BOTH/AND

Do you ever get confused about how much we should talk about the grace of God in our lives and how much we should have self-confidence? Is it all Jesus or a partnership with Him?

The Apostle Paul was a man who, for various reasons, often re-affirms himself as an Apostle and a minister of the Gospel. A couple of those reasons were that he had a history of violence and hatred towards Christ's followers, and he was not one of the original twelve disciples. That's a fair bit of history to deal with!

I absolutely love the passage in Colossians 1 that talks about the pre-eminence of Christ... verses 15-18

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.

    He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

16 

for through him God created everything

    in the heavenly realms and on earth.

He made the things we can see

    and the things we can't see—

such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

    Everything was created through him and for him.

17 

He existed before anything else,

    and he holds all creation together.

18 

Christ is also the head of the church,

    which is his body.

He is the beginning,

    supreme over all who rise from the dead.

    So he is first in everything.

19 

For God in all his fullness

    was pleased to live in Christ,

20 

and through him God reconciled

    everything to himself.

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth

    by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

Yes, to Him goes all the glory and honour - absolutely!

But Paul begins this letter with a declaration of who he is..." Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God..." Then, in verses 24-29, he talks about his work as an apostle.

All this to say, God has chosen to work in partnership with humanity, and that partnership is hindered when we cannot own who we are in Him.  

So, please go ahead and revel in the glory of who Christ is... worship Him, give Him glory, but for the sake of His purposes on planet earth, don't hide behind false humility and say you are nothing - God Himself has chosen to partner with those who love Him to bring heaven to earth!

Paul's life, despite his humanity, is still impacting the world today. Imagine if he had hidden behind false humility and not gone ahead to do what he was called to do?

Go ahead, find out who He has called you to be, whatever that is, own it, and bless the world with it.
After all, we are only stewards of His grace.

And a final thought... you don't have to be an apostle; EVERY contribution to the Kingdom of God matters!

Until next time,

with love,

Lynda x

DON'T WASTE THE LEFTOVERS!

Are you the kind of person who focuses on the big picture, the big rock, or who loves the details? How do you cope with loose ends?  

I'm a big-picture, big-task type ... and I hate loose ends!

I was reading John 6 this morning, and verses 12-13 arrested my attention. I sat with it for a while, putting myself in the story. I would have been so happy and excited with the BIG miracle of the 5000 men being fed. After the meal, perhaps I would have asked, "What big miracle/task is next?"  

Jesus told them to 'Gather the fragments' (read, leftovers, crumbs, loose ends) 

Have you come to the end of a big season of service? I have.

Have you felt redundant? I have.

I encourage you and me that the Lord says there is still enormous value in the fragments! Whatever 'gathering the fragments' looks like in your world, take the time to gather them up.  

There wasn't enough when they started, but Jesus used what they had, and now they had 12 baskets full!   Gather the leftovers and offer them to Him. Imagine what He could do with that!

Stop looking back at what was and look around at what is left - it may look like crumbs, but it holds richness and value.

You're not redundant; you're rich, resourced and relevant!

With love,

Lynda xx