Having resilience

 Hello my friends,
How are you?

I hope that you're having a really nice afternoon, there wherever you've found yourself.I want to talk to you about sticking at things when it gets tough.

Finding that traction, to be determined to keep going.

The question I want to ask you today, is, what keeps you on track to where you are going?

What keeps that motivation in your hearts to keep going?

My friend, let me share some light on the subject.

It's ok to be real.

And to talk openly about what's going on.

Because dear friends, if we just go around trying to keep it all boxed in, tied with a pretty bow, and we're just trying our best to keep it all nicely contained. and then all of sudden, the bottom falls out, and we're left to pick up the pieces.

Like with any relationship, it takes time to open up, and trust, to get not only people on their good days, but to see how they're going on their not to so good days. to keep checking in with them.

You don't need some fancy words, to say I care, but you just be there for them.

And let them talk, because you know there might be a time when they're not so great and they might need you.

and you will need each other.

And that is the most powerful thing about love is that it crosses the great divides, it breaks all boundries. and comes into your heart.

And it stays there for good.

One thing with love is it's not just a nice feeling, that we get, when we're in it, it's a commitment, to stay in it when it gets hard going.

Love stays, when everything else turns south.

No matter how many promises are make to ourselves, jesus is the only person who is going to make us stronger with it.

He is the ultimate teacher on the subject.

Jesus first loved us by laying down is life for us.

We are called to love, because he first loved us.

Sometimes I write about my sponsored children,  and it's time to write them a christmas card, now I'd be a pretty lazy sponsor, if I don't give them presents, wouldn't I?

I give money to tearfund, because I love what they are doing, they are giving through Christ, children with a hope and future.

And the lord has blessed me, as well with encreasing the things I have.

It says in the bible, that he puts the lonely in families.

And that is because he has given my the power of not giving up, but to praise God in the storms.

He has given me Andrei, a very special and dear friend.

so dears whatever your going through today, be encouraged of never giving up, because Jesus never gave up on you.

He hasn't walked away, turned back, told you see you later, walked out. rejected you. rather, he turns to your side, and equips you, to keep putting one step in front of the other.

And tells you to keep breathing, to keep walking, to keep going. and runs a million miles in the same direction as you.

because he loves you.

Lots of love 

Chloe

Playing the long game.

 Hello my dear friends.
How are you?

I want to encourage you today, to play the long game.

And what does that look like?

To me, it looks like staying in their for the long hall, to keep digging when everyone tells you to stop.

In my own journey, I have prayed to Jesus every day, in our therapy garden.

I call it that, because it offers me, a space to connect with God, on a more personal level.

Sometimes it's tough going, and we face trails every day. and not all of it is all that pretty.

But I want to point you to Christ, he will bring you through it.

He will give you the courage to stick in the game.

Paul writes to the church to keep running the race, the path that is marked out for us.

And to stay on it. it means not to look to the right or too the left, rather stay on course.

We read in 1st Thessalonians, chapter 3. Paul writes, that he sends Timothy to encourage the early church.

Now the word encourage is to build up, we read in Jeremiah that the temple of the lord was in ruins, for years, decades. with no one to rebuild the temple and city of the lord. Until Jeremiah rose to the challenge, working by day, fire by night. and sword in hand.

People we need to learn how to battle, for our Lord. to learn to be prayer warriors, for our lord, and to pray for those people. that are on our hearts to pray for.

And to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in prayer.

Why do we give up so easily? when we are so close to getting our prayers answered?

We simply loose sight of our break through.

I've had so many break throughs in my life, some I had to fight for, some I had to play the long game in.

But I want you to know to still be in the game, you know we all need those cheer leaders. beside us, cheering us on, when we feel like we're slipping.

So who are your cheer leaders that you have around you?

Or biblically speaking, who are your ''Timothy's?'' that the lord has sent to encourgage you?

We are not alone in this. we have the bible to stand on, and read, we have the armour of God to use, and protect us from the battles, and trust me, the battles things can turn sour pretty quickly.

If we don't know the word of the Lord to equip us in the battles.

So who are you relying on?

Are you relying on, yourself to be brave next time something happens?

or are you relying on the word of God, who will make you strong in the battles?

We can't turn back the clock, to what's happened in the past, the past if your a believer is dead, gone vanished without a trace.

We are a new creation, we are being made new every day of our lives.

So don't worry if your jobs seems mundane, or repeated over and over. Don't worry if battles come, because you stand on the word of God and he will equip you with his armour, to make you strong in them.

We need to play the long game, and when things come out of from left field, and throw us a curve ball?

We can take it in our stride.

My friends, do not hide, away in some dark corner of the room, rather come out in the brilliant light of the lord.

and let him set you free.

See we read in 1st Thessalonians 3:6.  But Timothy, has just now come to use from you and has brought good news about your faith and love, he as told us that you always have pleasent memeories of us that you long to see us, just as we also long to see you.''

This is an encouraging thought, that it is good to be connected to the people, of the church to meet reguarly.

So that the lords word will sharpen you up.

If we get out of the habbit of not meeting, or we are injured by the church, we stop going, making us liable for an attack.

It is also not good to have divisions in the church, or rumours starting, we need to be there for each other.

So how do we equip ourselves, in the word? to stand firmly on it every day.

That things in the flesh are going to come, temptations are going to come, no matter how much you read, and mediate on it, things will come your way. to test you out.

But stand firm on the lord, look to him, not to anyone else, because things will come at you, and if you're away chaising this that, the other, just for a thrill.

Who are you kidding?

Verse 8. of 1st Thessalonians. chapter, 3 says.

"For, now we really live, since you are standing firm in the lord."

That is really life in all it's fullness, we can trust no other than God.

To bring us through, if we are faithful in the small things, we are faithful in the big things. and he will encrease our blessings.

See we need to give out the love of Christ, to everything around us, and ebb and flow of his holy spirit.

Like a river.

We need to be refreshed in the word of God, so that we can in turn love others.

Rather than be a stagnant pond, of bittereness and conceit, and pride. 

Where nothing flows to or from.

It might be harsh, but you've been around people, who are always negative, they can't say anything nice, and they 99% of the time want some sort of sympahty.

Now I'm not saying all people are like this, think of yourself as a river, do you want to be a stagnant pond? we people can't enjoy you?

 Or do you want to be a river, with the ebb and flow of the holy spirit?

So that we can love people unconditonally, no matter where they are in life?

Jesus in the only way to life to live it to the full.

We need to be open to the idea of living life to the full, not to have a life with blinkers on, only wanting see when it suits us.

Or being in the right crowd when it suits us, loving God going to church when it suits us.

Or when we think we need to go.

Rather be in him the whole way through.

Jesus in with us all the way.

Personal growth.

Jesus loves us to grow.

Now at the moment, in my garden, I have weeds, a poisons plant called Oxalis.

it's quite pretty, flower, but deadly poisonis bulbs, you've got to get every bulb up without leaving a single root or bulb in the ground.

You can't just yank out the top, and leave the bottom to grow, because it will multiply and become even bigger than before.

 Planted in the right areas in the garden makes a nice ground cover, but not welcome where you have other things growing.

Like a tulip bed.

Don't let imposters in, to your carefully guarded heart.

Where Jesus has taken the time to grow you, into a beautiful being inside and out.

It says in the bible don't dip your feet into muddied water.

Don't do it, just to try it, keep your ways pure.

And you will be a beautiful garden, ready for the right person to come along.

And ask questions, because you won't know till you ask.

 Ask the hard questions, write them down for yourself, and get going on them.

Ask the lord he will guide you.

He will take you up that mountain, to where only you can be.

Non one else will do it.

Jesus is the only one.

Look to him always.

And that is my encouragement for today.

Chloe

 

Unconditonal love

 Hello my friends,
How are you?

I have been thinking a lot about you recently, and I'm wondering how you are.

The days are bright, and the weather is much settled, now that it's spring time.

And I'm on holiday. which is an added bonus.

Andrei comes this week, which is exciting for all of us. we're very much similar. 

I enjoy his good morning texts reminding me to cast all my cares onto Christ.

So I want to challenge you today, to see how you're going in that area?

Are you doing it in your own strength? or have you got the strength of God behind you?

I'll give you an illustration,  recently I got a retro fitted e bike, that is, that I paid the bike mechanic to change over my gears and put in an electric system.

Did I feel the call of God to do so?

Maybe, but I wanted to use my bike, for more than just a fun ride on a nice day, I wanted power, to get my up the hill.

Now for people who have stayed here, know that we live on a nice hill. and I wanted the power. so we went for the high end, range of power, to put on my bike, as I'm hoping to use my bike on Sundays when I start a bit later at the school, and get rid of my fat.

I have to go up 2 hills, to get to work, and I was done filling up my car with petrol, I wanted to change my ways a bit and retro fit my  bike into an e bike.

it takes 8 hours to charge from flat, which it is right now.

I wanted a life style change.

And sometimes we need to do that, we need to get the tug of God on our hearts and make the change.

My friend, are you making it work in your own strength? or do you have the power of Christ behind you, because dear firneds just like the power on my bike, when you have that power of God in you, you are free from making it on your own.

Jesus loves us unconditonaly, he loves you just the way he is, and he knows that we can't make it on our own.

Sometimes we need that transformation, in our lives, that make us from being Bla, to extraordinary.  to excellerate a bit in his love to propel us forward.

On my bike I have a throttle, that I can use to boost me forward even more, if I want to zip along faster, or if I'm with someone, and they are fast I can use my throttle, to boost me forward.

Sometimes it's like that isn't that we need to have a little boost, to propel foward.

Jesus is the only one who can do that.

Rely on him to take you forward. you'll find ways of connecting with people, that you havent' thought of, new friend ships to be made, rather than onto the new thing.

What I think, is the more you put on the love of Christ, the more you think about being like him.

The more you grow, rather being dwarfed by what's around you.

The more you allow yourself to grow in God's word, and hear what he's saying to you, the more you love him.

So let him be your guide today, as you watch out for ways to love others, unconditonally, beceause Christ first loved you.