Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

'Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.'

Epiphany marks the arrival of the wise men at Jesus’ crib. It is a great illustration of what is meant by the phrase, “He has planted eternity in the human heart”. These Magi, travelling from the security of their own country and culture in the East, endured hardship and risk simply on a promise they embraced from a reading of the constellations, which they studied professionally. They truly followed their hearts, and found the substance of their promise in the form of the infant Jesus.

It is my promise to myself this year to continue to journey deeper into God’s heart. I already live as a contemplative by choice, out of the strength of my own sense of a personal calling, confirmed by others, to prayer in pursuit of God and seeing God’s kingdom manifest on earth. While, like the journey of the Magi, it makes little practical sense, it offers to me the life of obedience I seek in serving God.

Each of us needs to find and remain walking in the pathway of obedience. It can appear nonsensical to ourselves and to others, yet warms our heart once we embrace and then choose practically to live it. In finding this new life that God offers each one of us we have to take critical decisions. Obedience comes at a price, one that is different for each one of us. We cannot criticise another, for their call is not our call. One indication of the confused and lost character of the world that surrounds us is the way in which individuals are consumed with a desire to pursue common ‘totems’ that society offers us that apparently speak of success both to a watching world and within our own hearts.

It is in making decisions for Jesus and the call within our heart that leads us to the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

QUESTION: Are you fulfilled?

PRAYER: Oh, God, help me to find and remain in your best pathway for my life.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT

'Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.'

Epiphany marks the arrival of the wise men at Jesus’ crib. It is a great illustration of what is meant by the phrase, “He has planted eternity in the human heart”. These Magi, travelling from the security of their own country and culture in the East, endured hardship and risk simply on a promise they embraced from a reading of the constellations, which they studied professionally. They truly followed their hearts, and found the substance of their promise in the form of the infant Jesus.

It is my promise to myself this year to continue to journey deeper into God’s heart. I already live as a contemplative by choice, out of the strength of my own sense of a personal calling, confirmed by others, to prayer in pursuit of God and seeing God’s kingdom manifest on earth. While, like the journey of the Magi, it makes little practical sense, it offers to me the life of obedience I seek in serving God.

Each of us needs to find and remain walking in the pathway of obedience. It can appear nonsensical to ourselves and to others, yet warms our heart once we embrace and then choose practically to live it. In finding this new life that God offers each one of us we have to take critical decisions. Obedience comes at a price, one that is different for each one of us. We cannot criticise another, for their call is not our call. One indication of the confused and lost character of the world that surrounds us is the way in which individuals are consumed with a desire to pursue common ‘totems’ that society offers us that apparently speak of success both to a watching world and within our own hearts.

It is in making decisions for Jesus and the call within our heart that leads us to the fullness of life that Jesus promised.

QUESTION: Are you fulfilled?

PRAYER: Oh, God, help me to find and remain in your best pathway for my life.

Genesis 4:9 NLT

Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

It’s easy to become consumed with my own needs and responsibilities. The older I get, the more challenging navigating life seems to become.

I remember as a child taking all sorts of risks without ever being aware of the consequences. Climbing trees, running along walls, everything was an adventure and offered an opportunity to broaden my experience. I remember warnings by my anxious parents as I embarked on what to them appeared a dangerous activity. I was blissfully unaware of my own mortality.

As a parent, I first discovered my innate commitment to preserving the life of another. I was acutely aware of the dangers my daughter faced as she shinned up a pole or balanced on a narrow ledge. I found the very same warnings my parents had issued tumbling from my own lips. I became aware of the fragility of another.

God is concerned that we look to not only our own advantage, nor simply that of our nearest and dearest, but that we take a view about the welfare of humanity. Of course, the scale of such an invitation is too vast to properly contemplate. However, each of us can choose to take seriously our invitation to pray for the vulnerable in our community and around the world.

So often, prayer seems to be too simple a response. Yet, it is at God’s invitation and command. One simple step we can take is to decide to pray for the needs of vulnerable people throughout this year.

QUESTION: Will you commit to pray for vulnerable people each day?

PRAYER: I call out to you, God of the universe, asking for your help in the lives of vulnerable people I know or know about. Soften my heart to better love, pray and care for those who need your special touch today.

Genesis 4:9 NLT

Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?” “I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

It’s easy to become consumed with my own needs and responsibilities. The older I get, the more challenging navigating life seems to become.

I remember as a child taking all sorts of risks without ever being aware of the consequences. Climbing trees, running along walls, everything was an adventure and offered an opportunity to broaden my experience. I remember warnings by my anxious parents as I embarked on what to them appeared a dangerous activity. I was blissfully unaware of my own mortality.

As a parent, I first discovered my innate commitment to preserving the life of another. I was acutely aware of the dangers my daughter faced as she shinned up a pole or balanced on a narrow ledge. I found the very same warnings my parents had issued tumbling from my own lips. I became aware of the fragility of another.

God is concerned that we look to not only our own advantage, nor simply that of our nearest and dearest, but that we take a view about the welfare of humanity. Of course, the scale of such an invitation is too vast to properly contemplate. However, each of us can choose to take seriously our invitation to pray for the vulnerable in our community and around the world.

So often, prayer seems to be too simple a response. Yet, it is at God’s invitation and command. One simple step we can take is to decide to pray for the needs of vulnerable people throughout this year.

QUESTION: Will you commit to pray for vulnerable people each day?

PRAYER: I call out to you, God of the universe, asking for your help in the lives of vulnerable people I know or know about. Soften my heart to better love, pray and care for those who need your special touch today.

Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT

'Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.'

With the turning of the year, my thoughts turn to the garden and the arrival of spring. This year I plan once again to grow from seed a beautifully coloured flowering plant. Commonly named ‘morning glory’, because of its habit of opening a fresh trumpet-shaped flower at dawn, by early afternoon the flower wilts on this climbing plant. However, last year we made an important discovery. Morning glory has a pernicious cousin, also from the convolvulus family, called bindweed, which is a gardener’s nightmare. To the eyes of many, it seems a pleasant plant with its heart-shaped leaves and pink-tinged white flowers. However, unlike its cultivated and manageable cousin, once established it takes years to eradicate bindweed from the garden. It can regenerate from the smallest of broken roots left in the soil and can sink roots to a depth of three metres.

Jane and I discovered bindweed encroaching into our garden last summer and so we went to war! This counterfeit is a destructive menace, which entwines up other plants, walls and fences with its vine-like tendrils, while beneath the surface its roots roam far and wide.

Scripture teaches that we need to vigilant against evil, which is sometimes obvious but at other times is a counterfeit that to the undiscerning can appear to be good. Even when we try to weed it out, if we drop our guard, it quickly re-establishes itself with every intention to squeeze the life out of us. I now use my actions against bindweed in the garden as a practical reminder to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer and as reflection as I consider my own susceptibility to the enemy’s charms.

QUESTION: What are the areas in your life in the year ahead that you need to be vigilant and on guard against?

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, give me the gift of discernment to identify counterfeit strategies and enemy attacks. Thank you for equipping me with your protection to resist and stand firm against the enemy.

Ephesians 6:11-12 NLT

'Put on all of God’s armour so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.'

With the turning of the year, my thoughts turn to the garden and the arrival of spring. This year I plan once again to grow from seed a beautifully coloured flowering plant. Commonly named ‘morning glory’, because of its habit of opening a fresh trumpet-shaped flower at dawn, by early afternoon the flower wilts on this climbing plant. However, last year we made an important discovery. Morning glory has a pernicious cousin, also from the convolvulus family, called bindweed, which is a gardener’s nightmare. To the eyes of many, it seems a pleasant plant with its heart-shaped leaves and pink-tinged white flowers. However, unlike its cultivated and manageable cousin, once established it takes years to eradicate bindweed from the garden. It can regenerate from the smallest of broken roots left in the soil and can sink roots to a depth of three metres.

Jane and I discovered bindweed encroaching into our garden last summer and so we went to war! This counterfeit is a destructive menace, which entwines up other plants, walls and fences with its vine-like tendrils, while beneath the surface its roots roam far and wide.

Scripture teaches that we need to vigilant against evil, which is sometimes obvious but at other times is a counterfeit that to the undiscerning can appear to be good. Even when we try to weed it out, if we drop our guard, it quickly re-establishes itself with every intention to squeeze the life out of us. I now use my actions against bindweed in the garden as a practical reminder to engage in spiritual warfare through prayer and as reflection as I consider my own susceptibility to the enemy’s charms.

QUESTION: What are the areas in your life in the year ahead that you need to be vigilant and on guard against?

PRAYER: Holy Spirit, give me the gift of discernment to identify counterfeit strategies and enemy attacks. Thank you for equipping me with your protection to resist and stand firm against the enemy.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Optimism is about hope in the future, and therefore as we enter a New Year we can celebrate, for we worship an optimistic God.

A year ago, Jayne and I identified personal goals that we recorded in a journal together. Initially I identified some relevant objectives but as I reflected on them ahead of committing to them, I realised they were not the primary things to which I was called. Identifying goals for the year ahead took longer than I had expected.

This process itself was subject to the many daily challenges life throws at us. For Jayne, ongoing health issues, and for me, the ending of a business partnership I had assumed was the primary purpose for this season of my life were unwelcome interruptions. However, the good thing was that neither of us were knocked over by the unwanted news, so that was an encouragement as it showed what we had been learning about walking the way of God.

We went on to firm up our goals, so that twelve months on we are implementing our plans. But God is not time dependent in the ways that we so often are. God wants the best for us and for us to discover and enjoy the best of ourselves. The great news is that this is available to us.

As you start a New Year, you can begin your process of identifying how you might live in the year ahead. It is a time for optimism, believing for the best within your circumstances and calling out to God to accompany you for good in the days ahead. Happy New Year!

QUESTION: Will you take some time to reflect on the year past and look with hope in God as you plan for the year ahead?

PRAYER: Almighty God, I shake off any despondency and disappointment from the months past and wholeheartedly put my trust in you again for the future.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

Optimism is about hope in the future, and therefore as we enter a New Year we can celebrate, for we worship an optimistic God.

A year ago, Jayne and I identified personal goals that we recorded in a journal together. Initially I identified some relevant objectives but as I reflected on them ahead of committing to them, I realised they were not the primary things to which I was called. Identifying goals for the year ahead took longer than I had expected.

This process itself was subject to the many daily challenges life throws at us. For Jayne, ongoing health issues, and for me, the ending of a business partnership I had assumed was the primary purpose for this season of my life were unwelcome interruptions. However, the good thing was that neither of us were knocked over by the unwanted news, so that was an encouragement as it showed what we had been learning about walking the way of God.

We went on to firm up our goals, so that twelve months on we are implementing our plans. But God is not time dependent in the ways that we so often are. God wants the best for us and for us to discover and enjoy the best of ourselves. The great news is that this is available to us.

As you start a New Year, you can begin your process of identifying how you might live in the year ahead. It is a time for optimism, believing for the best within your circumstances and calling out to God to accompany you for good in the days ahead. Happy New Year!

QUESTION: Will you take some time to reflect on the year past and look with hope in God as you plan for the year ahead?

PRAYER: Almighty God, I shake off any despondency and disappointment from the months past and wholeheartedly put my trust in you again for the future.

1 John 3:2 NLT

'Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.'

You are composed of three interlocking aspects, which affects who you are. Some factors that have affected your life you had no control over – for example, you did not select your parents. As you grew, you became increasingly complicit in the decisions that directly affected you – for example, you chose friends and took decisions on how you treated them. The third aspect, like a seed awaiting germination, is the essence of who God created you to be, which we spend a lifetime choosing how much to explore.

Over time, we run into the consequences of choices made for us as well as those we make for ourselves. Some are positively detrimental to my realising the God essence within me. These choices lay the soil within which this Godseed was expected to both grow and flourish. The soil itself was not naturally full of the nutrients necessary for a fruitful life.

We are created to wait on God so that we might learn how best to lay aside the realities of previous decisions opposed to the work of God in our lives. This involves bringing my perceptions, attitudes and habits under the rule of God’s testing. We wait on God, the Master Gardener (John 15), sometimes in frustration, for he knows the seasons to wait and to prune, to ensure we flourish into our future.

QUESTION: Take time to reflect on decisions that have impacted your life. Where and when has God pruned your life so that you might flourish and become more fruitful?

PRAYER: Help me to trust that your pruning is for my ultimate good.

1 John 3:2 NLT

'Dear friends, we are already God’s children, but he has not yet shown us what we will be like when Christ appears. But we do know that we will be like him, for we will see him as he really is.'

You are composed of three interlocking aspects, which affects who you are. Some factors that have affected your life you had no control over – for example, you did not select your parents. As you grew, you became increasingly complicit in the decisions that directly affected you – for example, you chose friends and took decisions on how you treated them. The third aspect, like a seed awaiting germination, is the essence of who God created you to be, which we spend a lifetime choosing how much to explore.

Over time, we run into the consequences of choices made for us as well as those we make for ourselves. Some are positively detrimental to my realising the God essence within me. These choices lay the soil within which this Godseed was expected to both grow and flourish. The soil itself was not naturally full of the nutrients necessary for a fruitful life.

We are created to wait on God so that we might learn how best to lay aside the realities of previous decisions opposed to the work of God in our lives. This involves bringing my perceptions, attitudes and habits under the rule of God’s testing. We wait on God, the Master Gardener (John 15), sometimes in frustration, for he knows the seasons to wait and to prune, to ensure we flourish into our future.

QUESTION: Take time to reflect on decisions that have impacted your life. Where and when has God pruned your life so that you might flourish and become more fruitful?

PRAYER: Help me to trust that your pruning is for my ultimate good.