What did Jesus mean... 'I have come that they may have life, and they may have it more abundantly'? Jesus was making his intentions very clear, He came to bring abundant life to His people - present and future. “The Greek word for ‘abundance,’ perissos, has a mathematical meaning and generally denotes a surplus… The abundant life is above all the contented life, in which our contentment is based upon the fact that God is equal to every emergency and is able to supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus.” (Boice) The truth is abundant life isn’t an especially long life. It isn’t an easy, comfortable life. It is a life of satisfaction and contentment in Jesus. Someone with abundant life has stamina, increased energy and a large sphere of living. Someone with abundant life has the ability to do things, an overflow of enjoyment and what it takes to win. Someone with abundant life gives honor to Jesus because He is the One who gave them life. Do you want abundant life? Choose Jesus and live abundantly in Him today! - Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesdays
Have you ever been disrespected? Do you remember how you felt in the moment? How you responded? Who disrespected you? Disrespect occurs when a person is regarded or treated with contempt, discourtesy or rudeness. The reality is at some point in our lives we may be disrespected or treat someone disrespectfully. King David, in the Bible, experienced disrespect. Before he became King he was humiliated by a man named Nabal, after making a simple request. David was understandably mad and was ready to wipe Nabal out. But Abigail, the wife of Nabal, quickly stepped in to apologise and resolve the issue. Abigail helped David to see that God was able to deal with Nabal. She guided David to look beyond the immediate aggravating circumstances to the bigger promise of God. She also invited David to act like a man who is close to the Lord. When we face disrespect we too can: 1. Trust that God is able to deal with those who treat us with contempt. 2. Look beyond the current circumstance to the promises of God. 3. Walk closely with God who will help us navigate through this present situation with love, kindness and peace ?? It may not be easy but it is possible to handle disrespect respectfully - Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesdays
Secondly, we need to embrace the new thing that God wants to do in our lives by "seeing" the revelation from God's perspective. You must develop a faith that can see the invisible. God says: “See, I am doing a new thing..." What do you see when you view your life? Do you see possibilities or problems? Notice what God says: “I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” In order, to discover what God wants for you there are two things you must see: **1. You must see yourself how God sees you.** You are a Beloved Son/Daughter of the Most High God. You are precious, loved and chosen by Him. **2. You must see your possibilities as God sees them.** God is able to transform the desert areas of your life into fields of blessing and abundance. God can take a dried-up useless life and transform it into a life of purpose and grace. We may not fully understand Him, or know how He will do it, all we need to do is believe and trust that He will do it. I'd like to invite you to see the glorious new thing God is set to do in your life. How? By developing a faith that can see the invisible – to SEE the NEW THING! - Sophia Pear
Wisdom Wednesdays
The promise of a glorious new beginning came from God to the Children of Israel at a bleak period of their history. They were in captivity, lost everything, and were homesick for the land God had promised them. But God wanted to do a new thing for them.
Maybe you can identify with the Children of Israel.
The first step to embracing the new thing that God wants to do in your life is to change your focus. Quit looking behind and start looking ahead. “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past.”
If you are ever going to move on to a new thing God is doing there are 3 things you must learn:
- You cannot depend on past victories to sustain you – past victories are great memories but future victories are now ahead.
- You cannot allow past failures to consume you – you can do nothing about the past once it is gone, it went, but anything is possible when you embrace the future.
- You cannot rely on the faith you had yesterday – God designed your faith in Him to grow and develop over time so you must be open to growth.
God promised to do a new thing for the Children of Israel and He did, far beyond what they could ever imagine. He promised to do a new thing for you too.
Do you want God would work as He did in days of old? Are you ready for a new beginning? Do you want God to do a new thing in your life? – Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesdays
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.
Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. – Paul, The Apostle of Christ, Ephesians 6:10?-?20 NIV
**Wisdom Wednesdays**
As we come to the final days of 2022 let’s read Psalm 23.
“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Let’s reflect on the following questions:
In 2022, how did the Lord Shepherd you? Did you lack for anything? What did you learn about resting and trusting in Him? How did He lead you in 2022? What were the darkest moments for you? How did He comfort and protect you during those dark times? How did He deal with you before your enemies? Can you trace His footsteps of goodness and mercy following you throughout 2022?
Today I’d like to invite you to make the Lord your Shepherd in 2023? – Sophia Peart
Today I’d like to invite you to make the Lord your Shepherd in 2023? – Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesdays
A few days ago a glass fell out of my hands. I gasped as it hit the floor and shattered into pieces. I paused for a second, before beginning the tedious task of finding all the broken pieces. It took awhile, much care was taken to find the remants of glass before wrapping it in paper for a safe disposal. It caused me to think about brokenness in our own lives. We may have been broken by an unexpected turn of events or consequences of our own actions. We are left hopelessly trying to figure out how to put the pieces back together again. I know just how this feels. Yet I also know that God is able to find every shattered piece of our hearts.
He holds each precious piece in His healing hands. Then instead of preparing us for disposal, He tenderly bonds each piece together again with His love. Sealed by His love we are better than ever. This is the beauty of being broken before God. It is the blessing of surrendering our broken hearts to Him completely. He has a way of putting us back together again, then using every piece of our brokenness for His glory.
Your heart maybe broken today, ask God to be the One to put it back together again. – Sophia Peart
The Prodigal Son
The story of the Prodigal son is a heartfelt illustration of God’s relentless love for us. He gives us the ability to choose Him, He waits for us to turn towards Him, He see us, chases us down, wraps His arms around us, kisses us and celebrates our return back to Him.
But I would like to suggest that there are two Prodigal sons in this story – the other is the older son. He remained at home whilst his younger brother left. When he hears His Father rejoicing over the return of his brother he is vexed. So much so that he chooses not to rejoice too. You see, the older son worked diligently since his brother left.
He never missed a beat, except for the beat of His Father’s heart, it changed the day his youngest son left home. The older son didn’t know that because he had wasted his time seeking His Father’s approval on the estate rather than spending those precious moments in His Father’s presence. Where are you today? Are you working for Our Fathers approval or seeking to be in His presence?
It’s your decision how you spend your time – Sophia Peart
SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
In a dream there was a steady stream of dogs and cats coming to my door for food. They seemed to be starving with no one to take care of them. I thought for sure that I would run out of food to give them, but there always seemed to be enough. And, the Lord said: Your provision comes from Me, and I never tire of those who come to My door seeking to be fed. You, and those like you, are My conduit on the earth. Do not grow weary in doing good. – December 7, 2022, SMALL STRAWS by MARSHA BURNS
Love and trust God no matter what
Recently I’ve been reflecting on the different experiences that have occurred in my life. Some have been joyful, memorable, and pleasant experiences that have caused me to smile and brought my joy to my heart as I remember. While others have been difficult, dark, and painful to recall.
These have brought tears to my eyes as the ugly realities of the events flash through my mind. Yet these events the good, bad, and ugly all combined form the woman I am today. A woman who has learned to love and trust God no matter what life throws at her. A woman who has found her purpose in Christ Jesus.
This morning I’m grateful that God wastes nothing of the experiences we go through in life. The good, the bad and the ugly. He has the ability to cause all of it to work for our good. So no matter what you are going through today allow these experiences to build your trust, grow your love and find your purpose in all in Jesus Christ. As you do you’ll discover how He causes everything to work for your good!
– Pastor Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesday
Have you ever felt lost, unsafe and disoriented? It can be quite overwhelming. It might even be difficult to admit. I have some good news is you don’t need to worry or fear Jesus is near. He describes Himself as the Good Shepherd who cares so deeply about the one sheep who is lost, in danger and overwhelmed. In fact, his concern is so intense that he will leave the others in pursuit for the one who is lost. And He won’t stop until the one is found, safe and secure in His arms.
His primary concern is to find you. Make you safe and protect you from all harm and danger. And when he finds you He will carry you home where you belong with him. But here’s the thing, he does all this with joy in his heart. He doesn’t ask questions about where you’ve been and how you got there he just wants you to know that you are loved so deeply by Him.
Wherever you are today know that He is concerned about you, he is looking for you, you are loved, safe and protected by Him. – Pastor Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesday
Our word for today is ‘Integrity’. Integrity is the state of being undivided, together with the quality of brutal honesty. The first step to cultivating integrity is to recognize that we are not always honest. This can be difficult, it can throw up some aspects of ourselves we never knew existed.
It requires sitting with some uncomfortable truths about who we are. A failure to acknowledge dishonesty can negatively impact our lives and those around us. Once we see these aspects of ourselves, God has given us the unique ability to choose what happens next, this is the second step.
We can choose to confess those areas we were out of integrity, seek forgiveness from God and others, and then do what is necessary to get back on track to living in integrity. We do this all through the power of Christ who strengthens us. Integrity is the unwavering determination in the heart to do right no matter what. Today let’s choose to live in integrity. – Pastor Sophia Peart
Wisdom Wednesdays
Before ascending to heaven Jesus shared parables with details about his Second Return and the final decisions and actions He’ll take to resolve the problem of evil.
One of the questions He will ask those who claim to know and love Him is – What did you do when you saw me in everyday life?
It’s a sobering thought for those who think they have this whole Christian life figured out.
You see, our life in Christ is more than weekly church attendance. There is more – He wants us to be moved with compassion to help Him when we see him. But where on earth do we see Jesus?
Jesus can be found with the least in society. He is the man who is hungry, thirsty or homeless. He is the woman who is naked, sick or imprisoned.
This is where Jesus is seen. Our response when we see Him is a key indicator of whether we truly love him or not. So the question is, when Jesus is seen are we drawn with compassion to help him?
– Pastor Sophia Peart
**Wisdom Wednesdays**
Wisdom Wednesdays began from a simple request. This request was ‘Lord, help me to write a weekly devotional that would bless others.’
Now I must confess, at the time, writing didn’t come naturally and I wasn’t sure I would be consistent in producing a weekly devotional that would be relatable, inspiring and biblical. But the beauty is I’ve experienced God wake me up every Wednesday morning.
As I lay on my bed, I ask Him what do you want to say today to us. I believe, so I wait even if it takes awhile. Then He’ll give me a scripture, a thought or a word and it flows from there. It all comes from Him. Today hundreds of people each week recieve, read, respond and reshare Wisdom Wednesdays. I’m humbled by how God can use our simple requests and turn them into blessings.
Today you may have a simple request of God. All you have to do is ask and you will recieve! – Pastor Sophia Peart
**Wisdom Wednesdays**
We are all experiencing the pinch of the rising cost of living. Fuel is at a record high, food has gone up, and energy bills are arriving that are no longer affordable.
What can we do? Many are worried about how we will make ends meet each month.
The truth is as believers in Jesus Christ we have a promise that reminds us of God’s ability to provide for us during these very difficult times. ‘The LORD is my shepherd,…’
This metaphor describes the Lord like a Shepherd who is tending his dependent flock. He is a protector who leads us to green pastures, protects us from predators and makes sure that no one is lost or goes astray. ‘…I shall not want’ The word “want” means “lack.” This means with God we won’t lack anything we need.
We can have complete confidence in Him to provide for all our needs. So why not trust, Our Shepherd who will protect us as we navigate through these tough times. – Pastor Sophia Peart
**Wisdom Wednesdays**
If you’ve ran any race, to win, not just to take part, you will know that a number of things are important in order to win. These are purpose, focus and discipline.
We can’t expect to win a race without a purpose. Purpose will provide you with the reason you are running the race. Your purpose may differ from another but it will be fuelled with passion for the race ahead and will propell you towards the finish line.
Focus will cause you to clearly envision the reward, which is the same for everyone. It will teach us to appreciate the journey may differ for each runner depending on a variety of unseen and unknown factors. Comparisons and judgements become useless as no two runners are the same.
So then a strategic plan is required to run this race everyday with purpose and focus. The strategy for each runner is the same – Discipline. Not that the runner disciplines others but rather the runner focuses on their own self-discipline. What is your purpose? How focused are you on the reward?
Are you practising self-discipline? – Pastor Sophia
