Death vs. Life – Life Wins

Life always wins. Despite the best efforts of death, disease and depression, life always wins. This is not always apparent when there is loss and the pain in it. Yet it is clear that times of departure are times to celebrate just how valuable life is. As we celebrate the contributions of those who have passed on, we celebrate the new life that often emerges and the time for renewal as we appreciate how precious and fragile we are. That’s why after death there is life – life always wins.

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John 11:25, 26)

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Shalom

Looking for Clues

Have you noticed that everything in life is not set out in simple straightforward ways? Men for example are weird and women are just plain complicated. Parents don’t get it and children are a pain in the neck. Yet even those neat boxes are often smashed by people who behave in different ways. So as useful as boxes are, lets approach each individual as a mystery waiting for us to solve only by looking for clues by building relationships never assuming we know but enjoying the process to know.

Someone's thoughts may be as deep as the ocean, but if you are smart, you will discover them. (Proverbs 20:5)

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Shalom

Right Place – Right Time

If only I hadn’t met him. If only I had made it earlier. If only we had more time. What about those key turning points that turned out good? When you are frustrated recall those moments where you were at the right place at the right time. Perhaps a consoling conversation or a meeting that inspired you to make a life-changing decision. For however it may appear now, you can reflect that if you were not there for that moment you would have missed out. Celebrate today those times where one thing led to another and the rest is your-story.

But when the time was right, God sent his Son, and a woman gave birth to him. (Galatians 4:4)

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Shalom

It's Not About The Money

What would you do with £100,000? Of that wish-list, what do you really need? In the rush for financial security underneath it lies a desire for something that money can’t buy. We work for money to get the essentials – it is a means to an end. That end is the glimmer of hope of a worthwhile life. What makes a worthwhile life? Possessions? Money? Or relationships based on enduring adversity and celebrating those meaningful moments in life? The investments that mean most to people is meeting their direct need for love not found on your regular currency.

"Take care! Protect yourself against the least bit of greed. Life is not defined by what you have, even when you have a lot." (Luke 12:15)

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Shalom

Enjoying Life is Child’s Play

It can come across as though life is a morose routine of working to get enough to survive. Gaining responsibility does not mean we have to lose the joy of living. There is something about the child-like ability to give everything in having fun that can stick through life’s ups and downs. We remember funny incidents or relish the food we eat and good company we keep. Where there is lack in those areas it can be found. It is not something bought with money but in time engaging in real life-giving relationships all to make enjoying life child’s play.

So I commend the enjoyment of life, because nothing is better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be glad. Then joy will accompany him in his work all the days of the life God has given him under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 8:15)

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Shalom

Too Busy Not To Rest

There is much to be said about work. No work means no outcome. Often, however, there can be a great stress on keeping busy. Even holidays are spent busy working hard to forget about work, only to see it popping up again. A balanced healthy life and one that ensures progress is made is as much about stopping and resting – physically and mentally – as being on the go. So when it gets all too much – get away and take a break.

Jesus said, "Come off by yourselves; let's take a break and get a little rest." For there was constant coming and going. They didn't even have time to eat. (Mark 6:31)

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Shalom

For Crying Out Loud

Apparently when you laugh the world laughs with you, but when you cry, you cry alone. So much pain and pent up frustration, so much injustice and cruelty, so much inner turmoil and outer grief that we are not meant to keep it bottled in but we have an opportunity to cry out. Our cries do not go unheard. It is good to cry out from time to time, because through these cries answers can come forward – hearts can be troubled, consciences made alive, actions can follow, relief and release can come even from the most unexpected sources.

This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him and saved him out of all his troubles. (Psalm 34:6)

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Shalom

Get Smart: Cunning for Compassion’s Sake

People can get hurt due to innocence and ignorance. Wide-eyed they wander not understanding that they are being taken for a ride. Sometimes people are manipulated in abusive ways, so we need to be smart enough to negotiate around them whilst maintaining a heart of compassion. This is not straightforward as we can either be sucked into cynicism or carelessly blunder naively from one incident to another. Thankfully help is at hand – wisdom can be gleaned from others or the ever present Guide who gives the right script for every occasion. For compassion’s sake – get smart!

Stay alert. This is hazardous work I'm assigning you. You're going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don't call attention to yourselves. Be as cunning as a snake, inoffensive as a dove. Don't be naive. (Matthew 10:16, 17a)

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Shalom

Making The Most Of Now

There are signs all around you of the inevitability of death. There are people young, old, sick and healthy all buckling under one calamity or the other, not only physically but often socially, spiritually and mentally. In the light of this reality it is up to us to make the most of now – we only have one chance to make a first impression. Life then is about being alert to positive actions in whatever is the given situation even if circumstances wish to pull in another direction.

So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times! (Ephesians 5:15, 16)

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Shalom

Whatever You Do Give It Your All

In 1966 England won the football World Cup. According to the autobiography of Sir Bobby Charlton, one of the key characters in the success, one of the reasons for their success was the approach the players to give everything even in training. This determination to give 100% brings its rewards – people are not attracted to the half-hearted but to those who give it their all. There are no practices in life, we only have today, so however mundane or challenging the task, give it your all and together we may be surprised at the results.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30)

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Shalom

Take A Load Off

One of the ways that helps in enjoying life and making the most of it is in taking a load off. Whether that’s through sport, a trip to the hairdressers or even shopping it’s good to have an outlet to release the tension that often builds through the day. When these only provide escapism without release thus neglecting the issues of life, there is an invitation to engage in a relationship that allows us to find restoration and relief. With fresh hope and optimism this can set you up for a good perspective on even the most challenging situations.

If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. (Matt 11:28)

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Shalom

Cheering You On

When whatever could go wrong has gone wrong; the pressures of the future and baggage from the past are a heavy burden; this is where cheerleaders come in handy. No, not necessarily a group of teenagers with pom-poms doing the splits then creating human pyramids, but someone who comes alongside you, giving you the space and time to see things from a better perspective. Each set-back is perhaps a set-up to success down the road. Failing does not make you a failure and grace is available to take you through peacefully to the next stage of your journey. (Thanks to Sean for today’s inspiration for the LJN via this article.)

An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. (Proverbs 12:25)

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Shalom

Strangers On The Journey: Friends You Are Yet To Meet

You ever had that feeling of being new to school? All those strange faces, the strange environment, no Mum or Dad, or television! It didn’t take too long to figure out who the bully was, hiding his insecurity in bluster and aggression. Or the bookworm with all the social skills of a doormat. In this strange setting there was nothing more welcoming than a friendly face and compassionate heart. With such an approach to a stranger let us take the initiative to make this daunting part of the journey easier to negotiate by remembering and responding in kind.

Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19)

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Shalom

From A Different Angle – On A Different Path

Ever felt like you are banging your head against a brick wall. A problem you face and no matter what you try the problem doesn’t appear to budge. Sometimes it takes acknowledging the problem and doing something different to see better results. Sometimes we need to see things from a different angle to see things in a better light and perhaps go on a different path.

You have made known to me the paths of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. (Acts 2:28)

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Shalom

Heart-Warming Journey Companions

Sometimes you can be reading the instructions wrong. So it was actually the second left onto the A412 and now you have to find the route back all over again. There’s something about someone coming alongside you and gently but firmly giving guidance not just in an informational way but something that stirs the entire being. Sometimes we don’t know where we’re going. Sometimes we get the instructions wrong. Sometimes we just need heart-warming companions to put us right.

Back and forth they talked. "Didn't we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?" (Luke 24:32)

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Shalom

Are We There Yet?

The family are on their way, as they get stuck in traffic Charlie asks again ‘are we there yet?’ Again the response is that they will be there soon. Sometimes we are impatient – are we loved yet, do we have enough money yet, is the spouse sorted yet, can I get over this annoying habit yet? Often the answer is ‘no’, but having a destination should not bring frustration. That destination is the light drawing and encouraging us to hold onto that faith that says that we will get there – even if we are not there yet!

We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. (Hebrews 12:2a)

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Shalom (for more on today's note read this)

Milestones: For Those Sacred Moments On The Way

Sometimes in the hurry of the present we often forget how far we’ve come. That’s why milestones to mark those special times on the way are so important. A birthday, an anniversary, the first date, the first car, the death of a loved one; these significant events mark out key points of our story, the incidents that have shaped our character for good or ill. Commemorating milestones are not nostalgic reminiscences yearning for yesterday but key signposts to share pointing out what helps or hinders progress; learning the lessons of our-story to lighten the path for the future.

Remember every road that GOD led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not. (Deuteronomy 8:2)

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Shalom

Food For The Journey

There’s no point on going on any kind of journey without ensuring that you’re well fed. Going anywhere on an empty stomach is a recipe for disaster. The beauty of sharing with others is that sometimes the most fulfilling thing isn’t the food that you eat but the company you keep. Indeed nothing can be more rewarding than life-enhancing relationships and encounters with others. Let today be a day where you can rub your tummy in satisfaction of a job well done by relationships being built for the better on this journey of life.

Jesus said, "The food that keeps me going is that I do the will of the One who sent me, finishing the work he started. (John 4:34)

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Shalom

Friends for the Journey

Negotiating the various challenges of life’s journey can be very difficult on your own. Sometimes we can be hurt along the way that’s why friends for the journey are so valuable. Good friends ones who are compassionate, understanding and trustworthy who will bear with you are hard to find. Then again being that kind of friend is equally costly, but good friends exist and are there waiting on the journey to link up with you for the next mile or two. If you have them, when you find them honour them, treasure them and celebrate them.

Jesus was still teaching when four people came up, carrying a crippled man on a mat. But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. So they made a hole in the roof above him and let the man down in front of everyone. When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the crippled man, "My friend, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:2-5)

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Shalom

Faith for the Journey

It’s easy to be envious of those with clear plans for life – including education, spouse, children, pay-rises, promotions and early retirement to the villa in Marbella. For the majority of us though this journey of life is not so clear cut. This is where faith for the journey is so reassuring – it is a travelling companion that gives guidance in the midst of confusion and relationship in the midst of loneliness. Wherever you are in your journey be assured that you need never walk alone and though you may not always know where you’re going help is at hand.

By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. (Hebrews 11:8)

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Shalom