One day.[ 2 Timothy 4 v8 ]

Many dear Christians have come through difficulties in the year that is about to go,I read about them continually,in the lands  where Islam holds sway,they are in prison cells ,being tortured,abused and humiliated.It could
be said of them of whom the world is not worthy,all they receive is hate,from the Christ haters,but one day,yes one day,they will be honoured
and receive that crown of Glory,from their Lords hand. One day all will be changed,by Him who will make all things new,a new heaven and a new earth,populated by new creations.One day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.One day there will be no sickness,no loneliness,no inner uncleanness,or outward rebelliousness.One day all will
be revealed and explained,then shall we know,One day we will reign and rule with Jesus,it will be a perfect rule,no more injustice,no more torturing,no more jailers,no more prisons. One day Christ will return ,and all will be changed,especially us,no more striving for perfection,Christ will present us faultless[Judev24 ]
                                    A  prayer.
Dear God how we long for that one day,when our Saviour we shall see,until that day, grant us grace, to finish this race,with joy in Jesus name Amen
                                        

Let Him. [Psalm 121]

Well Christmas is over,did it live up to your expectation?,for me I suppose I could say I had a nice Christmas,met with family,and it all went very well.
Yet I am conscious that many in this world did not have a merry Christmas,
is it a question of the have's and the have not's?.Should a season make any difference to our lives?after all Christ is the reason for the season. Yet we may know this ,and yet we may find it very hard,to look beyond our poverty
pain,loneliness. Consider the words of Psalm 121 v1-2,/I will lift up my eyes unto the hills,from whence cometh my help.My help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth./ The hills where the places where many shrines where ,forbidden by God,let us not make a shrine of Christmas,or of anything.Let us lift up our eyes to the Lord,we are exhorted to look unto Jesus [Hebrews 12 v2 ],.Let Him be our joy,let Him be our reason for living
not the season,not our family,friends or whatever,these things may be important ,but they should not have the burden placed upon them of being all important.I know it can be hard when certain things are absent from our lives,but the very nature of life,is filled with uncertainty,so many things can be swept away in a moment.So today lift up your eyes to  the Lord,for comfort and love,his love is unending,in fact nothing can separate us from that love,Romans 8 v 35-39].
                                  A prayer
Dear Lord come and fill the emptiness of our hearts,with Your dear presence,
Amen.

Not a million miles away. [Acts 17,v 22- 34 ]

I heard a person singing a song about God being a million miles away,it is what he felt but it is not true.In Acts 17,the apostle Paul was speaking in Athens,to very religious people.They were worshipped many gods,and even had an altar,dedicated to the unknown god.They were not taking any chances ,so just to be on the safe side they  erected this altar.They were religious,there are those who would say it does not matter who or what one whorships,as long as one is sincere,but  the apostle did not think this,he was grieved,their religion was nothing more than idolatry.Consider, that no matter how religious, one is,if it is not a  relationship that is not based on faith in Christ,it is but idolatry.
    So the apostle starts to challenge their false beliefs,preaching unto them,
about Jesus and the resurrection,why?,surely they are sincere,well ,sincere they may have been,but they needed to know that there is only way to God,
and that there is only way to God,that being Jesus[John14v6]. He exhorts them to seek the Lord,whom he says is not far from any of us.[Acts 17v27]
  Yes God even though He be in heaven, he is not far from any of us,and can be reached ,by a simple prayer.We can make it hard to come to Christ, is not hard,if we believe ,if we repent from our sins,God will be found,what is stopping you?
                                          A prayer.
Dear God we thank You that You are not hard to be found,you are not a million miles away,and can be found through Jesus Your son. Amen.
,

The beast within. [ Jude v24- 25 ]

It is David Prior who writes about the violence that is in mankind,he writes a number of interesting things,here are a few./Violence in the home has become widespread,by husbands to wives,by parents to children...women being battered by their partners,of children being abused by adults.At any one time,we are told,there are between twenty five and thirty wars being fought around the world.We see pictures of a few.In the words of Salman Rushdie,Violence today is hot. It is what people want.Violence against
unborn babies,violence against women, and children,violence against the weak,by the many against the few/
    While God in His mercy restrains the violence in mankind there is
enough evidence to bear out the truth of the violent nature of man.If one reads the Bible we read of terrible violence,it is not pretty reading,especially when we come to the most extreme violence of all,the crucifixion of the son of God ,Jesus.
      I do not believe it will end ,not until Christ returns,then He will subdue all things,then and then only will there be true peace. Until then suicide bombers will continue to kill themselves and others,there will be wars and rumours of wars. And as to ourselves,and the beast within all of us,and I speak as a Christian,may the grace of almighty God transform us into the likeness,of Jesus,who manifested a gentleness and meekness,that has never been equalled.
                                    A  prayer.
Dear God have mercy upon us grant that the beast within all of us may be subdued and restrained by the power of Your Spirit,in Jesus name Amen

No fairy god mother.[John 1 v12]

The earliest film I remember seeing was that animated classic Cinderella ,I was very young,and I was with a group of others,they could have been my brothers,or other youngsters from the street I lived in,this was long time ago.The movie kept being repeated and because we enjoyed it so much,we watched it, again and again,until some came looking for.Recently I bought the DVD of this old film,this corresponds with this Sunday,when I will be ministering in the church I attend.Now I had prayed that God would give me a message for the children,and as I watched the movie, I prayed that I could use something from it,to illustrate a spiritual truth for the children.
    What came to me is this,in the story Cinderella lives with her evil stepmother,and two daughters,they treat her very badly.The king of the land wanted his son to get married,and so an invitation was sent out all the young girls to attend a ball. Cinderella was not allowed to go ,and so was very sad,that she could not go to the ball,but then suddenly her fairy god mother appeared all was changed.
   Now when I was young things were difficult and I wish I did have a fairy god mother,but not so, I soon discovered fairy god mothers are only in fairy
tails.But the greatest discovery I did find ,that by trusting Jesus,I could have a loving heavenly Father,and that has been the most precious thing in my whole life.
                                          A  prayer.
Dear loving heavenly Father,we praise that you love little children, and desire that all men may know You as their loving heavenly Father,by
 trusting Jesus as Saviour. Amen.

No room ..[Revelation 3 v20 ]

I must confess I have enjoyed this advent ,partially due to my Pastor,who makes a big effort to bring us all,into the meaning of the season.  To me it
has been a nice Christmas,of course it is not over yet,and who knows maybe the best is yet to come.If I had a wish for Christmas it would be that there
would be even one person ,who would come to know Jesus.Is this not what happened that first Christmas,shepherds,wise men.they came to know Jesus.
The religious leaders,and Herod had their opportunity,but missed it,sad to say for multitudes they will miss the opportunity to know Jesus,food,gifts,
shopping,family,in themselves not wrong,but surely there is more to Christmas,and to life, than those things.Christmas is about God breaking into time, from his eternal throne,in the person of His son Jesus. He wants to  remind us all,that His plans and purpose for us are bigger than the things of time. There will come for us all,that time, will cease to be,and we will find ourselves looking into the eternal realms,and as  to where we spend eternity,will depend on this  solitary fact, Christ. We are told that the that there was no room,for a special couple,and the child that was soon to be  born ,for the majority of people,there is still no room,Jesus is still knocking on the hearts of the many,to no avail.Yet it need not be so today,I invite you,to pray in the words of a hymn.
                                         A  prayer.
O come to my heart Lord Jesus,there is room in my heart for Thee, Amen

Relationship. [ 22 v 37-40 ]

Today I was listening to my car radio,and I heard a well know entertainer singing, a well known old hymn,/Thou didst Leave Thy throne/as I listened
to the opening verse ,I felt emotional,I'm glad that I did,for it assures me, that I am still touched by what I hold dear,it still has the power to touch my heart. It is so easy to let those precious truths, which we embraced with tears years ago ,not touch or move our hearts now. It reminds me of the Lords accusation of the church of Laodicea,that had become lukewarm,[Revealation 3 v16],or to the church at Ephesus,that they had left there first love[Revelation 2v4].I wonder what had caused these churches to become like this?, The church of Laodicea,appeared to have let prosperity effect them,leading them to be complacent,and being blind as to their true spiritual  condition.Ephesus had much to be admired,they stood for truth,for orthodoxy,but their theology , left them untouched,they neither loved their Lord or His people,as they once did.There are many reasons why the fire goes out in our relationship with our Lord.The main one is in that word relationship,consider a marriage,if the relationship is neglected,or placed into second place,the marriage relation will fall apart.So lets  consider afresh the words of that old hymn.
                          Thou didst leave Thy throne,and Thy kingly crown,
                           when Thou camest to earth for me,
                          but in Bethlehem's home,was there found no room ,
                           for Thy holy nativity.
                           O come to my heart,Lord Jesus,
                           there is room in my heart for Thee.
                                    [E.E. Steele Elliott].

The fall out. [ Hebrews 12 v15 ]

I remember many years ago,as a member of the territorial army going on a civil defence course,it was the time of the cold war,and we were being taught how to deal with the fall out of an neutral attack. In talking to one of
my sons about broken marriages,and the fall out of such .Now of course falling out just does not only apply to marriage, 
Also when friends fall out,and dare I say when churches fall out,contrary to what our Saviour commanded.When all this happens there is a fall out,just as there is when there is  from a neutral bomb.When Jeremiah was called to be a prophet and was told that he was to uproot,and tear down,destroy and overthrow,others you must build up and plant[Jeremiah 1 v10]. Sad to say
 many of us are good at pulling down but not very good at building up.
     To many people are in the demolition department ,yes there are things that need demolished,but not destroyed, In situations where there is fall we must consider the hurt that it  causes.In marriages,in churches,in friendships.There are things we cannot undo,but we can try to not make it worse for all concerned.
   We must learn to forgive ,for living with bitterness is a fall out that can be damaging to all concerned,bitterness,does not make things better,only forgiveness can do that. I know of a number of ex-wives who have held
 bitterness,in their hearts,for years,to listen to them is very sad.
                               A  prayer.
Dear God in this world that You have created ,sin has entered,and the fall out has been great and devastating,Yet through Your Son, forgiveness is offered,knowing that through Him, we can be free from the fall out. Amen.

   

The most important prayer.[ Psalm 51]

Prayer is in some ways is a mystery,but at the heart of every prayer there must be faith.When ever anyone prays they are acknowledging to some degree ,that  life on planet earth,is not all there is,that there is a possibility of something greater than ourselves. It may surprise us if we knew the people who pray. Now of course ,many who pray are not necessary seeking God ,they may seek  for healing,for financial help there are many reasons why people pray.Now ask yourself what is the most important
prayer, one could pray? I believe it is,the prayer for salvation, of asking for forgiveness ,it is asking Jesus to become your Saviour. You may not have done this,yet you may pray occasionally,for whatever, but that does not deal with your greatest need ,that is a relationship with God.That relationship comes through Jesus ,Christmas, is about God sending His son into this world.His purpose was to die and take the punishment for the sin of all who put their trust in Him. I would not discourage anyone from praying,but I would encourage them to pray that most important prayer of all,
                                             A  prayer.
Dear God we thank You that You hear our prayers, especially the prayer for
salvation through Jesus Your Son. Amen.

Face the fact. [ Matthew 9 v 37-38]

I hope I am not despairing when I ask the question,where are the prophets
today?,those men who spoke with the voice of God. I remember a man call W.P.Nicholson whom God raised up and was used by God in a mighty way,in Ulster. My dear gran was converted under his ministry,he was to all accounts a rough diamond,but he was Gods rough diamond.The prophets of old had a limited success,on the whole the nation of Israel did not listen,it is still not listening,their Jewishness appears more important to them,than Gods word,and embracing their Messiah.There are many reasons why they
are still Christ rejecters,but the main reasons why, they should accept Jesus
 He is the promised Messiah. Now coming back to the thought on prophets,
would this nation,would even the church accept them or their message?.
I of course do not know,but I wonder would they?,my hope and prayer would be,that they would,after all this is the day of grace. Praise God that He is still in the work of saving sinners,oh I have used that word again,
sinners,I hope you are not offended,but you are a sinner ,as I am,and unless one is prepared to accept that fact,the preacher or the prophets message will
be in vain.
                                  A prayer.
Dear God look upon our nations in mercy,send forth anointed servants to speak with Your voice,and grant that there will be a turning to Jesus Amen

Understanding Gods Word. [Ephesians 4 v 10- 12 ]

I was reading a chapter in Micah and when I had read it I had to confess I had not a clue what most of it was about,but recently I have been using helps in my daily devotions,and so I  now have a better understanding of what I have read.Although I have been to Bible college many years ago,and have been a pastor,and faithfully read my Bible every day,there are still many area's of Gods word that I do not understand.The challenge and it is a wonderful challenge is to understand the Bible,its context,its message.
Consider the words spoken by Philip to the Ethiopian in Acts 8 v27,as he was reading the scriptures,/Understandest thou what thou readest?/,now Philip had been instructed by an angel to minister to this man. So it is God
has given unto his church,godly people who will minister His word,don't go along with those who say you just need the Bible.Of course we need the Bible, but all of us need help in understanding the Bible,as Christian of 50 years I have found it to be so. We are not taking away from our need of the Holy Ghosts help,those who minister Gods word need His help,likewise ourselves.I am studying the Minor Prophets at this time and I have been using a series of commentaries called,/The Bible speaks today/,I find then readable and helpful.
                                         A prayer.
Dear God help us not just read Your word,but understand Your word,we thank You, that you have raised up many godly teachers who can help us to understand what we read, we ask this in Jesus name Amen .

Nothing has changed. [ John 1 v 11]

At the time when Jesus was born there was an expectation that the Messiah would come.  This is shown in the account of the wise men's search for Jesus,they arrive in Jerusalem,and ask ,where is He that is born king of the Jews?[Matthew 2v2] Immediately king Herod is troubled,for after all he was king of the Jews,he felt threatened,again you would have thought he would have realised the true significance of this,but no.So this scheming,person calls for the religious leaders,and asks where Christ should be born,and they knew, and they told him,now these Jewish religious leaders,just  told him,and that was all,surely they should have beat the wise men to Bethlehem. The  point is they didn't, and we hear nothing else about them,now think how awful that was,they had a clear pointer that the Messiah had come. Not only the news about this possible king disturbed the people living n Jerusalem, it appears to me that fear ruled all three parties,it is obvious that Herod feared for his throne,and the others what was their fear?,the religious leaders possibly feared Herod,the people possible feared as to what this cruel tyrant would  do .All this because a child was born a child called Jesus,fear ruled in the hearts of all these Jews who were waiting for their Messiah,all  except those  Gentile wise men,there appears to be an irony in this,nothing sad to say nothing has changed.
                                    A  prayer.
Dear God open the eyes of Israel to see Jesus as their long awaited Messiah
                                           Amen.

The truth. [ John 14 v6 ]

As I observe the times I live in,and the rise of aggressive Islam,on the one hand,and on the other secularism,and in the middle we have another kingdom,the kingdom of God.The kingdom of God is under a lot of pressure ,which involves severe persecution,and a challenge to not be sucked into materialism,and pressure to compromise in the uniqueness of Christ,and the Gospel. We do need to pray for our Christian family,who
are being persecuted, that they will be faithful,yes even unto death, but we
need to pray that we who live in this secular world,may also be faithful to
Christ,even though it may cost us. We must not compromise as to the truth,
 as J Calvin wrote,that/ no religion is genuine unless it be joined to the truth/.We must not hide the truth ,or be ashamed of the truth,or be sentimental as regards the truth,remember we are responsible ,when it comes  to truth to tell others.Why? because we have been entrusted with the truth,the only way people will hear the truth is when we tell them.It is the truth that sets us  free,it is the truth that will save us from Hell, and take us to heaven. Now what is that truth,Jesus who said that He was the way, the truth, and the life,and that no one can come unto the Father but by Him[John 14 v6 ]
                                  A  prayer.
Dear God and Father,help us to hold fast to truth,in Jesus name Amen.

Saved [Matthew 1 v21]

Christmas will soon be on us,the shops are filled with people buying,much of  it for others, Christmas presents,the season appears to have good impression on many people,in that they think of others.One of the people I visit wants to give some groceries to the local food bank, different groups
are providing meals on Christmas day.People send cards that express good will towards people,so we do not want to be  negative.Yet there is a sadness,caused by my concern, for the mulitudes who celebrate Christmas,
and yet do not know Christ,who is the reason for the season.Millions and
millions of people celebrate what?,time of work,eating,drinking,all good in themselves,but in essence nothing to do with Christmas,we could do away with much that goes on,and still celebrate Christmas. For Christmas is simply about one thing,the coming of Jesus into this world,why should we celebrate this?, because of whom Christ was and why He had come.He was none other than the son of God,but also the son of man,he became the son of man that we could become son's of God.How was He going to do that? ,
He  would  grow up to die on a cross,on that cross He became a sacrifice, for our sins. He had a destiny in coming to this world,it is summed up by what the the angel said ,He shall save his people from there sins.[Matthew 1v21],has He saved you yet?
                                         A  prayer.
Dear God hep us to see beyond the tinsel and Santa Clause, to Jesus who
alone laid down his life for our salvation, in Jesus name Amen .

Final words.[ 2Timothy.4 v6 -8]

The words of the apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 4 v6-8,are very instructive,he wrote just before he died,at the hands of the Romans.When he became a Christian he was not promised an easy life,but a life in which he would suffer[Acts 9 v16],and so it came to pass [CP 2 Corinthians 11-12].Of course Paul was the expounder of the grace of God,for salvation,and for living the Christian life. Let us learn from this great mans experience, we are saved by the grace of God,and enabled to live our Christian lives,how?
by the grace of God. As he comes to the end of his life,he sums it up in words of thankfulness,and wonder,he first of all writes,/I am ready/,let me ask you ,are you ready?have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour?.Then he writes ,/I have fought a good fight/,yes when we become a Christian we must be prepared,to fight the world the flesh and the devil,that means taking up our cross and following Jesus.Next he writes,/I have finished the course/,it is not about being first,second or third, but simply finishing what we have started. Next he writes,/ I have kept the faith/,in other words he had
not surrendered his commitment to what he believed in.As he faced the end he wrote of what lay ahead,not the darkness of death, but the wonderful radiance of eternal glories with His Lord.
                                    A prayer.
Dear God keep us faithful to You as we face trials and difficulties,help us to finish the course,in Jesus name Amen .

A no god.[ Romans 1 ]

Someone said to me that the religion that is most in decline is atheism,now I cannot say if this is true,but if it is,it is interesting.I am not sure of the reasons why people are atheists,observing the unanswerable in life,like tragedy's,leaning on ones own understanding,belief in the lie of evolution.
 Religion gets a bad press,and rightly so,especially Islam,with it's cruel practises.Of course you could say politics have also caused a tremendous amount of suffering.People with  a big idea fire the peoples imagination,that blinds them ,and causes them to commit awful things.But for the atheist everything is blamed on people having a belief in God.
   One the problems as I see it in advocating atheism ,they cannot give any meaning to life,how did life begin,a big bang,creates more problems than answers. What causes the life force in all of us?did we really start as sludge?,it all appears a bit absurd.Could this world with all its diversity
just have happened?have the atheist not just replaced God for another god
 called  evolution?.
     Now there is no end of questions,it boils down this,are we going to place
our faith in a no god,or in the God of the Bible,whom we are told made all things,but not only made all things, He so loved this world,messed up by sinful man,that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on
Him should no perish but have everlasting life[John 3 v16]
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God we worship You as Creator of all things,as sovereign over all things,and as saviour of all men.through Jesus Your Son. Amen.
  

Duty. [ John 14 v15 ]

I have attended a certain prayer meeting for years,held once a month in which we pray for Gods persecuted people. Now I must confess that many times I did not feel like going,maybe I was tired,and often I wondered why I did go,but I still go.But recently I read these words by Alec Motyer,/Many times if we were to wait for emotion to prompt action,we should wait in vain and long lists of Christian duties would rot in the pipe line, because we
did not feel any stimulus to perform them./He rightly points out  emotions are a fickle and false guide ,and they are,of course we don't rule out emotions in our relationship with God ,which is based on loving Him,but for His sake and our love for Him,we will perform our duty,even though we may not feel like it.There are things we should do,pray,read Gods word ,fellowship with other believers,perform good works,tell others about Jesus,and so on.
Remember the message that Lord Nelson sent to the fleet on the eve of the battle of Trafalgar,England expects that every man will do his duty,now Nelson was loved greatly ,and it is thought that the love they had for him
inspired everyman to do their duty.So may our love for our blessed Saviour
inspire us all to do our duty.
                                            A  prayer.
Dear Lord forgive us for neglecting our Christian duty,help out of love for you to do our duty. Amen .

What might have been.[ Matthew 23 v37 ]

When one reads the history of Israel ,a nation blessed above many,a nation chosen by God,and yet a nation that choose so often to rebel,to turn from
God, a nation that so often forgot God for other so called gods,who were not gods.A nation that had so much potential to be used by God to be light to the world,and in all this they failed. And yet as one writer writes,/what might have been/,yes what might have been if only they had listened to the
prophets,if only they had obeyed Gods word,what might have been.They would not have experienced the suffering of defeat,and dare I say it the genocide of the Holocaust.Yes what might have been,and yet it has lesson for all of us,there is blessing in obeying God ,in following Him, loving trusting Jesus, and following and obeying Him.Let us hope and pray that we who know Christ will not have this as our epithet, what might have been
                                        A  prayer.
Dear God grant that it will not be said of us what might have been, in Jesus name we ask this.Amen.

Stay focused [ Hebrews 12 v 1-3 ]

Its Christmas time the season to be jolly,but for many it is anything but jolly,for many dear people life is very hard,very lonely and a reminder of how empty their life is.Now of course if we are Christians we should make a point to be focused,on Christ. If we loose our focus then we can be overwhelmed by so many things,things that in essence have very little to do with Christmas.I believe the Puritans sought to ban the keeping of Christmas it is obvious they did not succeed. I am sure those godly people had their reasons,but their reasoning never won the majority of people over.
   The book of Hebrews was written to Christians who were finding following Jesus hard because they were suffering,they were even in danger of giving up,but were warned of the consequences ,it is the true Christian that perseveres,endures to the end. So what does the writer of Hebrews tell them to do ?,well in chap12 he exhorts them,to get rid of everything that was holding them back. To go forward patiently ,yes we need patience, the more we follow Jesus we realise the importance of patience.But more than that , to focus on Jesus at all times,because He suffered ,He understands our suffering. Jesus in the midst of suffering fixed His eye of the eternal glories that shine afar.
  So today what have we been focusing on?a good question,what are we focusing on?.and what should we be focusing on? ,the answer is very simple, Jesus. let us look unto Jesus the author and the finisher of our faith,
He will never lead us into sin ,but if we take our eyes of Him then we could so easily fall headlong into sin
                                                A prayer.
Dear Lord help us to stay focused on you, in Jesus name Amen ..

Throwing stones. [John 8 v1-11]

I know a man ,we will call him Brian and he often comments on that
people never smile,and yet he himself is a very unhappy person,who rarely smiles,and is very negative in his out look in life. My observation in relation to driving is that there are no perfect drivers,and yet so many people act as if they never make mistakes.The fact of the matter is,none of us are perfect,let me repeat this none of us are perfect,we all have something that is broken.There are time when we are very angry to the point of doing someone bodily harm,we think thoughts we shouldn't,and as to what we say
enough said.We live in a world obsessed by sex,with very little restraint,our thoughts if others could see then,we  would bow our heads in shame.The entertainment and the inter-net help to feed our sexual appetite,without considering the consequence of what they are doing,though if truth were told it does not take much to lead us into the darker side of our nature
    In John chapter 8 we read of a woman who was caught in the act of
adultery,and she was brought to Jesus,trying to trip him up,they said she should be stoned to death,nothing has changed it seems,Jesus eventually spoke,with words that we all need to take on board,/He that is without sin,
let him first cast a stone at her/
                                     A  prayer
Dear Lord help us to refrain from throwing stones at others, Amen

There is hope.[ Ephesians 2 v1-8]

Do you remember what Jeremy cricket said,always let your conscience be your guide. It is A. Motyer who writes,/Conscience is a God given faculty, part of the image of God. Like every other aspect of this image,it was tampered with,diluted and depraved as soon as human nature
gave house-room to rebellion against God,and the process of sin hardening,now countless generations old,has not improved the sensitivity
of conscience as an instrument of moral judgement./
   A. Motyer points out that our human nature can be seen according to scripture as being totally depraved,in other words no part or aspect is untainted by corruption.
      The natural man needs a restraint  ,by the gracious gift of common grace,this gracious gift holds us back ,although  at times ,man can still  act it seems without a conscience . Paul writes about people like this
whose conscience has been seared with a hot iron.W. Hendriksen writes,/By constantly arguing with conscience,stifling its warnings,and muffling its bell,they at last have reached the point where conscience no longer bothers, them. Grieving the holy Spirit has let to resist,and resisting Him, to quenching Him/
                                         A  prayer.
Dear God we thank You that although we are sinners,You are a God of all grace,we thank for Your common grace,and for Your saving Grace,that can
break into these darkened minds,and bring us to the place of faith ,and
forgiveness through Jesus Your dear son.Amen


     

Jesus paid it all. [Acts 16 v 30-31]

I used to visit a lovely lady,who always wanted to make me something to eat,she was a Muslim,she not just a Muslim but a practising  Muslim, she would be having her prayer time sometimes when I called.She would pray the required number of times a day,and she even had a time table,that would inform her as to the precise moment to pray.All Moslem's are not violent suicide bombers,they take their religion seriously,a religion of do's and dont's.Circumcision,praying,eating,and other rules and regulations,now they are not alone in this.Jesus was faced with people who believed that their relationship with God depended on rules and regulations, Jesus was the only person who has ever lived kept the law perfectly,He never had to offer a sacrifice for His sin,or to confess to a priest any wrongs , He was the perfect human being,oh yes He was tempted,but He never yielded to temptation.When He was crucified He was dying for sin,not his own,for He had no sin,but for you and me who sin,and no matter how much we try,we will still sin,that's the reality.So God had a plan, as to how we could be forgiven,Jesus His son would bear our sins on His body on that cross[1 Peter 2 v24/Isaiah 53 v12].The old hymn puts it like this.
                           He took my sins and my sin and my sorrows,
                           He made them his very own,
                           He bore the burden to Calvary,
                           And suffered and died alone.[C.H.Gabriel]
                                      A  prayer
Dear God  we praise You that Your son Jesus paid the price for our salvation  ,and that by believing in Him we will be saved Amen 

Mercy Lord. [Malahi 3 v6 ]

I am sure I don't need to remind you that life is full of change,recently I saw a friend with her grandson,the last time I saw him ,he was about 3 feet tall,now he is about 6 feet tall.We really do live in a changing world,some things are not so good others things are good,it is not all bad.But it is a fact change is ever happening,what changes does the future hold for any of us?,God alone knows, how do face the challenges that are  ahead?the answer is challenging but simple,faith in our unchanging God,He changes not.  Malachi 3 v6 declares, /For I am the Lord, I change not,therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed/ , we are given a two fold assurance in those words, as to Gods being He changes not,and His mercy changes not. Are you not encouraged by the fact that we worship a God who continually shows mercy to His children.Mercy is not a one of event,when we get saved,no ,it is ongoing,we grieve God in so many ways,yet wonder of wonders , God continues to show us Mercy ,through His Son Jesus,the fact is the most holy of men like David can commit such unholy acts,yet they experienced mercy.I leave you with these encouraging words from our unchanging God. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace, that we may obtain mercy,and find grace to help in times of need[Hebrews 4 v16]
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God we praise You that You change not,and that You are still merciful
, one who is forgiving and kind,we praise You in Jesus name Amen .

Compensation [Joel 2 v25]

In that little book of Joel we have a wonderful promise,/And I will restore to you the years that the locust have eaten.[2v25].The land had been devastated by an invasion of locust,we do not know much about this ,
but in those countries that experience such an event,it truly is devastating,
a swarm of locust can contain up to 10 billion insects,they can literally
strip a land bear.This is what happened to Israel,and it is the prophet who speaks into that situation,the word of God. We must not close our ears when devastation happens,rather we should be listening to what God has to say,if today we hear His voice let us not harden our hears.Well the word of God came instructing the people ,that they should get real with God,cast of all pretence, seek Him and He will be found,and He will restore to then the years that the locust had eaten. One commentator says the word for restore can be taken to mean God will compensate ,now of course this compensation is not because we have been treated unfairly, no it is the response by the God of grace. Let us avoid judging God even though He slay us,and let us rejoice in His undeserved faithfulness,to all who seek Him.
                                     A  prayer
Dear God we acknowledge Your great faithfulness at all times,we ask that
You would restore unto us the years that the locust have eaten,in Jesus name Amen

Whats it to be ? [ Hebrews 11 ]

Matthew Henry said,/we can depend on God to fulfil His promise,even when all the roads to it are closed/. In 2 Peter1 v4 we read,/Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious  promises/The paper currency in our country comes with a promise to pay the bearer the sum of...,it would be serious  if the bank of England failed to keep that promise.Thankfully it has never happened,but it could, but when it comes to Gods promises ,He will always keep His promised word.God unlike many modern bankers is trustworthy,He cannot tell a lie. Often we fail as it where to receive what God has promised,because of a lack of faith,and like Israel of old we miss what He has promised.Instead of grasping by faith the promises,we give into to despair,and  ,and so they miss the promised blessing.We are warned in Hebrews 11v 12,/Take heed brethren, lest there be an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God/ Make no mistake unbelief is a deplorable sin,we need to appreciate that there are consequences.The sinner goes to hell the child of God looses out on what God has promised there is never any lack in Gods promises it is our lack of faith that is the problem.
                                                    A  prayer.
 Dear God search our hearts,and clear out any unbelief in out hearts,and grant us by Your grace faith in You and Your word, in Jesus name Amen

Brute beasts [ Genesis 2 v27 ]

Like brute beasts they live,like brute beasts they die,you and I are more than brute beasts,it is important to stress this.The teaching of evolution,and the emphasise on mankinds material and physical needs,to the exclusion of a spiritual reality,leaves mankind as just mere extensions of the animal kingdom. We are not saying that the animal kingdom is not important ,of course they are important,but they are  what they are brute beasts,they will never rule the world,contrary to planet of the apes. Humanities needs are all consuming ,but it is Jesus who said that man shall not live by bread alone,but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God [Matthew 4v4].Mankinds reply is as D. Kidner writes,/,Never mind Thy kingdom come, where's our daily bread? /. Mankind is totally focused on bread alone,everything to do with their physical well being. And yet it is blatantly obvious that living just at a material level,leaves much to be desired.Consider the rich and the famous,who give the impression that they have it all,while there lives,tell us otherwise.The Bible continually stresses the folly of living without God,warning us ,that even  if we gained the whole world,we could end up loosers.That the well we draw our water from,will only satisfy our thirst temporary,and in the midst of it all Jesus
declares, that whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give ,shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him ,shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting water.[John 4 v14]
                                            A  prayer
Dear God,we thank You that we are not brute beasts,and we pray that we may not live and die like brute beasts, in Jesus name Amen.

Use us.[ Proverbs 11 v30]

Often it seems we hear of very few people being saved,and then we hear of a church in my homeland,where they have witnessed over 2000 being saved.God is always in the business of saving souls,I have just read of a lady in Uzebek a radical Muslin  trusting the Saviour,as a result of the witness of a Christian who had died.Yes God is still in the business of saving precious souls. Some Church's have lost this reality,and have gone out of the business of seeing men and women's need of salvation. In Proverbs 11 v30, we read ,he that winneth souls is wise/, when Jesus called the disciples He said I will make you fishers of men [Matthew 4 v19].What a challenge  to be a fisher of men,women and children,I praise God for the memory of those who witnessed to me,and led me to the Lord. My first wife is in heaven because a dear lady, witnessed to her ,about Jesus.I have witnessed to many people and some have trusted the Lord.How that will rejoice my heart when I see then in heaven,those precious jewels.Yes people in there most vilest state are still precious to God,for we are told Christ died for the ungodly.As I start this day my prayer would be, oh Lord  make me a fisher of men,help us never to loose sight of mans greatest need ,Jesus.
                                        A  prayer.
Dear Lord help us to see the true value of a soul, use us to be fishers of men,in your name, and for Your glory we ask this Amen.

The ultimate rejection [Isaiah 53 ]

I am reading the book of Hosea ,with the help of a commentary, in it  the prophet is told to do something that would bring him pain,he was to marry a
prostitute. A marriage that would bring him much pain,yet his marriage would be part of his message,for his wife Gomer would be unfaithful,and would have children by other men.This strange relationship would mirror Israels relation with God,they are declared as whores in their unfaithful godless behaviour.For like Gomer they would as it were lust after other lovers,Assyria,Egypt,paying them for their favours,indulging in their idolatress religions,which involved cult prostitution,and child sacrifice,of worshipping many gods,instead of the one true God, Jehovah.The book of Hosea is a love story,as is seen in a marriage relationship, but it is a one sided love story. A story of God pleading continually,yet it seems to no avail,and so it would continue, when the ultimate rejection by Israel the nation of Gods love would take place ,when they would sacrifice Gods dear son Jesus.
                                     A prayer
Dear God have mercy upon Israel ,and this world,in wrath remember mercy,in Jesus name Amen .
                                               

God holds the key of all unknown. [Psalm 75 v6 ]

Recently I was asked by a person in the church I attend if I would put my name forward to be a deacon. I said that I would think and pray about it,I spoke to him later,saying I did not feel I was a deacon ,I was a pastor,a minister of Gods word,he replied that he felt the leadership needed that
pastoral gifting. So I agreed but not totally convinced that this was for me
I prayed about it,asking God to choose what was right for me.When the church met to vote ,I did not get elected,I must confess that I felt a  bit embarrassed,and yet I know there are no second causes ,God is sovereign,He opens doors ,He closes doors,I did not have any conviction about being a deacon,so I praise God for making the decision for me.As I look back on life I can appreciate this more and more,the fact that ,God holds the key of all unknown,and I am glad.
                                               A  prayer
Dear God we praise You that Your way, and your will is always best,help us to see that are disappointment are so often for our good, in Jesus name Amen .

Slavery [ 1 Corinthians 6 v9-11]

Recently on the news we were informed that there are thousands of people who are slaves, in this country. It is of course illegal to have slaves in this country,these people are trapped and hidden,and seriously abused.They include foreign workers,and others all exploited one way or another.The government is trying to discover those who are in fact slave owners,and  stop this practise.Slavery is a practise of abuse,those who are slaves have
no rights,they have to obey their masters. When our Saviour was on earth slavery was a common practise,the Romans had a vast slave population,
slaves had no rights,they were owned by those who could kill them abuse them,misuse them at will.Recently there was picture in our local news paper of a baby faced boy,aged 19 who lured a young lad to his flat and killed him in a sexual activity.What possessed that young man to do such a thing? what possesses millions of people committing sexual perversion,what possessed a gifted doctor taking thousands of photo's of people going to the toilet.Here is the answer,spoken by Jesus ,/everyone who sins is a slave to sin/[John 8v34] Those involved in perverted sexual activity are in fact slaves to their lusts,but I cannot leave it there, for Jesus also said,if the Son sets you free you are free indeed[John 8v36]
                                             A  prayer.
Dear God we praise you, that through Your son Jesus slaves of sinful practises can be forgiven and set free. Amen

Carry me through. [Isaiah 43 v3 ]

I'm sure the apostle Paul did not like the fact that he had to live with a thorn in the flesh,day in , day out,but that is the way it  was. None of us like hearing from our doctors, you will have to learn to live with it, Jacob had to live with a permanent limp[Genesis 32v25].Job had to live with the loss of  his ten children, [Job 1 v19],Ezekiel had to bear with the loss of his wife,it appears that some things have to be borne,that there is no quick fix .Of course God will grant us His all sufficient grace,but it is grace to bear the thing in our lives,not the removal of it. Of course God may grant us healing ,may lift the heavy burden from our lives,and yet He may not.A few
years ago I used to pray a prayer by Joyce Meyer,which I found helpful,so let us finish with this prayer.
                                      A  prayer.
God, I don't like this, but some reason I need this experience to fulfil Your destiny in my life. I believe it will work out for my good,even though it doesn't feel good right now. I cast my cares upon You,and ask You to carry me through this situation. in Jesus name. Amen.