180 - Finishing a Project.

'So he built the house and finished it...' (1 Kings 6:9)

When we were made in the image of God, part of His character that He put into us, was our ability to create. 

But not just this. To complete.

There is a sense of satisfaction that comes from finishing a project, standing back and taking pleasure in the result of your hard work. 

Baking a cake. 

Putting up some shelves. 

Completing an essay. 

The list could go on. 

My current project - a completed first draft of my novel! Quite excited. (Now editing starts...)

Of course, often we don't feel complete satisfaction. We can sometimes think there's room for improvement. But we can be grateful still. Grateful God gave us the ability to learn, to keep on getting better. 

Thank you God for making us creative - for the satisfaction of completing something. 

Thank you that one day, your Creation will be perfect and complete - as you intended it to be. 

179 - The Men and Women of Faith

'Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the people of old received their commendation.' (Hebrews 1:1-2)

'...since we are surrounded by great a cloud of witnesses...' (Hebrews 12:1)

I've really neglected this blog - again!

My excuse this time? A new job. Definitely reason for thanks!

So, the men and women of faith...

In our church student group, we've been studying Hebrews. Such a great book, encouraging us to live a life of faith. And one of the ways it does that is by reminding us of men and women in the past who lived by faith. 

Abel. Enoch. Noah. Abraham. Sarah... The list goes on!

One of the things I find encouraging about this list is that these men and women - famous names in the Bible - were human beings just like us. They made mistakes just like us. 

Noah got drunk. Abraham slept with his wife's maidservant. Sarah laughed in disbelief when she heard God's promise that she would have a child. 

And yet...in these pages, they are not condemned for their mistakes. They are praised for their faith. 

And if we put our trust in Jesus, God promises us the same. He promises to remember our sins no more. 

That moment of doubt? Forgiven. Forgotten. 

That harsh word? Forgiven. Forgotten. 

But that choice to stand  when others wouldn't...that faith, no matter how shaky...He loves that. He blesses us for that. 

What a generous God! We don't deserve such goodness, and yet we receive it anyway. 

Thank you God for the men and women of faith, who wait for us in Heaven.