We often talk about holding a grudge but in effect, as the title of this short devotion implies, it’s actually the other way round. The grudge holds us. And the longer we hold on to it, the greater the hold it has on us. Slowly and surely it kills us by emotional strangulation. Like everything else that is negative it leads to other othings. In this instance it led to Herodias wanting to kill someone.

The verse tells us that she nursed her grudge. And that’s what people who hold them do. They feed the resentment, change its nappy, pamper it and ensure it has the perfect environment to grow in. And then when it does reach maturity it becomes a monster that takes us over. Let go. It’s not worth it.

I went fishing yesterday and was very surprised to find that the lake was totally frozen. I tried breaking the ice but that wasn’t working. There was no option other than to go home. Then I noticed a few mallards swimming. There was a tiny patch of open water in the far corner of the lake.

It wasn’t a good fishing spot and I’m sure many other anglers would still have gone home anyway. But I decided to head over there as I’m a believer that as long as your bait is in the water you have a chance. No matter how remote the possibilities of catching, they will always be greater than if you are sat at home.

And within minutes I had three runs from fish! It shows that we should never give up and even though 99% of the water was frozen, there was still 1% that wasn’t. And in life, the same principle works. Even though the odds are stacked against us by 99%, we should still cling to the 1%. And who knows. Well one thing’s for sure, we’ll never succeed if we quit will we? Keep going.

The other day I was thinking about the most eventful moments in my life; perhaps defining events or just memorable moments. I mentally listed what came to the fore, and apart from the time that I became a Christian (there was a definite time in my life when that happened), everything included my family.

I thought of the day I met my wife and the first glimpse I had of her on our wedding day as she walked in the church in her dress. Then there was the birth of our daughters, in particular our eldest, as that was special in the sense she was first.

I also recalled our very first night in America. We only had one daughter then and she was just a toddler. We had travelled across the Atlantic, beginning our USA adventure and we were in a Maryland backyward with fireflies and crickets. And the humidity that I had never experienced before.

I remembered our time in South Africa. My youngest daughter telling us there were monkeys outside the house. Yes, we knew they were in the bush. No she said, they’re here.  And there she was rolling oranges to them just a few metres away. Then our first time in the Kruger National Park, having to stop every time we saw a ‘pala’. Which was here word for the numerous Impala.

I could go on, so many memories etched forever on my heart. And as I said, all except one  revolving around people and in particular my family. And what may surprise people who know me  – although it didn’t catch me out (no pun intended) - is that there wasn’t a single fishing moment that came to mind. I’ve got loads if I focus on angling itself, but when you bring it into the big picture of life, it’s not that important really is it?

The Bible tells us that where our treasure is, that’s where our heart is also. Maybe do the same thing right now as I did, and ask yourself what are those really special events in your life that immediately come to mind. You might surprise yourself, perhaps even shock yourself; but either way it is a good excercise to see where your heart really lies.

In the last day or so while out driving I’ve seen young children on the front seat of a car, seat belts not being used, five people crammed on the back seat, people driving lorries with one hand because the other one held a mobile phone while they talked and cars seriously shooting a red light.

What do they all have in common? They are all breaking the law. Either they don’t care, somehow think that they will be fine or else they just take a risk. Or perhaps they think that particular law is irrelevant and unnecessary so they are justified in ignoring it.

But the reality is that these laws are there for a reason. They protect us from others and sadly from ourselves at times. And while in some cases you can perhaps argue that certain laws created by man are nonsense - and you may even have a point - when it comes to God it’s a different thing altogether.

Through the pages of the Bible we read guidelines laid down that are ultimately for our well-being. Stick to them and we will stay on the right path; stray and we will get ourselves in all manner of messy situations. The choice is ours. To obey or not to obey, that is the question.

Called loved and kept equals significance, love and security. And we find those basic human requirements for a fulfilled life in Jesus Christ.

Genesis 1. It’s all about God and it’s all good. Then man’s on the scene, get ready. It’s all downhill from now on.

Genesis 2. God spoke everything else into being. But with man he took time and got personally involved. Creation’s crowning glory.

Genesis 3. Aided and abetted by the devil, sin makes its debut. It’s still going strong all these years later.

Genesis 4. Two murders. It doesn’t take long for sin to take root and produce bountiful harvests.

Genesis 5. The first family tree; a God of order and detail. He’s interested in the finer points in our lives.

Genesis 6. In the midst of evil Noah stood out as a man of righteousness. You don’t have to go with the flow you know.

Genesis 7. Only those in the ark were safe. A type of salvation only in Christ. Outside of him we are doomed.

Genesis 8. Even in the midst of divine judgement God makes a way for those who are righteous.

Genesis 9. God makes a new covenant but man still messes up. God is perfect we’re all far from it.

Genesis 10. The family tree of Noah reveals the birth of the nations. But there’s only one race: the human race.

Genesis 11. Terah sets out for Canaan but stops at Haran and stays. Don’t settle for second best when God has more for us.

Genesis 12. Abram told one lie and the knock-on deception affected numerous others. If you sow lies you reap destruction.

Genesis 13. Lot stayed near Sodom. Don’t live near sin get as far away from it as possible. Walk on the edge we fall off.

Genesis 14. Organised warfare enters man’s world. And we’ve been at each other’s throats ever since.

Genesis 15. God makes a promise and he keeps it. He never lets us down, he never lies and he never disappoints.

Genesis 16. Impatience leads to trying to force things leads to nothing but trouble and conflict.

Genesis 17. Abram was 99 and God changed his name to Abraham. We’re never too old to embrace change and fresh challenge.

Genesis 18. We see how God connects with man, his patience, understanding and desire for relationship.

Genesis 19. A reminder of human depravity as it was and is and always will be. That’s why we need a saviour, we can’t save ourselves.

Genesis 20. Abraham tells a half-truth which in some ways is worse than a lie because it’s very sly. It causes all sorts of problems.

Genesis 21. Sarah’s impatience now causing massive problems. All decisions have consequences. Wrong ones create conflict, turmoil, hassle.

Genesis 22. The father is prepared to sacrifice his only son. A picture of what happened on the cross 2,000 years ago.

Genesis 23. The proper way to conduct yourself – above board, transparent, honest, fair and without ulterior motive.

Genesis 24. When Isaac met Rebekah. God brings them together. He has plan for our lives all we need to do is follow the route in obedience.

Genesis 25. Esau traded his birthright for a bowl of stew. Don’t give away something important for that which is of no lasting value.

Genesis 26. They had to re-dig wells as debris and dirt meant they couldn’t get fresh water. Be careful that junk doesn’t block your life.

Genesis 27. Lies, deception, cheating, manipulation. The result? Jacob has to go on the run to save his life. We always reap what we sow.

Genesis 28. In the midst of his low point Jacob connects with God. It’s often in the darkest times that we find the light.

Genesis 29. After a life of deception the tables are turned on Jacob. And he doesn’t like it. What we reap is what we sow.

Genesis 30. Trying to outdo one another through acts of manipulation. This what happens when you’re on the devious treadmill. No-one wins.

Genesis 31. Conflicts, lying, cheating, deception, and all within the family. The result of selfish choices. Every decision has consequences.

Genesis 32. Jacob didn’t trust Esau because he wasn’t trustworthy. Devious people always think others are like them even if they aren’t.

Genesis 33. In spite of all thatt Jacob did to Esau, he forgives and family reconciliation takes place. Where there’s desire, there’s always a way.

Genesis 34. A rape results in revenge slaughter including innocents. Now the potential is on for escalation. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Genesis 40. Joseph helps the cupbearer but he moves on and ignores him. It’s tough when people use us then forget about us. Choose friends wisely.

Genesis 41. After years in jail wrongfully accused, Joseph is released. Maintain faith, integrity, hope and deliverance will surely come.

Genesis 42. It’s payback time for the way the brothers treated Joseph. In life every decision has a consequence. Good or bad, the choice is ours.

Genesis 43. What we sow, we reap. After a lifetime of deception Jacob is now the victim. God forgives sin, but we live with the consequences.

Genesis 44. The brothers’ lives are now a right tangled turmoil. It’s because they are reaping what they sowed. Sow deception and you reap misery.

Genesis 45. In spite of everything that he had been through, Joseph maintains his dignity and refuses to become bitter and twisted.

Genesis 46. The family is finally reunited after years apart. Never give up hope on relationship reconciliation.

Genesis 47. Forward thinking and planning puts Joseph in control. Organisation is essential if we are to live fulfilled lives.

Genesis 48. The importance of being blessed. It is far more than just a response when someone sneezes.

Genesis 49. On his death bed Jacob was calm. At peace with God and at peace with man. That’s the way to die, it’s also the way to live.

Genesis 50. The brothers are worried that with Jacob dead, Joseph will seek revenge. When you do wrong you never have true peace of mind.

Jude 1. The first message in a series on the Book of Jude. Introductions are important, and in this one we see a servant heart, humility and evidence of a personal relationship between Jude and the people to whom he wrote the letter.

One of the big news items at the moment surrounds Ratko Mladic and his extradition from Serbia. Now, this blog entry has nothing to do with the story as such, but rather something around it. When he was arrested a few days back I watched the breaking news on TV and the BBC reporter said quite clearly that things had moved very fast and ‘even as I speak he is on his way to The Hague and will be touching down any moment now’.

Actually that wasn’t the case, in fact far from it. He wasn’t on a plane and he wasn’t going to be in the Netherlands very soon. Now of course, it wasn’t a deliberate lie, it was just a case of misinformation and crossed wires. But it shows us that we need to be careful. Whether intentional or not, we cannot believe something just because we hear it on TV, get told by another person or read it in a newspaper.

I’m not suggesting for one moment that we should become cynical, just that we need to be careful. But there is one who we can trust totally, one who will never feed us wrong information. I’m talking about Jesus. He said of himself, ‘I am the truth’. For more than half my life I have put my faith and trust in him and he has never let me down, he has never disappointed and he’s never deceived me. When he speaks it really is a case of the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

We’ve all been let down, and if we’re honest, we have also been the guilty party not just the victim. For most of us though we learn, we move on, and the disappointments and discouragements along the way don’t affect us at anything more than at a skin-deep level.

However for some they reach the point where they can’t trust anyone, they view every action by another with suspicion, and they literally close in on themselves and erect mental – and often physical – barriers. I understand why people take that stance, but it’s self-destructive and only makes things worse.

But regardless of whether our fellow man can or will let us down, there is one who will never ever fail us. God. In fact, such is his character that he will never come short. Once we put our faith and trust in him, and we lean on him, we find that we have one who is totally and absolutely trustworthy.

Individual words in the Bible are an important part of what it is trying to say. When the Word tells us that God will ‘always’ keep his word it means ‘always’. It doesn’t mean ‘sometimes’ or ‘most of the time’ or ‘when it suits him’. If it meant any of those it would say so. He will never let us down because he will always keep his word.