Isaiah’s song of praise

May 15, 2023

In Isaiah 12 he offers his personal hymn of praise. It is a great description of the joy the people will have when Jesus Christ comes to reign over the earth.

Rather that providing reflections on this passage, I will just let you read it for yourself…

Isaiah 12:1-6 NLT
[1] In that day you will sing: “I will praise you, O LORD! You were angry with me, but not any more. Now you comfort me. [2] See, God has come to save me. I will trust in him and not be afraid. The LORD GOD is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.” [3] With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! [4] In that wonderful day you will sing: “Thank the LORD! Praise his name! Tell the nations what he has done. Let them know how mighty he is! [5] Sing to the LORD, for he has done wonderful things. Make known his praise around the world. [6] Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy! For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you.”

Do I want live forever?

May 12, 2023

Someone asked me the other day, “Do you want to live forever and be really old?” We were talking about health, exercise and eating. My answer sort of surprised them.

I want to live a good long life, but more importantly I want to live the exact amount of days God wants me to live. That might be until I am 60, 80 or more.

I just want to exercise, eat good food and be healthy until God calls me home. I want to look after my family, serve God and keep growing until my time comes.

You see I really believe in eternal life. I believe we will all live for eternity. This is what we were created to do. Some of it is in this life we know now and most of it in the next life with Christ.

Life and death is really a win win. We have the gift of this life to live, love and serve God and we have the next life in eternity with Christ. Some of us will spend 60, 80 or more years here, then go to be with Him.

So yes I want to live forever. Some in this life, but most in the next with Christ.

Miracle movie inspires me

May 11, 2023

I just watched one of my favourite movies again – Miracle. No it is not about a miracle in the God’s Kingdom sense, but in a sport sense.

Miracle is a 2004 American sports film about the United States men’s ice hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, portrayed by Kurt Russell, who won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics.

There are a number of things in this movie I find inspiring.

  • The way the coach brings the team together and the different psychological tactics he uses.
  • How the coach did not just picked the best players, but the team he thought could win the gold medal. He wanted the right players.
  • How a team of young amateur players from very different backgrounds became a “family” and played for the name on the front of the jumper, not the back.
  • The way they all pushed themselves to get the absolute best out of themselves. As someone who skated the lines, I know how hard that can be. Look out for “again”.
  • And of course that they won. They beat the invincible Soviet team who had won gold at the previous five Olympics.

The thing that inspires me in this movie is not so much the end result of the gold medal, but the daily hard work, the struggles and the bonding the team does. It is more about the journey than the goal.

I am not sure how many times I have watched Miracle, but each time I get inspired. If you are interested you can find it on Disney.

Grace and change

May 5, 2023

I really like this from from today’s Our Daily Bread…

Moses, though now recognized as a great man of faith, also committed a shocking crime. After he witnessed “an Egyptian beating a Hebrew,” he looked “this way and that” and “killed the Egyptian” (Exodus 2:11–12). Despite this sin, God in His grace wasn’t done with His imperfect servant. Later, He chose Moses to free His people from their oppression (3:10). In Romans 5:14, we read, “Death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command.” But in the following verses Paul states that “God’s grace” makes it possible for us, regardless of our past sins, to be changed and made right with Him (vv. 15–16).

We might think that what we’ve done disqualifies us from knowing God’s forgiveness and being used for His honor. But because of His grace, in Jesus we can be changed and set free to help others be changed for eternity.