Category: Sue’s Views

Sue’s Views

Is there someone you would rather not face? Someone who has hurt you ….. or is it someone you have mistreated and feel ashamed? Two of the main pillars of the Gospel are forgiveness and repentance. We all need to forgive those who have wronged us. It sets us free and allows God to deal with the perpetrator. And we all need to acknowledge our own wrongdoing to others. Don’t let pride stand in your way! Humility will open the door for the relationship to be reconciled. ‘I’m sorry!’ ….. and ‘I forgive you’ ….. are two phrases to keep at the front of our minds.

Sue’s Views

Yay! It’s magnolia season! These beautiful trees remind me that ….. in every season ….. there is something beautiful! Just as most trees have lost their leaves and blossoms ….. these beauties do their thing. The same God who waited for the wine to run out at a wedding and then made the best wine out of water ….. the same God who waited four days after Lazarus died to bring him back to life ….. is the God who waits till things seem hopeless and then shows up in amazing ways! If you are in a winter season ….. look out for the magnolias!

Sue’s Views

If ever our world needed salt and light …..it’s now! Salt adds flavour to a dish that is otherwise bland ….. and is also a preservative. But in Bible days ….. it was also used as a disinfectant! It’s properties can cancel out nasty bugs! Light ….. of course is necessary to be able to see. It is able to penetrate through darkness ….. and expose things that are hidden. Jesus calls His followers to be salt and light in a world that is full of ‘nasties’ ….. and hidden agendas. We are not here to compromise or tolerate! We are here to eradicate the lies and demonstrate truth!

Sue’s Views

As much as we love to see the trees adorned with blossoms and leaves ….. there is a beauty in the starkness of winter. We get to see the true shape and 

uniqueness. We too ….. go through seasons where our true inner self is exposed. Times when our emotions are so raw ….. we can no longer hide them or pretend they don’t exist. Our natural response is to push them down ….. cover them up with a superficial facade ….. or drown them in a temporary  fix. But God sees through all that ….. and He longs to come in and bring meaning to our reality. Only He can meet you where you are ….. and take you to where He wants you to be. The twists and turns of life make us who we are ….. and enable us to identify with others going through their own journey.

Sue’s Views

This is an oldie but a goodie! A man in Scotland had a rowboat in which he transported passengers across a lake. He had ‘faith’ written on one oar and ‘works’ written on the other oar. When a passenger asked him why ….. he explained with a practical demonstration. He would put one oar in the boat and row with ‘faith’ only. The boat went round in circles! The same result when he rowed with ‘works’ only. But when he used both oars ….. the boat quickly reached the other side. A great example of why we should show our faith by our actions!

Sue’s Views

This sundial will only work when it is set right. It has to be facing true north for the sun to do it’s job. True north has never ….. and will never change! In our world today ….. truth has been ‘adjusted’ to suit our desires. We are seeing the consequences of that! Jesus said ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’ That too ….. will never change!

Sue’s Views

It’s the middle of winter here in NZ ….. but compared to so many places around the world ….. we have nothing to complain about. Every time I feel ‘hard done by’ ….. I remind myself how blessed I am. There is always reason to gripe about the economy ….. the weather ….. the fact travel is limited ….. etc etc ….. but life here is pretty normal. No matter how tough things are for you ….. there are always people far worse off. Develop a thankful attitude ….. and you’ll start seeing more to be grateful for.

Sue’s Views

When things get overwhelming and all we can see is hopelessness and defeat ….. we need to remember the story of Elijah and his servant who were surrounded by an enemy army. The servant could only see certain defeat and destruction because that’s what was happening in the natural realm. Elisha however was a man of tremendous faith ….. and he saw beyond the natural realm to the supernatural. He prayed that God would open his servants eyes and he did! They both were able to see a much larger army of angel warriors surrounding the enemy. The result was that the enemy soldiers were struck with blindness and lost their sense of direction. Ask God to open your eyes to see what He is doing behind the scene. He is fighting the battle on your behalf. You just need to trust Him!

Sue’s Views

The heart is the most important organ in our bodies because it is the life line to every other part. An unhealthy heart can cause sickness and disease in every other organ. Similarly ….. our spiritual heart is also the lifeline to our spiritual well-being. Things like envy ….. bitterness ….. unforgiveness ….. greed ….. and lust ….. will produce ‘dis – ease’. We lose our peace. We lose our joy. King David gave us a great example of heart surgery when he prayed ‘Create in me a clean heart, Oh Lord, and renew a right spirit within me’. When we acknowledge our sin ….. and are sorry enough to change direction ….. our hearts become mouldable in God’s hands. How is your heart?