November 2024
What makes a big decision big?
We make hundreds of decisions every day. What time should I set the alarm for? What do I chose to have for breakfast? What am I going to wear today? Medium or large coffee?
And that is only in the first 30 minutes of the day. Some of these decisions are simple – you might do the same thing everyday.
But most days there are some tougher decisions to be made as well. Should I pay my power bill or my vet bill? – because I don’t have enough money for both this week.
Some decisions we only face a few times in our lives – what car should I buy, or which house is right for me? Is this the right person to marry?
I think it is fair to say that in the big turning points of life, we usually turn to God to help us make the decision. Sometimes we have already made up our mind and are only looking for Him to give His endorsement to what we want.
Other times we really have no idea which way we should turn, and are really looking for His guidance.
How big should a decision be, before we ask God to show us His will?
I would suggest that there is no instance in our lives when we could expect to make a wiser decision than God would. I know it may sound trivial to ask God whether you should buy a black cover for your mobile phone or a silver one.
Walking daily in step with Jesus is the best that we can do. If we are listening to God’s voice through His Holy Spirit, then even the small decisions will be made according to His will.
As we prepare for our Members’ Meeting on 24 November, we know we need God’s wisdom. Pray for His leading and guidance. But we should also develop the habit of constantly relying on Him to guide us in every step of our lives.
Pastor Murray
October 2024
October 1961 saw the first broadcast of the BBC television program, Songs of Praise.
The broadcast usually featured a range of hymns and worship songs from a selected church in the UK. The show has been very popular and has been shown in many parts of the world, including Australia.
Over the years, many people have been blessed by the program as they enjoyed wonderful musical and choir performances giving glory to our Lord.
I knew quite a few people who would rush home from church on a Sunday to watch the show and continue their worship at home.
Songs of Praise has been so successful that it is still produced today.
But unfortunately, it is not the same. Coralee caught a recent episode the other day and said it was almost unwatchable.
The focus has been changed from the worship of a particular congregation into more of a magazine type program, with short segments on different people and their idea of faith. The songs are still there, but with more of an emphasis on the performance and production values, rather than on worship of God.
And adherence to the truth of the Bible has given way to general feelings of spirituality and peoples own ideas of truth. The idea of warm, fuzzy love is worshipped rather than the God of love.
It is very sad to see something that was dedicated to God, slowly morph into something that does not honour Him and is a sad parody of what it should be. We have to be on guard that a similar thing does not happen to our church, or even to us in our personal lives.
We must never let our focus and attention drift from God, His word and our need to give all glory to Him. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Don’t change his gospel with your own ideas, to please others.
Jesus said (Matthew 24:10-11) At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
Pastor Murray