Obeying Christ!

2 Corinthians 10:5 New International Version (NIV)

5 We demolish arguments

 and 

every pretension 

that sets itself up

 against the knowledge of God,

 and 

we take captive

 every thought

 to make it obedient to Christ.

Dear friends, I hope that you are having a lovely day. It's very hot here in Civray (Vienne) as the forecast announced it. We've just had lunch and about to go for a walk at our friends'house to water their garden while they are away in Portugal. 

You may wonder why I have highlighted this verse in 2 Corinthians 10:5. Though I've had to check where it belonged, I keep my 'sanity' thanks to that verse. In effect, among the thousands thoughts that invade our conscious mind every day, quite a few are annoying and we must not dwell on them for fear or being dragged to the bottom of a pit. This verse gives us authority to counteract the plan of the evil one so we can stay on the narrow path and listen to the Holy Spirt without being either distracted or dejected. Does it happen to you sometimes? We must be ready to 'analyse' 'every thought' and decide it they are contrary to the will of God and get rid of them with the help of the Holy Spirit who is by our side! All glory to our Lord who cares for us and whose love is unfathomable! 

Persevere!

Good afternoon from Civray in the Poitou region. This is not quite a holiday but an exploration of the area where we are going to move next year. Yesterday we had a very relaxing time gardening in our new house together, Steven was clipping the overgrown bushes, a particularly massive bay leaf tree, while |I was battling with a cruel ivy round a lovely cherry tree and another ivy attacking our entrance gates. It took ages to get rid of it and the battle is not finished yet. We are planning to do more tomorrow. 

As you may realise, the Poitou is in France however when you walk round Civray you may think that you are in Great-Britain, The numbers of Brits living there or visiting families there is incredible. I am not sure that Steven should need to learn French, the lucky one! lol

Hope you are all having a beautiful day whether you are at work or on holidays. 

Blessings in Christ, N.

I went down to the potter's house

6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

We have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Have you ever felt that you were unable to handle a situation the right way? Then I felt inadequate but somehow after admitting it and leaving it to the Lord, things got better and eventually for the best. Though I have read this verse in 2 Corinthians 4:7, I confess that I did not understand it much! Once I realised that I am a vessel for the Lord's love and grace, it became clear. My eyes were open.  

When we surrender our whole to Jesus, He restores us, heals us and repairs this 'broken pottery' for his purpose. David says in Psalm 31  I am forgotten by them as though I were dead; I have become like broken pottery.

The Lord tells us through Jeremiah that He is the potter and He shapes us (the pots made of clay) the way he wants us to be. How wonderful to be looked after by our Father. 

This is the message that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: 2 “Jeremiah, go down to the potter’s house. I will give you my message there.”

3 So I went down to the potter’s house and saw him working with clay at the wheel. 4 He was making a pot from clay. But there was something wrong with the pot. So the potter used that clay to make another pot. With his hands he shaped the pot the way he wanted it to be.

5 Then this message from the Lord came to me: 6 “Family of Israel, you know that I can do the same thing with you. You are like the clay in the potter’s hands, and I am the potter.” This message is from the Lord. 

Going back to Paul's statement,  this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us, as human beings, we tend to boast too quickly without even realising it! We do notice when others boast but rarely when we do. 

Finally, I like to read this verse of Isaiah, 'We are the clay, You are the potter, We are all the work of Your hands." Our Father who knows us so well moulds us, refines us and transforms us. Are you ready to let Him transform you?