Love so amazing. [ Romans 5 v 6 - 8 ]

Tonight we watched a movie called, Babe in the city, about a little pig , called, yes you have guessed Babe well this little pig got into a great deal of trouble. He was chased by two fierce dogs, who fancied a bit of ham on the bone,well one of the dogs gives up the chase,but the other continues to chase Babe, but he gets into difficulty and is drowning, and who should save him, yes Babe. This reminded me of a time in my life , when I stood with those who hated Jesus, and who sought to destroy Him, in my blindness ,I hated Him, didnt want Him, and would have rejoiced at His suffering, and death. I was drowning in my sin. The question is who saved me ? the answer is Jesus.and the next question is why?, because He loved me,yes me, who had grieved Him with ten thousand falls. The many waters of rebellion,of hate,and mulitude of other things, could not quench His love, so to a cross He went, to save you and I, from a fate worse than death. [Dear Lord Jesus love so amazing , so divine,shall have my soul , my life and my all Amen ]

Joy. [Galations 5 v 22-23 ]

As I have been a Christian for a long time, suddenly an old hymn from the past comes to mind like the following,/You may have the joy bells ringing in your, take the Saviour here below, take Him everywhere you go. You can have the joy bells ringing in your heart/.Now I dont know if I have the words in the right order, but the message is clear, when we know Christ, one can know joy. Being a Christian is a serious business,but there is, yes joy,the Christian life is not doom and gloom. Think of the words of Peter written to believers who were suffering, he points them to Christ.this is what he writes, You never saw Him,yet you love Him, with laughter, and singing ,and he points them to their glorious future. [1Peter 1 v 8-9 ]. Life if full of thieves ,most people want to rob God of His glory, and the believer of his joy.May the Holy Spirit fill us with that holy joy,that comes from Christ,ask the father in His name and He will grant unto you. [ Dear God fill us with that joy unspeakable, that in all things we may rejoice in our Saviour, in His name we ask this Amen ]

Friends of Jesus. [ Matthew 5 v10 -12 ]

It was said by a person called Bonhoffer, I hope I have spelt his name correctly/ I did it perfectly,and they crucified Me..... friends of Jesus will be hated to the end of time/.It seems to me that I have been praying for persecuted Christians all my Christian life,those living under communism and it is still going on, in N Korea, but it is going on in many Countries. If suffering is inevitable what should we do?, nothing,well sickness is inevitable but we fight it, so should we not fight those who are persecuting Christians?. One of the reasons it is thought that Oliver Cromwells army acted so savagely in Ireland was a rumour had reached England ,that Protestants had been murdered by Chatholics,the action by Cromwell left a terrible legacy. The way of the kingdom of God is not one of vengance, but of trusting in God and following in the footsteps of a crucified one. In Hebrews 13 v 3, 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 for those of our Christain family who are suffering have mercy,grant them grace, grant them relief , in Jesus name. Amen ]

But God. [Ephesians 2 v1- 10]

Israels history reveals a nation that continually fell into sinful ways ,they failed to be consistent, Henretta Mears writes ,/The prophet was never sent while the nation was walking in obedience/.So all those old testament prophest spoke to the nation of Israel because of their sin,with one exception Jonah was sent to a heathen nation,and is it not more remarkable that he was one of the most successful of the prophets, for they repented and were saved. In the end the nation became so corrupt that God removed them from their land ,and took them into captivity, to the land of Babylon for seventy years. They may have thought that God was harsh with them, but Jeremiah knew differently , instead of charging God with being harsh and unjust, he declares, /It is of the Lords mercies that we are not consumed , because His compassions fail not.[ Lamentations 3v22 ] God will deal with mankind yes in severe ways, but it is no more than we deserve, if the Lord was dealing with you and me according to our sins then we would be lost for ever.If God is chastening us because of our folly, let us not rebel ,or charge our loving God with unkindness,in the words of that old prophet , let us declare, /It is the Lord, let Him do what seemeth good.[1 Samuel 3 v18 ]/. [Dear God we bow before you and acknowledge our sins ,we acknowledge that You have not dealt with us as we deserve, we praise you for your faithfulness ,and love in Thy son Jesus. Amen ]

Truth and love. [ Ephesians 4 v15 ]

It is John Stott who writes that the church grows , by truth and love, and he goes unto say, truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love, love becomes soft if it is not strengthened by truth.[ extracts from Gods new society ] Christians need to take heed to these words, one of the saddest aspects of church history is the cruelty perpetrated on those whom the chursh authorities considered unorthodox. In his book ,Reformation, Diarmaid MacGulloch, writing of the conflict in France in the 16th centuary says, that one of the features of French persecution had been that those who were about to be burned had their tongues cut out first. He goes on to write how Catholics butchered people.Hopefully such things will not happen again , but let us learn to hold the truth in love. [Dear God help us to hold fast ,to the truth, to not compromise with those who are in error,but let us hold to the truth in love, in Jesus name. Amen ]

No, know alls. [ 1 Corinthians 1 v 18 - 31 ]

In his book, Does God believe in Atheists?, by John Blanchard [I would commend this book highly to you, dont be put of by its size,it is well researched ,and is full of much that is of great worth, and it is not hard to read ] ,he quotes a Peter Atkins who said,/ Use your brains- the most wonderful in the universe- and through your brains you will you will find you do not need God. There is no necessity for God because science can explain everything/. What an unthought out statement , borne out of pride and arrogance, yes we realize that science knows a lot, but to say science can explain everything, it is simply not true. Why is it the more we know, the less we seem to know, as regards knowing it all, we descover that there are no, know it alls.It was Job who declared ,/ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things to wonderful for me, which I did not know[ Job 42 v 3 ] Here is a statement of humility , Job acknowledges his limatations, and if we are honest , we are no different. The greatest knowledge we can ever know is a true knowledge of God , and that knowledge can only come through faith in Jesus. [ Dear God forgive us for our arrogance and blind pride, and in thy mercy reveal yourself to us in Jesus name Amen ]

The death of a saint. [1 Thessalonians 4 v 13 -18 ]

I have just been told of the death of a fellow Christian ,someone I have known many years,he was a minister also for many years of a local fellowship. He poured out his life in the service of God, and I am sure ,his life and ministry touched many lives. The word of God tells us, /Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of His saints [Psalm 116 v15 ] , it is Herbert Lockyer , who writes the following./Paul speaks of all believers as being...Saints in Christ Jesus. Thus all true Christians are saints, some are more saintly than others. Every saint is immortal until their work is done, and when death comes, whether early or late in life, it is precious in Gods sight,for the one dying was redeemed by the precious blood of His precious Son- whose death was more precious in the Fathers sight, than all other sacrificial death./We do sorrow for our fellow Christians, but we sorrow not as those who have no hope, for we know that they are with the Lord in heaven. Let me ask you, have you such a hope?, you can have by simple trusting Jesus as your Saviour, believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved. [Acts 16 v31][Dear God we thank You that death is not the final goal for Your children, that through Your dear Son Jesus,we can beat Death, and all that it means. Amen ]

Dont despair, God answers prayer. [Luke 18 v1 ]

In Psalm 116 , we read of a man who had been in deep, deep trouble,, his heart was full of sorrow, he had been at deaths door now what do you do when life is like that?. Well this is what he did,/Then called I upon the name of the Lord,O Lord, I beseech Thee, deliver my soul [v 4 ]. Nothing happened, wrong, something did happen, /I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplication [ v1 ]/ Thomas Watson wrote,/When we pray to our Father,heaven cannot be blocked up.....A believer lets down the net of prayer until mercy comes/. In Romans 8 v32. we read,/ He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also give us all things./ Again Thomas Watson wrote,/ Prayer has opened prison doors. It has strangled the plots of the enemy, and routed their forces. Moses prayer did more than Joshua,s sword.Does this not encourage us to pray in faith/. Let us remember the prayer of faith is not a vain exercise, cry unto the Lord in your trouble, He will deliver you out of all manner of difficulties. We may think that the things we ask for are to great to be answered, not so, are we not told that the Lord can do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask , or think [Ephesians 3 v 20 ]. [ Dear God we praise You for answering prayer in Jesus name Amen ]

The Trinity. [ Hebrews 9 v14 ]

I believe in the holy trinity, one God in three persons, it was A. W, Tozer who wrote,/ Our sincerest effort to grasp the incomprehensible mystery of the trinity must remain forever futile, and only by deepest reverance can it be saved from actual presumption./ I remember being told many years ago that there was no illustration that could fully reveal to us the trinity, Irelands national emblem, the shamrock is held up to us a symbol of the trinity , mybe it does to some extent, but not fully. Many struggle to grasp the doctrine of the Trinty, because they dont understand it, I have had JWs stand at my door asking, how can it be?,and Mormons throwing ridicule at this doctrine. The fact of the matter is if we could understand, then God would no longer be God, Gods being is beyond our understanding. This does not mean that we have concocted this doctrine up, out of our own heads, no ,the answer to our faith, is clearly taught in the bible,The answer to our struggles is faith, a faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, blessed Trinity. [ Dear God we bow in humility as to who You are, we grasp by faith the truth of the blessed Trinity, Father , Son and Holy Spirit, Amen ' ]

Redundant words. [ 2 Timothy 3 v 14 - 16 ]

I was listening to the radio and heard that new words had come into being, and some old words are not now being used , one word not being used was areodrome, this surprised me. They interviewed a man who actually worked at an areodrome ,who took exception to the fact that this word according to Collins dictionary was considered reduntant.As a Christian I am conscious that certain words, like sin, hell,repentance,and conversion are becoming reduntant, or certain phrase like being saved or being born again. And yet it seems to me that these are the very words and phrases we need to proclaim clearly, without fear or favour .We may live in a secular society, but we do live in a sinful world,riots,adultery,murder ,lack of forgiveness,people addicted to one thing or another. Is it alright saying a little bit of what you fancy does you good , when that very thing is destroying you.People may not like to hear those words or phrases ,but they need to, not only hear them but take heed to them, for if they dont ,they will be lost for all eternity.[ Dear God the truths of Your word never change,help us to hold fast to biblical words and phrases , help us never to compromise, in Jesus name . Amen .]

A word for everyone.[ John 3 v16 ]

The scripture is a ford,wherein,tis said. An elephant,shall swim ,a lamb may wade, so wrote the poet Francis Quarles [ 1592 - 1644 ]. I believe what we are being told is that for one thing we do not need to be afraid of the word of God,no matter how limited we may be.Also we are not to big in intellect , so many people think they have all the answers, when in reality they have none. People of this generation feel they have outgrown the Bible, or believe it has no place in a so called modern society,how wrong they are. When I was young we had childrens meetings, sundays schools, when ordinary people,guided by the Holy Spirit,would teach Gods Word. In that beloved city of my birth Belfast ,there where Gospel meetings , people believed that message ,and their lives where changed for ever. I believe that the troubles would have been worse, because the influence of the gospel kept many people from getting involved.The word of God and its message is for all,exclude yourself from it to your cost. [Dear God thank for Your word , a word for everyone, a word of life, a word of hope, a word of salvation through Your Son Jesus. Amen ]

Ordinary people. [ 1 Corinrhians 1 v 26 - 31 ]

He was considered only a farmer , as were many of his fellow soldiers, ordinary people of no good social standing, yes he and others were despised for being ordinary, coming out of the common people. He was Oliver Cromwell, and they were the new model army, those who despised them were the royalist,led by Charles the first. At the battle of Naseby 1645 this so called ordinary person led the calvary, that played a decisive role in the the defeat of those royalists, and this ordinary person rose to become Lord Protector of England. Let none of us feel down and let none of us be put down because we are ordinary, consider the following, /Not many wise according to the flesh, not many noble are called. But God has chosen the foolish things....the weak things...the base things.....the things which are despised. [NKJV ] Being a nobody in Gods eyes makes no difference, He does it for a number of reasons, one, that He will get all the glory, next as the Message puts it,/ to expose the hollow pretensions of the somebodies/. And lastly, God can use us nobodies,we see this throughout scripture and history,[as long as we dont get swelled heads]. [ Dear God we praise You for choosing ordinary people like us, for making us Your children, and even using us , may we always be grateful and humble for such love and mercy bestowed upon us in Your dear Son Jesus our Saviour. Amen ]

Stigma removed. [ ` Chronicles 4 v 9- 10 ]

Whats in a name? I have a friend and his wifes name is Happy, I read today of two people, one called, Gladness, the other called Merry, my name is William, although I get Bill usually.There was a man in the Bible called Nabal ,[1 Samuel 25 ], one wonders what his parents were thinking about, for his name means fool. It is a mystery to me why anyone would call their child fool, but here is the point, he actually acted the fool, and nearly brought disaster upon his household.Consider how many people, who are not called fool, yet act as fools,and bring disaster upon their households.There was another man in 1 Chronicles 4v 9-10, called Jabez, his name meant sorrowful,it related to his mothers having a very painful birth.So Jabez was lumbered with a name that reminded him and everybody else, of the pain he had caused his mother , what a stigma to live under. But Jabez was determined to rise above that stigma, and so he prayed a wonderful prayer,mybe you are living under a stigma, a family history,mybe your own actions have brought a stigma upon yourself, what can you do?. Well you can do what Jabez did,pray and yes you can pray his prayer,or pray a prayer of your own, God answered his prayer, be assured, God will answer your prayer. [Dear God inspite of my name, my history, my background I ask that You would bless me, and prosper my life and my endevours in Jesus name Amen ]

Doris Day. [Psalm 92 ]

I just read on the internet that Doris Day is releasing a new album,well you may ask ,so what and who is Doris Day?.She was a very popular singer actress, many years ago, one of her best movies in my opinion was Calamity Jane,Howard Keel was her co-star,the songs they sung were wonderful. Now Doris is 87 , this album is made up of old recordings, which are being remastered whatever that may mean, but I am sure they will sound lovely.This got me thinking about old age and what we read in Psalm 92 v14/ They shall still bring forth fruit in old age/.Herbert Lockyer,writes the following, /Journeying on to the end, the godly well stricken in years,daily prove that Gods dispensations have no flaw in them, and can no more be moved than a rock can be dislodged from its age-long foundation./ and he ends by writing,/ The venerable godly, far from declining, climb higher as they travel on to lifes last milestone/. [ Dear God we rejoice that even in old age You can cause us to useful and fruitful ,may it be so in Jesus name we ask this Amen ]

The only antidote. [ 1 Peter 1 v 5 - 9 ]

One of my favourite devotionals is word for today,and today I read something which blessed me,/ Tribulation has its own agender and pace, and patience is the only antidote /. These words are so very true ,and we need to take them to heart,we really do, they are not easy words to accept, but it is like when we used to take medicine, and were told by our parents it would us good for us ,even though it tasted unpleasant.Consider how long Abraham and Sarah had to wait for the fullfillment of that promise from God, yes patience is so often the only antidote for times of trials. In the movie Braveheart,we have the English army charging on horses towards the Scots, and there was William Wallace,restraining his army, with the words, wait for it, wait for it. Yes life is often about waiting, having to exercise patience.In Psalm 105 we read how Joseph was sold into slavery, then put into prison, and was made to wear fetters on his feet, and an iron collar around his neck,until the time came to fulfill his dreams, and these are the important words , /the Lord tested his character/. We glibly sing,/Every joy or trial falleth from above. Traced upon our dial, by the Son of love/,yet fail to appreciate His purpose ,to develop Character.So He sends trials, and in those trials we are called to exercise patience ,it is the only antidote for tribulation. [Dear Lord we are impatient in so many things; help us by Your grace to exercise patience, in every aspect of life. Amen ]

John Stott. [ Revelation 14 v 13 ]

I have just read that John Stott had died this year, you may not of heard of him, but he was a very gifted minister of Gods word. His ministry will live on , in the lives of many. He wrote a book called, Gods new society,it was a study on the book of Ephesians, he called it the gospel of the church. Here are a few of the things he wrote, / Truth becomes hard if it is not softened by love, love becomes soft if is not strengthened by truth/ Gods new society is to display, charity, unity,diversity, and growing maturity/ Let no one say that doctrine does not matter. Good conduct arises out of good doctrine/Many of our spiritual troubles arise from our failure to remember that we are citizens of two kingdoms/.Let us give thanks to God for John Stott , his faithfulness to the word of God, his love for the church of God, and his desire that all may come to love and trust the Son of God, Jesus.[ Dear God we thank you for Your servant John Stott, we ask that like him we may treasure Your word, to study it, to practice it,in Jesus name Amen ]

Past,present,future. [Hebrew 13 v8 ]

The theme of this blog ,is the three tenses, past,present, and future, and I want to apply Hebrews 13v8, to these three tenses. When Christ came into my life ,my life changed, everything changed, I with gratitude remember how He helped me, in so many , many ways. One occassion comes to mind, many years ago ,got a puncture, no wheel brace,we where in the country, it was night,and my wife and four children were in the car, and from nowhere a man drove up and loaned me a wheel brace, problem solved, that is the past. What about the present tense?well as I sit here , I consider how blest I am, I am 67, yet God in His mercy, has helped me to continue working in a job I love,I have a nice home, I lack for nothing. Now what about that future tense?, now of course I dont know what the future holds, but then I recall to mind Hebrews 13v8, which reads,/ Jesus Christ the same yesterday,[ past tense] and to day, [ present tense ]and forever[ future tense ] .Yes of course I dont know the future ,but I am confident,that Jesus who helped me in the past, has blessed me in the present , will look after me in the future, whatever that future holds,and whatever applies to me, applies to every child of God.[ Dear Saviour in a world of change, we thank You, that we can rest secure on the truth, that You do not change, Amen ]

Realism and the word of God.[Romans 8 v28 -39 ]

I heard a man on the radio, advocating a pessimistic outlook in life ,it was an interesting point of veiw, modern man have built their hopes on science,materialism, and technology.The result is they think every problem can be solved,but it is not so ,some groups of Christians ,fall into the same trap. What I believe we should be, is a realist,based upon Gods word , our Saviour said the poor will be with us always [ Mark 14 v7 ], continually we are being warned of the pitfalls of life,that death is enevitable. Yet inspite of these things ,we are encouraged that no matter what happens to us God can make it work out for His childrens good [Romans 8 v28 ],that even death will not defeat them, and that we have with us, at all times a Saviour, called Jesus. [Dear God we believe that all is well, inspite of the obvious difficuties that life throws at us, because You assure us from Your word that we are in Thy care, we thank You for this in our Saviours name. Amen ]

The pursuing God. [Isaiah 53 v 6 ]

Someone I know said, he felt God was pursuing him, there is a poem with that theme, but is it true? I suppose it is true, when one thinks about it. I think it can apply to those who know the truth, yet for one reason or another,they run away from it, yet all the time God is pursuing them, until He catches up with them. Why does He bother? love, He loves that person, inspite of their resistance, it goes back to our first parents[ Genesis 3 v 10], and ever since we have followed in their footsteps, with God in hot pursuit. Why is God pursuing?, because someone is praying for that person, a godly mother and father, and in response to their prayers God pursues, the runaways.Will He catch them?, of course, you cannot beat God at a race, He always gets his man,you can bet on it. [Dear God we all know runaways, sons, daughters,old friends, who once walked with You, and indeed those who have not known You, in mercy pursue them till You catch them, in Jesus name, Amen ]

Immanuels Land. [ Acts 7 v 56 ]

When I was ministering last Sunday,we were singing a hymn, and as we sung it, I felt emotional, I felt the tears running down my cheeks, so I stopped singing and just listened to the congregation, and as I listened ,I felt blessed, I who was there to minister was ministered to.mybe they didnt realise that they were ministering to me, but they were. The hymn they sung was that lovely hymn,/The sands of time are sinking/, by A. R. Cousin, here are the last two verses of this lovely hymn./The bride eyes not her garment,But her dear bridegrooms face.I will not gaze at glory,But on my King of grace. Not at the crown He gifteth,But on His pierced hand, The Lamb is all the glory of Immanuels land/ Ive wrestled on towards heaven, Gainst storm ,and wind, and tide, Now like a weary trav,ller,That leaneth on His guide. Amid the shades of evening,While sinks lifes lingering sand, I hail the glory dawning, in Immanuels land/. [ Dear Saviour grant us grace to wrestle on towards heaven, to not give up, until we see You, the Lamb , who is the glory of Immanuels land. Amen ]

Conversion. [ Luke 15 v 11 - 32 ]

Following our theme of mans condition, and its consquences,we move on to consider the Biblical doctrine of conversion. In 1 Thessalonians 1v 9, the apostle writes , how these Christians had turned to God ,from idols to serve the living and true God. This is an example of conversion , Vine puts it , a turning about' and a turning to, it is an about turn,turning from ones sinful life,a forsaken of ones sinful ways, true conversion will start at the foot of the cross,where we seek forgiveness, by accepting Jesus as saviour,then we follow Him ,in a life of holiness and obedience. It is Vine who declares,/Divine grace is the efficent cause, human agency the responding effect/. We cannot do this on our own, we need God to help us ,and this He will gladly do, for whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved, compare Romans 10 v 13. Here is a prayer , if you have never been converted, [Dear God have mercy upon me, forgive all my sins , save me by your grace , as I now turn to Jesus Thy son, and follow Him. Amen ]

Sins consequences. [ Romans 6 v 23 ]

Yesterday we wrote about mankinds condition, that he is a sinner, now let us consider the consequence of this. The first thing that was effected was mankinds relationship with God, no longer did a friendly relationship exsist between us, sin had caused a breech, so much so that mankind was expelled from paradise, with a death sentance hanging over them.[ GENESIS 1 V17/ 3 V 24 ] This sentence is hereditary no one escapes it, for all have sinned [Romans 3 v23 ],and in Romans 6 v23, the apostle declares ,the wages of sin is death , as Godet writes in his commentary,/ the term death does not mean the annihilation of the sinner.....it is rather to make one feel the painful consequences of sin/. Yes the painful consequence of sin, look at this world,and everywhere we see the consequences of sin, look into our own hearts and lives, if we dare, and we see the consequence of sin.[ Dear God help us not to live under any illusion as regards the consequences of sin ,for us and for this world, in Jesus name , Amen ]

Mans condition. [ Psalm 51 v 5 ]

I wonder what you think about the riots?,it was interesting to listen to a reporter on the radio, regarding a number of people who where being charged with various crimes. He mention that many had very good jobs , so why where they rioting?why become a law breaker?. Earlier that day I had been thinking over three things in my head, and the first one was mans condition ,the Bible tells us that man is a sinner,instead of accepting this, many speak of mans inherent goodness, something they are born with.If this so why do we have laws?,the fact of the matter we all break the speed limit,we all do many things contrary to mans law but all of us break God laws,by our actions, thoughts, and words,So if we see riots, and hear about crime ,and child abuse, let us remember it is part of our condition, our sinful condition, and as we will see next time ,there are consequences in relation to our condition, that are very serious. [Dear God we pray that conviction of sin may begin to sweep through our land, and our hearts, in Jesus name. Amen ]

There is victory in Jesus.[1 Corinthians 15 v 57 ]

I identify with what the apostle wrote in Romans 7, its an interesting chapter, many debate over the meaning of it, one thing for sure,as W Barclay puts it, he felt himself pulled in two directions, he knew himself to be a walking civil war. Barclay quotes the Roman poet ,Ovid,/I see the better things, and I approve them, but I follow the worse/.This drives Paul to despair, and so you have him crying out v24 /O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of death./ I wonder if you feel like Paul , Are you driven in two directions ? are you filled with despair? so what can one do?, well Paul gives us the answer, v25 /I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord/.Again it is W Barclay who writes,/ The inadequacy of human knowledge, of human resolution, and the limatations of diagnosis/. He finishes by stating,/ Jesus is the one person, who not only knows what is wrong, but who can also put the wrong to rights/.[ Dear Father in heaven, grant us victory through Thy dear son Jesus . Amen ]

Dont be fooled. [ 1 Samuel 16 v 1 Samuel 16 v 16-

I found myself doing something I know I shouldnt do, judging by appearance,I should know better, but I fell into the old trap of just looking on the outward.Yet I am not the only person who does this,the media are always pushing unto us, the young and the beautiful,and of course people fall for their false and flawed reasoning. It was none other than a prophet called Samuel who made the choice of judging by appearance,and God put him right, Here is what God said,/For the Lord seeth not as man seeth, for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Looketh on the heart [1 Samuel 16 v 7 ] . Just recently the truth of these words struck home to me ,by the terrible killing in Norway, the killer was dressed as a police man, and was very good looking, another good looking young man,battered his ex-girlfriend to death with rock. So let us not be taken in by outward appearances. [Dear God grant us that we may not be fooled by the shallow and flawed, in Jesus name we ask this. Amen ]

To heavenly minded. [ Revelation 22v12 ]

There is a saying that goes / To heavenly minded to be any earthly use/, I wonder is this true? ,what do you think?.I personally do not agree, as I look back I can think of many people whom one could say was heavenly minded, and have accomplished a lot of good, take the work of missions,they have set up schools and hospitals, and orphanages.There are so many examples of heavenly minded people doing so much earthly good,consider our Saviour, He went about doing good ,but He always had a constant vision of eternity,like Him, we are called to serve,to give, and to love others , if we are not doing this,then we are not any earthly good. [Dear God help us to live heavenly lives here on earth, in Jesus name. Amen ]


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Thomas Brookes said ,/O look upon sin now as you must look upon it in eternity/, indeed should we not consider all things in the light of eternity. I suppose it is hard to see beyond this life ,to take eternity serious , after all most of us just think about the here and now. There is a saying about some people, that they are to heavenly minded, to be of any earthly use,I dont think that this is true, if we consider history we discover many heavenly minded people, accomplished a tremendous lot of wonderfully things.Take our Saviour he accomplished so much good ,He did all He did in the light of eternity. [ Hebrews 12 v 2 ].To live with eternity in veiw is not a cop out of life ,it is in fact living life as it should be lived,with hope ,and a belief that what we do here and now,has a worth, and a value ,in the eyes of God,that will, bring eternal rewards. [Dear God help us to live in the light of eternity, and in so doing we will be following in the footsteps of our Saviour. Amen ]

The road less travelled. [ John 14 v 6 ]

Robert Frost wrote, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I- I took the road less travelled by, And that has made all the difference. Now I am not sure what he meant,but these words remind me of what our Saviour spoke of in Matthew 7 v 13- 14.of entering , either a narrow way or a broad way, depending which one you choose , will determine your eternal destiny, Our Saviour said the many choose the broad way, a way that leads to desruction, and few choose the narow way that leads to life. In life we will make many choices, are we prepared to choose the road less travelled ,by trusting Jesus as your Saviour?,if you do it will trully make all the difference. [ Dear God help us, for so often in our blindness,we make wrong choices, help me to choose the road less travelled by trusting Jesus , who is the truth, the way, and the life. Amen ]

Death is conquered. [ John 11v 25 ]

I have just heard that my niece who was expecting a baby, has lost it, this morning my wife heard that a resident she cared for has also died. The words we often speak at funerals come to mind,/in the midst of life we are in death/, and so it is.How do we feel about death?,does it fill you with curiosity, dread, fear, I remember hearing,that death was an unnatural act, for when God, made us,we where never meant to die, in Romans 5 v12 we read,/Wherefore , as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin,and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned/. So here we have the cause of death ,but here is the good news ,through Christs death , sin can be forgiven, and the consquences of sin dealt with,all we have to do is trust in Jesus.It was Jesus who declared,I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies,and then he asked,/do you believe this?,well do you?. [ Dear God thank You for Jesus who defeated, sin,death and satan through His death on the cross Amen ]

Grace is greater . [ Romans 5v 20 ].

I did not buy my usual paper , all I wanted to read was the sport page,but I ended up looking through this very popular paper. Now I am no prude, but I must confess , it was dreadful, and yet it is one of the most popular papers sold in our country. Does this reflect the state of our nation?, I can only suppose it may,there is a phrase called the gold standard , well God has a standard, /Righteousness exalteth the nation ,but sin is a reproach to any people [Proverbs 14 v34 ] Now it is not selfrighteousness that these words are declaring, but a rigtheousness that reflects Gods glory ,a righteousness that has tasted Calvary mercy,love and grace.Law cannot change the human heart, and the human condition, only Christ can do this, The word of God tells us that where sin abounded, grace did much more abound[ Romans 5 v20 ] ,so there is hope even for this sinful nation, and even for you,and me. Amazing grace how sweet the sound,that saves a wretch like me.I, once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. [Dear God the condition of my heart,the state of our lives, and the state of our nation, can cause me to despair, but then I remember your love mercy and grace which we all can recieve,in Jesus,

Naughty but deadly. [ Romans 6 v 23 ]

There used to be an advert on TV ,that declared naughty but nice, I was reminded of this recently, when at church on Sunday they brought round plates of jam doughtnuts.Now I like them and I could have eaten one,two,three, but I didnt, because I am diabetic, diet controlled, for me to eat doughnuts,or anything that is full of sugar or to much fat,is not only naughty but dangerous. In Hebrews 11v 23-25 we read of Moses, who was a Prince in Egypt, making an important decision, he choose to suffer affliction, with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season. Yes sin can be nice, just like those jam doughnuts, but sin brings consequences that we have to live with, guilt,bondage,destruction, and yes, Hell,it is no good ignoring the consequences, like so many people do, when it comes to sin,there is always a pay day. [Romans 6v 23 ] Moses made an all important choice , he choose Christ ,and because of that choice,he is in Heaven, today why not make the choice to forsake your sin, and trust Jesus as your Saviour. Here is a prayer you can pray./ Dear God forgive my sin,I now forsake them,and accept Jesus as my Saviour. Amen ]

Dont be trapped in the past. [ Hebrews 11 v 13 - 16 ]

I am sitting up late trying to get used to my small laptop,and my mind goes back to my chidlhood ,sitting at a desk using a pen with a nib on it.dipping the nib in the ink pot,and then trying to write and not make any blots,which of course was so easy to do. One was given blotting paper, to soak up surplus ink, you could use a hard rubber to try an erase mistakes, usually one would wear a whole in the paper, and then you would present it to the teacher. I dread to think what my work was like. How far we have moved on from those days,days when we wore short trousers, and all had skinny legs, mine are still skinny, so where is this all leading to?. Looking back is not so bad,as long as we dont live in the past, which many people do , and are trapped there, the apostle Paul wrote, / Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus [Philippians 3 v 13-14 ] [Dear Lord Jesus help us not to live in the pass , help us focus always on our glorious future with You. Amen ]

He will not fail. [ Romans 4 v 16 - 21 ]

I must confess, I pray about things ,I make my requests known unto God , but then I worry about the very thing I have prayed about.Continually I hear God speaking two words to me, they are ,/ Trust Me/,I smile when I hear these words,I know I need to hear these words, that I simply need to trust Him. I know it may sound simple those words , but like all relationships .trust is vital, I have to trust my wife, she has to trust in me,so when it comes to our relationship with God, trust is vital.Whatever problem you are facing today,pray about it,and trust in God, He will not fail you.[ Dear God help me to trust You, knowing You are trully trustworthy, in Jesus name we ask this. Amen ]