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 ]