It's been a busy week for Ely and District CAP with our debt coaches making a record number of visits in one day with five visits, including two with new clients, as well as the evening prayer meeting! When they enter these clients homes, the team don't know what to expect and every client has a different and often complex debt story to be untangled.
Often in our lives we have our own plans and expectations, our own view of the direction of travel, and it can be disheartening when things don't seem to be going to plan or working in our favour. But this is because we are doing things our way, not God's way. When we put our lives and the gifts and skills that He has given us into God's hands, His plan can take us in unexpected and amazing directions. Seeing things in God's way, we can see His grace and love, we can see the fruits of the Kingdom here in our lives.
Luke 13: 6 - 9 (NIV)
6 Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. 7 So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’
8 “‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. 9 If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.’”
We are living in a time of Grace. We often fail and fall short, we do not follow God's way and try to do things our own way. But even though we continually fail and turn away from God, He still loves, nurtures, refreshes and empowers us and welcomes us back with open arms. Jesus will come again with renewal and transformation, but until then we have God's grace to help us use the gifts that He has given us to work towards renewal and transformation in the here and now, to help God's Kingdom come. We should not just sit and wait for Jesus to come, but to work for the Kingdom now, in the assurance that when we fall short, we have God's love and grace to give us the strength to carry on.
The work of Ely and District CAP is Kingdom work, fueled by God's love and grace. Debt is a issue that many in our society face, with worry about how to pay for heating and food, school equipment and transport for work, school or appointments, and has huge impacts on mental and physical health, families and relationships. Helping to remove this burden can help our clients refocus on these other areas in their lives and rebuild a better and more fruitful future. The practical journey out of debt is a huge help, but unique to CAP, this is alongside the love, support and prayer, the sharing of the knowledge of God's love and grace, that our debt coaches and visit team bring to each of our clients. A support not just for one aspect of their lives, but for their whole life journey.
Prayer
Please pray especially for several clients recently who have not continued with the CAP journey and have decided to take their own route out of debt. Many clients face complex situations and face difficult decisions which can make both giving and accepting advice hard.
Please give thanks that funds are available to help clients facing bankruptcy with their fees. Bankruptcy is a lifechanging solution to debt and requires a £680 fee which many clients cannot achieve without help.
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