Summer Grace!

With the summer comes sun, holidays, BBQ's, socials and loads of fun. In the midst of it all though it can be tough to consistently walk with Jesus - there's just so many other things to do that Jesus gets squeezed out.

Is that really what we’re called to though - squeezing Jesus in where we can fit him - is that what walking with Jesus is all about?  The bible seems to talk in a way that suggests that our walk with Jesus is an ‘everywhere, anywhere’ kind of walk that has it’s foundations in the Trinity before the universe was formed (Father, Son and Holy Spirit in perfect communion for all eternity past) and in the Garden of Eden where God walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day - there was no squeezing God into their tight schedules - He was the main event of the day! 

In the book of 2nd Kings, the writer reminds us how even though God’s people have done evil in the eyes of the Lord, He has grace and compassion for them because of His word.

2 Kings 13:23
“But the LORD was gracious to them and had compassion and showed concern for them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To this day he has been unwilling to destroy them or banish them (us) from his presence.”

For us, though we live sometimes as if we are in charge and he is the one to be squeezed in when we have a window, God is gracious and compassionate and will never banish you from His presence - no matter how long it’s been. 

Why not take some time today to thank God for His forgiveness and grace over you, and ask His Spirit to help you develop a life that starts, continues, and ends in His presence. 

Remember: a great devotional life starts with 5 minutes!

Walking with Jesus at home

I don't know about you, but going home at Christmas brings up a mixed set of emotions. On the one hand i am excited about seeing my family and friends, eating great food and enjoying the break, but on the other I'm slightly nervous about what has historically happened to my walk with Jesus when i return to the home of my adolescence.

Our home towns, for many of us, symbolise a period in our lives of immense joy and pain: our first loves, first car, first break-up, and our first job.  They are also places that remind us of family tensions, difficult memories, sinful habits, and a time without much room for God.  Sometimes when we go home it’s as if without the routine and familiarity of normal life in Leeds we struggle to remember and live in the fruit of what God has done in us over the past year and is doing in us right now - we can easily slip into the ‘old me’ and forget who God has made us to be right now.

I know it’s not easy to be who you really are at home, i’m the first one to admit previous years of struggle, but God has made you to be who you are, not who you were.  He is about a great work in you and me, and no matter what happens this Christmas, the good and the bad, He is for you and will never leave you. 

Practically, why not join with me in staying in contact with your disciplers and accountability partners over Christmas to help each other pursue God, receive His grace and enjoy being you!

I hope you have an awesome God inspired Christmas