We Are More Than Our Issues (Craig Lee)

About a year ago, God laid something on my heart. It was like a eureka moment and something that I always revert back to when I struggle. It’s just a reminder of how great our God is!

It occurred to me that in all the gospels regarding the woman with the issue of blood, she was never named. It wasn't like "Barbara pushed through the crowds to touch Jesus's cloak", but she was known for what her problem was, or what she was going through.

Maybe she was one of those, "Oh look, here's that unclean woman again, keep away" people, as it was highly likely that that's how people thought about her in those days, but not once was she known by her actual name, but instead her issue.

Imagine if we were identified by what has happened to us or by what we’re going through. In the past, I'd be known as a lot of things: "Oh look, here's PTSD and depression, keep away, he's a weird one".

Imagine being judged like that every time you leave your house! Wow!

The woman (or “Barbara” if you like) had this issue for 12 years. She was most likely known by her name in her community, but as time went on, she was known by her issue, and her name (who she actually was) faded.

Matthew 9.20-22 explains her story.

In just two verses from the Bible you can see how her life has been flipped upside-down! Wow, can you imagine how she felt after that brief encounter with Jesus!

Just like the woman must have felt, if we believe that we are the problem that we’re going through (or have been through) whether that's depression, anger etc. we need to be reminded that that's not who we are, but what we've been through...that's a massive difference!

I have never "been PTSD, but by the grace of God and the renewing of my mind, I have overcome it!!

Just like she thought about touching Jesus's cloak before actually doing it, she allowed a God thought and acted on this thought and it changed her life. She allowed God to transform her mind, change her thinking, and that's exactly what we need to to!

We need to turn to God when we feel there is no way out and nowhere to turn.

God can and will take you to the other side, and get you through any storms that are going on in your life…maybe it will start from acting on a God thought!?

However low your opinion of yourself is, just remember that it's what God thinks of us that actually counts.

You are always on His mind, He only wants the best for you, He is your biggest supporter!!

Just remember it's not your past that determines your future, it's your decision to act on a God thought. It's your decision to stretch out in faith and touch his cloak to be transformed!

He Sees Us, He Hears Us (Emma Lee)

This month I've spent some time in the book of Genesis, particularly chapter 16:13, which tells of Sarai mistreating her pregnant slave Hagar. Hagar has of course just been made to become pregnant by Sarai's husband Abram, as they were being impatient, waiting for their own child that God had promised them.

After being mistreated, Hagar subsequently runs from her mistress into the wilderness, pregnant and alone in a foreign land.

The Angel of the Lord appears to Hagar and tells her to go back. Hagar tells God; "You are the God who sees me". She is an Egyptian slave, far from one of God's people, yet she is the only woman in the whole Bible to name God. She calls him El-Roi; the God who sees. He responds with kindness and compassion for her.

While we go through the storms of Life, it really does feel sometimes like we are alone, and no one understands our situation. It's so vital for us to remember that as Christians we are never alone! God sees us. He sees our every day struggles and difficulties and he loves us and heroes us when we turn to him. Sometimes it's not in ways we expect, I highly doubt Hagar was delighted to be told to return to her mistress, who had been mistreating her out of jealousy for her pregnancy. But, return and submit she did and God blessed her obedience to him by giving her many descendants. She named her son Ishmael, which translates to "God hears". God listens to us too!

When we are going through the storms of Life, God sees. And when we turn to him in prayer and by spending time in his word, he hears. God hears our cries and he listens to us. And he answers us.

Later on in chapter 17:1, God instructs Abram to "walk before me", by God. God wants us to know he is always there and for us to be aware of his presence.

We have a kind and compassionate God, who sees us, hears us, and answers us when we need it. Rejoice in that knowledge today, whatever your situation! Knowing we are never alone and have a God who cares enough for us to grow and shape us through our circumstances is one of the biggest comforts of our Christian walks. Praying God fills your day with joy!

When Goals Aren't Met (Doug Burke)

Maybe you have watched a football match where the end result is 0-0. There was much pre-match hype. It may have been a good game, great sliding tackles. Stunning runs down the wing with the ball to the crowd’s delight and cheers. Outstanding crosses in to the goal area, shots on target. But after it all, when the final whistle is blown. The ball never went into the back of the net. The game ended 0-0 leaving you flat for the rest of the day. It all never seemed to amount to anything.

Life can often feel the same way. We make plans and run the course. We try our very best but yet somehow, things don’t often work out how we would like it all to be. The end result, whether the end of the day, month or season, has little to show for it all.

God has a sense of humour. If you want to make Him laugh, tell Him your plans for your life.

The Good Lord will be quite happy to watch us strive, pant and struggle along in our own strength.

Then when we cry out, “Lord help me!” He then says: “Now watch what I will do for on your behalf.”

As King Jehoshaphat faced an upcoming battle, the Spirit of the Lord said: “This is what the LORD says to you: ‘Do not be afraid or discouraged because of this vast army. For the battle is not yours, but God’s.”

Don’t be surprised when your plans don’t come to fruition. God will remind you who is in control of your destiny.

Proverbs 16:9 states: “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.”

In life’s walk, and it should be a walk of Faith rather than a run. Keep handing over the day to the Lord. Remember, hurry belongs to the Enemy.

The most popular piece of music played at the end of someone’s life is Frank Sinatra’s ‘I did it my way.’ Be different, go against the grain of the world. Aim to be able to say: “I did it your way my Lord.”

Ephesians 3:20 says: “Now to Him who can do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”

Life is more exciting His way, it truly is.

The Pomegranate (Alexandra Hodgson)

I’ve been contemplating this for a while. This year when I began my Bible in a Year I decided to google everything I didn’t understand rather than just moving onwards as I may have done on other occasions. Some things previously I would just gloss over and take for granted. Cue lots of googling Hebrew names and seeing why people were named as they were etc. When I came upon the first mention of the pomegranate in Exodus 28:33-34 God was telling Moses what the priestly robes should look like for them to wear whenever they ministered before the LORD. 

“Make pomegranates out of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn, and attach them to the hem of the robe, with gold bells between them. The gold bells and pomegranates are to alternate all around the hem.”

The bells (some believe) to symbolise the warning of approaching His holiness, I guess if they stopped hearing bells or there was a loud clatter they knew the priests had died in the holiness of God’s presence. But what about the pomegranates? There are some theories that the fruit that Adam and Eve ate in the garden of Eden was a pomegranate, however I won’t get into that as it’s just speculation, but there’s a whole other story in there if that is true. Wearing a symbol of the original sin that they are going into God’s presence to atone for on behalf of the people. Makes sense I guess. Anyway, I digress.

The pomegranate seems to have a lot of connotations for a lot of different religions, if you type into google “what is the spiritual significance of a pomegranate in the Bible?” you will find a lot of information about what they mean to Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and to the Jews. They are a symbol of righteousness to the Jews and they also consume them at Jewish New Year one seed at a time. 

You’ll find them mentioned throughout scripture. In the instructions of how to build and decorate the temple 1 Kings 7:18

“He also encircled the latticework with two rows of pomegranates to decorate the capitals over the pillars.”

They are mentioned when God is bringing His people into the promised land. Deuteronomy 8:7-8

“For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land of flowing streams and pools of water, with fountains and springs that gush out in the valleys and hills. It is a land of wheat and barley; of grapevines, fig trees, and pomegranates; of olive oil and honey.”

This shows us that they are seen as a good thing. Moses is telling the people about the blessings that God has lined up before them.

What I find interesting about the pomegranate is it’s symbolism of fruitfulness, it’s a bit battered on the outside, but no flesh, just seeds to give out.

Let’s ruminate around that for a while….. no flesh… just seeds. 

Today I was reading Romans 12 and it made me think back to the pomegranate.

“And so dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behaviour and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning. Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.” Romans 12:1-8

It goes on about how to really love people with genuine affection (v 9), to bless those who persecute you (v 14), to not take revenge (v 19) but instead to give to your enemies (v 20). When I read this chapter all I see are examples of how to give out to people (seeds) and how to crucify our flesh. (Galatians 5:24)

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there.”

A verse that is found after which passage? Describing the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!”

I am being challenged more and more as I am reading God’s word to deal with my flesh. The sinful human nature that we all possess. Romans 3: 10-13

“No one is righteous -
Not even one.
No one is truly wise;
No one is seeking God.
All have turned away;
All have become useless.
No one does good,
Not a single one.”
“Their talk is foul, like the stench from and open grave.
Their tongues are filled with lies.” 
“Snake venom drips from their lips.”

The bible tells us that all have sinned and fallen short (Romans 3:23). Paul talks about how even he does what he doesn't want to and he doesn't do the things he knows he should. Romans 7:15

“I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.”

This is our sinful nature, our fleshly ways, our earthly desires. 

I myself am currently being challenged continually to believe the best in people, 1 Corinthians 13:7 (AMP)

“Love bears all things [regardless of what comes], believes all things [looking for the best in each one], hopes all things [remaining steadfast during difficult times], endures all things [without weakening].”

 to deal with bitterness, Ephesians 4:31

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behaviour.”

to stop with the ‘woe is me’ thoughts when depression tries to rear it’s ugly head. Psalm 13:1-3

“O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?
How long will You look the other way?
How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul,
With sorrow in my heart every day?
How long will my enemy have the upper hand?
Turn and answer me, O LORD my God! Restore the sparkle to my eyes, or I will die.”

God is challenging me through the pomegranate. There’s no room for the flesh. If I want to be fruitful for Him and His Kingdom, it is all about the seeds. 

When someone hurts you and you choose to believe the best, that it wasn’t their intention and you forgive them, you are saying no to the flesh and yes to the seeds. If that person is not a believer, how much more is that showing the character of Jesus to them? Who knows what will come of that seed that you have planted? I am not saying this to make anyone feel under condemnation (Romans 8:1)

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”

The Holy Spirit doesn’t want to make us feel bad or guilty, He gently challenges and nudges us when He knows we are able to make those seemingly small but huge changes that reflect His character more than our own. 

N.B As an abuse survivor I also feel it’s important to say that you shouldn’t feel you need to  keep putting yourself into dangerous situations to show God’s character to an abuser. We need to believe in the best of people but when someone has shown you repeatedly who they are, you have to protect yourself, speak to someone you trust and ask for help. I could write a whole other blog post on this but I won’t go into it now as it would detract. However, it is a delicate and dangerous thing coming out from under an abusive relationship. Seek wisdom and tread carefully. Our miracle working God can restore anything, just make sure you put yourself in a safe place while He outworks things.

I could go on with so many examples of small ways we can deal with our flesh and leave room for the seeds to be in our lives. There are many things God is dealing with in me. I start to get to a place where I feel like I’m doing ok, and He says “what about this, child?” “come up higher” “I’m preparing you for the next thing I have for you to do”. I guess the point is, what do you feel Him challenging you to do? Is there any flesh that you need to get rid of to make room for the seeds? If you can’t think of anything (don’t worry the Holy Spirit is good at showing us when it’s the right time) then look at that list in Romans 12 again (v 4 onwards), what has He given you to do? What gifts do you have? Go on, get spreading those seeds.

God Says You Are Enough (Cassandra Leech)

Sat here listening to ‘You Say’ by Lauren Daigle, I for one know that I need reminding daily that God says that I am enough. Many of us struggle knowing that we are enough in different areas of life, but, for me, my struggle has always been body image and I know that I’m not alone.

26Then God said, “Let us make human beingsb in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,c and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

(Genesis 1:26)

We all know that God is more than enough for us, yet we who are made in His image do not always feel this way.

In a Dove survey in 2016, only 20 percent of British women surveyed said they were happy with how they looked. The current ideal image for women is only achievable by 5 percent of women.

Women are not alone, however. According to mentalhealth.org, this set of unhealthy thoughts are also increasing in men. In a 2019 survey of just over 4000 men, 1 in 10 said that they had experienced suicidal thoughts and self-harming feelings due to their body image, and 1 in 5 had dressed in a way to hide their body.

So lets look at what God’s word says.

10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

(Ephesians 2:10)

Masterpieces are one of a kind, unique, individual, different but still masterpieces.

14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful,

I know that full well.

(Psalm 139:14)

Each of us is a wonderful creation made by the living God.

I’ve been alive on this earth long enough to know that the ‘ideal image’ in people’s eyes changes, but God’s stays the same. In Proverbs 4.23 it says, “Be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life.” We will always fall short of the world’s standard of beauty and image, therefore focus on God’s image of us.

7But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

(1 Samuel 16:7)

You are enough in God’s eyes, therefore replace those unhealthy thoughts controlled by Satan because God gave us the truth in his word.

Those who know me will know that I began a new journey in September 2020 and am currently back in education at Uni studying, so have forever found myself referencing. For this, however, my reference is the Bible. On those tough days of self-doubt, dig deep into God’s Word, the Truth.

6Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.

(John 14:6)

What is He like? (Doug Burke)

What is God the Father like?  By that, I mean His characteristics, His personality and the way He thinks and acts.  Even Jesus always seemed to appear to react differently to what people expected of Him.  

In the passage from John 14:5-14, Philip says to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus replies, “Don’t you know me Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time?  Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

With this, to understand and know God we needn’t look much further than Jesus Himself.  Jesus was very much God Himself, the Word made flesh, come into the World to reveal Himself, fulfil Scripture and provide a rescue plan of Salvation for us through the Cross and Resurrection.

As we draw closer into Jesus, we want to know His qualities.  In John’s first Letter, he states:

8But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

(1 John 4:8)

Rather than saying what He does.  It states who God is.  Love is God Himself.  This may seem vague and confusing until we transfer the word ‘love’ into the famous passage which is often read out at Weddings from 1 Corinthians 13:4.  It is a great exercise into granting insight into the characteristics of God.  Try it and play around with the chapter.  I’ll start it off for you.

“God is patient, God is kind.  God does not envy, God does not boast, God is not proud.  God does not dishonour others, God is not self-seeking, God is not easily angered, God keeps no record of wrongs.  God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  God always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  God never fails …”

O Lord, who is like you?

5 Ways Worshipping Helps Your Mental Health (Alexandra Hodgson)

We were created to worship. We were ultimately designed to worship our Creator God. Worship literally means “worth ship”.To “extol worth”, to allocate worth to someone or something, to declare something as worthy. We worship something when we act as if it has value. 

This isn’t just something that we do through song, it is a full life response to the object of our worship. The Bible talks about us being living sacrifices:

1And so, dear brothers and sisters,a I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.b

(Romans 12:1)

In our nature, human beings are designed to be worshippers. As Christians the Object of our worship should be God, the One Who is worthy of our reverence and worship. Sometimes, however, our worship is misdirected; towards a loved one, a job, a goal we have set for ourselves, a football team, a celebrity or politician.

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We can worship in so many ways, anything and everything we do that puts God first in our lives above all others is us offering ourselves as a living sacrifice and worshipping God. Missing a night out so you can be up early to serve in church, the restaurateur who doesn’t open on the busiest trade day so they can honour God with a day of a rest, the single mum who goes without a bag of crisps to put an extra can in the food bank, the grieving widow who raises her hands to sing in church even when she doesn’t feel like it.

There are also stories that we see in the Bible of different ways people extol worth to God. I think of the story of the widow with her mite:

41Jesus sat down near the collection box in the Temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. 42Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.j

43Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. 44For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

(Mark 12:41-44)

and King David turning down free wood and cattle when he was bringing an offering to the LORD to stop a plague on the land

22“Take it, my lord the king, and use it as you wish,” Araunah said to David. “Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and you can use the threshing boards and ox yokes for wood to build a fire on the altar. 23I will give it all to you, Your Majesty, and may the LORD your God accept your sacrifice.”

24But the king replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” So David paid him fifty pieces of silverf for the threshing floor and the oxen.

(2 Samuel 24:22-24)

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I wanted to make it clear that worship can take many forms before I continue because today I am specifically looking at how the physical act of singing, dancing and making melody to God is good for us. You see God isn’t just a God that demands worship of us because He alone deserves it and He alone is worthy, because of Who He is and what He has done:

25Great is the LORD! He is most worthy of praise!

He is to be feared above all gods.

26The gods of other nations are mere idols,

but the LORD made the heavens!

27Honor and majesty surround him;

strength and joy fill his dwelling.

28O nations of the world, recognize the LORD,

recognize that the LORD is glorious and strong.

29Give to the LORD the glory he deserves!

Bring your offering and come into his presence.

Worship the LORD in all his holy splendor.

(1 Chronicles 16:25-29)

He designed it so that when we do what He created us to do it enables us to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be. How incredible is that? What an awesome design:

14Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!

Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.

(Psalm 139:14)

So with all that in mind I’m going to explain some simple biological truths that show 5 ways worship can help your mental health.

1) Singing is good for you

According to Healthline.com singing is a stress reliever. A study was carried out in 2017 that measured the amount of cortisol (the stress hormone) that was present before and after singing. The cortisol was lower after singing showing that stress levels were reduced. It also stimulates your immune response and helps you fight off illnesses. A 2004 study showed that the amount of immunoglobulin A (an antibody that your body secretes to help you fight off infection) was higher in the people who sang, and not those who just listened to music. Communal singing, dancing, and drumming increases endorphins (the happy hormone) which can even increase your pain threshold.So when Paul tells us to sing together corporately he knew what he was doing.

16Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.

(Colossians 3:16)

It also improves snoring, lung function, and enables you to develop a sense of belonging and connection.

2) Creating something new lowers your risk of dementia/degenerative condtions

When you create something new - as the Bible says:

1Sing a new song to the LORD!

Let the whole earth sing to the LORD!

(Psalm 96:1)

you create new neural pathways in your brain. The more you improvise, the more you fire up the rapid decision-making that’s needed to forge new neural pathways. Regular dancing reduces the risk of dementia by 76%, twice as much as reading. The theory goes that the more pathways your brain has, the easier it can access stored information and the better your memory. When David whirled before the Lord as the ark entered Jerusalem he was onto something.

14And David danced before the LORD with all his might, wearing a priestly garment.f

(2 Samuel 6:14)

Our bodies are designed to do it, it helps us in every way.

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3) You can change how you feel when you sing things that aren’t as though they were

When you sing/speak/dance even when you don’t feel like it, it tells your brain that you are happy. God is the God who speaks things that are not as though they were and calls them into being. As we see in Creation:

3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

(Genesis 1:3)

and also when He named Abram, who had a barren wife, Abraham which meant “Father of many nations”:

17That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, “I have made you the father of many nations.”d This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

(Romans 4:17)

I’ll never forget during one of my lowest personal moments being sat in church as the band at the front sang “because of Your love there’s dancing in my heart”. I was singing the words but I remember in my heart I was speaking to God: “I’m sorry God but there is absolutely no dancing going on in my heart right now. I know I love You, I know that You’re there, I know You are good but right now I don’t feel it”. I believe that in those moments of deep loss and rejection choosing to worship God anyway was a catalyst for my situation being turned around.

5Those who plant in tears

will harvest with shouts of joy.

6They weep as they go to plant their seed,

but they sing as they return with the harvest.

(Psalms 126:5-6)

Did you know that the physical act of smiling even when you don’t want to tells your brain that you are happy and it then releases happy hormones which makes you actually happy. Read an article here on the health benefits of smiling.

4) It reduces anxiety and depression

Singing releases dopamine, a natural anti-depressant. Worshipping reduces anxiety, depression and stress. Lead researcher Prof Tom Shakespeare from University of East Anglia’s Norwich Medical School said: “We found that singing as part of a group contributes to people’s recovery from mental health problems.” Click here to read about it.

David said:

5Why am I discouraged?

Why is my heart so sad?

I will put my hope in God!

I will praise him again—

my Savior and my God!

(Psalm 43:5)

We can speak to our souls, and our bodies and command them to put their hope in God. It is good for us to praise Him.

5) It can help you process trauma and heal

As you engage in singing the truth of who God says you are and the power of what He did for you, it helps you to process trauma and heals past hurts. The Bible says that God inhabits the praises of His people:

3But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel.

(Psalm 22:3, KJV)

and when God shows up, things happen. God showed up enabling Elisha to prophesy after he had sent for a musician:

15Now bring me someone who can play the harp.”

While the harp was being played, the powerd of the LORD came upon Elisha,

(2 Kings 3:15)

The walls of Jericho came down when the trumpet sounded:

20When the people heard the sound of the rams’ horns, they shouted as loud as they could. Suddenly, the walls of Jericho collapsed, and the Israelites charged straight into the town and captured it.

(Joshua 6:20)

There is a whole article linked here of ways music was used to help groups of people process trauma after horrific events. If creating melodies in our heart to process how we feel can help us when we are not Christians, how much more so, when those melodies are declaring the truth of who we are in God and how He is able to redeem our situation.

Our God is incredible and His works are perfect:

4He is the Rock; his deeds are perfect.

Everything he does is just and fair.

He is a faithful God who does no wrong;

how just and upright he is!

(Deuteronomy 32:4)

Give Him praise today for all that He has done. Sing to Him in the midst of the storm and know that He will lift you up. He has designed it that way.

Heavenly Rewards (Emma Lee)

I saw something on YouTube the once. A preacher had a jug, and he filled it with ping pong balls.

"These," he said, "are our earthly blessings".

So in other words, our houses, cars, holidays and all other material things that God has blessed us with. Then he proceeded to fill the jug with water. And he filled it, and continued to fill it while it spilled over. This was to demonstrate how God's blessings overflow unto us when we accept salvation!

Psalm 23:5 states; "my cup overflows with your blessings".

I loved this preacher's example of such a simple but powerful analogy of showing how God's blessings work in our lives!

While I was thinking on this visual, I thought about how it could be expanded; if the water evaporated and rose up, the way our souls will rise up to meet Jesus, what remains in the jug? The ping pong balls - our earthly treasures!

You cannot take your house, your car or any of your material belongings with you to heaven. The ancient Egyptians believed the material went with the soul to what they believed to be "the other side". But of course, all the discoveries of the mummies by archaeologists over the years prove that the prized possessions of all the pharaohs simply rotted alongside the body of the pharaoh, preserved only by the fact they've been entombed for thousands of years. Sometimes they'd be stolen from the tombs by grave robbers.

Knowing this, it's imperative as Christians that we don't lose sight of what's important! God wants us to have nice things and material possessions in our lives, he wants to bless us and make us comfortable. But he doesn't want us to focus on chasing these things when we should be chasing Jesus, and growing our relationship with him!

20Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal.

(Matthew 6:20)

The trouble with our material possessions is that none of them are permanent. They can be burned, broken, stolen etc. The treasures we store up in heaven cannot be taken away by any means.

So, what are these treasures? They are the rewards for the works we do alongside our faith that are carried with us as long as they are done for God's glory, and not our own. We are not saved by our works, we are saved through faith. But our works demonstrate commitment to God and determine the rewards we receive in heaven. Psalm 16:11 states "you make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore".

The way society tries to shape us, we are programmed to to always be chasing the next best thing. You have a house, but you want a bigger one. You have a car, but you want another. You have a job that pays plenty, but you've seen another advertised that pays more. While there is nothing wrong with any of these things, be wary of chasing the material, of focusing too much on achieving material gain, as these things can become idols as they force us to take our eyes off the real prize that is to be had, when chasing a life with Jesus!

For it is living a life with Christ at the centre that we find true fulfilment and joy, that nothing in this world can replicate.