I (Janet) feel so thankful to the Lord for how He’s been leading and encouraging us lately ❤️ We really do feel in a different place than we did a week or 2 ago – thank You Jesus 🙌 Don’t you just love how Jesus can do that? We can feel a bit aimless or down in the dumps but when we submit it to Him and give back the stuff we were never meant to carry He dusts us off and sets us back up in the right direction and posture again.

This morning I went for a walk with a friend, and while I was out Neil did some blog post writing around some of the ways the Lord has been speaking to us and encouraging us to keep going 🥳 He also took some time to make notes from the talk we referenced in yesterdays post – it really was such a helpful talk to us. When I came home I read a little more of The Circle Maker (we are LOVING that book!) and then after lunch we recorded a wee podcast.

Now I’m just doing a little bit on the blog and then I might read a bit more before I go and collect our son from the bus 😃

We’d been chatting yesterday about doing one about the huge difference between doing things in order to try and earn God’s love versus doing things because we know we are loved by God! It’s a tricky concept to thing through because on the outside the two can look incredibly similar. There could be two people standing beside each other, both doing exactly the same job but the reason that they are standing there could be poles apart.

For example, I could serve as part of the set-up team in church because I fear that if I don’t God and my leaders will be angry with me or think that I do nothing around the place or I can serve as part of the set-up team in my church because I know I am loved as a son or daughter in Christ and this act of service is an expression of that love. It’s not that the chairs will be set out straighter or that the tea and coffee will taste any better when my starting place is right! It’s likely they will taste exactly the same but what is happening within our hearts will be very different. The fruit that will be produced in our soul will be one of thankfulness rather than obligation.

Lord, help us always operate from a place of affection rather than serving for your affection!