, too often more time than we have.

And God’s longing in not fulfilled.

Then we can long to love, but not choose it, and we are disappointed that God does not make it happen, forgetting that freewill is an essential part of love.

So we long for the Christ to appear, and that alone does not give us righteousness. Nor does our choosing to love God, our neighbour, ourselves, and even our enemies. Us receiving the crown of righteousness is wholly a gift.

Wholly and only a gift given to us.

Wholly and only a gift from God.

Wholly and only a gift given to us though we do not deserve it.

And that is something to celebrate, for the Christ is already arrived and here with us each day, and the crown that we do not deserve is ours,

though it weighs heavily on our heads

for with it comes the responsibility (response ability) to love

without condition or hesitation

all people and all of creation.

Just a little work for us each day, eh?

Confess

Our Proud Sins?

Tuesday 23 January 2024

Old Photo, Old Problem:

Confessing Sins.

Psalm 25:11

For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great.

Mark 2:5

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’

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Words of Grace For Today

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There is nothing more difficult for proud, rich humans to do than to admit their guilt.

There is nothing more difficult for proud, poor humans to do than to admit their guilt.

We spend so much time trying to make it look like we are good enough.

Only when we are assured that God will forgive us are we capable of being so bold as to confess our sins.

And then, as promised God forgives us.

So what are we to do with that forgiveness?

Live lives blessed by forgiving others, maybe?

Whaddayathink today is for?

Serving

One God

Thursday 18 January 2024

The Things That Make Life

Joyous

Are the Simplest,

And Free For the Noticing

First Kings 18:21

Elijah then came near to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.’ The people did not answer him a word.

Matthew 6:24

‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

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Words of Grace For Today

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Today’s world, as it always has been, promises that if we serve the ‘godlet’ of greed, money, and power, we will live a meaningful and happy life.

That ‘godlet’ competes in most people’s hearts with their fear and love of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

and thus most people are very unhappy, dissatisfied with this life for there is never enough money to secure happiness. There is only enough money to make one deluded that happiness is just around the next corner, where more money is available.

God comes and heals us of our every ill, including our fever of chasing wealth.

Also this day,

we pray, come heal us, that we may know the joy God provides to us each day.

Wrinkles

in Time

Preciously Lived

Saturday 13 January 2024

We Make Tracks That Disappear,

Just as We Do,

Quickly Forgotten?

Psalm 39:6

Surely everyone goes about like a shadow. Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; they heap up, and do not know who will gather.

2 Corinthians 4:16

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.

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Words of Grace For Today

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We can work all we want, as hard as we want, successfully (as we might think), gaining wealth and assets and stocks in the future (financial, power, or fame stocks, it matters not)

but we cannot know if we will be around to take harvest of all our hard work.

As each day passes our bodies (after 30 or so) stop growing and renewing themselves and slowly the process of dying takes over. While it can take 30 or so years before we are forced to notice how much dying has caught up with us, the process marches on, in step with the passing days, until

all that is left is a banana peel next to a grave and we slip away, to be food for the bottom of the food chain critters.

If we are aware of our slipping towards that banana peel moment, we may be somewhat aware of a few things more than most, yet

no one can see the flow of time in all its wonders encompassing galaxies and the tiniest parts of atoms.

We move like shadows against the cave wall, so unable to ‘see’ the full truth of life in this universe.

We live for a few years and then pass away, mere breaths in and then out by the universes billions of years.

Thankfully, amidst all our efforts to make our marks on the timelines that may even so be well forgotten so soon, God gives us purpose,

calling us

to receive great gifts, like breath, air, water, food, clothing, shelter, meaningful labours, and the ability to love and be loved.

All God asks is that we find our purpose to be to share those with others, so that no one passes through their wrinkle of time uncared for, unloved, un-valued as one of God’s creatures.

Another day, a wisp of time,

made real by love, real love.

The Way

Friday 5 January 2024

God’s Wonders For Us To Share Exceed All Our Expectations

Zechariah 8:21

… the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, ‘Come, let us go to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.’

Acts of the Apostles 16:15

When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.

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Words of Grace For Today

Spreading the word, by example, has been the Way.

The Way of Jesus, as Christians first called themselves.

Paul continued the Way, spreading the News of Jesus to all corners where he travelled, and when people heard, he baptized them.

Now sometimes people were so thankful that, like Lydia, they offered to give what they could in return. Lydia had a home to share with Paul, and Paul stayed there while he was in Philippi.

In other places, when people heard the Good News, even before Jesus’ time, people provided the example for others: “Come,” they have said, “let us go to entreat the favour of the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.”

So what are we doing today, if not sharing the Good News, inviting people to entreat the favour of the Lord …

oooopps something is wrong with that.

The Good News is we do not need to entreat the favour of the Lord. The Lord has given everything to invite us, by Grace alone, to receive forgiveness, renewal, and an abundant life.

All given to us, free.

All we have to do is not turn down God’s generous love.

Of course, we are so, so good at turning down, or turning away from God.

Good thing the Good News is that God is more ready and able to forgive and renew life in us over, and over and over again.

And that is the Good News,

that we have to share with all who will listen,

and just maybe,

in return they will help out those left behind and outside the fringe of society.

Our work is cut out for us,

again this day.

Isn’t it tough being gracious, kind, loving, and honest with everyone!