Tears. [John 11 v 35 ]

My son was preaching a sermon recently, and found himself nearly crying,he did manage to finish his sermon.I think he felt a bit embarrassed of showing so much emotion in his sermon.At times I can become very emotional when I preach,when I touch on what God has done for me through Christ.Preaching is not acting,performing,no it is ministering ,and when one touches on wonderful biblical truths. I wonder why it is thought strange that someone becomes emotional when they preach.After all our Saviour was called a man of sorrows,when he stood outside Lazuras tomb He wept,When our Saviour looked over Jerusalem we read, He wept,[Luke 19v41],because they had totally exhausted mercy,and the fact that things could have been so different.So when my son weeps when preaching,or myself,I know that we are in good company.Was it not William Booth the founder of the salvation army,said ,when you preach  about hell,preach it with a tear in your eye.
A prayer..../Dear God,we ask You to not just to minister from our heads,but
                   also from our hearts,for the lost, and needy,in Jesus name.
                    Amen./

Where I am now. [ Matthew 28 v 20 ]

I listen to a man on TV,who had suffered for most of his life,who was wrongly diagnosed,when he was diagnoed right,he had to have a ,new hip,shoulder,replacents.Now he is free from pain no longer on medication.He was asked how he felt about the years that he suffered unneccessary,his reply was,he did not dwell on that,what was most important was ,where I am now. I felt it was very refreshing to hear the man say that,he was not going to sue,nor dwell on the past.We all have a lot to learn from that man.For many of us the past can hurt so much if we let it,it can cripple us emotionally.Now one is not underestimating, ones past history.I think of my childhood, mum seperated,never had any contact with my father,my mum struggling to provide for us.The financial struggles one has had for a great deal of my life,my wife dying,you may have your list,but if God has brought you through,consider where you are now.Refuse to be a prisoner of the past, open your heart, and praise God,for where you are now.If you are having difficulties at this present time,consider that you are not on your own anymore,the Saviour is with you,in the pass you may have been on your own but no longer is that true,so thats where you are now. A prayer...../ Dear God thanks for bringing us through so much, for blessing us,and thank You that no matter what the difficulties are now, You are with us,in Jesus name Amen /

The wheels of God grind slowly [Habakkuk 2 v 1-3]

I have just purchased another computor ,the one I was using was old and was very slow,and of course as with many things we do not like slow,all the world appears to be in a hurry. How did we manage when things where literally one horse power?,many an old horse must have been flogged to death.The car trade caters to our desire to go faster,they usually tell you that that the car can go or accelerate,in so many seconds,if one has a BMW,the drivers do not hang about. We want things instant,the supermarkets are aware of this,so we have food cooked for us already ,that just needs heated up in the micro wave oven.Now Gods ways are not our ways ,the ways of God are often far from fast,the term waiting upon the Lord sums it up,those who follow God must follow at His pace.We must learn to give God time,in so many areas of life.Mankind had to wait a long time before Christ came,and we are having to wait a long time for Him coming again.Chrit did not die till His hour had come [John 12 v23,] ,Israel had to wait 400 years before they were delivered from Egypt.It was Habakkuk who was told,that the vision was for an appointed time[2 v3],though it tarry,wait for it it will surely happen.There is that word again,wait,when all the time we are crying out, I want it now,not so says God,be patient,your prayer will be answered,your need will be met, your deliverance will come.Let us remember that old saying,/the wheels of God grind slowly. A prayer...../Dear God in a world that is always in a hurry,help us to trust You,and patiently wait for You to undertake,in Jesus name Amen /

Presumption [ Genesis 6 v3 ]

As I read the history of the Nation of Israel,the thing that stands out is that they always expected God to help and deliver them,which He did,continually. This He did inspite of the fact that they continually forsook God, for other so called gods,continually disobeyed Him,killed and persecuted Gods prophets,committed unjust things against the vunerable,Even today they look to God inspite of the fact they have rejected Gods Son Jesus,now I use Israel as an example of a people who have presumed on the mercy of God,they are not on their own in thinking like that.The world is full of people who assume or presume to expect God to be merciful,inspite of the fact that they refuse Christ an entrance into their lives.I stress this ,for mercy comes through Jesus,those who live for self,and only come to God in their hour of need,expecting Gods mercy when they stand before Him,will find out that one cannot presume on the mercy of God..I quoate D.kidner/An old comment on the penitent and the impenitent at Calvary is apposite,'One was saved,that none may despair,yet only one, that none might presume/ A prayer....../ Dear God help none of us to presume on Your mercy in Jesus Name Amen /

Tears of forgiving. [ Luke 23 v24 ]

On our onward walk with Christ,we are met with ungoing challenges,one the biggest challenges we are sure to be face with is forgiveness. The very nature of life will mean that people will hurt us,someone has come into my life recently that hurt me,I had been kind to that person,then one evening I received a phone call from that person,and they where angry,and where very unpleasant,I in all honesty did understand why they said what they did,but it hurt me,now they have come back into my life. I have tried to accept them,but would like them to keep their distance. Now if God acted that way I would never get near Him,so the challenge is for me to forgive that person,as God forgive me,and to accept them.To harbour a spirit of not forgiving others  is a very distructive thing,it hurts us,and hinders us,no matter what others do to us.Now it comes to mind what P. Yancey said about Joseph, when as a ruler in Egypt,his brothers stood before him,his brothers who had hated him,wanted to kill him,and sold him into slavery,what would he do?well he forgave them,but it was not easy,for we read that Joseph wept tears,as P.Y,writes/ it was the cry of a man ,forgiving/.Better tears of painful forgivning, than tears of bitterness.
A prayer..../ Dear God to our shame we struggle to forgive those who hurt us,inspite of the fact that You continually forgive us,help us Lord ,to forgive, in Jesus name Amen/

Sandpaper [ 2 Corinthians 1 v 8-9]

I was talking to a person when he said if he had  sandpaper,he could rub of all the rough bits in his life,and I said to him life is like sandpaper,if we are Christians, God will use the trials and difficulties we experience ,to deal with rough things in our lives. Diamonds do not come out of the the ground smooth and brilliant,no they must be smoothed, and polished,by master craftsmen.We read in Psalm31 v 15,/My times are in His hands/ and in His hands He will perfect that which concerns me[Psalm 138v8 ]. How does he do that? by using life's happens as a sand paper,as I look back in my life I can see how much of a rough diamond  I was ,and in many ways still am,I needed and still need to be changed,and so He applies the sandpaper experiences of our lives to smooth us down ,to make us better people. None of us will escape this,we can pray and pray, but God will have His way in our lives ,the secret of this process in our lives is to be still and to trust in Him who will never cause His child a needless tear.
                                        With the shade and with the sunshine
                                         With the joy and with the pain,
                                         Lord, I trust You, both are needed,
                                          Each your wayward child to train,
                                          Earthly loss, if we will know it,
                                          Often means our heavenly gain.[I.G.W]
A  prayer...../Dear God,not my will but Thy will be done in my life.Amen /

Sex...../ Isaiah 1 v18 /

Continuing on the theme of brokenness,and its causes,look at all the people around you,look at your self,and you will see so much brokenness.I believe there is one that can heal and help us with our brokenness and it is Jesus.If we read the gospels we see Him touching the lives of mulitudes of people,the questionis are you prepared to seek Him?. Our greatest need is to receive forgiveness of our sin,I am continually reading of people who are involved in sinful sexual activities,seemingly respectful people.I also hear of  those who sell there bodies for money saying they are working in the sex trade,and speak of it as if it is a nine to five job ,it is not. Let us not try and rationalize these things,if you are involved in an adulteries relationship ,brokenness will follow,or whatever wrong sexual activities you are involved in, you are a broken person, and need to see the wrongness of what you are doing,you need to seek forgivness,by coming to Christ,He can set you free,what I am going to do is write a prayer you can pray.
 A prayer....../Dear Lord Jesus forgive me ,for I have sinned,I am filled with shame at what I have done,and what I am involved in,please ,please forgive me and set me free,be my Saviour.Amen /

Brokenness. [Genesis 6v 5-6 ]

My son John said this to me,/We live in a broken world,of broken people,who are breaking things/,
for all our advancements we continually see all around us brokenness. This brokenness  manifests itself in a multitude of ways,the list is endless,likewise the pain,every suicide,every addiction,be it sex,dope,alcoholism,food,wars and conflict of all sorts,lying,cheating,and as I say the list is endless.What is the cause of all this brokenness?,the Bible calls it sin,many don't like this term,but like all problems,for instance illness,we want to know why we have these symptons,for is it only if the cause is dealt with, will there be any chance of healing.Likewise if there is a plane crash the investigaters look for the black box,to find out the cause of the crash.Sin is all those things that God considers wrong ,all those wrong actions,wrong thoughts,that offends a holy God, the middle letter in the word sin is I,so appropriate ,for sin is what I am  guilty of. The I in us by our wrongful desires,wrongful emphases,and so on,brings us under Gods wrath,we may not even take God into account when we sin,we should,for one day we shall stand before Him and be judged, to a just judgement. So our sinful actions are a cause,or result of sin,and so as my son said we live in a broken world,of broken people,who are breaking things,tomorrow we will consider Gods remedy for our brokenness.
A  prayer....../Dear God we live in a broken world,that we cannot fix,nor can we escape the consequences, of our part in this brokenness,have mercy in Jesus name Amen /

Underminding grace. [ Luke 18 v9-14/Ephesians 2v8-9]

I recently asked a JW  who he was trying to save,you see there is a tendency within all of us to, as D. Kidner writes, to undermine  grace.Now as a Christian of many years it is vital that I hold on to the truth that it is grace from start to finish in my relationship with God. For all my praying,Bible reading,church going ,giving,it is by grace I am saved through  Jesus,as I have said,grace ,grace ,
grace,even  in heaven it still will be grace.The JW,Mormons,RC ,Muslin's,all walk in a path of deception,for they seek to undermine the truth that we are saved only by the unmerited favour of  God.
I witnessed to man recently,he said he tried to live by Christian principals, I have heard this many times,and all they are saying is underminding ,the truth that we can do nothing to save ourselves.
That mans statement underminds the truth that salvation is of the Lord,every time I sin,I am
reminded that I can do nothing to save myself. This hits at our pride we all think salvation is a do it yourself job,it is not , from start to finish it is the grace of God that saves us.
A  prayer.....// Dear God thak You for reminding us that we are saved by Grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ Amen ./

The wind [John 16 v8-11 ]

   There it was sitting up on my gate and fence the large trampoline which belonged to my neighbour,
the tail end of a hurricane has hit our country ,and so the wind had lifted the trampoline unto my fence. One lady was reported killed when the wind blew a tree down on her, it is while Jesus is speaking to a man about the new birth,that He says,/The wind blows  where it wishes, and you hear its sound,but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of  the Spirit ,it was the hymn writer who wrote I know not how the Spirit moves. We are being taught a lesson from our Lord in which He uses the wind to illustrate the Holy Spirits workings. There is a mystery to the Spirits workings, in relation to the new birth,He cannot be tied down He being God the Spirit is sovereign,working when He will,and how he will ,as D.A.Carson puts it,we can neither control Him, nor understand Him. I am somewhat surprised when I hear of someone getting saved,I never thought of that person coming to know the Lord,but God did,So the Spirit moves in saving  power,it is He who convicts the world of its sin,and of Gods righteousness of the coming judgement[ John 16 v8].
A  prayer...../ Dear God we pray that Your Spirit will move in the hearts and lives of unsaved people,in Jesus name Amen/.

Holy objects. [ Matthew 5 v16 ]

I read this recently by Derek Kidner,/ People have always focused more passionately on holy objects, than appeals for holy living/ This is so true,the Muslim's who are murdering poor people,not just IS ,but those who are murdering their Christian neighbours,have their holy places. Of course the history of Christianity is full of  Christians valuing holy relics,and so called holy places,these same Christians burnt people alive ,or tortured those they believed to be heretics.I wear a little cross but there is nothing holy about it,it is merely a symbol,a statement to those around me that I am a Christian,and yet I know that it is by  my life that I show that I am a Christian. Our Saviour said ,let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify Your Father which is in heaven [Matthew 5 v16 ]
A  prayer...../ Dear God help me to see that so called holy objects are of no value or importance,they have no bearing on our salvation,and can never be a substitute for a holy life,in Jesus name Amen/

Neglect. [Hebrews 10 v25]

For the last two Sundays I have not been able to attend my local fellowship,and I have missed it, I need that fellowship,if I neglect it I will suffer.I know some of us are solitary beings,modern times have brought us many good things,but there is a lot of peoples living in isolation,that is not good.One of my sons has a ministry of visiting people,it is not his full time job,he is a fireman,he just visits them for a cup of tea and a chat,and they really appreciate it.The Christian is not called to a life of isolation from their fellow Christians,we are not called generally speaking to be hermits.Now I have been a Christian a long time,and I know that like myself, my fellow Christians are far from perfect,
we are inclined to forget, that we are all a work in the making. I stress all, I look back and I feel so bad  at those I have hurt,likewise I have been hurt,but this no cause to stop fellowship with other believers. That fellowship means being able to forgive others,to pray for those who have hurt us,to rise to the challenge of loving one another.
A  prayer..../ Dear Lord You have commanded us to love one another,and that involves fellowhip,give us grace to obey You. in Your name we ask this Amen/

Have faith in God. [ Mark 11 v22]

In v1 of Hebrews we are told,/Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,the evidence of things not seen/.When we come to consider this verse we have two things highlighted,Faith,/Hope, all that follows in the lives of those mentioned,have these to heavenly qualities.Continually throughout the Word of God we have hope as a vital aspect of our walk with God.Those who are not Christians have no hope,they hope they may win the lottery,but to the things that really matter,the things of God,no hope.John  Calvin stated,/The Spirit of God shows us hidden things as that eternal life is promised to us[ John 10v28-29],but it is promised to the dead.We are declared to be just,but sin dwells within us/It is faith that takes hold of the promises of hope,when we are surrounded by enemies,humanly speaking a place of no hope,but a promise is given of deliverance,it is then we exercise faith.A faith that comes from God, a faith that is in God, to fulfil that promise ,which He will ,for He cannot lie.Today, hope in God,have faith in Him ,He giveth not the promise in vain,He cannot fail you, He will not fail you.
A  prayer...../ Dear God by faith we come to You,by faith we will walk with You,by faith we believe in all things that You have spoken in Your word, that with You all things are possible,through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen /

Faith [ Hebrews 4 v7]

In Hebrews 11 we have the word faith mentioned 24 times,we are told that without faith we cannot please God,but when faith is exercised it pleases God,and will be rewarded[v6].Many people say they believe,yet will not exercise faith in God,in Christ,in His word,and the truths therein.Many say they believe and yet if one digs a little bit,one finds underneath the surface there is a heart of unbelief.In Hebrews 11 we read a long list of people who exercised faith,,stressing the fact that true faith in God is an independent activity. The history of Israel the nation was plagued by unbelief,as was seen
by rebellion, and continual trusting in other  so called strong nations.In the end the vast majority of so called Israelites were rejected because they had a spirit of unbelief in the one and only God. [ Hebrews 3 v19].True faith is not worshipping creation,as one considers the world and the universe,one may believe that a god created those things,but as Simon  J. Kistemaker writes,/ For the evangelist who wrote the Gospels,Jesus Christ is the object of faith,The purpose John wrote his Gospel was that his readers, may believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of God[John 20 v31]
A  prayer....../ Dear God help us see that true faith,starts with Jesus, Amen /
[I will return to my blog Monday every blessing]

What a Friend. [ John 15 v15 ]

Recently I heard an old favourite on the radio,it was the hymn,/What a friend we have in Jesus/,the words of that hymn are very reassuring,the opening words remind us that as Christians we are never friendless. Some people have many friends,others have few,some have none,but here is the good news,Jesus can be our friend.What kind of friend is Jesus?,He is a forgiving friend,in fact that is how the friendship begins,we discover that his death on the cross was for our sins,and that we could be forgiven,and go at last to heaven.As we believe in Him as our Saviour He becomes our friend,the hymn says,/What a Friend/,yes indeed what a friend,they say mans best friend is a dog,not so ,there are some dogs that would lick one to death,then there are others who would eat one alive.Jesus is man's best friend,you can tell Him all your troubles,and He will listen,and listen,and listen. He is always available,in fact He is always with us,I remember and old western where the husband rides of leaving his wife,to face the Indians,Jesus does not run away when we are in trouble,in fact He says I will be with you in trouble.He is with us in our lonely times,hard times,painful times,in our joys and in our sorrows,the Bible describes Him as a friend that sticks closer to us than a brother.
A  prayer......./Dear  God we thank and praise You for Your friendship,through Jesus Amen /
[I will return to my Blog Sat 18th.  every blessing ]

Is He pushing you? [Deuteronomy 32 v11-12 ]

In Genesis 26 Isaac is forced to move on a number of occasions,water was very important,so wells had been dug, but no sooner this happened,he was forced to move on,and dig another well.Finally after digging another well he was able to settle there, and he declares, /For now the Lord hath made room for us  [v22.].There are no second causes in the child of Gods life,so God kept pushing him along,Issac did not resist ,but just kept moving on to that place of Gods  choosing.Now of course Isaac did not want to keep moving,but in the end he did, like Isaac we don't want to move on, so often we become comfortable,we have notices on our hearts door,that read,don't disturb. But we have forgotten we are the true travelling people,we are strangers and pilgrims on this earth  [Hebrews 11v13],we are looking for a city whose builder and maker is God [Hebrews11v10].We desire a better country, that is ,a heavenly[ Hebrews11 v16],so God keeps pushing us along,and in our folly we build resentment, we only see the instrument,and not the one who is holding the instrument,our sovereign God.We may be pushed from pillar to post,but God is doing the pushing,for Isaac it was to a place of peace,for Joseph ,it was to a place of power and authority,for Abraham it was the promised land.now no one likes to be pushed,but let us all remember it is a loving push, with  a loving purpose,from your loving Heavenly Father.
A  prayer...../Dear God help us to trust You at all times to see that our times are in times are in Your hands, and that Your way is perfect,in Jesus name Amen /

A good name. [Proverbs 22v1 ]

There is a rabbinical saying,there are three crowns,/the crown of the Torah[ the law]/,the crown of the Priesthood,and the crown of kingship,but the crown of a good name excels them all./Solomon wrote,/A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,[Proverbs 22v1],another translation,ends that verse,/being held in high esteem is better than silver than gold/. In  Philippians2 v15,we read,/That ye may be blameless and harmless,the sons of God,without rebuke./,if one was being elected to office with in the church,we are told ,/blameless,having a good report of them which are without[1 Timothy 3 v7]. Charles Bridges ,wrote,/God's standards are so different than mans,it is not a popular choice/.Joseph was tempted to follow the worlds standard,but instead He choose Gods way[ Genesis 39]Just recently I read  of a very well known person ,who is stepping down from his ministry,because of a moral lapse.I love Nehemiah,for he was man of integrity,a  man who stood for His glory,At one time in my life ,word got back to me that they said I was lazy,boy that hurt,it went back to the days when  I was unemployed.Precious in all that a good name  is,  Bridges points out that it must not be purchased at the expense of conscience,and that though all men speak evil of us,let this not concern us if we have acted with a clear conscience.
A  prayer......../Dear God help us to live holy lives,loving lives, lives that you are pleased with in Jesus name. Amen/

What a day that will be.[ 1 Thessalonians 4 v 15-18]

I have just finished going through the book of Isaiah using A. Motyer's commentary.and was blessed by my time in that wonderful book.Using that commentary reminded of my time at Bible college.The lecturers would take us through the different books of the Bible,laying a foundation for us students for our future ministries.I felt very privileged to be given the opportunity to go to Bible college,and have fond memories of my time there. The college did not undermine my faith in Gods word,some colleges do,which is sad.It was an interdenominational college, the benefits of that is, it help one towards a positive attitude for all Christians,while not compromising what one held dear.There was big Wally,whose family run a farm,Bill the ex policeman,who was saved in an unexpected way,Norman who became my friend,dear Betty who served as a Deaconess for many years,Rosemary who is still serving God in South America,dear Etta who worked with  Child evangelism,and who sadly died of man cows disease. So I could go on ,these are my fond memories of the past,it reminds me that one day soon all those friends and I will be reunited again not at lecturers feet but at the feet of our risen glorified Lord ,what a day that will be for all of Gods dear children.
                         What a day its going to be when my Saviour I will see
                          When I look upon the face,of the one who saved by His Grace,
                         When He will take by the hand ,lead me to that promised land,
                           What a day what a day that will be.

If only. [ John 21 v 15-22]

A  Motyer writing on Israel ,penned these words,/If only-what might so easily have been/Isaiah had been reviewing Israels tragic past,and his conclusion was, /it could have been so different,the Lords mere presence would have sufficed to change everything[A.Motyer] The whole history of Israel is littered with failure ,to trust and obey God,the result was disaster,read the book of Judges,there we have a continual,habitual,going away from God. In Deuteronomy11v13ff Israel is promised blessings,if they would love the Lord,and remember Jesus taught ,If we love Him we should keep his commandments [John 14v15/23-24],so in one sense nothing has changed.I wonder how many churches that no longer exist,would be now thriving and growing if they had kept the commands of Jesus. It is in Matthew 23v37 we have the most tragic words spoken in the whole of the Bible,/O  Jerusalem,Jerusalem,thou that killest the prophets,and stonest them,which are sent unto thee,how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens, under her wings/Yes things could have been so different for Israel,if only,but what about us? can this be applied to our lives,sinner don't let these words ,if only, hunt you in eternity,and they will, trust Christ as your Saviour now. Backslider return to your first love,stop living with the regrets and repent and turn back to your Lord. Christian trust and obey your Lord and you will be blessed,don't live with what might have been,now is the hour to serve Him.
A prayer....../Dear Lord help us to trust and obey ,help us to not live with an, if only experience Amen /

There will always be the poor.[ Matthew 14 v 16]

My wife is a very generous person,she gave me her cold,recently I was vaccinated against ,shingles and the flu,for that I am grateful.We are very fortunate we have a good,not perfect health service.A friend was telling me about the country he used to live in,if you don't pay,or if you are not able to pay,you do not get treatment.So again I want to say how grateful I am for the health care in our country.Good health of course is important for all of us ,but not all of us are blessed with it,as not everyone is blessed materially.Now as one who lost a mother and a wife with cancer,and as one who was brought up with not to much financial blessing,I can truly say I am not bitter as regards the difficulties in life.The important thing is to trust the Lord, in the sad and difficult days,and to remember that there are always mercies to thank God for. The word of God tells us that He chooses the poor,and then it adds who are rich in faith.as heirs of the Kingdom[James 2 v5]James writes of those who despise the poor[2v6],but God doesn't,in this country there is a tendency to despise ,and judge the unemployed,we shouldn't.There will always be poor people,let us not judge them,but show compassion to them,and help them.
A  prayer....../Dear God we bring to you the poor and those who are suffering,have mercy upon such,and help us who have been blessed,by You,to bless others in Jesus name Amen./

He will hear your prayer.[ John 15 v 21-28]

Isaiah 62 emphasises the importance of prayer . A. Motyer,/ Our prayers are by His will, in some way are  a vital ingredient in the implementing of His promises/,So we find the prophet prayingv1,but not only the prophet we have in verse 6,others who are given the responsibility of prayer,as A.Motyer writes,/those who would intercede ceaselessly until the full work of salvation and righteousness is accomplished. Those who engage in prayer are the true guardians/ There are different reasons why we pray,to give thanks,praise and worship to God,to make our requests unto God,to intercede with God,for the needs of so many,our families,neighbours,fellow workers,goverments,for all men. For salvation,healings,problems,that wars may cease,that justice would prevail,H.C.Leupold,writes,/ God honours believing prayer and heeds the intercession of His children./We may not be a prophet or a preacher,but God is no respector of persons,do not feel intimidated by your lowliness,but instead have faith in a God who hears  all His childrens prayers.
A prayer...../Dear Heavenly Father,help us to pray believing,in Jesus name Amen /

Seeing it as it is. [2 Peter 3 v 4-13]

I read these words by A Motyer,/Thus we are enabled to see sin as God sees it and to see ourselves in the helplessness He knows besets us/ The fact of the matter is we do not see sin as God sees it,think of how it is effecting this world at present,and how it effects us personally.There are three major things that are in the news, that show how sin is affecting ,this world,in Africa the Ebola out break,it reminds me of the black plague,I saw on TV a dead body,lying on the street,no one would touch it,also a man falling down in the street,no one would run to help him.Then we have the Islamic movement,with their appalling behaviour,then we have the protests in Hong Kong against a regime with an absolutely appalling history,with the guilt of millions and millions of people whom they have murdered.I highlight these three examples to illustrate the effect of sin ,which many do not appreciate
which I do not appreciate fully.Sin is played down in our churches,ignored by our politicians,we often play down its consequences,but God sees sin for what it is,and what it does.His answer is Jesus ,His Son,who would die on a horrible cross ,on which He became a sacrifice for sin.Through this death millions are been saved and eventually will live in a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness.[Revelation 21v1./Isaiah 66v22]
A  prayer...../ Dear God open our eyes to sin and its consequences,the effects on this world ,the effects on ourselves,and help us to be faithful to Your word,in Jesus name Amen /

Time versus eternity. [ John 10v 27-30 ]

When its gone its gone,I am not talking about some bargain at the supermarket but time,how do you look on time?. There is a saying that for the old the years pass quickly,and the days slowly,since I started working a four day week it appears to me that time is flying by.For many there are not enough hours in the day,they are so busy,for others the day drags by,they have not much to do,but watch TV.
I heard a phrase recently on the radio which made me think,it went,/the universal tyranny of time /,I wonder what you think of that?tyranny is a strong word,indicating cruelty,being oppressed.It appears to me that time has an unreality to it,but whatever we think about it,nothing will change it. Is time everything?,God we are told has placed something greater in our hearts,something which most people choose to ignore ,in Ecclesiastes 3v11, we read,He has placed eternity in our hearts./.My study Bible reads,/This means that we can never be completely satisfied with earthly pleasures, and pursuits/.As to life ,mankind has a want in them which is never,and indeed can never be satisfied,within are brief lifetime,we run about like headless chickens,we run about with our tongues hanging out seeking that which can never satisfy.No matter how much they are told mankind will continue to seek the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow,and all the time Jesus is saying ye will not come to Me,for the gift of eternal life,the choice is ours,make sure it is the right choice,please.
A  prayer....../Eternal God forgive our blindness,and foolishness,in choosing to focus on time,and the things of time, open our eyes to eternal realities in and through Your Son Jesus. Amen /

Jesus paid it all. [ 1 Peter 1 v 18-19 ]

At our home group we were discussion Isaiah 53 v 1-3 ,which is a great Gospel invitation,it commences by declaring,/ Ho every one that thirsteth,come ye to the waters,and he that hath no money,come ye , buy and eat, yea come,buy wine and milk,without without money and without price/. This is an invitation  for sinners to be saved ,to come to Him,who promises to satisfy our deepest need,and the question one may ask ,what is our deepest need?. Our deepest need is to know Jesus ,who alone can satisfy our hungry and thirsty souls, the hymn writer put it like this,now none but Christ can satisfy.Look out ,and we see a world that is starving spiritually,a world that is drinking from water from wells,with buckets that have holes in it. Jesus says if we ask Him he would satisfy our deepest need[ John 4 v14 ]. But the verses in Isaiah  declares,come buy,well what is offered has a price on it,we cant buy it,we have no resources to buy what is being offeredNow I want you to imagine a young lad going to the cinema with his dad,his father askes him to order the tickets,this he does,and then he is asked for the price to be paid,and he points to his father and says ,/He will pay/So it is  as a sinner when we come to God, we point to Jesus and say He will pay,as the old hymn puts it /Jesus paid it all/.
A  prayer....../God and Father we thank you for your Son,who paid the price for our salvation. Amen /

The altogether lovely One. [Isaiah 53 ]

Certain Greeks came to Philip and asked to see Jesus[John 12 v21]it is not recorded that they did see Him,what would they have seen?.We have no pictures of Jesus,often he is depicted as a very attractive man by many in the film industry.It is to the book of the prophet Isaiah we have a description of Jesus the Messiah,here is what he wrote./For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,and as a root out of a dry ground,he hath no form nor comeliness,and when we shall see him,there is no beauty that we should desire him[53 v2]A . Motyer writes,/The servant [Jesus] was not therefore, noticeably well built,impressive,handsome......with every appearance of being a man among men, and not outstanding at that..it was not easy to believe that He could be the Lord come to save/His suffering made it hard also for the Jews to believe He was the promised Messiah cp52v 14.Again A. Motyer writes,/His suffering caused revulsion,......so that those who saw Him stepped back in horror not only saying,is this the Servant?but is this human/I finish by quoting what the apostle wrote in 1 Corinthians 1 v 22ff/For the Jews require a sign,and the Greeks seek wisdom. But we preach Christ crucified,unto the Jews a stumbling block,and unto the Greeks foolishness./
A prayer...../ Dear God we bow humbly at your feet,we praise You for Jesus the altogether lovely one,for who He was and is,and for what He did on Calvary for us sinful human beings. Amen /

God is considerate. [John 21 v 1-13 ]

We have had a dry spell of weather,so it means we have to water our garden plants,but yesterday someone did it for me God,and I thought how considerate He is,and I didn't need to ask Him. I wonder do you ever think how considerate God is?.I am still working in a job I love even though I am seventy . It used to be when one reached 65 one had to retire,but God granted me the option of working on indiffently, financially this has been a big help.My car needed repaired,the garage had no courtesy cars available,and then one came up,again God being considerate.In John 21 we read how the disciples had been working all night, and when they came a shore,the Lord had prepared a meal for them,and then He served them,how considerate He was.We often used to sing ,be like Jesus,in the home and in the throng,well we can be ,by being considerate to others,in our homes ,in our jobs,in our churches,let us not always wait to be asked,or reminded,take the inititive
A prayer....../Dear God we thank for being so kind and considerate,help us to follow your example in Jesus name Amen /

Be ready. [ i Peter 3 v15-18 ]

My wife and I were out shopping ,when we suddenly and unexpectedly found ourselves being interviewed for channel four news. The interview lasted about 4 mins ,later in the evening we saw
ourselves on  TV ,me, giving an opinion,for about 8 seconds. I must confess when I was asked an opinion on a certain political point, I was not sure what to say.As I have written ,it all happened suddenly,and unexpectedly,it is in 1 Peter 3 v15, we read the following,/be ready always to give and answer to everyman that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you,with meekness and fear/.Now not many people do ask me for a reason for the hope that is in me,but if they did what would I say?./W Barclay/One of the tragedies of the modern situation that there are so many church members,
who, if they were asked what they believe could not tell anyone/. Next James points out if we gave an answer to the question,it must be in a spirit of meekness or gentleness,we are not out to beat the person in an argument,or to destroy them,but with an attitude that will correspond to what it means to be a Christian.Then W Barclay states,/The only unanswerable argument for Christianity is a Christian life. A saint as someone has said ,is someone whose life makes it easier to believe in God/
A  prayer....../Dear Father in Heaven,help us to be faithful in telling others about Jesus,grant that our lives may in some degree reflect the message, in Jesus name Amen /