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

I am sure like us you will have heard this statement quoted many times over the years. It is common place to hear these words from our own perspective rather than His.

Recently I saw David’s statement in the Psalm quite differently and how wonderfully refreshing and encouraging it is.

As we  His people, delight ourselves in Him we will find His desires being placed in our hearts. What joy and fulfilment I will experience in knowing His desires in my life and this ensures that I continually delight myself in Jesus.

After sharing this with a close friend he opened up an even fuller revelation of this statement –  “It’s an amazing promise!  I used to share that ‘delight’ and ‘desire’ come from the same root word. Hence, if I delight myself in the Lord He becomes my greatest desire, and He gives Himself to me.” Wonderful reality, how very favoured and blessed we are.

May each of us find this to be our own experience of Jesus each day.

While in a low spiritual state he heard the words of a well known song;

“Cover me, cover me, extend the border of Thy mantle over me, because Thou art my nearest kinsman.  Cover me, cover me, cover me.”

This song is based upon the words of Ruth to Boaz;  “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.”  [3:9]

I won’t spoil the read if you get around to it but one particular part of the book stood out for us which I will endeavour to share with you.

When reading the Book we begin to see more and more the beautiful and unsurpassed glory of  God’s redemptive grace towards his people.  You and me. A casual glance at the word redemption may leave us with the thought that it is only the forgiveness of sins that we are offered.  However, that is only part of God’s redemptive plan and it is so much more than that.

“Redemption is that activity of the grace of God that not only forgives a man’s sins but also restores and overrules all the loss occasioned by his sin.” With God failure is never final.  How wonderful!  Let us shout it from the rooftops so that those caught in the web of deceit may be set free by the power of God’s redemptive love.

Charles Finney says that revival is nothing less than a series of new beginnings – God doing something again and if that goes wrong, doing it yet again.

We can be certain that God’s invitation to experience our nearest Kinsman-Redeemer covers all of our sin, condemnation and failure and pursues us relentlessly with a deep affection and unchanging love.

Well worn Boots

I remember a very special pair of boots that I had owned and worn for many long years.  They were so comfortable and walked many miles through all weather conditions. They finally had great holes in the sides and with much sadness I parted with these dear ‘worn’ friends that had protected my feet over many miles.

The wearing process started from day one but went by unnoticed for years as the heel slowly, almost imperceptibly wore on the one side and the sole of my boots began to wear very thin.  The tough leather began to give way as the stitches pulled out and the leather began to tear due to walking over rough terrain and regular use over time!

There is a story in this which I want to share with you.

Recently, I was made aware of the phrase in Daniel. “…the wearing down of the saints…”

Now, it goes without saying that we are living in very challenging times and there is a process of ‘wearing’ going on amongst the saints.  It is slow, often painful but over time it can go by unnoticed.  And we may be completely unaware of it’s  danger!

This wearing or eroding of the precious life of God within us can slowly but surely be replaced by fear, anxiety, irritability, unbelief and discouragement.  However, it does not have to be so for God’s people!

After a personal experience of  ’ feeling completely worn down’ I was drawn to these statements in Isaiah.

“…to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair…”

The Lord continued to encourage me. Don’t exchange beauty for ashes,  confidence in Me for fear and anxiety, Trust in Me for unbelief  and My Presence living and real for a dependence upon your own capabilities! We need not trade His power, perfected in our weakness for intimidation and lies.  There is no condemnation, only affirmation.

How good Jesus is and how completely trustworthy during challenging times like these.  It is no wonder we are told to “…guard our heart, for it is the wellspring of life…”

We can be refreshed and revitalized daily as we walk in step with the Lord.  Finally, I reflected on this statement made by Jesus which is for you and I today.

“Are you tired?  Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me.  Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you’ll learn how to live freely and lightly.” [TM]

How incredible that you and I have been called to BE FRIENDS OF GOD.  And, not just friendship with God but intimate friendship.  A deep and lasting relationship that comes out of knowing Him both personally and experientially.    John tells us that “our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” and Paul reminds us that “…we have been called into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ.”

I just love the thought that we can know God and yet never stop knowing Him. He is from everlasting to everlasting, eternal and immense in love for us.  There is a deep longing in the Father’s heart to spend time with us, having our undivided attention and to pour out His affection upon us.  It is no wonder that David the Psalmist cried out,  “Give me an undivided heart, that I might fear you…”

There is also the delight of the fruitfulness of such intimate friendship.  “But you, O God, are both tender and kind, not easily angered, immense in love, and you never, never quit.”

Dear friends, we are called to this relationship by the Father who longs for and has provided a way for us to experience daily intimacy with Himself.   He has cleared the way for us to know the immensity of this unique relationship.  Jesus has removed every obstacle in our lives and poured Himself into us.  He has whet our appetites by giving us a taste of what’s ahead.  There is nothing more important than to desire Jesus and enjoy the promise of  intimate fellowship with Him.  Best of all it is not for a select few……..

“I’ll be their God, they’ll be my people. They won’t go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God In Five Easy Lessons. They’ll all get to know me first hand, the little and the big, the small and the great.” [Hebrews 8 The Message]

Jesus shows us the Way

Jesus takes the lead in showing us what friendship is really all about. He models it for us in such a way that there should be no doubt in our minds what it looks like. “Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” And yet sadly, for many Christians, their world can be  one of the loneliest places to live and friendship with things rather than people becomes a priority. It doesn’t have to be like that. Jesus speaks plainly to us. “You are my friends if you do what I command.” He later says, “This is my command: Love each other.”

He sets the pace and then pours out his grace

“Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” This is the standard that Jesus sets for true friendship. Laying down our lives for our friends! Impossible for us, but, doable with his help. Jesus, knowing exactly what is in our hearts, looks us squarely in the eyes and says I want you to know how much I value your friendship. I want you to know just how much it means to me when you take the time to be alone with me. I desire to be with you more than anything else. You are always in my thoughts.

His Church is a family of friends whose hearts have been captivated by a higher affection and who are learning to lay down the unimportant things. May we be deeply encouraged and mindful of our calling to walk this way.

I know we know these things but as Peter says, “I have written them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.”

Colin and Joyce Langran

However, as easily as we were able to laugh and joke together we shared our hearts with honesty and openness. This aspect of friendship is vital and spurs us on in our relationship both with each other and the Lord. It is lovely to read in The Message about the Government of Affirmation. We affirm one another just as we live under this Government of Christ’s Affirmation. “And when God is personally present, a living Spirit, that old, constricting legislation is recognized as obsolete. We’re free of it! All of us! Nothing between us and God, our faces shining with the brightness of His face. And so we are transfigured much like the Messiah, our lives gradually becoming brighter and more beautiful as God enters our lives and we become like Him.” [The Message]

May new friendships be continually forged with this in mind and existing ones be continually renewed and deepened.

We have put together some photos of our time together including Abbotsbury and Clavell’s Folly and coastal path walk which must have been about six miles from start to finish. The weather was very good and just right for a day of walking and picnic lunch.

Abbotsbury Swan Sleeping

History
The Swannery was established by Benedictine Monks who built a monastery at Abbotsbury during the 1040′s. The monks farmed the swans to produce food for their lavish Dorset banquets.

St Peter’s monastery was destroyed in 1539 during the dissolution. Some of the ruins are still visible around St Nicholas’ Church in the village. Since that time the Swannery has been under the stewardship of the Ilchester Estates.

From mid May to late June hundreds of fluffy cygnets hatch from eggs in nests on or near the pathways. Many lucky visitors will take pictures of cygnets cracking out of their eggs within feet of the action!

Sadly, we only saw the eggs but no hatching!

The steep steps to Clavell's Folly

Our next outing was to walk up a steep path to Clavell’s Folly and then onward along the Dorset coastal path in Kimmeridge.  Clavell Tower also known as the Clavell Folly and the Kimmeridge Tower, rises some 35 feet above what is known as Hen Cliff. The cliff rises about 330 feet above the sea. There are always analogies in life and the climb to the top of the coastal path reminds us of challenges we face in life. He is there to give us the courage we need and best of all He is always with us. G.K.Chesterton was standing on a street corner in London when he was approached by a newspaper reporter. “Sir, I understand that you recently became a Christian. May I ask you one question?”

“Certainly,” replied Chesterton. “If the risen Christ suddenly appeared at this very moment and stood behind you, what would you do?” Chesterton looked the reporter squarely in the eye and said, “He is.”

We were invited around to Peer and Natalie’s home for a BBQ on the Sunday and enjoyed a relaxed time eating and sharing together. It is encouraging when folk want to share Jesus with each other in a ‘relaxed’ way. Colin shared a very encouraging story with us of a man living in J’burg who experienced the grace of God at work in his life in quite a different way that only our Father could orchestrate. He read Isaiah 35 to us from The Message and encouraged us to have prepared hearts whenever we come together. It was a very helpful time. It is certainly a day to encourage and affirm one another. Henri Nouwen said to a friend and I want to encourage you with these same words, “All I want to say to you is, ‘You are the Beloved,’ and all I hope is that you can hear these words as spoken to you with all the tenderness and force that love can hold. My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being – ‘You are the Beloved.’ “

Peer and Natalie Kaper

Thank you Peer and Natalie for opening your hearts and your home to a motley bunch of people who love Jesus with a passion. We truly experienced church life together on that day.

Gordon and Susan

The last year has been an amazing and challenging year to say the least!

The challenges I have faced have been immense in my business situation particularly.  There has only been so much I could do to solve the problems I faced; the final outcome has been dependent on factors outside of my control.  This has forced me to come to the place where I had to challenge myself on how much I really do trust Father.  Was I content to accept His plans and purposes for my life, my financial security and my future?  Or did I want to dictate to Father what I considered to be the best outcome to the challenge?  Was I willing to accept and live out the fact that Father’s plans are so much better than my own?  Could I rest in Him, content that He has my best interests at heart, even though they may not be what I consider to be my best interests!  Could I trust Him that His purposes and ways are far above mine?  After all, God has an eternal perspective.

I had to become totally dependent upon the Lord, “leaning my entire being in absolute trust and confidence in Him” as the Amplified bible paraphrases the word “trust”.  I remembered something He impressed on me recently: that independence from God is like rebellion because independence is reliance on self rather than God.  How Father longs for us to come to the place where we are content to trust Him in every aspect of our lives, to see Him as our provider in all things; to lay down our lives and our wills and to embrace His love and focus on Him rather than our needs and our crises.  In doing so God will be glorified rather than ourselves.

(Gordon and Susan travel between South Africa and Malta with the business and have two children Jono and Sarah. We have known them for over 25 years and they are very good friends. It is encouraging that no matter what your circumstances are He will provide the way to trust Him. We are looking forward to seeing them again sometime in this year.)

“Passion is not high emotion but a steely determination, fired by love, to stay centred in the awareness of Christ’s present risenness, a drivenness to remain rooted in the truth of who I am, and a readiness to pay the price of fidelity. To own my unique self in a world filled with voices contrary to the Gospel requires enormous fortitude. In this decade of much empty religious talk and proliferating Bible studies, idle intellectual curiosity and pretensions of importance, intelligence without courage is bankrupt.

The truth of faith has little value when it is not also the life of the heart.”

The one great passion in Jesus’ life was His Father. May He also be ours!

“PAUSE AWHILE, AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.” (The Jerusalem Bible)

“Today the heart of God is an open wound of love. He aches over our distance and preoccupation. He mourns that we do not draw near to him. He grieves that we have forgotten him. He weeps over our obsession with muchness and manyness. He longs for our presence.” [Richard Foster  "Prayer -Finding the heart's true home."]       MORE