Blessed are…

Posted on February 14, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I was leading a study group recently, and we were discussing the meaning of the word ‘blessed’, which Jesus used to describe those whose lives reflect the qualities of the Sermon on the Mount. I explained that the Greek word in the original text, which we translate as ‘blessed’, referred to an inner state of contentment and peace that was there irrespective of outward circumstances.
The woman sitting next to me said: ‘I know what that is. Thirty years ago I was diagnosed with cancer and required an immediate operation. I was terrified at first, but then I was overcome with a sense of peace and inner joy that stayed with me right up to and beyond the operation. I just knew that whatever happened, I was in God’s hands.’
She said it was the most profound experience of her life. That’s blessedness.

Posted in Appreciation, Attitude, Awareness, Contentment, Faith, God, Healing, Hope, inner peace, Life's journey, Moods, Promise, Spiritual Insight, Terror, Trials and testings, Trust in God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Eyes that refuse to see

Posted on February 10, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The Arabs have a story about a nomad waking up in the middle of the night and feeling hungry. He lit a candle and began to eat dates from a bowl until he saw a worm in one. So he threw it outside the tent and started to eat another. But he found a worm in that one too. So he threw that one out. He then realized that if he carried on like this he would have nothing left to eat, so he blew out the candle and ate the rest of the dates in darkness.
I guess that’s the Arab version of ‘What you can’t see won’t hurt you.’ Unfortunately it’s not entirely true. Darkness and denial don’t change reality. The worms are still there in things going bad, even when we choose not to look at them. That’s why the Bible warns us not to let ourselves become people who have eyes but won’t allow ourselves to see

Posted in Awareness, Deceit | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Voices from Beyond

Posted on February 4, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

The late Professor Antony Flew, in his book ‘There is a God- How the World’s Most Notorious Atheist Changed His Mind’, asks us to imagine a satellite phone washed up on a remote island, whose inhabitants had never had contact with modern civilization. They hear strange voices coming from it, so their scientists examine it and see that it’s made of a combination of crystals and metals that make the sound of voices when people touch the keypad, and announce that they have solved the mystery. But the wise old men of the tribe thought long about this and said: ‘No, there’s more to this. The voices are not simply properties of the machine; these are the voices of people whose language we don’t understand.’
And that, according to Antony Flew, is the difference between those who only accept a materialistic explanation for life, and those who see that there is something beyond mere material explanations.

Posted in Atheism, Awareness, creation, Faith, God | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

And it came to pass

Posted on February 4, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A group of people was once asked to name the passage of the Bible that most helped them when they were going through difficult times. Most came up with old favourites, except for one elderly man who said: ‘Mine is: ‘and it came to pass.’ He then explained why. He said: ‘At thirty I lost my job when I had a wife and six kids to feed. At forty my eldest boy was killed in the War. At fifty I lost my house and all my possessions in a fire. At sixty I lost my wife of forty years to cancer. And every time one of these things happened I wondered where God was. Then, one day I opened up the Bible and my eyes fell on one of the many passages that says ‘and it came to pass.’ I got the feeling that God was trying to tell me that my pain was also going to pass and that He would help me through it. And He did.’
He still does

Posted in Attitude, Awareness, Bible, Encouragement, Faith, God, Hope, Life's journey, old age, Trials and testings, Trust in God, Uncertainty of Life, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Only God is Great

Posted on February 4, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

We have become used to hearing some religious fanatics shout the words ‘God is great’ as they wreak death and destruction, and our sense of disgust can easily cause us to overlook the real significance of those words. But in the year 1715, King Louis the Fourteenth of France died after a reign of seventy two years. He had himself called “the Great,” and his court was the most magnificent in Europe. So was his funeral. As his body lay in a golden coffin, orders were given that the cathedral should be dimly lit with only a special candle set above his coffin, to dramatize his greatness. But as the service began, Bishop Massilon snuffed out the candle and said, “Only God is great;” reminding the dignitaries packed into the cathedral, and us too, that eventually, all our worldly pretensions and honours will count for nothing and all we’ll take with us from this life is our faith, hope and love.

Posted in emptiness, Futility, God, Heaven, hope and love, Knowing God, Life's journey, Power over People, Remembrance, Spirituality, Trust in God, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Out of the Mouths of Children

Posted on February 4, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I heard about a young boy travelling by airplane to visit his grandparents. He happened to be seated beside a theological college lecturer. The older man noticed the boy was reading a Sunday school book, so he decided to encourage the boy’s faith while also helping him to while away the tedium of the flight. He leaned over and said: “If you can tell me something God can do, I’ll give you a big, shiny apple.”
The boy thought for a moment and then replied: “Mister, if you can tell me something God can’t do, I’ll give you a whole barrel of apples!”
It reminds me of Jesus’ comment that the greatest truths sometime come from the mouths of children. Like little Julia who said: ‘Heaven is all the love in the world collected in one place’ but then added, ‘But I’m not in any hurry to get there.’

Posted in children, Encouragement, Faith, God, Heaven, Religion, Trust in God | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Go with the Flow

Posted on February 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

In the frigid waters of the Arctic and Antarctic there are numerous icebergs, some small and some gigantic. If you observe them carefully, you notice that sometimes the small ice floes move in one direction while their massive counterparts flow in another. The explanation is simple. Surface winds drive the little ones, whereas the huge masses of ice are carried along by deep ocean currents.
When we face trials and tragedies, it’s helpful to see our lives as being subject to two forces: surface winds and ocean currents. The winds represent everything changeable, unpredictable, and distressing. But operating simultaneously with these gusts and gales is another force that’s even more powerful. It is the sure movement of God’s wise and sovereign purposes, the deep flow of His unchanging love

Posted in Faith, God, Guidance, Inspirational, Life's journey, Living Life, Personal Growth, Promise, Spiritual Insight, Trials and testings, Uncategorized, Uncertainty of Life | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Fellowship of the Ring

Posted on February 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

There’s an old eastern fable about a ring that turned those who wore it into better people. The man who had it couldn’t decide which of his three sons to give it to. So he had two identical rings made and on his deathbed gave one to each. When they realised they all had a ring they went to a wise old judge to discover which was the genuine one. He couldn’t tell the difference by examining the rings, but told them that whichever of them by wearing the ring became as good a man as their father was had the genuine one. Then he told them to go and prove to everyone by their life that theirs was the real thing. So they did, and each ring worked. It reminds me of what Jesus said about people who wonder if their faith is real. He said that just as we can identify a tree by the fruit it produces, so we’ll know we have the real thing by what it produces in our lives.

Posted in Acts of Kindness, Attitude, Faith, Healing, Jesus, Life's journey, Making the most of what you've got, Personal Growth, Religion, Spiritual Insight, Wisdom | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

I think I once saw Jesus

Posted on February 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

I think I once saw Jesus in the face of an old Aboriginal man in Townsville. We were both waiting to cross a busy street corner. I was suffering from a bout of depression at the time and was a bit wary of him. But on impulse I turned to him and wished him a happy day. He said nothing but responded with a most beautiful smile. Then the lights changed and we both crossed the intersection in different directions. When I got to the other side I turned to give him a wave, but couldn’t see him anywhere. He just seemed to have vanished. But what I was conscious of was a surge of joy within me.
My depression lifted that day and never returned, and ever since, when thinking of that experience, I remember that Jesus said that as often we do an act of kindness to one of the least of his brothers, we do it to him. That’s why it makes me think that maybe I saw Jesus on a street corner in Townsville.

Posted in Acts of Kindness, Awareness, Healing, inner peace, Inspiration, Jesus, Seeing Jesus | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

“I know you are here.”

Posted on February 3, 2014 by vincentsmithauthor

A broken hearted woman once told the famous preacher F.B. Meyer that her crippled daughter, who brought her great joy, had died. For years she’d made tea for her each morning, then left for work, knowing that in the evening the daughter would be there when she arrived home. Now she came home to an empty house and an empty life.
Meyer said to her:. “When you get home, say aloud, ‘God, I know You are here!’ and be ready to greet Him directly when you open the door. And as you light the fire tell Him what has happened during the day, just as you would have told your daughter. Then, at night, as you get into bed, stretch out your hand in the darkness and say, ‘God, I know You are here!'”
Some months later, he met her again and was both delighted and amazed by the transformation he saw in her.”I did as you told me,” she said, “and ever since I’ve come home each night, and woke up each morning knowing that I’m never alone.”
Faith does not eliminate grief and sadness from our lives; but it does put us in touch with a presence that gives hope and comfort.

Posted in Awareness, emptiness, Encouragement, Faith, God, Grief, Healing, Hope, inner peace, Inspiration, Life's journey, Loneliness, Peaceful Sleep, Spiritual Insight, Sympathy and Support, Trials and testings | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment