Category: Sue’s Views

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Life’s Journey

Sue’s Views
Life has its ups and downs! I was just reading through my journal for this year ….. and what a roller coaster ride it has been. We often remember the highs and the lows ….. but the bits in between become a blur in our memory. The truth is ….. as we look back ….. it’s in the valleys that we grow the most. Without those times of loneliness ….. despair ….. anxiety ….. and need ….. we wouldn’t appreciate the times of elation ….. joy and celebration. Make the most of every step of the journey! None of them are wasted!

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Winter Blues

Sue’s Views

It’s midwinter here in New Zealand ….. and for some ….. the winter blues may have settled in. The winter season is not always welcome but it is a necessary and productive season. It strips us of the old and prepares us for the new. It also exposes who we really are. It’s a time of adjustment maybe ….. or just a time of acceptance. When asked which of the Commandments is the greatest ….. Jesus replied ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And you shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ We can only love others as much as we love ourselves. Soon this weeping cherry will be covered in the most beautiful blossoms you can imagine. And your season will come too. But I encourage you to use this time to really get to know your ‘inner’ self.

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Faith and Works

Sue’s Views
One of the hardest things to understand about Christianity is that we are saved by faith ….. not by works. We are so used to earning our way through life that the idea of receiving something free doesn’t sit right with us. On the other hand ….. there are some who accept the gift of salvation ….. but think they can live as they please. The balance is explained in this illustration. If the rower uses only one oar ….. he goes round in circles! If he uses both oars ….. he will get across the lake to his destination! ‘Faith without works is dead’. The works ….. or good things we do prove our faith. We don’t do them to earn our salvation ….. we do them out of gratitude for it.
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Don’t be anxious!

Sue’s Views
Let’s face it! The world is in serious trouble! There is much to be concerned about. The media keeps us up to date on the latest disasters ….. crimes ….. and injustices ….. and the outlook is bleak to say the least. But nothing is new under the sun! In Jesus day ….. people were facing a tyrannical government ….. poverty ….. sickness and social injustice. That’s why He so often told them ‘Do not be anxious about your life. Look at the lillies of the field! They don’t have to worry. Their Heavenly Father takes care of them.’ And He will take care of you too! This is a time to trust Him.

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How’s Your Heart?

Sue’s Views
How is your heart? Is it soft and pliable ….. or has it been hardened by the circumstances of life? No matter what state your heart is in ….. offer it to God. He is the Potter ….. we are the clay. If you are willing ….. He will take that hard heart in His wonderful hands and soften it. He will remove all the hard lumps ….. all the hurt and doubts ….. all the resentment and bitterness ….. and mould it into something beautiful and useful. When He has your heart ….. He has all of you!
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Living Stones

Sue’s Views
There are 7.8 billion people on the planet ….. and yet no two are identical! Even ‘identical twins’ have some unique characteristics. And then ….. when you consider all those who have passed on since time began ….. the numbers are countless. Some would say there is no designer ….. we are all a product of an explosion. But everything in nature tells us otherwise! No two leaves are the same ….. no two blades of grass ….. no two flowers. What a Creator! The Bible calls us ‘living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple’. He wants to live in us! How amazing is that!

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Fruitfulness

Sue’s Views

This is a picture of abundant life. The trees might look dead and lifeless ….. but there’s so much going on on the inside. In another few months they’ll be vibrant with leaves and laden with fruit. We all go through times of dryness and feeling unproductive but know this ….. your ‘season’ is coming too! 

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Winter Wonders

It’s mid winter here in New Zealand ….. and yesterday was our coldest day so far this year. Jack Frost definitely visited! Harsh circumstances sometimes seem to come out of nowhere to bite us. But ….. as we all know ….. ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger’! If you are going through a ‘winter season’ ….. hang in there! God may be using this time to destroy some of the ugly bugs that are attacking you. A new season is coming!
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Holy Spirit

We can’t see the wind ….. but we know it exists by the movement of grass and trees. So it is with God’s Spirit. He is constantly moving ….. clearing obstacles from your path ….. changing the spiritual atmosphere around you ….. dealing with your enemies. Not everything has to be seen to be believed! You can trust Him!
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Jehovah Jireh

Did you know that God thought of you before the world was created? In fact He created the world ….. and everything in it ….. so you and I would have a place to live and enjoy! That means He provided everything we would ever need to live a productive and healthy life. He provided food to eat ….. medicine when our bodies get out of balance ….. work so we could reproduce crops. He also gave us wisdom and creativity to make new things out of what He created. He is ….. and always will be our Jehoveh Jireh ….. our provider. We don’t need to fear the future. He is already there!