Rescue the perishing ( Luke 15 v7 )

Recently I visited a dear friend I have known for many years,he comes from Dublin,I come from Belfast, now he is housebound , can't walk very much .On my visit he shared  his experience as a  hospice chaplain ,he told of two people  he had led to the Lord .One was a Jewish lady who came to know her Messiah, the next was an old man who was very afraid of dying, my friend spoke to him about Jesus,his son was present and  became annoyed with my friend told him not to talk to his father about Jesus,but his father told him to keep be quiet and let his pastor speak.He said to my friend that he didn't know how to pray, my friend said he would tell him what to pray,and so he trusted the Saviour.My friend spoke to his son saying that his father would soon close his eyes in death, and then he would open his eyes in heaven and he would see Jesus.I was really blest listening to what my friend said,he told me when he had finished,he went back to his office ,knelt down and wept tears of joy.

                                                                

                                                            'He that winneth souls is wise

                                                            In the home beyond the skies,

                                                                   

Nothing is to hard,( Luke 15 v 11ff)

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah;  I am the Lord,the God of all mankind.is anything to hard for Me' ( Jeremiah 32 v27).I'm sure when you read those words you think  of  so many things,that God would perform a miracle in your life ,or in someone you know, or of some situation,yes there is nothing to hard for the Lord to do.It is always important to see the context to what is said,to see the context of  this scripture we need look at the whole chapter.The Babylonian army was besieging Jerusalem,and the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, telling him that Jerusalem would be given into the hands of the invading army.Yet the Lord tells Jeremiah to buy a portion of Land,this he did and it was puzzling what was the purpose of it? In Jeremiah 25v11-12 ,God told  Jeremiah that Israel would go into captivity for seventy years .The buying the piece of land was a  covenant sign that Israel would return them to there land.The nation had forsaken God and went after other gods  (2 v11-13),they had done nothing but evil in God's sight (32 v30)God suffered long with them (35 v15) but all to no avail,so now they must be punished. Like Israel of old if we persist in sin then we will be judged, but there is always a way back to God if we repent,He can restore to us the years that the locust have eaten (Joel 2 v 25)

                                               '  I've wandered  far away from God;

                                                 Now I'm coming home;

                                                 The paths of sin too long I've trod:

                                                 Lord ,I'm coming home'.

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Soul thirst ( 2 Timothy 4 v2 )

 While visiting my youngest son and family,we went to see our grandchild performing with other children it all very well.But during it my mind wondered to a dear friend of mine who is very ill,so I started to pray for him, my prayers were mingled with my tears,As we walked  into the auditorian I looked at the people, gathered,and thought if only I could preach to them and tell them about Jesus.Now coming back to me praying for my friend I also started praying that God would use me to be a winner of souls. I remember reading of a preacher known as ,''Praying Hyde'', who was remembered for his famous cry,''Give me souls,O God, or I die',and I prayed that in my prayers.Psalm 126 v 6 reads ,'He that goeth forth and weeping, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing,bringing  his sheaves with him'.

                                                        'Dear Lord give us a hunger and

                                                         a thirst for the souls of men and 

                                                         women,who are perishing.

  

Make the right choice ( Luke 14 v 15ff)

 Can you remember when you first prayed to God? I remember one of my earliest prayers ,I was very young  and I was in bed. My mother and Father had separated, so this was the background to my prayer.I spoke to God about not having  father but I had Him as my Father.It has always been so precious to me ,it was not that I followed Him all my life at times I did not,but God did not give up on me ,and wonder of wonders He brought me back to Himself 61 yrs ago. I suppose there is to a degree the essence of the story that our Saviour told in the parable of the lost son in my experience.God has given us the ability to make a choice.I  remember so clearly a moment when I turned away from my loving Heavenly Father,I regret that but I'm so grateful that He drew me back to Himself . Everyday we make choices,that may appear obvious,but some choices are more important than others . If you are not saved,you need to make the most important choice in all your life.You may be a good living person but you are still a sinner and you are on the broad road that leads to destruction your destination is Hell,accept Christ as your Saviour.Then like me you may have wandered away from your loving Heavenly Father,for whatever reason,He has not given up on you, He still loves you,make the right choice now.

Love (1 John 4 v 8)

The Beatles sang a song with the words ,'All you need is love', it was a world wide hit with six hundred million records sold . But love without truth ,or love without morality ,or love where God is excluded?  The  world loves many things,gods who are not god's,  People love their country, their pets,their cars, their families ,and so we could go telling what people love, and yet do not love God.One has not to be carried away by a wave of sentimentality,God loved the world by giving His Son,their response was they nailed Him to a cross.Of course many non Christians do loving things,and we applaud them for that,but they do not love the Son of God. We cannot cut God out of the picture, multitudes, do,as if to say He doesn't matter, He should take first but He is left out in the cold.Ask them this question would they be prepared to die for God,  The apostle of of love John wrote the following,'This  is love; not that we loved God,but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our Sins.

                           'Such love!Such grace!Makes the pieces  come falling into place,

                           Breaks through the darkness, turns on the light,

                           Making blindness give way to sight, your love has conquered,

                            Has set us free to become all You've called us to be,

                            Healing the wounded,making us stand,bringing  peace and a sword in your hand.

                            And no power in the universe can separate us from the love of God.

                            We're Yours forever with nothing to fear,

                             Willing slaves to the love that brought us here.'  ( Words Dave Bryant)

Be discerning ( 1 Corinthians 16 v 13)

 I have just read an article in a news paper on a man called Bear Grylls's he has written a book that has become very popular.Im interested in a number of things he said.As a Christian we must be discerning,and judge all things which by God's word.This unchanging revelation must be our guide,take one of this mans statement about Jesus  he speaks about Jesus being on the wild side and being a 'savage warrior' .That is not what He was,he never was out of control and as for being a savage warrior,nothing could be further  from the truth,He was meek and lowly of heart  Matthew 11 v29,As regards politics He never involved Himself once in politics, He said his kingdom was not of this world, John 18 v36. Then this man said something which I have heard people say to me many times,'you don't need to go to church.'he appears very ignorant as to what the church is ,it is,not a building,the church is the people of God,In Ephesians 5 v25 we read,'Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for it'.The church is all Christians, they are our family, he writes that he doesn't go very much to church saying that God is not found there.Here again he is equating the church with a building, instead of God's  people,and has not read what Jesus said, in Matthew 18 v20,'For where two or three gather in my name,there I am with them'.As regards sexuality,he clearly thinks that Jesus had no problems with peoples sexuality, but he did for he told the women caught in  adultery,'go and leave your life of sin' John 8 53ff. Because Jesus didn't mention many different sins it is clear  that there are moral boundaries that God has set up ,and if we Igor them ,we are sinning,

No boasting ( James 4 v 13 -16)

 Proverbs 27 v 1 reads,'Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring',so wrote Solomon. Who are the boasters?,they include everyone.Unfortunately, even Christians do it,yes we do. we all seem to ignore the obvious,the uncertainty of life,yet we rush on in our blindness, confident that we do not need to acknowledge God in all our ways to direct our paths Proverbs 3 v6.The poet Robbie Burns wrote,'' The best plans of mice and men go awry'' (amiss)As the Titanic was sailing on its maiden voyage, someone said that it was ''Practically unsinkable''.The fact is life holds no certainties,ignoring that  brings dire consequence, Charles Bridges wrote as regards our eternal destiny,and our neglect of our souls, ,'Heaven and  Hell are no trifles.Tomorrow   presumed upon today neglected,ruins all. Standing on the brink of a precipice,how precious the moment  for prayer,ere the door of mercy is closed for ever!  We can make our plans ,but make them prayerfully, acknowledging our dependence on our God and so glorify Him.

                                                              'Run not before Him'