‘God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repent’Romans 2:4

It isn’t his bullying, scaring or shocking but God’s kindness that wins us over into a relationship with him. He wants his companionship with us to start off on the best possible footing imaginable with a trust and knowledge of his faithful love. He calls us, woos us, is tender towards us in the hope that we turn from the disastrous way that we are heading and walk with him, know him and love him. This is the precious wonder that God lets us choose our destiny although it may break his heart if we turn away or carry on walking into death.  God treats us as adults not children - he doesn’t dictate to us what we should do, tell us to go here or do this or that,  but lets us move freely to discover, learn and find him for ourselves. This is the love that lets go to, waits and patiently calls us home. 

I have been busy reading Romans these last couple of weeks (plus playing nurse to poorly kids!) so many of my next few thoughts will be coming from the book of Romans me thinks!

 Romans 1:16

‘everyone who believes with a personal trust and a confident surrender and firm reliance’

Here are three things that we should look for in those who profess to be followers of Christ.

Personal trust - a personal belief not relying on others.  It isn’t a family thing, or a friend thing, or a church thing it is a personal matter. Our trust is in God and who he is. How can people know who God is and what he is like unless we tell them.  It is because he is good, loving and stable that we want to put our trust in him and we need to gossip about  how good he really is.

Confident surrender - this is not a half hearted thing, but a laying back into the things of God.  It is a child like trust just like a baby leans back into their parents arms without worrying about being dropped or when the next meal is coming or if there is enough money to keep them warm. People who have surrendered confidently will not be changing their minds or worried about other things - they will lean back into God and all his good provision for them.

Firm reliance - God describes himself as a rock and a generous Father. Put the two together and we have a reliable Father who will meet all our needs. We are to believe that all our day to day living and needs  will be cared for and brought to us by God not only just in material areas but our emotional, spiritual, ambitious, etc. For one with a firm reliance on God it means that every day they need his company, his direction, his love, his strength to succeed - anything less and they fall flat.

They thought Saturn only had 7 rings (well actually it has more than 7 but the others are not named). The  Nasa’s Spitzer Space Telescope was able discover a new ring by picking up tiny particles of dust and ice using an infrared instrument. The ring is about 1.5 million miles thick It is amazing that even with planet so close we have been blind to such a big thing. Could it be that science isn’t always as infalible as it claims and there are many other things it just hasn’t seen yet?

How many men does it take to change a toilet roll? Nobody knows — it has never been done!

You know I am always shocked, when I have a break from the gym, how much my muscles ache after working out again. I find it hard to believe that I have lost so much fitness over a few week and wonder why I didn’t keep it up!

 It is the same with the spiritual. We think we are ok in life - until we start finding our muscles weak and our legs wobbling. Why didn’t we keep up our daily training for God?

How great it is when men and women of God work out in the spiritual places ever day - by reading their bibles, speaking in tongues, praying for others and waiting on God for prophecy. These are those who will grow strong and be giants for the Lord. It takes work, determination and consistancy - but we can do it.