We are not clones. [Joshua 1 ]

Moses had died, and now Joshua is the new leader, what an act to follow,poor Joshua, people would always be comparing him with Moses. They would be saying ,Moses would not have done it that way,but them , he is not Moses, he is Joshua, we are not meant to be like our predecessors, we are to be ourselves, thats the way God meant it to be. I have five sons ,they are all different,they have different personalities, strengths , weaknesses, gifts, thats the way God made them. God has no favourites, he loves us equally, and has made us as we are, He does not want us to live in the shadow of others, He wants us all to feel that we are loved, God tells Joshua, /As I was with Moses, so I will be with thee, I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.[Joshua 1 v5 ] [ Dear God we thank You for making us as we are , that we are not clones, but individuals with our own personalities,gifts and abilities,help us, and use us as You will, in Jesus name, Amen ] [ I am on holiday for a week , so no blog]

Follow Me. [ John 10 v27 ]

Follow Me says Jesus, in fact He said it many times, and He keeps saying it many times to me,when He saved me, when He restored me ,in fact He says it everyday to me, and to you. Everyday brings with it the challenging words of our Saviour, follow Me, these words mean just that, following Him, I stress the word Him, not the crowd, not the changing fashion of this world, or even our own ideas , but Him. People are usually following something or someone, , Jesus says follow Me, am I prepared to do this today?, following Him will involve a cost,it will often involve being misunderstood, being criticized, but it brings with it the challenge to love, to sacrifice,and it is the path of blessing. [ Dear Saviour help us to follow you today ,Amen ]

Dont do it. [ Matthew 7 v 1-5 ]

In Matthew 7 our Saviour tells us something ,we need to be reminded of continually ,judging others, He says we are not to do it, He illustrates the point, in v3,which reads,And why worry about the speck in your friends eye, when you have a log in your own.I listen to some people criticising other peoples children, and I remember what they were like as children. Lets be honest none of us were perfect children, and none of us had perfect children, likewise none of us were perfect parents,I cringe when I think of my lack of parenting skills. People will be judging others for their driving, judging we are all into it to some degree, listen to Jesus ,dont do it, and He says if we do ,we will be judged. [ Dear God help us not to judge others, help us to pray more for others, help us to treat others as we would like to be treated, in Jesus name Amen ]

Humor [ Proverbs 15 v13-15 ]

Humor is something that can be such a blessing if it is not hurtful, my wife wears a mask over her eyes at night , so I asked her was she joining the lone ranger club, or even Zorro,s. she had just woken up so mybe she didnt appreciate my comments. I try to tell jokes, I say try, but not everyone appreciates my humour, sometimes I tell a joke or say something humourist and it back fires on me. We do need those people who make us laugh, thats why they are so popular, humor can be used in many ways ,to diffuse tense situations,to lift someones spirit. I always turn to the cartoon strip in the paper,recently I saw one that made me laugh,it goes like this,/A mans will was being read out,it read/ I being of sound mind and a believer in reincarnation ,I leave everything to my self. [Let me say I dont believe in reincarnation] Dear God we thank you for those people who make us laugh, grant that today we may brighten someones life,in Jesus name Amen]

He is at work. [ Genesis 50 v 19-21 ]

God is working His purpose out ,so wrote the hymn writer, sometime it does not seem like it, and yet He is, to us life may appear a mess, a tangle thread ,that can never be straightened out, to our natural senses we think, we see, we hear so much,that challenges Gods sovereignty. Like Jacob of old we can give into despair [Genesis 42v36 ], but He soon discovered the very opposite, that in fact God was working everything out for his good. God is working His purpose out even though at this time in ones life we may not see it,our prayers are being heard,and in response to them ,the answer is on its way,so let us hang in there, by faith, and we will not be disappointed. [ Dear God forgive our blind unbelief, grant us the faith, to see, that You are on the throne and You have not forgotten Your own ,in Jesus name Amen ]

Families. [Matthew 19 v14 ]

We have four of our grandchildren staying with us ,aged from 14yrs to 10mths,it bears in upon me the difficulties of having a quite time. Looking after children is a full time job, I dont know how some women manage a full time job,but many do, to their credit.Today let us remember families,our culture puts them under pressure ,material,moral,phyisical, no wonder so many families break up. Let us pray for parents and children today, let us not judge difficult families, or children, let us pray for a spiritual awakening.[ Dear God have mercy upon the families in our communities, help them to cope, and in Thy mercy bring them into Your family, in Jesus name Amen]

Not a fair weather friend.[ Hebrews 13 v5 ]

There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother [Proverbs 18v24],one may ask , who is this friend, well His name is Jesus. He becomes our friend when He becomes our Saviour, and then we have a friend that will support us , help us, protect us, guide us. Friends come and friends go, but not this friend,He never leaves us, He is with us now, in the movie Jurassic Park, there are two young people,and they are travelling around the park in a vehicle with an adult ,who runs away and leaves them when the dinosaur comes on the scene.later the children become seperated,the little girl is with the main character,in the movie. He goes to help the little boy who is in difficulties,the girl is panic striken, all she can say ,he ran away and left us, the man replies,but I wont. Whoever leaves us, and that can be painful, let us not panic or despair, Jesus would whisper to you ,but I wont. [ Dear Lord in this world ,so called friends can desert us and leave us ,but we thank You ,you wont Amen]

The small things. [ Joshua 7]

Little things are important, especially in our prayer life,God nudged me this week, reminding me that we need to pray about the little things. I had two tasks to do ,one large one small,I prayed much about the large task, but not so much about the small task, I succeeded in the large failed in the small ,and I was reminded of how Israel succeeded at Jericho ,and failed at Ai,Jericho was a large city, Ai was small, it seems to me that after the victory over Jericho ,an unhealthy self confidence had set in,the result ,defeat. I know sin was at the bottom of their defeat, but I feel if they had taken time to seek God before the battle that could have been dealt with, and victory would have been assured, lets not neglect to seek God in the small things. [Dear God help us to acknowledge You in all things, to seek your help with the big and small , in Jesus name, Amen ]

Joy will come in the morning. [ Psalm 30v5 ]

In Psalm 30 v5, we read,/ Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning/, a wonderful promise to all Gods children,especially those who are enduring times of trials. God often permits His children to experience times of trials, times of weeping,times of pain, emotional and phyisical suffering. This scripture speaks of enduring, and this is an aspect of life that many dear Christians have to exercise,we are not going to be carried to heaven in flowery beds of ease. In the world we will have many trials and sorrows , so said our Saviour [John 16 v33],that is the reality of life, we can think of those who are suffering for their faith,and all that means for them and their families. Whatever suffering we have to face, yes we will have to endure, but listen , joy will come in the morning, so hold on dear child of God. [ Dear God grant unto us the grace to endure, in our trials,and help us to hold unto the wonderful truth, that joy will come in the morning, in Jesus name Amen ]

We are to be different. [ Acts 4 v13 ]

In Colossians 4v5-6, we read/ Live wisely among those who are not believers, and make most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and attractive, so that you will have the right response for everyone./ My study Bible says ,/ We should be wise in our contacts with non-believers, making the most of our opportunites to tell them the good news of salvation/. My son was telling me of where he worked, the foul and filthy language which is common, we can by our language and manner speak to such people, but in speaking ,we also need to manifest a godliness, that will affect them. So today wherever we find ourselves, may God enable us to count for Him and His kingdom. [Dear God, in this fallen world help us to manifest a godliness, that will count for Your glory in Jesus name Amen]

The place of safety. [ Psalm 46 ]

The life of faith is the only safe life, so wrote Thomas Case,I wonder do you agree? I believe it to be so, and yet there are times one may want it different. The believers security is not in winning the lottery, having perfect health , but simply to have faith in our God. Let us ask the question ,are the rich secure because of their riches?, no, are the philosophers secure because of their philosophy?,no, are the nations secure because of their armaments?no. The life of faith is the only safe place to be ,it saved Noah , and his family from drowning[Hebrews 11v 7], the scriptures tell us ,/ By faith the harlot perished not with them that believed not[Hebrews 11v31]/ . Faith in Christ alone saves, from sin,and satan, it saves us from Hell ,and takes us to heaven,and the life of faith will bring us safely through ,difficulties and dangers, and will cause the Lords favour to rest upon us. [ Dear God help us to walk more by faith and less by sight in Jesus name Amen ]

Jungle and grace . [Ephesians 2 v1-8 ]

As Tarzan said to Jayne, its a jungle out there,sad to say for many people ,out there is a jungle,life can be dirty ,damaging, and dangerous. Some of us are sheltered from the excesses, but we live in a sinful world,were one only has to scratch the surface, to reveal its real nature. Come to think of it I am a bit like that, as one man wrote ,we have the same blood running through our veins as those in Hell. Am I being a bit extreme?, read the lives of David and his son Solomon, read what Paul said in Romans 7 v 18-25 ,I know that nothing good lives in me, that is , in my sinful nature, but then he goes unto say, O wretched man that I am, Who shall deliver me from this body of death. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. William Plummer writes,/How amazing is that grace, which shall take away his divided heart, and gives him one heart, one mind, one will,as He has now one God , one Redeemer, one comforter..... Christ is our Salvation./[ Dear God thank You for saving us through Your Son Jesus Amen ]

A good day. [ Numbers 6 v24-26 ]

There is a song by Don Williams which I like ,it goes, /Lord I hope this day is good,Im feeling empty and misunderstood.I should be thankful, Lord I know I should, but Lord I hope this day is good/. If we are honest I am sure we all can identify with those words,there are days when we do feel empty and misunderstood, the important thing is , the Lord understands. The Psalmist felt like this[cp Psalm 42/43], so we are in good company, so let us pray our prayer of honesty,and grant it that the Lord ,may lift up the light of His countenance upon us, and bless us with a good day.[ Dear Lord Jesus we love You, and we know You love us,we ask that You would bless us with a good day today, Amen ]

No turning back. [ John 21 v20 -22 ]

Run with your vision,that is one of the great lessons of the Christian life, I am sure I have been judged as being foolhardy, in my time as I stepped out ,into the vision God had placed on my heart. To go where others to not see ,or do not want to be, but thats what one has to do, follow what God has put on ones heart. Our Saviour was rebuked by Peter, because He had told his disciples, of his forthcoming suffering, and death [Mark 8v31ff], you see that was Christ vision,consider the consequences of Him not fullfilling it,for the whole world, for you for me. In following Gods vision we will need courage and faith ,we must follow that star,and in doing so,we will be will be wise in the sight of God. May our prayer be,[ I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back. Though none go with me,I still will follow, no turning back, no turning back.Amen ]

Forgetting. [ Mark 8 v1-21 ]

In Mark 8 we read how Jesus performed a miracle,fed 4,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes,and yet shortly after this Jesus is rebuking His disciples, with the words ,/Dont you remember anything at all?/Now before we go judging the disciples, lets be honest,we are very like them, we forget so much of what the Lord teaches us,we even forget Him. We so quickly forget those times in the past in which God has undertaken for us,and in our forgetfulness we fret and worry. Today let us make an effort to remember what the preacher preached,what we have read from Gods word,and how God undertook for us in the past. He can still provide for us, open up a way for us, He has not changed,nor will He, try to remember, and as the Holy Spirit brings to remembrance,stop fretting and worrying, and start trusting. [Dear Lord forgive us for our sinful forgetfulness,stir us up to godly remembrances of all You have done for us and taught us,and help us to be at rest,Amen ]

Gods amazing choice. [1 Corinthians 1 v26-29 ]

When I was younger, I helped to manage a football team, and I can assure you that it is not easy,even at a junior level. One of the most difficult aspects of it was choosing the team, for it meant ,some would be left out,but the choices have to be made,for if you want a winning team ,you have to pick the best. In 1 Corinthians 1 v 26-29, we read how God made a choice,and it appears He choose ,not the best but the worst. He choose people whom the world consider foolish,He choose those who are weak,He choose those who are despised by the world, strange choice one would say. Who is the apostle writing of?,you and me, Gods amazing choice, in the words of an old gospel song, who am I?a nobody,it should keep us humble, and stop us from having airs about ourselves,and cause us to be very, very grateful. [ Merciful God we praise for choosing us nobodies, in Jesus name Amen ]

Loving and fearing God.[ Acts 5 v1-11]

I called in to see a friend yesterday,and he mentioned about some well known evangelist who had fallen into sin,this evangelist , who has since repented of his sin ,said that when he was sinning ,he still loved the Lord but he did not fear Him. One cannot stress enough the importance of having a fear of God,in these days there is a lack of balance,people major on the love of God, and exclude the fear of the Lord. In Psalm 111v10, we are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, our Saviour stressed the importance of fearing God[ Matthew 10v28],in Nehemiah 5v9 we read of walking in the fear of the Lord.Crudence in his concordance ,writes the following on the fear of the Lord,/ The fear of God ,means that reverance for God which leads to obedience because of ones realization of His power, as well as of His love to man /.[ Dear God help us to see the importance of having a proper attitude towards You, in Jesus name Amen ]

Blaming God. [ 2 Timothy 2 v24-26 ]

I was in conversation with someone yesterday, who has had a rough time in recent days,she was sharing with me a present difficulty, the difficulty of being patient. I said to her that one of the greatest lessons I have had to learn was patience, then she asked me how I managed that, I said by the grace of God. She was annoyed at my answer, as she is not a Christian, one senses she is carrying a lot of hurts,and possible blames God for many things. There are many people out there who are hurting,and are blaming God,we need wisdom and patience in dealing with them, and to pray much for them, only God and His grace,can help these people.[ Father in heaven ,we ask that You would have mercy on those people who are blaming You for their hurts,people who are resentful and angry, we ask this in Jesus name Amen ]

Praying all night. [ Luke 18 v1 av ]

In Luke 6 v12 we read how Jesus spent all night in prayer,Barnes in his commentary says a number of things about this,he points out that the Jews had places of prayer built in various places. This may have been one it may not have been, let us all have a place where we pray. Again Barnes points out that ,that this time of prayer was at a time of great importance,and so Jesus prayed much , are we facing important decisions in our lives ,follow Jesus example,pray much.Our Saviour was ,divine yet human, yet He prayed, so must we, we may not pray all night but we need to pray. To pray all night may appear strange to some,and yet the natural man will spend all night in drinking,clubing, etc,in the times we live, there is a greater need than ever to pray ,yes even all night.[ Dear Father help us to to pray, to spend more time with you , for we need Your guidance,and blessing, in Jesus name Amen]

Cumbria, Why ?. Proverbs 3v5. av]

One of the questions asked following the tragic happenings in Cumbria ,was, why did God allow it to happen?,the minister who was asked the question, said he struggled with that question also. As we look at history ,we see many tragedies, in fact everyday there are, tragedies, and the same question could be asked, why?. For the non Christian it is an accusation, a reason to not believe in God, for the Christian it is a challenge to trust in the God we know ,who is sovereign, and love. Both His sovereignty and love are great mysteries, but as a Christian, I believe them to be true, The Christian life is a life of faith, it is not based on our understanding, but on faith in a God who has revealed Himself to us, by His Spirit,and His word . God is not duty bound to tell us everything, [ Deuteronomy 29 v29 av ], but we are duty bound to trust in the Lord with all our hearts, and lean not upon our own understanding.[ Proverbs 3 v5 av][ Almighty God we thank You that You are sovereign, and love,we ask for the grace to trust in You,even when we are hurting over things we do not understand, in Jesus name, Amen ]

Burdened [ 1 Corinthians 9 v16 ]

Do you ever have a burden on your heart?, well I do , it is a burden for the lost,those who know not Christ as Saviour. I know I should witness to them ,and I do try, but I feel so inadequate. I look at our nation and I see a nation that appears to have chosen the broad road that leads to destruction,so what can one do? , well one needs to pray ,to go ,and to tell. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit, to be filled with His power, His wisdom, to realize that in ourselves we can do nothing, but in Him we can do all things, there is a line of a hymn that comes to mind ,/Use even me/. Here is the wonderful truth God can use even us, we must not make excuses , we must obey, our Master and Lord, and be His witness, and as we do we will discover that He will use even us . [ Dear God help us to witness to others with our lives and our words, for Jesus sake, Amen ]