Another year [Lamentations 3 v22-23]

So here we are at the end of another year,as I look back I am grateful for many things, holidays,renewal of friendships,Gods ongoing provision, patience,care,strength,help,protection,enabling,and so the list goes on and on, I am sure we all have our list.Let us remember Gods goodness will not cease with the ending of another year, His grace will not dry up,His love will not cool towards us, His mercy will not cease, as He was, so He will continue to be,for He is the unchanging One.Our grip on Him may weaken ,but His grip on us will not,we may enter periods of darkness ,but He will be our light. Like the Psalmist I can say,/Once I was young, and now I am old.Yet I have never seen the godly abandoned[Psalm 37 v25 ] [ Dear God we thank You for Your great faithfulness,in the year that is coming to an end, we praise You for all that is past, and trust You for all that is to come ,in Jesus name Amen]

Looking staight ahead [ Matthew 14v22-33]

In Pilgrims progress by John Bunyan, Christian the main character, gets into all sorts of bother, when he fails to go straight on, the result , he falls into a swamp called the, slough of despond, and likewise when he and his companion fall into the clutches of Giant despair.So Christian declares,/Out of the way we went, and then we found, what twas to tread on forbidden ground/,for the Christian there is much forbidden ground, I read that a French psychologist said that it was good to have extra marital affairs it helped marriage. It is easy to embace sin,dressed up in, fallen human reasoning, and when we do , we will suffer, and so will others. So today let us not enter forbidden ground, but let us look straight ahead, and fix our eyes on what lies before us, to mark out a straight path for our feet,to stay on the safe path. Let us not get sidetracked, but keep our feet from following evil [ Proverbs 4v25-27] [ Dear Lord help us not to be sidetracked today into those things that could harm us and others ,help us at all times to keep our eyes on You. Amen ]

God strong [Ephesians 6 v10-20 ]

In Zechariah 10v12, I read these words,/ By my power I will make my people strong/,these words remind us we cannot walk a spiritual life of victory in our natural self. David did not defeat Goliath in his natural self [1 Samuel 17v45-47], Samson did not kill a lion ,[Judges 14v5-6],and do many other mighty deeds in his own strength. So it is we will not know victory over our enemies ,be it the devil, the world, or the flesh, in our own strength. The fact of the matter is we are weak in ourselves, what ever difficulties we are facing today,we will only know victory in the strength of the Lord. So today be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might, so we will be able to resist the enemy.[ Ephesians6v10ff], so we can say that like the apostle we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.[ Philippians 4 v13] [ Dear God help us to be strong by Your Spirit, as we face temptation, as we seek to serve you, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Dont give up [2 Corinthians 4 v 8-18 ]

I met a chap ,someone I have known for a long time, he is a Christian,but he is having problems in his marriage, and it is obivious that he is struggling spiritually. The very nature of life will bring problems for we live in a fallen world, there will always be something that will challenge us. For that dear brother its his marriage,for others its a disability, physical, mental, financial, we must face reality, some Christians believe everything can be solved, sickness can be healed , the dead can be raised, and so on, and of course all things are possible with God. But it seems that for most of us we will have to cope with difficulties of one kind or another. The good news is we dont have to cope on our own, Jesus is with us ,in our deepest trials, not only as a spectator, but as one who will comfort us, grant us the grace we need, and in it all make us better people.[ Dear God help us to cope with our on going problems, problems that cause us pain, and sometimes even to dispair,grant us the grace we need to not give up in Jesus name Amen]

Family [1John 2 v7-11 ]

One of the important aspects of Christmas is family, which makes it rather painful for those who have no family or no relationship with their family.I thankfully have a resonable relationship with my children and grandchildren, I also manage to keep in touch with my brothers and sister. If we are Christians we are part of a family, the family of God, and that is very, very ,important, and yet, for many, to many that relationship is not what it should be, what should be?.Well it should be loving, it should be a place of acceptance for all members of that family, it should be a place of love, it should be a place of generosity , and so we could go on, it should reflect all that it means in being a Christian, and its not just for Christmas.[ Dear Heavenly Father we thank You That in Your great love that You have brought us into Your family, help to love our Christian family, in Jesus name Amen ]

Gifts [ Romans 6 v23 ]

Well I have opened my Christmas presents, did I get what I was hoping for?, yes, my dear wife bought me a lovely camcorder, I just have to learn to use it. She bought me a camcorder years ago, I used it for a while, then stopped, I have passed it unto my son. When God saves us it is through His son Jesus, Romans 6v23 reads ,/ The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord/, Here is the all important question , have you recieved that gift? I spoke to ,two of my brothers yesterday wishing them a happy Christmas, many years ago they recieved that gift from God, but for whatever reason they neglected it, like so many unused gifts, To some extent I did the same, but the Lord graciously restored me to Himself, that was 45yrs ago, we cannot afford to neglect Christ, there are no advantages in neglecting Gods gift ,only disadvantages.[ Dear God we pray for all those who recieved Your most precious gift , and have neglected Him, have mercy and restore them once again, in Jesus name Amen ]

A favourite Carol.[luke 2 v8-14]

Do you have a favourite carol, I have a number, Silent night, O Little town of Bethlehem, Away in a manger,now I know it is easy to criticise some of these carols, the one thing I would say is they dont lead anybody astray,for they are all without exception about Jesus. Christmas in the west is a far cry from what it should be, yet we hope and pray that in spite of this, some will be led to the truth of knowing Christ as their Saviour. To retun to the subject of carols one carol I am very fond of is,/ In the bleak mid -winter/, I know that it is obvious Christ was not born in the bleak mid-winter, but somehow it appears to ring true as we look out at this Christmas, this year.It is the last verse that to me is the most meaningful, and challenging,/What can I give Him poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb, If I were a wise man, I would do my part, yet what I can I give Him- give my heart./[Dear God , we thank You that You so loved the world, that You gave your only begotten Son that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but have everlasting life. Amen ]

How long , O Lord.[Habukkuk 2v4]

I am glad I am not the only one who becomes impatient with God, the prophet Habakkuk was impatient , he kept praying for things to change, and yet nothing appeared to be happening.I am sure that there are many dear Christians who are like Habakkuk, praying for children who have gone astray, praying for a change in circumstances,praying.The good news was God was going to answer Habakkuks prayer, but here is the twist in it,not in the way he imagined,and the answer would come in Gods time. Let us not limit God, He will answer , our prayers not always in the way we think, but He will answer, and in His time, His timing is perfect.In chapter 2v4 we have one of the most important verses in the Bible, it tells us that the just shall live by faith, in our impatience,in our lack of understanding what God is doing let us hold on in faith.[ Dear God help us to live by faith, to trust in You, and Your will , for our lives, in Jesus name Amen ]

Darkness.[ John 8 v12

In Genesis 1v2, we read,/The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water/ ,darkness still appears to cover the earth. In 1 John 5 v19 we read,/the world around us is under the control of the evil one/,John is not exaggerating ,the fact of the matter if one does not know Christ ,then one is in darkness. My study Bible declares , there is no middle ground, it is as simple as that, it is black and white,light and darkness. As I consider these things I sometimes despair, as I think of so many dear people who are in darkness,so many going into eternal darkness, all because they are in darkness, a darkness they love, [John 3 v19].Yet God is merciful, let us not give up in despair, let us pray and shine, and who knows God may have mercy and save those who are in danger of perishing. [Jonah 3][ Dear God we see the darkness that so many are in, we pray that You would move in mercy, and save in Jesus name Amen ]

Falling [Psalm 121]

I dont mind the snow. it is when it turns to ice, thats when I dont like it, it becomes a bit of a nightmare to drive on , and to walk on. As I have gingerly walked on the icy footpath , I am praying, [well I suppose it is a good thing if it causes us to pray], that I will not fall. I think life is like walking on ice ,it is so easy to fall, I am so conscious of the dangers to my soul,[Do once in your life read Pilgrims Progress it is still very applicable to our spiritual life in the 21st century] yes we are vunerable, but we are not on our own, there is one with us who is able to keep us from falling.[Jude v24], Paslm 121, reminds us afresh that we need to keep our eyes fixed on our God,and v3, reads,/He will not let you stumble. So let us step into each day with confidence in our God and Saviour, the one who will keep us from falling.[ Dear Savior keep us form falling Amen ]

Let it be. [Psalm 9 ]

The words of a Beatle song comes to mind,/ Let it be/, it raises the question ,when do you interfere and when do you let it be. There is a time to say ,and do something, but often more often than we realize there is a time ,to let be, and pray, and trust in God, to work things out.Take the account of David and Saul, Saul treated David very badly ,sought to kill him time after time, David was hunted like a criminal. In the midst of all this trouble David had two opportunities to kill Saul but he didnt,[ 1Samuel24/26], he let it be, and trusted God to deal with the situation, and He did.It is so easy to act, and it may be that we have just cause to act ,to speak that word, or to strike out on our own,but it may not be what God wants us to do. Let us remember that God sees all things, He is just, and if we act in keeping with His will, He will honour that.[ Dear God and Father ,help us to do the right thing, to know when to act and to know when to let it be, in Jesus name Amen ]

Dangers [ Psalm 121 ]

Our road is very dangerous ,it is a side road,the snow has turned to ice, better to skate on ,than to drive on. There are many dangers in life, the obvious ones, the hidden ones,so we must be careful, the dangers ,the Christian faces, are the world, the flesh, and the devil.The world has its standards ,they are opposed to Gods standard, the flesh ,just read how the godly king David fell[2 Samuel 11], the devil, he wants you to fall. These are the dangerous , they are real, so we must take then seriously, and we must overcome them prayerfully, let him who thinks he stands , take heed lest he falls[1 Corinthians 10v12]. We are not to live in fear of the dangers but we must live with an awareness of our weakness,and the importance of relying upon our God. [Dear God we ask that You would preserve and protect us from the dangers that are ever present, in Jesus name Amen]

It will happen. [ 2 Peter 3 ]

As I looked at the nativity scene in my home, I thought of the of that first promise of a Saviour in Genesis3v15, and its fulfillment, it was along a time coming, a long time . I was talking to someone recently who is not a believer and he was saying that the apostle Paul appeared to believe that Jesus would come back soon, and it had not happened.Let me say, that the apostle Paul believed and taught ,that the Lord could come back anytime,all believers believe this, but when we do not know.[Matthew 24v36ff]. We are in the waiting game, and only God has the final throw of the dice, so until that moment let us keep holding unto the promise of His coming, and live in the light of it, it will happen.[ Dear God we thank You that Jesus came the first time, that the promise of His coming was fulfilled, help us to keep hold of the promise of His second coming, that it will happen, and help us to live in the light of it, in Jesus name Amen ]

Gone [ Psalm 103v 12 ]

I found myself singing an old chorus which goes,/ Gone, gone,gone, gone ,yes my sins are gone, now my soul is free and in my heart a song. Buried in the deepest sea , yes thats good enough for me, I shall live eternally , Praise God, my sins our gone/. I was talking to a person recently who was troubled by their past,things they had done,we all have a past , there are things I have done of which I am ashamed . I cannot change the past, I wish I could, but I dont have to live with it, because I met Jesus, who forgive me all, my sins, everyone of them, and they really are gone. I love that verse in Isaiah 1v18, / Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord, though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow,though they be red like crimson,they shall be as wool./[ Dear God we thank You for the miracle of forgivness through Your Son Jesus Amen ]

The Future [ 2 Peter 3 ]

The future is orange, so the advert reads, as to life on planet earth the future is uncertain the nations representives are meeting to try to work out an agreement ,to try and save the future of this little speck of a planet. As a Christian I believe that we should all do our beat to preserve life, and yet as a Christian I see beyond this present world to a time when all things will be made new, a new exsistence,were there will be no pollution,no plundering, no poor, no politics, no people who will cause havoc, when heaven and earth will be one. Our present situation on earth could and may turn into a nightmare, but I have a dream of something more wonderful, an eternal dream , I am looking forward to the new heavens and earth Christ has promised, a world filled with Gods righteousness.[ 2 Peter 3 v13][ Dear God help us to do all we can to make this world a better place, enviromentally, morally, and spiritually, but help us to keep our eyes on a greater glory. in Jesus name Amen ]

Thirsty. [John 4v 1-26]

As I read something the morning,it touched my heart, and I felt tears coming,for it was about people in great need, not material need, spiritual need, people who were drinking at the wrong well, drinking the wrong sort of water.The fact of the matter is ,people can have good health,can be wealthy, can have fame, and still have a hole that cant be filled, the present example is Tiger Wood, the world is full of people like him. The only one who can trully meet the need of the human heart is Jesus, He said,that those who drink of the water that He would give would never thirst again. [John 4v13]. Are you thirsty? come to Jesus, accept Him as your Saviour and He will meet the deepest need of your heart. [ Dear Saviour we thnk You ,that You can meet the need of the human heart Amen ]

Salt. [Matthew 5 v13]

In John Blanchards excellent book,/ Does God believe in Atheists?,he writes that Voltaire said,/ I want my lawyer, tailor, valets, even my wife to believe in God. I think if they do, I shall be robbed less and cheated less/. A belief in God should make a difference in peoples lives, that is a general statement, I want to narrow it down to a belief in Christ. If we are Christians then it should follow that people are able to trust us with their money, their children,their wives, our Lord expects nothing less. Our Saviour said that we are the salt[Matthew 5v13], that is the challenge we are faced with everyday, if we loose that , if we fail to be the salt then we are of little value to God.[ Dear God help us to be the salt of the earth today, to make a difference for good, to be trustworthy, loving ,and faithful in Jesus name.]

Scarred[ Isaiah 53 ]

Scars of honour and scars of shame, on my left leg I have a scar, it was caused by a firework, I have carried that scar for all of my life , it is a reminder of a painful experience. I was listening to the wireless[ that word shows my age], and I heard the reader speak of having no childhood scars, he is very fortunate, for many ,many, people have scars from their childhood, they are not physical, but they are real and lasting, and cannot be removed by plastic surgery.they are scars of shame.Many in Ireland have them ,it was with great sadness ,that I read the news of the terrible, horrendous, awful abuses by priests,on children. Today let us pray for those dear people in Ireland who have suffered abuse, and indeed for all such people, people who been scarred by others.[ Dear God we bring to You all those who have been scarred by others, that You would grant healing, in Jesus name Amen]

Hell. [Acts 16 v31]

I am reading a book by James Joyce,/ A portrait of the artist as a young man/, I personally find it a bit hard to read, although it is very well written. The setting of the book is Ireland, and the life of a young J Joyce, there is one part of the book , where a priest is speaking on Hell, it is not pleasant reading, in fact to me it was a very painful thing to read. The priest covers the subject of Hell in a very full measure, I believe in Hell, although I dont speak on it much. I remember years ago a fellow Christian told how he had a dream, he was in a plane and he was heading into flames, and he heard a voice saying that is where you are going ,if you do not accept Christ, he did accept Christ.Hell is not something the preacher makes up , it is taught clearly in Gods word, there is a heaven and there is a hell,Jesus came to save us from Hell , and to take us to Heaven.[ Dear God help us to believe Your word as regards Hell, and help us to believe in Your Son Jesus to save us from it . Amen ]

Locked out.[ Revelation 3 v20]

One of my favourite movies is the Quite Man a film about Ireland, there is that place in the movie when the couple get married, and on the wedding night she locks him out of the bedroom. Imagine what that is like, married but locked out of the bedroom, as Christians we are married to Christ,and yet we often keep Him locked out of our relationship, and it sometimes seems that we are Christians in name only. What do these words mean to you and me in Revelation3v 20,/Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come to him and dine with him, and he with Me./ Is it not time many of us open the door of our hearts and let Jesus in, that we may know Him in that closer relationship which we all need, and He desires, instead of keeping Him locked out of our lives.[ Dear Lord Jesus help us all to open the door of our hearts to You, help us to see that what we need more anything else is a close personal relationship with You. Amen ]

He has the end in view.[ Jude v 24]

I have just started reading the book of Revelation, the letter to the seven churches, I wonder what they made of it? there is much in this book that is difficult to grasp. Yet it is a wonderful book that in the end brings us to the end of time, and the ultimate triumph of Christ and His church . We see a picture [chapter 2-3 ], of the churches in various condition,the good the bad and the ugly. We read of those who have suffered martyrdom [6v9], we read of many different things happening on the earth, terrible things, but above all else we see a sovereign Lord [ 19v6. av]. The book of revelation is a bit like the life of every believer, there are those things in all our lives we dont understand, our condition, variable,there are the different trials we experence. Yet in it all the Sovereign Lord reings over His peoples lives, and we are told that,/He is able to keep us from falling away, and will one day bring us into His very presence without a single fault [Judev24] [ Dear Lord we dont know how You will fufill Your purposes in our lives, but we are confident You will. Amen]

Always? [ Isaiah 53v3] ]

Always look on the bright side of , so goes the words of a song,can we , should we always look on the bright side of life?. What do those words conjure up to you? in your situation and circumstances,do they mock you?, do you feel condemned?,is there a bright side to everything?. There are so many things out there that are anything but bright, they are awful, watch or read the news, when our Saviour stood outside the tomb of a friend, He wept, burst out into tears, why? because He more than anybody else appreciated the ravageous of sin, the condition of mankind, and it broke His heart. The Puritians had a reputation for being very serious, they were people of the word, and they realized the consequences of sin. Today as we view life let us see things as God sees, and let us pray continually, for a greater understanding of life and its painful inhabitants.[ Father help us not to look at life in a blinkered way, or a trivial way, fill us with Your truth and Spirit,so that we are helped and that we can help others, in Jesus name Amen ]

Faith is the key. [ 1 Corinthians 1 v18-31 ]

I have read the whole of the Bible many times, and yet suddenly we see something that we have not noticed before. In Jude v5,the following,/Christ first rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt/, in the margin I am informed that one manuscript reads,/ God Christ/. Let us remember that the Christ we worship is God, is trully God and trully man, at no time was He not God, and as the God man , He died on the cross, for our sins, I cant explain this but by faith I accept it.When it comes to the word of God there will always be things we cannot explain, things that go beyond our human understanding,spiritual truth must be embraced not by our human intellect , but simply by faith. [ Dear God we ask for the humility and grace , help us live by faith, to embrace your truth by faith, in Jesus name Amen]

I was rude [ 1 Corinthians 13]

You were rude, my wife happen to hear me talking to a telesales person, I must confess I was not aware that I had been, and I could not even apologise. There is never an excuse for rudeness, I know that the telesales people are an nuisance, they usually phone when you are sitting down to have your evening meal, but again let me say there is no excuse for rudeness, they may be rude, but we should not be. We are challenged to love, yes even telesales people, who lets face it, are only trying to earn a living, doing a job I would not want to do. Love is patient and kind, Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and keeps no record of being wronged.It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through ever circumstance.[ 1 Corinthians13 v4-7] [Dear Loving Heavenly Father, we acknowledge that we are not always loving, we dont always reflect You, when we deal with people, forgive us , and help us, in Jesus name Amen ]

The challenge[ Matthew 5 v38-48 ]

I wonder if my team did not win the league would I rejoice with the team that did?, The word of God tell us to rejoice with those who rejoice, or to be happy with those who are happy [Romans 12 v15 ]. How positive are we at others success? especially if we are honest, we are not particularly fond of that person.The challenge of being a Christian involves us moving out of our natural feelings ,and into the realm of the Spirit, and as we do we are following in the way of the cross. This needs to be broadened out in relation to all of life, to bless those who are not nice ,to love the unlovely, again let me say we cannot do this in ourselves, we must be so filled with the Spirit, so that we are changed from what we once where, to what we should be, like Jesus, who continually blesses the most undeserving.[ Dear Lord help us to be more like You in relation to those people we naturally dont like, fill us with Your Spirit , so that we will rise above our natural selves, Amen]

There is a cost[ Galations5v13 ]

There is a cost when we help people, my wife and I are employed to work with needy people, people who are suffering in different ways. We both love our work but there is a cost my dear wife finds it hard to let go of work when she comes home, she carries her work home in her mind. Yes there is a cost to helping people, doctors, nurses, social workers,police, ambulance drivers, firemen,foster parents, they often pay a price that many dont see, emotionally, yes and physically. So today let us remember all those who are involved in such work , pray for them.[ Dear God we thank You for all the care that You shower upon us, day by day You care and watch over us, as we follow in Your footsteps give us the grace we need to cope, in Jesus name Amen ]

Dont despair. [ Roman 8v31-39 ]

The Christian life is very challenging , it is ongoing and sometimes we struggle if we are honest, it was in this frame of mind, that I started to read the word of God, and I read these wonderful words in 1John4v4,/ He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world/.When waves of tiredness sweep over you, when you are faced with problems, when the enemy is at the gate, when you think there is no hope, take those word from John, use them as shield, as an encouragement . We are not in this on our own, there is one who is with us, to strengthen, protect,provide,to help us, dont believe the enemy, believe God and His word.[ Dear God we give You thanks that we are not on our own, that You are with us, and if You are with us, who can be against us, in Jesus name. Amen.]

What we shall be. [ 1 John 3v1-3]

The people we put up as our heroes often become our Gods, but we soon discover that they are flawed. I read this morning that the church of Tiger Woods has been disbanded,how serious it was a church I am not sure,it seems Mr Perfect is not so perfect,so his worshippers have forsaken him. I pointed out a while back what Oswald Chambers said, that we should always when looking at people take into account sin, and it is so true, all our heroes are flawed, they are inspite of their gifts, sinners, as we all are. As we all are,yes, I am flawed,but one day, all that will change, in 1 John 3v2,we read,/Beloved, now we are the children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him/. What a glorious hope for every dear child of God, we shall be like Jesus, think on those words today.[ Dear God often we are so conscience of our faults ,and failings, help us not to despair and help us to press on to what we shall be when our Saviour returns, Amen ]

What manner of love [1 John 3v1-3]

In his letter the apostle John writes,/ Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God[1 John 3 v1. nkjv]. John Stott says,/It is as if the Fathers love is so unearthly, so foreign to this world, that he wonders from what country it may come. The word always implies astonishment[Plummer]/.There are many things that can fill us with wonder and astonishment, to look on our children when they are born,to see their perfect little fingers and toes , the wonder of a starry sky, the wonder of technology, but the wonder of wonders is as John put it, the Fathers love, bestowed upon us sinners, not only forgiving us but also making us His children, it trully is astonishing.[ Dear Father we thank You for such love shown to sinners such as us, in making us Your children, through Your dear son Jesus, Amen]

It is good to listen.[Hebrews 3 v 7-8]

It is good to talk, but sometimes one finds it hard to know what to say, someone said God has given us two ears and one mouth in order that we listen more than we speak. I am sure God wants us to listen to Him more than we do, if we are talking all the time we will not hear Him, and if we dont hear Him, we are missing out spiritually.In the Revelation 2-3, we have these words spoken a number of times,/ Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what He is saying/. Mybe our prayer should be,Lord help me to listen, I am convinced many of us are not listening, oh yes we meet with Gods people, [although less than we used to], that is the easy part, but the hard part is for us on our own, to listen, to what God is saying to us. God is speaking in so many ways, through circumstances, by what others say to us, through His word, the question is are we listening?. [ Dear God we are sorry that so often we are not listening to what You are saying, so today we ask that You would help us to listen, in Jesus name, Amen ]

He will help [Hebrews 13v6]

Another sermon to prepare,what am I going to speak on?,it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming, life is like that, each new day brings demands .The to do list gets bigger and bigger , we got a new recordable box for the TV , the initial feeling was how am I going to work this, modern technology is great but sometimes it is bit overwhelming, life can be like that in so many areas, and in so many ways. Here is a word from God to us all,/Dont be afraid, for I am with you,Dont be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with my victorious right hand.[ Isaiah 41 v 10] In the midst of life with all its demands, God will help us, He will give us all the help we need, just take time today to seek His help, He will be true to His word. [ Dear God thank you for all Your past help, we ask for present help , in all the challenges of this a new day, in Jesus name , Amen ]

Honesty and Juctice.[Hebrews 13v 18/Psalm 103 ]

I read how Tescos the supermarket have paid out a million pounds by mistake, they have recovered some of the money , and are seeking to recover the rest. There will be many who will have no sympathy with Tescos ,and will be even glad, because they see so much that concerns them about supermarket practices. There are people who avoid shopping at supermarkets believing that they should shop locally, I can appreciate some of their concerns, although personally I shop at supermarkets, like the vast majority of people.There appears to be two things in all this, first honesty, the people to whom Tescos paid the money ,should pay the money back. Honesty is important be it with a million pound or one pound. Secondly ,Tescos do need to consider their practices , are they acting in ways that are just?, do they pay thier suppliers enough?, justice is important, a society that fails to be just is failing.[ Dear God help us to be honest in all things, and help us to be just in all our dealing with others in Jesus name. Amen ]

Powerless [James 5v 17-18]

Recently a friend said in a prayer meeting, as we considered prayer requests, that she felt powerless. I can understand those words, and feeling like this, but we were at a prayer meeting,of course we are powerless, in ourselves, but let us remember, prayer changes things.I am so encouraged by what I read in the epistle of James[5v17-18], about the prophet Elijah, that he was a man just like us, in other words a person who was far from perfect, was not always strong, but when he prayed God answered. Today when we think of certain situations that are hopeless, let us remember Elijah, and let us consider what happened when he prayed, things did happened, things did change, we can be as effective as Elijah when we pray.[ Dear Lord Jesus we acknowledge our weakness, but we rejoice in your graciousness, in answering our prayers. Amen ]

Miracles [ Revelation 5 ]

Miracles do happen in fact, recently my driving has reminded that its a miracle I have not been killed, my wife would agree with that. I remember her saying to me after we had a near miss, about making a will, my driving is a great spur to pray, people become very holy and prayerful in my car. It is Frank Sinatra who sung a song with the words,/ The age of miracles has not past/, and thats true, I was thinking this morning how God has kept me all these years, I remember all those years ago, as a young man coming back to the Lord,over 45yrs ago,it trully is a miracle, that He saved me , restored me, and has kept me,yes I believe in miracles, the age of miracles is not pass.[ Almighty God we praise You for the miracle of salvation, that we have been saved, that we are being saved, and we will be saved, though Your wonderful Son Jesus , Amen]

The worst decision in my life.[1 Samuel 16v7]

On the news I read about a footballer who is having tatoos removed, because of his religion, he says having tatoos was the worst decision in his life. Having a tatoo is not the worse decision anyone will ever make, I can think of a lot worse things, I not advocating having tatoos. The Bible tells us that our bodies are temples of the Holy Ghost[1 Corinthians 6v19],I dont necessary think having a tatoo is wrong, what is wrong as 1 Corinthians 6, points out ,is to let our bodies be involved in any wrong sexual behaviour, or any wrong activity. I can assure you there are worse things than having a tatoo. [Dear God so often we loose sight of what is really important in your sight, like holiness, love, justice, help us to follow after these things. Amen ]

Healing ministers.[ Galations6 v1-3 ]

I am not moaning I am hurting, there is a difference ,and often we do not see the difference, but it is there, when a person attempts suicide it is usually a cry for help.Today let us listen to what people are really saying, for behind the outward show there is often pain, and unresolved hurts, behind the difficut behaviour there is a heart craving for love. People are loaded with many things, overwork,being pulled in two directions, and often, somethings got to give, often it is that person, they go under.So today walk prayerfully as you hear people moaning, remember they may be hurting, you may be able to help, in a practical way, or just by offering up a prayer to the one who trully understands , and can bring healing.[ Dear God in this world affected by sin, a world were many are hurting, and in pain, help us ,use us, to be Your healing ministers, in Jesus name Amen]

From nothing to something.[ 1 Peter 2v9-10]

In 1Peter2v9-10 we are told a number of things, that as Christians, we are part of a chosen race, that we are special, that we are priests , that we are holy. We are wonderfully blest, there was a time that it was not so, we were without God and without hope, but God in His great mercy, has changed all that.Dear fellow Christians let us rejoice in the Lord, let us give thanks unto to Him, for the great things He has done for us through His Son Jesus. As the message puts it ,/ From nothing to something, from rejected to accepted/, and with these blessings comes the challenge, to show forth to others and to tell others of what God has done for us through Jesus.[ Merciful God we give You thanks for reaching down to us and lifting us up ,out our darkness and bondage, out our nothingness, and saving us through Your Son Jesus . Amen]

Weary [ Matthew 11v 28]

Sometimes things wear you down,a complaint that will not go away, a situation that refuses to change, you pray and pray and you become weary . I know a dear brother who confided in me many years ago, of a real problem in his marriage, years later I heard how he walked out of his marriage. That was his way of dealing with his problem, it could be ours, we have a choice,we always have a choice. The words of a gospel song comes to mind,/ are you growing weary in the struggle of it all?, reach out to Jesus as on His name you call/. Often we dont have the answer to everybodys on going problems, other than to encourage them to reach out to Jesus, for He understands all about our struggles, and out of His understanding can grant unto us the help we need.[Dear God in all our need we come to You and ask that You would help us in the ongoing struggles we face day by day, in Jesus name .Amen ]

He will come. [2Peter 3 ]

In coming to the end of his epistle James emphasizes two things,patience and prayer[5v7-18]. He stresses patience in relation to two things, the coming of the Lord,and suffering. As we think of the Lords coming again, from our point of view it seems like He is never coming back, that He is a long time coming, and we feel like crying out how much longer must we wait.H L Turner wrote,/O Lord Jesus , how long? How long ere we shout the glad song? Christ returneth/. Do you ever feel like that?, well sometimes I do, I am like a little child who wants it to happen now. In the end I must listen to what James said, I must be patient, I know He will come and what a joy that will be, when I will look upon His face for the very first time, and will enter into His presence for eternity.[ Dear Saviour sometimes we grow impatient for your return, grant us patience until that day comes. Amen]

Do it. [James 1 v22-25]

I am reading the book of James at this time ,it is a very precious book, and very instructive, it touches on the importance of works in our Christian lives, of godly wisdom, of enduring under trials, of loving others. It is a very practical book, do spend time reading it,and praying over it, and above all else living it ,the word of God be it the book of James ,or whatever book in the Bible is meant to be obeyed. The bible is not meant to be worshipped,or just listened to,we are to be doers of the word,it was Mary who said,as regards our Saviour,/Do whatever He tells you/[John 2v5]. As you meet with other Christians to hear the word of God, put aside your criticism of the preacher, or the translation he is using, and listen to what God is saying, and obey it.[ Dear God thank You for Your Word, helps us all , to obey it, in Jesus name Amen ]

All this and heaven to.[Psalm 107]

The old hymn goes ,/ count your many blessings name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done/. As I survey my life ,I am so conscious , of how God has blessed me, how He has provided for me, and continues to provide,yes His provision does not cease. I have so much in my life to praise God for, materially, I have a nice home, a job which I love, five lovley sons, a lovely car,I have just returned from a nice holiday, and so I could go on. I trully can say goodness and mercy has followed me all the days of my life. Oh yes there has been pain and disappointments ,things are not perfect, but I have a wonderful promise which assures me that all things are working together for my good.[Romans 8 v28]. On top of all these blessings I have the assurance that I am going to heaven, that I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.[ Dear Loving Father so often we are full of complaints, but today we want to thank You for every blessing, in name of Jesus, Amen ]

Hell. [ Revelation 20 v11-15 ]

Then you will feel better about what I have done in Jerusalem......you will understand that these things , so reads the word of God to Ezekiel [14v22-23]. Judgement was about to fall on Jerusalem, the prophet was possible struggling to come to terms with it, so God speaks those words. Likewise the doctrine of Hell is not easy to come to terms with, the fact that God is a judge, for some it is hard to come to terms with, it all appears to severe ,to some even cruel, so we end up ignoring this truth, or rejecting it.But just as the Lord said to the prophet Ezekiel, we will understand, yes even Hell and its awfulness, is just, and that all men are deserving of it. [Dear God help us to accept all Your truth, even the doctrine of Hell, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Choose Wisely. [James 1 v12-18]

The wonderful thing about knowing Christ is freedom,before we become Christians we were not free, [ John 8v34]the hymn writer declares ,my chains fell off, I rose and followed Thee. The question is when we become Christians , what do we do with our freedom?,can I go to certain places, can I do certain things?. Of course there are obvious things we shouldnt do, steal ,commit adultery, lie,these and other things we should not do.In 1Corinthians6v12, we read,/not everything is good for you. And even though, I am allowed to do everything, I must not become a slave to anything/.There will be things that appear right, but they may not be right for us, they could become a snare to us, and harm us spiritually.Remember Christ wants us to remain free, not to become involved in things that makes us slaves again. [ Dear Lord we thank You for setting us free, help is to stay free,help us not to be lured into anything that could harm us spiritually, help us to make the right choices. Amen ]

They are watching [ Acts 1 v8]

In the book of Ezekiel chapter 12v6, God says to the prophet,/ I have made you a sign for the people/, it has been said that no one lives unto themselves, no man is an Island. Today people are watching ,they will be making judgments on what they see, if we are Christians, we must take this serious. We are to be signs to people about spiritual realities, about Christ,for they are watching, observing what we do , and what we say. Our children are watching, our neighbours are watching, our work colleagues are watching, the person on the supermarket till is watching, the question is what will they observe?. God is saying to all of us who know the Lord as Saviour, I have made you a sign.[ Dear Lord grant us the grace to be a sign for good,a sign that points all whom we come into contact with, to You. Amen ]

When we sin [ Ephesians 4v30 ]

I like to think that I would not hurt anybody, but sometimes I do, and of course people can hurt me, sometimes I think the world is full of hurting people. Country and western songs often reflect hurting people,likewise the song ,/The streets of London,/ or the Beatles singing,about all the lonely people. If we read the daily newspaper, or listen to the news, or observe people, hurting is the name of the game although it is no game, its real and for so many very painful. I was reading the book of Ezekiel and I read something that caused me to pause and think, it is God speaking about how He feels , yes God has feelings, and in chapter 6 v9, God is speaking about His people, He declares,/How hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes/. Let us remember these words today, when we are tempted to sin, in word, thought, or deed, if we yield ,we will be hurting God, and I am sure thats the last thing in the world we would want to do.[ Dear God forgive us for all the times we hurt You, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Darkness and Light.[ John 8 v12]

While on holiday in Ibiza, staying on the farm, I went out at night and looked up at the stars, unlike where I live in England , I could see so many more, because I was in a place were the darkness did not have to compete with the light ,one has living in a populated area. In the Bible we read ,/ The light shines in the darkness , and the darkness can never extinguish it/[ John 1 v5],where there is light , the darkness has to flee. When we accept Jesus as our Saviour, we are accepting one who said,/ I am the light of the world, if you follow Me, you wont walk in darkness,because you will have the light that leads to life/.[John 8 v12] Today we can choose to either walk in darkness or in the light,if we are not a Christian we are in the darkness,which is manifest ,by our deeds,our beliefs, our desires[John 3 v19]. If we are Christians we should manifest light in our lives, by our deeds, our beliefs, and our desires, it is an evidence that we have accepted Him who is the light of the world.[Dear God we thank You for sending Jesus into the world to lighten our darkness. Amen ]

Thorns [ Isaiah 53 ]

While on holiday on Ibiza I stayed on a farm, there was a lemon tree, so I thought I would pluck a lemon of it, it was then I discovered to my cost that lemon trees have thorns. I wonder why a lemon tree has thorns,and why do roses have thorns?, I may never know. The thorns reminded me that when He who is king of kings ,was on earth, He was crowned with a crown of thorns.We placed Him on a cross not a throne we heaped ridicule on Him not praise, we despised Him, we did not see any beauty in Him. The question is this,way did He allow this to happen?, for He was innocent, He never hurt anyone,why oh why did He suffer?. An old Gospel song asks the same question,/ Why did they hang on Calvarys tree, why tell me why was He there. Jesus the helper healer and friend. Why, tell me why was He there?/. It is in the book of Isaiah we are given the answer,/It was our weaknesses He carried. It was our sorrows , that weighed Him down....He was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was whipped so we could be healed./[ Isaiah 53 v4-5] [ Dear Lord Jesus thank You for suffering for me , for dying on a cross in order that I may be saved. Amen ]

Jesus [2 Peter 3v 1-13 ]

Edward Caswell wrote,/Jesu ,the very thought of Thee, with sweetness fills the breast/,for the Christian ,Christ holds no terrors, for they have embraced Him as their Saviour. But there is coming a day when all the people who have ever lived will stand before Him, on that day many will experience the wrath of the Lamb [Revelation6 v16], the Lamb being Jesus. At that time there will be no more time to know Him as Saviour but only as judge,on that day there will only be regrets, on that day it will be to late , only Hell awaits. If you are not a Christian accept Christ the Lamb of God as your Saviour right now, before it is to late, remember He loves you so much that He went to Calvary,it is not Gods delight or desire that any should be lost[2Peter 3v9][ Dear God of love we thank You that You sent Jesus in order that we may be saved from Hell, You did this because You loved us so much. Amen ][ I am going on holiday today , I will retun to blog on Sunday ]

Keep right unto the end[ Philippians 3 v12-14]

There is an old song which goes ,/Keep right on to the end of the road/, it is easy to fall at the last hurdle, to trip up a short distance from the finish line, to give up when our goal is in sight. I follow a great football team,and one thing they are noted for, is not giving up, so often in the last moments of the game they have scored the winning goal,they dont give up. The book of Hebrews was written to people who where in danger of giving up, they were finding things hard, they had taken their eyes of Christ and glory.The writer challenges them, and warns them of the consequences of giving up, [chap2v1-3], and seeks to encourage them to hold on and to press on [chap 12].Today let us by Gods grace ,keep right on to the end,let us determine to press on regardless of pain, or loss,or whatever, to press on to the end of the race and recieve the heavenly prize for which God , through Christ Jesus is calling us.[ Philippians 3v14].[Dear Lord Jesus give us the grace to to press on to the end , help us not to give up. Amen ]

Remembering.[ Romans 5v6-10]

This is rememberance Sunday, a day in which we remember those who died in battle ,there will be many sad hearts today, as they remember their loved ones ,and friends, who died. We owe so much to those who give their lives in defence of our country, we can only imagine the awful fate that would have been, if Hitler had won the second world war. We remember also that God in His great mercy in His sovereign power caused the enemies defeat,and our deliverance, in Psalm 127v1, we read,/Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is wasted, unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good/.Many today will only be remembering the fallen dead, and will have little or no thought for Gods mercy , we live in a world that so easily forgets, the mercies of God, so many have forgotten and forsaken God. God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish but have everlasting life.[ Dear God we thank You for those who died for freedom, comfort those who mourn, and help us to remember and to respond to Your great love to us in giving Jesus, in order that we may, know forgiveness, freedom and eternal life. Amen]

Mercy [ Ephesians 2 v1-10]

Mercy is the act of God ,peace is the resulting experience in the heart of man, so reads Vine in his expository dictionary. We can never deserve mercy, we can only recieve it out of need, no one deserves it, and if we dont recieve it, we are lost. If we are to have an experience with God it is totally on the bases of the mercy of God,that means we have to ask Him for mercy. The cross is where it all must begin.The death of Jesus tells us ,that we are sinners, that is why Jesus had to die,all mankind is lost , sinful, Gods answer, the death of His Son, as a sacrifice for sin. The mercy of God is granted to us when we acknowledge our sinfulness, ask forgiveness, ask Christ to save us, God then shows us mercy, forgives our sins, grants us eternal life.W. P.. Newell wrote, /Years I spent in vanity in pride.Caring not my Lord was crucified. Knowing not it was for me He died on Calvary. By Gods Word at last my sin I learned. Then I trembled at the law Id spurned.Till my guilty soul, imploring turned to Calvary. Mercy there was great and grace was free. Pardon there was multiplied to me. There my burdened soul found liberty, At Calvary.[ Dear God we thank You that You are a merciful God, we ask that you would grant us the mercy that we need right now, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Do it to the Glory of God.[John 17v4]

Life for most of us is unexciting ,I suppose that is why we read,go to the cinema,watch sport,and so on,that does not mean that life is not demanding.We read of a young man in Luke 15, a young man who wanted to break free from the ordinary, from the mundane,many people are like that young man,so they go into drugs, sex,crime,and find themselves in a lot of trouble. In the sixties so called free love came in, people felt they could throw of the restrain of former generation, but there was a price to pay, they experimented with drugs, and like that young man in Luke 15, they found as the Rolling Stones, sung, they couldnt get satisfaction. People seek for meaning in the meaningless,I remember a young man berating me, he had giving up living conventional life,he had thrown off the ordinary for what he felt was better. Recently a young girl spoke to me of her desire to serve the Lord, of just one suitcase,nothing else,she spoke of being liberated. For most of us we cant do that, we may be called to do that, but in reality most of us are called to serve in the ordinary, in the unexciting, to shoulder the responsibilities of working, doing the unexciting, I end by saying this, because life is unexciting, and ordinary, does not make it meaningless.[ Father help us to glorify You in that place You have placed us , and in that task that You have given us to do , in Jesus name Amen ]

Stop me. [Psalm 23 ]

I found myself praying ,stop me becoming anxious, about a certain think, it was said of the great Charles H Spurgeon that he became anxious as regards the traffic. Imagine that great preacher , who stood before thousands and preached the word of God, becoming anixous. Let us be honest with ourselves he was not so different to you and I ,anxiety can hit any of us.Whoever we are,we can become anxious about our family,our future ,our finance,our friends, the list can go on forever. There is a good thing about anxiety, it can cause us to seek the Lord, just like I did, and that can only be good. I remember many years ago as a young boy being frightened ,what did I do ?,I literally ran to my mum as fast as I could, today if we are anxious let us run as fast as we can to our loving Heavenly Father.An old chorus comes to mind,[ I hope I get the words right],/ All your anxieties, all your cares ,bring to the mercy seat , leave them there, never a worry, never a care, never a friend like Jesus/.[ Dear God and Father ,You know all about us, how easily we can become anxious, help us in our weakness, to cast all our cares upon You , in Jesus name. Amen]

He is my Hero. [ Philippians 2 v5-11]

I am sure we all have our heroes,great statesmen, sports people,explorers, and of course there are the unsung heroes,firemen, doctors, nurses mybe your dad is ,or was your hero.But what about the term hero worship, now thats when we lose sight of reality, when we are carried away with our emotions.For many, Stalin and Hitler,became figures of hero worship, I have just finished a book on Napoleon [ By P Dwyer]and of course to many people , he is and was their hero,but in summing up Napoleon, the auther writes ,/ When it was a question of sacrificing lives, in order to promote his own ambition, Bonaparte never hesitated/.He deserted his army in Egypt, and in Russia, self preservation, and self glorification, appears always to have been his motivation. I do have a hero , His name is Jesus, and yes I worship Him, for unlike all those heroes that we have mentioned,He was not flawed, He was the bravest, most loving , selfsacrificing person who ever lived,in order to rescue sinners such as you and I ,He died upon a cross,yes He is my hero, but He is also my Saviour.[ Dear God thank You for Jesus the greatest hero who ever lived,the one who died to save us, Amen ]

Burdened[ Psalm 55v22]

There are many people and they are carrying burdens, behind many a smile there is a heavy heart, our Saviour always went to the heart of the matter. saw the need. One of the most lovely verses in the bible is to be found in Matthew 11v28,/Jesus said,come unto me, all you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest/. Whatever are burden ,we can come to Jesus, and experience rest, be it the burden of sin, illness, sadness, let us bring our burdens to Jesus. The words of an old hymn go like this,/When your enemies assail and your heart begins to fail, Dont forget that God in Heaven answers prayer.He will make a way for you,and will lead you safely thro. Take your burden to the Lord, and leave it there/.[ Dear Lord you know what burdens we are carrying, we bring them to You right now , in thy mercy undertake for us. Amen]

Follow that which is good.[Matthew 5 v13-16]

There is an awful lot of people follow that which is not good, they have a wrong emphasis on ,money,material things, power, idols,immorality, unfaithfulness,crime, sexual perversness, and many other things. In 1 Thessalonians 5 v15[av], we read ,/ever follow that which is good/, ever , in other words dont give up in following that which is good,be in it for the long haul.In Galations 6v9[av] we read,/Let us not be weary in well doing/,we are exhorted to keep at it,evil does not take a holiday, nor must we in relation to following that which is good. Good what?, good works, good doctrine,good words, good thoughts. There is a saying we used to use for those who became Christians, they have become good living, well let us all who profess to be Christians, be good living today, by following that which is good.[ Dear God we thank You for saving us from so much that was bad in our lives, help us to today to follow that which is good , in Jesus name, Amen ]

They blew it. [2 Samuel 11-12]

Moses, David, and Peter, what did have in common?, they all blew it,Moses lost his temper,David lost his holiness,and Peter well mister infalliblity lost it doctrinally. Yet these were great men of God ,men, ah ,thats it , they were men, inperfect men, the greatest of men are but men, capable of sinning, capable of blowing it ,big time.Elijah the great prophet was a man subject to like passions as we are[ James 5v17], again that important point, he was a man. The best of men are but men, they are the same as you and I , they had their faults, and failings. So today let us pray for those great men and women of God, and let us learn the important lesson that we are all vunerable, no matter how long we have been a Christian,no matter how gifted we may be, no matter how God may be using us, we all can blow it. [ Dear God in your great mercy keep us from blowing it in Jesus name Amen ]

Our Calling.[ Mark 9 v35]

Servant to all, this my calling, that means I dont judge people, and I dont discriminate, irrespective of what they have done or who they are. Is this not what Jesus did, and this is what we , who are His followers are called to do. To be a servant is challenging, and costly,but whatever price we have to pay,it is only a feint reflection of the price our Saviours paid in His servanthood. Consider Jesus the servant, He humbled Himself ,humility is a very precious quality,but it is not always rewarded, or appreciated, but if it is real it will speak more than a thousand sermons. We all ,have much to learn about servanthood, [Luke 17v10],only one person served perfectly, Jesus, and today He calls us to follow Him, and if we do , then one fine day we will hear from Him ,well done My good and faithful servant. [Matthew 25 v21].[ Dear Lord Jesus help us to be more like You, to follow in Your footsteps, and to serve others, Amen ]

Remember [Psalm 121]

Let us remember that God has the final say in all things, it is not over until God says so. The children of Israel had there backs against the wall, [Exodus 14]thier enemies where about to destroy them , but it did not happen, God had the final say. So often we see this in the word of God, time after time, God has the final say. Look at the cross it looked like evil had triumphed, but God had the final say, God will always have the final say.Hitler boasted of setting up a thousand year reign, but God had the final say, He will always have the final say.Whatever situation we may be in let us remember God will have the final say, if you are not saved , God will have the final say[ Hebrews 10v27]. If you are saved, God will have the final say in all the affairs of your life, so do not despair,do not despair as regards the world situation, or your own personal situation. [ Dear God it often appears that the powers of darkness seem to be triumphant,in this world, help us to look to You, and to believe that You will have the final say in all things, in Jesus name, Amen ]

An abiding presence[ Hebrews 13v5-6]

In Matthew 28v20 we have these wonderful words spoken by our Saviour,/Lo I am with you always/,how important these words are for all who know Him. There are times we feel isolated, not many friends,in situations that are threatening,there are times we struggle in our commitment, the Christian is not immune from difficulties. Today let us all take those words spoken by our Saviour to heart, I am with you, we are not on our own, no, Jesus is with us, so take heart child of God. Whatever we have to face today we will not face it on our own, He will be with us, He is not just looking on, no He is there to help and comfort, to protect and to guide, to provide and encourage.In the book of Daniel we have the story of three young men[chap 3] ,who took a stand for God , the result was they where thrown into a firey furnace, and as the king looked on, he declared,/ I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God[v25. nkjv] The one who was with those young men in the fire ,is the one who will be with us ,in whatever situation we find ourselves in, even Jesus.[ Dear Lord Jesus thank You for being with us always. Amen ]

The Church. [ John 17v11 ]

I am a member of a small church, in the winter we move into a smaller room at the back of our building, a friend said, oh we are not meeting in the church. Many peoples concept of the church is the building, but of course that is not so ,the church is the people of God, they are the called out ones.When our Saviour said I will build my church [Matthew 16v18 ], it is obvious that He was not talking about a building, but a body of people. If we our Christians then we become part of that church, and we are called to meet with other believers[Hebrews 10v25],now of course the church is a body of imperfect people,and all that this means, but they are the ones we are commanded to love [John 15v12]. We may think we can do without the church ,but we cant, we need each other, and we need to stay connected. There will always be reasons to stay away from the church, always,I write from experience, but the fact of the matter is, I need them , and they need me, because I not connected to a building, but to a body of people, people whom Christ died for,and this same Christ told us to love them, and as my study Bible says,/Love should be the unifying force, and the identifying mark of the Christian community/.[Dear God thank You for your church , help us to love those who are part of that church, to even lay down our lives for them, in sacrificial love , in Jesus name Amen ]

Tell them.[ 1 John 4 v7-8 ]

I read this today,/Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them/, sometimes we dont think that those we love, need to hear this.As I look back on my childhood with my mum,gran, brothers and sisters, I can never remember hearing the words I love you spoken, oh that does,nt mean they didnt, but no one spoke those words. God is love, He shows it continually,if we have eyes to see,we just have to look to the cross to see love in all its fullness.But it is His word spoken that brings meaning to it, John 3v16,I wonder when was the last time you said to God you love Him?, tell Him today, and this will please Him, and tell someone you love them, mybe those simple words will encourage them.[ Our God and Father we love You in Jesus name Amen ]

Decipleship. [ Matthew 28v19-20]

The Christian life is very challenging, our Saviour spoke of making disciples [Matthew 28v19-20], what does that mean?, it means first of all a decision to accept Christ as our Saviour,this is followed by baptisim,and followed by learning to obey Jesus in all things. There where those who said they wanted to follow Jesus ,but when they were faced with what that meant they drew back [ Matthew 8 v18-22], there where those who started to follow Jesus, then give up[ John 6 v66] Before we become a Christian , we do it our way, or somebodies way,but becoming a Christian means we are deciding to go Christs way, we are deciding to become a disciple.[Dear Lord Jesus we ask that You would help us to see what it means to be a Christian, we pray that You would grant us the grace to become Your disciples. Amen ]

Practicing what I preach.[ James 1 v22- 25]

I was thinking that it does not much to unnerve me, often people look at me they see a calm person , and of course most of the time I am, but then, something small happens, and I start to become anxious. Anxiety is something we all have to cope with,what can one do to cope with it?, well one of the the things I do is try to practice what I preach. I remember what I preached to others, and start to apply it into my life ,if it is to do with finance then I remember that I preached on the 23 Psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd,and I shall not want.If my thoughts are becoming negative, and unhelpful then I remember the words of Philippians 4 v8-9, that I am to let my thoughts dwell on what is true and honourable,right, pure, lovely and admirable. Whither one is a preacher or not, it is important to put into practice the word of God, to remind ourselves of what we have heard or read in every situation in life.[ Dear God help us to not just be hearers of Your word but doers ,in Jesus name Amen ]

Rejecting God. [ Revelation 3v7-13 ]

Today marks the end of British summer time, and the clocks go back one hour, it wll become darker earlier. It is a marker, a saying the summer is gone,in Jeremiah 8v20 we read,/The harvest is past ,the summer is ended, and we are not saved/.My study Bible says,/ These words vividly portray Jeremiahs emotion as he watched his people reject God/,what a tragedy, those who should have known better, blindly reject their God, with terrible consequences. Whoever rejects God suffers, thats a fact , be it believer or unbeliever, the safest and securist place in the world is in our relationship, and fellowship ,with our God and Saviour .There are many reasons people reject God, but none are legitimate, let us make no mistake about that. Let us remember it is always better to have Gods presence with us, in our trials, He will stand with us, strengthen us, comfort us, and in a coming day will reward us.[ Dear God help us not to reject Thee in our blindness,help us to persevere,to cling to thee,as You cling to us, in Jesus name Amen ]

Sorry[Matthew 6v14]

I am sorry I could not blog in earlier, I did try ,but I could not get unto my blog, sorry is a word many find hard to say, just think how many relationships would be mended, if people said sorry and meant it. We expect people to say sorry if they have been in the wrong, the challenge for the Christian is to forgive others even when they dont say sorry, and not only forgive them, but to love them. There is no place for pride or unforgiveness in our walk with Christ, for love keeps no record of being wronged[1 Corinthians 13v5]. God loves us ,and will always love us,even when we do Him wrong,yet if we are to know Him as Saviour then the wrongs must be confessed, He cannot and will not ignor our wrong doings. Why? because He is Holy, all He asks is for You to say from the bottom of your heart that you are sorry,To know Christ as our Saviour depends totally on us saying sorry, and the moment we do ,we are forgiven and accepted.[ Dear God help us to forgive others when we are hurt and unjustly treated, we thank You that you forgive ,and forgive ,and forgive, in Jesus name Amen ]

That niggling fear .[ Isaiah 26 v3-4]

Do you like me at times ,have a niggling fear, something that refuses to go away?mybe it is a health problem, a employment problem, that what you fear the most will happen. Well I am sure if we are truthful we are all members of the niggling fear club,so lets think about it. First it may never happen,secondly if it does happen we have one who is with us, who will overrule and help us, Jesus. In Colossians 3v 15-16, we have two very important things stressed,[1] Let the peace of God rule in your hearts. [2]Let the word of God dwell in you richly. These two things stress our responsibility, we have a choice today, whats it going to be?,to let the fear rule ,or to let Gods peace rule, to rest in Gods word or our own imagining?, the choice is ours.[ Dear God, help us to make the right choices today, to let Your peace rule in our hearts, and to let Your word be our stay, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Weakness [ Matthew 16v24-25]

Why does God often do the opposite to what we think?, we pray to be stronger, and we are made weaker,[ Judges 7]we pray for health and we recieve sickness,we pray for greater areas of service and we find ourselves given less. Well there are different reasons, for God acting in ways that are contrary to what we think.[1]God gets the glory through our weakness.[2]We learn valuable lessons, like humility,and a healthy dependance on God.[3] Christlike character is formed in us.[ Dear God we struggle with weakness, we want success, we want the perfect marriage, perfect health,perfect job, perfect children, we want prosperity, and then You point us to the cross, and we hear our Saviour say follow Me. Amen ]

Stubbornness.[ Matthew 23v37]

Are you a stubborn person?children can be very stubborn, you see this often in a supermarket,the mother tries to put the child into the shopping trolley,and its like the child has suddenly developed superhuman strength, and lungs. I am glad I dont have to deal with that anymore, it is called the battle of the wills, who is going to win the parent or the child?. For us to become a Christian ,the will is involved, and without exception we are all stubborn,it is part of our fallen nature, we are not so different to the child and the shopping trolley.If you have been resisting the gospel, I would encourage you , to think about the mother and the child, the child may not realize it, but the mother loves that child. In the trolley the child is out of harms way,a loving parent will always seek whats best for their children, even though they may not realize it. God without exception loves everybody, He is always seeking whats best for us, and whats best, is to be found in trusting His Son Jesus. So today stop struggling, and yield to Christ.[ Dear God of love help us to see that You always want whats best for us, help us to stop being stubborn, and to yield to Your loving will, in Jesus name Amen]

Clean the lenses.[ Romans 8 v28 ]

We wear glasses to help us to see ,but sometimes they appear not to be helping, until we realize that we need to clean the lenses, and then what a difference. There is an old saying about not seeing the forest for the trees, , often in life all I can see is the problem,the difficulty, and I become frustrated, and angry, and it is then I need to clean the lenses, by applying Gods word into that situation, and to look at things spiritually. When I do this, I am reminded that I am not a victim of circumstances,I am a child of God, and my Heavenly Father is watching over me,and yes ,I will say it again for we all need continually to be reminded of this truth ,that God is causing all things to work together for my good and yours, dear child of God,so clean your lenses today, and look at things spiritually.[ Dear God every day can bring new challenges and we confess to You that often we struggle, so today help us not to struggle, but help us to rest in You, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Neglect not such a good idea. [ Luke 18v1 ]

Yesterday I wrote of helping ,when we pray for others, I believe when we pray we are helping ourselves, we recieve benefits, we are strengthened[ Isaiah 40v31], we are heard by God our loving Heavenly Father, [1 Peter 3v12], we recieve grace to help in our times of need,[Hebrews 4v16]. The list can go on and on,as regards the benefits we experience when we pray, and they are vital to us, as vital as eating and drinking. To neglect prayer is to deprive ourselves of so much that God has for us, so much that is good and beneficial to our well being. In James 4 v2 we read,/ you dont have what you want , because you dont ask God for it/, let us take these words to heart, and let us not neglect prayer, let us make all our needs known to God, for our Saviour said ask and you shall recieve[ Matthew 7v 7][ Dear Lord we thank You for prayer, help us today to avail ourselves of the privllege of meeting with You, with the assurance that You hear and will answer . Amen ]

Helping.[ James 5 v 17-18]

A friend of mine used to say, if you cant help ,then dont hinder,in 2 Corinthians1v11, the apostle Paul writes,/ you are helping by praying for us/. I saw a brother during the week, he has been through a lot of difficulties ,divorce,lost his church, possible mental breakdown.In the brief moment I saw him ,all I could say was, I am praying for you,he said he was grateful for that. I take encouragement from what the apostle wrote to those early Christians,you are helping by praying for us,prayer is not just an added extra, it is the vital ingredient in every situation. We are helping others by praying for them, so dont give up praying for others, God is listening, and He will respond .[ Dear God thank You that we can help others by simply praying for them, that our prayers can make a difference, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Naughty but nice. [James 1v 13-15]

When we are tempted it is always with something that appears good and promises to satisfy,when the devil tempted Eve, she looked at the tree and its fruit looked delicious [Genesis3v6]. Sin often comes dressed in clothes of finery, king David looked and saw a women of unusual beauty,[2Samuel 11v2]but she was a married woman, he looked then he took. How appropriate are the words in the Lords prayer,/ Lead us not into temptation[ Matthew 6v13] or dont let us yield to temptation, Temptation can be very strong, we are weak,consider Samson[ Judges 16],he yielded to temptation, and he lost his strength, his eyes,and his freedom, we will always loose out, when we yield to temptation. So today if we are tempted let us ask the Saviour to help us, he is willing to aid us, He will carry us through.[ Dear Lord help us in the hour of temptation,not to yield. Amen ]

Mountains. [ Matthew 17 v20]

Jesus said that is possible to move mountains,simply by faith [Matthew 17v20],so often there are mountains in our lives, what is your mountain today?. Got any river you think are uncrossable, got any mountains , you cant tunnel through. God specializes in things thought impossible, so wrote Oscar Eliason. Well said Jesus there is an answer, faith,sounds simple, well it is,but we find it hard to take Jesus at His word.[Let me say the most important mountain that needs to be removed is sin, people will try all sorts of things to move that mountain, and go to all sorts of strange people and places to remove that mountain, instead of having faith in Jesus.] Dear fellow Christian if you are facing a mountain look afresh to your Saviour,exercise faith in Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think.[Ephesians 3v20] [ Dear Lord Jesus grant us the grace of faith in You to remove those mountains that we are faced with, Amen ]

Be on time. [2 Corinthians 6 v2 ]

I heard a Lou Armstrong song, the last one he recorded, and the words that struck me were,/ we have all the time in the world/. The question is, have we?, when it comes to salvation we are exhorted to grasp the opportunity, to seek the Lord while He can be found to call on Him while He is near, [Isaiah 55v 6]. The old gospel hymn went ,/ be on time ....if in sin you longer wait ,you may find no open gate, and your cries be just to late ,be in time/. We all know what it is to arrive at the train station, only to find the train is gone, if one worked in Belfast shipyard years ago, they were very strict in relation to time keeping, if you arrived late you would be locked out, and you would loose a days pay. When we hear the gospel message, we are not meant to dilly dally along the way, we are meant to respond there and then, if we dont ,we are in danger of being locked out , and it wont be a days pay we will loose, it will be our soul. [ Dear God help us to see the importance of instant obedience in all things ,but especially in relation to the gospel, in Jesus name. Amen]

Anticipation[ Matthew 6 v25-34 ]

I wonder are you like me? in that you sometimes anticipate certain situations, I am sure many in Israel anticipated David being defeated by Goliath [1 Samuel17], and when Daniel was thrown into the den of lions, there were those who anticipated , he would be eaten up[Daniel 6]. Consider also the death of our Saviour, many ,even the disciples,thought that was the end, they anticipated the worse .The fact of the matter is, all these people were wrong, what they anticipated did not happen, why? , God, He had other plans, and what ever He plans and purposes will happen.Today whatever our situation and circumstances are ,let us not anticipate the worse, let us trust our God to overrule for our good as He has promised[ Romans 8v 28 ]. William Cowper wrote,/ Ye fear saints , fresh courage take, the clouds you so much dread, are big with mercy , and shall break in blessings on your head/. [Dear God we commit all our circumstances , and situations into Your hands, help us to not anticipate the worse, but to simply trust in Your overruling providence, in Jesus name. Amen]

Why did I worry?

All went well on my travels , I did not have to use my sat-nav , it happened just as I had requested,it was a travel free journey. After all I had prayed, and God answers prayer,this is what we are supposed to do about those things that give us concerns,pray and trust even though we may still be anxious, and God will answer. Philippians 4v6-7, tells us ,/Do not be anxious about anything, instead , pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience Gods peace, which exceeds anything you can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus/. So why not do this right now,and begin to practice it continually, till it becomes second nature to us, dont let our anxieties drive us from God let them drive us to Him.[ Father we acknowledge that we are weak, often fearful and anxious about different things, so today we bring all our anxieties to You, right now, and trust in Your loving care , a care that will always do whats best for us, in Jesus name .Amen ]

He Knows [ Psalm 23 ]

I will be preaching in a friends church this weekend, it will mean a three hour journey to get there, I am looking forward to it, but, there is that but again, I do get fearful about travelling, of finding my way there. I should not, after all ,in all my travels God has been faithful and guided me ,I have always managed to get to my destination. It was Joyce Meyer who encourages us to, do it afraid,in other words let faith be the the deciding factor, not fear. God is well aware of our fears, that is why we have so many ,fear nots in the Bible.let me encourage you if you are afraid today, to fear not,grab hold of a promise from Gods word , and let faith arise,and do it afraid.Let me leave you with one of my favourite promises from Isaiah 41 v10,/ Fear thou not , for I am with thee,be not dismayed, for I am thy God, I will strengthen thee,yea I will help thee,yea I will uphold thee, with the right hand of my righteousness/.[ Dear God and Father you know how often we are fearful, help us to trust You , and not be afraid, whatever we are facing today ,in Jesus name. Amen ] [As I will be away tomorrow I will not be blogging]

Weakness in prayer. [Romans 8v26-30 ]

In Romans 8 which is one of my favourite chapters in the Bible in v26, we read,/And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we dont know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us,/this is such an interesting verse, it speaks of our weakness, a weakness that effects our prayer life, we dont know what to pray for in given situations. Lets face it ,this is often our experience, we dont know what to pray for the best, as to our future, as to certain circumstances. [ cp Philippians 1v20-23] Today let us acknowledge our weakness to God,and leave the choice to Him,and take comfort in the fact that the Holy Spirit is making intercession on our behalf ,in a perfect way , in keeping with the will of God.[ Dear God in our great weakness we come to You, have mercy upon us,life is full of many things that drive us to You, things we do not understand, and are at a loss to know whats best, we offer all these things up to You through the Divine Spirit,and simply say Thy will be done, in Jesus name . Amen ]

There is victory in Jesus. [ Philippians 3 v 4-20]

The weather is changing,the leaves are changing their colour, and so we move into a new season,in Ecclesiastes 3v1 ,/ for everything there is a season/.There is this an inevitability in this, we cant change the seasons,someone I know mentioned how the cloudy days affect him, we can let so much affect us,we can be ruled by the seasons, or we can be ruled by a faith that looks beyond the changeableness of life, a faith that enables us to rejoice in the Lord. a faith that knows great contentment. Is it possible? I believe it is possible, as the old hymn says there is victory in Jesus, victory over our moods,conditions, heartaches. Whatever season we may be in, let us remember that we have one who is with us,to comfort, to provide ,to overrule, to bless, His name is Jesus. [ Dear Lord , grant us the grace we need, to know victory over ,whatever the changes may be, that You may bring us into ,Amen ]

God is so patient [ Revelation 3 v20 ]

I am a reasonable patient person, but sometimes I get tired of waiting for certain things to change, and hear myself saying Ive had enough,I am fed up with the waiting game. In Matthew 23v 37 our Saviour speaks about Jerusalem, it was a lament,/O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets, and stones Gods messengers, How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath its wings, but you wouldnt let me/. Israels history is such a tortured history, it depicts a great lover, God, showering ,blessing upon blessing ,upon the one He loves ,Israel, only to experience time after time rejection,and unfaithfulness. We can broaden this out to include the world,[John 3v16], and we can narrow it down to ourselves as individuals, the Great lover God,seeks us whom He loves, and what patience He shows, as long as this world will last He will continue to exercise patience, because He loves us, and is not willing that we should not perish.[2 Peter3v9][ Dear God it amazes me how patient You are,help me to to be more like You, we ask this in the name of Jesus .Amen ]

A man of God. [Revelation 14 v 13]

I would encourgage you read the life of William Carey who lived in the 18th- 19th century , he was a wonderful man of God, he came from a very humble background, and was by trade a shoemaker. He was a man of great learning could speak a number of languages, he had to contend with so many difficulties,but he had this tremendous quality, perseverance, he just didnt give up.and when he died in India, the word of God had been translated and printed into forty languages, and six hundred native Indians had trusted Jesus.One of the things he said was,/ Expect great things from God,and attempt great things for God/, and he did just that. [Dear God help us to be like Your servant William Carey, to persevere, help us to see that the God of William Carey is our God, and help us to accomplish something of value for our dear Saviour, in whose name we ask this . Amen ]

Our enemy. [ Genesis 3 ]

Dont let the enemy spoil the blessing, yes we have an enemy, he goes by a number of names,the word of God says that he even disguises himself as an angel of light ,and those who serve him are also disguised as servants of righteousness .[2 Corinthians 11v15-16] It is in 1Peter5v8 ,we read,/Stay alert . Watch out for your enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. This enemy will not only try to spoil what we have, but he will seek even to devour us, he is a powerful foe ,one just has to look at the world to see what havoc he is causing.So today stay alert, resistance is not futile, it is vital,and can be successful,/ [James 4v7 ], our enemy is strong but our Saviour is stronger, and through Him we can know the victory.[ Dear God in the name of Your Son Jesus grant us the victory over our enemy the devil, today. Amen ]

Secure [ Matthew 6 v 19-34 ]

Many people are feeling very insecure, their jobs are on the line, their health is not great,the list goes on, feeling insecure is part of the human condition. I am continually being challenged to keep God always as the center of my life, and to remind myself that He is my security, not my job, my family, not my health, not my friends, not my bank account. It is one thing writing this , preaching this, than actually living the truth that God is my security,we hold on to our supposed securities, not lightly but tightly, and if they are threatened, we break out in a cold sweat. Today I am reminding myself and you, that the securist place in life is in God, the more we have of this worlds goods the harder it becomes to really see God as our security, we hold on to things like grim death. If I put God first, then I will be secure, I am not saying we should act thoughtlessly or foolishly but that we be careful that we see were our true security lies, in our loving Heavenly Father. [Father in Heaven thank You for blessing us with so much,help us to not to be fooled, into thinking that our security lies in the blessings,rather than the one who has blessed us , even You, in Jesus name . Amen ]

There are the positives. [ Psalm 23 ]

Sometimes we are very negative about ourselves, one of my clients use to say there are no positives, but he was wrong . I know that we are all sinners and what that means, but I also believe that as a child of God there is much in life that I can praise God for, there are the positives. I dont think we should live under a cloud, yes I know life can be a struggle, but we can experience victory even in our struggles, personally, I can look at life and praise God that I brought up five lovley lads,and at sixty five, still working, the list goes on, the Grace of God has saved and kept me. If you are feeling down today, for whatever reason, if you are a child of God,try not to give in to the negative thoughts, consider the positives, and praise God. [ Dear Lord thank you for the positive things in our lives, help us not to give ourselves over to negative thoughts, help us to think about that which is ,true, right , honourable, pure , lovely,and admirable. Amen ]

Defeat [ Romans 8v37 ]

In the account of Scott of the Antartic , a story of great bravery, not because they reached the South Pole first but because of the courage they showed , even in missing their given goal. Defeat in many areas of life is just as important as success, Dunkirk was a terrible defeat for the British army, and yet it brought great inspiration to a nation at a time when hope was at a minimum. Look at the cross ,see Jesus hanging on it, to those who crucified Him it appeared that they had defeated Him, but of course they had not, for in that apparent defeat Christ was winning the greatest victory ever wrought. Sin could now be forgiven, Satans power was broken, hope to the hopeless was given, all this and more out of an apparant defeat. We will all experience a defeat of some kind in our lives, a marriage breakdown, a temptation we have yielded to, again,a business failure,let us look at the cross and take hope, the God who brought good out of an apparant failure, can turn ,even our failures into victories. [ Dear God grant us the grace to arise from our defeats, to forget those things that are past, and press on to victory, in Jesus name .Amen ]

Dont panic. [1 Kings 19 ]

If, wrote Rudyard Kipling, /You can keep your head when all about you, are losing theirs and blaming it on you/, and as you read this you say to yourself if only I could. Life is full of so much that can cause us to be driven, to panic, to react in unhelpful ways, we all do it. The great prophet Elijah panicked He ran away, became depressed, lay down and asked God that he might die, it all kicked in when he was threatened[ 1Kings 19], he had a panic attack. It was Jones in Dads Army[A tv program] who used to cry out ,dont panic, as he himself panicked. The question is what can we do if Panic sets in?,when we feel like running away?is it possible to keep our head when all around are losing theirs?. Well let us return to Elijah,how did he get through his time of panic?, well it all came to a head on a mountian when he was alone with God, and on that mountain he heard the still small voice of God, a gentle whisper, in the midst of our panic get alone with God, and listen.[ Oh God help us in our times of panic, to be still and know that You are in control, who has not forsaken us,help us to call upon You , and to listen to Your still small voice, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Feeling irritable . [1 Corinthians 13]

Felt irritable this morning with her who must be obeyed, it does not take much for most of us to get irritable with people, with the children , the dog, the neighbours. It is in 2 Corinthians 10v1, we read of ,/ the gentleness and kindness of Christ/, I must do a lot of things that could cause my Lord to be irritable , but He is,nt,no He is patient,kind and believe it or not ,is never irritable with me. My study Bible says this,/Much irritability comes from a love of perfection, a deep desire that programs, meetings, and structures be run perfectly/, and goes on to say,/ Those who are easily irritated need to remember that perfection exsists only in God. We need to love Him and our fellow Christians, not the visions we have for perfection here on earth. [ Dear Lord thank You for being patience with us, we acknowledge we do so many things that could justify You become irritable with us, but You never are, instead You are patient, gentle and kind, grant us the grace today to treat others as You treat us. Amen.]

Did you think to pray?. [ Proverbs 3 v 5-6 av ]

Did you think to pray?, so goes the words of a hymn,it is so easy to forget to pray, we are busy people, always in a hurry, and suddenly we find ourselves in difficulties. We read in Joshua 9 how Israel , faced with a decision, did everything, they listened to what was said, examined the evidence, made their decision, and here is where it all went wrong,/but they did not consult the Lord/[ Joshua 9 v14]. We have all failed like Israel to pray about certain things even the most prayerful of us, and then we discover we are ensnared in something we shouldnt be. What can we do? we can be honest enough to acknowledge our mistake, before God,tell Him we are sorry, and ask Him to overrule, and most of all learn from our mistakes. [ Dear God forgive us for our forgetfulness in rushing into things without consulting You, help us ackowledge You in all things , in Jesus name. Amen ]

Small prayers.[ Matthew 6 v5-14 ]

Will my prayers make any difference?, I found myself asking this question, in relation to a disaster in the Philippians, such a small prayer, for such an enormous problem. Jesus said we are not heard by babbling on, the worth of our prayer is not in its length,or correct grammar, the worth of our prayer is weighed by God.Our prayer may be small but we are praying to a great God, who loves to hear His children come into His presence, and talk to Him. When we pray ,God has not got a score board , giving us marks from one to ten. In Proverbs 15v8 we read,/ The Lord........delights in the prayer of the upright, there are things that hinder our prayers,wrong attitudes, sin, these can be barriers, that need dealt with, if our prayers are to make a difference. Let us pray even when we dont feel like praying, let us pray to our loving heavenly Father even small prayers,they can make a difference. [Dear loving heavenly Father teach us how to pray in Jesus name . Amen ]

Feeling flat [ 2 Corinthians 4 v7-10]

While most of us dont believe the world is flat,but often we feel flat[ not fat], we seemed to be drained of energy,physical, and spiritual, it is like someone has pulled the plug out. Mybe the reason is we are tired,we need rest, we need a holiday, the work we are doing may be demanding, there are many reasons, but one thing we dont need is guilt. What we we need to do, is to be honest with God,honesty is always the best policy with God, the most important thing to remember God understands, He knows how weak we are, He remembers we are only dust.[ Psalm 103v14]. So let us not today, add that extra burden of guilt upon ourselves, let us ask God to to enable us to press on in our Christian walk. It was William Cowper who wrote,/Sometime a light surprises, The Christian while He sings, It is the Lord who rises. With healing in His wings. When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again, A season of clear shining, To cheer it after rain./ [ Lord we ask that you would help us in our various moods, and that You would enable us to press on in our walk with you, and in thy great mercy, grant us a season of clear shining,to cheer us, in Your precious name we ask this Amen ]

Redeemed [ 1 Peter 1 v 18-19. av ]

I found myself singing an old hymn this morning which goes,/ Redeemed how I love to proclaim it, Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child, and forever I am/. Throughout the Bible we have this idea of redemption,it has a number of meanings , [1]Buying back something that was sold,[2] Of purchasing a slave with a view to their freedom.The best illustration of this is Israel in Egypt , they were slaves, God had to redeem them, by the slaying of the passover lamb,and the shedding of its blood, when this was done they were freed.[Exodus 11-12].This is a picture of what took place on Calvary, when Christ was crucified, His sacrificial death was redemptive, by His death He was paying a price to buy those who are slaves to sin[ John 8 v34], and set them free. This is a wonderful truth, to all, it offers hope, to all who are in bondage to sin, that they can be set free, by trusting in Jesus who paid the price of redeeming sinners. [ Dear God thank You for Jesus who died to redeem sinners. Amen ]

Let God.[ 2 Chronicles 20]

Let God,sometimes there are situations we cant do anything about, we try to resolve them, yet the more we try, the worse it seems to get, nothing changes,and we just experience more pain. So what does one do , let God. Yesterday we thought on Joseph, when he was in prison he thought that the cup bearer would , speak a word in high places and have him released, but he didnt, he forgot about Joseph. It is often the case that we have to stop our struggling,our manoeuvring, and let God take over, a person can only be rescued when he submits to their rescuer. The Israelites were in great danger of being destroyed, God spoke through Moses/Dont be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today,[Exodus 14v13], and He did. Today let us be still and know that He is God[Psalm 46v10 ], to have confidence,trust, and Faith in Him, who can make a way ,were there is no way, to Him who can provide, a job, a wife/ husband, a home, a family , a friend.[ Dear God help us to understand what we have to do in every given situation, help us to realize that there are times when the best thing we can do is simply be still and to trust You to work on our behalf, in Jesus name Amen ]

God really does have a plan.[ Romans 8v 28. av ]

One of the most instructive stories in the Bible is in Genesis chapters 37-50, it is about a man called Joseph , a man loved by his father but hated by his brothers.These brothers treated him very badly, they wanted to murder Him, but instead they sold him into slavery , and he ended up in Egypt. In Egypt he was accused falsely of attempted rape, thrown into prison and forgotten about, there was a monent when it appeared that he would be released,but it didnt happen, then suddenly everything changed, he was released,and became second in command to the Egyptian Pharoah. The great lesson we see in all this is the sovereignty of God, many years before this God declared to Abraham that He had a plan for his decendants, [Genesis 15v13-14] in order to fulfill that plan Joseph had to go through his trials.Mybe you are experiencing a trial today,it appears unjust, and even cruel, consider the life of Joseph and learn from it, and hold unto this vital truth God is in control, and has a plan, and will cause everything to work out for your good. [ Romans 8 v28 ], and His glory.[ Dear God help us to trust you in every difficulty, to have faith in your Sovereignty, to believe that all things are working together for our good, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Doing good. [ 1 Corinthians 3 v 10 -15 ]

Do all the good you can, In all the ways you can,In all the places you can, At all the times you can,To all the people you can, As long as ever you can.So wrote John Wesley. We can do this in many ways, by praying for people, helping in practical ways, by showing them Jesus in our lives, and by telling them about Jesus. In Acts 10v 38 we read that Jesus went about doing good, so in doing good we are following in His footsteps. In Galations 6 v9 we read,so let,s not get tired of doing what is good,we may feel discouraged in doing good, we get no thanks, people can be so ungrateful, let us remember that God will not forget,and He will reward us in a coming day.[Hebrews 6v10] So today let us do good to everyone, especially to those in the family of faith. [Galations 6 v10 ] [Father in Heaven grant us the grace today, to follow in the footsteps of Your dear Son, by doing good. Amen ]

Burdened[ John 4 v34-38]

Today I feel a burden, for the lost, my family, brothers ,sister, and other relatives, neighbours, work mates, and many others, for our nation, for the area in which I live,so few people are saved. So many people are going to Hell, so few are going to Heaven, and this causes me pain,so few know our Saviour, is there anything we can do?, yes we can pray .Let us never underestimate the importance and power of prayer, we can tell others about our Saviour, how shall they hear without a preacher, the answer is they wont, faith comes by hearing the word of God, so today let us tell others about Jesus. Fanny Crosby wrote many hymns, here is a verse of one of them,/Rescue the perishing, Care for the dying. Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave. Weep o,er the erring one, Lift up the fallen. Tell them of Jesus , the mighty to save.[ Dear God, who would have all to be saved,we ask that You would use us, to be fishers of men,to rescue the perishing, in the name of Jesus. Amen ]

Rejoice [Nehemiah 8 v10 ]

Sometimes it seems life is all gloom and doom, for some it appears that way, as we read the life of the apostle Paul , we see a man who suffered so much c.p 2 Corinthians 11 v21ff . Yet he was not a doom and gloom person, in his letter to the Philippians, which was written from a Roman prison, he is so positive and encouraging in what he writes. In chapter 3 v1 ,he writes,/What ever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord/,these are challenging words, is it possible to rejoice what ever is happening to us?, not in ourselves, it is a fruit of the Spirit Galations 5 v22. Today let us ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with joy unspeakable and full of glory, so that whatever happens to us today we may rejoice.[ Dear Lord fill us with Your Spirit so that whatever happens to us today we may rejoice in You. Amen]

He understands. [ Hebrews 4 v14-16 ]

Sometimes I am tempted to sin, [lets remember it is not a sin to be tempted] but then I think of the consequences if I yielded to that temptation, the consequences , to my family, friends, neighbours, myself, and the consequences with my relationship with my Lord. It is easy to sin, to taste that forbidden fruit, to be carried away with the emotion, and to justify what we do, on the grounds that we are hard done by.We will all be tempted in one way or another, make no mistake about that, until the day we die, so take care today, let us be on our gaurd. There is a gospel song which I like, it goes,/ Sometimes I feel discouraged , and feel my works in vain , Im tempted ,oh to murmur, to grumble ,and complain , but then I think of Jesus and what He,s done for me , then I cry to the rock of ages , hide thou me.[ Dear Lord we come to You in all our need,we thank You that You understand about temptation, for You were tempted, so today help us not to yield to temptation. Amen ]

Freedom [Mark 5 v 1-20]

The wonderful message is that Christ died to set us free, before we come to Christ we slaves to sin,in Isaiah 61v1, we read how our Saviour has come to set the captives free. In John 8 v34, our Saviour declared,/ everyone who sins is a slave to sin/, not all prisoners are behind bars,sin has affected all of us, we dont have to look very much into our hearts to realize that we are bound ,in some way. We try to deny the truth of our bondage in many ways, by judging others, by rationalizing that what we do is acceptable, everyone is doing it, or by thinking, it is just the way I am, or by escaping into atheism. The Bible states that our sins will find us out[ Numbers 32v23], our sins will catch up with us, all will be revealed, if not in time ,in eternity. Today Christ offers freedom to all, if we but surrender to Him, acknowledge our need, and trust Him as our Saviour, we will then discover true freedom[John 8 v36]. [Dear God have mercy upon us, open our eyes and let us see ,help us acknowledge our bondage to sin, help us to trust in Your Son Jesus,for true freedom. Amen ] [ I will be on holiday for a week, I will return to my blog next Sunday]

Looking [2 Corinthians 4 v 16-18]

In 2 Corinthians 4 the apostle Paul stresses the importance of looking at life in a spiritual way, and not a natural way, it was Selwym Hughes who wrote,/The difference between natural thinking and spiritual thinking is the difference between heaven and earth/. The apostle Paul suffered many things, but he did not look at them in a natural way, he could see his sufferings as opportunities, to glorify God,[Acts16v25],an opportunity to prove the grace of God,[2 Corinthians 12 v7-10],his suffering caused him to think spiritually, and as he did, he came to the conclusion that his present troubles were small in the light of eternal glories[2 Corinthians 4 v17]. The challenge for all of us is to look at life in a spiritual way, if we dont we will become discouraged, if we do ,then as S Hughes wrote, the less perplexed we will be, so today think spiritual . [Dear God forgive us for looking at life in a natural way, help us look at things in a spiritual way, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Struggling [Psalm 20]

There are many things that are hard to cope with, the list is endless, sickness, death,loneliness,poverty,watching a love one suffer,injustice,the suicide of a friend or loved one,betrayal,rejection, failure,and so we could go on. Today we may be in the pit of despair,wishing that things could be different, not knowing how we are going to cope, mybe wanting to run away from everything. If you are a Christian, and yes ,Christians will experience all those things, I would encourage you, to be honest with God,tell Him how you feel, pour out your heart to Him, and simply ask Him to help you, there may appear to be only a silence, but God is listening, and will answer your prayer. Psalm 120v1 reads,/I took my troubles to the Lord, I cried out to Him, and He answered my prayer/, I would encourage you to read the Psalms,for in them You will recieve much encouragement.[Dear God there are times we are overcome by the things that come into our lives, there are times in which we are driven to despair, so today help us, in Jesus name. Amen ]

The end of the world. [ 2Thessalonians 1v7-12 ]

This is the 9/9/09, spooky is,nt it?not really,it is just another day,as is Friday the 13th, it seems that 9/9/09, will usser in the end of the world, so some people say.I thought about this, it is only 9/9/09 in this part of the world , but because of the time zone, it is either the, 8th or the 10th in other parts of the world, so mybe only half the world will end, it is all so stupid.Take the JWs their history is littered with failed dates, of when the world is going to end, as Jesus said to a religious group,/Your mistake is that you dont know the scriptures [Matthew 22v29]/. The world will come to an end, cp =2 Peter 3, but we dont know when, nor are we meant to know ,[ Acts 1v7], what is most important is to be ready.Being ready involves knowing Jesus as ones Saviour, and living a holy godly life, if we know Christ as our Saviour, then whatever the future holds for us, all will be well [Dear Lord Jesus help us not to be taken up with vain speculation as to when the world is going to end, help us all to realize that the most important thing is to know You as our Saviour. Amen]