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Published December 6, 2020

Giving God Thanks and Praise

“Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. …Praise the Lord!” Psalm 105:1-4

Today’s thought is my personal testimony. 11 months ago I suffered a minor stroke and also Bell’s palsy at the same time which is quite rare. I went through barrages of tests and X-rays with the final upshot being that I had indeed had both at almost the same time. When I looked in the mirror I couldn’t believe that it was me. I looked like a gargoyle. The right side of my face was completely paralyzed, my eye would not close, I couldn’t eat properly and I was unable to speak. I love public speaking, especially preaching and also writing spiritual resources and devotions some of which are part of this wonderful web site. When I came out of hospital I couldn’t do any of that and, in fact, 6 weeks after my stay in hospital I developed post-traumatic stress disorder which saw me having panic attacks, without the ability to speak to people, stammering and not being able to find the right words when I did speak. As to writing, well, I couldn’t even think of words to write in birthday cards.

For me, the next months were long and ones without joy. I could still pray and I never blamed God, but there was no exuberant praise, no feeling of absolute joy when I looked around at God’s creation. My world became a very dark place and I thought I would never again experience the overwhelming joy with which I always associated my life. Throughout this difficult time I could not praise God and mean it – there was no burning desire in me to listen for His voice. That had left me bereft. Through God’s amazing grace and His infinite patience, after many months of hard work, I am now able to write and speak again. I still have a long way to go to be completely recovered but I now can see and enjoy the glory of the rainbow and remember God’s covenants to us and yes, I can thank and praise him with exuberance.

David reminds us in his Psalms that we are to give God thanks and praise always.

God is still right there with us, providing whatever gifts and help we need to get through our particular circumstances.

Loving and Compassionate God, it is through your infinite Grace that we are able to overcome the darkness which at times overwhelms us, especially when mental or physical pain threatens to destroy us. Thank you that you hear our innermost groaning and our sighs and that you wait patiently for us to see through the blackness and come into your light once again. Amen

by Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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Where are We Going?

Freedom - - God gives us Free Will - devotional

Published October 20, 2019

Where are We Going?

How often at the start of a new week do we wonder what this week will bring?

We may have had a wonderful, relaxing weekend and yet when we wake and look at another week ahead of us, we worry that there will not be enough hours in the day to complete all the goals we have set for ourselves, and the days seem to stretch out endlessly. It also seems to be that in today’s world it is all about goals and where we are headed. The end result seems to be all we think about and we are always working towards that end and miss so many beautiful moments and blessings along the way.

God has given us the freedom to choose how we live our lives and it is up to us to ensure that we choose the path that God is showing us. Do we take up too much time striving to meet deadlines or accomplish goals? Are we too impatient trying to see the end results of our striving? How often do we walk in the sunlight among the flowers or are we always walking in the shadows, stressed and withdrawn.

These days we are told to prioritize, but do we place more priority on our daily work rather than seek God’s guidance and place God as our priority before we attempt anything else? Whatever we are doing we need to place God first and that means whether we are in paid work, tending to our families, volunteering, in fact, anything that fills the hours in our day. Let it all be for God’s glory so that the light of Christ can shine through this world.

Colossians 3:23-24
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

Loving and Compassionate Christ, help us to seek your direction in all that we do. Enable us to embrace every moment of each day so that we can see the everyday miracles and share your unconditional love with all we meet. Amen.

By Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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Hope for a Hopeless World

Published May 26, 2019

Hope for a Hopeless World

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 11-13 (NIV)

The word hope today is used in so many different ways such as ‘I hope this exam is not too hard’, ‘I hope that my football team wins on Saturday’, ‘I hope I don’t embarrass myself tonight at the dinner part’, ‘I hope my Mum doesn’t find out it was me that spilled the tomato sauce on the carpet.’ Yes, most of us use the essence of the word hope in these sentences at least once a day and never think anything about it, but that is not the hope that God speaks about.

To people who have no place to sleep each night or are hungry and cold, those in countries torn apart by war, the many lonely people marginalized because of illness or situations not of their making, to so many, this world must appear to be a world without hope.

What do we, as Christians, have to offer them in the way of hope? We need to read again and again the verses of scripture that we have been given, in order to keep seeking this Awesome God who gives us the inner strength and the words and deeds to offer to those who are without hope. If we truly believe that God is in every situation and works alongside us, then we focus our hope on God and we can help those who are in need of a glimmer of light.

Verses like these: 1 Peter 1:3 ” Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you“.

2 Thessalonians 2:16 “May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word“.

Giver of life, focus our eyes on the promises which you give us so that we may bring hope to those who despair. Amen.

by Terry Stead

Used by Permission

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Tiredness

Published March 27, 2019

Tiredness

The word ‘tiredness’, even when spoken out loud the word sounds and makes us feel tired. In contrast, have you ever stopped to think how, when certain words are spoken out loud, they make the difference in how we feel. Like “joyous”, “excited” or even “roses” can bring a smile to our face while others such as “devastated”, “heartache” or “grief” will change our outlook? I would like to just talk about “tiredness”. It doesn’t seem to matter if we are young, middle aged or elderly, there are times when we all get tired and function slower than we normally would.

For some, the tiredness comes from looking after a family and running them to school, sports, friends’ homes etc., and that doesn’t include all the looking after a growing family needs – the cooking, cleaning, and simply bringing them up in a world that is changing and demanding. For others it is the long hours spent at work and the stress of driving in traffic and then there is the tiredness that comes from the task of living each day with aged or diseased bodies. No matter what the cause, tiredness saps our strength and so we do not live up to the potential which God has given to us all.

As always though, we have been given the assurance that we can be renewed and reinvigorated and so overcome our worldly tiredness. Take heart in these beautiful words that you probably would have realized by now, I quote often.

“Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”
Isaiah 40:30-31

Prayer:
Loving God, sometimes I become so tired that I can’t see the path you have chosen for me and so become disheartened. Give me the strength to soar once again and become all you would have me be. Amen.

By Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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Mountaintops

Published February 2, 2019

Mountaintops

Mountains, how exquisite they are whether they are snow-capped, bare, covered in vegetation or just rising to touch the sky.

No matter how they look, they are magnificent and bear significance for us. There are so many instances in the Bible where mountains were the focus and the voice of God was heard. It was high up when Moses had wonderful moments with God, and Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John on a mountain. As well as those incredible times, Jesus would often go to the mountain side to pray so they were very special to him, also. We are so blessed if we have a mountaintop experience and some people are lucky enough to have more than one. It is coming down from the mountain that is hard, back to the reality of our everyday lives, but that does not need to be so.

A mountain top is a wonderful place to be away from everyone, from the rushing of everyday life, the cacophony of sounds that are constantly surrounding us and the daily routines. I have not hiked and stood at the top of a mountain and so do not have the physical experience of labouring with heart thudding and legs shaking, standing to view the entire panorama beneath me and seeing exactly what is behind me and ahead of me. The exhilaration that must be felt and the sense that you are capable of attempting anything in life must be a small part of what we feel when we have a God centred mountaintop experience.

If we bring them to mind we can relive again and again the rapture of these times and so bring our experiences to others in the form of unconditional love, care and compassion.

In the words of Amy Grant:

But I’ve got to come down
From the mountain top
To the people in the valley below;
They’ll never know
That they can go
To the mountain of the Lord.

Prayer: Thank you, Loving One, for your generosity in all things. Thank you that you allow us these wonderful moments where we can catch a glimpse of your beauty and your radiance. Sometimes they may just be small glimpses through a haze, other times they transport us from where we are, to the heights of rapture. Help us to bring these experiences into the lives of others. Amen.

by Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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God’s Covenant

Published November 18, 2018

God’s Covenant

“I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” Genesis 9:13 (NIV)

How alive and uplifted we feel when we take time to see a rainbow or suddenly catch a glimpse of shimmering water, or hear the wind whistling through pine trees.

What happens, though, when circumstances beyond our control stop us from hearing and seeing the beauty around us? Sometimes we fail to see the everyday miracles around us, do not see the blessings that are heaped on us each day and the colors of God’s creation are not as bright.

The word Covenant in our world today conjures up words like pledge, promise, contract – all of which are binding and true. We need to see God’s Covenants as promises made to each one of us and which He will keep no matter what we do.

Whatever situations we are in, we need to be joyfully open to His rainbows so we may see the fulfilling of His Covenant in every part of creation.

Gracious Creator, as we look around and see the incredible things surrounding us, show us that we always have time to enjoy and bask in this beauty. You have promised us so much and all we have to do is believe and have faith. Touch our eyes and open our hearts so that we can joyfully give thanks and praise to You. Our hearts are full, Lord, and we cannot always find the words to express the thoughts that come bubbling up when we think of Your promises. Enable us to see the wonder in all Your creation and so find strength and courage as we contemplate and rest on Your Covenant.

We give you praise and thanks for all that you have given us. Amen

by Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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Faith

Published June 25, 2018

Faith

We are all familiar with the Bags of Gold Parable in Matthew’s Gospel in which Jesus tells us of the master going on a journey but gave each of his three servants a different number of bags of gold. On their return he said to two of them who returned an increased value of gold, “Well done, you good and faithful servant.” How wonderful it would be if at the end of our lives we could have that said about us. Being faithful is not always easy, sometimes it is not convenient, at other times we face criticism and ridicule, threats and attacks, but God has promised never to leave us alone, that just as strength will be given to us in any situation, so shall we also gain by sharing in God’s happiness.

“…Truly if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”
Matthew 17:20

One website defines faith in a way that I love. “Faith is always received from God, and never generated by us.” That definition has actually changed the way I use the word faith as well as adding and giving me a whole new meaning to the word. I now rethink my words when I start to tell someone that I have faith that my football team will win this weekend. I stop and ask myself if what I am putting my faith in is actually given by God?

Now I know that not everyone will agree with me. In today’s world a great deal of store is put into having faith in yourself and having faith that you can do your job correctly etc., but to me that still comes from God. God gives you the faith to believe in yourself and, in fact, asks you “to love your neighbor as you love yourself”. Note – “love yourself”.

Let me finish with a quote from the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature winner, Indian poet, Rabindranath Tagore.

Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings to greet the dawn while it is still dark.” That faith is God given.

Lord, I ask for your gift of faith, and the will to remain firm in the face of opposition. Allow me to see that the real problem is not what happens to me, but rather how I react to an occurrence that makes the difference. I need your help so that these situations will not disturb my inner peace and joy in you so that at the end of each day you will say of me “well done, you good and faithful servant”. Amen.

By Terry Stead
Used by Permission

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Published April 7, 2017

Forgiveness and the Risen Christ

Lent is upon us. A time when we reflect on our own lives as well as the death and the resurrection of Christ. On that glorious Easter morning our sins were forgiven and we were granted eternal life. However long we live we can never grasp the true meanings of those words or the sacrifice that was made on Good Friday.

We read the word “forgiven” and yet because we often cannot see through the darkness of our own past we really fail to grasp the full implications of what the word imparts. We sometimes find it easier to forgive others than to forgive ourselves. Many feelings of guilt through our actions in the past blind our eyes to see the truth – that we are indeed forgiven, and loved, and cherished by a God who gave up his only son so that we would not perish.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I feel that if other people could look inside and see the real me, I would be found wanting. We dwell on our mistakes, on the way we behave, or on anything that we see as flaws in our own being. How often do we only see the ugly and not the beauty that God sees in us? He delights in us and calls us his sons and daughters. We need to see this beauty inside each one of us before we can truly see the beauty in others. It is only as we come to know the true meaning of forgiveness can we show God’s unconditional love to the world. We hear this text from Matthew during our communion services but how often do we reflect on what it actually means?

Matthew 26:27-29
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying

“Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Personal Prayer:
Beloved Christ, I come before you now carrying so many burdens of guilt and shame, things that I dwell on that stops me from becoming the person that you wish me to be. Open my eyes to see that I am forgiven and loved. “Just as I am, I come.” Amen

by Terry Stead
Used by Permssion

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Published July 18, 2013

Gardens

by Terry Stead

Isn’t our memory an amazing thing? I am at an age now where I am finding it very hard to remember people’s names, or words to poems, in fact I forget most things. But one of the things I do remember is a line a poem by Dorothy Frances Gurney “You’re closer to God’s heart in the garden than any place else on earth.” It is a poem that my mother used to recite to me over and over as she showed me the beauty and intricacies of a beautiful rose or delphinium or other flower, which she loved.

Although we don’t have to be in a garden to feel close to God, it is a marvellous place to praise our Creator. We can marvel at the beautiful colours of the flowers, of the leaves of each plant, and yes, even the weeds that grow so abundantly. We can thank God that we are surrounded by so many beautiful things upon which to gaze and also thank him for the perfumes that waft to us through the air. All these things should make our hearts sing in praise.

Sometimes, though, I think that we are all so busy focusing our eyes on where we are going or what we are doing that we sometimes miss all this beauty. Take some time out over the next few weeks to really see what is around you and give thanks and praise to our wonderful Creator. You may wish to use a simple one sentence prayer like this.

Prayer:

We marvel at your creation, Lord, and ask that you accept our praise and our thanks.

John 1:3
“Through him God made all things; not one thing in all creation was made without him.”

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Terry Stead Thoughts by Women

Published August 22, 2012

Revel in Creation

by Terry Stead

One of the things I have always loved to do is kick off my shoes and sit in the grass – to actually lie on the grass is even better. You can feel the coolness of the green blades and also feel the earth beneath you. To me it seems as if I am actually attached to God. Now I know that God is always part of me and I give thanks for that every day, but when I am there on the grass I feel that I am physically connected to the Living One.

I sit or lie there and my mind goes back to the wonderful story of creation in the first book of Genesis and what an incredibly exciting, wondrous story it is. Everyone has read and also listened to many sermons where this story has been shared. We believe God created our universe and yet I think we need to sometimes become immersed once again in just how exciting and wondrous the world around us is.

So… back to lying on the grass, relaxed, and if I keep still and listen I can hear birds singing out to each other and maybe male crickets rubbing their wings together cheerfully. The warm breeze catches the leaves of the plants around me and out of the corner of my eye I see a flower blazing yellow against the bright green of its leaves and perhaps a red and black lady bug is walking very busily among the petals. To me, all these things are every day miracles and I can revel in creation and know that we are made in God’s image and likeness.

If you have time this month read again the 1st Chapter of the book of Genesis and relate it to all that is around you.

Prayer:
Creator God, how wondrous is your creation. We marvel at how everything has its place and season. Help each of us to become more aware of what is happening around us so that we can appreciate the everyday miracles which are before us. Amen

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2012/08/22/ts_revel-in-creation/

Thoughts by All thoughts by Terry Stead Thoughts by Women

Published December 17, 2011

Miracle of Christmas

by Terry Stead

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, at this time of year we so often get caught up in the mad frenzy of buying presents, writing cards and catching up with friends and family that we forget the true meaning of this Advent Season. Help us to stop and reflect on the gift of your birth to all of us. Teach us how to slow down and see the wonder and the glory of this time. Amen

Bible Readings:

Week 1 –   Matthew 4:18-22
Week 2 –   Revelations 21:1-7
Week 3 –    Luke 1:5-25
Week 4:     Isaiah 49:13-26

Prayer Points:

– Reflect and rejoice in the miracle of Christ’s birth
– For those whom Christmas is a sad reminder of days past
– Volunteers who help share their Christmas meal with others
– For all who are lonely
– Your own personal prayer points

Closing Prayer:

Dear One, during this Christmas month when my life seems to be permanently set on the spin cycle, please show me the miracles that surround me every day, so that I may become filled with joy and reflect on how enormous was the gift of your life on that first Christmas morning. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
https://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2011/12/17/ts_miracle-of-christmas/

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How often at the start of a new week do we wonder what this week will bring?

Loving and Compassionate Christ, help us to seek your direction in all that we do. Enable us to embrace every moment of each day so that we can see the everyday miracles and share your unconditional love with all we meet. Amen.

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Mountains, how exquisite they are whether they are snow-capped, bare, covered in vegetation or just rising to touch the sky.

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