Dear Hope. Faith.Love community, As we all know, Advent comes before the Christmas season. The Christmas season is then followed by New Year celebrations.
In all our celebrations, as part of the festivity, we exchange messages and greetings with friends and our beloved ones. Especially, as Christians, we celebrate the New Year with great enthusiasm, excited by what the Lord may have in store for us.
Toasting glasses at midnight (if still awake) and the fireworks high in the sky depict the New Year celebrations.
These celebrations signal that it is the time to start new and fresh in all parts of life. It is also an opportunity to reflect upon the past and plan for the future. At the start of a New year, we can better ourselves by making relevant changes.
In addition, the New Year also provides a fantastic opportunity to continually meet each other in Church for worship and to encourage one another in our faith journey into the New Year.
New Year is the right time to reschedule everything thoroughly, do better, and be better, to God’s glory.
At the start of the year, it is a time to enjoy the current moment forgetting the past worries of 2022 while looking forward with hope for 2023.
The New Year brings us many opportunities and adventures. On the occasion of the New Year, we say resolutions, get new things, prepare for the year ahead, work on new goals, etc., with expectations.
In the last 12 months, you may have experienced troubles, worries or lost a loved one, as I have.
The size, intensity and nature of your problem are no barriers to God’s healing power as long as your faith in God’s love for you remains intact.
Whatever you may encounter in the next year, Father God will be with you and help you overcome all your problems. God never said that your life’s journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile.
God will be with you, giving you peace of mind. So do not be afraid to face a new year.
This New Year has a lot of promises for us. So trust God, and everything will be well!
If God called you to a task in this new year, He would qualify you for the job, so keep trusting God. True faith means holding nothing back. It means putting all your trust and hope in God’s fidelity to His Promises.
True happiness is obtained through acts of kindness filled with love for loved ones, friends, neighbours, and even strangers. Consistent acts of unconditional kindness will ensure that this new year will be filled with many blessings.
With God as our leader, we may be prepared to live another year under His guidance and love.
I hope 2023 gives you immense joy and beautiful moments, creating memories to cherish in your heart.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
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Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog post!
Remember to live life on purpose, in Hope. Faith and Love
Paula Rose Parish💕
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
Unfortunately, Christians are among the suicide statistics. I recently heard about a friend who took his life just after Christmas. It didn’t make sense, but he must have been hurting desperately and wanting to escape the feeling of helplessness.
Caring for our mind, body and soul as Christians is a serious responsibility that God gives because we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Mental Health Foundation reports that 54% of UK adults are worried about their mental health or someone they know this Christmas.
As we approach Christmas, significant numbers of people are expressing their concern for the mental health of relatives (38%), friends (31%), partners/spouses (27%) and children (28%).
Psychological Health Care, based in Australia, reports that A third of Australians report that their relationships are negatively affected by Christmas due to work-life balance issues and financial concerns.
According to a new Pew Research Center survey, only 46% of Americans celebrate Christmas as primarily a religious rather than a cultural holiday.
Christmas is often thought to be a season of peace and good cheer; however, the opposite is true for many.
I live in the United Kingdom, where the suicide rate, domestic abuse, family estrangement and job losses peak during Christmas and New Year.
So instead of celebrating the birth of the saviour Jesus Christ (Christ- Christ-mascelebration) with joy, thousands are facing an uncertain future.
The expectations of celebrating Christmas, whether one wants to or not, can be enormous. As a result, researchers point out that the role of Christianity in Christmas is at an all-time low.
The ME Culture
Most have taken the ‘Christ out of Christmas and celebrate it as a regular holiday. When we are devoid of the original value of a long-held tradition of being Jesus Christ’s Birthday, we go down the rabbit hole of secularism that widely holds to the ‘me’ culture. If we are honest, we have fallen into that hole at times!
The ‘me’ ideal promotes one’s desires above all others. At the same time, the Christian ideal is to put others above oneself.
I include believing Christians in this following statement- have we lost the practical teachings of Christ to conform to the status quo? We have no wonder that even believers end their own lives, abuse or divorce those they promised to love and protect.
However, if you celebrate the Christmas season or don’t, you must care for yourself and those you love.
So, here are a few tips for your consideration.
Have Realistic Expectations
Christmas can become highly stressful when your grand plans float adrift. When things don’t go as you intended, tension between people can ensue. Instead of promising that this year will be the biggest, brightest, and best Christmas ever, permit yourself to have a less-than-perfect Christmas. Accept that you live in the real world where things go wrong- and this is normal!
Have a Back-Up Plan
Because things may not go as planned, having a plan B in your back pocket is wise. For example- have a pre-cooked meat joint or vegetarian option in the freezer that you can quickly defrost if needed. The same goes for desserts or other foods.
Plan Ahead
some people hold to the that Christmas Eve is their primary celebratory day. It has been my family tradition that the primary day is Christmas day. These days, I visit my family for Christmas; however, when they visit me, I cook as much food as I can the day before. I would arrange the house to accommodate extra people and set the table a day or two before. Pre- preparation allowed me to be more restful on Christmas day and enjoy friends and family company.
Avoid Debt or Overspending.
Pray before you buy. It is wise to Set a Budget and Stick to it! My family and I agreed that we would not spend a certain amount of money on each other. We also exchange our wish lists 4 – 6 weeks before Christmas day, which is helpful because it allows us to stay within our budget.
Also, the wish list helps because we buy gifts that are actually needed or wanted. Nothing is more disappointing for many people than giving a gift that will be returned or re-gifted.
Remember Christmas is about the Giver of life- Jesus Christ- which is the greatest gift anyone can possess.
Take Some Time Out
Ensure you take time for yourself daily to get away from your busyness. For example, getting yourself outside for a walk in the fresh air, and exercising, no matter how light, is a great way to boost your hormones, such as serotonin, which positively affects your mood. Equally, spending some quiet time in prayer elevates your mind from the pressures of constantly engaging with people.
What strategies do you employ to cope with the Christmas season? Let me know- and if this article was helpful to you, please let me know. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
Please subscribe using the banner as you come onto the site. Also, please follow this blog, and you’ll find a button on the lower bottom right and leave a comment with any questions or prayer requests.
Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog post!
Remember to live life on purpose, in Hope. Faith and Love
Paula Rose Parish💕
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
Being dyslexic, I find it difficult to type at any reasonable speed. Therefore, I have relied upon text-to-speech software for many years.
These last few months, I had to purchase a new PC as my old one was over 15 years old and not working well.
I had text-to-speech recognition installed software on the old computer, which I use for all my writing. But, unfortunately, the software had been lost and could not be reinstalled on my new computer because it was too old for windows 11.
That is when I discovered that windows 11 has software within the package. How delighted I am to write once again with dictation, and now I’ll be able to write more personal and reflective blogs.
Stress that is Destructive
I have always found typing stressful, and text-to-speech eliminates the stress altogether. It is just like sitting down and talking to you as if you were here with me in a normal conversation. The window is 11 Software package speech-to-text, which is very accurate and ended up only taking 5 minutes to adjust to my voice.
The software only misses some words because of my Australian accent; however, overall it is very good.
Stress is a terrible thing. But, unfortunately, one of the blights of humanity is stress. We get ‘stressed out when we don’t achieve our plans for the day, or what we think we deserve, or when things go wrong. We’re a living contradiction. We are our worst enemy, working at cross purposes against our best interest. We want meaning, purpose, and peace of mind.
Stress may affect our mind-body-soul connection, which may cause us to be socially withdrawn. When were highly stressed it is far easier not to be in the company of others, and be with oneself with one’s own thoughts.
This is important to be solitary from time to time; however, to make a lifestyle of it will only guarantee loneliness and despair. Sometimes we live our complete life every minute of every day under great stress that we’re so used to the feeling of struggle that we accept it as normal.
However, it is not normal, and that is why 1 Peter 5:7 encourages us to cast everything upon him because JESUS cares for us. The as he and other passages in the Bible indicate to us that the lord does not want us to be stressed out simply because it is not typical for any of us, whether we are believers or not, to live a stressful life. New International Version
Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
Pleasure Relieves Stress
Pleasure is a good thing, and we need to have some fun; however, it’s not the be-all, end-all that we imagine it to be, and we become disappointed with our life and can’t put our finger on why. But, again, it’s about expectations; we become stressed when they are unmet.
For example, when we are having fun, and the pleasure we feel comes to an end, we want to chase after it, trying to create familiar feelings of joy. Sometimes we try to recreate experiences at a considerable cost to ourselves; we try to convert momentary pleasure into something permanent.
When life goes wrong, we try to fix it by increasing the feel-good factor and striving to make it stay with us, but we can’t do it. So, when we are stressed, we search for ways to make ourselves happy, often unwisely.
No matter how hard we try, we cannot make what is temporal permanent or make what is imagined real.
We can’t get back our loved one who is gone, the job that fell through our fingers or even the children who have become adults and their lives absent from us.
Also, it’s worth noting that the COVID-19 pandemic has taken its devastating toll, and we will never get back what we lost.
Faith and Mindfulness
Several hundred years ago, along with other religions, Christianity began engaging the West in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.
Although it was not named as such, that is precisely what it is; the aim, objective, and results are the same. In mindfulness practice, if one removes the idea of God, it still works. However, I prefer to still relate to God mindfully because it helps me to focus my mind, body, and spiritual person.
In its purest form, mindfulness is simply trust/faith in God’s ability to help you through whatever it is you are experiencing.
Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed) and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].
Mindfulness is also in the NOW. It is about appreciating what is right in front of you- NOW.
And faith is trusting in God Now- not tomorrow that is hope- faith is NOW
The World Borrows God’s Ways.
Science is Good because God invented it. However, it’s such a shame that today the creator- God is taken out of the equation. The scientific evidence of the success of mindfulness in enhancing human life is overwhelming, and for those interested in their wellness, we cannot ignore it.
Various professional disciplines and social movements, such as medicine and health care, psychology and brain science, and education at all levels, the law, business, leadership, and much more, enhance their practice by inserting mindfulness into their daily routine.
Today’s mainstream medicine is developing an ever-growing interest in mindfulness-based intervention, such as Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).
We can practice mindfulness for peace of mind and to relieve a wide range of chronic medical conditions.
It is much like snowmelt flowing inevitably downhill from a high mountain source, flowing around obstacles, finding many pathways under the gentle tug of gravity, and ultimately merging into significant river systems. The gravitational pull promises liberation from suffering and the potential safe harbour.
The Whole Person
Christians often forget that we are holistic beings of mind, body and spirit, and God ministered to the whole person. Therefore, as humans, we need to prepare for spiritual awakening to embody well-being, greater wisdom, and wise action in our individual lives.
In other words, mindfulness can become a normal and natural way to live your life, and the feeling of well-being is inevitable. Living a mindful life as Jesus Christ did would not end our frustrations but the beginning of successfully managing them.
Jesus gave us the answer to our stress and said don’t chase after things that are here today and gone tomorrow, but rather, strive for eternal things. Eternal things are more satisfying, like top-quality peace, joy, and love, that only God can supply. Mindfulness can help us to pursue eternal things naturally and consistently by focusing on the NOW.
Trying to hold onto relationships or things that are gone will leave you stressed and keep you grieving for as long as you hold onto them. All human relationships, albeit long-term, are temporal and subject to the joys and pains of this life; our lives are so fragile and short.
The only permanent relationship that is forever is a relationship with God offered to us through Jesus Christ.
In my work, I aim to empower others with education and motivation to help them make a purposeful and happy life in Jesus’s love.
In addition, I enjoy helping you to set holistic wellness goals and provide resources, helping you determine which changes would make the most significant impact on your life.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
Please subscribe using the banner as you come onto the site. Also, please follow this blog, and you’ll find a button on the lower bottom right and leave a comment with any questions or prayer requests.
Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog post!
Paula Rose Parish💕
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
That must have come as a great relief to Jesus in that he had lately been pummelled with one tricky query after the next.
If ever there was a group of people who were invested in the so-called “Gotcha” kind of question, the religious authorities of Jesus’ day were it.
FIRSTLY, The point that is made here is with just 2 brothers marrying the same woman, but just for effect, the Sadducees crank up the scenario to seven grooms for one woman, which alludes to an OT story.
This scenario is almost childish. It’s the kind of thing my kids would have done when they were about 9 years old, exaggerating the point just to get your attention.
The purpose of the Sadducee’s question was to mock Jesus.
If you think that someone has silly ideas or a stupid stance on a given issue, then one way to reveal your opinion is to construct an absurd scenario and try to force the other person to enter it while trying to answer your question. It’s a sinful thing to do, and it’s unfair.
The Sadducees thought the idea of resurrection to be foolish.
Since Jesus was a prominent teacher, they thought it would be fun and instructive to publicly humiliate him and so they invented their over-the-top scenario that exploited the old Israelite practice of marriage.
Jesus, of course, wriggles out of the question by challenging its entire premise.
The Sadducees wanted to make resurrection look senseless by showing the impracticality of what to do with people who had been married more than once in this life.
Jesus simply challenges them that marriage as we now know it has nothing to do with life in the kingdom of God.
Essentially Jesus said, “Whoever told you marriage would be part of life in a post-resurrection existence?” That left the Sadducees with egg on their faces.
SECONDLY, In preaching on this text, there is a temptation to make it some kind of textbook on sexuality and marriage in the kingdom of God. It seems likely, however, that if we make too much of Jesus’ words here on marriage in the kingdom, we will be guilty of the error of the Sadducees all over again.
That is, we will believe things that are not explicitly taught. We are probably better off saying no more than what Jesus teaches here, which is that we should not assume that life in the kingdom of God will be just like life here.
Yes, there is good biblical evidence for the idea that the kingdom will include a new earth and so we should not always envision heaven (as we tend to do) as some ghostly, non-physical domain that will be devoid of mountains, rivers, clouds, and songbirds.
But even so, we need to remember that the mysteries are yet to be revealed. We need to understand exactly what our bodies and being will be like in the life to come, which is not clear.
What we need to be content with, is the line in Luke 20:36 where Jesus reminds us that we will be “God’s children” in that life to come. And if that is not enough for us, I don’t know what would be!
“And no one dared ask him any more questions.”
It probably was a relief for Jesus to get to that point.
Thirdly, 2 Thess 2:13-17 This is where God grounds us.
Paul reminds us that God loves us. God has given us eternal comfort and good hope through grace. Paul prays for “eternal comfort” and “good hope”. This comfort is unbreakable, and from eternity past to forever more. What will be in the future- will be and we can’t alter it.
But here and now- Our hope is in God’s promise to save and glorify us in the resurrection with Christ. God is good on his promises. This hope is certain, sure and it is true. We can rest on it. This comfort and hope come through grace.
We rest on God’s grace towards undeserving sinners. We have comfort even in the attack of chaos because God’s grace is behind our salvation.
We have a sure hope of God completing his salvation because God’s grace is behind it.
LASTLY,
If you wondered how you are going to stand firm all the way, remember that it is by God’s grace, we have no hope in ourselves….. HC…….
We will hold fast. The resurrection is by God’s grace… Paul is most concerned with our hearts. He prays for us to be divinely comforted and established in good works. We too can pray this way today, that our hearts are comforted by God, and we be used for every good work and word by God to the glory of Christ.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
If it was, please subscribe using the banner as you come onto the site. Also, please follow this blog, and you’ll find a button on the lower bottom right and leave a comment with any questions or prayer requests.
Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog post!
Paula Rose Parish💕
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
When you were a child, did you sing this song in Sunday school? I never went to Sunday school regularly so I didn’t know this song at all.
It’s a catchy tune, and children seem to love it.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man, A wee little man was he,
He climbed up in a sycamore treeFor the Lord he wanted to see.
And as the Saviour passed that way,He looked up in the tree,
And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down, For I’m going to your house today, For I’m going to your house today.”
Folk tells me they loved that song and found the thought of a wee little man amusing.
We loved it, in part, because the wee little man–small like us–was the hero of the story.
They sang about the “wee little man,” we held our thumb and forefinger about an inch apart to show how small he was.
it is an amusing, happy story:
Amusing, because it involves a short but rich man climbing a tree to see Jesus.
Happy, because it shows Jesus welcoming this man whom nobody else liked. It says that Jesus saved him–brought salvation to his house–restored him to be a son of Abraham.
And it is also a happy story because of the last verse. In the last verse of the story, Jesus talks about you and me. Listen to what he says:
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost” (v. 10).
That’s you. That’s me. We were lost. Jesus came to save us.
Of course, in this story, Jesus was referring to Zacchaeus, who was lost. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and was probably dishonest. People hated him.
If we needed reasons to hate Zacchaeus, we could surely find them. Zacchaeus had probably gotten rich by overcharging poor people.
But God didn’t want to damn Zacchaeus to hell. God wanted to SAVE him! That is the happiest part of this story. Zacchaeus didn’t deserve to be saved, but God WANTED to save him. We know that because of something that Jesus said. When Jesus spotted Zacchaeus up in the sycamore tree, he said:
“Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for today I must stay at your house” (v. 5).
For Jesus to single out Zacchaeus conferred great honour on Zacchaeus. Jesus was popular. People loved him. People wanted to hear him–to touch him–to get near enough to him so that even his shadow would touch them.
Jesus was a great celebrity. For him to go to Zacchaeus’ home was like having the King come to lunch. It was hard to imagine such an honour. It would have been especially hard for Zacchaeus to imagine that Jesus would come to his house because everyone knew that Zacchaeus was a sinner.
If Jesus were going to honour someone with a visit, surely, he would honour a saint! But no! Jesus decided to honour this sinner! Amazing!
Jesus Fulfils His Ministry
Jesus explained his visit this way. He said, “Zacchaeus…, today I MUST stay at your house.”
This little word, “must,” is important. In the original Greek, the word is dei (pronounced day-ee). Dei suggests a Godly duty. When Jesus says that he MUST stay at Zacchaeus’ house today, he means that God has called him to do this.
It was God’s providence when that Jesus spotted Zacchaeus sitting up in the sycamore tree. Just as Zacchaeus was trying to see Jesus, Jesus was trying to see Zacchaeus. Jesus was looking for Zacchaeus, because he had a God-given duty to seek him and to save him.
The crowd didn’t get it. They grumbled, “He has gone into stay with a man who is a sinner” (v. 7).
But Zacchaeus got it! When he realized what Jesus was doing for him, he welcomed Jesus with JOY!
The Greek translation says that Lazarus welcomed Jesus with JOY! Zacchaeus could hardly imagine that Jesus would honour him by visiting his house, and his heart was full of JOY!
And then Zacchaeus, in his great JOY, said:
“Behold, Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor.If I have wrongfully exacted anything of anyone,I restore four times as much.” (v. 8).
We are in chapter 19 of Luke. In chapter 18, Luke talked about Jesus’ encounter with another rich man–a rich man who refused Jesus–a rich man who loved his money more than he loved Jesus–a rich man who went away sad when Jesus told him to give his money to the poor.
Now Luke tells us this story about Zacchaeus, another rich man–but one who loves Jesus–a man who in his JOY at meeting Jesus decides to do something that Jesus has not even asked.
He VOLUNTEERS to give half of his money to the poor, because he loves Jesus more than he loves money.
He loves Jesus because of the JOY that Jesus has given him by singling him out–because of the JOY that Jesus has given him by coming to his house–because of the JOY that Jesus has given him by loving him.
Then Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house” (v. 9). TODAY! Not tomorrow! Not next week! Not in the eternal hereafter! But TODAY! It has already happened. Zacchaeus has been saved–restored as a son of Abraham–restored as a child of God.
Today salvation has come
And it isn’t just Zacchaeus who was saved. Jesus says, “Today salvation has come to this house.” He means that Zacchaeus’ family has been saved too.
Jesus even lays the groundwork for the salvation of the community. They will see that Zacchaeus means business. They will see him give money to the poor. They will see him make restitution. They will see him begin to treat them fairly. They will begin to trust him. This rich and powerful man will become an honoured, beloved member of the community.
Who knows what wonderful things he will do! That is part of what Jesus means when he says, “Today salvation has come to this house.”
And then, in the last verse, Jesus explains. He says, “For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.” That’s Jesus’ job! That’s Jesus’ calling!
The Lord started seeking to save us before the creation of the world (See John 1:1-18)
the Lord has been seeking us since BEFORE the day that he separated the waters from the dry land–since BEFORE the day that he set the sun in the sky.
The Lord has been seeking us since BEFORE the beginning of time.
He has been seeking to move us from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of JOY!
And Jesus has been seeking you!
The Lord needs to seek out to save the lost–and you were lost–so he is seeking you. He is seeking to move you from the Kingdom of Darkness to the Kingdom of JOY! So, respond to him with joy.
Lord Jesus, this is my simple prayer to you. I know that I am a sinner and that I often fall short of the glory of God. No longer will I close the door when I hear You knocking. By faith, I gratefully receive Your gift of salvation. I’m ready to trust You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for coming to Earth. I believe You are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank You for Your forgiveness of sins and for giving me the gift of eternal life. I invite Jesus to come into my heart and be my Savior. In the name of Jesus, Amen.
Thank you for visiting me here; I hope this post was helpful.
If it was, please subscribe using the banner as you come onto the site. Also, please follow this blog , and you’ll find a button on the lower bottom right and leave a comment with any questions or prayer requests.
Virtual hugs, I look forward to your visit to my next blog post!
Paula Rose Parish💕
🖤Want to help support me as an author?
✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust;
📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses.
Psalm 66:1-7 Turn, Lord, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. 5 Among the dead, no one proclaims your name. Who praises you from the grave?
A white dog walks into a butcher shop, and in his mouth, he is carrying a purse. He puts the purse down and sits in front of the meat counter. “What is it, boy?” the butcher jokingly asks. “Want to buy some meat?” “Woof!” barks the dog. “Hmm,” says the butcher. “What kind? Liver, bacon, steak …” “Woof!” interrupts the dog. “And how much steak? Half a pound, one pound …” “Woof!” The amazed butcher wraps up the meat and finds the money in the dog’s purse.
As the dog leaves, the butcher decides to follow. The dog enters an apartment house, climbs to the third floor, and begins scratching at a door. The door swings open, and an angry man starts shouting at the dog. “Stop!” yells the butcher. “He’s the most intelligent animal I’ve ever seen!” “Intelligent?” says the man. “This is the third time he’s forgotten his key this week.” He was not thankful.
Contrast that to the story of Jed who worked in London. Every morning, he encountered a bedraggled, middle‑aged woman asking for spare change in front of a shop. She greeted everyone with a smile and a pleasant “Good morning.” Jed always gave her a little something.
After a while, the woman disappeared, and Jed wondered what had happened to her. Then, one rainy day, the woman was in front of the shop again, still looking the same. As Jed reached into his wallet for the regular donation, the woman refused the money and said “Thank you for helping me all those days,” she said. “You won’t see me again because I’ve got a job.” Then she slowly reached into a bag and handed Jed a wrapped package. She had been standing at her old spot waiting, not for a handout, but for all the people she recognized so that she could give each of them a wrapped brownie she had made. She was thankful.
Letter to those exiles (taken as slaves to a Foreign Land) in awful circumstances “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have children; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so they too may have children. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”
The lesson for us here is to be thankful even in difficult circumstances. This kind of thankfulness is faith.
I think the story of the Ten lepers is crucial for us, and if we read the story too quickly, we miss vital truths. So slow it down, and picture it with me.
We start with ten men who have the worst disease of their day. The physical ramifications are horrendous. Leprosy attacks the body, leaving sores, missing fingers, missing toes, and damaged limbs.
In many cases, the initial pain of leprosy gives way to something more terrible than that – a loss of sensation in nerve endings, leading to more damage to more body parts. The disease can take 30 years to run its course; in that period, entire limbs can simply fall off. It is, assuredly, a most horrible disease. It is impossible to understand what it was like 2,000 years ago when medical treatment as we know it today was almost non-existent. In her book Jesus the One and Only,
It’s hard to imagine the emotional pain of a leper. I should imagine it must have been even worse than the physical pain. As a result, the leper was removed from their family and community – everyone!
It must be heart-wrenching when there could be no contact whatsoever with any non-leperous person.
The leper is wholly removed from family and society for fear that they, too, would become afflicted.
Lepers tended to roam together, looking for food and begging for assistance with a loud voice from a great distance. It must have been horrible for them.
And yet, in this account, ten men encounter Jesus and hear him say the most unusual thing. “We want to be well!” they scream at Jesus. And the great teacher responds, “Go and show yourselves to the priest.”
The local priest had duties other than leading worship on each Sabbath. He was also a health official, and if a person was miraculously healed of leprosy, it was the priest’s job to inspect the body, test for complete removal of the disease, and announce the person healed.
If the person were pronounced clean, they were cleansed, and after, it would be fine for the leper to see his wife again, hold his daughter again, and look for work again. If the priest gave him the OK, he would be considered healed!
Jesus says to these lepers, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” They look down at their bodies. The hands of one man are still mangled. Another man looks at his leg, which ends with a filthy rag at the knee. Another looks at his skin and finds it as repulsive as ever.
In other words, all these men were no better off than they had been ten minutes earlier when they had first spotted the famous teacher.
And yet, they headed off in search of the priests. And on their way, they were healed. So we can imagine that as they were On their way to the priests, a hand emerged from a stump and tingled with life. A crutch suddenly falls to the ground, and the leg was back, healthy, whole, and complete.
The skin cleared, and the tiny hairs on their forearm turned from snow-white to brown. One looked at the other, another looked at the rest, and the screaming started. Then, the smiles broke into tears of joy – the nightmare was finally over.
But for the miracle to happen, these men had to start walking in faith before their circumstances changed one tiny bit.
Is there a more powerful lesson for us here?
You cannot wait to start walking in faith until your problems are over.
You cannot put conditions on the holy God. You cannot say, “Lord, as soon as there’s enough money, I follow your instructions.” You cannot pray, “Lord, if you’ll just solve this issue in my family, I’ll start to church.” You cannot put conditions on God!
Instead, God places a demand for faith on us before anything at all has changed.
God might say, “Love me despite the disease. Obey me despite the lack of talent or the lack of resources. Follow me now, despite the depression and pain. Say no to the temptation while it still is difficult. Instead, praise me in the darkest of nights and in the worst of circumstances.”
This is the nature of God, who loves you so much; he will want you to be thankful when nothing about your circumstances gives you that motivation.
My friends, that are the very definition of faith. If you praise God only on the good days and in the best of circumstances, it would not be faith. That would be more like a business arrangement!
Some of you are in horrible circumstances right now. Will you be thankful despite the difficult circumstances? If so, you will be living by faith.
This week, be sure to acknowledge God for his goodness.
Be sure to be thankful.
Be sure to gather everyone up for a prayer of Thanksgiving that is a real prayer of thankfulness.
Do not miss the opportunity to serve and worship God this week.
Great was your sacrifice to go before us and bring forgiveness and hope.
By your stripes, we ask for healing. Standing within your reign and rule, we ask for restoration.
My life and wellness grow in fullness until it overflows.
Amen. Silence
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Paula Rose Parish💕
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I have been a believer in Christ since 1976 and a Minister of Word and Sacrament since 1980. Over the past 30 years or so, I have lived and ministered in different countries and cultures. Christians cross-culturally share many things in common, one of which is the struggle to adhere to regular Bible study.
In this post, I share a study I wrote many years ago for a small group that met each week. These folk were hungry to learn more of the Bible; however, those attending this Bible study comprised 1% of the congregation.
As I talk to my Minister/Clery colleagues, this is a common problem. So the question remains and can not be answered quickly: How do we motivate people to engage in serious, regular Bible study?
I hope this short article may hold a few answers for you.
People must be motivated before they will study a subject. Christians have all the reasons they could possibly need to study the Bible. Consider a few. As you do, note the emphasis on regular, frequent study.
#1: Study so you can obey God and grow in His service.
Joshua 1:8 – Success in pleasing God requires obedience. To obey, we must meditate on God’s word day and night. Frequent, regular study is required.
1 Peter 2:2 – Can a baby grow without nourishment? No, and neither can Christians grow without Bible study. Do we long for the word like a baby longs for milk if we neglect to attend assemblies or study at home?
(See also 2 Tim. 2:15; Rom. 10:17; Matt. 4:4; John 6:44,45; 2 Peter 1:12-15.)
#2: Study so you can avoid error and false teaching.
Hosea 4:6 – God’s people were destroyed for lack of knowledge. Many Christians and congregations have been led astray by error and false teaching. To avoid this we must put teachers to the test (1 John 4:1,6). How do we do this unless we know God’s word (Gal. 1:8,9)?
Acts 17:11 – The Bereans distinguished truth from error because they studied the word. To imitate their example, we must study “daily.”
(See also Matt. 22:29; 15:14; Prov. 2:1-20; Rom. 10:1-3.)
#3: Study so you can teach others.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – Parents should teach their children diligently through the day. This requires us to first have God’s word in our own hearts. How can we teach what we do not know?
Hebrews 5:12 – The time comes when we ought to be teachers, but these had not studied so they needed others to teach them! There is no excuse for Christians who do not study. Teachers know they need to study. If you are not a teacher, you must study to prepare yourself to become a teacher!
(See also 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Tim. 1:7; 1 Peter 3:15; Col. 3:16; Rom. 15:14.)#4: Study to express love for God and His word. Psalm 1:2; 119:47,48,97-99 – One who delights in God’s word will meditate on it day and night. The time we spend thinking about God’s word indicates how much we love Him. Those who truly love Him will not complain about “having to go” to worship services or prepare for Bible classes. (See Psalm 19:7-11.)
John 14:15 – If we love God, we keep His commands (cf. 1 John 5:3). But obedience requires knowledge. So one who loves God must study His word.
Look at it this way, suppose a young lady is separated from her boyfriend. He writes every day, so she prominently displays his letters on the coffee table. But they sit there for days before she opens and reads them. Does she really love him? No, we want to hear from those we love. The Bible is your only way to hear from God. How much do you love Him? If we studied all subjects as negligently as some people study the Bible, we would surely be ignorant people. On the other hand, if we would study the Bible as diligently as some people study sports, hobbies, etc., we would all be excellent Bible students. How much more important is it to understand the Bible than to understand secular subjects?
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
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Psalm 23 Verse 3b-he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
I was living in Oklahoma USA when without warning, Dan my husband and father of our four children announced he was leaving our family. He grabbed everything in sight and crammed what he could into the family car. With panic and terror in my heart and voice, I cried out-you can’t leave us with no money! (he had exclusive access to our bank account). With a smile, he slowly reached into his pocket and drew out a single dollar. As he gave it to me, he said, don’t let anybody tell you that I never left you with any money and then disappeared into the night.
That was 1994, and from that date to this, neither I nor the children have seen him again. Dan did not explain his reasoning for leaving, we were terrified, not knowing what the future would bring.
A year later, the week of my 40th birthday, the children and I were living in the UK. To my surprise, my youngest son, who was six at the time, received a letter from Dan his father. The letter was bizarre, not at all one that should be written to a six-year-old. However, through this letter we learned the reason for his abandoning us. The letter stated that he left us to start a new life with another woman. This woman, he explained, was younger, prettier, and smarter than me, and had no children to hold him back. He wrote that it was God who told him to leave because the burden of wife and children were hindering him from God’s perfect will. To his absolute shame, he used God as a justification for his actions. The reality was, unbeknown to me, that for some time he was in having committing adultery even though he professed to be led by God.
The truth is that our Shepherd- God, only leads us in the path of righteousness, not into paths of the unrighteousness of sin. My now ex-husband, was on an unrighteous path leading to nowhere-land and blamed the children and me instead of taking culpability himself. To avoid any responsibility in the matter, he put the onus on God and us. The story that God told him to leave was of course, fabricated.
Dan did this I believe, so he could be free from blame and the judgement of others. Sadly, some people believed his lies for a time because he was so convincing, which is a typical personality of a narcissist. This kind of behaviour has nothing to do with Gods of love revealed to us in the Bible, but a false god of one’s own making. This was a God of Dan’s own making, created by his selfishness, delusion, and sin. In the shock of our sudden loss, we grieved and felt the loss deeply, our lives were never the same again.
Be Wise in What You Do
Decision making when we are distressed is tricky. It is so tempting to make kneejerk choices like Dan did, without fully considering the consequences. We can be fooled into thinking that so-called well-meaning folk have our welfare at heart. There are scammers out there who make offers that we may interpret as being an answer to prayer, but we need to be alert and discerning. If the paths they offer do not lead to righteousness, they will lead us to sin.
Be watchful, if there is something that does not rightly benefit you, your family, future, or anyone else, do not do it! One great rule is- if in doubt- don’t! If you smell something fishy, trash it immediately. When the red flags come up, take notice of them, because God only leads us on the paths of righteousness. Satan appears as an angel of light but is really our foe. Satan’s job is to cause us to detour onto the unrighteous path, bringing us to eventual destruction.
The opportunity you’ve been offered may look incredible, far too good to be missed, it appears as an angel of light. It may be an opportunity on a new relationship, more money a new job or something illegal. Whatever it may be, every one of us can be fooled into believing that this is a good thing, eventually only to find it is nothing but ashes. The best person in the world can be tricked and fall for the promises of a persuasive individual. What are we to do?
The paths that God has chosen for us are clearly marked out for us in God’s Word. No path of righteousness, for example, will ever pass through the field of extramarital sex. No path of righteousness will ever travel over the ground of gluttony, or slander, or dishonesty, or to engagement with anything illegal. The righteous path will not lead us away from the Ten Commandments.
Exodus 20 New International Version
The Ten Commandments
20 And God spoke all these words:
2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
13 “You shall not murder.
14 “You shall not commit adultery.
15 “You shall not steal.
16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”
THIS ARTICLE IS AN EXTRACT FROM MY BOOK PSALM 23 UNWRAPPED NOW AVAILBLE IN SOFT COVER ON AMAZON- SOON TO BE AVAILABLE ON KINDLE.
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Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren and lives in South Wales, UK.
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Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
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This is an extract from CHAPTER 3 of the book I wrote called Psalm 23 Unwrapped available on Amazon- Enjoy!
I Have All I Need
We have explored the God is our Shepherd in the first part of verse one. Now we will examine the second part and ask the question – why do we have no need?
Needs are a part of our human existence. From the time we draw in our first breath to our last, we have needs. Humanity has one main thing in common, and that is to fulfill our needs so we can survive and thrive. When David says “I shall not want” he is acknowledging how completely reliant he is on God as his Shepherd. “I shall not want” because God, as a good shepherd, will ensure I have everything I need. “I shall not want,” not because of what I have done or can do, but because God loves me. “I shall not want” because I know God personally as Shepherd. This is comforting indeed and makes sense in the light of the first part of this verse. However, what might this look like in the highs and lows of everyday life?
Social scientists, Medics, philosophers, and theologians alike, tell us that the fundamental human needs are not recognized as every little individual need, but as a category of needs. It is generally recognized that there are seven categories of basic human needs, as shown below. These needs are interrelated and form a system that may look slightly different for each individual, and yet these needs are the same in all humans across all cultures and at all times. People in different periods of life will fall at various places on the scale of needs. This is the reason why there is no set order, which is why I have not numbered them. However, to remember what these categories are, the categories of requirements are represented by S.U.C.C.E.S.S,
Subsistence
Understanding and growth
Connection and love
Contribution
Esteem and Identity
Self-governance (Autonomy)
Significance and purpose
I will take the point individually to untangle their meaning, determine the relevance to us, and where verse 1b fits into all this. You will find the meaning of the other points in my book, Psalm 23 Unwrapped available on Amazon
Subsistenceis the need for survival, safety, security, self-care, structure, and control. Generally, it incorporates everything needed to sustain life. This includes physiological needs like food, water, air, breathing, excretion, reproduction, warmth, shelter, rest, and sleep. Personal security, work, resources, property, and health are the to thrive. It also covers self-care needs, like leisure, entertainment, healthcare, etc.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, cases of depression, alcohol and drug abuse, and suicide have significantly increased across the world. In order to survive and thrive, we have the need to control the structure of our lives making us feel safe and secure. During the pandemic, we have experienced imposed locked downs and unwanted social restrictions. The control and structure of daily life have, on the most part, been taken away, which has increased our vulnerability to negative influences. Therefore, finding help to put back a secure structure of some kind is especially important. It has been said that people search for meaning in religion at the most vulnerable times in their lives. This is true.
We need to accept that our need for control and certainty is always unsettled because we live in an ever-changing world. The only thing we can guarantee is that change will happen. The people around us and our environment are always changing, and we can become exhausted with it all. However, change can be of benefit, and very often, it is not until we run out of our own resources do, we then search for something outside of ourselves, and many people look to God.
Jesus taught the eight beatitudes, which are in essence, about beautiful attitudes. We find these in the gospel of Matthew:1-12. Beatitude 1 v 3 says this… “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “
The poor in spirit are those who feel a deep sense of spiritual destitution and need before God, and so recognize the need for God’s intervention in their lives. Another word for this is ‘humble’. Humbleness is an intentional approach to gaining meaning and purpose. The kingdom of heaven is theirs, because they seek it, and therefore find and abide in it. In order to find the kingdom of God, there must be the emptiness of self (ego) before there can be fullness, and so poverty of spirit precedes riches and grace in the kingdom of God. So, in a sense, we have no need.
The Lord, who is our Shepherd, becomes and provides all that we need. This is because we have put God in control of our lives, so the supply emanates from within that divine relationship. In other words, we have placed our subsistence issues in God’shands. We are following the Shepherd despite the dark valleys of life. Consequently, we feel secure and safe. We adopt the conviction of needing nothing because the Lord is the Shepherd taking care of things, giving us a personal sense of life meaning and a greater sense of individual agency.
Pause and think about your life and experiences to find a unique sense of life purpose and significance. It might be worth to give it some thought to how your Shepherd is providing for you.
Please enjoy this excerpt from my Book called Psalm 23 Unwrapped💕Available on Amazon!
We all need meaning, purpose, and the pursuit of a goal more significant than the self.
“Man’s search for meaning is the primary motivation in his life” Victor Frankl
“The inner ache of the heart is to find meaning and purpose in life.” Ravi Zacharias
“He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” – Friedrich Nietzsche.
Viktor Frankl was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist, as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of existential analysis that is focused on the meaning of human existence as well as on man’s search for meaning. His work became popular and was publicized in his classic book, Man’s Search for Meaning, it illustrates the significance and universality of meaning as a motivating force in human life.
The need for meaning is a powerful and fundamental human need. We cannot thrive withoutsignificance and purpose; it gets us up out of bed in the morning. Nietzsche’s’ work outlines this, and his work is readily accepted among academics.
Nietzsche, however, did not hypothesize anything new. His thesis echoes the Biblical principles of significant meaning. The concept of significant meaning is an age-old need that is in-built in all of us. It’s worth noting here that if we are created in God’s image, and we need a love connection and significant meaning, then God needs that as well. This might be why he took to the task of creating and keeping in touch with his handiwork – how do you view this?
One thing is for sure in order to find a healthy way of life that is lasting, you must believe that you are valued and very much loved. The Shepherd values you and you are very much loved and wants you to be free to love yourself and others. Each of us is unique and made in God-image. Whether we realize it or not, we are connected to our Creator, to each other, and to all of creation, giving us joy, meaning, and purpose.
Each of us is incredibly special and loved by God, our lives have deep intrinsic value; therefore, we need to value and love ourselves. This means looking after ourselves and asking for help when needed. We hear so much about loving our neighbor, but how often do we hear about loving ourselves?
You are of immense value and a significant human being in time and history. Today is yours, you are created for a particular purpose, so go and find it. The real you, the true self, naturally strive toward this end.
David started out in life as a humble shepherd, and his needs were limited compared to ours today. David did not need a mansion, a washing machine, or a car, all he needed was food, water, green pastures, rest, and safety for his sheep. He needed a safe place away from the bears, wolves, and the other beasties that were lurking around looking for a lamb chop.
David Loved his Sheep
David was concerned, not for his own well-being, but for that of his sheep. He loved his sheep, and he will ensure that they are fed and watered, rested, and kept safe because they were his livelihood. If David had lost his sheep, he would be unable to put food on the table. David worked to provide for their essential needs and ultimately trusts God to supply. This reflects God’s mindset toward us. He loves his sheep, and he will ensure that they are fed and watered, rested and kept safe.
So, what has the humble Shepherd of Psalm 23 got to do with us, in our modern time? Well, that answer is found in the word- need. What do you need? I know for me; I need my gas and my electricity to be paid. So, I need to keep my job. My mortgage payments need to be consistent throughout the year to keep a roof over my head. I have bills for water and for council tax to pay for folk to take away my rubbish and keep the streets clean. I need food – good healthy fresh food, to restore my body and to keep it healthy. I need rest and exercise to keep my body revitalized and healthy. I need to have fun and relaxation and a consistent spirituality. I need all these things to be healthy and safe in my mind, body, and soul. Being able to provide for oneself, fosters a worry-free life.
David our Example
David started out in life as a humble shepherd, and his needs were limited compared to ours today. David did not need a two-storey mansion, a washing machine, or a car, all he needed was food, water, green pastures, rest, and safety for his sheep. He needed a safe place away from the bears, wolves, and the other beasties that were lurking around looking for a lamb chop.
David was concerned, not for his own well-being, but for that of his sheep. He loved his sheep, and he will ensure that they are fed and watered, rested, and kept safe because they were his livelihood. I David had lost his sheep, he would be unable to put food on the table. David worked to provide for their essential needs and ultimately trusts God to supply. This reflects God’s mindset toward us. He loves his sheep, and he will ensure that they are fed and watered, rested and kept safe.
A Lesson for Us
So, what has the humble Shepherd of Psalm 23 got to do with us, in our modern time? Well, that answer is found in the word- need. What do you need? I know for me; I need my gas and my electricity to be paid. So, I need to keep my job. My mortgage payments need to be consistent throughout the year to keep a roof over my head. I have bills for water and for council tax to pay for folk to take away my rubbish and keep the streets clean. I need food – good healthy fresh food, to restore my body and to keep it healthy. I need rest and exercise to keep my body revitalised and healthy. I need to have fun and relaxation and a consistent spirituality. I need all these things to be healthy and safe in my mind, body, and soul. Being able to provide for oneself, fosters a worry-free life.
I have a car; I need the car taxed, MOT and serviced annually and make necessary repairs. My need is to put fuel in my car so it can be in regular use. What else do I need? I need the love and the fellowship of family and friends. I need to feel good about myself and develop healthy attitudes like self-esteem, desire for personal development, and that sort of thing. I need to have a holiday every now and then to recharge my batteries. Well, I have a perfectly good car, it meets my travel needs. However, if I were to deeply desire another car I don’t really need it, but I want it for my own ego, because my friends have one like it, so I want one. Maybe I must have it because it’s a status symbol and makes me look good, I want it because of its luxury mod-cons do I have a need? No, I do not. Why? The reason that I don’t need another car is that I have already got a perfectly good car that gets me from A to B.
Another example might be that I have a two-bedroomed terraced house in South Wales. It is not a prominent place. It has a ridiculously small garden which is sufficient for me and easy to look after. It is not everybody’s cup of tea, but everybody does not live in it. I think my house is quaint, others may think it’s just old; however, I like it. I have lovely neighbors with who I enjoy chatting, and I feel safe and secure in my neighborhood. However, on the downside, it is around about 100 years old. My home and garden need a lot of repairs and renovation. Now, I could want and desire a different house, a bigger house, one that is newer, a house in an upmarket estate. Do I need it? No! Why?
Well, I have a home that shelters me, a place to work, rest, a place to enjoy and so I can express my gifts and talents. It is a place where I can be me. I have what I need, and my basic needs are met, so I am content. This is what David meant when he said he has no need.
What Are Your Needs?
What else do I need? I need the love and the fellowship of family and friends. I need to feel good about myself and develop healthy attitudes like self-esteem, desire for personal development, and that sort of thing. I need to have a holiday every now and then to recharge my batteries. Well, I have a perfectly good car, it meets my travel needs. However, if I were to deeply desire another car I don’t really need it, but I want it for my own ego, because my friends have one like it, so I want one. Maybe I must have it because it’s a status symbol and makes me look good, or I want it because of its luxury mod-cons. Do I have a need? No, I do not. Why? The reason that I don’t need another car is that I have already owned a perfectly good car that gets me from A to B.
Another example might be that I have a two-bedroomed terraced house in South Wales. It is not a prominent place. It has a ridiculously small garden which is sufficient for me and easy to look after. It is not everybody’s cup of tea, but everybody does not live in it. I think my house is quaint, others may think it’s just old; however, I like it. I have lovely neighbors with whom I enjoy chatting to, and I feel safe and secure in my neighborhood. However, on the downside, it is around about 100 years old. My home and garden need a lot of repairs and renovation. Now, I could want and desire a different house, a bigger house, one that is newer, a house in an upmarket estate. Do I need it? No! Why?
Well, I have a home that shelters me, a place to work, rest, and a place to enjoy and express my gifts and talents. It is a place where I can be me. I have what I need, and my basic needs are met, so I am content. I believe that this is what David meant when he said he has no need.
Make Your Choice
Perhaps you don’t think you need Christ because you see Christians who live like they don’t. Do not let this fool you – (Phil 2:21). the Son of God is alive and well, Christianity is not dead.
Jesus is alive and well, and lives in you by the Holy Spirit and because of this, We share Jesus Christ, not every trivia or mystery from the Bible. We share the Lord Jesus Christ, not any denomination, preacher, commentary, philosophy, or opinion.
God can supply all you need when you acknowledge your need for Jesus Christ. So why would you reject Christ and lack these things?
The need for Christ is more significant than anything else, but it is easy to ignore your greatest needs when you don’t know how to meet them. What is most important gets reduced to only those needs you can fulfil: food, money, temporary happiness. The greatest needs of humankind remain unfulfilled, and your life will be too without Christ.
Your need for Jesus Christ can be met by believing the gospel that Christ supplies everything you need for salvation, life, truth, and joy. Christ can be in you today, providing forgiveness, strength, the hope of glory, and grace freely when you believe he provided what you need.
Everyone needs the Lord Jesus Christ, but unfortunately, not everyone knows it.
You read this, so you now know. What will you do now?
Trust the gospel, and receive what God has provided for you in Christ from God’s word rightly interpreted.💕
😀So many people want their faith and church to grow. The problem is to figure out where to begin. This site is about helping people do just that. It’s for anyone who feels stuck in their faith and longs for a breakthrough. It’s for people who are exploring Christianity and want to know what it’s all about – apart from what they see in the media. If that’s you – please consider subscribing.
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren and lives in South Wales, UK.
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Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
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Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK, and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, and it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author, and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Christianity, in many ways, has caused anxiety and fears because of the emphasis on sin and hell. Many believers have been taught that even the most minor misdemeanor requires hellfire from a small child. Therefore, to think of oneself as having a ‘worth’ escape many.
Reformed theologians have criticised Mindfulness as being a ‘religion of self’. This claim is another dangerous doctrine that takes away the preciousness of our living and puts us into fear and despair.
Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying there is no sin, and I believe sin’s wages are eternal death. However, what I am saying is that the merciful goodness of God runs a lot deeper than any sin. The good news is that the power of sin is conquered through the cross and resurrection. Therefore it would do us good to focus our attention on that truth rather than on the details of punishment and hell.
THE MIS-USE OF THE DOCTRINE OF HELL
Children are often taught about the extreme fundamentalist view of hell and wrongdoing to keep them in control. The idea is to scare the ‘hell’ out of them. But the result is that the child grows into an empty religiosity void of love and grace and missing out on a deep, personal relationship with the loving Creator God.
These children may develop such a deep fear that motivates them into subjection. Furthermore, as adults, they may inflict that same fear upon others. Therefore, the sad thing is that they may never experience a genuinely loving relationship with God.
MINDFULNESS and GOD
Mindfulness is a practical and straightforward way to ease our fears by stilling our minds, so we can focus on the good things of God, as we see in Philippians 2 from verse 5.
5 In your relationships with one another have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 instead, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore, God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledges that Jesus Christ is Lord,
When we are honest with ourselves and confess and turn away from our sins, we are reconciled to God by repentance and faith. Then it’s up to us how our relationship with God develops. We can choose to image God as a wrathful God or one who is full of grace, mercy, and love. Fear moves us toward the wrathful God-image. Fear blocks our understanding and experience of grace and mercy.
If we are in genuine fellowship with God through Jesus Christ, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, and this is where perfect love casts out all fear. Fear is an enemy of God and, therefore, our enemy. Fear distorts our view of God, ourselves, and others. It colours our perceptions, wrapping our decisions making, thus turning us into hardnosed religious people.
But when we embrace a love relationship with God, casting out all fear, we enter a productive, righteous, peaceful, and joyful spirituality. We bask in the Son in the Holy Spirit, who is with us forever.
HAVE THE MIND OF CHRIST
St Paul declares that we have the mind of Christ because Christ was in perfect fellowship with his Father, and as we walk in the love and grace of God, we are shrouded in God’s loving embrace. Therefore, the Christian can rest in the Lord. Our relationship with God deepens as we fill our minds with his word of truth and then applyit to our circumstances; however, this takes spirit, mind, and body discipline.
How many times were you distracted from what is really important? Maybe you thought about the next thing to do and failed to notice what God said to you?
So many times, in Christianity, we over spiritualise stuff that should be accepted on a purely practical basis. Mindfulness is an efficient practice to help you to have the mind of Christ.
I encourage you- don’t throw out the baby with the bathwater by outright rejecting Mindfulness. Instead, be open to new possibilities by allowing your mind to be disciplined through a Mindfulness lifestyle.
A helpful illustration of God and Mindfulness is found in the Christianity Today magazine, which writes that ‘Mindfulness is ourGod-given, universal capacity for awareness and attention.’
One example of how it works is in dealing with anxiety. A non-mindful person might think, “I am an anxious person”. Someone trained in Mindfulness might think, “I have an anxious thought.”
Mindfulness and Jesus teach us that we are not our thoughts and feelings –Matthew 6:34.
The command of Scripture regarding all our fears and anxieties is to cast them all upon God because he cares for us, and in so doing, God will keep those in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on him, because he trusts in you” (Isa. 26:3). God’s peace will guard our minds, not empty them (Phil. 4:7), and it is this reality, not cessation, that surpasses all understanding.
Try Mindfulness today- it may change the way you perceive God, yourself, others, and the world around you! To help you to learn more about Mindfulness, click on the links below to short articles to help you.
People ask me how they learn mindfulness this video answers some of that questions.
Having moved into my own home, I used my holidays to decorate and sort the small courtyard behind my house. I love trees. In the suburb where I grew up in Australia, the streets were utterly tree-less; however, many were planted in people’s back gardens. I think there are not many trees because of the scarcity of water, and trees need lots of water. Local councils didn’t want the residents to waste their water, particularly during times of drought, for those who did, were issued heavy fines. So, when I came to Wales Uk to live, I was so pleased to see the trees everywhere!
I bought a house in Wales, where I am surrounded by beautiful Parks and mountains lined with trees.
I love trees and enjoy looking at them, so I bought 2 big pots and a lot of potting soil, bought a cherry tree and an apple tree, and planted them. New buds form within a few days, and I am looking forward to them producing some fruit for me in years to come. I chose cherry because cherries are expensive to buy in the shops, and I really enjoy cherries, and they’ve got very high antioxidant properties being a dark fruit. Usually, apples are easy to grow, and I can do all sorts of things with apples like apple pie, sauce, and much more and an added bonus, apples are very high in vitamin C. Then I got thinking about apples and cherries because they have seeds.
SEEDS AND NEW LIFE
A traditional gift for a teacher from the student is an apple. Think about a good teacher that you may have had. A good teacher plant seeds of ideas in our thinking and helps us explore those ideas, and they explain things to us in an exciting way. A good teacher is a teacher because they love to teach and want to help the student be all they can be.
Most teachers never know what the results of their teaching will be. It takes many years for the student to mature and become an adult. During that time, they will discover their interests and talents and decide how to use them. A good teacher plants a seed, and years later, others will see the results of that teacher’s work, and the teacher may never know about it.
WE ALL HAVE A PURPOSE IN THIS LIFE
Jesus talks about this idea in (4:37)- He says, “One sow and another reaps” – one person plants the seed, and another person may harvest the fruit. So when we say something helpful to another person or do something kind, it is planting a seed of God’s love.
We may never know the result, but we can be sure that there will be a good result when we work with God’s love. This is what we are focusing on in this text today: Sowing Seeds of hope, love, and faith.
Briefly looking at the context, we find that Jews had little to do with Samaritans. Jews tended to avoid even traveling through Samaria. But Jesus didn’t share this hatred towards Samaritans. He traveled from Judea to Galilee to go through Samaria rather than by-passing it. He was not trying to save time, but Jesus continually sought out the outcasts of society––the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the lepers––and his travels through Samaria carried him through a nation of what the Jews regarded as outcasts.
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
Jesus came to the little town in Samaria and stopped at the well for a drink. A woman was there, drawing water. Usually, women came to the well in the mornings and evenings, but this woman came at noon. It was hot at noon, but she was alone at the well. But today, a strange man approached. It was not suitable for men to converse with women in this culture. The rule was,
“Let no one talk with a woman in the street, no, not even with his wife.”
The idea of what Jesus told the woman is that he is getting rid of old prejudices and rivalries and because God is spirit, worship cannot be confined to a particular place or a particular people. God is everywhere, so He can be worshipped everywhere by all people. True worship is an affair of the heart.
ALL PEOPLE MATTER
After the conversation, the woman left her water jar and ran into the city. “Come, see a man who told me everything I did. Can this be the Christ?” (v. 29). So they came, and many of them “believed in Jesus BECAUSE OF THE WORD OF THE WOMAN” (v. 39). How amazing! In that time and place, people didn’t take a woman’s word very seriously.
Until Jesus came along, this woman was practically invisible; no one would have sent her into town as their spokeswoman. But her contact with Jesus transformed her life and status in the community. The people heard her and said, “You are right. This is the savior of the world” (the meaning of v. 42).
SOULS MATTER
William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, said: ‘Go for souls and go for the worst’.
That’s what Jesus did when he turned this so-called outcast into a well-received evangelist.
Jesus planted seeds of hope, love, and faith in her heart, and she received them, and she let those seeds grow to where she acted and shared her story.
Jesus does that. He changes people’s lives, and we do that too, we are seed planters, and if God wishes, we help to grow those seeds by protecting and nurturing them – and we may or may not see the final result.
Jesus especially loves to help outcasts because they most need help, and so should we.
The late Billy Graham said:
“Jesus stopped dying on the cross long enough to answer the prayer of a THIEF.
He stopped in a big crowd one day because a WOMAN touched the hem of His garment,
and He’ll stop to touch your life, change you, and forgive you – that’s Good News”!
CHURCH MATTERS
As the church, we are Christ’s hands for service in this world, and he uses you and me to do his work, to change people’s lives: How?
• We plant the seeds of Christ each time we CARE;
• We plant the seeds of Christ each time we LISTEN;
• We plant the seeds of Christ each time we REACH OUT;
• We plant the seeds of Christ each time we TOUCH EACH OTHER IN LOVE.
A quote from John Wesley “The Church has nothing else to do but to save souls; therefore, be devoted to this work. It is your business to bring as many sinners as possible to repentance”.
And another preacher put it this way: “go to the outcasts; it is the church’s business to kiss frogs.” So, let us rejoice that Christ has transforming power in changing lives!
This week, let us resolve to allow God to plant seeds of hope, faith, and love to fill us with His Spirit so we might plant the same seeds in the life of others. Let us pray that we will touch lives with seeds of hope, love, and faith this week and see the transforming love of Christ in action!
I hope reading this article has helped you in a small way. If it was, please like and feel free to comment, and please subscribe to this blog so you may receive your free freebie and regular updates.💕
Paula Rose has a Bachelor of Pastoral Counselling and Theology, Vision Christian University, USA Master of Arts In Counselling & Professional Development, specializing in Spiritual Abuse through The University of Derby, UK.
She Studies the BACP Life Coaching Course, Bristol, UK, and is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
Paula Rose Parish is a Pastor, Author, and founder, of Hope. Faith. Love, and Your Wellness Matters. She studied at the University of Derby and received a Master of Arts in Counselling in Professional Development. Over the years, Paula Rose has served as a pastor, chaplain, counsellor, and coach and taught at a Christian university. In addition, she has led workshops and retreats and spoken worldwide on Christian spirituality.
Author of over 200 articles and two published books, Paula Rose, continues to write on the wellness of mind, body, and spirit. Paula Rose is adding a string to her bow and is presently reading Health and Wellness. She has four grown children, five grandchildren, and lives in South Wales, UK.
Subscribe to my YOUTUBE CHANNEL, and it’s free!.
Paula Rose is a Wellness Coach Ordained Minister, Speaker, Blogger, Podcaster, Course Creator, Published Author, and has a Master of Arts in Counselling. And many other qualifications and a lifetime, so I have heaps to share with you.
Paula is a life member of (ISFP) The International Society of Female Professionals.
🖤Want to help support me as an author? Click here available now on Amazon ✔BOOKS BY PAULA available at AMAZON in the UK, USA, Aust; 📚Nothing Good about Grief: Path to recovery with Psalm 23 after COVID-19 & other losses. 📚Psalm 23 Unwrapped: Hope in difficult times.
Although we are in the fall, I thought I would share an Easter story. With all the leaves falling and the days are drawing in, we need a bit of good cheer!
The God of the Bible is always active, always making new, consistently doing a new thing. It is one of the ways God is different from idols, those things we make who do not move, speak, or do anything at all. By contrast, the God whose story is told in the Bible is continuously creating and recreating. It is why God is surprising, the God of surprises.
Of course, not everyone likes surprises. However, a quiet, dependable sure and steady life is what many desire, particularly after the drama of COVID 19. In enjoying quiet, dependable sure and steady life, we feel secure; at least we know where we are. Anyway, even those who profess to like surprises must acknowledge that not all surprises in life are pleasant and welcome, and some surprises come as a shock!
So, recalling that part of John’s Gospel 20.1-18 (please read), we might imagine how it was for Mary Magdalene. She was deeply in love with Jesus. He was the one who had given her back her life, love, and dignity. Yet, she comes on the Sunday after Sabbath to his tomb in the grief that goes with profound bereavement. The one she loved is dead and buried. That is a hard enough reality to bear. But how will she live without him?
(Dear friend, if you are struggling with grief, please check out my book ‘Nothing Good About Grief’ available at Amazon).
Getting back to Mary, who finds her way to the tomb. She expects to find everything as she left it days ago; after all, there are no surprises in death. It is all so predictable and final, except that she finds the tombstone is rolled away. This must have been for her an upsetting experience, a cruel and wounding surprise. She may have been wondering- ‘Can Jesus not be left in peace after all that has been done to him?’ She feels a knife being turned in her wounded heart.
She goes to find Peter. Her first word of witness on Easter Day is of sorrow and anger, and she cries, “They have moved his body! They have taken away the Lord! “It’s scandalous. She speaks in sorrow and burning anger. Her message is bad news indeed.
On hearing this news, Peter and John race to the tomb, with thoughts confused, they may question- “Can this indignity be true? ” When they reach the tomb, they find that Mary’s testimony, unfortunately, is the truth. The grave is empty. Strangely the grave clothes are in their place. Are they not needed anymore? Someone must have moved the body. It is the obvious but bitter explanation.
The Gospel writer says that John is outrun by Peter, nevertheless, goes into the tomb first. Then, says the evangelist, he saw and believed. Believed what? We are not told. However, the evangelist does tell us that they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. This possibility is not available to them, and all they have is an empty tomb, and there may be many reasons for that; grave robbers, a meddling gardener, who knows? So, they go home.
So far this story, is not much of a good news story- where are the angels and the great hallelujahs? It’s what we latter-day readers expect, but to this point, the text is bleak like it was for Mary and for many in the face of death. What a disappointment this story of Jesus has turned out to be! We are left with emptiness in several senses. But, like the disciples, we are left with a puzzle.
So, Mary is weeping and looks deeper into the tomb. John says she saw two angels in white. They ask her why she is weeping. She tells them, “they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. ” That is reason enough for tears. She turns away to hide her grief, but she is aware of another standing near in this morning of surprises. It must be the gardener. He asks, “why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?”
Perhaps this man has the answer to her cruel puzzle. She replies, “Tell me where you have laid him.” And the man says, “Mary.” this is when she realises that it is the Lord! The calling of her name is the start of Mary’s resurrection because Jesus is not dead and gone. The tomb is empty, and Jesus has come to her in his risen love and grace. Now she has a different testimony. I have seen the Lord in her experience and announcement to the disciples.
This is how John tells the Easter Day story. No one expected this, despite what the ancient scriptures said of God. Easter is a surprise. It is the good news we proclaim today. Both the approaches in John’s witness are essential. Does the empty tomb story matter? Yes, because we are not talking about something in a private otherworldly sphere of inwardness.
The empty tomb matters because it speaks of the new creation, of that work God is doing with the matter he first created, how he is doing a new thing. Christians proclaim that the tomb is empty, and the new resurrection body is recreated by God. Death is not the end, not even for this vulnerable creation that waits for renewal.
Although scientists today speak of many dimensions, life on other planets and parallel universes. We can hardly imagine what this means, and the Gospel proclaims that here is the work of God, taking our failure, taking the love of Jesus, and from it, bringing forth something new and wonderful. It is a miracle, a work of God.
Some of our teachers speak of a miracle as an overflowing love at the heart of creation. The love that was in Jesus, even unto death, is met by the endless love of God for his creation and, in the dynamic, new, and beautiful things happen. Death is not the end.
As we have seen, however, the empty tomb is not necessarily good news. It needs setting in a context. That context is God’s work from the beginning, in the creation and the call of Israel, in the coming of Christ and his remarkable life of suffering love, breaking the cycle of sin and violence in his sacrificial death on the cross. It is over this Christ that God speaks the great “Yes” of resurrection. He is let loose again in the world, and Mary and countless others will speak of being restored, healed, renewed by his presence.
God raised Jesus from the dead. For Mary, this means her grief is turned to joy as he calls her name. For Thomas, it means his doubt is turned to faith as he meets the risen Lord in the company of the disciples. For Peter, who denied the Lord, resurrection means being welcomed again by Christ and entrusted with new and vital work. John wants us to understand that resurrection is not just something that happened to Jesus. It is God’s work for us.
It means that each act of worship, each gathering at the Lord’s Table, is an encounter with Christ Jesus. It means that far from life being full of boring predictability, there are the surprises of God who raised Jesus from the dead and is ever seeking to make all things new. It means that our death, even the decay of our planet, is not the end, and the tomb of Jesus is empty because God is at work. So, Christ comes to us with grace, forgiveness, love, and laughter. The Lord has risen! He is risen indeed!
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Hope. Faith. Love. 