“Make room in your hearts for us.” -2 Corinthians 7:2 (ESV)

My desk is the epitome of clutter. If it is messy on normal days, it looks three times as worse on days when I have to write papers and exams. With open books scattered everywhere and pages of articles jutting out from every possible nook and corner, it is as if a tornado tore right through my desk and left devastation in its wake. Sometimes I do not realize it myself, and it is only when I come to find a place to set my plate and eat before I work again that I realize how messy my desk really is. As I sift through the sea of books and papers to make room, I find other things which I do not need and set them aside so that I may focus on what is really important; eating in order to gain the nourishment and strength to press on and do well.

We live in an age where busyness is almost a virtue. While we must all strive for diligence in whatever we do, too often we become engrossed in our work and make ourselves busy for the sake of being busy. When we do this however, our minds become terribly cluttered and stress begins to take sway; tainting our interactions with others. It can come to a point where we become so absorbed with ourselves and what we need to get done that we lose sight of God and the people around us. Relationships are strained not only by the harmful things we say, but also when we are not with the people we love both in presence and in our hearts. To have our priorities skewed by a false diligence is to deprive ourselves of joy and to submit ourselves to a slavery that will only serve to destroy us piece by piece. It is only when we have made room in our hearts for Christ and have made keeping in step with Him our top priority that we will find a lasting peace and joy which will never be taken away. As we allow Him to order our lives, He will expose what does not need to be there in our hearts and attitudes so that room will be made for His love. When this happens we will make room for others so that through His love Christ may reveal Himself and restore those who are broken and in need of His restorative work.

Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

“I love the house where you live, O Lord, the place where your glory dwells.” -Psalm 26:8 (NIV)

What is a home? We often use it interchangeably with the word” house”. However, the two words have quite different connotations. A house is a building in which we are assured a place to rest and are protected from the elements. I have seen many beautiful houses which would be wonderful to live in. But a home is what gives a house life. A home consists of the people who make a house worth coming back to. When we are surrounded by the unconditional love of family, we find our sense of belonging and comfort and this gives us the strength and joy to endure all sorts of hardships. I know that even if – found myself “houseless” I will never be “homeless” as long as the love of my wonderful family continues to bring warmth to my soul.

Yet not even the bonds of family can claim to be unbreakable for all of us are fallen and mortal. If sin will not break our family ties, then death certainly will. When faced with total loneliness, where can we find that sense of belonging which we seek to regain? The wonderful truth is that in Christ we will always have a home. His love knows no bounds and it will never fade away for He is eternal. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and carry out His restorative work in our lives we are adopted into His family. Through this adoption we become His precious sons and daughters; joining our brothers and sisters around the world who acknowledge Him as their Father. Immersed in His love we will find a home that can never be taken away from us; making His love tangible to us as He proves His faithfulness when we surrender our lives to Him. Knowing that we forever belong to Him, we will have the strength to overcome anything resting in the knowledge that we are loved and find our sanctuary in the Creator of the Universe who watches over and cares for us.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.” –Exodus 15:13 (NIV)

Children are immensely carefree. I remember my childhood being full of wonderful memories where I would be running and playing without a care in the world. Worry is almost absent from a child in large part because of total dependence on their parents. This also makes them extremely trusting. A child does not question where his next meal comes from, nor does he have any doubts when he goes out with his parents. He knows that because his mother and father care for him deeply that they will watch over him and provide for his needs. With the assurance of knowing that the loving gaze of his parents will always be behind him, the child is able to walk confidently and without fear unquestioning in his parent’s love to guide and protect him without fail.

There is a reason as to why Jesus said that we much approach Him with the faith of a child. It means to completely surrender ourselves to Him and trust in His love. However, too often we are afraid to give ourselves entirely to Him. Perhaps we have been let down by man many times before and we equate God with that same fallibility. But if we allow our experiences with fallen man to cloud our perception of God’s love and faithfulness, we deprive ourselves from experiencing the blessings which come from abiding in Christ. We can trust God for He is perfect in His love and goodness. In Him there is no evil and He therefore can never break His word. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and carry out His work in our lives, we will know how great His love is for us. Constantly choosing to entrust every area of our lives to Him, we will be able to walk with the carefree attitude of a child as we bask in the joy knowing that God in His never-failing love will always prove Himself faithful according to His perfect will and timing.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” –Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

I once remember coming across an interesting account of a group of Christians in ancient Rome. Persecuted for their faith in Christ they were in chains and were being led to the coliseum to be ripped apart by wild animals. But what struck the people observing this procession was that the Christians were singing and celebrating! Where there would normally be weeping and mourning, there was joy and a confident expectation of a glorious hope. The sight struck people both as odd and as admirable that these children of Christ would have such boldness in the face of death. It has been proven that part of the reason that Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire was the witness of these Christians under persecution; causing many to seek to learn more about Christ and accept Him as Lord.

How often do we have the same attitude in the face of suffering? When confronted by adverse circumstances, the song in our hearts is usually one of despair rather than hope and joy. Feeling crushed under the weight of our trials we feel helpless and weak. Such feelings then give way to hopelessness and we succumb to a defeatist attitude which tells us that victory will forever elude us. However there is hope in the Lord of the Universe; who stand omnipotent over all. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and work in our lives, he will strengthen us by His Spirit. In leaning on Him and allowing ourselves to be rooted in His Word, we will find that strength and boldness which only comes from knowing that He works all things together for His perfect plan for us. Resting in Him we will be able to sing boldly, even in the direst of circumstances, for as Romans 8:37 says, “…we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Christ has overcome sin and death through His own death and resurrection. As His children who have become like Him in His death and resurrection, we have a strength derived from the eternal hope of being made one with Him.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“‘Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.’” –Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

I remember the first time that I had to leave home and be away from my parents. As part of an elementary school trip I would be away for one whole week at an outdoor camp. Though I was looking forward to the exciting adventures that were to be had, I was also nervous and afraid. A child’s imagination often runs wild and knowing that I would be spending the week in a heavily forested area, there was the fear of the dangers that could be lurking in the woods. But before I left my father recited this verse to me and it brought me so much comfort and joy. Knowing that the all-powerful God who created the Heavens and the Earth was going to be by my side was a huge confidence boost. Even to this day when I feel that I am stepping into the unknown, this verse comes back to me reminding me that God is with me wherever I go.

Situations will come along our path that make us quake in fear. Uncertainty grips our minds and our hearts sink with despair. We wonder how we will ever pull through these situations in one piece. In desperation we cry out for strength and the wisdom to navigate through the storms which we find ourselves sailing into. However, there is hope! No other navigator will suffice expect for Christ Himself. When we have allowed Him to enter our hearts, He will strengthen us in our hour of need. By staying in tune with His Spirit He will guide our steps towards the fulfilment of His perfect plan for our lives. With Him as our Captain, we will have nothing to fear resting in the assurance found in Romans 8:31 that “If God is for us, who can be against us?”. We will be able to stand fearless before our situations and circumstances knowing that it is God who gives us victory and who in His omnipotence will work all things together for good.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” –Psalm 27:14 (NIV)

Waiting can often be unbearable. When something does not work out as planned or things do not get done when and how we want them to, it is easy to become frustrated. Part of our frustration is that when we are forced to be patient, it seems as if we have lost control of our affairs. Instead of us dictating what needs to be done and when, it seems that we are at the mercy of our circumstances. This loss of power over our lives makes us feel weak and plunges us into despair. We lose hope and feel as if we will forever be slaves to our situations, bending to their every whim, and feeling insecure when we compare ourselves with others who seem to have it all together.

In Christ however we are made secure. We fail to see that those moments of waiting are opportunities to develop our strength in Him. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and seek to live according to His Spirit, we will quickly come to understand that His schedule is better than ours. Though with our fallible eyes we cannot see it, He has a wonderful plan in store for us and He will not rest until He has seen it fulfilled in our lives. He is able to use our circumstances and turn them around in order to display His power over our situations and His faithfulness to us.  However, He will do this not according to our timing, but by His flawless wisdom. When we choose to grasp his hand and patiently wait upon Him, He will strengthen us by His promises that everything is under His control. By constantly submitting ourselves to Him and trusting in His wisdom, we will see how good He truly is. Our faith will be strengthened in those moments of waiting and we will remain firm and confident before all that we face knowing that in Christ we have the final victory.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” –Ephesians 6:10 (NIV)

When I was younger, one of my favourite cartoon shows was Popeye. Depicting the adventures and escapades of a fictional sailor, the show was also an effective advertisement encouraging children to eat their vegetables. When the time came for Popeye to get out of a bind and confront the villain, he would squeeze a can of spinach into his mouth and gain unimaginable strength. With the spinach pumping energy into his muscles, he would be able to smash through walls, lift heavy objects, defeat the villain, and save the day. Watching this always inspired me to eat spinach and I kept eating it in the hopes that I would be just as strong as Popeye. Granted that instantaneous super- strength eluded me; yet I have a love for eating spinach that has remained with me to this day!

In the same manner, all of us are looking for that can of spinach. We want to find the source of that indomitable strength which will help us overcome our struggles. Not wanting to be helpless in the midst of our trials, we look everywhere to find that which will empower us to face life’s challenges head on. Yet too often we find ourselves failing to find the source of the strength we desire. While the things of this world promise to the power and might we need to emerge victorious over our situations, they prove themselves to be unable to deliver on their assurances. In view of this we wonder if we are destined to always remain weak when confronted by our circumstances. But this was never meant to be. God wants to restore us so that by Him we will have life and freedom in the truest sense. When we have allowed Christ to enter our hearts and seek to live by his Spirit, He will give us strength in the hope that He is greater than our struggles and will deliver us according to His perfect will. Stepping forward in His strength and power, we will see how He raises us up to meet life’s challenges so that he may be glorified and that we will find victory through Him.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.