Sorry no blog today , I did the same message twice but I was not able to save it or publish it, hopefully it will be alright tomorrow

I must forgive.[ Matthew 6 v 14-15]

While preaching recently I touched on something I had not prepared, forgiveness, and yet it was that very thing an elderly brother spoke to me about afterwards. He mentioned that he was divorced, his wife had left him for a neighbour many years ago, he spoke of how difficult it was to forgive, but he had. The Christian has no option but to forgive, and yet it is not easy, if one was raped, or ones child was hurt by someone, or one is hurt by fellow Christians, the list goes on. Yet if we are to have an ongoing relationship with God ,we are required to forgive those who have trespassed against us. I am reminded of what Peter was told by our Lord [John 21 v21-22 ], Peter was concerned about the other person, what shall this man do? our Lord replies ,what is that to thee? follow thou Me. Our forgiving is nothing to do what the other person will do, but what we are called to do, forgive, they may not change their attitude, but we will be changed ,for the better. Yes it may not be easy to forgive, but the Lord grants us the grace, to enable us to forgive. [Dear God ,you have forgiven us all our sins, help us to forgive those who have harmed us ,or even those we love, in Jesus name . Amen ]

Our rainbow end. [Hebrews 9 v27 ]

While on holiday,walking along the seafront I noticed a bench with a little plaque , with the following words on it,/ Dorothy and Victor Rainbow, they have reached their rainbow end/. It caused me to thing what was that end?, so many people never think about their end, do you?. What does the Bible tell us, about our end? not what we think, or what the entertainment industry tell us,but what does Gods word tell us. Firstly the Bible tells us that there is an exsistence after death, Hebrews 9 v27,in that verse it tells us that it is appointed unto men, once to die, so right away we rule out reincarnation, we will only die once,next we are told, but after this,so there is an afterlife, and then it tells us, after this the judgement.That means what it says, judgement, and that is to be taken as a serious warning ,to all, do read Revelation 20 v11-15, dont be confused when it says ,that all will be judged according to their works, the main thing to bear in mind that no one is saved by good works we are saved by Christs work on the cross. But if we have not trusted in Christs finished work, then we will be lost,for all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and deserve only the judgement of God. It ends with these words,/ And whosoever was not found written in the book of life ,was cast into the lake of fire. So I end with this question what will be your rainbow end?. [ Dear God help us to consider our end, and to seek You while there is time, by accepting Christ as Saviour. Amen ]

Toast .[ 1Corinthians 10 v 31 ]

I like toast, I liked it even more when I could have marmalade jam on it, not so now as I am diabetic, when it comes to toast I am continually trying to produce the perfect toasted bread. So often it appears only slighted toasted,or it comes out as a burnt offering, but I will keep trying. Most of our lives are made up of little things like toast, a cup of tea or coffee, a daily newspaper, shaving ,washing,cooking meals, going to the shops, hanging out the washing,and so on.These things may not appear important but they are, they add a normality to our lives, today let us give thanks for these things, and let us add a sacredness to them, to see that they are important. We read in 1 Corinthians 10v 31 ,that we are do all things ,to the glory of God, may this be the rule of our lives. [Dear God help us to embrace all of life as sacred, to do all things for your glory, in Jesus name . Amen ]

God does say yes, but.[ 1 Kings 22 v 1-40 ]

We have been thinking on God saying no, on holiday I mentioned this to a dear brother, and immediiately I found myself being drawn into a conflict, he felt I was undermining faith, and what God would do in response to faith. Nothing could be further from the truth, I know ,and am continually proving God, in response to my prayers, I know, God says yes , and grants my requests , but I know from long experience, and from my study from Gods word, God at times says no. I can think of so many times God has said no, in my life, if you believe God never says no to you ,then think again, I have pointed out scriptures that clearly show God saying no. Let me say this I am glad God does not always say yes,I am sure we are all glad ,that we had parents that said no to us, in order to protect us, to guide us aright. Let us get balance into our Christian life,in life there are what we call yes men, but the fact of the matter is God is not like that ,He will thankfully say no. [ Dear God thank You for those times You did say no to us,in order to protect and guide us aright, we thank You ,that in all things You have at heart whats best for us, in Jesus name Amen ]

Gods no to healing. [ 2 Corinthians 12 v 1- 10 ]

In 2 Corinthians 12, we read of Paul the apostle writing about a thorn in the flesh, we take it to mean an ongoing physical problem, the apostle puts it down to an attack from satan, as was the case of Job. What does one do when one is faced with a problem? one prays about it,Paul did this, but the problem remained. Now this man was used by God ,in Acts 28 v8, we read that he prayed for someone and they were healed, in that same chapter we read how he suffered no ill affects,when he was bitten by poisonous serpent. The whole area as regards healing is difficult, we believe God heals, God can heal, that goes without saying, but ,yes there is that but again, as with Paul, and many other people, God does not heal. The apostle Paul is told why he was not going to be healed,God had lessons to teach him, he the great apostle would have to submit to Gods will. I fear for the great people even in the church, that pride will destroy them, Paul realizes this, and submits to Gods will. With that submission God empowered him by his grace, God may have said no to healing, but He was not being cruel or indifferent to Pauls suffering. painful though it may be , God has often a greater purpose for us, than healing ,or deliverance from suffering, and with that purpose ,He promises to give us His grace to sustain us. [ Dear God help us to see and accept Your will, even if it means suffering, helps to appreciate that You have a loving purpose for us, and help us to rely on Your all sufficient grace, in Jesus name we ask this Amen ] [ I will be on holiday for the next week, so I will not be blogging ]

No double dealings. [ Psalm 66 v18 ]

As I am doing this blog I am wondering about the subject, unanswered prayer,I wonder what one means by this,in 1 Samuel 28 ,we read how when king Saul enquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not [v6]. Now this a clear statement and the reason was Sauls disobedience, in fact he is told that the Lord had departed from him, and had become his enemy [16] How far we can apply this to the Christian in that if we are trully the Lords, he will always be with us, but even Christians can act in ways that can affect their relationship with the Lord. In Psalm 66 v18 we read,/ If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me/. A writer called Slade ,declares,/ There must be no double dealing with Jehovah/, and points us to John 9 v31,/ Now we know that God heareth not sinners/. cp also Matthew 6 v 14-15. We are to make sure when we pray, to examine ourselves, and if we have sinned,confess and repent, then the Lord will hear our prayer. There was a way for Saul to be heard, but unfortunately he did not take it.[ Dear God we confess our sins to you, forgive us and remove that which is a barrier to us being heard by you, in Jesus name we ask this. Amen ]

Unanswered prayer

I am having difficulties with signing in, I hope I have solved it we will see. Just to say that I made an mistake in dealing with my last blog , David did not pray about building the yemple ,he but mentioned his desire to the prophet. The things I mentioned are applicable to prayer . The subject of unanswered prayer I feel interests people, I would commend Philip Yanceys book on /Disappointment with God / as helpful.We will consider the subject of unanswered prayer DV tomorrow

Gods no.[2 Samuel 7 ]

In 2 Samuel 7 we have another case of a prayer request that was turned down, it happened to King David, he wanted to do something very noble, but God said no. I wanted to be a missionary, to go to Brazil, but God said no, in Davids case ,he was told clearly by Nathan the prophet, I was told by God shutting the door. It is only in looking back do I realize that God was saying no, because shut doors are just as much an answer from God as an open door, although we may not appreciate this at the time. Now what David requested was a noble prayer, to build a temple for God, as was my desire to be a missionary, but God said no.We may ask God for what we feel is noble, and right, God may say no, in Davids case, another would be given the task of building the temple, his son Solomon, David graciously accepted Gods answer. In 1 Kings 8v18, when the temple was finished, Solomon spoke these words about Davids desire to build the temple, /And God said....... thou didst well that it was in thine heart/. God honoured the desire, although he did not grant him his request, David at no time grew bitter about this, in fact he provided all Solomon needed for the task ,and he prayed for him. [ Dear God help us to accept Your no,help us not to grow bitter,and to accept Your choice as best, and let us rejoice that you honour our noble desires, in Jesus name Amen ]

Unanswered prayer. [Deuteronomy 3 v 25-26 ]

Unanswered prayer, there are four incidents that come to my mind in the Bible, [I am sure there must be more], when God refused to answer prayer, or when God said no. The first one we will consider, Moses the great leader, one used by God to bring His people out of Egypt. Now Moses found the task of leading Israel, difficult ,to say the least, often he cried out to God in despair. Just think about that if you desire to be a leader, it will not be easy, sometime you will despair, it is not easy being a leader. In Numbers 20,we read how the Israelites were doing their usual thing moaning, one of the reasons being ,they had no water, instead of praying to God,they choose to complain,so Moses sought the Lord, and the Lord answered,[oh yes He does also answer our prayers, but we have no problem with that]. Moses was told to speak to the rock, and water would come out, but what Moses did, he struck the rock, yes and water came out. If God tells us to do something in a paticular way, then we must be careful to do it, as He told us,if we dont then there will be consequences. The consequences for Moses was, he was not permitted to lead the people into the promise land, in Deuteronomy he prayed that he could , but God said no, and that was that. [Dear God help me to act as You tell me, help me to realize the importance of this, and the consequences if I dont, in Jesus name Amen ]

Pray for them.[ 1 Peter 5 v7 ]

Unanswered prayer, I was ministering last night, and a dear brother spoke to me ,and he mentioned his daughter who suffers from anorexia, an obsessional illness, to do with food, and feeling they are overweight, even though they may weigh very little. This illness is life threatening, and for this dear brother and his wife ,it is heartbreaking , as they try to support their daughter. How would you feel if your child suffered from this illness? put yourself in that brothers place, consider his pain. He asked me to remember them in prayer, and I have, and by Gods grace I will continue to pray for them, the girls name is Helene. Will you offer up a prayer for her,and her parents today, let us pray for those who are suffering from serious illnesses, and for those who care for them. We will deal with my opening words, unanswered prayer, tomorrow,but for today let us pray for people like Helene ,and those who are caring for them. [ Dear God we bring to You Helene,her mum and dad, and for all who suffering ,ungoing illness, be it physical or mental, and for those who care for them, in thy great mercy,grant them that neccessary grace they need, in Jesus name. Amen ]

Simple faith. [Acts 16 v31 ]

In Romans 4, the apostle Paul is teaching how we are saved by faith, and to illustrate the point ,he points us to Abraham. In v3 we read Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him as righteousness, that is the simple truth of the gospel, we simply believe in Jesus to save us, that means we are not trying to save ourselves ,by good works[Ephesians 2 v 8-9 ], nor by works of the law.[Galations 3 v 11 ]. It all sounds to simple, to good to be true, but it is true, we make things very complicated, God makes it simple, so simple that even a child can understand it and embrace it. I trusted Jesus as my Saviour when I was a child, and so I believe in Child evangelisim, do not hesitate to tell children about Jesus, in fact do not hesitate to tell anyone about Jesus,because they are smart ,or not so smart. The smart people have to become like little children, the not so smart people, need not let there limatations be a barrier,to all who would be saved it is simple faith in Jesus, that saves.[ Dear God we thank You that You have provided salvation for all in Jesus Thy son, and we thank You that we can be saved simply by believing in Him . Amen ]

Everlasting love. [ Jeremiah 31 v3 ]

I found myself trying to sing an old song,/ Thirty pieces of silver, was the price they paid. Thirty pieces of silver, just the price of a slave. So my heart I have given ,to this Christ betrayed ,for I know just how much I love Him, by the price He paid/. Why am I a Christian ?and why do I continue to be a Christian after all these years?, because as John wrote, we love Him, because He first loved us [1 John 4 v19 ].The Christian relationship is a love one,it commences with love, is sustained by love, controlled by love, motivated by love. When love dies the relationship dies, we then just go through the motions,we are no longer in touch with our Saviour, and yet He still loves us,would seek to woo us back to Himself. The greatest example of this is in that meeting with Peter, the one who had denied His Lord in John 21. Mybe Peter felt His Lord did not love him anymore, but He did,mybe today you have failed your Lord like Peter,well the good news is He still loves you,repent and return to Him, and He will welcome you with open arms, and you will hear His words of love , I have loved you with an everlasting love. I finish with the words of a song by Keith Green, let them be our prayer. [ O Lord please light the fire that once burned bright and clear, replace the lamp of my first love ,that burns with holy fear . Amen ]

Someone stole my umbrella. [ John 16 v 33 ]

A quotation by a Lord Bowie, reads,/ The rain it raineth on the just,and also on the unjust fellow. But chiefly on the just, because,the unjust steals the just,s umbrella./ I found this amusing, but on reflection , I see a more serious side to it, as I read of many dear Christians, who loose not only their umbrellas, but their homes, their liberty, and their very lives. All through my Christian life I have heard of Christians suffering ,under communisim, to some extent it is still going on,but now it appears under Islam, and under religious groups. I do not believe it will ever change, and we should not be surprised at this, it is Peter who wrote,/ don,t be surprised at the firey trials/[1 Peter 4 v12]. Our Saviour told us to take up our cross, I wear a cross, but am I willing to take up my cross?, Consider the words of our dear Saviour in John 16 v 33,/ These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world/. We may loose our umbrellas but we can have peace, and can by Gods grace be overcomers, in Jesus. [ Dear Father help us be overcomers, as we seek to live for our Saviour, grant us the gift of Thy peace, in Jesus name. Amen]

The young . [Ecclesiastes 12 v 1-6 ]

In Proverbs 20 v 29, we read ,/ The glory of the young is their strength,the gray hair of experience is the splender of the old/. Charles Bridges writes,/ Every stage of life has its peculiar honour and privilege/,and this is true, in sport it is the young who excel, I was watching a tennis match recently, between an older man ,and a young man, the younger man won,because the older person tired.Youths natural strength if channelled aright,can accomplish much good,or if channelled wrong can cause much harm. In Ecclesiastes 11 v8 ff, the writer reminds the young ,yes to enjoy their life,as it were to live life ,to the full,but to remember that even the young are accountable to God for what they do.In chapter 12, we read,/ Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth/, he then goes on to draw a word picture of growing old. My study Bible comments,/ Being young is exciting, but excitement of youth can become a barrier to closeness with God, if it makes young people focus on passing pleasures, instead of eternal values./ If you are young remember ,if you live without Christ, and die without Him,then you will spend a lost eternity without God. [ Dear God we pray for the young, that they may be moved by your Spirit, convicted by your Spirit,and led by your Spirit to trust Jesus. Amen ]

Send me. [Isaiah 6 v 1-8 ]

I love the old hymns , but I also like many new hymns ,like the one I heard recently, /I, the Lord of sea and sky/. by Daniel L Schutte. This hymn has God declaring the great need of His people, it seems the writer is stressing ,those who are Gods people ,and those who would become His people. [I think ] Each verse ends with the words,/Whom shall I send/,which reminds us of the call of Isaiah [chapter 6 ], there the prophet has a tremendous vision of God, who is holy. God is holy and awesome,but He is has a deep love for this world,and He uses people, to tell the world of His love, He uses people to proclaim His word to His people. So we have God asking a question, whom shall I send,and who will go for us [6v8], God is still asking that question, and He is waiting for an answer. The prophet did answer with the words, Here am I ,send me, and God accepted that response, and said go. We are all called to serve, to obey,are we obeying that call?, let us finish with the chorus of the hymn, we have mentioned, it can be our prayer as we face another day with all its challenges. [ Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?. I have heard You calling in the night. I will go Lord, if You lead me. I will hold your people in my heart, Amen ]

A good looking boy. [ Romans 3 v23 /Jeremiah 17 v9 ]

The Bible tells us that man looks on the outward appearance [ 1Samuel 16 v7], now there is nothing wrong with beauty, but beauty does not tell the whole story.I noticed on the internet a picture of a young lad, a good looking young lad who has murdered a seven year old girl.I am sure those who knew that youngster cannot believe that he would do such a thing, but he did,his parents I am sure are devastated,their lovely young darling boy has actually killed a person ,and why did he do this,he was addicted to video games. The Bible looks beyond the outward appearance of humankind, and tells us we have a nature that is sinful, a heart that is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked[Jeremiah 17v 9 ]. No matter how gifted one may be,or beautiful, we are sinners capable ,yes of murder,adultery, lying,perversion, you name it, we are capable of it . Our sinful hearts refuse to acknowledge this, refuse to accept Christ as saviour, the one who died for sinners, refuse to come to Him that they may have life.[ Dear God grant that Your Spirit may so work in the hearts of people, that they may see their true condition, that they are sinners needing Jesus as their Saviour. Amen ]

Ulster the land of my birth. [Romans 11v33 ]

I was watching a TV program called ,Songs of praise, which is recorded in various areas ,this one ,was from Ulster, the land of my birth.When people think of Ulster they think of the troubles, but of course there is much more to Ulster than the troubles. It is a land of beauty,the Antrim coast ,the Giants Cauesway, the beautiful Mourne Mts that sweep down to the sea. It is a country where many still attend church, although many dont,the church in Ulster, usually gives a more clear gospel message. This is one of the reasons ,I thank God , that I was born in Ulster, from an early age I heard the Gospel, in Sunday school, at childrens meetings,and at the Sunday services. I am not blind to the situation in Ulster, its sectarian and political divide , but for all that I give thanks, that in that little place called Ulster, I came to know Christ as my Saviour. You may not have been born in Ulster, but if you know Christ, stop and give thanks, to God, for those influences that where used by a sovereign God To bring you to Jesus.[ Dear God thanks for those influences, people, places,circumstances that You used ,to bring us to know Jesus as our Saviour. Amen ]

Holy harmony. [ Psalm 19 v14 ]

The last verse of Psalm 19 reads, /Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord my strength ,and my / It is C.H. Spurgeon, who writes of the ,/ Harmony of heart and lips, needed for acceptance/. If we are honest so often our words are not in harmony with our thoughts, we say one thing with our lips, but in our hearts we think another.David wants his words and his thought life to be acceptable in Gods sight,we listen to many entertainers , who want their words to be acceptable with man , but often what they say is not acceptable in Gods sight. David writes about his thought life, what does our minds dwell on?, lust/purity/hate/anger/self/or ,love/purity/pleasing God,Gods word. How is it possible to speak aright , and think aright?the answer only with Gods help. [ Dear God help me to speak , and think in ways that glorify You, may my words and my thought life be acceptable in Thy sight, in Jesus name we ask this. Amen. ]

Heed the warnings. [Psalm 19 v11]

David ends the 19th Psalm v11-14, with a deep concern,that he may be kept from sinning, in v11,he stresses the importance of Gods word,/Gods word warns us of danger [T M]. How important for Christians to read the word of God, to be imformed by the word of God , to be directed by the word of God, and not the changing standards of our society. Irrespective of what society is doing fornication is still fornication, adultery is still adultery, blaspheming is still blaspheming,stealing is still stealing.In a changing world sin does not change, idolatry is still a sin, the word of God is there for all His children ,to take heed of, and avoid. The word of God informs us, but it also warns us, of the consequences of sin , let us all remember that sin must carry with it consequences, that effect our relationship with God, and that is very, very ,serious. In Psalm 119 v 92, we read, /Unless thy law had been my delights, I should then have perished in mine affliction,/ [ You saved my life with those wise words T M ]. [ Dear God we thank You for Your word that informs ,instructs , and warns us,as regards sin and its consequences, help us all to be guided by Your word, and most of all to obey it, in Jesus name we ask this. Amen ]

Gods written word. [Psalm 19 v 7-11 ]

Yesterday we considered Gods voice in creation, that it is not something just to be admired ,but it is something that is speaking to all mankind ,of a creator. Psalm 19 now moves on to Gods word ,and its effectiveness in the hearts and lives of those who hear and respond to it. In the church where I ministered ,in the pulpit ,was a little rug with these words on it, Preach the Word,for it is the word of God that is able to make us wise unto salvation [ 2 Timothy 3 v15 ],it is the word of God that guides us[ Psalm 119v 105 ], it is a powerful and effective weapon in contending against the devil[Ephesians 6 v 17 ]. The word of God can cut through our defenses,and touch our hearts [Hebrews 4 v12 ],it is light ,exposing those wrong things in our lives, and teaching us to walk aright, it equips us to serve God. [2 Timothy 3 v 16-17 ]. No wonder the Psalmist declares it is of more value than the most pure gold [Psalm v19 v10 ], to ignor it ,endangers us,to neglect it, impoverishes us, to respond to it ,enriches and blesses us, and most of all the word of God reveals Christ to us, who alone can save us [ John 14 v6 ] [Dear God thank for your word, helps us to hear its message and respond ,and obey it ,in Jesus name. Amen ]

Creation ,Gods voice. [Psalm 19 ]

Let us consider Psalm 19, written by dear David, it commences by pointing us to creation, / The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handywork[v1]/ Times have changed evolution is the god of the so called Christian countries, but the Psalmist holds not to such nonsense, so he confidently declares that as we look up we see Gods handywork. He tells us that Gods creation is preaching to all the earth,it is the great apostle who takes up that theme in Romans 1v18 -23, v20 ,reads,/ For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made,they can clearly see His invisible qualities- His eternal power and divine nature./ and then he adds this very telling statement,/ So they have no excuse for not knowing God/.Today God is speaking to His world, through His creation, but unfortunately,they are not listening, it is a reminder just how much sin has affected mankind. WE will finish with the words of a Russian hymn as a prayer[ O Lord my God when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works Thy hand hath made, I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul , my Saviour God to Thee. How great Thou art, how great Thou art . Amen ]

An awful big adventure [Psalm 23 v 4 ]

It is Peter Pan who declares to his arch enemy Hook,/To die would be an awful big adventure/. How should we view death?, should we ignor it, should we ,think about it?, is that not just being morbid to think on death?. I wonder if the person in the street thinks about death, I think children do, the adult population are to busy living ,and trying to stay alive, so they appear to ignor it. It is said that there are two certainies in life ,death and taxes, as regards the latter, it is really foolish to ignor paying your tax to the goverment, many have,to their cost. So is not also foolish not to giving consideration to death that other certainty?,is it not foolish to think it will not happen,because it will. As a Christian I believe death will be an awful big adventure,something more wonderful than my most wonderful thoughts. For the Christian death is not something we need fear, it was Jesus who declared , that He was the resurrection and the life,and those who put their faith in Him, though they die would live [ John 11v25 ]. [ Dear God help us not to ignor deaths reality, help men and women, to think upon their latter end, and trust Jesus your Son. Amen ]