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 ]