Obey the warnings [Acts 16 v 25ff]

I am reading one of my favourite books,/The wind and the Willows, by Kenneth Grahame/ a story about animals ,and their adventures,I love the characters,Mole,Ratty,Badger,and of course Toad of Toad hall.Mole is a lovely little fellow,who gets himself into trouble,by going into the Wild Wood,His friend Ratty,tried to warn him not to go into the Wild Wood,but he didn't listen. It is a sad commentary on most of us,that like Moly we ignore the warnings , children are warned not to talk to strangers,yet thousands of children are ignoring that warning,by going unto the inter-net,and responding to perverts,pretending to be their friend. Consider how many people ignore the warnings on cigarette packets,and still smoke,with all the consequences that can bring.People ignor the warning that they should  not use there mobile phones while driving,and find themselves in deep trouble with the law,simply because they ignored the warning.As I read the OT I read of a people who were continually being warned of the consequences of disobeying God,by ignoring Gods messengers.Gods warning must be taken seriously . If you are not saved ,is it not time for you to begin to take the warnings from God seriously?, a life without Christ,a death without Christ,brings with it a severe warning,of eternal judgement,ignore this at your cost, obey the warnings,before it is to late.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to not ignor the warnings that you give,help us to flee from the wrath to come in Jesus name Amen]

The Bread of Life.[John 6 v 35]

I must confess that I love bread,I like trying different types of bread,like pumpkin seed,cranberry and orange loaf,walnut loaf,potato bread,wheaten bread,and my own particular favourite soda farls. Bread is called the staff of life,a basic food, without it many people would  starve to death. In John 6, we read how Jesus fed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish,this reminded the people of the manna that Israel lived on in their wilderness wanderings. The people Jesus fed thought that here was someone who would feed them,they would not have to go hungry,so they clamoured after Him. The miracles in Johns gospel are seen as signs,pointing a vital truth,all the people saw was the bread and Jesus their meal ticket.So Jesus began to teach them the meaning of the miracle,He clarifies their wrong understanding as regards the manna,God gave that 6v32,not Moses, lets us not rob God of the glory due to His name.Then He mentions the true bread that has come down ,here He is not talking about the manna,but Himself,He is the bread of life,and if they receive Him they would experience everlasting life,mankind has a deeper need that bread from the bakers,and it is to be found in Jesus[v 35]  In Christ ,W Barclay writes,/Life is there for the taking- and the refusing/,so whats it to be ?
A  prayer...../ Dear God we thank You for Jesus the bread of life who alone can save and satisfy Amen/

Pass it on.[2 Corinthians 1 v3-4]

There is a saying ,that there is no gain without pain,having just been to the physiotherapist,I hope that this is true.It is true that there are a lot of painful experiences,which can bring forth gain,an operation,going to the dentist,going to the gym,and so on. Let us read the following from the Message,/God of all healing coumsel,He comes along side us when we go through hard times, and before you know it,He brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times,so we can be there for that person just as God was there for us 2 Corinthians 1 v 3-4 ]My heart goes out to those in need, because I remember when I was in need,my heart goes out to those who have suffered, because of the things I have suffered. I know the pain of being in the ministry,and I suppose my heart goes out to our young pastor, and would not want anybody to hurt him.God permits us to go through painful experiences,and He comes to us, when we are hurting,comforts us,upholds us,and most of all stands by us.So it is when we meet those who are going through difficulties,let us help in whatever way we can . God said  many times for Israel to remember there former state,and how He had helped them,so they are called act in a similar manner,to those in need.If you are suffering,or have suffered,and experienced Gods comfort,pass it on ,to a fellow sufferer.
A  prayer..../ Dear God thank You for the comfort You show us in our trials,help us to comfort others who are experiencing pain,be it physical,mental or even spiritual, in Jesus name Amen /

The whirlwind.[ Hosea 6 v1]

In Hosea 8v7,we read ,/For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind/. Israel had sought to form alliances with Assyria,they also had given themselves over to idolatry,they where the people God had chosen for His special possession,but they forsook Him,forgotten Him,although He had never forsaken them, nor forgotten them.Gods love for His own never changes,that's a fact that cannot be denied,it is us who do the backsliding.It is us who take our eyes of the Lord,we let our gaze wonder to the vain and foolish things of this world,things that cannot satisfy.When we do this we are setting ourselves up for a fall,and we will inevitably suffer,as Israel,and Judah would find out. My study Bible says,/When we seek security in anything except God, we expose ourselves to great danger.Without God there is no lasting security/.Israel would reap the whirlwind,consider how devastating a whirlwind is,we are becoming more,and more familiar with the devastation that strong winds can cause.Remember there is always a cost when we reject God,or when we backslide,it may not be obvious, let us not be fooled or bury our heads in the sand,or as it were  put the phone down,if we sow so shall we reap.
A prayer...../Dear God grant that we will never wander from You,and for those who have ,in wrath remember mercy,in Jesus name Amen/

Instilling fear. [ Psalm 23 ]

I  received one of those phone ,in which I politely say I am not interested,and then put the phone down,but I got sucked into this one ,and found myself listening to a very determined man. He went on about the possible short coming of an endowment I took out,even though I told him, I knew what I was doing,but to get home his point,he stated the amount I may loose out .he did not want to listen to me,he just wanted to make a killing,and so he said things that were unsettling,and sought to instill fear.I finished the conversation ,but I felt fear creeping in what if he is right,what if.?.The enemy of our souls wants us to run scared,panic and act in a way that will not be helpful,and so I prayed about it,brought it God, and as I did I remembered the exceeding a great promises,from a God who cannot lie [Titus 1 v2]. Yes if I was miss-sold it I should take action ,but I was not,the only action I am called to take is to trust in the Lord,whom I have trusted all my life,and have found Him faithful. I brought up 5 children, trusting in God to provide,He put shoes on their feet ,and clothes on their back, and food in their bellies. 
   A  prayer  by Charlotte Elliott..../O Jesus Christ my Saviour,we only look to Thee.
                                                        Tis in thy love and favour,our souls find liberty
                                                        While Satan fiercely rages,and shipwreck oft we fear.
                                                         Tis  this our grief assuages,that Thou art always near
                                                                                  Amen. .
                                                           lm 23 ]

Who needs weakness?. [ 2 Corinthians 12]

Weakness who needs it,the apostle was afflicted by weakness, he called it a thorn in the flesh,he see;s it as an affliction from Satan. [2 Corinthians12] In the previous chapter he describes his sufferings,and his overwhelming burden for the church of Christ.The apostle was a man consumed with the work of God,of making Christ known,and yet he is afflicted with a physical problem. The apostle did what most of us do,he prays for healing,after all there is so much to do,you don't send your wounded into battle,do you?,of course not.You send in your healthiest, fittest ,to fight,in sport you take off the injured,and yet God permits Paul to be weakened by an attack from Satan, why is it that in the service of God or the life of many of Gods children,He allows them to experience weakness,illness,bereavement?,take a look at what Paul had to endure[Chap11].Surely none of us need weakness?,wrong, that is the very thing we need,all of us,especially people like the apostle,but as I have said ,all of us. Why?in order that we will not be carried away by pride,the lowest of Gods saints, are all afflicted with that dreadful lurgy,pride,the apostle recognised this,we need to.The story does not finish there ,no,God promised Paul ,what he needed the most, Grace, his need would be supplied,and it would be sufficient to accomplish all God would have him to do.[Philippians 4 v13]
A  prayer..../ Dear God we confess we don't glory in our weaknesses,or even like them,and as You well know ,have prayed that You would remove them,help us to see that Your grace is what we ned the most, inJesus name we ask this. Amen /

Gods best. [ Hebrews 11 v 24ff]

I  have a little card with the following words on it, / Waiting on Gods best can be hard at times.....Remember His best is the best.It really is worth waiting for/ There is a saying fools rush in,and then discover how foolish they have been ,in looking back on my life,there where times when I ran before God ,instead of waiting for Him to open the door,thankfully God over ruled ,and shut the door.A person I know was looking for  somebody to marry,went on the inter-net,and was introduced to a person ,they met but near immediately she received a proposal of marriage,which she accepted,all  I could say was I will pray for you,what I wanted to say was, wait. Joseph had to wait until God  moved he may have thought , I was doing well in Potiphar's household why was I not allowed to stay there? why indeed the reason of course being,it was not Gods best for him. Often the road of life promises so much that appears good, yet may not be Gods best,let none of us be fooled by fools gold. Gods best may lead into many dangers,yes even death,but it is still God's best,our Saviour was offered the kingdoms of this world and its glory[Matthew 4v5ff],but he saw beyond this worlds fading glory to a glory of eternal values, a glory that would never fade,even though it meant enduring a cruel death on a cross.[Hebrews 12 v2].To choose that which is not Gods best will always be second best,no matter how it is dressed up,it is said of Moses that he made a choice to suffer for the sake of Christ,than to own the treasures of Egypt,for He looked forward to a great reward,one will never loose out ,when one chooses Gods best.
A  prayer....../Dear God help us always choose what You desire for us in Jesus name Amen /

It started with a look.[ Matthew 18 v 9]

We used to be a children's chorus that went,/Be care little eyes what you see there's a Saviour up above looking down with tender love,so be careful little eyes what you see/.There is often a process in relation to sin,and it often starts with the eyes,Job was conscious of this,so much so that he made a covenant with his eyes,not to look lustily on a young woman[31v1]. The Message is more graphic,it reads,/I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes/.It is said that the eyes are the windows of the soul, so what goes in through those windows can have a serious effect on us. The sin of Achon started with just a look,you remember how he broke Gods command and took what Israel was forbidden to take[Joshua 7],the result was dire consequences for Israel,his family,and himself. When he was found out and was brought before Joshua ,he confessed his sin,he declared ,I have sinned[v20],a good old fashion term,yet there is nothing good about sin no matter how it is dressed up.Then he goes on to relate what he did,[v21] he saw ,in other words he looked, then he coveted, and then he took, that which was forbidden by God,just like our first parents, [Genesis 3v6].Yes it so often starts with a look,so today let us bear this in mind,let us follow Jobs example, and make a covenant with our eyes.
A  prayer....../ Dear  God  grant us grace in relation to the window of our souls,that our looking will not lead us into sin,in Jesus name Amen /

How long.[James 1 v4]

In Daniel 8,Daniel receives a vision of things that will come to pass,and there is a point in the vision,when the question is asked ,How long,before its fulfilment?[v13] . How long?,when the Israelites where in Egypt as slaves, I can imagine that many may have asked that question,how long before they would be freed.When Joseph was in prison for something he did not do,he must have wondered .how long?.It is a question the Jews may have asked as they waited on the promised Messiah,how long?.It is a question that many believers are asking ,how long before Jesus returns?,how long?,it seems to me it is a question,that may be on the lips and in heart of many people.Today you may be experiencing a deep trial,and you have prayed, and prayed ,and you are crying out to God,how long before Gods deliverance?.There are a number of things we can apply to this question,Gods deliverance and answer will come in Gods time,Christ did not die until His hour had come,Gods timetable is in keeping with Gods purposes.We may be wondering why is God permitting me to endure a particular trial,well the word of God makes it clear that God is developing godly character in His children's lives,that important quality of patience [1 Peter 1v7,/James 5v11],also trust in God,the question that the book of Job asks is ,would Job trust God in the trial.Also to trust God to fulfil His word,If God has given you a promise, trust Him to fulfil it,the words of a Bill Gaither song comes to mind,/Hold on my child joy comes in the morning,the darkest hour is just before the dawn/.[Psalm 30 v5] A prayer..../Dear God,grant us the grace to persevere,to have patience,and to believe that Your way is always best, in Jesus name Amen.

Conservative certainties.[ Job 19 v 25]

Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the first world war,and I suppose there will be a glut of new publications. I am never to sure as to the reason for that war, a war that would result in 37million ,people being killed,and had a great bearing on the next great war ,that would result in over 60 million people being killed.It is Paul Ham in his book,/The eve of war/,who makes this telling comment as to one of the reasons for the first world war.Many of the leaders spoke of the need for a good war,that would preserve,the old worlds conservative certainties,and that the prospect of war offered a grand opportunity to ignor difficult domestic reforms/.The term conservative certainties is a very telling remark,and it seems to me when I think of so many things,events,this term could apply to,many medical discoveries have been held back because of those in power wanting to hold unto conservative certainties. In many areas of life people refuse to accept the need of change because of conservative certainties,we have always done it that way,is the cry of many.One of the reasons I believe the powers that be, rejected Christ was because they saw Him as a threat to their conservative certainties.Those so called conservative certainties ,had blinded them to the need to change, many of the practices and beliefs that had crept in, contrary to Gods word.Those who embraced Christ would be set free,from those conservative certainties,into the freedon and liberty of Gods kingdom. A prayer...../Dear God we praise You for sending Christ,who through His death and resurrection ,has brought us forgiveness and freedom Amen /

It will survive.[ Matthew 16 v18]

It is Jeremiah[ chap24] who was shown by God two baskets of figs,one basket had good figs the other had bad figs,the bad figs represented those who would suffer Gods judgement when Jerusalem would eventually be destroyed by the Babylonians.The good figs represented those who where taken to Babylon before this would happen,[ cpv1], and among those people were 4 young men,who would take a stand for their God,and a witness that would inspire and encourage Gods people. Although they where removed from their home,from the place of worship,they stood firm even when it could have cost them their lives. God who is sovereign would preserve His elect, I read the following recently,/The end of the church in Syria?/ ,well is it?,no the God who preserved the church in the OT,will preserve the church in Syria in the 21st century. So many regimes have and are trying to extinguish Gods church but they will not succeed ,the gates of Hell,the powers of Hell shall not win. The church will survive and grow,because God is in control,secularism, materialism.fanaticism in the form of religion,and political despots, will not succeed,for Jesus said I will build my church and all the powers of Hell will not conquer it.[Matthew 16v18.] A prayer ..../Dear Lord build Your church ,preserve Your church,in all this world,help us to not despair about Syria,or wherever the power of Hell manifest itself against Your church, Amen /

Broken and falling apart. [ Mark 5 v1ff]

A friend of mine who is an artist said,that he found things broken and falling apart are more interesting to paint,than the apparent near perfect.Christ our Saviour during His earthly ministry appeared to favour ,the broken and falling apart, a man possessed with demons,[ Mark 5 v 1ff ],no one could fix him ,no one could help him Christ did. His last saving act was to save a thief, who hung beside Him on a cross,all the authorities could do was kill him, Jesus heard this broken man ,cry out to Him,and He responded by assuring him of eternal life.The thing about broken people,and the worlds full of likewise falling apart people, so often society is at a loss to change them,or even help them. There was a time when my first wife Eileen and I wanted to emigrate,but she was turned down because ,she had suffered a breakdown when her mother had died.They did want someone who had a brokenness about them, when most people fall in love, smoke as the old song goes gets in their eyes,but when they get married they find that the person they married is anything but perfect,and soon the marriage is over.All of us are to some degree broken,and yes falling apart,one of the things Cromwell is remembered for,is when he was having his portrait painted,he instructed the artist to paint warts and all,you see even he was,broken and falling apart,as we all are.Here is the good news Christ came into world to save all of us,broken and falling apart people. A prayer..../Dear God we praise and thank You that Jesus came to save broken and falling apart people. Amen/

The Good Woman. [ Matthew 5 v16 ]

I  have just finished reading a brief yet informative account of the life of Gladys Aylward an English lady who served God in the land of China. She was born in London in 1902.The writer describes her as being neither pretty,nor clever,and small in stature,she had a dream  of becoming an actress. God had other plans for this little woman,was it  Oswald Chambers who said,/give up your small ambitions?/. She read a missionary magazine about China,of their poverty and of the many who never heard of Christ.She spoke to her brother,would he not go to China?,he replied, not me,why don't you go yourself?,it is  funny how God calls.We cannot shift the burden which God has placed on our hearts ,unto someone else,well  Gladys decided she would go to China,and so she did.She had many obstacles to overcome in getting to China,and getting to the place where she would serve the Lord,Yangcheng,where an elderly lady called Jeannie Lawson was.The Lord preserved and protected her, and eventually she arrived in the place of Gods appointment, to a  life, of serving God in what was a very inhospitable place,where white people where known as foreign devil's,But by her Christian example and ministry many people where helped and came to know Christ,Glady's became known as, Ai-weh-deh ,the Good Woman.
A  prayer.... / Dear God help us to respond to those burdens You place on our hearts,and help us to so serve You that people will see our good works and glorify You, in Jesus name Amen /

Stepping outside the norm.[ jOHN 2 V 5]

God sometimes asks us to do things that may appear strange,take the prophet Ezekiel among a number of things he was asked to do was to preach to a valley of  dry bone.Or what the Lord told the disciples, to feed thousands of people with a few loaves and fish[Luke 9v13],and for Moses to go back to the place he had run away from, because he had killed an Egyptian.What God tells people  if they want to be saved sounds very strange to many in this world to believe on a person who died on a cross, and to accept Him as their Saviour.To believe that the dead will be raised up again. Elijah also comes to mind ,he was told that birds would supply his food [1 Kings 17v4],for Ananias to go and pray for Saul,one who was known for hating Christians[Acts 9 v10ff].God not only works in mysterious ways but also in strange ways.Now of course we must not run with our imagination,,and we must be very carefully not to do something silly or dangerous,no let us work not on our own initiative,but as God directs. That means we do only what He directs us to do,let us as God directs be willing to step outside the norm,Ezekiel did, and so did our Saviour,when He left heaven, for planet earth.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to obey whatever You tell us to do,even it means stepping outside the norm, in Jesus name Amen/

Truth for our souls.[John 14 v6]

We must stand for the truth,of the word of God,now Shakespeare,Churchill,and Gandhi,and many other great people said many great things,here is a number of sayings by these three people,Shakespeare, said,/Tell Truth and shame the Devil/ , next Churchill,/This  truth is incontrovertible,people may resent it,ignorance may deride it,malice may distort it ,but there it is/ This is what William L. Shier,said,/ What did Gandhi teach me?, I suppose the greatest single thing was to seek the truth/.How important is the truth?,  to you, to me?. It is important that we all see the vital importance of truth, when one finds oneself before a judge,one swears to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,so help me God. A couple where arguing,and the wife turned unto her husband and said,you wouldn't know the truth if it was staring you in the face.Are you a seeker after truth?well consider, you may not like what you find, you may think it is not really important,and yet today there are people who are in prison,have been tortured, why? because of truth. Gods word is truth,it tells us what we would rather not hear,of our condition,and of our final destiny,if we reject Him who is the truth,even Jesus.
A  prayer....Dear God of truth,open our understanding to truth,open our hearts to receive Him who is the truth even Jesus. Amen/

Are we deceived? [1 John 1 v 8 ]

John tells us ,/If we say we have no sin,we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us[1 John 1v8],in this we are reminded that we are not sinless,there is no sinless perfection, for even the greatest believer.There are people and they are deceived into thinking they are sinless,but they are not,experience tells us that we are not sinless,the lives of those saints mentioned in Gods word bears out the truth, that the greatest of saints sin ,and can commit the greatest of sins.The devil who is called the accuser of the brethren,will not only tempt the child of God to sin,but he will seek to deceive the child of God into the error of sinless perfection..The fact of the matter is God is continually seeking to perfect His children,if they where perfect already there would be no need for that. Pride I am sure plays a large role in the child of God life,as long as we live it will never be eradicated,it will manifest itself,in a multitude of ways.Consider the challenge of loving, loving God,loving others,can any of us say that we totally fulfil that criteria?. Consider what it means to be holy,are we as holy as God?,I think not,in fact I am sure we are not,no wonder John wrote,/If we  say we have no sin,we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us./
A  prayer....../Holy God save us from been deceived ,help us to see that  this journey that we are on, is a striving after perfection,which will only be completed when we stand before you in heaven, in Jesus name Amen/

The human situation.[John 3v 16]

So God is knowable,yet unknowable,it was Job the great sufferer who declared as regards God,/Behold He taketh away,who can hinder Him?,who will say unto Him,what does Thou?[9v12].We are often judging God, and His ways,we cannot understand why a God who is love,will also be a God who will judge mankind and send them to Hell.Again Job reminds us that God is not a man,as he was[9v32].Consider what Isaiah wrote about God,/For my thoughts,are not your thoughts, neither are your ways,my ways,saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth,so are my ways higher than your ways,and my thoughts than your thoughts.[55v8-9]God declared the hymn writer ,moves in mysterious ways ,His ways are pass finding out,as a Christian of many years standing,I have not all the answers,I don't rub my hands with glee ,when I observe suffering,be it an individuals suffering or a nations.The Bible teaches that this is a fallen world,it came into that state by sin,this is the cause of all our trouble,and we are all caught in the consequences of that.Christians are suffering in the disasters of this world, as well as non-Christians.God permits his children to suffer,their loved ones die of cancer,road accidents,some are raped,and exploited.Why? ,is God being cruel?,no ,likewise as regards the bigger picture world disasters,wars famine.Although  it may be hard to understand such suffering,the fact is we are told that God loves the world,and linked up with that love is Gods answer Jesus.
A  prayer../.Dear God. have mercy upon those who are suffering,wherever that they be in Jesus name Amen /

Knowable, yet unknowable. [ Isaiah 40]

C. S. Lewis served as a soldier  in the first world war,and when he retuned from seeing the awful slaughter ,he lost faith in God,whom he felt could have stopped it,and didn't.One can understand that reasoning,the lastest disaster in the Philippians,has been called an act of God,is this not so,is God not sovereign?,then Why?.To be very honest I could say I do not understand,and I don't,are the people in the Philippians terrible sinners?have they done some terrible evil?. Someone said to me today ,these disasters appear to happen to the poor,which makes it appear to be even more cruel,had they not enough to contend with?.These are not easy things to understand,and my answer may not satisfy,and the bases of my argument is based upon my belief that God is sovereign. It is Tozer who writing about the person of God,writes that He is incomprehensible,the prophet asked Israel this question,/To whom then will ye liken God?,or what likeness will ye compare unto Him?[Isaiah 40v18].Is it not  true we are always trying to create a God in our image,in doing this we,are no different than those who carve out a stone image, and bow down to it. So let us cast of  our pride and bow humbly, before God ,whom Tozer declares , is not like anything that is,He is not exactly like anything or anybody/he goes on to say,/Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms/.
A prayer..../Sovereign God we rejoice that through Jesus Your son we know You,and yet at the same time You are unknowable. Amen /

Who are the chosen, who are the few?.[ 2 Peter 1 ]

I am sure many Christians ask God, Why?, is yours a bitter why?,or just a sad why?, I found myself asking a why? ,and it was this,why are there so few ,that are saved? . Someone asked Jesus,/Lord are there few that be saved?/.I think about the old hymn which says, who are the chosen who are the few?.Well Jesus did not answer this question,he turned the question on this man,and stressed the vital importance,of any one who will be saved to make every effort to enter into salvation. Millions live such careless lives,they strain for so many things,and give little thought,for that day in which there will be unending weeping, and gnashing of teeth. Many think they know Jesus, but He does not know them,and will declare to them, depart  from Me,all ye workers of iniquity[ Luke 13 v27]His words are aimed at those people who felt  that God was tied into a one nation salvation.Not so ,Jesus tells them that ,His kingdom will contain, people from all over the world,from east,and west,north and south,they will take their place in Gods kingdom.[Luke 13v29] Unlike earthly kingdoms, were the so called great are honoured,in Gods kingdom there will be surprises,the least unlikely will receive the greatest honour.W. Henriksen in his com on Luke writes /,as there are degrees of suffering in Hell [Luke 12 v47-48],so there will be degrees of glory in the restored universe[1 Corinthians 15 v42]
A prayer..../Merciful God  in Jesus name save,and  helpYour dear childen  to see what matters to You.Amen/

We will remember [1 Corinthians 11 v 23-26 ]

Today our country will be remembering those who have given their lives for their country,this small island has been in many ,many wars, the greatest being,the first and second world wars. The first world war was suppose to be the war to end all wars,sadly that never happened,nations have not yet turned their weapons into tractors.So with every new remembrance day,it appears that more people are being added to this list of dead.  Tomorrow  many churches will also be remembering the greatest conflict that has ever taken place, not a conflict that involved tanks,guns or any sort of weapons. To those looking on it just appeared that one man, a popular man,but to some a dangerous threat to the nation, was being silenced.But in reality on that cross ,that one solitary man was aiming ,to defeat death,Satan,and the power and consequences of sin. His suffering was greater than anyone could imagine,but He endured it,for He saw the glory that lay beyond,and He also realised the consequences of failure for mankind. As he hung on that cross,darkness came over the land,and Jesus cries out,My God,my God,why have You forsaken me?,but then we read, that just before he died,Jesus cries out,it is finished[John 19v30].W Barclay writing on these words that they were not words of weary defeat but words of triumph, a shout of joy,of victory.The resurrection was to follow,bringing home the completeness of His victory,and ushering in salvation,for all who believe in Jesus.
A  prayer....../Dear God as we look by faith on the cross ,we will remember Him,,and praise Him for all eternity. Amen/



all eternty

Tea and cakes.[ Genesis 4 v1ff]

Police in tea and cakes, council election probe,so read the headlines in our local newspaper,it refers to a local election that took place recently.A candidate bought tea and cakes ,for elderly residents at a sheltered housing complex 11 days before the election. It appears at first glance an Innocent gesture but it is seen as suspect ,was it a bribe?or just a gesture of good will?.  One coming day,all will be revealed,about that event and every event,that ever took place,it is called the great judgement morning when all our actions will be revealed for what they really where.Now of course the judgement will include the living and the dead [Acts 10v42],for the Christian the worth of their work will be judged,as W Barclay points out,/someday our work will be tested, and the test will be carried out by none other than Jesus Himself . CP . 1Corinthians 3 v10 ff. The Christian is saved only by Christ and His finished work,nevertheless good works are as Thomas Brooks declares,/ they are the infallible evidence of our salvation,and eternal happiness/ Works of any kind for salvation ,cannot will not, do not count,we cannot hope to bribe God,or influence God,in any way,on that great judgement day.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us as Christians to be sincere,in all things,and grant that those who know not Christ to see that while works are important,they will never be important enough to save them,in Jesus name Amen /

A burden [Romans 10 v 13-17 ]

I must confess I carry a burden,that never leaves me ,sometimes this burden has got me into trouble,often I feel I have failed in carrying out that burden, Sometimes I am not sure how I am going to share my burden, one time a long time ago as I shared that burden with my dying mother.It later got back to me that my mother was upset with me,for doing this,yet I could do no other,it is a burden that God has placed in my heart.Everyday I arise very early and bring this burden to God in prayer,I know I can only do so much,yet I feel I have never done enough,and never will,sometime I feel weary with this burden,and wonder what is being accomplished,by my prayers,and my sharing this burden,is it all a waste of time?.Then I have to remind myself that God has given me this burden,and that I must be faithful, yes faithful,for it will be in my faithfulness that I will be judged.I have to remind myself that I am not responsible for others who likewise carry that burden, I am only responsible for myself, although it concerns me when others fail to carry out that burden,and makes me sad.My burden is to tell others about Jesus,
A prayer....../Dear God help us all to see that as Christians we are all called to tell others about our Saviour. Amen /

The barriers have come down.[ Ephesians 2 ]

It is A. W. Tozer who wrote in his book,/The knowledge of the Holy,/ about God being incomprehensible./Yet here is the wonderful truth we can know such a God,Frederick W. Faber  wrote,/Darkness to my intellect,but sunshine  to the heart/.I am more and more amazed, that I know this incomprehensible God, but I do.My earliest recollections of God was lying in my bed, and realising that God was my Father,this has brought great comfort to me,and has always remained with me. Writing on the birth of Jesus,John Donne wrote of, Immensity cloistered in the womb.The birth of Jesus is a mystery ,God manifest in the flesh, yet in that mystery,we have revealed to us ,a God who is knowable,and personal,in which a child can know Him,likewise an Einstein.The barriers have come down,the only barrier, to knowing Him ,are man made barriers,pride,and human reasoning. The story is told of a child who had a desire to meet with,the great king who lived in a great palace,he made his way to that palace,on his way he met a priest who asked him where he was going,to the palace to see the king,the priest laughed at him,you are only a child a nobody ,no way, will you be allowed into the palace.The young boy felt crushed and sat down by the road and started to cry,as he sat there a young man came along,and spoke to him,why are you crying,the boy told him.Well said the young man I am the kings son, come along with me,and so he took the child's hand,and brought him right into the palace ,and into the presence of the king.God is incomprehensible,but He is knowable through His dear son Jesus,the barriers have truly come down.
A  prayer....../ God of mystery,we thank You that we  can  know You through Your  son Jesus Amen /

Some day the Sun will shine. [ Revelation 21 v 4]

It was Paul that great apostle, and great sufferer for the cause of Christ who  wrote in that great letter to the Romans,/For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time , are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us[8v18].In 2 Corinthians 4 v17, he also wrote,/For  our light  affliction, which is for a moment ,worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory/.Now Paul  suffered suffered a great deal, and yet here he wrote of our light affliction,yet his suffering was anything but light, cp [2 Corinthians 11 v23ff]  In  Romans 8 v18 ,Paul reminds us ,that all the suffering  that  the child of God endures will gave way to the glory of an eternal state,to an exceeding and eternal weight of glory.I read and pray for many Christians who are suffering,at this time,because they belong to Christ, and of course the nature of life brings with it different trials. The story is told of an old Highland woman who had to leave the clean air  and the blue waters and the purple hills and live in the slum of a great city. She still lived close to God,and one day she said, God will make it up to me,and I will see the flowers again.
A  prayer......./Dear God in this fallen world help us to see that some day the sun will shine again, in Jesus name Amen/

Criticism. [ Proverbs 25 v11-12 ]

A lady I know said my daily devotional is starchy,now many of us do not like criticism,I am not sure if I liked what that lady said,but maybe she is right.Whither I can change my devotional to be less starchy I don't know,we will see.We should be open to criticism even though we may not like it,it hits at our pride,and that is something we all have plenty of. Someone speaking of a certain politician said,there goes God but for the grace of God,we smile at this, but there is a lot of truth in those words.I believe we all have degree of wanting to usurp Gods rule,we all have a tendency to be little gods.Thank God for your critics ,yes their criticism may not be valid but it may be,pray about it,ask God as to the truth of it,and if its valid,ask Him to help you to change.
A  prayer......./Dear God  grant us grace to accept criticism,and the humility to change, in Jesus name Amen ./

What if ? [ Matthew 6 v 34 ]

I am blessed with grandchildren,who come and stay with us at times,recently  we went to the cinema to watch a movie about a snail called Turbo.I enjoyed this movie.This little snail receives power to go super fast and he has the opportunity to race in the Indianapolis's 500,but Turbo has a brother whose very concerned for him and he asks Turbo,/What if you wake up tomorrow and your powers are all gone,Turbo replies,Then we will have to make the most of today/ .Lets be honest, we are all ,what if people, to some extent,whats your what if?,finance,changing circumstances,physical,emotional.Our Saviour was well aware that we are a what if people,in Matthew 6, He exhorts us to not worry about tomorrow,in fact He says don't take any thought for it, it is a waste of time.He stresses what we should focus on is a loving God who will care for His children. He points out that God cares for his creation and that we are more valuable than many sparrows[Matthew 10 v31]There is little chorus comes to mind , /Yesterday ,today for ever,Jesus is the same all may change but Jesus never, glory to His name/. The one who was with you yesterday ,is with you today,and will be with you tomorrow,so fear not,trust Him to undertake ,He is faithful.
A  prayer...../Dear God I must confess that I am a what if person,I at times feel concern as regards the unknown tomorrow,forgive me,and help me to trust and not to be afraid, in Jesus name Amen /

Enough is enough [Matthew 23]

I am just finishing reading the book of Jeremiah, he is known as the weeping prophet,his task was to minister Gods word faithfully,and this he did. At times he struggled,when you consider what he had to do,one can understand his difficulties.The Jews were a people whom God had chosen,they continually backslid, copying the nations around them,by adopting their religions,by  killing the godly.They often ignored God laws, the priests,and so called prophets,and rulers ,committed many evil's,and all the time God  was speaking to them. God would deal with them,by letting their enemies triumph over them, then they would repent ,God would forgive,and deliver them,until the next time. So it continued till it became so bad that God would act in the most severe manner,that is where Jeremiah comes in,Jeremiah continually warned the people that disaster was coming,it appears even at this late stage ,God would show mercy, if they would only forsake their backsliding ways,and turn to Him,but it was not to be. In spite of  God dealing with the northern kingdom Israel,by removing them from the land,the southern kingdom Judah continued on in their evil ways.They took comfort in the fact that they had the temple ,but as is shown in Ezekiel there was a moment when the Lords presence left the temple because of the idolatry's practises taken place in it. The temple had become but a building, and nothing would save them, as they blindly stumbled on,ignoring Gods messenger, and God word, He would act in the most severe manner,yet in His mercy a remnant would be spared,and eventually would be brought back from exile.It appears that God said enough is enough ,and so judgement fell upon a nation,who killed Gods prophets,and continually rejected His ways [CP Matthew 23]
A  prayer....../ Dear God we ask for grace and mercy to be shown to this rebellious world in Jesus name. Amen/

Secular. [ 1 John 5 v 19]

We here the word secular mentioned a lot these days,just recently a judge was quoited in a newspaper, saying that because the nation we live in is a secular society,they must change the way they judge.In other words not on the bases of being a so called Christian country,it  appears to have a validity about it,but I wonder if it has?. We live in changing times, as Christians we do need to adopt,without compromising,while the history of our country is one of deep Christian influence,things have changed. To the word secular I would add sinful,sad to say many leading church people,appear to play down this fact, and that is a problem,because whatever the status of our nation,it is the Christian who is called to be the light,a person I know was spoken to by a minister,and was told they needed light ,not darkness.The word of God tells us that men love darkness rather than light,as we view this secular nation,we see so much darkness,,in so many areas of life.It applies to religious darkness, a Christless religion is a spiritual darkness,and as to those who are secular non Christians,they are in a darkness that will only lead them into a deeper, and deeper alienation from Him who is the light of the world.
A  Prayer...../ Dear God help us to not be fooled by the word secular,help us to see the true state of mankind is darkness,help us always to walk in the light,and to point people to Your dear Jesus who is Light of the world. Amen /

God is not sentimental [2 Thessalonians 1 v 7-9]

 I do not visit my first wife's grave often ,but sometimes I do,I know she is in heaven,on a recent visit I cast my eyes over the hundreds of graves in the graveyard, words of scripture came to mind, they read like this,/For the  Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice  of the archangel,and with the trump of  God, and the dead in Christ  shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air,and so shall we ever be with the Lord  [1 Thessalonians 4 v 16-17].Now these words were written for Christians ,words of instruction and encouragement.,on the other hand the words for the unbeliever, in 2 Thessalonians 1 v 7-9 ,are words of warning to every unbelieving soul,to seek the Lord before it is to late, I wrote in a recent blog, there is a storm coming,and the only way to escape this storm is in knowing Christ as Saviour, no other way,tears will not count,works will not count,God is not a sentimentalist,He has provided a way for people to be saved,any other way is a road to a lost eternity..
A  prayer ..../ Dear God we thank You that through Christ the grave is not the end, yes there is victory in Jesus .Amen /