Devotional: Spread the Word

"For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything."

1 Thessalonians 1:8

Paul, Silvaneus and Timothy write to the Thessalonican church and commend them for the way the Word is shared through them. Paul writes that in every place their faith was spread.

I am challenged to be like this church. I am challenged to step out of my comfort zone and say the Lord's name and speak of His love. I am challenged to live in a way that people will see the difference in my life.

I want to be remembered for how, when and where I share my faith!! I want to be remembered for the way my life shines for Christ!

Let us be encouraged that this is possible. It truly is possible for Jesus to show Himself through us. When we rest in Him, talk with Him, and follow His leading, this is more than possible!!

~Rachel

Devotional: Gifts

"Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership."

1 Timothy 4:14

Does this verse convict you? Does it make you question where you're at in your service to the Lord?

It certainly did this to me!

It can be so easy for us to serve in various ministries without even thinking about it - we teach Sunday School, cook meals for those in need, invite fellow believers over to have a meal, lead worship, prepare morning teas, join church and mission boards... The list is endless.

^"6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands."

1 Timothy 4:14

Every single person has been given special gifts and talents. Along with these, God grants grace and wisdom in how to use them. Our only task here is to actually use our gifts. When we are available, God makes a way.

It is healthy - essential, even - for us to stop and think about our gifts and ask ourselves how we are using them - if we are using them!

Will you join me in using your gifts for the glory of God?

Let's put our gifts and talents to good use!

~Rachel

Devotional: The Mystery

"And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God[c] was manifested in the flesh,

Justified in the Spirit,

Seen by angels,

Preached among the Gentiles,

Believed on in the world,

Received up in glory."

1 Timothy 3:16

I love how these few short sentences describe Jesus; how they describe Who He was and what He did on earth. This seems like a simple review of His life, in a nutshell!!

And... this is the mystery of godliness. Jesus. No questions asked. No games are being played here. We don't even need to search it out; look for hidden clues in the puzzle.

JESUS is the mystery of godliness. God manifested in the flesh.

HE is the answer, always the answer.

~Rachel

Devotional: Intercession

"Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,"

1 Timothy 2:1-5

This passage immediately spoke to me when I read it this morning. A couple of weeks ago, I realized there were a few things in my life that I wanted to work on. Since it was nearly the end of January, I decided to sit down and pray about everything that was in my head, write thoughts down on paper, and then create some goals for February - short-term, achievable goals.

One of my goals was to intercede for others. There are so many special people in my life, and while I can't invest lots of time with them as individuals, I CAN pray for them as much as I like! I find that when I take specific time to pray for others, my heart is filled with joy, because this is such a privilege.

As I read this passage, I noticed the clear reference to "kings and all who are in authority".

Do I pray for my nation's politicians and leaders and officials?

No.

Never.

Wow. I call myself a Christian,  yet I never pray for my leaders! Sure, I make plenty of comments such as "What were they thinking?!?!...this is a Christian country? Doesn't seem like it!...I can't believe the place our country is in..." You get my point.

I expect the best, but don't pray into the decisions that are made by our leaders.

God, forgive my ignorance and pride and selfishness!!

I am encouraged - yes, convicted! - to pursue prayer. Pursue time to intercede for friends and family. Pursue prayer for my nation's leaders. Pursue my Lord and Saviour and all that He has for me.

Will you join me?
What are you convicted to pray for today?

~Rachel

Devotional: Habits of Speech

^"4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. ⁵ Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, ⁶ from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,"

1 Timothy 1:4-6

These few verses are so relevant to me. They make me question the subject of my speech.

What do I talk about most?
How do I talk about it?
Why do I talk about it?
Should I be talking about it?
And must I change the habits of my speech?

Verse 4 notes that some subjects cause disputes rather than godly edification.

I spent some time meditating on this, and realized that there are definitely some parts of my speech are not godly or edifying. They include:

• Complaining
• Criticism
• Quick judgment

Verse 5 brings some very important steps to my attention.
Perhaps, just perhaps, if I "LOVE from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith", then godly edification will flow from my mouth??

I want to change that "perhaps" to "surely". Surely my speech will be godly when my heart is full of love?

Verse 6 points out that some people (may I say, all of us, at one point o r another?!) stray from love and purity and faith and godly speech, and turn instead to "idle talk".

For me, idle talk includes the amount that I lament about my life. I am quick to complain about what people do or say to me; what happened yesterday; how uncaring people are; how one coffee shop never, EVER gets the entire order right ;-) You know what I mean!

Another example is when I say or think that I do better than other people. So often I look at the way things are done and immediately see the failings. As a fairly organised person, something I do very regularly is see how others coordinate events or plan their time, and think of the ways that I would do it differently - aka, better.

Idle talk can simply be a quiet, off-hand judgment. Have you ever turned to the friend next to you and commented about what such-and-such is wearing or doing (in a negative way), even when you don't even really know that person? I sure have. If I don't know someone much deeper than a surface-level "hello, how are you?", surely I have no right to make a quick judgment about their dress code or actions!

So how can I be more edifying?

• When I am about to complain, realize that I am not perfect
• Replace criticism with thankfulness
• Look deeper into people before judging

I want my heart and life to be like Christ's, and my speech is one area I know that I need to improve!

What are some areas of speech that you struggle with?
How can you make your speech more edifying?

~Rachel

Still Counting...up to One Thousand Gifts

Hello, everyone!

I've been busy reading a few blogs - some familiar ones, and some new ones to me - this week, and I have been inspired to open my own Blogger, and start writing again!

In my phone's memos, I have a "To-Do" list, #1 of which (for the last 2 months) has been "Blog". I've wanted to blog, but I haven't felt like it.

I've realized that, over the 6 months away from home, I was writing a lot of emails, blogging semi-regularly (how's 34 posts in 6 months?), and keeping up with things on Facebook as much as I could. Then, when I arrived back in Adelaide, I just lost all desire for anything Gmail, Blogger or Facebook [yes, I checked my emails and looked at Facebook...but the thought of emailing or posting or commenting had no appeal whatsoever].

So.

Now that inspiration's hit, I'm not sure exactly where to start!!

I still want to post about my time on outreach in PNG, with the YWAM ship and in Tauruba village. I want to share about the new season of life I'm in. I want to post a few photos of a few happenings around here...

But I feel like a good place to start is to share the things that I am thankful for, right now. I feel so blessed! Even though life gets on top of me, things frustrate me, and I'm not sure how to handle some things - I am learning that if I just stop and thank God for all the gifts He's given me, my outlook suddenly becomes a lot more sunshine-y!


I AM THANKFUL FOR...

214. My parents. They support everything I do; they're so proud of my accomplishments; they haven't mentioned board payments for the entire time I've been at home [with no job]... So many more I could list... But I just love them!!

215. Tax that has been completed and sent in! A full 7 days before it's due! Boo-yeah! =P

216. My adorable nephew, Daniel!! [for those who don't know, this is my bestie's first baby =D ]

217. Glasses. I'm pretty sure I've been thankful (here in One Thousand Gifts) for these before, but really... Suffering hayfever, working in an air-conditioned office, and wearing contact lenses really do NOT combine well. Seriously. If you've never experienced the pain and tears of these three, you may not understand. So, I am thankful that I can wear glasses :)

218. People, who, somehow, think glasses look good on me. Enough said.

219. 40-50 minutes on the train every morning. I'm loving reading a chapter of the Word; praying; journalling; reflecting. SO worth the earlier mornings!

Waiting for the train

220. My man. Really. How did I luck into meeting this guy, him falling for me, winning me, and then getting to be with him?!?!?! Best. Gift. EVER.

221. Sneakers. Because I can walk so much faster in them =D

222. A dinner and movie date with Andre. Something he's always wanted to do "when we live in the same town". The [slightly] tense, scary movie was totally worth it :-)
 
223. Modern Family. So trivial, yet... pretty funny =P Laughing at everyday things that suddenly become funny on the show; rolling my eyes at the silliness...

224. The way Andre quotes Modern Family, even if he doesn't "get" the comment ;-) [we have to watch those sections about 5 times before we actually understand the meaning]

225. Free. Coffee. Work has a coffee machine. Need I say more??!

226. Visits from friends and family during my lunch break. This week, Mum, Amy and Jarryd came in, on Amy's birthday!

One 14-year-old, two crazy eyes, and Subway

227. Dad and Ryan's Work & Witness trip to PNG. I can't BELIEVE that, right now, they are in the exact same place where I served, two years ago!!! Ryan is having the time of his life, and doesn't want to come home. Don't I know how that feels!!

228. The blessing of being able to get up at the first alarm. No pressing snooze for me!!

229. Tissues. Always a necessity with hayfever.

230. Sunny days and sushi in Rundle Mall.

231. My new job. This is a HUGE one!! I work for Kelly & Co. in the city of Adelaide. My colleagues and managers are amazingly awesome, approachable and affirming (okay, I added that last one just to create an alliteration. Creative, I know!), and the offices are pretty fancy!

232. Hebrews 11 and 12. I have read these two chapters more in the last three weeks than I have in my entire life!! So, SO good!!!!

233. Spring, which means dandelions covering our entire front yard.

234. Sunsets. Amen.

235. A sleep-over and catch-up with a friend that I hadn't connected with since at least the start of this year.

236. The opportunity I had to nanny two precious children for a friend in need.


Caleb's icecream was filled with all kinds of un-name-able toppings. If all baby-sitters were like me, kids would LOVE them!! ;-)

237. Visiting my best friend and having dinner with her little family. A short amount of time, but time that I treasure.

238. Rain-water. Nothing beats it!!

239. The new young adults group at my church!!! This is a huge one! We've never had this many "young adults" in our congregation, and I am LOVING the opportunities to connect with these lovely friends. Our first group catch-up was at Cafe Nova, for dinner, drinks, and Jenga. Such fun!!!

240. Reading. I am re-discovering my old love!!!!!!!! YAYYY for books!!!!

241. For.give.ness. Thank You, Jesus.

242. A [successful] shopping date with my brother =D

I now know what Retail Therapy means. WOO!

243. Birthdays =D

244. People at church who ask me how my new job is going; what is happening in my life. I feel SO cared for and loved by my church family!

245. My Mum's homemade lasagne. The best!!

246. Leftovers from a morning tea that was held at work. (yes, us admins get the leftovers =P )


Nom, nom, nom.
By the way, That little pie in the top left corner? Best. Pie. EVER. No joke. I need to find out where they came from! Real meat, real taste. De-LISH.

247. Weekly devotional times with Andre. Learning together, sharing together, growing together.

248. My African friends coming to church these last few weeks - so fun having them there!

249. Cleaning jobs while I didn't have work, which provided just the right amount of $$ for those weeks.

250. The chance to walk a lot during the weeks without work. This is one scene I passed :-)

251. The good, healthy, productive feeling of making my own lunch to take to work :-)

252. Being able to afford to buy lunch every day for almost 3 weeks... and sometimes dinners... Definitely not a necessity, but a pleasure to enjoy as I settle into work (now the above Gift is to be the norm).

253. Time with Andre just sitting together, chatting, studying, reading, and drinking coffee / smoothies. I love the simple joy of these precious moments!



[although, the banana smoothie wouldn't be my first pick next time...]


There is ALWAYS something to be thankful about! I wanted to make this list as long as I could, so it took me a while. But as I thought and reflected, more and more things came to mind.

God is good, through the good and bad. He remains faithful. He remains just and loving and true. He alone is the biggest gift of all!!!

What are you thankful for today?

~Rachel

Steps That Lead to Effectiveness & Productiveness

2 Peter 1

New King James Version (NKJV)

Greeting the Faithful

¹ Simon Peter, a bondservant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ:

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Fruitful Growth in the Faith

⁵ But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, ⁶ to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, ⁷ to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. ⁸ For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.
¹⁰ Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; ¹¹ for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, my pastor spoke on the above passage.
I was reminded that just because I have put my faith in Jesus; just because I want to live my life for Him - doesn't mean that I should remain the same. In fact, I should continue to change. I should continue to grow. I should continue to "add to my faith" (verse 5).
God has placed goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, kindness and love (and MUCH more!) at my disposal. These are some things that Peter tells us to work towards; to add to our faith. Now I have to step out; put in effort; apply myself!

[Side note from the message: Pastor Doug challenged us. He asked, "What are some of the character flaws you had last year?" This kind of took me aback. Made me question what I am aiming for; why I live. Does this question make you think?]

To add to my faith; to attain the things in this passage requires effort.
It requires me to set aside time daily to spend with the Lord.
It may even require me to put aside my wants and desires. To have times of fasting.
Prayer is essential if I want to grow and add to my faith.
And for all of this, I will need to have discipline. Much discipline!

These are some steps we can take to be more effective and productive! I hope and pray that we can apply even some of these! This is all a journey. Let us aspire to be greater servants of Christ - and most of all, to be more like Him every single day.

~Rachel