The offense of the cross [ 1 Corinthians 1 v18-23 ]

I like football and like most people consider Real Madrid one of the great sides in the world,just recently it seems that they have had the cross removed from their crest,to appease  the Abu Dubai bank.Because they
are involved with this Islamic bank they do not want to give offence.I am not going to judge them I leave that with God.It reminds me of the growing power of Islam and how much they hate the cross of our lord Jesus Christ,I
wonder if the cross of our Lord Jesus offends you?.In 1 Corinthians 1v18 we read,for the preaching of the cross ,is them that perish foolishness,but to us which are saved it is the power of God.It is Leon Morris who writes,/
The cross was not merely a miscarriage of justice, not only a martyrdom,it was an act of God/.Through Christs death on the cross sin was being dealt with,if we are to be saved we need our sins to be forgiven,Gods answer  is the cross.Through weakness Christ was crucified,but in that very weakness,the power of God was demonstrated,in that sin,satan and death
were dealt with..Again Morris writes,/Christ can deliver men. But men ,of their own endeavours,can never break free ,from various tyrants that hold them in,and confine them to miserable slavery/
                                                     A  pray
To God only wise,be glory through Jesus Christ for ever Amen.

Give Me Thine heart.[Proverbs 23 v26 ]

When David Livingstone died,his heart was removed and buried under a
mpunda tree in Africa, his body is buried in Westminster Abbey.It is said that home is where the heart is,and surely that was true David,he poured out his life in that Continent,and bringing the message of Christ to the lost.  That is one way of looking at it,but as a Christian I am sure there was a moment when he responded to the words in Proverbs 23 v26, /My son , give me thine heart/.I knew a man who was brought to faith in Christ with those words.When we come to Christ we give Him our hearts,no longer do we
give our hearts to the world,or even to self.Our hearts become His throne,
and this is where He reigns and rules. That rule is absolute,it should be total
and totally surrendered to Him,He will not tolerate any rivals,when He says,
my son give Me thine heart,He desires all of it.Judas even though he was
among the 12 ,let money rule his heart,and he paid a terrible price.Davids lust ruled his heart with the result he committed terrible things.To have a relationship with Christ means total surrender to Him every day,and every moment of every day.The story of Scrooge is about a man who lost the girl he loved ,and became a miser,a mean low minded person.
                               A  prayer
                    True hearted Saviour,You know all our story,
                    weak are the hearts  that we lay at Your feet.
                     Sinful and treacherous,yet for Your GLORY,
                     heal them and cleanse them from sin and deceit,
                                   Amen
                  [  Words by Frances Ridley Havergal]

Cold formalism. [John 11 v 35 ]

In the fellowship I attend a number of  people are given the task of reading  the scripture,well there is a person called Roy who is one  of the scripture readers.Roy was to read Matthew 25v 31ff,a  scripture which deals with judgement and rewards,as Roy read it,he became emotional especially as he read the verses relating to Judgement. He just about finished the reading,I must confess his emotional reading of those scriptures touched me and I am sure it touched others.It reminded me and I hope others of the dangers of  cold calling,cold praying,cold reading,cold preaching,cold formalism. Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet,maybe that is the reason that I love Jeremiah. Consider that our Lord was a man of sorrows,He wept at a friends death, He wept over a city,and I am sure He must have wept much in private.I wonder how more effective our preaching,witnessing,praying would be if they were accompanied with tears?.
                                        A prayer.
               Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
                Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me.
               Break me,melt me,mould me,fill me.
               Spirit of the living God fall afresh on me.
                                  Amen.
            [Words by D. Iverson]

Slippery places [Psalm 73 ]

I have just watched a movie when it all ended happily ever after,the goodies won over the baddies,just like real life. Now I always bear in mind that the movies are their to entertain,so that means writing the script in a way that is pleasing to people.Today there are many baddies out there who are crushing the poor,exploiting the vulnerable,and it appears that there is no happy ending.Walt Disney did not write the script of life,for many no prince charming comes, only prince's of darkness. For many life holds no hope,no escape, no justice,only the dark side of life,no one to take their side,no one to speak up for them.Some people are critical of some of the Psalms,and the fierce language that is used. It appears to me they forget how angry Jesus was at those who had turned Gods house into a den of thieves and robbers.Who said to those who devoured widows houses,, ye shall receive the greater damnation.[ Matthew 23 v14]  The prophets were the voice of God continually crying out against injustice [Isaiah 1 v23/Habakkuk 1v4]
In Psalm 73 ,the writer is struggling with what he see's ,the wicked are prospering,corruption is rife,it did not make sense to him, so much so that
he was having a crisis of faith.That is until God opened his eyes,and he see's how God has set them in slippery places, that in a\ moment they are cast  down,into destruction.He asks why,the better question is ,is how long?,  they are cast down,in a moment,and in that moment judgement falls.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God we do not need to remind You of the evil in this world,You know,and what is more important you will act ,we thank You that Your
justice will prevail,in Jesus name Amen .

The bumps,jumps,and lumps of life. [ Lamentations 3 v 22-23 ]

One thing I do not like about driving were I live,those speed bumps,no matter how one tries,they catch you out,and you feel the cars suspension is going to give way. Now I know that there is a good reason for these speed bumps,they are to make us slow down.I read this recently,/It is in and through,these bumps and jumps and lumps of history,that we are to prove faithful/ [D.R.  Davis ] In whatever period of history we find ourselves in, and in  whatever place we find ourselves in,be it a communist state,or an Islamic state,or a secular state,we are to prove faithful. Bringing it to a more personal level,a rocky marriage,a divorce,an ongoing unresolvable problem we are called to prove faithful. Whatever God has   intrusted to us,be it financial,a particular task,we are called  to be faithful,faithfulness will bring its reward [Revelation 2 v 10].In 1 Thessalonians5 v24 ,we read,  faithful is He that calleth you, yes God is faithful,I am sure most of us can say great is
His faithfulness [Lamentations 3 v23].Let not your presents difficulties cause you to be unfaithful,you may feel you cannot cope,yes that is true,
but you are not alone,He is with you,He has not forsaken you,nor will He,
He can grant the strength you need in all your trials,so be faithful, in all the
bumps,jumps,and lumps of life
                                     A  prayer
Dear God we thank for Your faithfulness in saving and keeping us,help us to be faithful for Jesus sake Amen .

The long term. [ John 16 v 33 ]

I am reading through the book of Daniel with the help of a commentary,by Dale Ralph Davis,in chapter 8 we have foretold the rise of different nations the Greeks, and the Persians,this would take place after Israels return from their 70 years captivity.R.P.Davies quotes John Walton,/The Israelites were to live out their faith in a Gentile world,under circumstances that would make it more and more difficult to do so.They had to count on the sovereignty of  God to sustain them generation by generation, crisis by crisis.  They also had to trust the power of God to control the flow of world
empires as they rose and fell. God's agenda is never in jeopardy, nevertheless,they were to be prepared for the long term./ As with Israel of old so with the new covenant Israel ,we who are called Christians,[Jews and Gentile],in a world that is full of uncertainty's,and persecution,must be prepared for the long term. The question is how?,well ,we have the answer in what J. Walton wrote,to count on God's sovereignty,to sustain us whoever is in power,and whatever crisis that arises,in the world and in our own personal circumstances, as he writes God's agenda for this world
, is never in jeopardy.
                                     A  prayer.
Sovereign God we look to You, and trust in You to sustain us for the long term,in Jesus name Amen.

A bubble. [ Matthew 7 v 24-27]

I was listening to someone on the radio in my car,she had lost someone in the  Lockabie disaster,when Pan Am Flight was blown up by terrorist,killing all on board,plus eleven people in in Lockabie .This lady has written a book,which I do not know the name of ,or even her name,but she said something very meaningful,which I managed to remember and write down./
We live in a bubble of invulnerability,until tragedy strikes and then we realise how fragile we are/ I remember many years ago in a factory,and a man called Sam,otherwise known as big Sam,he was a hard man, anyone who crossed him, had better watch out.Then I heard that his son had been killed in action in Aden,and when I got the chance I went to him to say how sorry I was for his loss,and at that moment he was no longer big Sam, but a father who had lost his only son,and he appeared very fragile.I asked a girl I know,how her parents were,as her mother had just lost her mother,she replied that both her parents were fragile.So many people live in what they we could call a bubble of invulnerability,money, fame,good health,nice home,nice job ,nice wife and children,and so on .The fact of the matter is,our bubble can so easily burst,and then we realise just how fragile we are,when that happens,this is an opportunity to find real security in Christ,for the fact is no one is very secure, no one.The old hymn goes,/  On Christ the solid rock I stand,all other ground is sinking sand/, my prayer for you is that you may find this to be true.
                                   A  prayer.
Dear Lord we are very fragile ,yet in Christ,we are safe and secure. Amen .

Fallen leaders [ Galations 6 v 1 ]

C.J.H. Wright , while emphasising God ruling,/ that He still has to work through fallen human agents/.that means people like you and me.While the scriptures stress certain qualifications for leadership, CP 1Timothy 3, the fact is Christian leaders will always be imperfect.They are fallen human agents,the leaders themselves must recognise this as well as the church.
We rightly object to attribute infallibility to any church leader,and I don't just mean the bishop of Rome. Church leaders must be humble enough to accept they could be wrong,yes they are to lead the church but not as mini dictators. The church must do all they can to support their leaders,leaders need encouragement just like everyone else.As I write this my thoughts
turned to king Davids moral lapse,why was he allowed to remain king?.If a leader falls morally how should this be treated?,does this rule him out of ministry for ever?,it did not rule out David. David manifested repentance and God forgive him,and he was allowed to continue. God dealt with David he would be chastised by his loving Heavenly Father,in Gods own way.Fallen leaders can be restored like of us,and in Gods will restored to the ministry,Peter was,God saw his tears.
                                       A  prayer
 Dear Father keep those who have the responsibility of leadership within Your church,and if they fall,grant repentance,and even restoration to their ministry,in Jesus name. Amen

Work a miracle. [ Romans 4 v 18-22 ]

Can these bones live?this was the question asked by God to Ezekiel [37v3] ,
Ezekiel was brought to a valley of dead dried bones,a place of despair,and of no hope. That was the present experience of Israel,people whose land had been devastated,thousands of their citizens slain,they find themselves in captivity, in a strange pagan land.In this vision God would work and replace death with life,despair for hope,captivity for freedom. Impossible,dead bones do not live, but with God all things are possible.Yes with God even dead bones can live,and in this vision they did.
   So it is in our lives,we find ourselves in a valley of dry bones,like Israel
a place of utter despair,and if asked the question can things change,can my valley of dry bones experience change?, like Ezekiel you answer I don't know,only God knows.God does know,but He does not only know,He can
bring change,for He can do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think,according to the power that worketh in us[ Ephesians 3 v20] Ezekiel was told to say to the dry bones ,hear the word of the Lord[37v4] What is God saying to you in your situation,stand on it ,claim it,believe,and it will surely come to pass, in other words have faith in God.
                                         A  prayer
Dear God we bring our valley of dry dead bones to You, and ask that You
would work a miracle for us in Jesus name Amen.

First things first. [Ephesians 2 v 8-10]

There is a term I hear in social services ,it is holistic,it means seeing to a persons whole needs,phyisical,social,mental and even spitirual.It is Christopher J.H. Wright,who writes,/ of a truly holistic gospel/,Now I agree as a Christian,that I should look at the whole person,the homeless,the sick ,the oppressed,and so on.Of course many Christians have and do seek to minister,to peoples needs,and to a great degree meet their needs. This is nothing new,we have been created unto good works,which God has prepared for us to do.On a personal level, I in my job, minister to the mentally ill,and I support childrens ministeries, as many Christians do. Our Saviour went about doing good,I know the Christian life is not just about speaking and preaching.Yet in our attempt to be good Samartians,we must as our Saviour did ,speak the words of life,that must not be compromised, faith cometh by hearing,and hearing by the word of God. Our good works are not the gospel, but are a result of us embracing the gospel, we help people in their need ,even if they don't become Christians,our hearts should be open to all mankind,even though they may crucify us. The Gospel is good news for it starts at mans greatest need, our sin,and the need of forgiveness through faith in Jesus Gods Son,and then the good works must follow.
                                A  prayer
 Dear help us to speak the words of life to those who are dead in trespasses and sin,to tell them about Jesus the mighty to save, Amen.

The hidden things. [ 1 Corinthians 6 v 9- 11 ]

There is one subject that continues to be in the news,sex abuse,things that were hidden are now coming to light,old men are now having sleepless nights,hoping their evil deeds,will not be found out.Men of renown,
  will now be revealed as perverts ,they who had appeared to be honourable men will be seen as people of disgrace.They will exchange
freedom for imprisonment,a prison cell,and a life of living under a cloud. In
a world obsessed it seems with sex ,there is an awareness that there is a line that should not be crossed,The cries of the victims,have touched our society,
their cry for to long has not been listened to. I  appreciate that this subject is very messy,but sex is a reality in this world,Islamic countries try to cope with it,by  the way women dress,and often restrict their contact with men,yet there is incest in these countries,as there is in ours,most of it hidden from society,and the victims,because of the shame it will bring .
The Bible speaks of the hidden things being brought to light[1Corinthians 4v5],sexual sins could be described as the hidden things, many  who are involved in such things are finding the truth of these words,brought to
light.
                           A prayer
Dear God we confess our sinfulness before You,and pray that repentance and forgiveness be granted to those involved in sexual sins,in  Jesus name
 Amen.

Inspirational [ Mark 16 v 6]

I wonder did you see on the net a video of a young elephant ,being attacked by 14 lions,and how it managed to escape,very inspirational,I must confess
I do love inspirational stories,of people who battle against the odds,Susan Boyle,David who defeated the big giant,may be, I like happy endings,well I do. As I thought on this I considered how inspirational the life,death, and resurrection,of  Christ.Born into poverty,looked down upon because of His background ,by the establishment,is this not the carpenters son ?[Mark 6v3].The more good He did,the more He got criticised,the more He spoke the truth,the  more they began to hate Him.Yet none of these things fazed Him,he just kept going on,to His destiny,and when it came , everybody forsook  Him and fled,would I have been any different?,possible not. To many His death was just another death, a horrible death,and when he was laid in a tomb, a big stone was rolled over the entrance,and that appeared to be that. It seemed that He who had promised much had failed in such an awful way[ Luke24 v21].It is then rumours began to be spread about Jesus that He was alive, [ Luke 24v 22-23 ].Then Jesus showed Himself and the sunrise of the wonderful truth broke into the darkness.His death ,instead of being a failure was understood in its true light, Satan, death and sin was conquered. Now that's truly a inspirational story,because it is true.
                                     A   prayer.
Dear God in a world where the most inspirational story is soon eclipsed.
by the darkness of Satans activities,sins power,and deaths darkness.We praise You,for Your Son,and what He accomplished ,by His life,death and resurrection. Amen

it is true.

Keep me sweet. [ Ephesians 4 v 30-32 ]

God spoke to me about the dangers of bitterness,and its negative consequences on ones life.I don't like bitter things,sometimes one buys grapes and you looking forward to there lovely sweetness,only to discover that they are bitter. Instead of blessing me with their sweetness,all they are fit  for is to be thrown out. There is nothing more contradictory than a bitter Christian,what are  they are good for ?,there lives don't bless anyone,and never will.We can seek to justify our bitterness, frustrated plans,hurts we didn't deserve,being overlooked. You may be thinking and living with the bitter thoughts,life is not fair,but then who said it would be fair,visit a children's hospice,look at the news,how much suffering is going on.It was not fair what Jesus suffered,a cross,for what?,leaving heaven,doing good,no, life is not fair.Jesus says follow Me surrender your brokenness,and bitterness to Him,Deny yourself bitterness,and you will be the better for it.Continually we must come back to the cross,and let our hearts be cleansed by Calvary love.
                                     A  prayer.
Dear God heal my wounded broken spirit,cleanse me from bitterness,and fill me with Calvary love in Jesus name Amen.

They could have had it all.[ Deuteronomy 11 v26]

It appears to me that most of the OT,is taken up with God continually speaking to a people who failed to obey Him,continually forsaken Him.There is a modern song which say's we could have had it all,Israel could have had it all,but in the end they lost it all.They were placed in the midst of pagan nations to be a light,they had the holy scriptures,but somehow that never appeared to be enough.They had Gods promise to bless and prosper them,yet they choose the road of a curse,cpDeuteronomy 11 v26.Victory could been assured against the strongest of enemies,shown in so many ways
David a man after Gods own heart, has victory a giant of  a man,because he trusted in God. Hezekiah saw the mighty army of Assyria defeated,because he trusted in His God,but when he took his eyes of God and upon foreign powers,he brought disaster upon his people[2 Kings20v14ff.]They experienced continual defeat ,when they could have known victory.If only the church of Christ would learn from Israel's experience,instead of,
straying  from their Lord,Likewise we as individuals need to learn  the lesson that we need to stay close to our Lord.Remember Israel could have had it all,but instead they lost it all,don't hold unto pointless traditions,like I witnessed on TV, people in a certain church feel that they have the the cup that Christ drank from, all they are doing is holding on to the shadows not the reality. I do not want to live in the shadows, I want to walk in the light,
                                   A  prayer
 Dear  Lord  help us to always keep You first in our lives, and to hold unto the truth that as been revealed in Your son Jesus,Amen]

Man know thyself [ Romans 5 v 20]

An elderly Christian  said to their pastor,why are you always telling us about sin?,now I know  that pastor,he is a good faithful servant of Christ,but such is the foolishness of that person,to say that to him. As I look back in my life I can see so many things,that reveal my sinfulness,I know how easy it is to be drawn into sexual sin,of all sorts,I know how easily it would be to become addicted to perversion. I know how easily it would be in a fit of temper to murder someone,we can so easily move into the dark side of our
sinful nature,and yet I know it only in part,as scripture tells us,/the heart is deceitful above all things,and desperately wicked,who can know it ?/[Jeremiah 17 v9 ].None of us know the depths we can sink to, only God
.There is an African saying which goes,the Christian stands on two legs,the  grace of  God, and the mercy of God.Yes I am a sinner ,to think otherwise is foolish and dangerous, man know thyself,and know that we should never underestimate our sinful nature,and underestimate the mercy and grace of  God to forgive our sins,to deliver us from sin, and to keep us from sin,through His Son Jesus.
                                      A  prayer
Dear God we praise You for Your grace and mercy,that saves,delivers,and
 keeps us,in Jesus name Amen/

The unknown tomorrow. [Exodus 23 v30]

On the 11th of November I had special anniversary,36 years ago ,my then wife and our four lads came to live in England.As we started that day and set of on our long journey in our little car that someone bought us ,from Northern Ireland,God spoke to me from my daily light. I read the following words,/He led them on safely/[Psalm78v53] and,/Behold I send an angel before thee,to keep thee in the way,ans bring thee into the place I have prepared/[Exodus23 v30] I have never forgotten those words and praise God for His faithfulness,that was 36years ago,but God is still faithful,and will continue to watch over us and lead us in the way He wants us to go.
As we ,you and I,face the unknown tomorrow,we can rest in our God ,who knows the unknown tomorrows,nothing takes Him by surprise,He controls all things,and will not fail us.
                              I do not know what lies ahead
                               the way I cannot see,
                              yet one stands near to be my guide,
                              He'll show the way to me.
                               I know who holds the future,
                               and He'll guide me with His hand,
                               with God things don't just happen,
                               everything by Him is planned,
                               so as I face tomorrow,
                               with it's problem large and small ,
                               I'll trust the God of miracles,
                                 give to Him my all
                            [Words by A.B. Smith/ E .Clark]

Looking beyond sorrow. [1 Thessalonians 4 v 13-18]

A dear friend who lost her husband recently,and is at the stage of having his clothes cleared out,and she is finding it difficult.I spoke to her on the phone to reassure her of my prayers,what she is doing is important for there is a sense when someone dies,that one needs to move on,we need to let go.Oh I am very awhere that this is hard,and yet it is necessary,we will grieve ,and rightly so,but we must eventually move on. We always have the memories
of  the one we love,that is a great comfort,but we must not let our loss destroy us,for it can. It is the apostle Paul who seeks to comfort and assure
Christians as regards their loved ones.He reminds them that one day ,when
our Lord will returns,with our loved ones ,we will be reunited with them,and so shall we ever be with the Lord. We need not sorrow as those without hope,for we have Christ in us the hope of glory.
                                          A  prayer
 Dear God we praise that as Christians we have hope when faced with death,because of Jesus,help those who our sorrowing in Jesus name  Amen.

Identify[Hebrews 13 v3 ]

It is interesting as we read the Bible,how some of  Gods children are preserved from sufferings, not from testings ,all of Gods children will be tested.Yet not all of Gods children have to experience what we read of in Hebrews 11v36ff./ cruel mockings and scourgings,and imprisonments, and so the list goes on.The apostle Paul was destined to suffer [Acts 9 v16],for Christ's sake,consider the suffer of Joseph,also James the brother of John was put to death by the sword[Acts 12v2]. During my lifetime I have prayed for many Christians who were suffering under communisim, and at this present time many dear Christians are suffering at the hands of Moslem's,
and other Christ haters.First of all we who are not suffering such things 
are not to feel guilty,but they are,our family,and in Hebrews13v3, we are told,to remember those in prison,as if you were there yourself,remember those who are being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies.
Next let us pray for those who are suffering for Christs sake,let us not underestimate the power of prayer,and as God leads ,support those agencies that are involved with those who are suffering.
                                      A  prayer.
 Dear Lord we bring to you all those who are suffering for Your sake,have mercy upon them,in Your name we ask this Amen.

Make me a channel. [ 1 Corinthians 13 ]

Where I live there are two families and one family has what I describe as a hatred for the other family ,that manifests itself in very unkind ways.I have for many years observed this,and at this time ,the hatred has just raised its ugly head again.As I wrote this message ,I heard that lovely hymn on the radio,/Make me a channel of Your peace/,words based on the prayer by ST.Francis. the words, /Where there is hatred, let me bring Your love/, came as a challenge to me,as I thought on my neighbours,how can I bring His love to these two families?,let us consider the words of that hymn.
                           Make me channel of Your peace,
                           Where is hatred, let me bring Your love.
                            Where is injury,Your pardon,Lord,
                            where there's doubt,true faith in You.
                                In Jesus name we ask this Amen.

Eternal glories shine afar [John 14 v1-6 ]

I met my old barber recently, when he would cut my hair ,we would talk ,he
would tell me how he suffered form constant headaches,and so when I met him,I asked him about his headaches,he replied nothing had changed.He also would tell me of the lovely holidays he went on,but not now,his wife was poorly,and needed cared for,he jokingly said that old age was taking its toll on them,and they were wearing out.Well  I said as a Christian, the best is yet to be,yes the best is yet to be.The non Christians, hopes,and desires,even as to this life, can soon leave them,money may be a bit of consolation,but it may not be,and as someone once said there are no pockets in a shroud.The great apostle Paul wrote , if in this life only we have hope in Christ,we are of all men most miserable[1 Corinthians 15 v 19] For the Christian the best is yet to be,for when we die glory awaits us,I can only imagine ,how wonderful it will be.
A  prayer.
 Dear God we thank You that as Christians, the best,the very best is yet to be,because of Jesus.Amen /

More than I need [Genesis 22 v2 ]

Yesterday I stressed how God meets our need,now of course I have more than I need  at this time.David the king had times of difficulty,so had the apostle Paul,and so have many Christians.God supplied their need, but David as time went on was blessed with more than his need.Likewise myself I have more than I need,God has given me more than I need,now I do not want to go down that imbalanced road called the prosperity Gospel. God often blesses His children with more than they need,there are reasons,God is testing us to see if we will bless others,I am able to bless others,by my giving,but will I ?that is  the question.Our desire should be, that we  bless others, as God has blessed us,are we doing this,there are so many people in need in this world,may we not be found wanting in our giving.Don't hold on to tightly to those blessings God has blessed us with,remember Abraham and his son whom he loved. God said give him up [Genesis 22 v2],and Abraham passed the test with flying colours,will we?
A  prayer..../ Dear God thank You for granting me more than I need, help us not to make these blessing that are only lent to us,our security,or our god, in Jesus name Amen /

Our need [ 1 Timothy 6 v 8 ]

.We live in a very discontented world,and we as Christians must be careful not to be sucked into worldly discontentment. We have been thinking on Philippians 4 v19, which assures us that God will meet our need through His son Jesus. Consider that word need ,as I look back on my life, especially when one was living by faith,God met our needs,my children never went hungry,sometimes we came near to it,but God always met our need.People would pass on second hand clothes,we did not have a car,but God met our need.Someone said to me that I was poor,poor in his eyes but God still met out need.So often I claimed that promise Philippians 4 v19,and proved it to be true, I am very grateful for all Gods provision,in meeting my need.This morning as I went to meet make my breakfast,,I usually have porridge ,and as I looked in the container where we keep the porridge oats, there was just enough for my breakfast  ,and I again remembered that story of the widow woman and Elijah [1 Kings 17 ], All she had was a little meal and some oil,but she had more ,she had a promise from God that her need would be met,and it was.
A  prayer.... /Dear God save us from being ungrateful,because You have just supplied our need,let us be content and grateful for Your faithfulness,
in Jesus name. Amen /

Our needs [ Psalm 23 v1 ]

Yesterday we considered the words of Philippians 4 v19,/My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus,/We sought to apply this to mans greatest need ,forgiveness,that God will delight
to grant mercy,for he is a God who delights in shewing mercy[ Micah 7 v18 ] Now while that is true He will also meet our need materially.C H Spurgeon wrote,I have a great need for Christ,and I have a great Christ for my need./ So let us apply it now to our present need.One day many years ago when my then wife and I were living by faith,then we had three children,A  man called at our home with a large box of groceries,he had been asked to deliver them, he would not say who they were from , but it was the Lords provision.I love the words that the prophet spoke to a poor widow in relation to her need being met,/Fot thus saith the Lord God of Israel,the barrel of meal shall not waste,neither shall the cruise of oil fail,until the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth/  [Read about this in 1 Kings 17] A wonderful example of God meeting the need of three people.
A prayer.
Dear God thank You for Your faithfulness at all times in supplying all our
needs by Christ Jesus our Lord.Amen.

Our greates need. [Psalm 40 v 1- 3 ]

In Philippians 4 v19 ,we read,/But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus./The first and greatest need we all have is spiritual,and that need can only be met by Christ.Jesus of course met peoples physical,and material needs before He met their spiritual needs.Yet the fact remains that our greatest need is spiritual,we need our sins forgiven,our sin separates us from a holy God,and if unforgiven will separate us from Him eternally,death does not mean that our beign ceases,no the fact is we will always exist,for all eternity.If our sin remains unforgiven we will be eternally separated from God,sin is the great divider from a holy God. Sin cannot be forgiven in eternity it must be forgiven while we live here on planet earth.All things including us,are polluted,we need to be cleansed from the pollution caused by sin,Gods answer,is Christ ,His son Jesus,who died on the cross,by His death we can be forgiven and cleansed from the pollution, and that which causes the pollution sin.Today God invites you to come to him by accepting Jesus as your Saviour,and in accepting Him your greatest need will be met.
A  prayer...../Dear God we praise You that You can meet our deepest need through Jesus Your Son. Amen/

Translations. [ Psalm 119 v89-96]

There is one issue that can cause Christians to be upset with each other,the subject of Bible translations,some churches forbid the use of any translation other than the AV.The late Mr Paisley was a strong AV man,I personally love the AV,but not being an expert on translation, I cannot say it is the most accurate,I just do not know.I don't believe in a conspiracy theory,that modern translators are in any way trying to under mind the word of God.Having used different  translations,I have not observed any  real problems.It is D. Kidner who writes, that God saw to the preservation and
completion of His word.As much as you and are concerned about God word,so is God,let us have confidence in our sovereign God to
preserve His word.Now of course there are false translations,the JWs translation is inaccurate,translated in such a way as to booster their false beliefs.So in all things be discerning as to the written word of God, all true Christians love Gods word,so try to be tolerant when they use a different translation than you use.
 A  prayer...../Dear God we thank for Your word, we ask for those who translate Your word may truly be controlled and guided by Your Spirit in Jesus name Amen /

Help is available. [ James 4 v1-3]

Sometimes we read the words,help is available,though that may be true,people don't always seek help,for different reasons.Old people want to maintain their independence,they also don't always claim the benefits they are entitled to.Others will be reluctant to accept help,because of pride,I remember thinking ,how hard it is to help some people.When it comes to prayer,some people do not feel they can ask God for help,and yet we can,we are told by Jesus to ask ,and it shall be given you,seek,and ye shall find, knock,and it shall be opened unto you.[Matthew 7 v7 ]The people whom the apostle James wrote to  ,when it came to asking God,fell into extremes,
wrote attitudes,wrong desires,as Mayor points out they prayed without the
spirit of prayer.Yes help is available,but will not be given if we hold
unforgiveness in our hearts[Matthew 6 v14-15/ Psalm 66 v18] Wrong desires ,as W. Barclay points out,/The craving for pleasure in the end shuts
the door of prayer......when are prayers are essentially ....it is not possible for God to answer our prayers./ Yes help is available ,only we can block that help.
A prayer....../Dear God we thank You for the many,many prayers You have answered,we thank You that help is available from You,help us not to block Your willingness to help us by wrong attitudes and wrong desires,in Jesus name Amen /

Cold efficiency [1 Corinthians 13 ]

Some one I know took a needy person to see the doctor,the person was examined by the doctor,and was told that they would need what would be
considered major surgery.The doctor acted in a somewhat inpatient manner
ushering his patient out quickly. The person who had accompanied the person,felt angry as to how this doctor had dealt with his patient.No
reassurance was given,he was coldly efficient, lacking in empathy.It reminds me of what we read in 1 Corinthians 13,that we can speak wonderfully,give sacrificially,and so on,but if love is missing,in Gods eyes,
it counts for nothing.God is not pleased with cold efficiency. Remember God always acts out of a heart of love,He is patient,and caring,not indulgent
but always acting out of a heart of love,for our highest good.
A  prayer....../Dear God forgive us for speaking or acting in an unloving manner,help us to be more like You our loving heavenly Father ,in Jesus
name Amen/






 

With Gods help .[ 2 Corinthians 3 v5 ]

Recently God resolved a problem for me,for which I am glad,and thankful,I was struggling to get something sorted out,and God did it.It reassures me that especially in relation to my Job he is helping me to cope,remember I am seventy and still working.Unlike Moses who although he was 120 years,he appeared in the best of health,of course then he died,but it was Gods time to take him home.It was not his choice,it was Gods,have you heard the story of the man who was given the choice of how he was going to die,and he replied,in my sleep. Now where was I? oh yes contrasting my physical condition with Moses,well I do struggle,a sore back,feeling tired,loose teeth,poor me,sometimes just for a moment a wave of inadequacy flows over me,but then I remember what God says,that His strength is made perfect in our weakness[ 2 Corinthians 12 v9],and that as our days so shall be our strength [Deuteronomy 33 v25],and the very important thing to remember,it is one day at a time,borrow not from tomorrows troubles.[Matthew 6 v34] The poet wrote ,/I'll bear the sorrow that comes tomorrow,but i'll borrow none today/ A prayer....../Dear God of the weak,the inadequate ,we praise You for Your continual help,day by day, in Jesus name Amen /