If we can take time out from our busy schedules and noisy days, dedicate a moment of meeting with God, and make those moments something to look forward to, we will find that God will meet us on the way. In my conversations with Him, I have found a new way of relationship that has veered me away from the religious liturgy that I have developed over the years. There are times of course, that we approach God in the appropriate way, in the ways that He has set in the protocol of things. Though we know Him in many facets, Father, being one of them, we must never be familiar with Him. I often check myself through conversational interludes as to how I must approach Him, depending on the type of conversation I am having at the time. This blog is not about introducing you to a new form of spirituality. It’s about breaking down structures and concepts and concentrating on your unique relationship with God, and listening to Him, instead of speaking to Him all the time. We can sometimes find ourselves focusing too much on being holy, by that I mean concentrating on being a good Christian, and neglect that being called out, is what we are meant to be. None of us is perfect. Each of us must walk our own path of faith. Through difficult times, in the valley of shadows, God is with us always. Every day is a day of grace and mercy. Each morning we awaken and find ourselves at the beginning of something new. Our day is uncertain. But we must know that God has made that day, and by His grace we walk in it. We must be thankful and show our gratitude to Him, and show Him this by living a life worthy of being called a child God. The book of Colossians 1:10 says: We pray that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. God gives us His Holy days when the body of Christ, as a whole, can meet with Him. These days are joyous and celebratory, and every student of the Master, Jesus Christ, should understand what these days mean for us and for the generation we are called to be part of. Each journey begins with a single step. I often say that you cannot steer a static vehicle. Our faith, therefore, should not be static and mindful only. It must be active. In the busyness of my day, concentrating on ministry work takes up most of it. On the first day of the week, I wake early and go for a quiet walk to meet with my Lord. It’s a part of what I do now. It’s when He and I have our quiet times, you could say. To be honest, I need them. A few months ago, my life changed. 2020 and the beginning of 2021, saw my working life, specifically, change drastically. The past several years were personally very stressful. I’ve always been a pretty chilled-out person, but this last year the stress just built up. I had to make the decision to bring my regular 9-5, working in care, to a defined stop. The events that followed proved my decision correct. I realised that now, more than any other would be the time to concentrate on what God has called me to do. I have been in God’s service for nearly twenty-five years, and now it was time to seriously put my hand to the plough that he has prepared for me in another field. I had saved enough to get me by, and so I took the time to rest and to finish writing a book which I had promised my grandchildren I would do, and also to initiate the development of a ministry project in this new field, that now lay open for me to enter. The lockdown of this past year has brought many changes for me and for all of us. The activities and trying to get things done, have been protracted and have indeed brought times of frustration, and have tried my patience. Through all of these times, I know that God has been teaching me valuable lessons. I must depend on Him one hundred percent, or not at all. My week is filled with meetings, studies, teachings, and fellowshipping, not to mention the amount of time spent writing. In all of this, I still have to find time for spending quality and valuable time with my family. How all of this comes together is only by the grace of God. There are of course, many struggles and difficult periods throughout the week. At times my prayer life can be intense and focused, but most of all, my time with the Lord is spent in general conversation throughout the whole day. Prayer is not taking up a particular attitude or dedicating a specific moment per se. It’s about the whole life given over to the worship of Him. Every day is different and brings its own challenges. These days, when there is so much turmoil and chaos around us, we need to take the time and stop, physically stop. It is only when we can hear the literal and subliminal noise around us that we realise how incredibly shocking the lack of it is when we stand in our newfound cocoon of silence. In scripture, this is akin to the tent of meeting. In that tent, we meet with God. He demands our focus and every distraction must be left outside the entrance. I am fortunate in that I can access some quiet acres of farmland on the suburbs of my city. If you can’t find somewhere like that, a place to find some early morning peace, then I encourage you to take a drive or a cycle ride out somewhere, and set off early, so that you can return early, and not have to travel through the building up of the traffic of both the human and the metal kind. Begin the week by giving the week to God. Trust in Him to lead you through every moment of every day. God is not afraid of meeting us where we are. He knows our thoughts and our words. He sees our needs and hears our cries. Our thoughts need to be shared with Him and He wants to speak and let you know what He thinks. He is my partner and friend and I want His opinion and direction. They are valuable to me, as precious as oxygen. This blog is about the conversations I have had with Him. His words are not for me but for all of us. I hope they will encourage you as you go along their path.
Shalom
Grant
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