Nathan Haddock's Blog, page 6

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Never place yourself above another person – you don’t know their full history, their life story, their silent struggles and their everyday battles. Let God be their judge as He is yours. Your job is to love them, to show them grace and mercy and be Jesus to them in whichever way they need.

A Journey

I see being a Christian as a journey or adventure. Being a Christian isn’t a one off event where you become a Christian, decide you believe in God and then that’s it. Being a Christian is about following Jesus. It’s about setting your focus on Him and where He goes you go. It’s about movement and growth. It’s about making progress and discovering new things. If, as a Christian you stop this movement you become stale, you stagnate, you stop growing and eventually you die. There are always new things to discover, new people to serve, new things to learn, new realms to explore, new gifts to hone and new trials to face. However, it is a journey with Christ, when He goes and you follow the one thing you can be sure of is that He’ll be there for you having already prepared the way.

Times ad Seasons

Friends may come and go, there will be good times and bad. There will be times of provision and there will be times of want. Some days will be filled with much joy and laughter, others will be dogged by grief and tears. There will be moments when everything goes just right and moments when things could not be worse. Some people will be there for you at just the right time, some people will let you down when you need them most. Through it all God is the one constant in your life. He is your rock. He never changes. He will never let you down. He loves you unconditionally, eternally. Hold onto Him in the good times and the bad. For if He is for you, what else matters?

Who can hide from God?

Who can hide from God? Whose ways He cannot see? No evil goes unpunished No good goes unrewarded No one is exempt from God’s judgement No one is beyond God’s love You cannot run from His presence Wherever you go He is there When you rise and when you rest He is with you When you are alone he is your company The dark does not hinder His sight He is always on watch, He is always alert God is with you He will never leave you.

A Cage

When someone wrongs you they place you in a cage. They trap you. They limit your freedom. The cage may be a cage of fear, irritation, bitterness, anger, hurt or resentment. The cage can become a dreadful place in which to live. The bars can increase in number and the nights can become very dark and cold. Yet you have the key, the means of escape, the means to regain your freedom. That key is the key of forgiveness. Forgiveness releases you from the cage that they have placed around you. Forgiveness releases you from the hold they have over you. Forgiveness gives you back your freedom and hands you back the control. Forgiveness doesn’t mean that what they did was right or didn’t hurt, it means that you’re not going to allow it to continue to hurt. It means that even though they were wrong you are going to continue to do what is right. Who do you need to forgive today? Let forgiveness bring you freedom.

God is Good

It is amazing just how good God is. When we all deserve death for the wrong doings we have done He lavishes upon us with good things. His goodness, mercy and grace seem to know no bounds. We all deserve to suffer and yet God shows us love, He gives us friendships, He provides for all our needs. It is amazing just how good God is.

Grace and mercy

It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we are here today. Without God we can do nothing and are nothing. We can bring nothing to the negotiating table, it is all down to what Christ has done for us. By God’s grace we have our very breath and our future is secured.

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Fame and fortune

Never let fame and fortune come before faithfulness and friendship May the opinion of my peers never have preference over what God thinks of me May my possessions never be a millstone but always a springboard Never let me put my priorities above God’s purposes May my actions always outweigh my good intentions May I show grace, mercy and forgiveness more than I need it shown to me.

Tomorrow

Who knows what tomorrow may bring? Well, actually I know a man who does. Not only that, He is there already waiting for me, preparing things for me to do. Today He is preparing me to do those things.

Guilt

Guilt, in small measure can be a good thing. It can stop us from doing things and it can lead us to repentance and restoration. However, guilt can be a sinful act with destructive and debilitating results. As a Christian Jesus paid for all your wrongdoings upon the cross. Therefore to receive His forgiveness and still to wallow in guilt is stating that what Jesus accomplished by His suffering, death and resurrection was not enough. It is undermining the ultimate price that He paid. Guilt after forgiveness is denying Christ the glory of His victory. God does not want or require you to carry the burden of guilt, He wants you to live in the freedom that Christ’s death has bought you.