Frailty of Life

I have been reminded again this week of the frailty of life. We spend so much time stressing about things that we believe are important, but at the end of the day ARE THEY REALLY? In truth, today we may be enjoying life, consumed by all kinds of things, but by this time next week we could be gone. Life is that short.

Jesus' disciples got to experience this first hand. One day they were laughing and eating with him, but within a week they had already buried him and were wondering what to do next. Thankfully for all of us, Jesus' resurrection breathes hope into our lives too. We will pass from this life one day, but a glorious inheritance with Christ awaits us.

"The life of mortals is like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children." — Psalm 103:15-17

Forgive the heavy sentiment today, but I just feel that we need to enjoy every moment God gives to us. Be blessed, my friends.
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

The Difference a Tree Makes

"A tree in Paradise made us debtors to God:
a tree on Golgotha has wiped away our debt." - St Irenaeus

What a difference one tree can make!

The fruit on the tree in the Garden of Eden proved to be too enticing for Adam and Eve - their decision to eat from this tree brought death and punishment to all humanity.

The tree on Golgotha was not enticing for anyone, not even Jesus. However, in enduring the scandal of the Cross, Jesus offered us the fruit of freedom and forgiveness.

We get to choose which fruit we eat and from which tree?

Choose well ...
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Little Wonders

Every now and again a song makes a big impression on me. I was watching a DVD with my sick kids the other day and a Rob Thomas song was playing in the background. It was the theme song and it's called "Little Wonders." This is how some of the words go...

"Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder don't you know the hardest part is over. Let it in, let your clarity define you in the end we will only just remember how it feels. Our lives are made in these small hours these little wonders, these twists & turns of fate time falls away, but these small hours, these small hours still remain Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you let it shine until you feel it all around you and I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to we'll get by, it's the heart that really matters in the end All of my regret will wash away some how but I can not forget the way I feel right now."

When I read these words in the context of God helping me to 'let things go' and believing that He will deliver us from difficult times, they take on a different meaning. Try it - read these words as if God were speaking 'Life' over your situation.

Be blessed.
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Faith or Sight?

If I asked you all to raise your hands if you knew the following Scripture, most of you would be sheepishly raising a hand right now. This is the verse...

"We live by faith, not by sight." - 2 Corinthians 5:7

The trouble with me is, is that I seem to be set to the default setting of 'faith by sight.' I may go to sleep living by faith, but somehow I wake up ready to operate by sight. In other words, I have to remind myself that God is calling me (on a daily basis) to renew my faith in Him. That means that whatever I need to tackle today will require an attitude of faith. If I can 'see' how something will end up, before I trust God in it, then I have not walked by faith. I have then put my trust in things I can see and know, instead of the person of God.

What about you - are you walking by sight or faith?

Just asking ...
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Unity and Holy Week

This Sunday (17 April) marks Palm Sunday in the Christian calendar, which is the beginning of Holy Week. A lot of churches hold services every evening of the week and I encourage you to join one of these at your local Church - it will bless you immensely.

In our community, we celebrate a combined Palm Sunday service with all the Churches in our local area - it is a wonderful sign of Christian Unity. In an era when so many Christians fight over doctrinal issues, it is awesome to identify the Passion of Christ, as something that unites our Faith.

"How wonderful, how beautiful, when brothers and sisters get along! It's like costly anointing oil flowing down head and beard, Flowing down Aaron's beard, flowing down the collar of his priestly robes. It's like the dew on Mount Hermon flowing down the slopes of Zion. Yes, that's where God commands the blessing, ordains eternal life." - Psalm 133:1-3

Please don't let Holy Week simply be an 'ordinary week' for you. Rediscover the grace and mercy of Jesus.
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Solid and Hollow

Author Steven James wrote an amazing book entitled: Story: recapture the mystery. He blends poetry, Scripture and personal reflection on the entire Bible. Here is a moving extract from his chapter on 'Longing for God.'

Can something be both as solid as stone and as hollow as an echo?
Only one thing.
What's that?
A human heart.

"God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end." - Ecclesiastes 3:11

What are your thoughts on this?
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Ambrose on Greed

Ambrose was a unique church leader in that he reluctantly took up the post of Bishop of Milan. This was in a time when leaders jostled for power and title. In one of his writings he comments:

"God ordered all things to be produced so that there would be common food for all, and so that the earth would be the common inheritance of all. Thus, nature has produced a common right, but greed has made it the right of a few." - Ambrose

Challenging thought hey?
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

Frozen Snowballs!

I stumbled across this story the other day - I absolutely love it:

"Baseball pitcher Tug McGraw had a wonderful philosophy of pitching. He called it his frozen snowball theory.

"If I come in to pitch with the bases loaded," Tug explained," and heavy hitter Willie Stargell is at bat, there's no reason I want to throw the ball. But eventually I have to pitch. So I remind myself that in a few billion years the earth will become a frozen snowball hurtling through space, and nobody's going to care what Willie Stargell did with the bases loaded!" - Our Daily Bread, July 26, 1994.

I am not sure if the world is really going to be a 'frozen snowball', but this stories challenges me on this thought:

Sometimes our fear of the future prevents us from enjoying the abundant life God has given us in the present.
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

What is Success?

We often struggle to identify what success means in our modern context. Is it only about collecting the most 'toys', degrees, money or facebook friends?

Someone reminded me of this poem from Ralph Waldo Emerson the other day. It is entitled What is Success?

"To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

What does success mean for you?
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za

'Just' Pray

I am ashamed to admit that I showed how weak my faith is the other day. I was speaking with someone about the difficult situation they were facing and this is what I said:

"I don't know what else to do for you, but pray!"

I said this because I felt I had no good advice for this particular person and that I genuinely felt that only God could give them courage and wisdom. However, my lack of faith, is in the way I said, "I can just pray." It was almost as if this was the lesser option. Immediately as I said this the Holy Spirit prompted me - "Delme, remember how powerful prayer is!" I felt ashamed.

Prayer is not something we 'just' do when all else fails. Prayer is the power by which God transforms our lives and radically empowers us. Prayer invites the Spirit of God to work in the midst of our hopeless situations.

I urge us all to pray like something will happen. Be blessed.
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Living in Grace is written by Delme Linscott, a minister and author. Delme's first book was 'Living Oceans Apart’ and he has just completed his second which is called 'Now: Refuse to let the moment pass.' You can find out more on www.livingingrace.co.za