Put the brakes on.[ Psalm 55]

In Psalm 55v6, we read,/Oh that I had wings like a dove, for then would I fly away, and be at rest./,as I read those words I thought ,how many people feel like that,I must confess sometimes I have felt this.David who wrote those words in Psalm55,was feeling oppressed,it would appeared that a dear friend had betrayed him he was feeling crushed,he writes of the terrors of death,of fearfulness and trembling coming upon him,and so he cries out, for away to escape from all his troubles.The writers of scripture were real people they faced real problems,and expressed their deep concerns,and fears,don't let people [ or self ]condemn you[Romans 8v1]. David could run away,the enemy wants us always to be on the run,yes he says run with your fears,there is no hope, no way of escape.It seems that in the midst of all his fears,David puts the brakes on,v16,and he begins to pray continually,crying unto God,to deal with the situation,and its in verse 22,he declares,/Cast thy burden, upon the Lord, and He will sustain thee,He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved/.  We are not exhorted to run away in blind panic,but to run to God, get alone with God,cast our cares upon, and stand still and see your God ,coming to our aid,He will not fail us.
A  prayer....../Dear God ,when we feel like running away,help us to be still and know that You are God,in Jesus name Amen /

Nothing ventured nothing gained. [2 Kings 7]

I received an e-mail recently from a dear Christian ,telling me that he and three others are going to commence a door to door ministry in the area where their church meets.I have preached to that church many times,and gradually the numbers have declined,till there is now but a few people present.One wonders why?,for they have been faithful to the word of God, so now they are stepping out,my reply to that e-mail was,nothing ventured ,nothing gained.[Do pray for them] In  2 Kings 7,we read that the city of Samaria was being besieged by the Syrian army,in the city people where starving,Elisha the prophet forecast deliverance,and so God panicked the Syrians causing then to flee,leaving behind their booty,which included food.Outside the city where four lepers,and they decided they had to do something,or they where going to die of hunger,so they  decided they throw themselves on the mercy of the Syrians.Of course when they came to the Syrian camp,the Syrians had fled,the result was plenty to eat.There is a saying nothing venture nothing gained, those dear folk in that church,could easily do nothing,saying whats the point,but they have decided to venture out,who knows, God may bless their efforts as they prayerfully go forward .
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to look beyond despair,and give us the grace,to venture out in Your name, Amen /

The why question again.[ Psalm 35]

Here is a poem I read, I do not know who wrote it.
           Why must I weep when others sing?.....To test the deeps of suffering.
            Why must I work when others rest? ....To spend my strength at Gods request.
            Why must I lose while others gain?......To understand defeats sharp pain.
            Why must this lot of life be mine,when that which fairer is thine?
             Because God knows what plans for me,will blossom in eternity.
Maybe you, as I do, ask the why question. God has a path for all of us to walk,sometimes it is a painful path. A marriage that is lacking in love,a work that is overlooked,a service that goes unrewarded,a thorn in the flesh that will not go a way,even after much prayer.Whatever difficulties we may have on our journey to glory,God is in control,and it is He who allows us to test the deeps of suffering,to understand defeats sharp pain. There is a need to remind ourselves that all is working together for our good[Romans 8 v28] God will use our brokenness, and in that, will receive all the glory,and that in the eternal glories ,what plans will blossom.
A  prayer....../ Dear and Father,grant us grace to bear those things we experience which are hard to bear,help us to live always with the long view,in Jesus name Amen /
                  

Commentaries [ 2 Timothy 4 v 13]

Recently I visited Scotney castle in the county of Kent,part of it was built in the 19ty century,and part in the14th century,the part built in the 15thcentury had books and more books,lining the walls,3000 all told. Now  I love books,and as a minister,I have a  small library of my own, I treasure my Bible commentaries,there are those who say one does not need commentaries,we just need the Bible.Now there is a very real sense that this is true,but from early on in my Christian life I have found the writings of Godly men helpful.Often in reading ,studying the Bible I have received help in understanding certain passages in the Bible,and wise applications also. Of course we should choose are commentaries carefully,they are God given tools,to help us in our understanding of Gods word. Surely this is what we need, is to understand Gods word,I know a man who boasts of studying Gods word for two hours each day,he does not use commentaries,and having listened to him ,one only wishes he would . We need all the help we can get in to understand Gods words,from gifted teachers,from our ministers,and especially the Holy Spirit.
A prayer...../Dear God we thank You for those godly people who have written commentaries on Your word,or had their teaching put into print,in order to help us in our understanding of Your word,in Jesus name. Amen /

Solomon's downfall [ 1 Kings 11]

One of the saddest things I read about in the Bible is the end of  Solomons glorious reign,was its inglorious end,the wise man acted a fool. The problem came about because of the foreign wives he married,at the very start of his marriage he married Pharaohs daughter,politically it appeared a good move.Many heads of Europe did this,queen Victoria's children married into other royal families,the Kaiser was related to her.Solomon continued to marry foreign wives,it may have appeared sound political sense,but it was going against Gods word. Deuteronomy7 v3-4 ,clearly forbid this practice,and gave the reason,/for they will turn away thy son from following Me,that they may serve other gods/. Yet Solomon knowing this, disobeyed ,and the consequences to say the least was catastrophic, he loved these wives,and they turned his heart to worship other gods.Solomon did many wonderful things,he wrote the book of Proverbs,and of course he did display wisdom,but what a sad end. We can learn from Solomon,the importance of right relationships, wrong relationships can have sad consequences,the Bible instructs us not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers[2 Corinthians 6 v14],we can easily rationalise in our minds,that it will do no harm to us,let us remember what Solomon did and its consequences.
A  prayer..../ Dear God help us to be truly wise by obeying Your word,and when we are tempted to act unwisely,help us to remember Solomon,we ask this in Jesus name Amen /

Replacing fear. [Psalm 23]

I know a man whose wife is a back seat driver,although she sits in the front seat,he says it is becoming more and more stressful,as she suddenly at times,as it were cries out,when she perceives there is danger.It frightens him and makes his driving with his wife a very stressful experience, one wonders why his wife is acting in the way she does,possible a lack of trust in her husbands driving, he is a reasonable but would admit not to being a perfect driver. What can we do when fear begins to rule ones life?yes you possible guess what I am going to say,trust in the Lord,a simple answer,when that couple get into the car,God is with them,my friend says that he always prays before they start their journey. Yet trust in God appears to be missing from his wife's life,as they go on their journey. As Christians we should seek to place trust in God at all times,when our jobs are threatened,
  the answer to  fear is, trust in the Lord. If we read the Psalms many written by David who continually lived with the threat of death by King Saul,how did he cope?,his answer ,/I will fear no evil for Thou art with me/Psalm23 v6]
A prayer...../ Dear God help us see that the answer to fear is trust in You, in Jesus name we ask this Amen /

Ordinary things [ 1 Thessalonians 5 v16-18 ]

I wonder how many times we say thank you every day,as a habit,not really thinking about what we say?,and I wonder how many times we don't say thank you,when we should?. As I sat down to write this blog,I thanked God that I do not live in a hovel,but if I did, would I still thank God?.I thank God for His overruling even in little things,yesterday at the group that a colleague and I  run,in which  we cook those attend a meal,we discovered that I had omitted to count two people ,this was after the meal was given out,but my colleague managed to work things out, and they got their meal. I give out the afters,little fruit salads bought earlier,only to discover one of the clients had gone out for some shopping,then I looked at that one fruit salad I could have so easily given out, but didn't, so the person had their afters. These happenings are simple things ordinary things,but is this not what most of life is about,and is it not important to see Gods hand in the ordinary things?. Not only to see it but to thank Him for His help in the ordinary things like the making of a meal,in doing the shopping,in making the bed,and so on.The Word of God instructs us,/Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus  Christ. [Ephesians 5 v20]
A  prayer....../ Dear God we so often pray and praise You for the major things ,and rightly so,but help also to pray and praise You for the minor things,in Jesus name Amen /

Forward ever forward [ Hebrews 11 v 13ff.]

I wonder what you think of this saying I heard today,/With one hand the past moves us forward,and with the other hand it holds us back./ I do not know who actually said this,but there is a truth in it,that makes one think,a sense of being pulled in two directions,at the same time, and yet in another sense going nowhere.There are so many people whose past have sought to move then forward,they make new lives for themselves.Our country is full of many,new people from all over the world,the hand of the past has moved them forward,poverty,hopeless situations,violent situations,oppressive situations,pushed forward by the hand of the past There are people from strong religious backgrounds ,who have been moved forward,and yet the same hand that  has driven them forward is the same hand that holds them back. The Jewish people remind me of a people who have moved forward by the hand of the past,consider all they have suffered,and yet they are held back by the their traditions,and their failure to move into the thing they should embrace ,a relationship with their Messiah, Jesus. Much an all as I found that saying interesting, I know God wants us to move forward,into a life that is not held back, by the hand of the past,or should I say the dead hand of the past. I jokingly said to someone recently onward,onward,upward,upward.we must not be backward Christians,we must be forward ever forward  Christians.
A  prayer...../ Dear Lord help us ever to be pressing forward,to the eternal glory that awaits every Christian in Your name we ask this Amen /

His genteness. [ Isaiah 40v 11]

In that lovely Psalm in 2 Samuel 22,we have David declaring,/Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation,and thy gentleness hath made me great[v36]/. When many people think of God they do not see Him as gentle,but here David acknowledges Gods gentleness,a gentleness that profoundly altered his life and blessed him. Plummer writes the following on these words ,/Jehovah is meek and lowly,lenient,gentle, and condescending.......It is this patience, forbearance,clemency and condescending of God,that makes great and good men all that they are,otherwise they would be ruined/ Let us give God all the glory ,He has blessed us exceedingly,if we have been raised to a position of greatness,then it is because of His gentleness. A modern chorus touches on this,
                                               O Lord, You tenderness,melting all my bitterness.
                                                O Lord, I receive Your love.
                                               O  Lord, Your loveliness,changing all my ugliness,
                                                O Lord.I receive Your love,
                                                O Lord I receive Your  love,
                                                 O Lord, I receive Your love.[G K]
A prayer....../Dear God we are amazed at Your gentleness that has truly worked wonders in our lives,we ask that You would continue that process in Jesus name Amen./

Doing nothing [ Ephesians 5 v 19-20]

Hudson Taylor was the founder of the China inland mission,he was an English man,also a doctor,he lived in the 19th century,until briefly into the 20th century. He went boldly where no other missionaries had gone before,as the name China inland mission suggests.God used him to blaze a path into China,and when you read of the many Christians there are in China now,it is because of the work of that mission. Old age caught up with him,and he found this a trial ,because he was unable to work as he once did.The writer of his biography,wrote how,Hudson could just about pray,and that he felt sorely his inability to labour as he once did.Hudson said the following,/The true joy of life,was to do all for Jesus sake,sacrifice and labour were alike,sweet when it was for Him.Then he added after a pause'But it is hardest of all,to do nothing for His sake./ So many people find it hard to do nothing,old age,infirmity,disability and the like,cause them to not be able to do what they once did.We should not feel guilty if this is so,what is written of Hudson in his doing nothing,was his bright and joyous spirit,not one single complaint or murmur past his lips,he was always cheerful.
A  prayer....../ Dear God we thank You for the memory of Hudson,one who served You faithfully,help us when we can do nothing to manifest ,joy ,peace,and contentment, in Jesus name Amen/

Praise. [Psalm 150]

A dear friend of mine recently had to have an operation for an hernia,the operation was a success,later when he was recovering on the ward,a nurse who attended at the operation,came to him,and asked him what church he attended.My friend was somewhat puzzled,and he told her,and then he asked her why she wanted to know?,she said when he was coming round from the operation,he was praising and thanking God, for His goodness. My friend was not aware that he had done this, but knowing him,I am not surprised,he is a fine man of God,what he did is not so much about what church he attends,but his walk with God,and he has walked with God,and does walk with God, every day.Our praise is not restricted to our church,praise should be in our hearts,wherever we are.There is a song, which goes,/Wherever I am ,I'll praise Him,whenever I can I'll praise Him,for His love surrounds me like a sea. I'll praise the name of Jesus,lift up the name of Jesus, for the name of Jesus lifted me/[ Anon]. People praise so many worthless things,is it not but right that we should praise Him who alone is worthy of our praise.
A  prayer..../Dear God oh for a heart to praise You,You who alone are worthy of our praise,we ask this in Jesus name Amen/

Sometimes right away,sometimes not. [Nehemiah 2 v 4]

Recently I heard a dear sister testify of a prayer being answered,a reconciliation had taken place within her family,she had been praying about this for 15 years. In this society of the instant,we as Christian get sucked into its mind set,where as, if we read the scriptures we see ,that Gods ways are not always instant,far from it,oh yes God will answer quickly,in Isaiah 65 v24, we read,/And it shall come to pass,that before they call,I will answer,and while they are yet speaking,I will hear/. Yes God answers ,can be instant, but often they are not,but here is the important thing ,He does answer prayer.One of our sons lost his job recently ,but within a short time he another one,we all had prayed,God answered. Let us have confidence in God  to hear and answer our prayers.Our prayers may be answered in an instant ,or in 15 years,but we can be sure that if our prayers are according to His will He will answer. We drink a lot of tea in our country,tea comes in little bags,and you just pop the tea bag into hot boiling water,and you have an instant cup of tea,but years ago tea came loose,and one would use a tea pot,fill it water,boil the water ,then put in the loose tea.Most people left the tea pot on the heat for some time,in order to get what they felt was a proper cup of tea.the point is whiter it was instant or not,the same result,  a cup of tea.So it is with answers to prayer,we pray once  or we pray for a long time,the  result is the same,prayer is answered.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we praise You that You hear and answer prayer,sometimes right away, sometimes not,in Jesus name. Amen/

Money. [ Matthew 19 v 16-22]

Recently it was reported that a well known sports person,declared themselves bankrupt,they had earned over 20million  pounds during their career. In 1 Timothy 6 v17,we read,/Charge them that are rich in this world,that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches,but in the living God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy./ The Times news paper has published a list of the riches people in our country,seemingly London has the most millionaire's in the world.Having a lot of money is not a sin ,nor is being poor,it is placing our affections on our money,that is a great problem,[1Timothy 6 v10].A person may have a lot of money yet be a miser,because they love their money,but you do not have to be a miser to love money. We can broaden things out a bit more,what do we love?,now it is not wrong to love,but the problem is that our love can be an unbalanced love,pushing out God,eroding our relationship with Him,and even cause us to have wrong values,forgetting eternal values,to the point of forgetting that we have a soul,and my that is very ,very ,serious.In Titus 1 v11,we have the words ,/filthy lucre/,used in respect to money,many people are living of filthy money,they have ,cheated,lied,robbed,and even murdered for it. Let us all take note of where we place our affections,we may not be rich,but we can so easily,think that if we were rich all would be well, we would be secure,our security lies in God,
A  prayer...../Dear God forgive our foolishness,so often we replace You in our lives and in our hearts,with money,and things money can buy,in Jesus name,Amen /

So near,yet so far a way. [ Matthew 11 v 20ff ]

Following on in relation to whom I spoke to about knowing the Lord,and her honest reply, that she did not know Him. There she was working in that building ,a place of worship,that has stood there for centuries and yet she did not know the Lord,so near,yet so far.There are so many people like that lady,attended church,brought up in a Christian family,and yet they do  not know the Lord.There where two thieves crucified with Jesus,both could see Him,talk to Him, but only one trusted Him, the other died in his sins,so near yet so far a way.Such a tragedy ,it is not the advantages one has that matters it is entering into the truth of those advantages.Our Saviour spoke to many with spiritual
advantages but many of them like that lady I spoke to,never came to know the Lord,it need not be so.There are many who have been born with that proverbial silver spoon in their mouths,but have wasted advantages,their advantages.I was born in a place of spiritual advantages, a place where many have heard the Gospel,but are not saved. Being near Jesus is of no avail,it is knowing Him,that counts,of calling on Him, to save,that is what counts.Let me remind you that Jesus came for the supreme  purpose of saving people,knowing that fact,is not enough, and unless He saves us we will be lost ,eternally. The fact that we have been near Him, will only bring us into grater condemnation.
A  prayer..../Dear Lord have mercy on those who may be near You yet do not know You as Saviour,Amen/

He will only do you good [ Numbers 10 v29]

While on a short break this week, my wife and I visited an ancient church building,the completion of this magnificent structure goes back to the 15th century. It holds about 600 people ,although the attendance now is much smaller,the uncle of Lord Nelson and family are buried there.The cost of  running these ancient  buildings especially this one is considerable,within a corner of this building there is place where things are sold. I got into conversation with the lady who worked there on a voluntary bases,once a week,prayerfully I asked her a question,did she know the Lord?,to this she replied no.There followed a short conversation on the importance of knowing Him,one of the things I said to her about the Lord,He will only do you good.I believe that is important to remember that the Lord wants whats best for us,when we come to the Lord,we can truly say goodness and mercy shall follow us all the days of our lives [Psalms23 v6]. It is true that many people think that the Lord wants to rob them of joy,when in actual fact he wants to give us joy unspeakable,they think that He wants to take away pleasure from them,instead He wants to give us pleasures for evermore [ Psalm 16 v11]. It seems that they think that He wants them to go to Hell,when in fact His  hearts desire is that they should be,saved from Hell and go to Heaven [Psalm23 v6] 
A   prayer...../Dear God open the eyes of the blind that they see the riches of Your grace in Jesus Amen /

The answer. [ 2 Corinthians 12 v1-10]

I was reminded of the words in2 Corinthians 12v 9/My strength is made perfect in weakness/,when I heard a preacher say about his mother,that when she experienced a great deal of illness,God caused her to exercise a ministry,that blessed many.I think we need to be continually reminded that that God will permit weakness in our lives,not to hinder us,but that we may be used to bless others.We desire to serve God ,to be used to win others for Christ,we think the last thing in the world we need is weakness.Yet that is exactly what was granted unto the apostle,a thorn in the flesh whatever that was, and my, how he prayed and prayed,and prayed,pleading that the Lord would remove this weakness,he pleaded,and the Lord said, no.Remember the 300,who were used to defeat a great army[Judges 7],remember the young man who slew a giant[1 Samuel  17]. God who grants us weakness,has a purpose,that He will be glorified,Christ our dear Saviour was crucified through weakness [2 Corinthians 13 v4],and in that weakness glorified His Father.It is one thing singing,I am weak but Thou art strong,and another to accept our weakness,and glorify God in our weakness,but that is what the apostle was called to do.and that is what we are called to do.In despair as you read this,you may be crying out how,oh how is it possible for me to do this?, the answer God gave Paul,/My grace is sufficient for thee,for my strength is made perfect in weakness[2 Corinthians 12 v9]/,is the answer He gives you,and me.
A prayer....../ Dear God grant us grace,that inspite of our weakness we may glorify You, in Jesus name, Amen/
[ I will resume my blog Saturday DV, every blessing]

God smiled [ Hebrews 11 v 5]

Did you see the photo of the elderly lady in Ukraine on the internet? ,the photo also showed Pro;Russian armed men waiting to ambush Ukrainian forces. The woman appears totally oblivious to the danger she was in,why?, she was reading her Bible,now I am not saying we should follow her example and walk into danger,or to read your Bible while driving. No but I do believe we can learn something from this old lady,she appears to show that she thinks reading the Bible is very important.Now let us ask ourselves how important is reading the Bible ,now reading the Bible is not  a competive activity,nor is the Bible a good luck charm. First of all it is Gods word in which He speaks to us,you and I don't need voices in our head,but we do need to  read the Bible, and to hear it with our hearts,not just with our ears. Now I know life can be very busy ,if you have a young family,children can be very demanding 24/7,but ask God to help you to fit in a time when you can read your Bible. If you have a limited desire to read the Bible ask God to give you a desire,He will,for He delights to give good things to His children. I will always remember that dear old lady,many may laugh at her,but I am sure God smiled at her with pleasure.
A  prayer..../ Dear God we praise You for Your word,help us to see it not as museum piece,but as something that we should value,read,and live by, in Jesus name Amen /

Pray and you will grow [ Ephesians 6v18]

Yesterday in work the IT system was not working,I had work to do,I prayed,and one of the other workers,said how an e-mail had been sent,telling us how we could get unto the system.So God answered prayer,and I was able to do my work,it reminds me and hopefully all of us,to bring all things to God in prayer, that prayer is not just a quite time,but  ongoing ,24/7. Our so called quite times are vital,the words of an old hymn came to mind,/When you left your room this morning ,did you think to pray,in the name of Christ our Saviour,did you ask for loving favour,as a shield today/
.None of us can pray to much, most of us don't pray enough,let not our prayer life be but a brief encounter,walk this day in continual communion with Jesus.We may forget many things,but let us not forget to pray,and as you look back,see how God has undertaken,because you prayed,and as you pray ,you will grow.
                                      Oh how praying rests the weary,
                                       Prayer will change the night today.
                                       So when life,seems dark and dreary,
                                       Don't forget to pray.[Words by W.O.Perkins/M.A..Kiidder]
A prayer...../Dear God open our hearts and minds,to the vital importance of prayer,help us to pray,in Jesus name Amen /      







                           
   
 

One hundred percent. [ 1 Samuel 15 v 22-23 ]

It is easy to rationalise disobedience, that is what King Saul did,[CP  1 Samuel  15],when he was challenged by the prophet Samuel.He declared that he had obeyed Gods command, he said what he did was legitimate,as he was going to make an offering unto God, It sounded very noble,but not in Gods eyes.God had told him to destroy a certain people,and all their livestock.He did not  do it,no he and his army kept the best of the livestock alive, he also let the enemies king live,and yet he
refuses to admit the wrong he did.There are people who can look one  straight in the face and tell you a lie,people with addictions are inclined to deny that they are addicted.I remember many years ago my friend telling his father that he not had drunk some milk,the thing that give him away, was the milk showing around his mouth.So here we have Saul lying ,but Samuel exposes that explanation for what it was, a lie.He also challenged Saul's explanation, that he kept the best of the livestock back to sacrifice ,to God,by declaring/,Hath the Lord,as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?,Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,and to hearken than than the 
fat of rams.For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry[1 Samuel 15 v 22-23] Partial obedience in Gods eye is no obedience,it must be total.
A  prayer....../ Dear God help me not compromise when it comes to obedience in Jesus name, Amen /

.

Feeling sorry for yourself? .[ Matthew 8 v19-20 ]

Sometimes I feel sorry for myself,I have my reasons,as we all have,life is not fair,we never got the position we desired,why have we not more friends,why this, and why that?.As I was feeling sorry for myself my mind went back many years when sitting in room with my fellow students at Bible college,we listen to a lady singing a song,that touched our hearts.The words go like this ,/I travelled down a lonely road and no one seemed to care,the burden on my weary back had bowed me to despair. I oft complained to Jesus how folk where treating me. And then I heard say so tenderly. My feet were also weary,upon the Calvary road,the cross became so heavy, I fell beneath the load. Be faithful weary pilgrim,the morning I can see,just lift your cross and follow close to Me.[ words by Ira. F. Stamphill]/ We read that He was despised and rejected,that He came unto His own people and they received Him not,in fact they crucified Him.So today, let us take up our cross and follow Him.
A prayer..../ Dear Lord help us today to take up our cross and follow You. Amen /

A more glorious body. [ 1 Corinthians 15 v 42-43]

Recently at a group I help run, as I was just walking I was not performing,I was singing a song to myself,later I heard my colleague singing it,she realised what she was doing and laughed. This morning I have a song going through my mind,it is from an advert.on the TV,it is driving me mad,well not quite,but it is annoying.It appears  that we take in a lot of things unconsciously ,our brains take in so much,and to me one of the great mysteries of our brain is memory,how does it work?,it is amazing.The word of God declares that we are fearfully and wonderfully made[ Psalm 139 v14],when the Psalmist considers the human frame,it left him breathless and full of wonder.Consider the wonders of the human body,how we hear,see,and speak.and so we could go on.I think the wonder of the human body is most appreciated by a parent when they view their new born child.Modern man has been brainwashed to look at humanity through the eyes of godless human teaching, Christians see the wonder of the Creator Gods handiwork,that truly leaves one breathless.
Here is the message for us all ,God has made us, that is why we are here,He brought us into being for a purpose,it is only as one comes to know our Creator,that life takes on meaning.This happens when Christ becomes our Saviour,then we look at ourselves,in an altogether different way,yes we declare there is a purpose in life,a glorious purpose,when this body will give way to a new body,suited for a new heaven and earth.
A prayer...../ Dear God we praise You,that You made us for a purpose, these bodies are works of art,but one day these bodies will be changed into  even more glorious bodies, we praise You in Jesus name Amen /

The wonder of the Cross. [ Galations 6 v14]

It is said that familiarity breeds contempt,but it also can breed indifference, and lack of love ,how many marriages fail because one person feels that they have been taken for granted.There is a popular song which goes,/you don't send me flowers anymore/,let us be honest if we put as much effort into our marriages, as we did when we were courting,many more marriages would survive. It is in the book of Revelation,our Lord  speaks to the church at Ephesus ,and He tells them that they had left their first love [2v4],for them that first enthusiasm had gone,like early mist.It was William Cowper who wrote ,/Where is the blessedness I knew,when first I saw the Lord. Where is the soul refreshing view,of Jesus and His word/.The church at Ephesus had many fine qualities,but as 1 Corinthians 13,reminds us ,that if love is missing then,we are missing the point of our relationship with the Lord,which is based on love.The Christian life has a starting point ,at  the foot of the old rugged cross,do you remember that moment?,I do,or have you let that memory dim,and you have let religion,business, take over.In our church service we sang a song that challenged me,words like,/May I never lose the wonder,the wonder of the cross,may I see it like the first time,standing as a sinner lost,/I wonder have we lost the wonder of the cross?.
A  prayer..../Dear Saviour grant us each day a fresh vision of the cross,let us never,never lose the wonder of the cross, Amen /

Abraham not a paper saint.[ Ephesians 2 v 8-9]

It is R.C.Sproul who wrote,, that Abraham was not a paper saint,he had feelings common to humanity/,it is important to remember, that although ,God,chooses the Abraham's,Davids,Peters,and Paul's,He is choosing imperfect human beings.The world gets carried away with their heroes,I remember going to visit a person in their home, and there in their living room was a life size cut  out of a famous film star.He was he one of my favourite actors,but  he had more than his share of adulteress relationships,which inevitable led to him being divorced. Now as to those people like Abraham,we are dealing with human beings,this goes for saints of note ,outside the Bible.I have read many books as regards  missionaries,and great preachers,and sometime the writers, write a very romanticised account of their lives.Now it is important to say that for all their faults like Jonah,David or Peter they where men of God,and we should honour their memory,and as much as they followed Jesus,we follow their godly example. These great saints were all without exception accepted by a Holy God,on the same bases that you and I are accepted by grace through faith alone in Jesus.God honoured them, but He has recorded their failings,so to remind us that relationship with Him is not on the bases of achievements.This reminds us that, that which saves and brings us into a place of acceptance is grace,so if you are not saved,you can be, by simply coming to God in all your need, and to be forgiven,through grace,and faith in Jesus.
A  prayer......./Dear God we thankYou  that we can all without exception be accepted by You.by grace through faith in Jesus  ,Amen /

Make the right choice.[ John 18 v 39-40]

Life is full of choices,from the moment we get up in the morning,till we go to bed at night,just think about that for a moment.Try and count how many choices you  made yesterday,or even today,no I will not bore you by going over a list.Now of course many of our choices are not really important,red tie blue tie,this aftershave or that aftershave,wash the car,don't wash the car.But then there are those choices that a bit more important,like should I change my dentist,doctor,or whatever,and so it goes on.We read in the Bible of people who made very serious choices,think of the people at the time of  Jesus,and one of His disciples Judas,he choose financial gain,30 pieces of silver he got for betraying Jesus,a decision he soon regretted, and is still regretting it now in Hell, then there was Pilate the Roman governor he choose to let Jesus be crucified because of fear[John 19 12-13].Then there was the fickle crowd led by the religious leaders,they made a foolhardy and evil decision they were given a  choice,there was custom that a prisoner of their choice would be released[John 18 v39-40] ,so they were  asked, did they want Jesus to be released or a notorious criminal called Barabbas, they choose ,guess who?, Barabbas. That was the most important decision in all of their lives,when we are faced with Jesus,the choice we make is the most important decision in our lives,dont be like Judas,or Pilate, or the crowd,your eternal destiny rest on that choice,and that is very, very serious.
A  prayer...../ Dear God help us to see the importance of making the right choice as regards Jesus Your Son Amen/

Doctors and dentists [.Matthew 9 v12 ]

I had a bad experience recently with a new dentist, so many of us have a fear of dental treatment, Queen Elisabeth the 1st was really afraid,one of her ministers,tried to encourage her,by pulling out one his loose teeth,to show how easy it was.If only.I had to laugh at the what the dentist said ,about me pulling my offending tooth out myself,it didn't happen,he had to do it. Now I do not want to put any of you of in going to the dentist,most of the treatment I have had has been stressful but not to painful,most of our fears are ungrounded.  In our country we are very fortunate that we have dentists,doctors,hospitals,consider those countries were so many suffer,because they do not have the medical care they need,or cannot afford it.Our Saviour during his earthly ministry healed many,and it blesses me as I read of many who have followed in His footsteps,doctors and nurses who have brought medical care,to many poor suffering people.So today give thanks that you have a doctor,and dentist,and pray and support those who go and minister to the poor and needy in this world.
A  prayer..../ Dear God thank you for our doctors and dentists,and we pray for those who  suffer because of a lack of medical care,and we thank You for those dear people who are serving  such needy people, in Jesus name Amen

Whosoever that means you.[John 3v 16 ]

In Isaiah 59v3 ,we read,/And the Gentiles shall come to Thy light/,and so it has come to pass,they who were not a people have become a people, no longer strangers,and foreigners,but fellow citizens with the saints,and of the household of God[Ephesians 2 v19].Gods redemptive purposes where brought into being through the nation, of Israel,at times it appeared that Israel the nation,would be wiped out[ CP the book of Esther], but God preserved when they where invaded by powerful nations,and only a remnant where left.In their blindness the chosen people sought to destroy Gods chosen one Jesus,they rejected Him ,and crucified,because they failed to see the bigger picture, that God would have all men to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth in Christ Jesus. Although Israel was chosen for that special purpose,and yes He loved them,but His love has no limits. That there is a wideness in Gods mercy like the wideness of the sea,a wideness that embraces this world,and embraces all . No one is excluded,no one,that is the wonderful message of the Gospel,there is invitation to all,whosoever may come,Gentiles and Jews,red and yellow black and white all are precious in His sight
A  prayer..../ Dear God we praise You that Your door has a welcome sign on it ,and that door is Jesus. Amen /.

Ann Maguire.[ Luke 23v 34]

The death has occurred of teacher in one of our schools,her name was Ann Maguire,she was genuinely loved and respected,she appears to have been a person with a big ,big heart.When her sister died, aged 35, Ann took her two children in and brought them up as her own,she had two children of her own. It appears she was a mother figure to many of those children she taught,the day she died,was her day off,but she had come in to help out, she was going to retire in September,she had been teaching for 40 years. It goes without saying that it makes one so sad that she died ,in such an awful way.What about her murderer?we do not know his name,like so many who do such awful deeds,he is described as a loner,his behaviour was described as one who would sit and stare,and rock back and forward. Ann will be remembered for her loveliness he will be remembered as a murderer, and by many as a weired boy.In these two people we see the two extremes of mankind,one person who rises to great heights, the other as  one who sank to great depths.It would be so easy to hate that young man,but what is required is prayer,love and forgiveness,I am sure that would be the best way to honour the person who was  Ann Maguire.
A  prayer...../ Dear God we thank You for those lovely people who touch our lives,but we also pray for those who blight our lives,and do awful things,like that young man,reach into his life and heart and save him ,we ask this in the name of  Him ,who died that we may be forgiven, even Jesus. Amen /