There is an answer. ( John 1 v 1 - 13 )

In 1977 Voyager 1 was lunched into space,it was equipped to send back data.,it has now travelled billions of miles.From a far of distant point it sent back a picture of our planet. Earth looked so very small and insignificant,but in God's eyes it is the most significant planet in the whole universe. Scroggie  writes the following,'Earth ,this speck in space , is the home of the human race,and is the focus of all interest, divine, angelic, and demonic, as well as human;it is the theatre in which  the Redeemer has manifested Himself and has brought the offer of salvation to a ruined race'.The word of God tells us that God loves this world and everybody in it,he knows every individual in this world ,and knows everything about them.If we leave God out of the picture there is no meaning to life,no purpose,  we are just a freak accident, if that is the case then what value can we put on human life,the answer is none,where do we get our moral value's from?.Every year we celebrate Christmas ,well some of us do, but many fail to appreciate, that God who created this world ,stepped into His world in the person of His Son Jesus. He exercised powers beyond  mans power,healing the sick,raising the dead,controlling nature itself.His teaching has touched untold millions.The greatest problem mankind has,is a nature that is sinful,and there is nothing man can do to change that.Only God is preserving this planet,and only God provides an answer , for on the cross our sin can be forgiven when we accept Jesus as our Saviour, and when that happens,all things are changed, for the better,we find new life,we feel valued and loved,and have a purpose,that goes beyond this life into a glorious future. 

Preserved ( Psalm 118 )

 Psalm 118 is described as,''apples of gold in a basket of silver',it is a Psalm praising God for His deliverance, here are a few verses from it,

                                           ' The Lord is on my side;I will not fear

                                             It is better to trust in the Lord,

                                            Than put confidence in man,

                                             It is better to trust in the Lord

                                             Than to put trust in princes

                                             The Lord helped me

                                             The right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly

                                              I shall not die,but live, and declare the works of the Lord.

 This Psalm was Luther's favourite, he said, '' It had saved me from many a pressing danger, from which nor emperor, nor kings, nor sages,nor saints,could have saved me''. he wrote a wonderful hymn,here are the opening words,'A safe stronghold our God is still, a trusty  shield  and weapon; He'll help us clear from all the ill,that hath us now o'ertaken .' Martin Luther in standing for the truth put himself in great danger,but God in his mercy delivered him.

                          

Have courage.( 2 Timothy 4 v 1 -5)

 When one is a preacher of the gospel one must show a certain amount of courage, to speak the truth without fear or favour .I have attended funerals were the minister has miserable failed to be faithful to  their calling.It was the apostle Paul who was about to appear before Caesar asked the saints at Ephesus to pray for him,'That whenever I speak ,words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known   the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly ,as I should'. (Eph 6 v 19-20 )  Thomas Brooks a  renowned Puritan wrote the following.' Faithful ministers have a need to cry aloud,they have need to be courageous and zealous, to awaken sinners,that none may go sleeping  to hell. Cowardice in a minister is cruelty; if he fears the faces of men, he is a murderer of souls.'

Losses and Crosses. ( John 21 v 20 -22 )

 Just recently a friend told me that he met his ex--Pastor  and his wife,they told him they no longer believed in God, they said that people had hurt them in the church. I know from experience that one will receive hurts yes even from Christians,especially if you are a leader. The greatest leader who ever lived  was our Saviour , he experienced  many hurts,even from his own disciples,in fact it was a battle all the way for Him,but He just kept going on,likewise the apostle Paul had more than his fair share of troubles from Christians CP Philippians 1 v 15- 17. I personally had hurts in the church that I pastored, whatever the rights or wrongs ,one should still carry on in the faith,wherever the hurts come from. Not only should we carry on ,we are to have a spirit of forgiveness, our Saviour taught us to love our enemies and pray for them .Matthew 5 v 44.Let not hate for your fellow Christians fill your heart ,if a fellow Christian hurts you, remember.'Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother or sister is still in darkness 1 John 2v9. Let me stress, hurts come to us from many directions, from fellow Christians, from non Christians, from painful experiences,from losses to crosses. That last word is important,for remember what our dear Saviour said ,'take up your cross and follow me'. Matthew 10 v 38.

                                'I traveled down a lonely road, and no one seemed to care,

                                The burden on my weary back,had bowed me to despair;

                                 I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me,

                                 And then I heard Him  say so tenderly,My feet were also weary

                                 Upon the Calvary road,The cross became so heavy,

                                  I fell beneath the load,Be faithful ,weary pilgrim,

                                  The morning I can see- Just lift  your cross,

                                                and follow close to Me.'             (Words Ira F . Stanphill)

                                                     

                                                      

Not a comparison site. ( Romans 12 v 1 -8)

 When I need to insure my car,or my house I go on a comparison site,that's fair enough. When a new manager of a football takes over from a successful manager,his performance will be judged by the past manager's performance. Sometimes people come out of a family with a bad reputation and they are compared to that family . Salvation is not a comparison  site,there are people who compare themselves with others,they actually think that Christianity is for goody,goodies,not realising that every Christian is a sinner saved by grace and that has transformed their lives.Of course every Christian is a work in progress, yes there are no perfect people in the church of Christ.We are all different and even as Christians we must not compare ourselves to other Christians,we must keep our eyes of  people,we must not be overwhelmed by others,because they are more gifted that you or me.If we do that we could so easily be afraid to accomplish anything,or do anything.God has given all his Children gifts ,don't be afraid to use them,or even be ashamed of them.I read daily devotions and they often bless me,but they do not intimidate me from writing this blog, God  has given us different gifts for doing certain things well (Romans 12 v 6),if you step outside your gift,you will be a square peg in a round hole,it is John Stott who says the following .' We must avoid  both to high  an estimate  of ourselves and Paul might have added too low an estimate'.( Rom 12 v 3)

Facing Death. ( Luke 23v 39 -43 )

 I visited a dear brother in a hospice,he is a godly man,and of course the fact that he is in a hospice means he has not long to live. He found it difficult to speak so our conversation was limited,I read the scriptures at his request, it was from Romans 8 v 28-39. When I had finished reading,he repeated the words,'That neither death nor life'.the readings end with the words....'.can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord'. Yes death does not have the final say,One writer says the following,'Death is not the end;it is only ''the gate on the skyline'' leading to the presence of Jesus Christ'. I prayed with that dear brother,he held in his hand a wooden cross,for the Christian the cross reminds us that we are no longer alienated from God.We no longer stand condemned before a holy God,no longer does  the wrath of God rest upon us,no longer is heaven shut to us,why ? because of the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.In heaven we will cry out,'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain'.(Revelation 5 v 12)The Cross is the only way humanity can be saved and have hope for eternity.

                                                           ' There is victory in Jesus'

All things new. ( 21 v 1- 5 )

 I met a friend when out shopping she is two years older than me 82,she can walk but needs the use of a mobility scooter. She mentioned she needs two new knees,and two hip joints,I jokingly said to her she should go the 'Body Shop',(it sells perfume),well she laughed. In Psalm 139 v4 we read,'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made'. yes that is so true,but,there's that but again,it wears down,to a point when we need more than body parts. Shakespeare wrote of the ,'Seven ages of man',highlighting the different periods of our existence,the last being ,'dotage and death'.In the 12th chap of Ecclesiastes there is a very descriptive passage of our bodies decline . The Message puts it like this,'Your hair turns apple-blossom white. Adorning a fragile and impotent matchstick body'. Sorry folks that's the way it is, but its not the end of the story for the Christian,in Revelation 21 v 5 we have Jesus declaring,'I am making everything new!.' In 1 Corinthians 15,we have spelt out what that  means as regards our future bodies,first of all it will be a spiritually body,from earthly beings to  heavenly beings,we will all be changed,from that which is perishable to an imperishable being,from being mortal to being immortal,death will have died,everlasting life commences,the future will not only be bright, it will be glorious,and here is a wonderful truth we shall be like Jesus. (1 John 3 v 2 )

                                          ' Yes wonder of wonders ,we shall be like Jesus'