Choices, Choices, Choices!

After three trips around I still couldn’t make a decision. Usually it is not a problem but, for some reason, today, I couldn’t make a choice. The issue was a big one, I had to choose between a kebab, a hamburger, fish and chips or a piece of chicken…it was lunch time, and I was in a food hall.

On my fourth trip around, my inspiration finally came and I settled on a kebab…but the choices didn’t end there. I had to choose whether I wanted ‘the lot’ or not…then I had to choose the sauces! The challenge seemed almost too much for a hungry man to cope with!

Our lives are filled with choices. Every day we make hundreds of them. Sometimes the choices we make are about unimportant and superficial things; other times they are important and will determine our future or at least impact upon us for some time to come.

How are you when it comes to making choices? Are you indecisive or decisive?

The Bible talks about us when we are in the midst of making decisions. It gives us a warning… “The double minded man is unstable in all his ways!” Flitting between decisions is a very unstable way to live but the Lord does offer us a solution; He says “If any one lacks wisdom let Him ask of God who gives freely to all who ask!”

The Lord has a wealth of widsom available to all who ask…so don’t remain confused or indecisive…ask Him for help!

What is slimy and black and sucks the life out of you?

“What is it???  Get it off of Me!!!”

It was horrible, slimy, squiggly and jet black. 

It was a leech and it was attached to my daughter’s stomach half way through our Easter Monday bushwalk. 

This was the first time that she had ever encountered a leech and to say she was not impressed at all, would be a huge understatement. 

The leech had begun to do what leeches do best: After catching hold of her clothes as she walked by it had crawled inside and firmly attached itself;  it released its anaesthetic (so she wouldn’t know it was there) and it was getting ready to suck her blood until it was so full it would fall off.   After this it would have sat and digested its ill gotten gains and then it would begin the process once more!    

But I had an antidote! 

 I took a small amount of Bushman’s industrial strength insect repellent and touched it near the leech’s mouth and to everyone’s surprise it just dropped off.  The response was instantaneous and the problem was solved.  

Jesus spoke of a ‘leech like’ thief who comes against each one of us.  He seeks to “steal, kill and destroy” all good things and basically do what leeches do – suck the life out of you!

Jesus said “But I have come that you might have life and have it more abundantly!”  (John 10:10)

Jesus is the ultimate and instantaneous antidote to all the needs within your life.  

Don’t wait until all the ‘life’ has been ‘sucked out’ before you ask for His help!

Memory or Forgettory??

At first it starts with little things like “where are my keys” or having difficulty remembering your children’s names.  Later it becomes even more obvious when you get up from your chair to do something important only to stand in the other room without any idea of why you are there.  It is a phenomena we don’t tend to talk about but I have observed that it seems to touch us all!

Many people make the mistake of believing that they are loosing their memory when in fact it is something else entirely!  They are actually developing their ‘forgettory’!

As your forgettory develops it begins to make an impact with small things like forgetting the milk on the way home or forgetting to return a phone call…later it begins to become more subtle and your find that you forget to ‘mow the lawns’ or ‘go to the dentist to have root canal’.  Your forgettory actually begins to be one of the protective forces in your life. Remembering is powerful but forgetting is also important because there are some points of difficulty and pain which, whilst they were possibly important at the time, you don’t need to dwell on everyday of your life. 

The Apostle Paul said this… “forgetting what lies behind I press forward for the prize”.

The Lord is interested in one goal for your life and that is that you will win the eternal prize – life with Him evermore! 

There are some things you need to remember but also some things that have to remain in the past.  Let the Lord help you forget so that you can move on today!

How long did the chocolate last?

 Was it savoured lovingly or devoured ferociously?  What type of chocolate consumer are you?  Are you like my brother who would not even begin to eat an egg until after the whole family had finished theirs (thus enjoying rubbing in the fact that he still has some)?  Or are you like me:  wake up as early as possible and eat as much as you can, just in case something goes wrong and there is no other time! This many days after Easter I am sure that much of the $200 million worth of eggs sold in Australia has been consumed, but I do recognise that some people (who misguidedly believe that rationing is the best policy) will still have some left.  I wonder if we forget the reason for the eggs as quickly as they disappear from our fridges?

I really hope not and I hope that Easter has not already faded for you because it is so much more than eggs and lasts so much longer than the most highly desired confectionary on the planet.   So in this week after Easter, I pose a simple question…What did Easter mean to you and what does Easter mean today?  See, it is not a celebration that is meant for a few short days but a reality that determines your way of life.Jesus came to earth, lived and died for us and was raised to give us a way of being right with God. 

 This is a truth that one week after Easter must not be forgotten!