How Are You Living?

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

In Romans 12:15 we are reminded to "Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."  I believe that is what the message below is about - both of these things.  I received this from a friend, and want to pass it on to you.  Please take the time to read the linked blog entry.

Hello All;

No doubt many of you heard about the tragic car accident at the south end of Ottawa that took the lives of two teenagers last week-end, some of you may know that one of the boys, David Stringer was the son of our former pastor and his wife who are still friends that we love very much.  Watching the events of this week unfold has been very difficult for me, yet through it I have been humbled by the family's faith and strength, and in awe of the testimony these young men have left behind.

I'm forwarding a link to a blog written by Rob Dale, he pastors the Capital City Biker's Church and has known the Stringers for a long time.  It's entitled "How Are You Living" and talks about what he has witnessed this week as he and his wife have been there to support the family.  It serves as a beautiful reminder of the impact we can have on the lives of others if we only stop to take the time.

Grace and Peace,

Tracy

http://www.bikerschurch.com/robdale/2010/05/11/how-are-you-living/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+robdale+%28robdale.ca%29

As Tracy said, amazing grace and eternal peace to you,

Bruce

Psalm 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

My bad.

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

Well, I thought I new what I was going to write about this morning.  That is, until I came across this prayer.

Yes, there is humour here, but it is funny (at least to me) because it contains more than a grain of truth.  I recognize myself in these words.  When Jesus said we were to become "as little children" before we could enter the Kingdom (Matthew 18:3), he meant trusting a loving god unconditionally as a little child trusts and loves a parent.  Not that we need to become (more) childish.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Lord, you said "Unless you become as little children, you will in no wise enter the kingdom of heaven."

I'm sorry for misapplying your words.

You didn't mean for me to become whiny,

impetuous,

self-centered,

and demanding, did you?

My bad.

Amen.

(http://bobhostetler.blogspot.com/2010/05/become-as-little-children.html)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Why do I doubt that You have Your watchful and caring eye upon me?

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

Too often I feel myself separating from God and starting to doubt His presence in my life.  And then, when I am drawn back (for He always seeks me), there is such a sense of relief.  Does this happen to you?

If you are feeling that separation today, let God use this prayer to draw you back and to give you peace and rest.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you,

Bruce

Father, 

If You see a sparrow that falls to the ground; 

if You know the number of hairs that are on my head; 

if every snowflake that falls from heaven is uniquely designed by You, 

Why do I doubt that You have Your watchful and caring eye upon me for I am created in Your image? 

Forgive me when I doubt You or feel forsaken. 

Instead I want to trust You and believe Your Words that assures me, 

"Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you." 

"I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." 

"Nothing can separate me from the love of God; not tribulation or distress or persecution, famine or nakedness or peril or sword." 

No in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loves us.  

In Jesus Name, Amen.

(adapted from http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/a-prayer-of-faith-in-gods-care/)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

May the meditation of Your Word keep my focus on You, not myself this day.

Good Monday morning, my friends.

I love to start my day off with this kind of prayer.  It helps me to focus on God and His will rather than the busyness of my schedule.  It is a reminder that I need to be reading my Bible every day.  It is a prayer for humility and productivity.  May it bless you today.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you,

Bruce

Father, the mindset of the world too often is a driving force in the way I conduct myself day in and day out.  

But as I saturate myself in Your Holy Scriptures I am much more inclined to regard Your approval and Your direction in the way I live. 

May the meditation of Your Word keep my focus on You, not myself this day.  

Let my conversation be wholesome rather than empty or conniving so that I benefit both the listener and myself.  

Let the work of my hands be productive and helpful to others, my family and myself.  

Let it be a positive witness to unbelievers of the work You are doing within me.  

In Jesus' name I pray.  Amen.

(http://adailyprayer.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/a-prayer-for-living-a-quiet-life/)

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Work in me more profound and abiding repentance ...

Good Friday morning, my friends.

The following prayer seems to indulge in "self-flagellation", but I believe it speaks the truth.  Rather than considering it to be self-loathing, think of it more as a way for introspection - self-examination.  

These words remind me that I do not hate my sin nearly enough.  

They remind me of the clear difference between who I am and Who God is.

They remind me of the Grace so freely given to me that I do not deserve.

Of what do they remind you?

Amazing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding be yours today,

Bruce

Eternal Father,

Thou art good beyond all thought,

But I am vile, wretched, miserable, blind;

My lips are ready to confess,

but my heart is slow to feel,

and my ways reluctant to amend.

I bring my soul to thee;

break it, wound it, bend it, mould it.

Unmask to me sin's deformity,

that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it.

My faculties have been a weapon of revolt against thee;

as a rebel I have misused my strength,

and served the foul adversary of thy kingdom.

Give me grace to bewail my insensate folly,

Grant me to know that the way of transgressors is hard,

that evil paths are wretched paths,

that to depart from thee is to lose all good.

I have seen the purity and beauty of thy perfect law,

the happiness of those in whose heart it reigns,

the calm dignity of the walk to which it calls,

yet I daily violate and condemn its precepts.

Thy loving Spirit strives within me,

brings me Scripture warnings,

speaks in startling providences,

allures by secret whispers,

yet I choose devices and desires to my own hurt,

impiously resent, grieve,

and provoke You to abandon me.

All these sins I mourn, lament, and for them cry pardon.

Work in me more profound and abiding repentance;

Give me the fullness of a godly grief that trembles and fears,

yet ever trusts and loves,

which is ever powerful, and ever confident;

Grant that through the tears of repentance

I may see more clearly the brightness and glories of the saving cross.

-Valley of Vision

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Obstacles in the path

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

Every day of our lives we come across obstacles in our path, be they small or large.  How we deal with these challenges really determines our character.  Many times I fail to deal with these in a manner I would call "pleasing to God".  In His graciousness (although it does not feel that way), He just gives me another challenge and another opportunity to get it right.  Sometimes this cycle repeats itself many times!

The obstacles are sometimes there to protect, sometimes to challenge, sometimes simply to allow God to show His power.

What is the challenge you are dealing with right now?  Are you handling it in a way that would please God?  Can you discern which of the above is His intent in giving you this challenge?  

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Dear Heavenly Father,

Each life is filled with obstacles. Some are set in place to offer Your children protection, some will be moved through prayer, and others are meant to be conquered through Your power and strength. 

I pray, dear Lord, that you would set our feet in place, that You would guide our hands and hearts, that You would give us eyes to see the way, and minds to know Your will. 

Give us the strength and determination to follow, and the grace to help and encourage others along the way.

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Knowing God

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but some time ago, a good friend gave me a copy of a book called Knowing God by J.I. Packer.  It starts by asking if you only know about God, or do you actually know God?  For me, it was a revelation.  I knew lots about God from my study and scripture readings, but I did not know God personally, intimately.  It is something I have been working on ever since, and for me it is a long, slow process.  Come to think of it, everything in this journey seems to be a long, slow process for me.  Hmmmmm.  The term "thick skull" comes to mind.

But I digress.  The prayer below does a wonderful job of highlighting some of the things I have learned about the heart of God along the way. What have you learned?  What do you need to learn?

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

O God, I have stood

in the shadow of mountains,

at the brink of oceans,

under the spread of clouds,

by the foot of redwoods--

And I have learned Your greatness.

O Lord, I have touched

baby fingers,

feathers of a canary,

petals of a rose,

lather from soap--

And I have been reminded of Your gentleness.

O Father, I have known

true friendship,

joys of love,

unconcerned care,

unrestricted consideration--

And I have thought of Your goodness.

O great, gentle, good God,

do some good, gentle, great thing

today through me,

that others too may know

more of You,

I pray,

In Christ's Name,

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

This journey of faith is to be lived out in community

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

Experience, and scripture, has taught me that this journey of faith is to be lived out in community, not in isolation.  We are all parts of the "body of Christ" (1 Corinthians 12:12-14), and as such we need to work together, supporting and loving one another.  If we want to be forgiven, we confess our sins to God.  If we want to be healed, we confess them to each other (James 5:16).  We must have deep, meaningful, involved relationships with other Christians.  This doesn't happen in church on a Sunday morning.  This happens in intimate, private, ongoing conversation.  If you do not have a person or small group to journey with in this life of faith, I strongly encourage you to find one.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

I pray that we become closer and closer as a family united.

I pray that we connect on a deeper and more spiritual level.

I pray that we appreciate and accept each other.

I pray that we love and support each other through thick and thin. 

I pray that we not take each other for granted.

I pray that we put judgments aside and truly listen to one another.

I pray that we understand that we are family for a reason 

and that we take advantage of that reason.

I pray that we forgive and forget any and all past hurts that we have caused each other, 

even if we didn't intentionally hurt the other.

I pray that we always have good intent when talking and sharing 

information with each other.

I pray that we are totally honest with each other and will 

not walk on egg shells at the expense of ourselves.

I pray that we really get to know each other and that we show interest 

in each other's lives.

I prayer that we be open to each other's point of view 

especially when that point of view does not match our own..

I pray that we put all of our past struggles and lack of communication behind us 

and go forward in a more positive, open, honest, and loving way.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

For the women who make a difference in our lives

Good Monday morning, my friends.

My sister, Beth, is visiting us with her husband and youngest child (Darryl and Lauren).  I have two other sister - Linda and Dorothy, as well as six brothers.

But it is my sisters who have been an inspiration to me for years.  Whatever life has thrown at these women, they have handled it with incredible strength, endurance, dignity and faith.  Today, I just want to honour them with this prayer.  Please lift this up for them, and for the wonderful women in your life.

Lord,

Thank you for the women who make a difference in our lives--

mothers, daughters, sisters, friends.

Thank you for the way you've created them...

to care, nurture, connect, bring life.

Thank you for their strength and courage,

their wisdom and humour.

We ask you to bless those who bless us.

Add more joy, hope, peace to their lives.

And for every bit of love they give,

bring much more in return.

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Make a statement of faith today

Good Friday morning, my friends.

Having faith is all about making a choice.  We either choose to believe in God and His goodness or we don't.  We choose to follow Jesus Christ or we don't.  And we have to make this choice every day.  Sometimes every hour.  Use this prayer as your personal statement of faith today.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you,

Bruce

Father, the philosophies, trends, and mind-set of the world stands in great contrast to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Your Word tells us that those who are not for You are against You.  

We can't walk on both sides of the fence so we are faced with a choice we must make; the same kind of choice Joshua gave to the Israelites thousands of years ago.  We must choose whether to follow after the gods of this world and forsake You or we must forsake the world and devote ourselves to You.  

Father, I choose to follow after You; You who reconciled me to Yourself through Jesus.  You have proven Yourself trustworthy for Your promises are true.  You provide the power and presence of Your Holy Spirit to lead me and direct my every path.  Your Word illumines my every thought.  

I choose You today, exclusively and eternally!  Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Don't be a Pharisee!

Good Thursday morning, my friends.

In John 11:47-48, just after Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead, we read:

Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

   "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

How many people do you know who are afraid to put their faith in Jesus because the feel it will cost them their position and their possessions?  

How many of us are afraid to surrender all areas of our life to Him for the same reason?  

I think the easy answer to that is: all of us.  There is always some area of rebellion in our lives.  There always will be.  Faith is a journey, not a destination.  Little by little we learn to trust Him more and we need to do that by allowing Him to work in our lives.  If we hold everything we have so tightly in our grubby little hands that He cannot remove anything, then He cannot add anything either.

So don't be a Pharisee - trust in Christ even if it means you may lose something.  You will be amazed at what you gain.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. 

All that I am and all that I possess You have given me. I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. 

Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more.

St. Ignatius Loyola

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Bless me indeed, revisited.

Good Wednesday morning, my friends.

Last week I wrote a post about how it is Biblical to ask God for personal blessings.  Something about that message has been bothering me ever since.  I guess what I did was to give myself permission to ask God for the things this world has to offer.  It took me a few days to realize that my focus had turned selfish.  I was asking for blessings strictly for myself, and not so that I could share it with others.  (It is my view that this was the primary sin of the Israelites of the old testament - yes they were blessed, but what God actually said to Abraham in Genesis 22:18 was "through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.")  So, is it wrong to ask for personal blessings?  No, biblically it is still correct.  But be careful where your heart is.  Offer your blessings back to God and share them with those around you.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you,

Bruce

Lord, let me not hear the false call of greed, the promises of lasting happiness that the riches of this world cannot fulfill.

Make me truly thankful for all the blessings of this life: 

the things of beauty, 

the things that give ease and comfort, 

the things that make me able to help others, 

but let me never set them in the place of true joy that endures forever.

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

At times we are the accusers, at times the accused

Good Tuesday morning, my friends.

This morning on the way to work I was listening to the story of a woman caught in adultery on my audio Bible:  

  But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.

  But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her." Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.

  At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"

 "No one, sir," she said. 

      "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." (John 8:1-11)

I have always been drawn to this story for its theme of forgiveness and for the way it sheds light on judging others (not unlike Jesus telling us to remove the plank from our own eye in Matthew 7:3-5).

I would love to know what Jesus was writing on the ground.  In my mind I can see him writing two columns: the first, a list of names - the names of her accusers; the second, a list of random sins - and then He playfully starts to draw lines connecting the first column to the second as he says "If any of you is without sin ...".  

I am also intrigued that we are told that the older ones were the first to leave.  I know the older I get the more aware I am of my own failings and weaknesses.  When I was younger, I was invincible of course, not to mention always right.  (Now I am only usually right!).  It appears that human nature has not changed much in 2000 years.

Having dealt with her accusers, Jesus now addresses the woman: "Go now and leave your life of sin."  At times we are the accusers, at times the accused.  We must learn from the lessons Jesus taught to both.  

Amazing grace and peace that surpasses all understanding be yours today,

Bruce

Father of mercy, like the prodigal son I return to You and say: "I have sinned against you and am no longer worthy to be called your son." 

Christ Jesus, Savior of the world, I pray with the repentant thief to whom You promised Paradise: "Lord, remember me in Your kingdom." 

Holy Spirit, fountain of love, I call on You with trust: "Purify my heart, and help me to walk as a child of light."

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

By the grace of God, I am not what I was

Good Monday morning, my friends.

I have been on this journey of faith for about 10 years.  Actually, it started about three years prior to that when I completely rejected "religion", but started on an odyssey of discovery.  I have learned many things on this journey, but one lesson that has been very difficult for me is to not condemn myself for my failures.  I see His example and long to be like Christ, but over and over again I fail in thought, word and deed.  But, as Paul tells us in Romans 8:1, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus".  If God does not condemn me, what right do I have to do so?  If you have been flogging yourself for not being perfect, then you, as I, have committed the sin of pride.  There was, and is, only One who is Perfect.  And He died so that we would be free from condemnation.  All condemnation, even our own.  So live with me in that freedom today.

Take these words from John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) to heart:

I am not what I ought to be,

I am not what I want to be,

I am not what I hope to be,

But by the grace of God,

I am not what I was.

Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Lord, thank you for today. 

Thank you for the opportunity to live and impact this world for Christ today. While I often times take for granted the very air I breathe, I wish to acknowledge that today and give you thanks.

I thank you for the people that you have placed in my life that minister to me, and those in which I am responsible for ministering to. 

I thank you for my job, and I pray that with all I accomplish, you'll receive all of the glory, honor, and praise.

Lord, I thank you for my church family and their encouragement. I thank you also for their commitment to serving you, and the body, with the gifts that you've blessed them with.

And Lord most of all I want to thank you for Jesus and the salvation that He has provided to me. I'm grateful for his tremendous love and I'm encouraged to know that whatever this day holds for me, He is right there with me! Thank you for that truth, O God!

In the name of Jesus I give you thanks,

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca

Bless me indeed!

Good Friday morning, my friends.

I am sure that you, like me, have had the thought that praying for ourselves is selfish.  Petitioning God on behalf of other people is one thing, but asking things for ourselves?  How self-centred is that!

But Biblically, that is incorrect.  One of my favorite passages in the Old Testament is stuck in the middle of chapter 4 of Chronicles.  In the midst of a litany of the descendants of Judah is this little jewel:

And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested. (1 Chronicles 4:10)

Jabez asks for 4 things, including to be blessed and enriched.  And God granted them.  Many times we miss out on blessings simply because we do not ask for them!

Jesus says in Luke 11:9-10: 

"And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened"

In James 4:2 we are told: "You do not have, because you do not ask God".

Does that mean we should ask God for a million dollars?  No. I think it is best to leave it the way Jabez does - ask for a blessing, and let God choose the blessing.  Would God not make a better choice than we would anyways?

GO SENS GO!

um, I mean Amazing grace and eternal peace to you today,

Bruce

Dear Lord,

I want every single blessing that You would love to give me.

Forgive me for not desiring these enough to ask for them.

Please open Your heart, and be gracious to me.

You are good, and everything You do is good.

So let me experience You today, in all of Your abundant loving kindess, even though I am in all of my unworthiness.

Touch my life in ways that are very personal so that I don't miss Your fingerprints.

Bless me, Lord, I pray -- bless me, indeed!

And I will praise You, from whom all blessings flow.

Amen.

Bruce MacPherson macpherson@celtic.ca / Blog: The Celtic Christian / Home: 613.489.4174 Cell: 613.720.0821 You are receiving this email because you have requested it or I felt you would be interested in this material. If you would like to be removed from this email list, please do not hesitate to contact me at the above email address. Likewise, if you know of someone else who you believe would appreciate receiving these messages, please let me know.