verse of the day

Monday 18 March 2024

Saint Patrick. ( Acts 1 v 8 )

 Yesterday was St Patricks day, he is the Patron of  Ireland,he was born in Roman Britain ,at an early age he was taken as a slave to Ireland,and had a very hard time. After six years he managed to escape and returned home, eventually he became a cleric,and eventually he returned to Ireland to spread the gospel,it appears he may have had a vision of a man ,who told him to to Ireland, and so he obeyed.Let us consider a few things about Patrick,he did not get rid of all the snakes in Ireland.He is remembered as a Saint, but of course every Christian is a saint 1Peter 2v 9 tells us that all Christians are a chosen race , a royal priesthood ,a holy nation', we are all set apart for God.Speaking of the people who became Christians,he wrote,'Never before did they know God except to serve idols  and unclean things.But now they have become the people of the Lord,and are called children of God'.Wonderful truth ,but as to the present saint Patricks day it has nothing to with the gospel,it is just simply a day in which people declare that they are Irish,or of Irish parentage, for most people, religion does not come into it. Many do not know much about Patrick,and know even less of his God and Saviour. Let us rejoice and praise God for those whom God raised up to proclaim the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ,not only in history,but present day evangelist and missionaries.But let all of us who know Christ,remember that we also can and should tell people about our wonderful Saviour.

Sunday 17 March 2024

Forget me not. ( Luke 22 v19 )

 Daniel Defoe wrote a book called,'Journal of a Plague',  that came to London in 1665,many fled from the city,but there those who couldn't,many died.Yet there were those who survived,Defoe was one of them,he records in his Journal,as regards those who survived.'These poor recovering creatures,give them their due,appeared very sensible of their unexpected deliverance; and I should wrong them very much if I should not acknowledge that many of them were really thankful; but I must own that for the generality of the people it might too justly be said of them,as was said of the children of Israel ,after their being delivered from the host of Pharaoh, when they passed the Red sea and looked back, and saw the Egyptians overwhelmed in the water,viz, that they sang His praise, but they soon forgot His works.'' We need to continually remember Calvary,in fact we are commanded to do just that,why?because like Israel of old,we may forget , is it possible?,yes sad to say it is.

                                                  'King of my life I crown Thee now,

                                                   Thine shall the glory be;

                                                   Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow,

                                                   Lead me to Calvary.'

                                                      Words Jenny E. Mussey.

Saturday 16 March 2024

No distinction ( Galatians 3 v 26 -29 )

Not so long ago people were judged by what class they were ,working class,middle class,or upper class,we do not hear so much about that now.In many countries they have casts systems,that means there are those who are looked down upon, they were  known as untouchables ,and could only work in the lowest of jobs.The class system,or even the cast systems,are an open invitation for pride to take over,and all that means.That aspect of pride encourages  so much evil,people  think that they are better than others,George Orwell's father served in the British colonial service in India,when he came back to England  he brought  with  him a rigid class structure ,he had a tailor who made his suits,but any attempt by his tailor to have a conversation  was met with a gruff monosyllabic responses.If he met him in the street he would  not acknowledge him.As Richard Bradford comments Orwell's father saw his tailor as belonging to a lower class.At a more evil level ,Nazism had an ideological belief built on a false idea of their superiority ,we all know what that led to. So where does that lead us to? it leads us to what God has to say about humanity,  that we are all one class,that is clearly declared in Romans 3 v23 ,'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God',those words should put to rest any thoughts of  superiority.As sinners we all need to be saved,we all need to take our place with all our fellow sinners,and bow humbly before a holy God and ask Christ to save us .When we have trusted Jesus as our Saviour ,we become Children of God ,He  has no favourites in His family,there is no class or cast distinction ,we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Friday 15 March 2024

'It is no secret' ( John 11 v 40 )

  Stuart Hamble was a very famous person in the entertainment world,a song writer,singer and picture actor  .He was  born into a family of a traveling Methodist Preacher,He himself was not a Christian until one night he was persuaded by his wife to go and hear Billy Graham preach,he personally spoke to Billy after the meeting and he gave his life to Jesus.He told how he and his wife visited John Wayne and during the evening  they had a conversation of how people can solve problems within themselves.Stuart made a statement,'It's no secret what God can do'',as they were leaving John said to him,'Stuart you ought to write a song about,it is no secret what God can do,that is a beautiful thought. When he arrived home he sat down at his organ,and at that moment his clock began to ''chime out the hour of midnight'' He got pen and paper,and to his amazement he wrote the words and music in 17 minutes.The song became a great favourite, I remember it well very popular,and very meaningful,here is one the verses and chorus.

                                                  'The chimes of time ring out the news,

                                                   Another day is through,

                                                   Someone slipped and fell,was that someone you?

                                                   You may have longed for added strength,

                                                    Your courage to renew,do not be disheartened,

                                                    I have news for you.

                                                    It is no secret what God can do,

                                                    What He's done for others,He'll do for you,

                                                   With arms wide open,He'll pardon you,

                                                    It is no secret what God can do'

                                                                                                         

                                           

 

Thursday 14 March 2024

Be careful (Romans 10 v1 )

In Psalm 78 the writer reminds his readers to not be like their fathers,now it is a long Psalm 72 verses,and most of it is taken up with a history of a people who were stubborn rebellious,disloyal and unfaithful,(v8) .In spite of all  that God had done for them, rescuing them ,performing miracles, time after time,providing for them, making unreasonable demands of God, sinning against Him.Not content with what God give them what they demanded,the food they craved for, challenging God by saying,'Can God really spread a table in the wilderness'.?  They were challenging God who was not pleased. they would come to regret  what they had said, for God in his anger slew many of them v31.In spite of this they kept on sinning,in spite of all He had done, but when God slew them  ,then they sought Him,and remembered  all He had done for them,They turned to Him but it was insincere,their heart was not in it,So we could go on,this is how they behaved throughout their history.Our Saviour  said how they persecuted the prophets. (Matthew 5 v12},but not only that, they crucified the Son of God their Messiah.The Jews I believed have paid a awful price for what they did ,but we must be careful not to write them off.Michael Wilcock writes,'Down the ages many  supposedly Christian nations have despised,if not persecuted, the Jews,often in the name of God.The fact is we would know nothing of our Christian God were it not for Israel and Judah. There and there alone our Christian heritage,with all its ramifications, has its roots.'Salvation' above all,its central trunk, is from the Jews'.cp John 4 v 22.

Wednesday 13 March 2024

Rest (Matthew 11 v 28 - 30)

I read recently the following in one of my daily readings called ,,'Word for today',the following story,'An old, tired -looking dog wandered into a women's garden.She could tell from looking at him that he had a good home. He followed her inside,down the hall, and promptly fell asleep. Two hours later,he went to the door and she let him out.The next day he came back , resumed his position, and napped for a couple of hours. This went on for a week. Curious, the woman pinned this note to the collar; ' Every afternoon your dog comes for a nap. ' The next day, the dog showed up with a note that read;'He lives at a home with 10 children- apparently he needs some quite time. Can I come with him tomorrow?.'I hope that made you smile,but in the humour we have an underlying truth, relating to the business of life,and the pressures that many people are under,that can often lead to burn out,weariness and stress.We can be driven by the challenges that life puts upon us.I heard my son preach recently ,and the subject was ,'Where is your garden? In biblical times people would have an enclosed garden,which they would go to in the evening to relax,Jesus had such a garden called Gethsemane which he often went to Luke 22 v 39.,Jesus needed that a place where He could go to relax and commune  with His Father.We all need such a place it may be in your car or out walking or wherever.Our Saviour said in Matthew 11 v28 ,' Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens,and I will give you rest', where is your garden?

Tuesday 12 March 2024

He is able. ( Psalm 121 )

It was George Muller who prayed that he would not like to a die a wicked old man,I prayed the same prayer recently,of course using different words.Like George I am an old man aged 79, and like George I feel very vulnerable.Let me stress this ,temptations do not cease when one gets older,it is Scrooge who sums it up,'We are all beset by foes,within and without,the devil,the world,the flesh,and for victory over these we are completely depended upon God'. How true those words are,and so I prayed to Him,I told I am not like Peter who foolishly boasted that he would not  deny his Lord ,saying he would even die for Him (John 13 v 37),and we know what became of that,yet the Lord was merciful and forgive him .So  I prayed for the Lord to keep me from  evil, for I know that the consequences of falling into sin can be very severe. The Lord heard my prayer,how do I know?well He answered me as I was reading a daily reading, it read ,'The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;He shall preserve your soul', Psalm 121 v 7 . In  Philippians  1 v 6,we read,'being confident of this,that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus'. God will finish what He started, He is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy. To the only wise God our Saviour be glory ,majesty,power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages,now and for evermore!Amen. (Jude 24-25)