Suffering Christians. [ Hebrews 13 v3 nlt]

Well the thing I have dreaded has arrived, no not the electric bill ,the dreaded snow, I have made up my mind ,that I am not going to build a snow man, or a snow woman[ She would just melt in my arms ], and I am not going to go sledging, or throw snow balls. But what I am going to do is carry on as best I can, and prayerfully and carefully drive my car,as I do my job of visiting my clients.My mind turns to people who are suffering not just inconvenience, but real difficulties,my dear brothers and sisters in North Korea, many of them in awful prisons, my dear brothers and sisters in so many places ,who are suffering for Christ.In Hebrews 13 v3, we read,/Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies./[ Dear God we bring to You, our fellow Christians who are suffering for our Saviour, have mercy upon them today in Jesus name. Amen ]

The dark clouds. [ Romans 8 v28 ]

Still no snow ,thank goodness, but the weather forecast tells us it is only a matter of time, I must confess if I had my way ,snow would be restricted to the Christmas card. I dont really mind snow, it is the fact that I have to drive in it, concerns me, I have had ,a few hairy moments in the past, that have unnerved me.I dont like the cold, but then I think well it may snow, but I have a nice warm home, I have warm clothes, God will watch over me,He does not suddenly disappear ,whatever the weather. Why do we so many times think the worse?, well its part of our human condition, and of course some of us our more pessimistic than others. William Cowper, suffered from mental illness, as a child He was bullied at school ,and I am sure this must of had an affect on him. but he was a man of God,and inspite of his illness ,he expressed words of deep faith, here is a verse of his most famous hymn. /Ye fearful saints fresh courage take, the clouds ye so much dread ,are big with mercy, and shall break with mercy on your head./[ Dear God help me to see beyond the dark clouds in my life, and to trust in You, in Jesus name . Amen ]

An old friend.2 Peter 1 v 4]

I met an old friend this morning, I have a great love of him,for he encourages me everytime I meet him, his name is, Precious Promise,I meet him often as I read Gods word. He comes to me when I am struggling,and directs me, assures me of Gods love ,stills my fearful heart, directs my steps in the right way, encourages me not to fear, but to trust in my God who cannot lie. Let me intoduce you to my friend,/ Casting all your cares upon Him, for He careth for you [1Peter 5 v7 ]. Now consider what my friend is saying , he is saying if this day we are facing difficulties of any kind, he tells tells us not to hold unto anything, all means all. Then he tells us what to do with all our cares, give them to God, He wants to relieve us of our anxieties. Then my friend tells us something wonderful, he tells us that God cares for us, yes, you and me, we may believe the devil who is a liar, that no one cares for us, but it is not true , God cares for us. [ Dear God thank You for your precious promises, help me to believe them, in Jesus name Amen ]

Give thanks.[ Ephesians 5 v20]

Sometimes we forget to say thank you, especially to God, it is legitimate to ask, but it is important to say thank you, to Him. Stop for a moment this day and say ,thank You God, for Jesus , think of all we have been blessed through Him, Chosen,forgiven, a relationship with God,justified, a reciever of the grace of God, the mercy of God, a home in Heaven, saved from Hell. Then there are the blessings in life, food ,fresh drinking water,no shortage, clothes ,shoes,a bit of money, holidays, the ability to do so many things. Then there is Gods protection , and so it goes on, and on ,and on, I know there are the difficulties in life, but I also know that all things, let me repeat this, all things , are working together for the child of Gods good, so today let us lift our voices, and hearts and say ,thank You God . [Dear God we raise our hearts and voices to You in thanksgiving,for loving us, and blessing us in Jesus. Amen ]

Uncertain riches. [Luke 16 v16-21 ]

I just saw on the news that a pensioner lost 80 thousand pound, he had put it on the roof of his car,it was his lifes saving, I do feel for him. Yet this story illustrates the truth being taught in 1Timothy 6v17 , of not trusting in uncertain riches, money is like many things , here today gone tomorrow. A few years ago I was talking to my cousin who lives in Dublin, the Irish economy was thriving, and He mentioned how people were just focused on that, they were living just at the level of financial gain. What the vast majority of people where doing was trusting in uncertain riches,now what have they got ?,a country on the brink of financial meltdown. No matter who we are let us learn the important lesson of not trusting in uncertain riches. Our Saviour told the story of a rich farmer who trusted in uncertain riches, and in a moment he lost all, and God called that man a fool,Christians need to remind themselves continually ,that God is their security, and if we are not Christians, to realize the folly of living just on a material level, Jesus said what does it profit a man if they gain the whole world and loose their souls[ Matthew 16 v25 ff] [Dear God help me never to loose sight ,that my security is in you, and You alone, and in knowing Jesus as my Saviour Amen ]

Precious blood of Christ. [ 1 Peter 1 v 18-19]

In 1Peter ,it mentions the word precious, in chapter one, we read that we have been redeemed [1v18-19], why redeemed ?well it reminds us that in our unsaved state we were as slaves, W Barclay, says this involved three things,[1] A life of ignorance. [2]A life dominated by desire. [3]A life characterized by futility. We were in the slave market,Peters readers would have fully understood what that meant,living in a time when slavery was common, Peter reminds us that we who were once slaves have been purchased and set free. In the normal course of events a slave would be set free if someone paid a price, silver or gold, but Peter is writing of us being set free spiritually. That redemption involved a greater price to be paid, silver or gold has no value in Gods sight,no, it needed something of more value, if we were going to be rescued from the slave market of sin,the precious blood of Christ. Through His death on the cross He was paying the price of our redemption,we are not redeemed with siver or gold, but with His precious blood. [ Dear God thank You for Jesus who shed His precious blood to redeem me . Amen ]

Be ye holy[ Psalm 139 v 23-24 ]

I wonder do you like a challenge?, well here is one that no Christian can op out of, /Be ye holy/[Leviticus 20v7],what does it mean to be holy?. Well I believe it means two things,to refrain from anything that is evil,and to seek to aspire after God, to love Him with our whole being. We live in a world of changing standards, and sometimes as Christians we loose sight of the important fact that ,we must march to the beat of a different drum. The ten commandments are not reduntant, [Exodus 20], nor is the teaching of the sermon on the mount[ Matthew 5-7]. While we must be careful not to judge others, we must judge ourselves.[ 1 Corinthians 11v31],we must be senstive to the Holy Spirit, that we do not grieve Him.Within everyone of us , God has placed a conscience,,we need to take heed to it more often than we do.When we do sin as we will[1 John 1 v8] then we must confess our sins to God,and seek His forgiveness, which He has promised to grant us[1 John 1v9][ Dear God help me by Your grace to be holy as You are holy, in Jesus name. Amen ]

The waiting game. [ Psalm 40 ]

I am sure we all have had the experience of tired of waiting, to the point that we give up, this is understandable in many cases,but not in the case of the Lord. Psalm 40v1 reads ,I waited patiently for the Lord,one of the most important aspects of our relationship with God , is trust, and along with that ,patience. If God has given us a promise we must trust God to fulfill it, and often it involves been patient, the promise is all we have to go on, but God who cannot lie will fulfill it.[ Titus 1 v2 ]God promised Abram that he would have a child by Sarah,and instead of waiting, for God to work ,they became impatient,and they leaned upon their own understanding, and acted in a way that was not in accordance with Gods purpose. Inspite of this God was faithful and fulfilled His word, but this account is a reminder for us all ,to be patient, and to trust God to fulfill His word to us.[ Dear God help me to be patient, help me to trust you to fulfill Your word to me , in Jesus name Amen ]

What can we do?. [Psalm 34]

Winter is closing in fast, I have heard the word snow mentioned on the weather forecast, it is enough to make make one shiver, still I have warm clothes, a warm home, and a warm car.We cannot do much about the weather, I suppose we can complain, but what good will that do?, none. Lets face it there are things we cannot do anything about, things we cannot change,the weather is one of those things. So the question is this ,what can we do, with the things we cannot change, our age,our health,our circumstances?.We can become descouraged, and even bitter,or we can look up,that is a simple thing to do ,or so it seems, but sometimes we forget ,or find it hard to do,but it is the most positive thing we can do, we can look up,and remind ourselves that ,our help comes from the Lord [Psalm121 v1-2 ].We can also look at Gods word,for in that wonderful book the bible, there are words of instruction, and words of encouragement, especially in the book of the Psalms, if we are letting things get us down read Psalm 34,pray over it meditate upon it. [Dear God help me to look to You today,and help me to see that You are with me, inspite of those things I cannot change, in Jesus name Amen ]

The travelling people. [ Hebrews 11v 8-16 ]

The only way for the Christian is forward, if we are Christians there can be no going back or even looking back [ Luke 9 v62 ],onward ever onward must be our motto, we are strangers and pilgrims ,[Hebrews 11v 13 ]. We have Jesus saying these words Follow Me, if we are following we are on the move, though none go with us ,still we must follow. We are travellers on a journey, and our destination is heaven,people on the move, the book by John Bunyan , Pilgrims progress, illustrates the nature of the journey we are on, do read it.The first thing we must do on our Journey is to keep our eyes on Jesus,[ Hebrews 12 v 2], next we must persevere, this is set out in a hymn by J. Bunyan, which reads,/ He who would valiant be , gainst all disaster, let him in constancy follow the Master. There,s no discouragement shall make him once relent , his first avowed intent to be a pilgrim./[ Dear God grant me the grace I need this day , and every day to follow Thy Son Jesus . Amen ]

Comfort zones. [ Deuteronomy 32 v 9 -12 ]

A bit foggy last night here, sometimes life is like a fog, we cannot see anything because of circumstances, or things dont appear very clear,its a bit like that at this time for me, as I will leave my present church at the end of December. I keep trying to peer into the future ,will I cease to minister on a regular bases?what church will I attend? at this time all is like a dense fog, and I am trying to stay calm. I read this recently,/ God requires His followers ,and those who seek Him, to step outside of their comfort zones.[From a Poem a day]Many of Gods servants had their comfort zones, and were reluctant to step out of them,Moses, Jonah, Jeremiah, Peter and many others, we are no different than them, we have our comfort zones. At this time I am being pushed out my comfort zone,again another quote from ,a poem a day,/ May we never allow security to hinder our obedience to God.[ Dear Lord help me to move in obediece to Your will, help me see that I must not cling to anything other than You, for only in You ,and in Your will is true security,Amen]

A time for running. [Genesis 39 ]

There is a place for running away ,and a place for standing, when we are in moral or spiritual danger we need to run ,like Joseph [ Genesis 39 ],unfortunately some people appear to run into moral ,and spiritual danger. In 2 Timothy 2v22 we are told to flee youthful lusts, if one tarries one is in danger, Lot and his wife were told not to look back[ Genesis 19v17],his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt[ v26],mybe she was curious, or mybe her heart was still inclined towards those evil places, and their evil way of life. Better to have heeded God, we are always better heeding God, to not play with fire ,for if we do ,we shall be burnt. In these days when the majority are doing whats right in their own eyes, there will be a price to pay,sin always carries with it serious consequences.As Christians we should know this ,but like so many things, there is often a gulf between the knowing and the doing.[ Dear God lead us not into temptation, deliver us from all evil, in Jesus name . Amen ]

I forgot.[ Psalm 137 ]

As I was looking at things on my PC ,I forgot about the bread I had put under my grill, I rushed to retrieve it,fortuonately it had not reached the burnt offering stage, so I was still able to eat it,and I enjoyed it. It brought to mind a certain English king who burnt some cakes,forgetting is something we all do, I have a good excuse being a senior citizen.Israel is warned by Moses not to forget [Deuteronomy 4v9], unfortuonately their history was one of forgetting, God and His commandments ,so God had to deal with them continually. Our Saviour told us to remember Him in communion, in breaking of bread and drinking of wine, have you done this recently?. One of the reasons I cannot stay in my present church,is I do not believe that people should be barred from the table because they have not been immmersed in water, now of course I am a Baptist, but I recognise that many people who are not immersed,are Christians, just as much as I am, and they have a right to remember their Lord, as He commanded.I believe that as the hymn writer puts it,that, we can make Gods Love to narrow by false limits of our own, and we magnify His srictness with a zeal He will not own. [ Dear God help me not to forget You ,and help me to not put barriers up in relation to other Christians, in Jesus name Amen ]

Love is not a game.[ 1Corinthians 13 ]

I heard someone say,/love is not a game/,the old song, reminds us that so many moonlight kisses seem to cool in the light of the sun. To love ,is the most challenging thing in the whole world,it will take everything we have to love, while our God is a consuming fire [Hebrews12 v 29] we are told that He is love[ 1 John 4v8 ]He is comsumed with love for you and me, the old hymn declares , /O the Love that drew salvations plan/.To save mankind it meant love in the fullest measure, a love that words are so inadequate to describe, every day God witnesses so much hate ,lust,selfishness, His commandments are broken continually, in mans natuaral state, he acts worse than an animal, but of course He is not animal. Yet God continues to love, and continues to reach out to mankind, inspite of their deliberate rejection of Him, consider His love ,in Philippians 2 v8, we read that Christ became obedient unto death even the death on a cross, yes truly, love is not a game.[ Dear God for Your love to me ,I thank You, that love that saved me, that is so on going,help me to to love like You, in Jesus name Amen ]

God loves to surprise us. [ Psalm 30 v5 ]

Life can so often throw up surprises, I am listening to Susan Boyle, a lovely singer ,one who has has become a world star,who would have thought it. As we read the Bible we see surprises all the time, nobodies raised to be kings, a young lad defeats a giant,fishermen, tax collectors raised to be apostles,angels suddenly appearing to people,pensioners having children.God manifest in the flesh in the form of a little baby, now that trully is a surprise,to Mary and Joseph it must have been a big surprise.I like to think of God as the God of surprises,the fact that I have lived for 66years, thats a surprise, I was ever so small when I was born, and when I was a youngster I was rescued from drowning, but the greatest surprise is that I am a Christian,and have been following the Lord for 46yrs. Let hope burn in our hearts today,God can surprise us, financial needs can be met,sickness can be healed,a door into employment can open, God is the God of surprises, so dont despair. [Dear God help me not to despair , no matter how difficult it is, let hope arise in my heart, and help me to trust in You, the God who loves to surprise me, in Jesus name .Amen ]

Never out of His sight.[ Genesis 16 v13 av]

The choice of David is interesting, a young man in an obscure occupation, out on his own ,each day, looking after sheep, no one could have guessed , including himself ,that he was destined for greatness. The only one who knew about this young man was God, His destiny lay in Gods hands , God had a plan that would take Him from the place of obscurity, to be king. Many of Gods choices saints have come from obscure places, places of humble activity, David Livingstone, John Bunyan, and yet God saw them and raised them up,to serve Him. The point of this ,is none of Gods children are hidden from Him , be they in the most obscure of places, we may not be raised to be a king, but we are the children of a King ,Jesus. He has not forgotten us, as the hymn writer wrote, /His eye is on the sparrow , and I know He watches me./ [ Dear God I thank You that You have not forgotten me, that I am never out of Your sight,and that You will always care for me, I pray this in Jesus name. Amen ]

Godlike[ Luke 23 v34]

I was thinking of Joseph how he was carried along by events, in which he had no control over, slavery, imprisonment, prime minister, he had no control over any of those things. Both the bad things and the good things came to him uninvited, the one thing he did have control over was how he reacted. He resisted temptation[ Genesis 39] and he showed a gracious spirit towards those who had wronged him, towards his wicked brothers[ Genesis 50], we do not even read of him getting his own back on the woman who had falsley accused him of rape. He manifested a godlike character, in his forgiving spirit, so it is with us,there will be events that we have no control over, people will wrong us,and hurt us, the challenge is this, how are we going to react?. [ Dear God help me to show a right spirit , when people seek to harm me, help me to be godlike in my attitude in Jesus name . Amen ]

A broken heart . [ Luke 4 v18]

What do you do when your heart is breaking? people have died of a broken heart, now I am not suggesting we should do that, but it is what some people do. I can understand how people give up and die ,a breaking heart cant be fixed with a pill, nothing appears to help, and the pain just goes on.Well I believe there is one who can help, His name is Jesus, He proclaimed,/The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has annointed Me. To preach the Gospel to the poor,He has sent Me to heal the broken hearted[ Luke 4 v18] If your heart is breaking , come to Jesus, ask Him to heal your broken heart, and He will.The hymn writer wrote,/ No one understands like Jesus. Hes a friend beyond compare, meet Him at the throne of mercy ,He is waiting for you there/. [Dear Lord Jesus I bring my broken heart to You, please heal it Amen ]

The Holy Spirit. [ John 3 v 1-8 ]

November is bringing with it strong winds, winds that can cause damage, and choas as the bridge into the county of kent is closed, the result grid lock.Our Saviour spoke of the wind, He likened it unto the Holy Spirit [ John 3 v8 ], D A Carson writes ,/ The wind can be neither controlled nor understood by human beings[ he does mention that this was written before modern meteorology alleviated at least some of our lack of understanding] But that does not mean that we cannot detect the winds effects...... so it is with the Spirit. We can neither control Him nor understand Him. But that does not mean we cannot witness His effects. Where the Spirit works the effects are undeniable and unmistakable/. [ Dear God as we live for You today ,fill us with You Spirit, that through Him and His power, we may be channels only,let us witness His powerful effects on our lives and in those we come in contact with today, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

He led them on safely. [ Psalm 78 v 53 ]

This is a special day for me and my family, 30 odd years ago we travelled from Ulster to this country, I had recieved a call from a church , and was travelling there to take up my position as a minister. On the day we were travelling over I read these words in the Daily Light,/ He lead them on safely [Psalm 78v53] ,followed by ,/Behold ,I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.[Exodus 23v20 ]. These were tremendous words for us as we set out on our journey,and they have remained with me ever since.On our journey in our little Morris Minor, there were six of us, we travelled to Scotland , then right down through England, we got a puncture, and had to stop to have the fan belt tightened,drove through London, but we got there . God did trully lead us on safely, he did not fail us, and the journey is not finished yet, for you and for me, whatever the future holds, God will continue to lead us on safely. [ Father we thank You that You are leading us on safely , in Jesus name .Amen ]

Debt. [ 1 Peter 1 v 18-19]

As I opened up the internet I noticed that the UK is in debt to the little sum of 10 trillion pounds, my goodness how on earth did that happen?. Gone are the days when people did not get into debt, debt is a sign of the times, although many people may now begin to change, mybe not, bad habits are hard to break. Hopefully our country can get out of the hole they have dug for themselves, I pray so, as indeed I pray that the many who are struggling with debt may cope. Of course there is a debt that no one can pay, each sin we commit can be likened to a debt, this debt will not go away, and each day it just keeps mounting up,and up, and up, till the day we die. And here is the point we are absolutley unable to pay that debt off, there is no earthly solution, and the consequences of this debt is horrendous. Thats the bad news ,but the good news, there is one who can clear that debt, His name is Jesus, for that is why He came and died ,to save us from our sins. [ Dear Jesus I ask that You would clear my of sin, that debt I cant clear, Amen]

Insight [ Romans 8 v28 ]

I have in recent times been praying about a certain thing,as to a need, not material, or physical, but a personal need, when reading a Christian book, God give me insight, as to why I had that personal need. That which I considered a need may not be answered in the way I want ,but I can have peace, because God has shown me why. God always has a reason ,he sometimes reveals His reasons ,sometimes He may not,Job was never given a reason, Paul was [ 2 Corinthians 12 ]. But this I do know, with all my heart, that all things are working together for my good[Romans 8 v28 ],so it is for every child of God. Norman R Perry wrote the following, let us make this our prayer[ Teach me ,O Lord ,to understand,even in darkest night. When storms are high and seas are wild, Thy way is right. Grant me O Lord ,to feel Thy hand of tenderness and power, is holding mine ,and leading me,Each day , each hour. Amen ]

The old paths.[ John 3 v16]

In the book of Jeremiah God speaks to His people ,He tells them to return to the old godly paths, and in so doing they would find rest for their souls, and they answered, we will not[ Jeremiah 6v16 ]. As I look at life so much has changed, and much for the better, in so many areas of life, the modern car is better than the old ones, with its power steering, air condition etc. Our homes are better, the advancement in medical care is better, people are better fed, yes there is much that is better.But spiritually things are not better, people have left the old paths, they feel they dont need God, but they do, and they always will, for there is a hole that only God can fill. We need God for time and for eternity,God said ,if they would return to the old paths they would find rest to their souls. Yes ,rest to their souls, it was Jesus who said,/ Come unto me , all ye that labour and , and are heavy laden , and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me , for I am meek and lowly of heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy , and my burden is light . [Matthew 11v 28-30] [ Dear God help this generation return to the old paths, to Jesus Your son. Amen ]

Panic. [ Psalm 91 ]

If you can keep your head when all around are loosing theirs, so wrote the poet, I work with some people who get panic attacks,they have no control over what is happening.There are reasons for their panic attacks,but they appear not able to do anything about them, just hang in there until they subside. Sometimes I feel panic creeping into my heart, things are happening that I dont have any control over, what can I do? , in one of the Fraizer programs , his brother panics and hides under the grand piano,reverting to what he did as a child. In my times of panic I turn more and more to the Psalms, Psalm 91v1-2, comes to mind,it reads, /He who dwells in the secret place of the most High,shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress. My God in Him will I trust. [ Dear God help me when panic is arising in my heart to trust in You, for in You alone is peace and security, in Jesus name . Amen ]

A block.[ Psalm 66v18]

When will God answer?I suppose the answer is when He sees fit,why does it seem He is in no hurry to answer? is He going to answer?will He answer?.When we pray we want an answer, we desire an answer, I wonder do we make it difficult for God to answer?, do we put barriers in the way?. One of my sons saw a young lad doing something wrong,when he was challenged about it ,he denied that he had done anything. I dont know all the answers to my questions as regards prayer, but I do believe that when we come to God in prayer, it is no use being into denial, and act as if God does not see everything. Let us remember a blockage will block the flow,an unconfessed sin,an unwillingness to be humble,will hinder our prayers being answered. It is in Jeremiah 11v14 we read,/Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up a cry or prayer for them, for I will not hear them in the time they cry unto me for their trouble./The people of Isreal refused to acknowledge their sin ,refused to change, would not listen to Gods voice,so there was a block in their relationship with God. [Dear God help me to be honest with You, help me to be humble before You,help me to not act in anyway that would put a block in my relationship with You in Jesus name. Amen ]

Gambling. [1 Corinthians 6 v12 ]

I dont gamble,It was one of those things one didnt do in Ulster when one became a Christian, also my father gambled, and that caused problems. In the place where I work a number of the workers are clubbing together to do the lottery, I dont judge people if they gamble, as to the rights and wrongs of gambling I am not sure. It does seem to me ,another potential area for people to be sucked in, with the possiblity of it becoming addictive, In 1 Corinthians 6 v12,we read /All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient, all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any/.My study Bible says ,/ Some actions are not sinful in themselves, but they are not appropriate because they can control our life, and lead us away from God/.[ Dear God keep me from anything that could control or destroy my life, in Jesus name. Amen ]

The faith of expectation [ 1 John 3 v22]

At this time I have come to the place of change in relation to my church situation, and so I am seeking God, as to His will. I am praying, reading Gods word for guidance, waiting, and expecting.It was William Gurnall who wrote ,/The faith of expectation engages God to help us. When you have been with God expect good from Him. For the lack of this , many a prayer is lost. If you do not believe , why do you pray? if you believe, why do you not expect?. By praying, you depend on God, but by not expecting, you unravel your prayer.O Christian , offer your prayer in holy expectation, upon the credit of the promise/. When we pray it is not a wish list, it is an act of faith to God, who has promised to hear and to answer, so today let us pray expectantly. [Dear God I bring my requests unto You, that You would grant what I ask in accordance with Your perfect will in Jesus name .Amen ]

Live like Jesus.[ 1 Corinthians 10 v32 ]

It was George Orwell who wrote [He wrote Animal farm]/ It is not strictly fair to judge a movement by its adherents , but the point is, people invariably do/. This can be applied to many movements, and it can be applied to Christianity,I remember my old gran saying,how my grandad would never contribute to a certain Christian group, because of something he witnessed ,by one of their adherants. Now of course as a Christian we will face criticism ,no matter what we do,but it is also true that we will do and say things, that will warrant criticism.The offence of the cross will always be there, but let us not give offence, by some hurtful or unwise action, when Daniels enemies tried to find fault with him ,they could find none occasion ,nor fault, forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him .[Daniel 6 v4] [ Dear God in Thy great mercy help me live like Jesus today Amen ]

Forgive them. [Matthew 5 v44]

Christless religiosity can be and is a dangerous thing, I read continually of people being persecuted for their faith in Iran,where apostasy can be punished by hanging, I can only assume this is what the Koran teaches. Christless Christianity has in the past acted in ways that was so contrary to the Bible,they actually burnt people alive, tortured people. Thankfully those things do not happen now,and one wonders how people could have could done such things .Nowhere in the Bible are we instructed to torture or kill those who do not believe in Jesus, or to burn to death heretics.On the cross our Saviour prayed that those who had crucified Him would be forgiven [Luke 23 v34 ], and He taught us to ,love our enemies,to bless them, to do good to them, and to pray for them .[ Matthew 5 v 44]. This does not mean we agree with those who are heretics , or with those who are doing wicked things, but it does mean that we behave ,as true followers of Christ.[ Father we pray for those who are persecuting Christians, and for those who oppose the truth , that you would have mercy on them , in Jesus name .Amen ]

The preacher.[ 2 Timothy 4 v 1-5 ]

My blog is called ,Bill the preacher, I named it so because I believe God called me to preach, a friend of mine stressed how important preaching was to him. If one is called to preach then it is very important , it is very challenging, we have to discern what we are going to preach on, that in itself is challenging, then we have to study, then preach it, sounds simple, but I can assure you its not , but it is very rewarding.Some people feel in these times it is not so important to preach, but they are wrong, I know the times are changing, but the need for preaching is as vital as ever.The preacher is one who calls people back to Gods word, reminds people continually of the truths of Gods word, to sinner and saint alike. So today pray for preachers ,that they would be faithful to their call, and that they would be guided as to what they preach, and that God would annoint their ministry, to the salvation of souls, and the building up of Gods people.[ Dear God we ask that you would bless all those You have called to preach Your word, in Jesus name Amen ]