How do I forgive when I can’t?
"For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Matthew 6:14-15, NIV
Long before I was involved with Ellel Ministries I went through a horrible time of deep betrayal. It had huge consequences in my life and I struggled with the whole issue of forgiveness. I started to say things to God like, “I will do anything you want, just don’t ask me to forgive!”
Each time the issue of forgiveness came up I would see people’s faces in front of me and the barriers were just too big, too strong. I did not feel like forgiving, in fact I felt that I should devise ways of getting even! I wanted revenge. I wanted to hurt them even more than they had hurt me. I started to become quite bitter.
Verses like Matthew 6:14 leapt from the pages of my Bible! ‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins your Father will NOT forgive your sins’. I knew somehow I had to do it, but how? Finally I came to God and said, “I know I have to do this but I really can’t” and I heard Him say, “You are absolutely right you can’t”. ‘Apart from Me you can do nothing’ (John 15:5).
The next Sunday I went to a church which was new to me, and the preacher began his sermon by saying, “This morning I am going to tell you about how to forgive when you can’t”. I knew God was speaking to me. He said “firstly, this is not a transaction between you and the person who has done you wrong, this is a transaction between you and God. Do not see the face of the person. God has said in His word that we must forgive so He will give us the empowerment to do so”.
Part of God’s character is His heart to forgive, so we need to ask God to come supernaturally with His Spirit of forgiveness. Then having received first from Him we can release forgiveness to the person or persons that we need to forgive. We forgive the ‘unforgivable’ because He has first forgiven us. We forgive to be obedient to the Word of God but by so doing we let ourselves out of prison.
Secondly, we are not pardoning them, Only God can pardon. The only place anyone’s sin can be forgiven is by God at the cross. We are releasing them into the freedom of our personal forgiveness. Thirdly, we are not letting them off the hook, but we are taking them off our hook and putting them on God’s hook. We stop judging them and instead we say, ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ Genesis 18:25. We can surely trust Him with this.
God can start to heal the memories. We are unlikely to ever forget what happened, but when we remember it no longer has the power to trigger bitterness and anger. Forgiveness will be the gateway for our own healing.
That Sunday morning I knelt at the altar rail and asked God to come and fill me with His spirit of forgiveness… and He did. I wept buckets as I chose to forgive from deep inside my heart. I poured it all out to the Lord. It took ages but when I was through I had a deep joy well up within me and at last there was closure. I was aware of God smiling and taking hold of my hand to lead me into a new season in my life.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I thank You for dying on the cross for me and for the forgiveness of all of my sins that I have confessed to You. Help me to truly forgive all those who have ever hurt me and to walk continuously in the Spirit of forgiveness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today's Writer : Jill Southern-Jones Jill Southern-Jones was a successful business woman before becoming the Director of Ellel Pierrepont, home of the Luke Nine Eleven Training Programme (NETS). People from all over the world come for 5 – 10 months and learn to teach and minister on NETS. Jill’s book on Sex: God’s Truth is an essential guide to the restoration of Godly order in sexual relationships.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 15, 2012
Beware the Schemes of Man!
Beware the Schemes of Man!
“This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
Ecclesiastes 7:29, NIV
When I am praying for people, especially those who have suffered many things in their lives, I have in my mind a definition of Christian healing that God gave me many years ago at the outset of the work of Ellel Ministries – the restoration of God’s order in a person’s life. So I sometimes start by asking people the obvious questions about possible roots of disorder in their own lives and the lives of their parents and those whose influence and control they have been under down the years.
Often, however, I discover that some people are only looking for the healing of their present symptoms, and are not really interested in asking God what those roots of disorder actually are. As our Scripture implies, disorder is the fruit of mankind wanting to go after the many schemes that both men and women dream up for themselves – usually with a little help from the schemes of the devil that Paul warned us about in Ephesians Chapter 6! God created mankind upright, but following the schemes of man has resulted in a lack of uprightness. And none of us can escape the reality expressed by Paul in Galatians 6:5 that there is a law of sowing and reaping which applies to our lives as well as our crops.
It is a sad fact that, in the stories of the Kings of Israel, the Bible tells us that many of their problems were caused by things like a lack of uprightness in their lives or because they were not wholehearted in following the Lord. As I read this Scripture afresh I felt God challenging me to examine my own heart and ask Him to show me any areas of my life where the schemes of man have got in the way of the plans of God. May I encourage you to do the same and trust God as you seek His best for every area of your life.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see myself as You see me. Help me to see those places where there has been a lack of uprightness in the things I have done. I want to put things right with You and anyone else who has been affected by my decisions and actions. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Today's Writer : Peter Horrobin Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. He has now written and is currently developing Ellel 365 – a completely new online training school. This is specifically designed to help people understand and apply the practical truths of God’s Word into their lives. Already there have been many remarkable testimonies of what God is doing in people’s lives. The Ellel 365 website has now been completely updated. To take a look for yourself click on the Ellel 365 link on this page.
“This only have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes.”
Ecclesiastes 7:29, NIV
When I am praying for people, especially those who have suffered many things in their lives, I have in my mind a definition of Christian healing that God gave me many years ago at the outset of the work of Ellel Ministries – the restoration of God’s order in a person’s life. So I sometimes start by asking people the obvious questions about possible roots of disorder in their own lives and the lives of their parents and those whose influence and control they have been under down the years.
Often, however, I discover that some people are only looking for the healing of their present symptoms, and are not really interested in asking God what those roots of disorder actually are. As our Scripture implies, disorder is the fruit of mankind wanting to go after the many schemes that both men and women dream up for themselves – usually with a little help from the schemes of the devil that Paul warned us about in Ephesians Chapter 6! God created mankind upright, but following the schemes of man has resulted in a lack of uprightness. And none of us can escape the reality expressed by Paul in Galatians 6:5 that there is a law of sowing and reaping which applies to our lives as well as our crops.
It is a sad fact that, in the stories of the Kings of Israel, the Bible tells us that many of their problems were caused by things like a lack of uprightness in their lives or because they were not wholehearted in following the Lord. As I read this Scripture afresh I felt God challenging me to examine my own heart and ask Him to show me any areas of my life where the schemes of man have got in the way of the plans of God. May I encourage you to do the same and trust God as you seek His best for every area of your life.
Prayer: Lord, help me to see myself as You see me. Help me to see those places where there has been a lack of uprightness in the things I have done. I want to put things right with You and anyone else who has been affected by my decisions and actions. In Jesus’s Name, Amen.
Today's Writer : Peter Horrobin Peter Horrobin is the Founding and International Director of Ellel Ministries. He has now written and is currently developing Ellel 365 – a completely new online training school. This is specifically designed to help people understand and apply the practical truths of God’s Word into their lives. Already there have been many remarkable testimonies of what God is doing in people’s lives. The Ellel 365 website has now been completely updated. To take a look for yourself click on the Ellel 365 link on this page.
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Hidden Problems
Hidden Problems
"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults."
Psalm 19:12, NLT
I wasn’t expecting it! There was no visual sign that it was necessary. I was feeling no discomfort from it. So I was surprised when the dentist said that treatment to one of my teeth was necessary to prevent the decay, that he could see, from developing and causing trouble in the future.
So a few days later I was back in the dentist’s chair allowing him to inject, drill, prod and poke, fill, smooth and polish the tooth which, had it been left unattended would have caused future pain, discomfort, and no doubt affected my life in so many ways, as severe pain can. Pain can affect our lifestyle, our relationships, our work, our ability to think properly, and really make us feel out of sorts. Therefore I was prepared to experience the relatively short period of discomfort in the dentist’s chair for the longer term benefits.
The dentist with his skill, understanding and experience was able to detect that all was not right with my tooth. He also knew what treatment was needed and had the skill, the ability and the equipment to carry out that treatment.
There can be things in our spiritual lives we have no idea of, which, if not attended to, could later cause great pain, discomfort and disruption to our lifestyle, our family, and our ability to function properly as the person God intended us to be.
Jesus, like a ‘Divine Dentist,’ can see where the trouble lies and He knows what pain it could cause later on if it is not dealt with now. He also knows how best to treat it, if only we submit to Him and His ways.
The treatment may be painful in itself (like having a tooth filled), as we allow Jesus to reveal the root of the problem and show us how to deal with it, but the long term benefits will be well worth it.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me to allow You to reveal those hidden places in my life which are not as they should be - those areas which if not dealt with could cause problems in the future. Give me the courage to let You deal with them so I may become the sort of person You want me to be. Amen.
Today's Writer : Malcolm Wood Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. In 2001 they became Directors of Ellel Scotland where now at Blairmore House they host several International Schools and Operation Blairmore.They have three sons.
"How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults."
Psalm 19:12, NLT
I wasn’t expecting it! There was no visual sign that it was necessary. I was feeling no discomfort from it. So I was surprised when the dentist said that treatment to one of my teeth was necessary to prevent the decay, that he could see, from developing and causing trouble in the future.
So a few days later I was back in the dentist’s chair allowing him to inject, drill, prod and poke, fill, smooth and polish the tooth which, had it been left unattended would have caused future pain, discomfort, and no doubt affected my life in so many ways, as severe pain can. Pain can affect our lifestyle, our relationships, our work, our ability to think properly, and really make us feel out of sorts. Therefore I was prepared to experience the relatively short period of discomfort in the dentist’s chair for the longer term benefits.
The dentist with his skill, understanding and experience was able to detect that all was not right with my tooth. He also knew what treatment was needed and had the skill, the ability and the equipment to carry out that treatment.
There can be things in our spiritual lives we have no idea of, which, if not attended to, could later cause great pain, discomfort and disruption to our lifestyle, our family, and our ability to function properly as the person God intended us to be.
Jesus, like a ‘Divine Dentist,’ can see where the trouble lies and He knows what pain it could cause later on if it is not dealt with now. He also knows how best to treat it, if only we submit to Him and His ways.
The treatment may be painful in itself (like having a tooth filled), as we allow Jesus to reveal the root of the problem and show us how to deal with it, but the long term benefits will be well worth it.
Prayer: Dear Lord, Help me to allow You to reveal those hidden places in my life which are not as they should be - those areas which if not dealt with could cause problems in the future. Give me the courage to let You deal with them so I may become the sort of person You want me to be. Amen.
Today's Writer : Malcolm Wood Malcolm Wood and his wife Anna became part of the Ellel family as House Managers at Ellel Grange in 1990. Since then they have been involved with many aspects of the developing Ministry. In 2001 they became Directors of Ellel Scotland where now at Blairmore House they host several International Schools and Operation Blairmore.They have three sons.
Monday, April 30, 2012
What am I worth?
What am I worth?
... And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...”
Genesis 1:26, NKJV
As human beings we have both intrinsic value and added value.
The Bible makes it very clear that every individual has significant value simply by virtue of being a creation of God, made in His likeness. In addition to this innate value which exists from conception we are called by God to spend our lives growing in His character and pursuing God-given gifts which, in our relationship with one another, empower the Body of Christ.
This added value develops as a consequence of the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we follow the commands of Jesus. At the fall man’s value was not lost but defiled through separation from our Creator. Jesus came to earth and died on a cross to bring reconciliation between Father God and His children, so we might once again know the full value of our God-created identity and destiny.
The world is not so sure about the intrinsic value of human life and has largely rejected the concept of sin and the damage this has caused. The Bible truths about innate human sin are increasingly replaced by the philosophy of innate human rights, and an assessment of value is based on celebrity.
Jesus loved His disciples simply because they were precious and therefore worth His death on a cross, but He also told them (in John 15:16) that He had chosen them in order that they would go and bear fruit, in other words that they would display the added value of His character growing in their lives. We are each a priceless work of divine creation, immensely valuable, but God wants to give us added value, if we are willing, by restoring us from the damage that sin has caused.
Prayer: Father God, I believe that I am extraordinarily precious but needing much repair. I choose today to lay my life afresh before You, in order that Your Spirit can grow the fruit of the character of Jesus within me and therefore glorify God in my body. Amen.
Today's Writer : David Cross David Cross is now the Western Europe Director of Ellel Ministries. He trained as an engineer, built bridges in Hong Kong and ran a ski school in Scotland before he and his wife Denise joined Ellel Ministries in 1993. His recent books on Soul-Ties and Covering are already best-sellers.
... And God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...”
Genesis 1:26, NKJV
As human beings we have both intrinsic value and added value.
The Bible makes it very clear that every individual has significant value simply by virtue of being a creation of God, made in His likeness. In addition to this innate value which exists from conception we are called by God to spend our lives growing in His character and pursuing God-given gifts which, in our relationship with one another, empower the Body of Christ.
This added value develops as a consequence of the activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives as we follow the commands of Jesus. At the fall man’s value was not lost but defiled through separation from our Creator. Jesus came to earth and died on a cross to bring reconciliation between Father God and His children, so we might once again know the full value of our God-created identity and destiny.
The world is not so sure about the intrinsic value of human life and has largely rejected the concept of sin and the damage this has caused. The Bible truths about innate human sin are increasingly replaced by the philosophy of innate human rights, and an assessment of value is based on celebrity.
Jesus loved His disciples simply because they were precious and therefore worth His death on a cross, but He also told them (in John 15:16) that He had chosen them in order that they would go and bear fruit, in other words that they would display the added value of His character growing in their lives. We are each a priceless work of divine creation, immensely valuable, but God wants to give us added value, if we are willing, by restoring us from the damage that sin has caused.
Prayer: Father God, I believe that I am extraordinarily precious but needing much repair. I choose today to lay my life afresh before You, in order that Your Spirit can grow the fruit of the character of Jesus within me and therefore glorify God in my body. Amen.
Today's Writer : David Cross David Cross is now the Western Europe Director of Ellel Ministries. He trained as an engineer, built bridges in Hong Kong and ran a ski school in Scotland before he and his wife Denise joined Ellel Ministries in 1993. His recent books on Soul-Ties and Covering are already best-sellers.
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Where Do Your Roots Go?
Where Do Your Roots Go?
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
Colossians 2:6-8, NIV.
Where do your roots go? This is an important question for everyone who seeks to gain maturity in Christ. It’s key. Because, no matter how good the food (teaching and ministry) you personally receive, unless you’re rooted in good ground you still won’t be able to grow to significant depth.
What do I mean by roots? Your roots are what you stand on - the place where you get your stability, the ideas or policies on which you’ve built your personal strength. In this difficult world it’s so easy for us to root ourselves in wrong things. Things like our skills or ability to produce money, our assets or family inheritance, our reputation or qualification, our past successes, relationships or contacts, or maybe an ability to manipulate. There are countless things waiting for us to lean on them for strength, and an enemy waiting in the wings to encourage us to do so.
In order to move on as a disciple of Jesus however, trust in these worldly things has to go - not just in a surface decision, but in the depths of our hearts. Trust instead must be put in Christ Jesus who has promised to be our provider - "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), our strength - "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) and our help in times of trouble - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-19). That doesn’t usually happen in five minutes, as deep choices often take time to commit to wholeheartedly; but what a joy when the day comes that your heart no longer looks to the things of this world for strength, stability or identity.
When rooted in Christ we’re no longer blown around by the winds of this world. Not becoming some kind of heartless machine immune to the difficulties of life, but instead having an inner strength which isn’t based on circumstance and therefore cannot be stolen or broken by the enemy.
Where are you at on this journey today? Don’t receive condemnation if you know deep in your heart you still lean on the things of this world, but look to God to lead you on to fullness in Christ and ask Him to reveal and ‘unroot’ your bad roots in His timing. As He reveals them to you and you agree with Him, dealing with any sin as you’re convicted, your roots will begin to move to the good ground that is Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Lord and my King. Thank You that it’s possible for me to be rooted in You and that You are trustworthy to hold such a position. Lord, I long to live my life in You and I ask that You break down every wrong root in my life that gives me wrong strength. Let me be built up in You to be a strong (man or woman) of God. Thank You for loving me so deeply, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today's Writer : Richard Fila Richard Fila has a background in IT Consultancy and Accountancy Practice. He first came to know Ellel Ministries at Ellel Grange in 2006 and has since attended the NETS school at Ellel Pierrepont. He now works for the Corporate Support Team based at Pierrepont which supports the Ellel centres located around the world.
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ."
Colossians 2:6-8, NIV.
Where do your roots go? This is an important question for everyone who seeks to gain maturity in Christ. It’s key. Because, no matter how good the food (teaching and ministry) you personally receive, unless you’re rooted in good ground you still won’t be able to grow to significant depth.
What do I mean by roots? Your roots are what you stand on - the place where you get your stability, the ideas or policies on which you’ve built your personal strength. In this difficult world it’s so easy for us to root ourselves in wrong things. Things like our skills or ability to produce money, our assets or family inheritance, our reputation or qualification, our past successes, relationships or contacts, or maybe an ability to manipulate. There are countless things waiting for us to lean on them for strength, and an enemy waiting in the wings to encourage us to do so.
In order to move on as a disciple of Jesus however, trust in these worldly things has to go - not just in a surface decision, but in the depths of our hearts. Trust instead must be put in Christ Jesus who has promised to be our provider - "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19), our strength - "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13) and our help in times of trouble - "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour" (Luke 4:18-19). That doesn’t usually happen in five minutes, as deep choices often take time to commit to wholeheartedly; but what a joy when the day comes that your heart no longer looks to the things of this world for strength, stability or identity.
When rooted in Christ we’re no longer blown around by the winds of this world. Not becoming some kind of heartless machine immune to the difficulties of life, but instead having an inner strength which isn’t based on circumstance and therefore cannot be stolen or broken by the enemy.
Where are you at on this journey today? Don’t receive condemnation if you know deep in your heart you still lean on the things of this world, but look to God to lead you on to fullness in Christ and ask Him to reveal and ‘unroot’ your bad roots in His timing. As He reveals them to you and you agree with Him, dealing with any sin as you’re convicted, your roots will begin to move to the good ground that is Christ Jesus.
Prayer: Thank You, Lord, that You are my Saviour, my Redeemer, my Lord and my King. Thank You that it’s possible for me to be rooted in You and that You are trustworthy to hold such a position. Lord, I long to live my life in You and I ask that You break down every wrong root in my life that gives me wrong strength. Let me be built up in You to be a strong (man or woman) of God. Thank You for loving me so deeply, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Today's Writer : Richard Fila Richard Fila has a background in IT Consultancy and Accountancy Practice. He first came to know Ellel Ministries at Ellel Grange in 2006 and has since attended the NETS school at Ellel Pierrepont. He now works for the Corporate Support Team based at Pierrepont which supports the Ellel centres located around the world.
Monday, April 2, 2012
LESSONS FROM THE TITANIC
LESSONS FROM THE TITANIC
Morning Devotions with Chris Witts
One of the memorable movies I’ve seen is “Titanic” – the 1997 film based on the story of the tragic sinking of the “unsinkable ship”, RMS Titanic ..April 14, 1912, when the biggest maritime disaster of all time happened at 11.40pm. I guess we all know basically what happened when the ship hit an iceberg . The iceberg glanced the side of the ship causing her plates to buckle and rivets to pop below the water line 300 feet in length. And the Titanic was doomed .. there was a total of 2,206 people on board this magnificent ocean liner .. It broke in two and only 705 passengers and crew were rescued. What a tragedy. There’s a lot to this story .. but it was said back then that this ship could never sink, and people boasted “not even God Himself could sink the Titanic”. What a strange statement .. it seems that they felt they were in charge of their own destiny. How wrong were they. They had no fear of the elements, or the deep ocean. It was believed man’s intelligence and wisdom could conquer the universe.
The passengers ( many of whom were very wealthy and well known) had every confidence in this world class ship that everything was under control ..they thought everything had been provided. On that disastrous night, they were ordered to put on life jackets, but some refused saying they didn't want to get dirty and mess up their evening gowns. Some were urged to get into the boats and they said, "Why should we get into the boats and go out into the cold night, when we'll just be coming back on board in a few minutes? Many of them laughed when the porters and stewards tried to warn them that the ship was going to go down. An absolute tragedy.
This movie reminded me that life is unpredictable ..indeed James Cameron, the film’s producer and director himself said “the lesson of this story is – life is uncertain, the future unknowable, the unthinkable possible”. No-one on board RMS Titanic that day believed they were in deep trouble and in risk of losing their life. It couldn’t happen.. The loss of the Titanic left a shaken world in disbelief and made people stop and think ..but I found Psalm 108: 12 helpful. It says “Give us help from trouble, for no-one else can rescue us”. How true that was for these poor people – a nearby ship ignored the distress call and was too late to save most of the passengers and crew. Many drowned in the terrible icy waters of the ocean. God is in charge of our world and He alone has the power to help us. Nothing else can protect us.
In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon says “as long as we are alive we still have hope..life is short.. the fastest runners and the greatest heroes don’t always win races and battles. Wisdom, intelligence and skill don’t always make you healthy, rich or popular. We each have our share of bad luck. V12 – “none of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap”. So this wise man urges us to make the most of life while we can .. We live as if we are the master of our own fate, the captain of our soul. How foolish we are!
James 4:14, “How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog - now you see it, soon it is gone.” (Living Bible). This verse is quite a shock, but it’s absolutely true. How long will you live? The passengers on board the Titanic had no idea of what was to happen on 14 April 1912. They were having a good time ( well many of them were depending on their social status and privilege I guess) and enjoying the best of everything, with no inkling of tragedy looming .. so what lesson is there out of this? Simply
Celebrate every day of your life to the fullest. Don‟t get so involved in planning for tomorrow that you fail to appreciate today. “What is your life?” Tomorrow can be an enemy because your life isn’t lived out tomorrow. It’s lived out in today. A study years ago asked 3,000 people, “What do you have to live for?” Psychologists were shocked that 94% said they were simply enduring the present waiting for something exciting to happen tomorrow. The reality is we don’t know what tomorrow is like. The passengers had no idea of that iceberg.
Remember that line from Kipling‟s poem: “If you can dream and not let dreams become your master then you‟ll be a man, my son.” A lot of us allow our dreams to master us. “We’re going to enjoy life someday, when we get more secure and get our problems solved.”. 1,500 men, women and children were killed in the early hours of that April morning.
Source: Chris Witts
Morning Devotions with Chris Witts
One of the memorable movies I’ve seen is “Titanic” – the 1997 film based on the story of the tragic sinking of the “unsinkable ship”, RMS Titanic ..April 14, 1912, when the biggest maritime disaster of all time happened at 11.40pm. I guess we all know basically what happened when the ship hit an iceberg . The iceberg glanced the side of the ship causing her plates to buckle and rivets to pop below the water line 300 feet in length. And the Titanic was doomed .. there was a total of 2,206 people on board this magnificent ocean liner .. It broke in two and only 705 passengers and crew were rescued. What a tragedy. There’s a lot to this story .. but it was said back then that this ship could never sink, and people boasted “not even God Himself could sink the Titanic”. What a strange statement .. it seems that they felt they were in charge of their own destiny. How wrong were they. They had no fear of the elements, or the deep ocean. It was believed man’s intelligence and wisdom could conquer the universe.
The passengers ( many of whom were very wealthy and well known) had every confidence in this world class ship that everything was under control ..they thought everything had been provided. On that disastrous night, they were ordered to put on life jackets, but some refused saying they didn't want to get dirty and mess up their evening gowns. Some were urged to get into the boats and they said, "Why should we get into the boats and go out into the cold night, when we'll just be coming back on board in a few minutes? Many of them laughed when the porters and stewards tried to warn them that the ship was going to go down. An absolute tragedy.
This movie reminded me that life is unpredictable ..indeed James Cameron, the film’s producer and director himself said “the lesson of this story is – life is uncertain, the future unknowable, the unthinkable possible”. No-one on board RMS Titanic that day believed they were in deep trouble and in risk of losing their life. It couldn’t happen.. The loss of the Titanic left a shaken world in disbelief and made people stop and think ..but I found Psalm 108: 12 helpful. It says “Give us help from trouble, for no-one else can rescue us”. How true that was for these poor people – a nearby ship ignored the distress call and was too late to save most of the passengers and crew. Many drowned in the terrible icy waters of the ocean. God is in charge of our world and He alone has the power to help us. Nothing else can protect us.
In Ecclesiastes 9, Solomon says “as long as we are alive we still have hope..life is short.. the fastest runners and the greatest heroes don’t always win races and battles. Wisdom, intelligence and skill don’t always make you healthy, rich or popular. We each have our share of bad luck. V12 – “none of us know when we might fall victim to a sudden disaster and find ourselves like fish in a net or birds in a trap”. So this wise man urges us to make the most of life while we can .. We live as if we are the master of our own fate, the captain of our soul. How foolish we are!
James 4:14, “How do you know what is going to happen tomorrow? For the length of your lives is as uncertain as the morning fog - now you see it, soon it is gone.” (Living Bible). This verse is quite a shock, but it’s absolutely true. How long will you live? The passengers on board the Titanic had no idea of what was to happen on 14 April 1912. They were having a good time ( well many of them were depending on their social status and privilege I guess) and enjoying the best of everything, with no inkling of tragedy looming .. so what lesson is there out of this? Simply
Celebrate every day of your life to the fullest. Don‟t get so involved in planning for tomorrow that you fail to appreciate today. “What is your life?” Tomorrow can be an enemy because your life isn’t lived out tomorrow. It’s lived out in today. A study years ago asked 3,000 people, “What do you have to live for?” Psychologists were shocked that 94% said they were simply enduring the present waiting for something exciting to happen tomorrow. The reality is we don’t know what tomorrow is like. The passengers had no idea of that iceberg.
Remember that line from Kipling‟s poem: “If you can dream and not let dreams become your master then you‟ll be a man, my son.” A lot of us allow our dreams to master us. “We’re going to enjoy life someday, when we get more secure and get our problems solved.”. 1,500 men, women and children were killed in the early hours of that April morning.
Source: Chris Witts
SET FREE
SET FREE
Morning Devotions with Chris Witts
I wonder if you can remember back to October 1987 when a little 18 month old girl named Jessica McClure had fallen into a well shaft in Midland, Texas. She had only been left alone for a few moments in her aunt's back yard. She had playfully dangled her feet over a very innocent looking eight inch wide hole in the ground. But when Jessica tried to stand up, she slipped into the hole, one leg up and one leg down, and found herself wedged in the pipe 22 feet below the surface. Rescuers drilled a 29 foot shaft parallel to the well and then bored a five foot horizontal tunnel through solid rock in an attempt to reach Jessica. All the while, medical people were worried that dehydration and shock would take her life before the rescuers could get there. The rescue took far longer than anyone expected. The solid rock, plus equipment failure, meant that it took 58 hours before they could reach little Jessica. But they finally bored through and reached her, but the way she was wedged in the pipe, they couldn't move her! Medical personnel hooked up monitors to her and they discovered the worst - that she didn't have any time left - that critical point between life and death had arrived. The medical personnel conferred and they told the rescuers pull hard - she has no time left- you may have to break her to save her! And they pulled! And miraculously, little Jessica popped free without any serious injuries. It was an amazing rescue and many thousands of people watched this unfold on TV news around the world, and had prayed for her recovery. She had been rescued from overwhelming odds.
Life is sometimes like that – a desperate effort to overcome difficulties or the odds we may face, whatever they are. No matter how bad it looks, no matter how hopeless and helpless we feel, there is God. And God can and often does make a way. We learn that this God is none other than the God that made heaven and earth, this is the God who was Lord over history who weaves every event of history into his perfect plan of salvation for his people. This is a God who is Lord over every cell in your body and mine. This is a God who cannot be handcuffed. This is a God who is omnipotent. This is a God who can deliver. God is on our side. This God is for us always, even when you and I are against Him, even when we sin and turn our backs on Him. He still is for us, and my friends, that is the awesomeness of grace. That this God loves you and me so unconditionally and infinitely in Jesus Christ, that this God by the power of his Holy Spirit is for us and can make a way for you and me no matter what we are up against. This God is for us, this God can deliver. I can think of a song that says “God can make a way when there is no other way”. Written by Don Moen on an airplane as he travelled to attend his nephew’s funeral. His nephew had been killed in a car accident and these words came to him. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me., He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side, with love and strength for each new day He will make a way. By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me and rivers in the desert will I see. Heaven and earth will fade but His Word will still remain, He will do something new today”.
Psalm 50:15 “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me”.
The story is told of an only survivor of a wreck who was thrown on an uninhabited island. After a while he managed to build himself a hut, in which he placed the little that he had saved from the wreck. He prayed to God for deliverance, and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any passing ship. One day on returning from a hunt for food he was horrified to find his hut in flames—all he had had gone up in smoke. The worst had happened it seemed. But that which seemed to have happened for the worst was in reality for the best. The next day a ship arrived. “We saw your smoke signal,” the captain said. If our lives are in God’s hands “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
Wallace Johnson, builder of numerous Holiday Inn motels and convalescent hospitals, said, “When I was forty years old. I worked in a sawmill. One morning the boss told me. ‘You’re fired!’ Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world had caved in on me. It was during the depression, and my wife and I greatly needed the small wages I had been earning.” When I went home, I told my wife what had happened. She asked, ‘What are you going to do now?’“ I replied, ‘I’m going to mortgage our little home, and go into the building business.’ “My first venture was the construction of two small buildings. Within five years, I was a multi-millionaire! “Today, if I could locate the man who fired me, I would sincerely thank him for what he did. At the time it happened, I didn’t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing!”
Psalm 91:15B I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Source: Chris Witts
Morning Devotions with Chris Witts
I wonder if you can remember back to October 1987 when a little 18 month old girl named Jessica McClure had fallen into a well shaft in Midland, Texas. She had only been left alone for a few moments in her aunt's back yard. She had playfully dangled her feet over a very innocent looking eight inch wide hole in the ground. But when Jessica tried to stand up, she slipped into the hole, one leg up and one leg down, and found herself wedged in the pipe 22 feet below the surface. Rescuers drilled a 29 foot shaft parallel to the well and then bored a five foot horizontal tunnel through solid rock in an attempt to reach Jessica. All the while, medical people were worried that dehydration and shock would take her life before the rescuers could get there. The rescue took far longer than anyone expected. The solid rock, plus equipment failure, meant that it took 58 hours before they could reach little Jessica. But they finally bored through and reached her, but the way she was wedged in the pipe, they couldn't move her! Medical personnel hooked up monitors to her and they discovered the worst - that she didn't have any time left - that critical point between life and death had arrived. The medical personnel conferred and they told the rescuers pull hard - she has no time left- you may have to break her to save her! And they pulled! And miraculously, little Jessica popped free without any serious injuries. It was an amazing rescue and many thousands of people watched this unfold on TV news around the world, and had prayed for her recovery. She had been rescued from overwhelming odds.
Life is sometimes like that – a desperate effort to overcome difficulties or the odds we may face, whatever they are. No matter how bad it looks, no matter how hopeless and helpless we feel, there is God. And God can and often does make a way. We learn that this God is none other than the God that made heaven and earth, this is the God who was Lord over history who weaves every event of history into his perfect plan of salvation for his people. This is a God who is Lord over every cell in your body and mine. This is a God who cannot be handcuffed. This is a God who is omnipotent. This is a God who can deliver. God is on our side. This God is for us always, even when you and I are against Him, even when we sin and turn our backs on Him. He still is for us, and my friends, that is the awesomeness of grace. That this God loves you and me so unconditionally and infinitely in Jesus Christ, that this God by the power of his Holy Spirit is for us and can make a way for you and me no matter what we are up against. This God is for us, this God can deliver. I can think of a song that says “God can make a way when there is no other way”. Written by Don Moen on an airplane as he travelled to attend his nephew’s funeral. His nephew had been killed in a car accident and these words came to him. “God will make a way where there seems to be no way. He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me., He will be my guide, hold me closely to His side, with love and strength for each new day He will make a way. By a roadway in the wilderness, He’ll lead me and rivers in the desert will I see. Heaven and earth will fade but His Word will still remain, He will do something new today”.
Psalm 50:15 “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me”.
The story is told of an only survivor of a wreck who was thrown on an uninhabited island. After a while he managed to build himself a hut, in which he placed the little that he had saved from the wreck. He prayed to God for deliverance, and anxiously scanned the horizon each day to hail any passing ship. One day on returning from a hunt for food he was horrified to find his hut in flames—all he had had gone up in smoke. The worst had happened it seemed. But that which seemed to have happened for the worst was in reality for the best. The next day a ship arrived. “We saw your smoke signal,” the captain said. If our lives are in God’s hands “all things work together for good” (Romans 8:28).
Wallace Johnson, builder of numerous Holiday Inn motels and convalescent hospitals, said, “When I was forty years old. I worked in a sawmill. One morning the boss told me. ‘You’re fired!’ Depressed and discouraged, I felt like the world had caved in on me. It was during the depression, and my wife and I greatly needed the small wages I had been earning.” When I went home, I told my wife what had happened. She asked, ‘What are you going to do now?’“ I replied, ‘I’m going to mortgage our little home, and go into the building business.’ “My first venture was the construction of two small buildings. Within five years, I was a multi-millionaire! “Today, if I could locate the man who fired me, I would sincerely thank him for what he did. At the time it happened, I didn’t understand why I was fired. Later, I saw that it was God’s unerring and wondrous plan to get me into the way of His choosing!”
Psalm 91:15B I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Source: Chris Witts
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
