Retreat with Jesus: Day 40

So 40 days ago when I looked forward at today's date I was excited to see it coincides with a major 'happening' in my life. I'm also delighted to discover it's pancake Tuesday! 

So the big event? Bri and I going away. We leave in about 10 minutes to get the coach to Heathrow and then onto Thailand where Bri is speaking at a conference and I have the blessing of tagging along! The conference is considering a 'World without orphans'.

The reading today is from Revelation 21 and verse 4 stands out for me as we go on our journey. One day we can be assured that this will happen.

"And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: of the former things are passed away."

For the moment, we do our part in partnering with Holy Spirit to see God's Kingdom and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
As we start another 40 days towards Easter maybe I'll post some more ponderings. For now….it's been fun having you along! God Bless you in the next 40!

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-nine

Penultimate day of the 40 day retreat and I find it hard to believe I got this far with the 'plogs'. If you've tracked with me through them all then THANK YOU - it's been such an encouragement:-)

The readings continue to challenge - I read todays in 'The Passion' translation. The cost of following Jesus is truly high if we should appear to hate our father, mother, wife, sister, brothers…even our own lives in comparison. Jesus wasn't into gathering huge numbers of followers - if he was he would have made following him much easier. If anything he discouraged the massive crowds of people by saying that they should count the cost. The illustrations He gave hint at our need for total dependency on Him regardless of the cost.

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-eight

There is much in this passage that reassures us that we do not need to be anxious about ANYTHING. Jesus gives us loads of examples to consider in light of God's creation that we are of more significance than some very valid, beautiful and precious things. A verse I was given at my baptism many years ago is ' Seek first the Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.' As we keep the main thing the main thing, life is put in perspective, worry and anxiety is obliterated, and we are released to live in true freedom. 

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-seven

This is the last one of the readings from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus famously taught some extraordinary and pretty controversial things. He had an 'unusual' perspective on life - different to that which most people in his day would have considered normal. They were familiar with the statement an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and Jesus invites them to revisit it. He proposes that if someone strikes you on the cheek, turn and let them strike you on the other. There is no suggestion of vindictiveness, rather, Jesus encourages us in humility, peace making and 'love like', forgiving behaviour. Imagine if the world lived with no more 'tit for tat - like' thinking!

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-six

The message translation puts today's reading in perspective. Jesus continued to address religious thinking by honing in on the significance of our words. "You don't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. In making your speech sound more religious it becomes less true." It's not of God (or the ONE who is 'LOVE') if we use words to try and get our own way. 'Don't say anything we don't mean' sums up the passage neatly.

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-five

Jesus raises the holiness bar so high in this passage that He makes it virtually IMPOSSIBLE for anyone to escape the hell of fire. The religious people knew the commandments yet Jesus reveals them at a whole new level. So where is the hope in this message? The hope is the fact that we know mercy triumphs over judgement. The law remains important in the Kingdom of heaven.  We are indebted to Jesus, for who can stand in the light of God's love and HOLINESS? If we want to live pure then it's better to lose a body part than to have our whole body thrown into Hell. 

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-four

A tough one today. When Jesus tells us that if we even think 'you cursed fool' we're unable to escape hell fire….it makes you think!  There is serious judgement at stake. To go and make peace with those  who may have been offended by us - is a small price to pay. Once done we can connect with God:-)

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-three

To have seen someone walking on water towards their boat must have been pretty freaky for the friends of Jesus! No wonder they thought it might have been a ghost. It was certainly supernatural! Peter then steps out of the boat and starts to walk towards Jesus in the supernatural realm of FAITH. Only thing is….. he stops looking at Jesus and notices the physical reality of sea and waves.  I love that Jesus INSTANTLY reaches out his hand to save him.  Sometimes our physical reality can cause us to SINK.  It's an encouragement to us that in those times, when we call on the Lord, we can be confident that he will instantly reach out his hand to help us.

Retreat with Jesus: Day Thirty-two

I find it odd how people can view following God's commandments as troublesome. Jesus summed up the law and prophets by summarising all God's laws into TWO and both of them had to do with loving. We love because he first loved us…Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. These two simple commandments address the essence and posture of the human heart. In them we could find the solution to our world's problems.