Loving Yourself

I know!

Talking about loving yourself is awkward!

But Jesus is aware of our need to see ourselves in God's eyes - uniquely and wonderfully made:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

(Psalm 139:13)

Jesus says don't judge others because of your own inadequacies, jealousy, unresolved anger, unforgiveness or insecurities:

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.

(Matthew 7: 1-6)

So, here's the thing:

- Love yourself because God made you
- Don't covert anything for about others - looks, cars, money, abilities
- Share your love with those who will appreciate you and your love

Right!

Confirmation

On Sunday evening we had five young people stand in front of the church and commit themselves to Jesus and the church in a Confirmation Service. One of the best parts of the service was when each young person spoke of their own personal journey with Jesus and what the Confirmation classes had meant to them. The number one thing that came through was the way that the group had bonded and the way they supported each other. Some of them mentioned what they found unique or special about the other members.

Isn't it great that in our journey with Jesus we never travel alone? When we come to Jesus, we come to his family too. However much we might feel that we are the black sheep of the family, if we have accepted Jesus, we are part of the family.
If you are feeling isolated or alone in your journey, why don't you get involved in a small group at church? Or maybe you feel that you would like to help others on their journey? Get involved in a small group and be willing to share your life with others.

Cassidy, David, Estelle, Meagan and Nadia - may God bless you as you worship and serve him at North Rand Methodist Church. We are glad to be part of your lives!

Anger

Anger: an emotion we all have!

The way I see, it anger has two sides:

Mary Garden says:

A wonderful emotion to get things moving when one is stuck is anger.
It was anger more than anything else that had set me off, roused me into
productivity and creativity.

AND

The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving in the present. (Barbara De Angelis)


The tricky part, is that we all experience anger and that unless we deal with it, it may become unresolved anger and affect our daily lives.

Jesus (Matthew 5:21-26) says:

Resolve Your Conflicts

AND

Do It Quickly

Before your anger becomes something which robs you of living the life God has chosen for you.


If you are challenged by this message, take a moment now and pray and ask Jesus to help you with your unresolved anger.

You may want to pray:

Lord Jesus, thank you for making me aware of the unresolved anger in my life which is preventing me from living a fulfilled life. By the power of your Holy Spirit, please help me to resolve my anger. Thank you for blessing me in this way. Amen.

Eyes Make a Difference

Théophile Gautier once said: "Eyes are so transparent, that through them one sees the soul."

Jesus said "Your eye is the lamp of your body." (Luke 11:34)

So there it is then: Your eyes are the window to your heart!

However, windows that are dirty or marked often do not allow light in or out.

So I guess we have to keep our windows clean!

How?

Through things like:

- Prayer
- Forgiveness
- Humility
- Transparency
- Honesty
- Hard work
- Relationships

The list goes on.

"See to it then that the light within you is not darkness." (Luke 11:35)

Is there time?

Most of us live pretty rushed lives. We read the story of Mary and Martha in church on Sunday. Of how Mary sat listening to Jesus, while Martha rushed around getting the home ready for Jesus and the disciples. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary wasn't helping her, he told her that Mary had chosen the better thing.

Would it be true to say that most of us identify more easily with Martha - but that we wish we could be more like Mary?

What distracts us from Jesus? What seems so important now that time with Jesus can wait until later?

I read a sad incident - I can't remember where I read it. It happened that an old lady was found dead in her bed. She lived alone in a smallish flat. It turned out that she had had 'flu. But it wasn't actually the 'flu that killed her. She died of dehydration. The doctors think that when she felt thirsty she also felt too ill to get out of bed to get a glass of water - although she was actually physically capable of doing so. They think that she must have lain there, saying to herself, 'just now when I feel a bit better, I'll get up and get some water.' But she never got around to that glass of water and so she lost consciousness and then passed away.

That story reminds me that the time to do something important is now. Jesus has a plan for us - a plan that starts at the cross and takes us into the world. Are you listening to him? Or are you distracted with many things?