Do it. [ Acts 1 v 8 ]

Years ago there was a program on the TV called opportunity knocks, so it is today, for many opportunity will knock, job opportunities, etc. It is in Luke 21 our Lord speaks of a time of great persecution, and He says it will be an opportunity to tell others about Him.I have just read of a Pastor Truong from Vietnam who was put into a mental hospital for being a Christian, and in that situation he was still able to witness about his Saviour.It goes without saying that what people need to hear about is Jesus, and it is our responsiblity to tell them, how shall they hear without a preacher? they wont.I remember being told by a manager in work years ago ,as I didthered about a certain task, /Do it./ So many of us our dithering as regards telling others about Jesus, lets just do it,we can. [ Dear Lord help us to tell others about Jesus Your Son Amen ]

Be careful [ Galations 5 v1 ]

I wonder how sensitive we are to the Holy Spirit?, to His prompting,to the fact that we can grieve Him and even quench Him. As Christian we resent rules , after all whom the Son sets free is free indeed, yet that freedom is a freedom to resist and over come evil, and reject those things that could cause us harm. In 1 Corinthians 6v12, the apostle Paul is writing on freedom, he writes,/You say, I am allowed to do anything- but not everything is good for you. And even though , I am allowed to do anything, I must not become a slave to anything./ My study Bible comments,/Be careful that what God has allowed you to enjoy doesnt grow into a bad habit that controls you./ Let us be sensitive to what God is saying, even about the legitimate things, that we do not become slaves to them. [ Dear God we thank You for setting us free , help us to remain free, in Jesus name Amen ]

Everything to God in prayer.[ Matthew 7 v 7 -11 ]

Sometimes we may be reluctant to pray about something, we may think it is being selfish,after all ,there are so many people God has to look after. The hymn writer wrote of carrying everything to God in prayer,prayer of course is not just about my needs, when we pray we should be praying for others needs as well.Yet having said that, we are at liberty to pray about those things that concern us, with a confidence, and not be filled with condemnation. Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, and present our petitions and requests, to our loving heavenly Father, the hymn writer wrote,/ If earthly parents hear their children when they cry, if they, with love sincere, their childrens wants supply. Much more wilt thou Thy love display, and answer when Thy children pray./[ Dear loving Father grant us confidence to bring everything to You in prayer, in Jesus name Amen ]

Old age. [ Psalm 91 ]

We read in Deuteronomy 33v25 av,/ as thy days, so shall thy strength be/,as one becomes older,one becomes more conscious of the weakness of our bodies, mybe even of our spirits, so here is a wonderful and encouraging verse. God will not forsake us in our old age ,He will grant unto us, the strength we need, in Isaiah 46v4 we read,/ I will be your God throughout your lifetime until your hair is white with age. I made you, and I will care for you. I will carry you along and save you/. We can look into the future with fear, or we can look into the future with faith, the choice is ours. Whatever our condition now or in the future, God will be with us, even when we are old,not only to strengthen us but to guide us, /For this God is our God for ever and ever, He will be our guide even unto death [Psalm 48v14 ]. [ Dear God help us when our natural being is declining to trust in You, and your faithfulness, in Jesus name Amen]

Those inward battles. [Deuteronomy 33v27 ]

Let us not be fooled by appearances,the wealthy and famous may be seen to be free from all troubles ,as they appear on the cover of O K, mag,appear to have everything, but behind the glitter, they have their problems,Bing Crosby had a son who suffered from mental illness,Kenneth Williams who made us all laugh ,was a very unhappy soul. What I am saying applies to all humanity, everyday people have their secret battles to contend with, insecurities to cope with. Being a Christian does not mean we are free from the inward battles, some give the impression that they are, but they are not, but for us who are Christians, we can know the peace of God, we can experience a strength that is not our own, through Jesus.In the words of an old hymn ,/God has not promised skies always blue, / but He has promised to be with us in all our inward battles, and to uphold us with His everlasting arms [Deuteronomy 33v27] [Dear God you alone know us fully, nothing is hid from You,and You know how much we struggle inwardly, so today, grant us grace, and peace, and that inward strength we need, in Jesus name Amen ]

Not just theory. [ 2 Corinthians1v 3-4 ]

There are times when the truths we hold become more meaningful to us, this happens when we are experiencing different things. Indeed it is only as we experience , bereavment, do we appreciate the comfort of God more fully than we did, or when we are in need do we appeciate , God supplying our needs.When we feel our unworthiness because we fail to overcome some temptation, we find we really appreciate the truth, that we are saved and accepted by the grace of God. Many of us know in theory the truths of God,but God wants us to know them in our hearts, and in our lives,because only as they affect our lives will we be able to sympathize,and understand the sufferings of others,instead of a cold indifference to others.[ Soften my heart Lord, soften my heart, from all indifference set me apart, to feel Your compassion, to weep with Your tears, come soften my heart, O Lord , soften my heart. Amen ].......[Words by Graham Kendrick]

Gods providential care for His own. [Psalm 57v2]

One of my favourite books is,/The mystery of providence, by John Flavel/, I would commend it to you, it is published by ,Banner of Truth, and is well worth buying, and reading. The Providence of God reminds us that ,that God is working ,watching,caring, for all His children,overruling in every situation. Flavel has so much to say of worth,he writes,/Does God perform all things for His people? Do not distrust Him then when new or great difficulties arise/ The difficulties will only increase if we distrust,and let us not act in panic , we must pray and trust God to undertake.We may not see with our natural sight, we may not understand, how God will work for us,let faith arise,to our sovereign God,a God who loves us, a God who cares, a God who hears, a God who sees, and a God who will not fail us. Isaac Watts wrote,/ Thy providence is kind and large, Both man and beast Thy bounty share, The whole creation is Thy charge. But saints are thy peculiar care./ [ Dear God we praise You for Your fatherly care, we ask that we will trust Your providential care for us, in Jesus name Amen ]

The Lord is. [Psalm 18 ]

In Psalm 18v2 , David declares what the Lord is,[i] My rock,when we know the Lord Jesus, we are standing on solid ground. [2]My fortress, the powers of hell may attack us ,but we will be safe. [3] My Saviour, He and He alone can save us, from our sins,and from all those things that would destroy us. [4] My shield, He will protect us from harm.[5]My place of safety, on the road,in our homes, in our jobs. [ Dear God we thank You that You are watching over us, and that You will never fail us, in Jesus name Amen ]

Tired. [ Matthew 11v28-30 ]

Sometimes I feel weary in spirit, facing lifes challenges can take it out of one,as I thought about this the words of Isaiah 40v29-31 came to mind, so I will pass them on to you./ He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall. But they that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint./ [ Dear God sometimes a weariness comes over us, we struggle to cope,we feel it difficult to go on, so today as we wait upon You ,renew our strength in Jesus name Amen ]

Coincidence. [ Revelation 19 v6 av ]

I believe God is involved in all of life, things dont just happen, God rules and overrules, I often stress the sovereignty of God, because I know the devil would undermind this vital truth. I believe there are no coincidences in our lives, what may appear a chance happening, is God,overruling, protecting His children, providing for His children. There are many examples of this in the word of God, the life of so many of His children are a testimony, to Gods ruling and overruling. The doctrine of the sovereignty of God covers all events in life, even the Hitlers,and the painful and the joyful experiences ,in His childrens life. I have just been told of a dear child of God who died, leaving a family, cruel chance, no , a loving God is ruling and overruling, and causing all things to work together for their good .[ Romans 8 v28 av]. Dear Child of God let us consign the word coincidence to the bin, and let us hold on ,with all that is in us ,to the truth ,that God is sovereign [ Dear God there are so many things that we do not understand,sad things ,painful things, help us to hold unto the truth, that You are in control, in Jesus name Amen ]

Pray without ceasing.[ Luke 18 v1 ]

I pray for parking spaces, there is nothing wrong with that, some people are critical of people who do, but whats wrong with praying for a parking space, if we need one, God says He will meet our need[ Philippians 4 v19]. I think we should pray about everything, why not , the main thing is that we pray, in 1 Thessalonians 5v17, we are to pray without ceasing., that means as E Hopkins writes,/ to observe a constant course of prayer at fixed and appointed times/. We need to be in an attitude of prayer, as we attend our duties, again as E Hopkins writes,/Praying without ceasing is keeping our hearts in such a praying frame that we are always ready to pray....to have the habit of always freely and sweetly breathing out our requests unto God./ So today pray for a parking space , but also pray without ceasing. [ Dear God we thank You that we can pray about everything ,even parking spaces, and we ask that You would fill us with the spirit of prayer, that we would pray with out ceasing, in Jesus name Amen ]

Be prepared. [ Proverbs 27 v1 ]

Life is very uncertain ,here today gone tomorrow, this is borne out in the story our Saviour told in Luke 12v 13-21. A rich and prosperous farmer , he had his plans, he was going to retire , and eat drink and be merry. He had his plans , but God had other plans, he was taken up solely with this life,he had no thought of God or others, God called him a fool, and that night he died, leaving everything behind. My study Bible says,/Planning for retirement- preparing for life before death is wise-but neglecting life after death is disastrous/. The only way to prepare for life after death is to have a right relationship with God, by accepting Christ as Saviour, and to live for Him. [ Dear God help us to see that the most important thing in life is to know and to live for Christ Amen ]

Escaping death. [ 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13-18 ]

Let us continue to consider Enoch, this man who walked with God, in Hebrews11v 5 we read he was taken up to heaven without dying- he disappeared,because God took him. We read of only two people in the Bible who never died, Enoch and Elijah, why they were spared from dying, I do not know. Most of us will die, I say most of us, but there is coming a time when our Lord comes back again, millions of believers will suddenly be translated into His presence , without dying [1 Thessalonians4 ]. The hymn writer H L Turner,thinking of that day when the Lord returns, wrote,/Oh joy, oh delight, should we go without dying, no sickness, no sadness, no dread and no crying, caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory, when Jesus , recieves His own./[ Dear God we we ask that You would hasten the day of Your Sons returning, in His precious name we ask this Amen ]

Walking with God. [ Hebrews 11v 5 ]

In Genesis 5v22 we read, Enoch walked with God, what does that conjure up in your mind?, why does it highlight this one man ?.The new living translation puts it like this, /walking in close fellowship with God/, that implies many things, it involved a very personal relationship.It also implies a seperation from wrong relationships [Psalm 1], a life that is holy, seperated from evil and seperated to holiness. It involves following Jesus and not the crowd, choosing Gods way , and not ours, it does not mean we lock ourselves away in a monastery, it means living as light, and ,as salt. Enoch was a man of faith, [Hebrews 11v5], it is impossible to know God, without faith in His son Jesus, and likewise it is impossible to have a close fellowship with God, without faith.[ Dear God help us to know You, and to walk in close fellowship with You , in Jesus name. Amen ]

Encouragement [ 2 Chronicles 35 v 2 ]

I recieved a compliment, I must confess Im never to sure how to react to compliments, and yet it is nice when one recieves one. It was said that the Duke of Wellingtons butler left his service because the Duke never once,expressed any appreciation,or complimented him. When our Lord spoke to the seven churches in Revelation [chapters 2-3 ], He pointed out the positive things within the churches , oh yes they were not perfect . Many people feel unappreciated, taken for granted, so today as we rub shoulders with people, let us encourage them, by a complment,a thank you, a phone call.[ Dear God we thank You for all the encouagement we recieve from You , help us to to follow Your example in Jesus name Amen ]

He is still the same.[ Ephesians 3 v20 ]

How she praised God, so reads Luke 13 v13, a woman had suffered from being crippled for 18yrs, the Bible says it was caused by an evil spirit. Her illness caused her to be bent over,every day for this dear lady was a trial, there appeared no hope, she would just have to live with it, we have all heard that. Then Jesus came, and in a moment everything changed, He spoke to her, Dear woman, you are healed of your sickness. Then He touched her, and instantly she could stand straight. How she praised God. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever, He is still in the buisness of healing , providing,guiding, and above all else, saving us from our sins. [ Dear Lord we look to You, have mercy upon us , and meet our needs Amen ]

Witnessing. [ Acts 1 v8 ]

I know God saves, not you not I, yet he uses us to witness, to tell, unfortunately this does not always happen, I shy away from speaking the truth to others,why?. There are different reasons , we dont want to be thought of as religious cranks, we dont feel like witnessing, we are naturally reserved. How shall they hear without a preacher,or how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?[Romans 10v14 ], that is the challenge you and I are faced with,to tell forth the gospel. We may see people saved, we may not , that need not concern us because salvation is of the Lord. [Ezekiel 2v5 ]. It is not that we are not concerned, of course we are, but Salvation is trully of the Lord, so we must leave results in His hands, the most important thing for us ,is that we be faithful. [ Dear God help us to be faithful in our witness for You, with our lives and our words, in Jesus name Amen ]

Overcoming worry.[ Philippians 4 v6-7 ]

I love that little epistle to the Philippians, it has so much to say to us, Paul the author is in prison, and so from his prison cell he writes to the church at Philippi. This church was especially dear to Paul , under his ministry this church had come into being,he loved them and they loved him, they showed their love by supporting him financially. Chapter four is very encouraging and instructive, v6-7,is a word we need to hear continually,it informs us how we can overcome worry./Dont worry 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 we can understand.His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus./ [Dear God we bring to You all the things that we are worrying about , take them from us ,and undertake, may we trully experience Your peace, in Jesus name Amen ]

Hardened hearts. [ Hebrews 4 v 7 ]

We have put some new plants in the garden, I mentioned this to a friend, he reminded me of the problem with slugs, those little creatures who eat our plants. He mentioned that they only will eat the young tender plants, once the plants become harder to chew on, they dont want them. Lets consider that aspect of things becoming hardened ,like the bit of concrete I put in, at first it is soft ,but today it is hard,when a thing becomes hard, it is difficult to penetrate.So it is with people and the Gospel, they can so easy become Gospel hardened, many people come to Jesus when they are young,when their hearts are not so hardened. The Bible exhorts us not to harden our hearts[Hebrews 3v8 ], I wonder have we hardened our hearts to Gods truth,to the Gospel,or as a Christian, we refuse, by our stubbornness to respond to what God is saying?. Only you can answer that question, if today you hear the voice of God ,harden not your heart,remember their are serious consequences ,when we harden our heart. [Soften my heart Lord, soften my heart,from all indifference set me apart, to feel your compassion, to weep with your tears, come soften my heart, O Lord soften my heart , Amen] [Words by Graham Kendrick]

A man after Gods heart. [ 1Samuel 16 v1 -13 ]

I always love reading 1 Samuel, it has so much in it, it is about the beginning of human kingship in Israel, this was a big disappointment to the prophet Samuel , and to God, for God was their king. Still God permitted it to go ahead,some of the kings, were good, some were bad, but none were perfect. David is seen as Israels greatest king, David had been a shepherd, of course that is were he recieved inspiration to write Psalm23.[ The Lord is my shepherd ]. When the prophet came to annoint a new king, David was overlooked by man, but not by God,Samuel the spiritual man, looked at the candidate for kingship,in a human way,outwardly, but was soon pulled up by God, he was told God looks on the heart,and so David was annointed ,a man after Gods own heart.[1 Samuel 13v14 ]. What does it mean to be man or woman after Gods heart?,it means having a heart for God,wanting what God wants, and running with it,and if we do ,who knows we may become another David. [ Dear God our hearts are cluttered with so much rubbish, today in thy great mercy, change us to be men and women who have hearts only for You, in Jesus name Amen ]

Eternal Glory [ Philippians 3 v12 - 14 ]

The words eternal glory come to mind,what does that mean to you? what does it mean to me?. The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 9 v24-27 , writes of two types of glory, one is temporal, the other eternal. The question is what are we going for?the temporal is just that,nothing more ,when we die we leave it all behind. The eternal glory is not obvious at this time, because we see it by faith, it is looking beyond the silver and glitter of this life, of seeing the glories of this life as something that will fade away, and will count for nothing when we stand before God. We do not merit salvation but we are to make every effort in our pursuit of those eternal glories, to do less than this has its consequences.[ 1 Cor 9 v27 ] [ Dear God help us to not be blinded, to what really matters in life, help us to keep our vision on eternal values, in Jesus name Amen]

Time to start gardening.[ Psalm 90 v17 av ]

It is that time of the year when we start working in the garden, putting new plants in, weeding. Nice gardens dont just happen, it takes a bit of thought, a bit of expense, and a bit of effort, in other words if you want a nice garden , there is a cost. This is not unlike the Christian life, lf we want to be more like Jesus there is a cost, we need to root out the weeds, roots of bitterness ,that can mar our lives, get rid of the rubbish,that we have allowed to accumulate. The words of Psalm 139 v23-24 ,comes to mind,/Search me , O God, and know my heart,test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything that offends You, and lead me along the path of everlasting life./ As God answers this prayer, let us then start gardening. [ Dear God grant that these lives of ours may be objects of Christlike beauty in Jesus name Amen ]

Keep right on to the end of the road. [2 Timothy 4 v6 - 8 ]

I am 66yrs of age, but the thing is this, the challenge of the Christian life does not change, I still have to face temptation, still have to be holy, still have to live for Jesus. I have not reached the finish line yet,I cannnot put my feet up,the fact of the matter is, there is no retirement age for the Christian, it is a life long commitment. That means I still have to rely on Jesus everyday, I still have to pray, still have read the word of God, even though I may have read it a hundred times.It would be tragic to fail after all these years, to not finish, to give up,so let us all renew our commitment, to press on to to the end, by the grace of God. [ Dear God help us to persevere and to never give up, help us to keep right on to the end of the road ,in Jesus name Amen ]

Saved. [ Acts 16v31 ]

I have just heard that my daughter-in- laws sister, has trusted the Saviour, and been baptised,it all happened so suddenly, or so it appears. But the fact of the matter is ,my son and his wife have been praying, talking and witnessing to her for a number of years. They have sown now they are reaping,let us remember our labours are never in vain in the Lord, as we sow into peoples lives so there will be a reaping. Let us be faithful, prayerful,and watchful,today,God is still in the business of saving people, it can happen, God can surprise us, think of the apostle Paul, who would have thought he would have become a Christian, but by Gods Grace he did.[ Dear God we thank you for saving my daugther-in -laws sister, we ask that we may see You saving many more people, in Jesus name Amen]

We are all tarred with the same brush. [Romans 3v23 ]

In Luke 7 v36-50, we read of an incident, where Jesus had been invited for a meal by a man called Simon, he was a Pharisee, a member of a very strict group, the Pharisees had a them and us mentality. The Pharisees judged people,and would stay away from anyone considered in their eyes sinful, they sought to impose their ideas on Jesus. Now of course our Saviour was not a Pharisee,He declared ,that He had not come into the world to condemn the world[ John 3 v17 ], this is demonstrated in so many places within the Gosples.The purpose of Jesus coming is to save, not to condemn, He will judge one day all those who have refused to accept Him [ Acts17 v31]. It is so easy for us to be like the Pharisees, to judge others as being sinners, and forgetting the truth that we are all without exception sinners,we must not exclude anyone from the grace of God.[ Dear God help us to not raise a wall of partition between us and others, help us to faithfully seek to reach everyone with the Gospel, in Jesus name Amen ]

The day of small things.[ John 6 v 9 ]

Recently I attended an evening of listening to a choir, as the choir leader stood up to begin ,she said, pity there are so few here. I appreciate her disappointment, yet I felt that it was inappropiate, what she said, for a number of reasons,most of all it limited the power of God. Yesterday I was preaching and there was only six people present, so what, they all need as I do to hear Gods word, to be encouraged, and among the six was a little boy,who knows he might have heard something what I said, applied by the Holy Spirit, and he may have trusted the Saviour. This is the day of small things, let us not be discouraged, let us be faithful, let us keep on praying, let us trust in our God to work in the lives of needy souls.[ Dear God help us to not be discouraged in these days of small things, keep us faithful, in Jesus name Amen ]

Easter [ John 3 v16 ]

What does Easter mean to you? it means that we are remembering the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, I read this poem by, Joanna Fuchs,/ If not for Easter the Chaos of this world would be all there is, and all there ever would be. If not for Easter the unfairness of life would drive us to despair./Easter makes a difference , I remember forty six years ago as a young man attending a service on Easter Sunday, hearing the message and being restored, if it was not for Easter that would never have happened. Easter is a historical fact, but it is more than that, it is about a Saviour who died for sinners, a Saviour who is alive now , and who saves to the uttermost ,all who call upon Him, as J Fuchs also writes, Jesus death and reurrection means we can be reborn to live better, to do better, to shine light into darkness. Hallelujah. Happy , Happy Easter.[ Dear God we thank You for Easter, we pray that many will personally embrace Him who died and rose again, even Jesus Your Son , Amen ]

Sweet hour of prayer. [ Hebrews 4 v 12-13 ]

Lastly let us consider, William Walford,a blind preacher,and shop owner,the hymn he is remembered for ,was initially a poem that was turned into a hymn.It is called ,Sweet hour of prayer, it lays a stress,on a number of things about prayer,that prayer can be a sweet refuge from the cares of life, a place of unloading our burdens, a place where we recieve grace to help in all our times of need, and above all else a place of sweet communion with our Saviour. We may need many things today, but the thing we most of all need ,is to spend time in prayer ,with our Lord, we forfeit so much , when we neglect the place of prayer. Here is a verse from this lovely hymn,/ Sweet hour of prayer,sweet hour of prayer,That calls me from a world of care, And bids me at my Fathers throne, Make all my wants and wishes known, In seasons of distress and grief, My soul has often found relief, And oft escaped the tempters snare, By thy return, sweet hour of prayer./[ Dear God we thank You for prayer, help us to make it a priority in our lives in Jesus name Amen ]

Blessed assurance. [ 1 John 3 v 1-2 ]

Fanny Crosby she lived till the age of 95, she was blinded at birth, but she was never bitter by this so called accident, she was prolific in her hymn writing. Her best remembered hymn is , Blessed Assurance, which is still sung regularly by Christians, The theme of the hymn is ,assurance, praise ,and submission, each of these themes, bring a challenge. The first one assurance, that of knowing Jesus as ones Saviour, the second ,is praise ,flowing from that relationship ,and all it has brought one into . The third ,perfect submission,is in relationship to the Lordship of Christ in the Christians life, so many of us only know imperfect submission, we are unfortunately ever resisting that perfect submission, as a result we do loose out in so many ways. [ Dear God we thank You ,that we can have that assurance that Jesus is ours,and be trully blessed,we praise You for all that means,and we pray that You will help us to perfectly submit our lives and wills to You, in Jesus name Amen ]

Loved. [ Romans 8 v 35- 39 ]

Yesterday we mentioned three people who were blind, yet wrote hymns that blessed others,let us consider their Hymns, for the next three mornings. George Matheson,s most remembered Hymn is,/ O love that wilt not let me go/. It is said he wrote this out of a painful experience, whan he was rejected by someone he loved. Like George we may be experiencing rejection, many people have ,even by those nearest and dearest to them, and it is very painful, so today let us not be bitter, or despair, and let us remember the one who will always love us, even God. George wrote, O Love that wilt not let me go, I rest my weary soul in thee. I give Thee back the life I owe, that in Thine ocean depths its flow may richer , fuller be. [ Dear God we thank You that we will always be loved by You, for Jesus sake Amen ]