Thirsty [ John 4 ]

Are we thirsty? it is in John 4 we have our Saviour dealing with the subject of thirst, He was speaking to a woman at a well, she was a thirsty lady,her thirst went deeper than just water. This lady had been married five times, and seemingly they had all failed, now she was living with someone,living with someone is not a new thing, it is becoming more and more prevalent these days. Her life was an evidence of a deep thirst within her heart. This world is full of thirsty people , people who are into all sorts of things, good things, bad things, but as Jesus said to that woman at the well, / anyone who drinks of this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh , bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life . [v 13 ] [ Dear Lord Jesus we come to You today and acknowledge that only You , and You alone can meet the deepest desires of our life. Amen ]

Saying no. [Philippians 4 v 13 ]

It is Eugene Peterson who says, / Only humans can say no. Animals cant say no. Animals do what instinct dictates or what training embeds in them. No is a freedom word/.No may be a freedom word but many choose not to use it,to drugs,sex,and many other things , the question is , is it a freedom word to you and me ?. Think how hard it is to say no to the many wrong things we eat, obese people are people who will not say no, those who commit adultery, are people who will not say no. So many of us make the excuse that we cant help what we do, but if we are Christians we are told in 2 Peter 1 v 3, that God has given us everything we need for living a godly life, that means God has given us the power to say no to all those things that are contrary to a godly life,let Gods word be true and every man a liar. We are a driven people, when we should be a led people, today let us say no to those things that are driving us in the wrong direction. [Dear God help us to follow You today in all we do, even if that means saying no to those things which are contrary to Your will ,we ask this in the name of Jesus .Amen ]

Contentment [ Psalm 139 v 13 - 17 ]

There is a modern song which goes, /You can only be you, and I can only be me/, when I used to minister in song , some people would say ,I wish I could sing like you, I found it strange coming from a woman. We all at sometimes want to be like someone else, or even to be someone else, there are people who hate themselves, there are people who starve themselves to death, because they loath the person they see in the mirror. There is nothing wrong with trying to improve our image, but we should accept whom we are, God has made us everyone , He didnt make a mistake. Of course we all need Christ as our Saviour, because we are sinners, and we do need to be changed, and be like Him, but we are all unique, and there needs to be a contentment, and acceptance of this, so let us stop wishing , we were someone else. [God we give You thanks for making us whom we are,may Your Holy Spirit , grant unto us contentment, and may He help us to see that we are precious in Your eyes,in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Letting go. [ Hebrews 12 v 1 - 2 ]

I have to let it go, although it has served me well for many years, but now it is causing me pain, I would like to let it stay, but I cant, I dont much like pain,I dont like that which hurts me, so even though I am attached to , I have made a decision.The decision I reached was to phone the dentist and make an appointment, to have my painful friend removed. There are so many things in life that we hold unto, things that cause us pain, the wrong kinds of friends, memories,habits, attitudes,our sins,and what we really need to do is to let go, to pray about it,committing it to God and then ,let it go, we have to stop making excuses, putting it off, we have to let go of those things that are damaging us.. If we are not saved then we have to let go of our unbelief, and simply trust the Saviour. If we are Christians we have to be obedient, and realize that God desires only the best for us, so today let go.[ Dear God help us to make a decision to let go of those things that we cling to even though they are causing us pain, we ask this in Jesus name Amen ]

Self obsessed. Mark 10 v 42 - 45 ]

One of the most popular songs years ago was ,/ The Streets of London/,Have you seen the old man in the closed down market, Kicking up the papers with his worn out shoes? In his eyes you see no pride, Hand held loosely by his side, Yesterdays papers telling yesterdays news./In these words we are challenged to take our eyes of ourselves and to look at the plight of others, who are worse of than ourselves. We all have the habit of being self obsessed, of just focusing on ourselves, we become the center of the universe. The gospel story is about God thinking of others, of loving them so much that He gave the most precious gift He possessed to die on a cross, so that others could be saved. Our Saviour said that greatness is seen in serving others [ Mark 10v 44], today let us take our eyes of ourselves, and look at others, with a heart of love, and out of that heart of love, be a servant. [Father forgive us for being self obsessed , help us to be more like our Saviour, the Servant King, Amen ]

Pressure. [ Philippians 4 v 6 - 9 ]

Years ago we used to have a pressure cooker, I heard of people who would not have one because they were afraid of it blowing up, but on the one we had there was a saftey valve, so our one never blew up. It seems to me that for many life is like a pressure cooker , financial pressures, employment pressures, the list goes on, what can we do ?, explode with anger, and frustration ?,we may, but let me tell you of a better way. Go to God, and tell Him how you feel, bring all those things that are putting you under pressure, tell Him everything, and ask Him to help. The bible continually tells us that God hears us when we pray to Him, so today pray to Him, He will help you to bear the pressures of life, and He grant you the grace you need, read Psalm 23, meditate on it, pray over it. [Dear God so often we feel under pressure, so many things crowding in upon us, we ask that You may help us, through these times, by Your grace, we ask this in the name of Jesus Amen ]

Change [ 1 Corthians 6 v 9 - 11 ]

I watched a TV program last night, about two men who bought a lion cub from Harrods,and for a year they brought it up in their flat in London, but them it was taken to Kenya and eventually released into the wild. As I watched this program I was reminded of a scripture in Isaiah 11 were we read how, / the lion shall eat straw like the ox [v 11 ],some see this scripture as referring to Christs thousand reign on earth in the future, but it speaks to me of that transformation that takes place when a person trusts Christ as their Saviour, in 2 Corinthians 5 v17 we read,/ that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone, a new life has begun/. There is an old gospel hymn which goes,/ What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought since Jesus came into my heart/. [ Dear God thank for Your son Jesus who saves us and changes us. Amen ]

The wrecking process. [ Psalm 40 v1- 3 ]

Oswald Chambers wrote the following, / You may often see Jesus wreck a life before He saves it [Matthew 10 x34 ], I wonder what you think of those words?. People dont want to hear God from their comfort zone. The prophet Jeremiah had a two-fold ministry, [1]To uproot and tear down,destroy and overthrow. [2] To build up and plant. [ Jeremiah 1v10 ]. The sad thing is, so often ,we only look up, when we are down. It is so often that we only cry unto God, when we are at our lowest ebb , when we have come to an end of ourselves.We read these words in Psalm 130v1,/ From the depths of despair, O Lord, I call for your help/, it is only when we come to an end of ourselves, and admit our need of Christ, can we ever be saved. So many will never be saved because they are not desperate enough,if God is wrecking your life it is not to destroy you, but rather to save you, He is waiting on you cry to Him in all your need and when you do He will save you. [Dear Lord Jesus help us to see that You love us, and desire to save us, help us not to resent the wrecking process in our lives, but rather to embrace and recieve Your love, through our tears, Amen.]

Songs in the night .[ Acts 16 v 22- 34 ]

We bought a new water feature for our garden, the pump is powered by a solar panel, it only works when the sun is shining it does not store energy, today is overcast, so it is not working. This reminds me of the old gospel song, which goes, / Anyone can sing when the sun is shining bright/,some of the most profound words in scripture were spoken by a man who had experienced great loss, he said,/the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord/. As we know ,life is not all sunshine, but we can still shine,consider two of Gods servants, Paul and Silas, they had been beaten, and thrown into prison, what did they do ? they prayed, and sang hymns, and God responded and set them free. In 2 Chronicles 20, Israel were facing what looked like certain defeat, king Jehoshaphat was filled with fear, so he prayed,the next day as Israel went out to face the enemy, he appointed singers, who sang the praises of God , and as they did, the Lord defeated the enemy, prayer, praise, the result victory, so why not try it.[ Dear God help us when it is difficult to pray and to praise You, and as we do grant us the victory in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

I dont know what to do. [ Romans 12 v9 -16 ]

I dont know , should I cry or laugh? my two sides played yesterday, one won ,the other lost,sadness and gladness together. There is in life so much sadness , and so much gladness, in Romans 12v 15, we are exhorted to be happy with those who are happy,and weep with those who weep. A couple I know are going on a Caribbean cruise, it is easy to judge them, to feel resentment, or even envy, our Lord tells us not to judge [ Matthew 7 v 1], should we not rather do what the scripture says, to rejoice with them, I think so. Yesterday I met a dear brother , he seemed so glad to see me, he is self employed, but because of the times we live in ,work is scarce, he is struggling, there is so much sadness, and so many feel , no one cares, let us do what the scriptures tells us to do, to weep with those who weep, again let me add, stay away from judging others, just do what we are told to do, to be happy with those who are happy,and to weep with those who weep. [ Father unlike You we are not always happy with those who are happy, or weep with those who weep,forgive us in Jesus name Amen ]

Hold on [ Romans 8 v28 av ]

In Ephesians 3 v1 the apostle Paul wrote these significant words, /I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus/, at that time he was under arrest by the Roman authorites, my study bible says this,/Even though he was under arrest, Paul maintained his firm belief that God was in control of all that happened to him/. Today we may be tempted to despair of our circumstances, despair of those things that dont change, which we so desperaetly want to change, and nothing appears to be happening, we pray, and pray, and still no change. Well think of what Paul wrote, the prisoner of the the Lord Jesus, pray about it ,and let faith arise, and grasp and hold unto the truth, that you are not a victim, not forgotten , not insignificant, your times are in Gods hands, [Psalm 31 v15 av ], and that all things are working together for your good,[ Romans 8 v28 av ]. [Dear God there are things we struggle with, things we want to change, and nothing happens, help us to know Your peace, and help us to have faith in Your loving plan and purpose for our lives, we ask this in Jesus name Amen ]

Weakness [ 2 Corinthians 4 v 7- 18 ]

Salvation is a work of the Holy Spirit, we are but the messengers, as one witnesses to people about the Lord, one is made to realize more and more that salvation is of the Lord. We cannot save anyone , yes God will use us, our gifts, abilities, personalities, but in the end it is only the Spirit that can bring conviction, repentence, and faith.The glory must go to God, totally,we are as the apostle Paul wrote , but earthen vessels,a statement of weakness,whatever power Paul had in his ministry it was from God.[2 Corinthians 4 v 7 ] The idea of us being weak is not to discourage us, rather it is to encourage us to rely more upon God, so today , be faithful in your witness for Christ, pray much ,and leave the results to Him. [Sovereign Lord use us to be Your faithful witnesses, be pleased to bless our weakness as we tell others about Jesus, and to You be all the honour , glory, and praise , Amen ]

Burdens. [ Philippians 4 v 6 - 7 ]

It is in 1Peter 5 v 7, we read , /Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you/, these words are both a challenge, and a comfort, the challenge is to give all our worries, and cares to God.The story is told of a man who was walking along carrying a heavy load, a friend stopped in his car and offered him a lift, which he accepted, but he still held unto his load, his friend suggested putting the load in the boot, but he refused saying ,he didnt want to take advantage of his friends kindness, so he continued to carry it. Today let us take advantaged of what God says and cast all our cares upon Him. Often we feel no one cares ,but that is not so ,God cares,and He desires us to rest in Him,and trust in Him, and as we do this we will know peace, and we will see Him undertaking for us. [Dear God help us to obey Your word, help us to cast our burdens upon You, knowing that You care for us , we ask this in Jesus name, Amen ]

Childlikeness. [ Mark 10 v13 - 16 ]

I spoke to someone yesterday, about the importance of being childlike, in order to come to Christ. My 10yr old grandson just recently trusted Christ as Saviour and it bore in upon me what our Saviour said,in Mark 10 v 15, / Anyone who doesnt recieve the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it/. We live in an time when Children are pressed into adult-hood, from an early age, they are it seems to me mini- adults. Children see so much on the T V that robs them of their chilhood, so many of them never have the opportunity to develop in a normal way. And yet there is a child in all of us, and it is that which Christ appeals to, that simple trusting, which takes hold of the Saviours outstretched hand, and when that happens, forgiveness follows,eternal life follows, and best of all Christ becames our friend. [Father in heaven help us to never loose that childlike trust in You, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Sweet hour of prayer.[ Psalm 34 ]

Before Calvary our Saviour prayed , one of the most important things we can do today and indeed everyday, is pray. A lot of people struggle with prayer,none of us are experts, we will always be in the primary school of prayer, but that is not a reason to despair, or give up. We must remember its not what we think of our prayers, its what God thinks that matters, sometimes our prayers seem like a bundle of rags, yet God may see them as very precious, and acceptable.Prayer is act of faith,we will see answers now, but we may not see answers until we get to heaven, I believe prayer is an act of sowing, and there will be a reaping, when I get to heaven, all will be revealed. God desires His Children to pray, and the world needs those who pray, God is calling us to pray. John Newton wrote the following, /Come my soul, thy suit [ pleading ] prepare, Jesus loves to answer prayer, He has bid thee pray, Therefore will not say thee nay. Thou art coming to a King, Large ,petitions with thee bring, For His grace and power are sure, None can ever ask too much. [Dear God thank you for the privllege of prayer, help us to see how vital it is, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Peter. [Mark 14 v 41 ff ]

Peter was very privlleged,as was James and John,cp Matthew 17, Jesus was giving them particular training, for future service. Peter was an obvious leader,he was a confident person, there is much to admire in him, but he had a weakness, in some ways he was a coward, and this is shown in a number of places,/ cp Galatians 2 v11-21, the apostle Paul calls him a hypocrite, because he was afraid of criticism from people who insisted on the necessity of being circumcised to be saved. The other place He showed his cowardice was when Jesus, was betrayed , and arrested,[ Mark 14v 41 ff ] as they were taking Jesus away we read that Peter followed at a distance, there are many Christians who are following Jesus at a distance, just like Peter. From walking at a distance , we next read, of Peter denying Jesus, not once but three times, and thats serious. Like Peter we all have weaknesses, and failings, let us not gloss over them, help us to learn from Peter, but let us not be like him. [ Dear Lord Jesus help us not to follow You at a distance, like Peter Your servant, we have our weaknesses just like him, keep us this day by Your grace, that we may not betray or deney You ,in word , deed ,or thought, Amen ]

It is only a game. [ Matthew 6 v 33 ]

My favourite football side were defeated yesterday, I am a sad man this morning , but it will pass,anyway it is only a game, I dont agree with the late and great Bill Shankley, that football is more important than life. As I reflect on life I watched a mother with a lovely young boy, in a cafe, he was unable to feed himself, he was in a wheel chair, my heart went out to them. These things makes one realize whats important in life, sport is important but its not that important, love is important, and all that love means. Holiness is important, consider the damage sin inflicts upon life, upon the sinner and the sinned against, and most of all against God. Let us all ask the question today what is really important, what would God have us focus on?.Let us all spend a few moments , each day, asking God to show us what is what is most important for us to prioritize in our lives. [God and Father help us today to focus on what is most important in our lives, what You want us to focus on, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]







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Sometimes. [ Matthew 9 v 37 - 38 ]

Sometimes I have feelings of nostalgia for my home land, this happened yesterday as I listened to that lovely song about the mountians of Mourne that sweep down to the sea, it brought back memories of times spent there on holidays. We can never leave our past , it is part of us, and will remain with us as long as we live. I thank God that I was born in Ulster, for it is a land of churches,and grants great opportunity to hear the gospel, which I did hear from an early age, and accepted the Saviour. As I consider England I am sad ,for so many people have never heard the gospel, and with the decline of Christianty , spiritual darkness is increasing in our young peoples lives, so many people are going to a lost eternity.[ Dear God we cry unto You that in Your mercy You may move in this dear land of England, and bring the lost to Your son Jesus, grant this prayer , please, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

God is working His purpose out.[ Ephesians 1 v 19 - 23 ]

To say that God is working His purpose out is a statement of faith,for as we look out on this world, it is so easy, to feel that evil is on the throne, and things are a mess.Islam appears so strong and inpenetrable, people appear to have no desire to seek God, the money markets show how morally bankrupt things are, the rich build fortresses around themselves. We also see goverments that are cruel , many people are suffering, at their hands, history is littered with such goverments, and then there is global warming. It is in the book of Revelation, a book that is full of suffering, of plagues, and of severe persecution of Christians, John who wrote this book was suffering, yet we read in, chapter 19 v 6 [av], / The LORD GOD omnipotent reigneth/. Child of God look up to your Sovereign God , your God reigns, God is working His Sovereign purposes out ,in this world , and in the lives of His children, all will be well. [God and Father, help us by faith to lay hold of the truth, that You reign over this world, and are working Your purposes out , in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Need [ Matthew 28 v 18 - 20 ]

It appears to me that people always have needs, material, physical, and spiritual,I love that wonderful promise in Philippians 4 v 19, which reads,/My God shall supply all your needs in Christ Jesus according to His riches in glory/. This promise was given to reassure Christians that God would supply their material needs,God will do this,yet whatever our need may be, God will supply,He is interested in all things that concern His children. In the book of Exodus 33 v 14- 15,God says to Moses,/ I will personally go with you, and I will give you rest- everything will be fine for you. Then Moses replied, /If You dont personally go with us, dont make us leave this place/.Our greatest need is God Himself,if you are not saved, then your greatest need is Jesus, if you are saved, you have Jesus, and in Him you have all you need.[ Father in heaven thank You for promising to meet all our needs, and thank You for meeting our deepest need in the person of Jesus who is with us always Amen ]

Under attack [ Ephesians 6 10 - 18 ]

I wonder do you ever feel under attack ?, we should not be surprised by this, in fact our Saviour said as much in John 15 v 18 - 25, and in 2 Timothy 3 v 12, we are told that ,/ everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. As Christians we have what I call an evil trinity to continually contend with ,/ The world/ The flesh/ The devil, we will have to contend with them until the day we die. So like a sentry on duty we must ever be alert, 1 Peter 5 v 8- 9,tells us to,/ Stay alert, watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith.So if you are under attack today dont be surprised, relying on your Lord, continue on, dont give up, dont despair,the Lord is with you and will not fail you. [ Dear Lord Jesus help us this day to be overcomers, fill us with thy Spirit, and grant us the victory over,the world , the flesh ,and the devil. Amen ]

We are allowed to ask why.[ Habakkuk 1 v 12- 17 ]

It is said that the reformation opened up the way for us to be able to ask why, the church that then was ,would have put you to death for daring to ask, why, they even had their thought police. Last night I watched a movie,/ The boy in the striped pyjamas/, and after I had watched it I found myself asking God, why?, and I found myself going down into a dark abyss,as I sought answers.I opened my bible seeking for an answer, but not finding it, I then went to my bookshelf and got one of my favourite books, by A .W. Pink, called, The Sovereignty of God, I found a peace not so much in what I read, but simply in this vital truth, Gods sovereignty,the fact of the matter there will always be the whys in life, we can let them drive us into despair,unbelief,and so on, or we can simply look up to our sovereign God in faith, knowing that as for God His way is perfect, that His thoughts ,are not our thoughts, nor are His ways, our ways.[ Sovereiegn God we struggle at times as we look at so many things, we just cannot understand the whys in life, so by faith we look beyond our whys and just simple trust in Your perfect way and will , in Jesus name we pray this Amen ]

Speak Lord. [1 Samuel 1 v 1- 20 ]

Everyday as I read the scriptures I pray, Lord speak, I believe God is continually speaking, even when it appears He is silent. Sometimes it seems that some people hear God all the time, others more infrequent, some may even say they never hear from Him. I like the story of Samuel, his mother Hannah was a godly lady, and she wanted something desperately, a child, so she cried , in bitterness of soul,and with tears, and it was then at her lowest point God spoke, and granted her desire. God is not looking for nice prayers, or even nice sermons, God is looking for those who hunger and thirst after Him, it is the earnest prayer of a righteous person, that God desires, and in the midst of our wilderness experience, when we cry unto our God, He speaks, in that still small voice.[God in your great mercy, speak those words we need to hear, those words of assurance,peace, and guidance, in Jesus name we ask this, Amen ]

Witnesses. [ Acts 1 v 1 - 8 ]

You will be my witnesses, are the words Jesus said His disciples, [ Acts 1v8 ] [and to us],with those words He also declared that they would be empowered , by the Holy Spirit, to enable them to carry out the task. Every day I pray that I may be a witness for Jesus, just recently I was told , that I was rude to someone, so I said to that person ,that I was sorry, in being rude I had forgotten that I was called to be a witness,in saying I was sorry, I was remembering. I prayed recently to be a witness to someone, and as I walked around I give money to three buskers, and money to a homeless person, that enabled him to get shelter for the night, was I a witness? I hope so, and yet I did not speak to them about Jesus, but mybe I showed them Jesus. [Dear Lord Jesus, help us to be Your witnesses today, by our attitude, words, and deeds, Amen ]

The Lord must hate us. [Deuteronomy 1v 19-36 ]

Israel were about to enter the promise land , but they refused to go in and conquer the land, why ?unbelief.[ Hebrews 3 v19 ] . Unbelief is very serious , God does not look kindly on unbelief, nor should we, unbelief give them a warped sense of reasoning, they believe God hated them and wanted to destroy them. The result of their unbelief was that generation were not allowed to enter the promised land, they missed out on the blessing. Unbelief is a barr to people going to heaven, and condemns them to a lost eternity, it is only by faith can we be saved, faith in Jesus, and in Him alone. If we are Christians we are called to live by faith, that means we face the difficulties, and challenges of life by faith, it is the way of blessing not as Israel thought a way of God wanting to destroy us.[Father in Heaven have mercy upon us, so often we think the worse as regards Your ways, and will for our lives, help us embrace by faith Your will, which is good and pleasing and perfect, in the name of Jesus we ask this Amen .] [ I will be away from home till tomorrow evening]

Redundant. [ Romans 8v 28 A V ]

I met a brother in the Lord yesterday, after many years in employment he was made redundant, my heart went out to him, for having spent a number of years being unemployed, I know how difficult it is to have no job. The fact of the matter is , being a Christian, does not mean you will not experience difficulties, be it sickness, persecution, and so the list goes on. God has not promised skies always blue, but He has promised to be with us, to support us, to strengthen us, and to cause everything to work together for our good [Romans 8 v28 A V ].Let us all spend a few moments in prayer today, for those who are experiencing difficulties in their lives. [ Father in Heaven have mercy on those today that are facing difficulties, especially Your dear children, may they know your peace, and be at peace, and may You bring them through to a better day, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

Wisdom. [James 3 v 13 - 18 ]

Most of us know about the qualities of love[ 1 Corinthians 13], but what about the qualities of wisdom ?, the wisdom the Bible speaks of is not just about making decisions, no it has certain qualities to it. The Message tells us,/ Real wisdom, Gods wisdom, begins with a holy life and is characterized by getting along with others, it is gentle and reasonable, overflowing with mercy and blessings, not hot one day and cold next, not two faced, [James 3 v 17 ]/ This is contrasted with the worlds wisdom, which can be hurtful and unkind, in the movie, /There shall be blood/, which I watched recently the main character , manifests a worldly wisdom, that destroys both others and himself ,unlike the wisdom from above, that will always be rooted in Gods love.[ Dear God and Father we worship You , and ask that You would fill us with that wisdom which comes from You, we ask this in Jesus name. Amen ]

Wisdom.[ 2 Kings 3 v 5 - 10 ]

One of the things we all need is wisdom, life is full of so many pit falls, we have all made discisions ,and acted in ways which at times have been hurtful to ourselves and to others.The Little Sparrow sung a song, with those famous lines, /no regrets/, I wish I could say that, but I cant, I do have regrets, I could have acted more wisely at times. It is to the book of James we turn, and we have these words,/ If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and He will give it to you.[1v 5 ]In Proverbs 3v6, we read,/ In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths/, so today before we make any decision, or open our mouths to speak,let us pray and ask God for wisdom.[ Our God and Father we thank You that You have promised to grant us the wisdom we need in life, if we but ask, so today we ask that You, in Your great mercy will grant us this wisdom, in Jesus name we pray this. Amen ]

Our gifting. [ Romans 12 v 3 - 8 ]

In Romans 12 we read that we all have a part to play in Christs church, that we are all gifted in some way, I like what the Message says,/Lets just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pride- fully comparing ourselves with each other, or try to be something we arent./. Be what God has made you, and do what God has equipped you to do, and be content in this, again I quote the Message,/If you preach, just preach Gods message, nothing else, if you help, dont take over, if you teach, stick to your teaching, if you give encouraging guidance, be careful that you dont get bossy, if youre put in charge, dont manipulate, if you are called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond, if you work with the disadvantaged, dont let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face/. [ Dear Lord Jesus thank for those gifts that You have given us , help us to use them aright,help us to see what our gifts are, help us to be content with the gifts You have given us , Amen ]

The powers that be.[ Matthew 22 v15 - 22 ]

They are Gods servants, this is written about the powers that be ,or the governing authorities, [ Romans 13] as one considers this one may struggle,as we consider wicked goverments. If one believes that God is sovereign as I do ,then we have to believe that He in His wisdom has ordained the powers that be, even though they are wicked and oppressive. This is a complicated subject, all I can say is,God has not ordained them to be wicked or oppressive, that is their choice, and they will be held accountable.How should the Christian veiw his role in relation to the secular powers, well our Saviour said, / Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God/[Matthew 22v21 ]. As Christians we are meant to be law abiding, but no secular authority is to obeyed, when they go beyond their God given authority. Today let us pray for the many in this world who are being oppressed, by cruel and wicked authorities. [Dear God we pray for all those dear people who are living under oppession, have mercy upon them, especially your dear children, we ask this in Jesus name Amen ]