Christmas day, 25 December 2012 07h30 RSA

Yvette van Niekerk - 3 September 2010

Micah 5: 2 - 5a ‘But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.  Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labour gives birth and the rest of his brothers’ return to join the Israelites. He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his GOD.  And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth, and he will be their peace.’

Shalom my darlings, its Christmas morning and the house is quiet the kids are asleep, my husband is asleep.  Birdie is signing in her little cage, the dogs are still sleeping.  I have been up since 5h00 this morning, I wanted to make the potato salad for today, wash the dishes of last night and tidy up the house before we leave for the day to see my own children and family.  Outside the winds is blowing through the trees, I see the branches moving up and down and I can hear the rustling of the wind through the leaves.  I opened the doors so that fresh air can come into the house, it a refreshing morning.

Reading this morning’s devotion I have come to realise that this time of year is very, very sad for many people.  I had a job last week and yesterday I was told ‘sorry your contract has expired and we will let you know if something comes up in the new year’.  I was devastated it seemed my whole world crashed in around me.  I called Andus and was really crying my heart out; we have bills to pay and all kinds of things.  But this morning in humble prayer I came into the presence of the LORD my God.  I don’t know what my future holds for me and yes I don’t have a job and I am not sure how I will meet all my payments.  This is difficult but I have hope, and I believe in God, I believe the Lord Jesus Christ will lead me in the path I should take.  I stand on the word of God and I take hold of it this morning. 

 

With a firm belief in my heart I entrust my life and finances into the hands of my Lord Jesus Christ.  I will stand on God’s word this morning as He is my income, He said that He would provide according to my needs.

Darlings take heart and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, as we face each day there will be difficult times and it will seem there is no way out.  As I come to you with nothing and I know I cannot help you I do want to encourage you to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ.  We have the opportunity to go to Him in humble prayer and wait at His feet.  The Lord loves you and me, God sent His only begotten son to die on a cross for our sins so that we may join Him in heaven.  

Father God in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ Your Son I submit my life into Your hands today.  I want to dedicate my life and the lives of all the people around the world who are facing a difficult time.  A child whose mother is drunk and has not taken care of them, an abuse father who comes home angry and frustrated and beats everybody.  A young girl pregnant and not sure how she will make it going forward.  A lost child someone who cannot go home because life is too difficult to face with the family.  A dying spouse not sure if they made the grade and will be going to heaven.  A person who lost their jobs and aren’t sure if they will make ends meet.  Father the list is endless but in humility Lord I want to bring each heartache and pain into Your presence this morning.  Lord I want to ask You to please lift us up.  Help each one of us as we face today.  Give us the peace, love, kindness, humbleness and charity we need to face today.  Lord gives all of us the assurance that no matter what happens You are there with us.  In Proverbs 3: 6 I come to You Lord and in all my ways I want to acknowledge You, and because I believe in You Lord Jesus I know You will make all my paths straight.

May the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts and minds, may your Christmas be joyful and happy and may the supernatural favour of our Lord Jesus Christ sit on You today and the rest of this year.  May an abundant bless come to You with these supernatural favours, with hearts changed and love to follow you all the days of Your life.  God Bless You today, merry Christmas!  Amen

Lord Almighty God direct my paths

Proverbs 3: 6 ‘in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.’

Darlings I want to encourage you to stop and think about this.  ‘In all your ways acknowledge him,’ Lord Almighty God I want to acknowledge You today in every aspect of my life, my waking up in the morning, my morning shower, the warm water pouring down my back, the fresh smelling soap I use, the fragment shampoo and conditioner.  Brushing my own teeth, combing my wet hair, drying off with a nice clean towel and getting dressed.  How blessed am I Lord, how blessed am I.  I want to acknowledge You Lord in my life this morning, I want to say thank You Lord that I have all these pleasures, I am able to go to a job and work for a couple of hours.  I dedicate my job today into Your hands, Lord I thank You for Your supernatural favour, Lord I dedicate my husband and the children into Your hands.  I acknowledge You in being with them and protecting them.  Lord I want to acknowledge You in my marriage and my family life, I pray Lord that You will come and make my paths straight.

Darlings do take the time if only 15 minutes each day, read something in the Bible, focus and mediate on the Lord God.  Dedicate your life and time into Gods hands, praying for the wisdom and insight you may need to face these days.  

May the Lord Almighty Bless You on this morning before Christmas, may the peace and happiness flow over you and your families.  Lord giving You all the glory and honor, I dedicate each person reading this piece today, bless each person and Holy Spirit fill their hearts and minds with the knowledge that the Lord God is here and will be with them as they too face another day.  In the holy name of Jesus Christ I pray.  Amen

The end of the world

Hello Darlings, it was supposed to be the end of the world yesterday 21 December 2012, but hey here we are still doing the same old thing.  I was thinking about that and it reminded me of the passage I read in the new testament where the disciples ask the Lord Jesus when the end of the world would be.  I remember it saying that it would be the same as in the days of Noah, people will still be getting married, having babies and buying and selling.  We all will be doing our own thing, but there is one thing we wont know and it is to know when the Lord will be returning to come and get us all.

So praise the Lord for another day, year and many more to come, we have so much to be grateful of, I have a beautiful home, a wonderful husband, beautiful children and grandchildren.

I am just wondering if it really was the end of the world, what would we be doing differently?  Perhaps we would be kinder towards each other, perhaps we will go and make peace with our friends and family?  Perhaps we would think of the people in need?

I don't know but one thing is for sure, I would want to be near my family, I would want to spend my last moments with the people I love and care for.

The year ahead has many challenges we don't know and we cannot see, lets face them with a different attitude, one with courage, love and kindness, respect and most of trusting in each other.

So lets be kinder to each other especially the people we love and respect.

Wants vs needs

Good morning Darlings, what an awesome day it is today, getting up early and starting my day in humble prayer before the Lord God.  I sit in my bed and read through my daily devotions and then I take my Bible and read something in Genesis, Psalms, Proverbs and John.  This takes up about an hour of my reading.  I then pray and ask the Lord for guidance and pray that the Lord God will anoint my head so that I can face the day.  I get out of bed open the showers hot water tap and wait for it to warm up before I step in and take my hot shower.  I feel refreshed and ready to face the day.  My darling husband is still sleeping.  After I dry myself off I get dressed and dry my hair and put my makeup on.  Go to the kitchen make some coffee and lunch and then get ready to go to work.  

On my way to work I read one of the novels and by the time I get to work I am well read.  Walking into my office I greet my manager, and colleagues.

We start early and I try and get my work sorted out for the day so that I can manage whatever comes my way.  We have meetings, and its minutes of meeting, collation of documents, agendas, ag, you name it I do it.

Finally it is lunch time and I can spend some time reading something to lift my spirits, as the day seems to drag by and drain everything from me.  People around me can be so negatively charged and before I go home I feel the negativity hanging on me.

A normal day for me, but I want to change this, I have decided to make the best of my situation, I want more, I need to grow and live my life as God has planned it for me.  Once again I ask the Lord for guidance and I pray for the wisdom and understanding to see it and grab it with both my hands.  I need to become financially stable again.  We have so many needs that we want to fulfil, is this need or a want.  I have to establish that and work on my needs and not my wants.

So Darlings, is it just me or do we all face the same old thing everyday?

Beggars

Hello Darlings, how awesome is our Lord, we have the ability to speak to each other and enjoy each other’s company.  The Lord has blessed each one of us with wisdom and insight and knowledge, we all have a great word to speak and the Holy Spirit inspires each one of us to go and do our jobs.

I have been thinking about the people that are less fortunate than we are and my heart goes out to them today.  I find in our country the hardship of poverty and the pain that goes hand in hand with it.  I have heard it said that with poverty a bad smell follows.  Looking at our lives and thinking about it, yes it is true were poverty is there you will find a smouldering dull stink.

We have many white people sitting on the side of the road begging for money, they are burnt up from the hot sun, their skin looks like leather; they are dark brown with greying hair.  Their cloths are old and many times too big for them.  They have fallen on hard times; they drink wine and eat bread when they can.  Their lives are meaningless and they feel that they just need to make enough money to pay for their beds tonight and then back into the streets tomorrow.

The sad part is they have become accustomed to their way of life and it feels right, they seem to thrive on the pity of other people, they grow stronger in their self-pitting and don’t care about what happens to them.  The just continue in there aimless lives with nothing to look forward to.  Their self-respect is gone, they feel they are victims of circumstances and blame God and other people for their bad positions.

The street is no place to live, we all know the dangers of being outside in the dark, the woman get rapped and the men too.  They need to stay together and try and protect each other.  Most of the time they drink wine at night to forget their past and hope they might die during the night.  They don’t hope any more, they don’t have dreams and they don’t care about living either.  They just exist.  

How could one motivate and help people in these kind of circumstance?  I wonder, I can only pray the Lord will pick them up and dust them off and give them a meaning in this world.  

Many of them used to be important people, with important jobs, with important family members and had beautiful homes and cars.  Where has this all gone?

May the Lord God have mercy on me as I pray for them this morning; I feel in my heart that I need to dedicate all the vagabonds into God’s hand.

Baruch haba baShem, Yeshua hamashia, Father God, in humility I come before You today, Lord You know my heart and You know my life.  I always feel sorry when I see people standing next to the road begging for money.  I don’t know their circumstances; I don’t know how they ended up in these difficult and hard times.  I don’t know why they have to live like wild animals in the cold and rain, and sweltering heat.  I can only come today to You in humble prayer.  Lord I want to pray for each man, woman and child that stands on the road begging for money and food.  I pray Lord that You will show them Your loving kindness and help them face each day.  Lord open the eyes of the people who live these dreadful lives and give them the courage to face yet another day.  Help them back onto their feet again, restore them to what they were used to.  Guiding them and helping them.  I pray in the holy name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour.  Amen

Jesus is born

The shepherds said ‘let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.’  

Come let’s hurry to Bethlehem and see where we can find the child.  The shepherds rushed off and went into Bethlehem.  They found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.  

The met up with a couple of their friend and said ‘have you heard the good news?’  Looking at the shepherded they said ‘no, what good news?’

The shepherded said ‘The angel of the Lord appeared to us and told us of the arrival of a child that is born in the town of David. He is the Savour and he is Christ the Lord.’

‘Really?  What does he look like?’ they asked and wanted to know ‘where can we find him?’

At that time Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.  The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen which were just as they had been told.

Lord God, in humble prayer I come before You today and ask Lord that You will guide me, and show me the purpose of my life.  Lord I pray for wisdom and I ask Lord that You will teach me the way I should go.  I love You Lord and thank You for the time I have available and that I may come into Your presence.  I dedicate my life into Your hands today and I pray Lord for all the people reading my blog.

As each person reads it may Your Holy Spirit touch their lives and bring them into Your kingdom.  Lord You have favoured me with this tool and I pray Lord that I will use it to benefit You.  I pray Lord for the right words to speak and write.  I pray Lord for the right message at the right time.

Bless each person today Lord giving them their heart desires.  Help them face each day and know that You alone are in control over our lives.  We give You Lord all the glory and honour in the Holy Name of Jesus Christ I pray.  Amen