Skip to main content

Meditative Musings

 

I have been volunteering weekly at the local Salvation Army, sorting linen and clothes for those who lost theirs in the recent cyclone.

 

It has provided some interesting thoughts!

 

As I walked into the room this morning I noticed an unpleasant, musty, old smell due to the room being closed up overnight. As I emptied boxes and found appropriate places for their contents, I wondered what sort of stink my sin produces when I close my heart to God’s commandments. Isaiah 65:5 says ‘yet they say to each other, 'Don't come too close or you will defile me! I am holier than you!’ These people are a stench in my nostrils, an acrid smell that never goes away.’ Jude 1: 22-23 says ‘Go easy on those who hesitate in the faith. Go after those who take the wrong way. Be tender with sinners, but not soft on sin. The sin itself stinks to high heaven.’ I guess that is where the saying comes from regarding something stinking to high heaven! Well, I have to admit that in spite of every effort to listen to the Holy Spirit, there will be times my sin ‘stinks to high heaven’—a stench in God’s nostrils. What a sobering thought.

 

I was delighted to find a carton full of packets of new underwear, mainly for children. How wonderful that people were prepared to donate new items of underwear. I have noticed that some donations are extremely old and stained. Is that disrespectful to those in need? Do they deserve the best we can give? I leave you to debate that question.

 

I asked the supervisor, “Is it OK to leave these in packs? It seems to me that if children need underwear they will need a pack.”

 

“Absolutely,” she replied. “Unfortunately, we have had some people come in and they will take every pack if not checked. So we have to be quick to limit numbers to leave some for others.”

 

Again I pondered on that. I think it is a human condition to put yourself and your family before others, and I have to continually work on being unselfish. Thinking about taking more than we need I remembered the Israelites who collected more manna than needed for the day in spite of God’s instructions to the contrary. Next morning the manna had worms and it stunk. There’s that word again. Their sin created a stench!

 

Oh boy, when I arrived to do my voluntary work this morning, little did I know God was going to do a work in my spirit.

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Planting Seeds

  Carrying on from last week, I was wondering how I am sowing seeds. I realised that we can all sow seeds everywhere we go. I don’t go out that often actually, I don’t belong to any secular groups but I can still be responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Under his leading I made a determined effort to get to know the names of all the staff at my two favourite cafés that I visit at least weekly. I ask about their families; I support where I can. My friends and I find opportunities to give them all a little gift of chocolate and a card with a verse of scripture written on it. They all know we are Christians. I guess that might be called planting seeds. I converse with the supermarket checkout operators just to have a chance to bring a blessing to them. Some of them now know I am a Christian. I can easily bring God into conversations with unsaved family members, neighbours and strangers I stop and talk to in the park—with the leading of the Holy Spirit. I do not adopt a heavy...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Importance of Unity

  What do you do when you think the Pastor or Senior Leadership Team have got it wrong! A friend was recently talking about a decision made by our Senior Leadership Team (SLT) including the Pastor. We are a small church community, so decisions affect every member there. However, unless directly involved in a programme or initiative the SLT do not know how a decision they make might impact on the on-the-ground day-to-day running of that programme or initiative. It is important to talk to those involved to get their perspective and even in a small church this might not necessarily happen. Having said that, our SLT are generally very good at consulting. So, what do you do if you think it’s an unwise decision? This will of course depend on size of the church, whether the Pastor is a good listener and is prepared to talk about it and I’m sure, many other factors. My perspective is that I do not want to be talking about the Pastor behind his back. I do not want to gossip about him ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Meeting in Fellowship

  This morning we had one of our fortnightly women’s meetings, called WOF! No, not Warrant of Fitness, although we could all do with a Warrant of Fitness from time to time to see how our spiritual walk is going. It stands for Women of Fellowship. We start with a hot drink and some home baking to eat, with some fruit for those who seek to be a little healthier. Then our leader, one of our pastors, introduces the morning. Following that there is something different each week. We have had a ‘spiritual kit’ handed to us and a discussion of each object, we had a morning to bring something special and show each other while telling the story of why it was special, there may be a speaker or a craft. This morning there was a word game and we each received a journal with encouragement to start a prayer journal. Now I am definitely not a ‘game’ or a ‘craft’ person so those times can seem a little boring to me. However, there is always good fellowship and an opportunity to get to know another ...
Post a Comment
Read more