Football just a game. [ Matthew 6 v33 ]

I like football, I am to old to play, I did play when I was younger,not very well,but now I am TV spectator,and even though this is so, I still do my bit of shouting,and commentating on the game I am watching.Now there is one person who has the most difficult job, is the referee, one sport commentator,wrote of the referee as displaying a hellish combination of incompetence and arrogance. We rightly say, oh it is only a game,and of course it is but it seems it is a channel for people to have an opportunity to release all their pent up emotions,on the poor referee,the opposing team,and even the opposing supporters. One writer , writes in a newspaper,/Modern referees need the wisdom of Solomon, the patience of Job , the probity of Caesars wife./ Now this is about sport, just a game, yes a game that  I love, as  Christians we must not let things, like sport or other areas of life get out of proportion. I can think of two well known Christians who were exceptional sportsmen ,yet they led aside that passion for a greater passion their love of Christ, and His call on their lives.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to not let the lesser things have  control of our lives,in Jesus name Amen/

Dont be fooled. [Numbers 32 v 23 ]

I remember when I was a young lad and I smoked cigarettes ,breaking into a cigarette dispenser and stealing cigarettes, but I also remember the fear I had about being found out. At this time there are many ,many people doing things they shouldn't be doing,consider the all the things that may include,adultery,stealing,lying,murder,alcholism. In our country I have mentioned the sexual abuse  practised by a famous person,which only came to light when he died. This has opened a can of worms, and it seems he was not on his own,one person has been arrested,and many others are living in fear in case the hidden things come to light. In one national newspaper I read the following,/ Major stars from the sixties/seventies are terrified of being named in connection with the J/S child abuse scandal according to PR Max Gilford/ This all reminds me of the words of Numbers 32v 23 / Be sure your sin will find you out/, the word sin may not be politically correct, but things have not changed,sin is still ,and if not repented off and forgiven ,will be found out,  and will be judged by a holy God.
A prayer..... /Dear God help us to forsake our sins,our secret sins, before we are faced with them at Your judgement seat in Jesus name. Amen /

Work. [ Colossians 3 v17 ]

 My job as a support does not entail to much physical work,with the exception of one day when I help run a group,this does not mean that it is not demanding,it brings with it challenges,in relation to those suffering from mental illness. I remember many years  when working as a labourer and I was pushing a wheelbarrow that  someone in passing said hard work is not easy,I did not needed to be reminded of this as I struggled with that wheelbarrow. I read this morning about dear Christians in  Kuwait who are exploited ,they start work at 4.30 am  and work till 5.30 pm .Work is important but not always fulfilling, I am fortunate that my job is,but as I have indicated I have had not so nice jobs,but they help to feed my children and keep the wolf from the door. I thank God that I have been working for over 20 years in my present job,I have experienced unemployment, so I know both sides of the coin.Today if you have a job,thank  God, if your job is difficult,a boss who is not very nice,don't become discouraged,or bitter,commit it all to God,and if you are unemployed ,remember you are precious and of worth.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us whither we are working or unemployed, in all things give thanks, in Jesus name Amen /

Relationship [ 2 Peter v 3 ]

There are three more things that are of vital importance in facing all that life throws at us,now they may sound obvious,but it is often the obvious that we miss. Here they are,Prayer, Bible study,and fellowship with fellow believers,all these things will be a means of grace, which none of us can neglect,and if we do we will suffer.These things involve our relationship with God, and our relationship with our fellow believers, the  Christian life is about relationship,before we came to Christ we really did not have a relationship with God[ Isaiah 59v2/  Ephesians 2 v 12]. Christs death on the cross has made it possible for us to have a relationship with God,when we trusted Jesus as our Saviour,so a relationship began anew.Now we can come into the presence of God in prayer with utter and complete confidence [Hebrews 4 v16 ], the next is the bible and the importance of reading it regularly. There was a time in history that the bible was a banned book ,but that has changed now most of us have the bible,and we have to read it consistently,praying over its pages, and living out its truths in our lives. Next fellowship that means meeting with fellow Christians and having fellowship with them. If we neglect any of those things, we will suffer in our relationship,let we stress again it is all about relationship.
Dear God we thank  You for Jesus though whom we have been brought into a living relationship with You,we thank You that through Him and all Your resources we can cope with whatever difficulties or challenges we are faced with, we  thank You in Jesus name Amen /.

We have the power. [ Romans 8 ]

I have in my garden solar lights and a neighbour has solar panels, they are powered by the sun,now it was our Saviour who said , that we would receive power by the Holy Spirit [ Acts 1 v8 ]. How am I going to cope with life?,by the power of the Holy Spirit,and let me say this ,that every Christian has the Holy Spirit, not just the Pentecostals,but every true child of God.One cannot be born again except by the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will empower us to witness , and to live a godly life.He is called our comforter [John 14 v26 ]. It is Him who will grant us the power to cope [Ephesians 6 v10],in Ephesians 3 v20, we read of the power that worketh in us, that power is the Holy Spirit. In Galatians 5, the apostle writes about walking in the Spirit,of being led by the Spirit, and living in the Spirit.If you do not speak with tongues, it means that you don't speak with tongues,it does not mean you have not the Spirit of God, A clear evidence that we have the Spirit of God is by our fruits[ Galatians 5 v22-23/ Matthew 7 v16 ]As the sun empowers  solar lights and panels so the Holy Spirit can help you and I to cope with the difficulties and challenges of life.
A  prayer...../ Dear God fill us Your Spirit that we will be able to cope with the difficulties and challenges we have to face in Jesus name  Amen /

How can we cope?.[ Joshua 1 v 9 ]

We considered the fact that we all are faced with difficulties, the question is how are we to cope?,well the good news is we can,we may not think so, but we can.The reason I say this is because of what the scripture tells us,and of the experience of many of Gods dear children. How did Job cope with all that he suffered?how did David cope when being hunted and hounded by Saul?,how did Paul cope with so much?.Well you may have heard it before ,but we need to be reminded that we cannot cope in our own resources. It is God and His resources that alone can enable us to cope, and not only to cope ,but be triumphant. Now what resources has God granted us? first of all ,Himself,for has He not said that He is with us always[Matthew 28v 20],consider today that He is with you,and tomorrow He will be with you,and indeed for all your tomorrows He will be with you. We may feel that we are alone,but we are not,we have one with us who will never leave us nor forsake us. In the garden the disciples fled and forsook their Lord,but  their Lord never forsook them,Jonah discovered the wonderful truth,that although he had been unfaithful,God was faithful even in the depths of the sea and in the belly of the great fish.Give not in to morbid thoughts,let not the things of sight blind you to the great reality that only faith can grasp, that God hath said I will never leave you nor forsake you.
A  prayer....../ Dear God I thank You that we are not alone,that You are with us every passing hour,thank You in Jesus name Amen /

Difficulties. [ Job 14 v 1 ]

It is so easy as we look at others to loose sight of the truth that they have difficulties to cope with ,Job had his looses,David had his Saul,Paul had his thorn in the flesh. In a sense no matter how great a person may be, no matter how godly,we are all without exception in the same boat.James reminds us that Elijah was a man,but he did so many powerful things,no, God did many powerful things in response to  his prayers. We must always give God the glory and remember that the greatest evangelist ,are but men,honour them but don't idolise them. Now says James, Elijah was subject to like passions as we are,in other words he had difficulties to deal with, just like us. So let let us not envy them,pray for them,and let us not think of any saint of God that they are  immune from difficulties. I used to have a book called  I think,/The crook in the lot/written by I think, Thomas  Boston,and in this book he pointed out that we all have to contend with something, that's difficult. This is so true, now having made that point the question is how can we cope, with those difficulties?,well  how?,we will consider this more next time
A prayer.... / Dear God help us to see that we are all faced with difficulties , that none are excluded from them,let us envy no one because of their apparent prosperity in Jesus name Amen /.

Alone. [ Genesis 2 v18 ]

Imagine being on your own,you never have a visitor,if you have children they never bother with you,your neighbours never bother,the only phone calls you receive,are from sales people,and the only mail you receive is junk mail. The fact is you are alone,really alone ,although there are people all around you,you live in a prosperous country,but you are poor when it comes to friends. This can apply to many people,to the old,sick,poor,they have no one,they are alone,I have never been in that situation,but there have been times in my life when I have felt alone,yes really alone.In my case God did send people along to be my friends, I can see them now as I go down memory lane,and I thank God for everyone of them. Today let us remember the lonely those people who are on their own,those people we rub shoulders with,and if we can let befriend them,pray for them,yes they may be Christians, but they still can feel lonely, the word of God tells us it is not good for man to be alone i[ Genesis 2 v18]. A dear brother in the Lord was ill receiving treatment, I phoned him regularly, and he said to me that I was like a pastor to him,all I did was phone,no I did more than that I cared for him.Consider the importance our Saviour puts on caring,He declares,/Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,ye have done it unto Me[  Matthew 25 v40 ]
A  prayer...../Dear God help those dear people who are alone,use us to befriend them in some way in Jesus name Amen /

Our name. [ Acts 11 v26 ]

I have a favourite radio program called ,Desert Island Discs , a guest is invited to appear on it,and they are asked to choose 10 pieces of music they would have ,if they where marooned on a desert island.  The guest also talks about their life's experience ,a recent guest was the opera singer Noah Stewart,who was born in Harlem, New York,in fact he sill lives there.Noah asked his mother why she had named him Noah, and she replied,/ Noah was a great man,and did great things/. I suppose she had named her son Noah, that he would be like Noah,a great man , and accomplish great things,and so it is,Noah has achieved greatness within the world of opera.We may not be called Noah , but we bear a wonderful name, as John the apostle puts it,we are called the children of God[ 1 John 3 v1],we also bear the name Christian.Should this not,inspire and challenge us, to greatness, now of course the greatness of Gods kingdom is not defined by earthly success or fame,but in servant hood, in love,in sacrifice.This is all to be found in following Jesus, and seeking to be like Him,the Christian should be Christ like.
A  prayer...../Dear God help to bring honour to our name,for Jesus sake Amen/

Never to busy. [ Mark 10 v49 ]

We continue on in considering our Saviours ongoing ministry,right to the point of His death,we thought on the blind man Bartimaeus, and determination to be healed by our Lord.. Now our Lord was on His way to die at Jerusalem ,He knew what that would involve,and here is this man Bartimaeus, calling for Him,yes his need was great,but Jesus had a task that was great,the salvation of the world. He humanly speaking had every right to ignore this one individual,but He didn't,those around Jesus thought He should not be disturbed. Then we read , Jesus stood still,Jesus was never a driven person,no He was always in control,oh that we were more like Him,we are driven people,instead of being a led people, instead of being in control.Now Jesus stood still, may God help us to be still and know that God is in control,whatever situation Jesus found Himself in,He was in control, be it in a storm,or in a debate,or in going to Calvary,He was not filled with anxiety,nor to busy to help the needy.We may be faced today with difficulties, pressures,yes even death,don't panic,be still and know your God, all things are in His hands,don't think He has not heard Your cry,or is to busy to stop and help You. The words of a song comes to mind,/Oh know, he never would say He is  to busy today,He is only a prayer away.
A   prayer....Dear Lord we thank You that You are always available for us Amen /

Wholeheartedness. [ Philippians 3 v 13 ]

As we read the story of Jesus we are aware that the Saviour was ministering ,right up to the point of His death,He never ceased to minister and impart a blessing upon people. He heads out  of Jericho,[ Jericho is very near Jerusalem]surrounded by His disciples, and a great number of people,a blind man called Bartimaeus, a beggar,calls out to Jesus ,that He would have mercy on him [Mark 10 v46-52 ]. Now the crowds tell him to be quite, but he did not listen. his need was great, and nobody could meet his need but Jesus.How determined are we in meeting with Jesus?.Could it be that we are only half hearted in seeking Jesus.Continually we read about those saints of old who were wholehearted in seeking unto God.[ CP  Genesis 32 v 26/ Numbers 32 v12] Timothy was exhorted to give himself wholly to his ministry and the word of God. 1 Timothy 4 v 12- 15] Make no mistake those who succeed in life are wholehearted in  their endeavour, should it be any different for the Christian?. What does that entail for the Christian,be wholehearted in getting to know the scriptures,be whole hearted in seeking God in prayer,be wholehearted in love of God,and others,if love is missing then we are missing what is most important,be wholehearted in obeying the truth,head knowledge is pointless if it is not lived out in obedience.Bartimaeus was truly wholehearted in his desire to be healed,and he was determined to let no one stand in the way of meeting with Jesus who alone could make it happen.
A  prayer...../Dear Lord give us grace to wholly follow You, Amen/

A good name. [ Ecclesiastes 7 v1 ]

We are have built a summer house built,the man who is building it,is doing a lovely job,he has done a number of jobs for us,and we are very pleased with all he has done. He came recommended to us and he has lived up to his recommendation, we have had the other type of builders, and they were a nightmare.In Ecclesiastes 7 v1, we read,/A good name is better than perfume/,in other words ones reputation is important,the man who is doing work for us,does not advertise,he gets his work because of his reputation,he does a good job.A persons reputation lives on after they have gone,be it good or bad. As a Christian I am so conscious that my life should correspond with my name Christian, I am not talking about being a man pleaser, but a person who walks the walk,like those godly people who have gone before me .One of my prayers is that I may not leave my job under a cloud,which could so easy happen,that would break my heart. How will my children ,and my grandchildren, yes and even my wife remember me?plus the many others I come into contact with. In Proverbs 10 v 7 ,reads,/ The memory of the righteous will be a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot.
 A prayer...../Dear God help us in all our dealings,and every in every aspect of our lives to live a life that will truly glorify You, in Jesus name Amen /

A faithful witness. [ 4 v 18- 20 ]

I was on a course yesterday,now I had prayed about it,and during the course, I got into a conversation with a young women,she shared with me, a few things,and I said I would pray for her. Now not with her , but for her ,that appears to be a simple inoffensive thing to say,yet I felt ,she was not comfortable with what I said. I have prayed for her as I said,the Bible tells us that ,the natural human does not appreciate or understand spiritual things[1 Corinthians 2 v14] So we should not be surprised if people react unfavourable to what we say,but here is the important thing we must not stop  witnessing or saying we will pray for people,[ Ezekiel 2 v5 ].Now this does not mean we ram things down peoples throats,no but it does mean we must be faithful, and witness to the reality of God and of Christ. We must not be governed by the fear of man ,but by the fear of God, we must be faithful witnesses [ Acts 1 v8 ],we are not to be offencive,but in  humility ,and love ,speak as God guides and directs.As to the results,and we do want results,we must leave that to God, He will use our witness as He pleases, let us be faithful witnessing.
A  prayer...../Dear Lord help us to be faithful witnesses,grant us grace,wisdom,and love, Amen/

The new birth. [ John 3 v 1-7/ 1 v 12-13]

He was cultured and well educated, /But behind the civilised veneer of the man lay the cold killer/so wrote the author of the ,/The rise and fall of the third Reich/,of a leading Nazi  called Hans Frank.Jesus said to a very religious Jew ,/You must be born again [John 3 v7 ],and He was not just applying this to one man,be he ever so religious,no,He was talking to every one of us.For when we experience the new birth,we experience a change ,such a change that transforms us,we are forgiven,granted a new nature,a new disposition,a new relationship with God.all things become new. Only a spiritual rebirth can make this happen,until this happens we are lost,and in spite of our efforts,we are unchanged where it counts,our heart, or nature.The cold veneer of modern man can so easily be torn away,to reveal a monster,like Hans  Frank,as we look at Islam we see how the religious veneer hides a very cruel and wicked nature,again shown in the shooting of a fourteen year old girl in Pakistan,a youngster who was advocating the importance of girls being educated.I come from the land of saints and scholars,but I can assure you,it has witnessed child abuse on a massive scale by religious priests,murder of many by terrorists,and sectarian hatred. Jesus said ,a person must be born again, until this happens,nothing will change or can change.
A  prayer....../ Dear God open the eyes of men and women to the truth that they must be born again, by accepting Jesus as their Saviour . Amen/

There will be days like this. [ Philippians 4 v 4 ]

There is song which has the following recurring words,/My mother told me there will be days like this/ it is making the point that there are days when everything will go well. Now I know for many in this world ,everyday brings with it difficulties,hunger,sickness,and so on. But I believe that there will be days when everything will go well,I somehow think we are afraid to think like this,and we live under a perpetual cloud of darkness,now again let me say I know people have problems.Yet I don't think we should be living under a cloud of despair. God is on the throne and He will remember His own,He is looking after us,and He is not looking on us with disfavour,He is not looking at us with burrowed brow. We are His delight ,the apple of His eye,His blessing is upon us,this is the day that the Lord hath made,let us rejoice and be glad in it. Stop thinking woe is me, and stop having that Monday morning feeling every day. At the end of each day stop and consider how the Lord has made a way for you through it,He has not forsaken you,not given up on you, and has blessed you continually even when it is cloudy,things have gone well,and bow your head and say thank you
A  prayer...../Dear God we thank You that we this is the day that You have ,help us to rejoce in it, in Jesus Name Amen/.

Comfort zone. [ Romans 12 v1-2 ]

I attended an evening meal at my local fellowship,which was followed by a speaker,who is involved in prison ministry,he spoke of that moment when he felt challenged to apply for his present position. For Him it meant leaving that placed he called his comfort zone,it is a term I don't particular like,it is one of those in phrases,now I believe this person is a genuine person,and what he said did apply to him. I suppose it is true we do have our comfort zones,yet  we must not live in guilt,should we feel guilt because God has blessed us,no, but we should bless others,blessings are meant to be passed on.Yet I know the Christian life presents to all of us a challenge,to be a witness [Acts 1 v8],to our neighbours,work mates, family, and to all we meet, that is a big challenge. Of course we may be challenged to leave all and to step out in faith, we can be sure if God wants us to do something He will make it plain, even though we ignore it,or run away from it,as Jonah discovered.If we are called to a particular work or task, then God will enable us to do it,as I look back in my times working in mental health, God has help me, and after 20years I praise God for all his help. Yes we all have our comfort zones but let us always by Gods grace rise to the challenges  that we are faced with.
 A  prayer.....Dear Lord help us to deny ourselves daily,and to take up our cross and to follow Thee. Amen/

Time travellers.[ Revelation 21v 1]

Time appears to be passing so quickly,it is said that for the elderly the years pass quickly, and the days slowly,I suppose because I am still employed time appears to be rushing on.A thought came to me, in heaven there will no clocks,or calendar's,in heaven time will cease to be,we will never be late for an appointment. We will never sleep in,for we will never sleep,we will never go to the doctors for we never be unwell,we will never be bored.I just wonder what we will doing for all eternity,I wonder what God has planned for us?, God being God ,I am sure we will be truly fulfilled,there are so many things  we don't know,and will not know until we arrive.Our relationship will be different we will never hurt another person,with our words , or our actions,we will never think an unkind thought. It is all very intriguing , so many people don't think much about heaven,after all for the many they are building there little paradise here,and every week they buy a lottery ticket and dream. In so many ways the many don't think they need God to interfere in their lives,they are locked into a vision of time, and the things of time.They don't appreciate that time and the things of time are but passing they are time travellers. They seek to shut out any real thoughts on eternity,and don't like to be disturbed, as a lady was with me,when I said what if there is a heaven and a hell.
 A  prayer...../Dear God help all those time travellers to realise that eternity awaits them,and help us who have our eyes opened to live in the light of eternity in Jesus name Amen/

Slaves of sin. [ John 8 v 34 -36 ]

One of the big stories in our country at this time is to do with a person Jimmy Savile,if you take the first two letters away from his surname you have the word vile,this word means,/abominably wicked/disgusting,and this appears to sum him up.This man until he died was one of the nations favorite people,he was even knighted, and honoured by the pope.Yet in over forty years he abused many,many,youngsters,even children in hospital,so what can we say about all this?. Well in my dictionary in describing vile,it uses the phrase,/only slaves would perform such vile tasks.Jimmy Savile was a slave to his sinful practices,completly controlled by his sexual appetite, for only a slave would perform such vile things.He is not on His own ,10 percent of Japanese men have admitted to owning child porn at some stage,I wonder what the figure is world wide?. Our Saviour came to set the captive free[ Isaiah 61 v 1] ,why do we need to be set free?,because as our Saviour taught,,/whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin[ John 8v34 ],now consider what means for all of us,for the Bible tells us that we are all sinners[Romans 3 v36 ].So that means we are all servants or slaves to sin,Thankfully we have not committed the awful things Jimmy Savile committed, but we all without exception,are enslaved in something.Habits.thought patterns,lack of love,sinful appitites,violence,lying,cheating,if I keep on writing, you would see your particular bondage.For Jimmy Salvile it is two late, but it is not for you,Jesus can set you free.For whom the son sets free is free indeed,Jesus ,it trully is no secret what God can do.
A  prayer......../Dear God pour out Your Spirit upon people,convict and convert many people people who are prisoners ,in Jesus name Amen ]

So many things. [ Matthew 19 v 16 -22]

Well it has started already,for such a secular society,the Christmas season comes in very early,now of course I rejoice in the meaning of Christmas ,the birth of Jesus,as indeed every Christian does. So what can we say about the other things?,well I do hope that inspite of father Christmas,the lights,and dreaming of a white Christmas,and the eating and drinking,and the presents,and cards, and the season to be jolly,that  even a few shepherds, and wise men will find the Saviour. It is the same every year as a preacher one seeks to tell people reason for the season, although one feels like a voice crying in the wilderness. Yet people did leave their home comforts and go to John, to hear this firebrand of a preacher,who challenged them to forsake their sins,and prepare for the Lords coming. His strongest words where for the very religous people,religous people can act in the most unloving manner, our Saviour was most severely against them.So often religion gets in the way of the truth, and of knowing Him who is the truth,even Jesus, but then so manypeople have so many things  that do get in the way ,with the result Christmas comes and Christmas goes,without a true encounter with Jesus.
A   prayer....../Dear God grant that peoples eyes will be open, and that their hearts will be open to  recieve Christ, Amen /

Bread alone,no thanks. [ Philippians 3 v 8-14 ]

We all have our  want list,we want our children to do well, our marriage to be happy ever after,consider what you want,and of course there is nothing essentially wrong with many of the things we want,there might be,but there may not be. It is in Philippians 4 v19 the apostle writes about God supplying our needs,now ask yourself ,what do you think you need,I mean really need.Consider what our Saviour said to satan when he was hungry,and the devil had challenged Him to turn stones into bread./Man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word of God[ Luke 4v4].What a ridculous thing to say or so it would appear,Jesus had not eaten for 40 days and nights,surely here was a way to get something to eat,but no, Jesus did not take that route,for he wanted us to know that our want list or our need list,must never be allowed to affect our most important need, our relationship with Him.Our need of God and an ongoing relationship with Him is the most vital  think in our lives,and when we loose sight of that,then we are living by bread alone,and that would be disastrous.
A   prayer...../Dear God let nothing distort our vision,as to what we really need in Jesus name Amen/

There are exceptions.[ Hebrews 11 v 36-38 ]

We have so much in scripture to encourage us,as regareds provision and protection,but it is  William Plummer who wrote these are general principals,which are not universally true,in other words there will be exceptions. The three men in the book of Daniel realised this cp Daniel  3v17-18. they were faced with death,they were going to be burned alive.As they stood before the heathen king,they  declared their confidence in Gods ability to save them,this is were most of us stop,but they did not  stop there,they went on to say,but even if He does not.In the Acts 12 we read how Peter was wonderfully delivered from death,but James was put to death. The important thing is that Gods will is equally in the exception as it is in the universal,remember when our Saviour prayed  to His Father not my will be done but Thine , He was facing death. In 2 kings 13 we read of Elisha the prophet dying of an illness,why did he not cry unto God to heal him?,after all God had granted him a miraculous ministry, even after he died,a dead man came to life,when his body touched the bones of Elisha.Yes there are exceptions ,but the general rule is God will provide,protect, and undertake, I have found it to be so in my own life.
A  prayer....../ Dear God grant us the grace to trust You at all times in Jesus name Amen/

God is faithful [ Psalm 37]

Psalm 37 was written  by David when he was old,in it David seeks to encourage the saints of God to trust in Lord,to delight themselves in the Lord, and to rest in the Lord,and to commit their way unto the Lord.He stresses that the wicked ,even though they appear to be prospering, will soon be cut off.  David  declares that the meek will triumph,inspite of the strength of the wicked,God will remove them.David assures Gods children that God will bless the little they have,and that God will uphold His children.He contrasts the atittude of the righteous with the wicked in that they are merciful,and generous.He reminds the child of God that God so orders His childrens ways that even when they stumble ,He will restore and uphold then . David from His experience declares Gods faithfulness,as an old man he looks back,and he declares that he has not seen the righteous forsaken, and that He shall preserve them.He stresses the characteristics of Gods childen that of holiness and obedience, and the importance of being faithful, and to have assurance that God will undertake and prosper.He ends this Psalm with these words, because they trust in Him,
A prayer... /Dear God help us to simply trust You,when faced with people who would do us harm, help us to trust in Your faithfulness, in Jesus name Amen/

Welcome .[ HEBREWS 4 V14-16]

There is an old Irish song which has the following words, /Your as welcome as the flowers in May in dear old Donegal/, but of course, that is if you are Irish. There are places I would not go to, because I know that I would not be welcome,and there are people I dont bother with because they would not want my friendship or presence. If I went to see a football match,I would not  stand with my teams opposing fans ,I would be risking life and limb.It is nice to be made feel welcome,to know that I am accepted and even loved,to sit with a cup of tea and have a chat,about the weather,sport ,family about life in general, and of course talk about the things of God.  One of the wonderful things about being a Christian is that one is always welcome by God,because of Jesus, and only because of Jesus. As a Christiam,although I serve God, I am not a servant I am a child of God [ Ephesians 4 v7 ] ,I am family[Ephesians 2v 19],God is my Father. As a Father He is always glad to hear from us,and for us to spend time with Him,there is always a big welcome sign on heavens door,.
                       Im accepted, Im forgiven, Iam fathered by the true and living God.
                       Im accepted, no condemnation,I am loved by the true and living God.
                        Theres no guilt or fear as I draw near,to the Saviour and Creator of the world.
                       There is joy and peace as I release my worship to You, O Lord.[words by R Heyard]
A prayer....../Dear Father we thank You that because of  Jesus  we are always welcome by You,we will never be turned away Amen /

Rewared.[ 1 Corinthians 3 v 11-15]

One of the things emphasized in the sermon on the mount is doing things secretly,to not be a show of,in  our giving,praying,and doing of good works.The religious people in our Lords day had always an eye for the crowd,they were people pleasers,they wanted people to think how holy they were,how much better they were than others. the fact of the matter is we are all sinners.Our Saviour taught that we should have  only an eye for God, and no one else in all our doing.In is a hard thing to do , for we so want to look good in peoples eyes. But Jesus cuts across the hypocrisy, He challenged continually the falseness of peoples actions when it was wrongly motivated,when people left God out of their doing. He then put two aspects of being rewarded ,that of being rewarded by people,or being rewarded by God.Now what would you choose?unfortunately many choose the former,and our Saviour speaks of that reward like its a damp squib, which it is,because that reward only relates to time ,whereas the reward God gives ,has an eternal aspect to it.I have to  remind you,that the reward given is not salvation,for salvation is not,and cannot be earned,it is a free gift,freely given by God ,to all who believe in Jesus as Saviour.[ Romans 3 v24 ]The reward that the Saviour speaks of, is simply God graciously blessing His people, as He sees fit. Our Saviour said/Thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly[ 6v6]now there are many dear Christian who have served God quitely,and have died ,they were never put on the queens honours list,but they are on Gods honours list.In Revelation 14 v13 ,we read,/Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord...........and their works do follow them/.yes they will be rewarded openly and abundantly.
A  prayer..../ Dear God help us to do all things for Your Glory in Jesus name Amen /

Stay close. [Jude v24 ]

I find myself facing a problem, I can see possible trouble looming ahead , what can I do?, I am concerned I may be drawn into a conflict which I do not want.As a 68year old man I want a quite life,dont we all,as I look back to my youth,I remember so much conflict, coming from a one parent family ,it was seen as important to hold your own,to not be put down.Yet this attitude spilled over into my marriage,and I regret the way I acted ,with my wife and children at times.We carry many things into our Christian life,old ways,deep seeded ways,even this morning while praying,wrong thoughts invaded my mind, thoughts that are inappropriate,and I said to God why do I think these things?.Recently I have challenged myself,to stop having unnecessary arguments in my head,over one thing or another.So what does all this tell me?it tells me I must stay very close to the Lord,all these things remind me of my natural weakness .The words of the old hymn came to mind,/I am weak,/to my dying day this will be so,until the Lord takes me home,it all makes me realize, I dare not take one step without Thine aid,so true.I dont believe I am unique ,we are all weak,we all carry unnecessary lugguage,I am writing this not to discourage you, but to encourage us all to stay close to the Lord.As I have said before, I am a work in progress,as you are,God is changing us,He will perfect that which concerneth us.I love the words of Phillippians 1 v6,/Being confident of this very thing,that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
 A  prayer...../Dear Loving Heavenly Father keep us close to You ,help us to not despair at our imperfections but to trust You to perfect that which concerneth us, in Jesus name Amen /

Tired of waiting [James 1v 4 ]

I am reading the book of  Malachi , the last of the OT prophets,then there would be a gap of 400 years until God would send His messenger John the Baptist,who would prepare the way for the Lord.This is the messenger of the covenant[3 v5]even Jesus the Messiah,this was the hope of every God fearing Israelite ,in Luke 2v25-26 we have the godly Simeon,who had been assured by God that he would not die until he saw the Lords Christ,declaring, /Lord ,now lettest Thy servant depart in peace,according to Thy word, for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation/. Consider how long Israel had to wait until the promised Messiah came,year after year, hoping praying,for Him who deliver mankind.It is said that wheels of God grind slowly,yes they do,apply that into your situation now.God has given you a promise it appears it will never happen ,no sign of change,dont despair,God will fulfill His promise to you,but in His time,we are told in Hebrews 12 v1 /to run with patience the race that is set before us/.We live in a very, very ,impatient society,think how many wrong decisions are made because of impatience,how many accidents are caused by impatient drivers.We all without exception need to be patient,in our daily lives and for Gods purposes to happen,and to follow the example of King David who declared,/I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry/.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to be patient in Jesus name Amen/

Faith beyond reasoning. [ Daniel 4 v 34-35 ]

A friend of  mine who comes from Ireland usually watches the RTE news on the internet, but he said he was going to stop watching it,because what he heard was upsetting,people being murdered.I can appreciate how the things we hear on the news can upset us,I am upset when I heard about the child in Wales being abducted. I am upset when I hear of suicide bombers,of Christians being persecuted,of a father who killed himself and his two children. I know the reason ,this world is a fallen world,and often it is a very cruel world,a sad world,an uncertain world.If I stopped there I would never watch the news,or read a paper ,but I know someone who is greater than all my fears,a sovereign God, a sovereign Saviour. It was A.W. Tozer  who wrote a book called/ faith beyond reason/,today as you look at the news you may despair,that is understandable,you may be upset,but as a Christian I have by Gods grace been granted faith,faith that sees a rainbow through the rain. By faith I know God is on the throne ,that He is working all things after His will, faith declares God is in control.Yes we will be upset at much we see on the news,but let us not despair, that all is lost,that all is pointless, and useless,no it is not so,let faith arise, faith that goes beyond our faulty reasoning. Consider the words of Isaiah 40 v22, /It is He that sitteth upon the circle of the earth,and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers/,I finish with the words of the apostle John ,/The Lord God omnipotent reigneth/[Revelations 19v6 /
A  prayer...../Dear Lord Jesus You said there would be wars and rumors of wars,but You also told us to be not troubled,for all power is Yours in heaven and upon earth,thank You that You are in control Amen /

We cannot bargain with God. [ Luke 18 v 9 -14]

Mankind appears to me to manifest different extremes,last night 4 thieves tried to steal my neighbours camper van,a little child in Wales was abducted this week,a famous personality who is dead,whom everybody liked, it appears was a child abuser. Yet that same personality raised millions for charity,and worked as a volunteer porter in a hospital,many cruel people are loving fathers,the Germans who worked in those concentration camps, were good family men.Hitler loved his dogs. To some extent we are all capable of doing good,a lot of people do,but we are also capable of doing wrong,there are no perfect people.The famous personality was a religous person,mybe he thought the good he did would outweigh the bad that he did,mybe that was his motivation in doing good. Many feel that the good they do, will somehow cause God to overlook,the bad they have done. The question is this ,are they right?, and the answer is,wait for it,no, the wrong things we do are what God calls sin,and no amount of effort on my part can remove my sin. Am I saying that no matter what good I do it does not count for anything in Gods eyes,yes ,because no one is saved by their own merits,no one ,not the pope,or the queen,or mother Teresa,or Gandhi,or you and I. We cannot bargain with God,or have a trade of,I was speaking to someone today,who got into debt,which  he could not hope to repay, so he declared himself a bankrupt.God declares us all bankrupt spiritually.We are but beggers we are all without exception like the lost son, who simply declared, /Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son[Luke 15 v21]/but there is more,we must  simply trust in Jesus, the Saviour,of the spiritual bankrupt,and when we do ,we are forgiven ,every sin we have and will ever commit.
 A  prayer...../Holy God we bow before You and acknowledge our sinfulness, and praise You for Jesus the saviour of sinners Amen /

Dont stop at the word work. [ Isaiah 41 v10]

Again let us consider the book of Haggai,and  words spoken to those wo had returned from  exile in the land of Babylon,as you read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah you see the difficulties they had to face.Their were so many things against them, better for them just to keep their head down, and not upset their enemies, why invite trouble?, and yet, here is this prophet,telling them to build a temple.Now God gives a word to the leader Zerubbabel and it is also a word to all the people,/ work for I am with you,saith the Lord of hosts[2 v4]/.It is also a word to us, we are told not to grow weary[Galations6v9],but we do grow weary,we are told so often in Gods word, to fear not,but we do fear,we are told to walk by faith,but we dont and like Peter we begin to be overwhelmed with so many things[Matthew 14v30].  So often we just stop at the word work,we see just the challenge,and we despair,many people are going to their work today feeling burdened, because thats all they see,but the word of the Lord does not stop at the word work, no it goes on to say,/for I am with you/ Consider what that means,in your particular situation,He , almighty God is with you, yes you, yes me, I am not on my own, He is with me, He will help me,I will find the words of Philippians 4 v13 true,I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,true because He is with me.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to see that You are with us,and all that this means,inspire us with a confidence in You as we face any task that You want us to do,in Jesus name Amen/
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God is able to provide. [Philippians 4 v19 ]

In Haggai 2v8 we read,/The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts/,the people had returned from exile,the temple needed to be built.The people had a wrong emphasise in their lives,so what they did was not blessed by God cp 1v 5-6,they kept putting of what God wanted them to do[1 v2 ]. So many unsaved people are like this ,they have so many wrong emphasise in their lives,and they keep putting of trusting Jesus as their Saviour,and they wonder why they are not prospering. Our Saviour said,/Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness,and all these things shall be added unto you[Matthew 6 v33] If we put God first,if, then we will be blessed, and we will have true riches.
But these words by Haggai were spoken to Gods people,they again had taken their eye of their goal and of their God,but God is not pepared to leave it at that,no they are His people, and his will, is for them to obey Him,in this case to build the temple.The question they must have been asking was, were was the money going to come from?,so God speaks ,/The silver is mine, and the gold is mine/,what God is saying I will supply your needs,as one commentator writes,/Mine is the silver,all the silver,and all the gold there is in the world/. Whatever God calls us to, He will not only guide,but He will provide for us,remember these words that God spoke,/The silver is mine,and the gold is mine/.
A  prayer....../Dear God grant us that trust in You to provide for us,and as You call us to accomplish Your will, grant us faith to rest in You, to guide and provide, in Jesus name Amen/

God and the use of means. [ Philippians 4 v10-19 ]

One of the conflicting questions that a Christian is faced with ,myself included, does faith exclude using means?,when my dear first wife was diagnosed with cancer,I asked myself, should we just trust God and not use the medicine?.You see my wife and I had lived by faith for about four years,we found it hard ,but God was faithful,we sought not to make our needs known.Yet it appears to me that God, often used means, when Hezekiah became ill , figs were laid on the boil ,and he recovered.When Jesus healed a blind man he annointed his eyes with clay[John 9v6],of course he could have healed him without the clay annointing, but He didnt. Our Saviour said, they that our sick need a  physician[Matthew 9 v 12],we must be careful to have a balanced veiw on the scriptures,or we  will be allowed to suffer the consequence of our imbalanced veiws. Let us not restrict God to our mind sets, God if He chooses can work apart from means,and at times He raises people up,who manifest exceptional faith,but it appears they are the exception.The fact of the matter is when I am unwell I go to the doctors,if I need a haircut I go to the barbers,if I need money I get a job. Now nothing is set in stone God , He can if He chooses heal apart from medicine,He can do what He chooses,while on the whole I have not made my needs known there have been times I have.Make your needs known unto God, and ask for wisdom as to how He will meet your needs.
A prayer....../Dear God we long to honour and glorify Your name as we walk by faith,grant us wisdom by Your Spirit,to know at all times what that means, in Jesus name Amen /