Now most of us know the shortest verse in the Bible ,John 11 v35,Jesus wept,but very people know the longest verse,I wonder do you?.Well I discovered it is to be found in Esther 8 v 9,it is in that part of Esther ,when things have changed from despair,to deliverance.The Jewish people were going to be annihilated ,but in the providence of God,things changed round in the most remarkable way.Read the book Esther ,in this book God is not mentioned,and yet Gods providence is clearly manifested.
God is invisible ,we walk by faith,in one we cannot see,whose ways are past finding out,as the hymn writer puts it ,He works in mysterious ways
His wonders to perform.We often can only appreciate his providence more fully by looking back, often we will wonder why?,when we are in midst of difficulties,and the devil will come and place doubt,in our minds,and we are
made to feel insecure.Instead of trusting,we panic,God ceases to be enthroned in our hearts,fear rules instead. The problems,difficulties,become
memorials of unbelief, such is the way I felt recently,and yet God in mercy
spoke clearly,that He would undertake,and He did.
Whatever problem we may be facing today trust Him to see you through
it,He will not fail us,as a Christian of over 50years,I have seen God working in so many ways,financially,and when difficulties were mounting up.
A prayer
Dear God we praise You, that You are looking after us in every situation.
we are your children,and know that You will care for us,because of
Jesus Amen.
Saturday, 28 February 2015
Friday, 27 February 2015
Dancing in the rain. [ Psalm 137 ]
I was watching the TV and a man who had suffered a tragedy in is life,said he had learnt to dance in the rain. There were two Christians and they were arrested,beaten and thrown into prison,the prison had no home comforts,
these two men found themselves in chains,feeling sore and tired. So is that it?,no they started singing in their pain,not just singing, but singing praises to God. Dancing in the rain, singing in their pain,
A prayer
Dear God ,like Your children in captivity,I ask the question how can I sing the Lords song in my difficulties,when people misunderstand me,hurt me,
leave me?. Grant unto to me that I may see through the clouds that hide Your radiance,Your love,and by Your Spirit,to dance in the rain and to sing in my pain,in Jesus name.Amen
these two men found themselves in chains,feeling sore and tired. So is that it?,no they started singing in their pain,not just singing, but singing praises to God. Dancing in the rain, singing in their pain,
A prayer
Dear God ,like Your children in captivity,I ask the question how can I sing the Lords song in my difficulties,when people misunderstand me,hurt me,
leave me?. Grant unto to me that I may see through the clouds that hide Your radiance,Your love,and by Your Spirit,to dance in the rain and to sing in my pain,in Jesus name.Amen
Thursday, 26 February 2015
The right decisions. [ 1 Peter 3 v12 ]
Do you ever make a decision,in purchasing something,like a second hand car,you pray about it,think about it,get as much information about what you are looking for,you have it all worked out.Yet when you purchase that second hand car,it does not work out,and you wonder why.You are left scratching your head,and you ask what did I do wrong?.This happened twice with me, recently I bought a car, very low mileage,when I got it I felt
there was something wrong,I spoke to the car dealer,did not get much joy,so
I had it inspected ,and was told what was wrong,this would cost two thousand pound to fix,well there were other things connected to buying this car,the dealership I bought it from was a good distance, Speaking to him on the phone, I felt I was fighting a loosing battle,to say the least it was a very stressful experienced,but God was speaking assuring me that He was going to undertake.
My oldest lad suggested we ask for my money back,so he sent them an email,reminding them that under the law they were bound to return my money.God was using my son,and imagine my delight,when I received a telephone call,assuring me that they will collect the car,and return my money,you can imagine my relief ,and gratitude for His deliverance. The only thing is I have to buy another car,hopefully it will be the right one.
A prayer.
Dear God undertake for us as we make decisions,that we will make the right ones,in Jesus name Amen.
there was something wrong,I spoke to the car dealer,did not get much joy,so
I had it inspected ,and was told what was wrong,this would cost two thousand pound to fix,well there were other things connected to buying this car,the dealership I bought it from was a good distance, Speaking to him on the phone, I felt I was fighting a loosing battle,to say the least it was a very stressful experienced,but God was speaking assuring me that He was going to undertake.
My oldest lad suggested we ask for my money back,so he sent them an email,reminding them that under the law they were bound to return my money.God was using my son,and imagine my delight,when I received a telephone call,assuring me that they will collect the car,and return my money,you can imagine my relief ,and gratitude for His deliverance. The only thing is I have to buy another car,hopefully it will be the right one.
A prayer.
Dear God undertake for us as we make decisions,that we will make the right ones,in Jesus name Amen.
Wednesday, 25 February 2015
Well we can try [ Philippians 3 v 12 ]
I do believe that there are no perfect drivers,driving is not one aspect of life that is perfect,no because there are no perfect people,and this is very clearly seen,if you are a driver. I make mistakes when I drive, ask my wife,so that's
it,no we can aim for perfection,although we may never get there.Yes there is no reason why we cant aim for perfection in driving,in our marriages,our work,now we will never be perfect,but we can say I going by the grace of God try.
Our Saviour said to His disciples,/Be ye therefore perfect,even as your father which is heaven is perfect[Matthew 5 v45]/. So is Jesus saying we can reach perfection?,there are some Christians who believe they can reach
sinless perfection. 1 John 1v8 reads,if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us.I remember a person accused me of not being a Christian because I acknowledged that I was not perfect,that I did sin.
Yes we are not perfect,but we can still aim for it ,we can still by Gods grace overcome the sins that so easily beset us.
A prayer
Dear God we come to You in all our imperfectness, help us to aim at lives
that by Your grace we may ever strive to be like You ,in Jesus name Amen .
it,no we can aim for perfection,although we may never get there.Yes there is no reason why we cant aim for perfection in driving,in our marriages,our work,now we will never be perfect,but we can say I going by the grace of God try.
Our Saviour said to His disciples,/Be ye therefore perfect,even as your father which is heaven is perfect[Matthew 5 v45]/. So is Jesus saying we can reach perfection?,there are some Christians who believe they can reach
sinless perfection. 1 John 1v8 reads,if we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves,and the truth is not in us.I remember a person accused me of not being a Christian because I acknowledged that I was not perfect,that I did sin.
Yes we are not perfect,but we can still aim for it ,we can still by Gods grace overcome the sins that so easily beset us.
A prayer
Dear God we come to You in all our imperfectness, help us to aim at lives
that by Your grace we may ever strive to be like You ,in Jesus name Amen .
Tuesday, 24 February 2015
Hypocrisy.[ Matthew 3 v7 -10 ]
Words are so easily spoken,it is easy to say I am sorry and not really mean it,it is easy to pray and not really mean it,the saying of the Lords prayer is an example of that. We sing hymns out of habit,yes words are so easily spoken,words that have no real meaning,no depth to them.
It is so easy to put on act,I remember my son telling me about a friend of his,a well known minister,and as he talked to my son,the Lord gave him insight,and it was ,that the brother was committing adultery.
Our Saviour used the term hypocrite in relation to a certain people,they were play acting,hiding behind a curtain of religion.A certain individual
who was loved and admired,was honoured by those in high places,when he died thousand lined up,to pay respect to this great man.Oh yes he was great
in his hidden evil deeds,what he did was unbelievable,and the vast majority of people,never realised.
When the end of this world come and all,will stand before the all knowing all seeing God,all will be revealed,nothing will be hidden. There
will be no more hypocrisy,no more pretending.
All is not lost,Christ came into the world to save sinners,no matter what our sin,now is the time to stop pretending,to repent,that means to change,to turn to God and to be totally honest,and be totally honest with him,and to ask for forgiveness.
A prayer.
Dear God we know that there is nothing hidden from You,forgive us for deceiving others ,and even ourselves,in Jesus name Amen .
It is so easy to put on act,I remember my son telling me about a friend of his,a well known minister,and as he talked to my son,the Lord gave him insight,and it was ,that the brother was committing adultery.
Our Saviour used the term hypocrite in relation to a certain people,they were play acting,hiding behind a curtain of religion.A certain individual
who was loved and admired,was honoured by those in high places,when he died thousand lined up,to pay respect to this great man.Oh yes he was great
in his hidden evil deeds,what he did was unbelievable,and the vast majority of people,never realised.
When the end of this world come and all,will stand before the all knowing all seeing God,all will be revealed,nothing will be hidden. There
will be no more hypocrisy,no more pretending.
All is not lost,Christ came into the world to save sinners,no matter what our sin,now is the time to stop pretending,to repent,that means to change,to turn to God and to be totally honest,and be totally honest with him,and to ask for forgiveness.
A prayer.
Dear God we know that there is nothing hidden from You,forgive us for deceiving others ,and even ourselves,in Jesus name Amen .
Monday, 23 February 2015
Holding on by a thread. [ 2 Corinthians 4 v 7 ]
A man who is suffering from a serious illness,when asked about his strong faith,he replied,that as regards a strong faith,he saw himself holding on by a thread. Imagine what that means ,for he meant it,maybe that describes your faith. It is not something you would tell others,but it really sums up how you feel,but of course,He knows,and maybe you have told Him,and then maybe you have not, but as I have said He knows.
Consider ,you and I are part of a church,of mighty saints,is that right?or is it?, no we are part of church made up of those who sing with great
fervour,about,that amazing grace that saves wretches.Yes the grace of God
makes all the difference in all our lives,I am what I am by the grace of God.
The fact is we are all holding on by the grace of God,even if it is holding on by a thread,how strong is that thread,that thread when endued by Gods grace is unbreakable.
Continually the word of God reminds us of a need to rely on God and His strength,otherwise the true self will manifest itself ,in pretty awful ways,as so many of Gods choicest saints have found out. Remember we are earthen vessels, or fragile clay jars[2 Corinthians 4 v7]. There is no room for pride,boasting excluded ,pride I abase,we are only sinners saved by grace.
Now this does not mean we should give up,or despair,no, no, no,it really is amazing,but God who knows the worst about us,will use us in all our weakness, even if we are holding on by a thread.
A prayer.
Dear God You know everything about us,how truly weak we are,Lord help us in our utter weakness,Amen.
Consider ,you and I are part of a church,of mighty saints,is that right?or is it?, no we are part of church made up of those who sing with great
fervour,about,that amazing grace that saves wretches.Yes the grace of God
makes all the difference in all our lives,I am what I am by the grace of God.
The fact is we are all holding on by the grace of God,even if it is holding on by a thread,how strong is that thread,that thread when endued by Gods grace is unbreakable.
Continually the word of God reminds us of a need to rely on God and His strength,otherwise the true self will manifest itself ,in pretty awful ways,as so many of Gods choicest saints have found out. Remember we are earthen vessels, or fragile clay jars[2 Corinthians 4 v7]. There is no room for pride,boasting excluded ,pride I abase,we are only sinners saved by grace.
Now this does not mean we should give up,or despair,no, no, no,it really is amazing,but God who knows the worst about us,will use us in all our weakness, even if we are holding on by a thread.
A prayer.
Dear God You know everything about us,how truly weak we are,Lord help us in our utter weakness,Amen.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
You can decide. [ Hebrews 11v1]
I usually go out into my garden at night and look up at the stars,to observe the glory of Gods creation. The other evening as I looked up I found myself singing ,He's got the whole in his hand,it is in the book of Job, we read,/He .hangeth the earth upon nothing[26v7]. The scientist speaks with his flawed ,from a flawed mind,never giving glory to God,while the multitudes,believe there flawed giro's.
As to scientific knowledge,I know very little,but I would rather hold unto the certainty of faith,rather than the blindness of the freak accident theory.
It is not that I despise scientist,we owe under God much to them, but unfortunately they do not think that they are under God.When do you hear any of them ever mention God,the evolutionist,speaks how animals somehow grow feathers,and somehow fly,yes ,truly somehow.
If you want you can go down the godless scientific road,but were is it leading ?or you can decide to follow Him who is the way the truth and the life[John 14 v6],it is a path of faith,strange path,but it is the safest path,
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy and grant us grace to follow Your son Jesus,as He leads us to glory,in His name we ask this Amen
As to scientific knowledge,I know very little,but I would rather hold unto the certainty of faith,rather than the blindness of the freak accident theory.
It is not that I despise scientist,we owe under God much to them, but unfortunately they do not think that they are under God.When do you hear any of them ever mention God,the evolutionist,speaks how animals somehow grow feathers,and somehow fly,yes ,truly somehow.
If you want you can go down the godless scientific road,but were is it leading ?or you can decide to follow Him who is the way the truth and the life[John 14 v6],it is a path of faith,strange path,but it is the safest path,
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy and grant us grace to follow Your son Jesus,as He leads us to glory,in His name we ask this Amen
Friday, 20 February 2015
Mercy [Luke 18 v 9-14 ]
Even though I am a Christian of many years,in someways I am very much still a rough diamond,the old Billy still manifests itself.I still have times when I manifest a temper,still dwell on wrong thoughts,still worry,need I go on,oh yes I have changed but it appears sometimes ,not enough.
It reminds me that I am part of the gap theory,the gap being what I am and what I should be.It also reminds me of the word I use so much in my prayers,mercy,as I pray for people I request mercy,and when I pray for myself ,I pray for mercy.The word of God continually uses the word mercy,for that I am so grateful,grateful that God is merciful.How can we approach such a holy God?well we are told, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace,that we may obtain mercy[Hebrews 4 v16]
It is because of Gods mercy we are not consumed,it is by Gods mercy
we are saved,it starts with mercy,and continues with mercy,until the day we
die.When we stand before Him it will be by mercy,and as we look back and see ,the path that we have walked on in our earthly pilgrimage ,it was a path called mercy.
Our Saviour told a story about two men, one was very religious,and consider others inferior,I saw this many years ago when the barber was cutting my hair,and well know gypsies went to come into the shop,and they were told in no uncertain terms ,to get out.
The other man was a notorious person,I will call him a loan shark[the bible calls him a tax collector,they collected taxes for the Romans,and they abused their position.
They were both religious so they went up to the temple to pray,the very religious person ,prayed thanking God that he was not a sinner like the loan shark,he fasted twice a week and he abstained from wrongful sexual behaviour,he was thankfully that he was not like the loan shark.
The loan shark ,unlike the very religious person ,who stood up praying,
stood at distance,not daring to lift his eyes heavenward,he was very distraught,very sorrowful,and all he could pray was ,God be merciful to me
a sinner.
Now who do you think was accepted by God?,very simple, the one who
sought mercy.
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy upon us poor sinners,and grant us forgiveness ,
through Jesus the Saviour of sinners, Amen
It reminds me that I am part of the gap theory,the gap being what I am and what I should be.It also reminds me of the word I use so much in my prayers,mercy,as I pray for people I request mercy,and when I pray for myself ,I pray for mercy.The word of God continually uses the word mercy,for that I am so grateful,grateful that God is merciful.How can we approach such a holy God?well we are told, let us come boldly unto the throne of grace,that we may obtain mercy[Hebrews 4 v16]
It is because of Gods mercy we are not consumed,it is by Gods mercy
we are saved,it starts with mercy,and continues with mercy,until the day we
die.When we stand before Him it will be by mercy,and as we look back and see ,the path that we have walked on in our earthly pilgrimage ,it was a path called mercy.
Our Saviour told a story about two men, one was very religious,and consider others inferior,I saw this many years ago when the barber was cutting my hair,and well know gypsies went to come into the shop,and they were told in no uncertain terms ,to get out.
The other man was a notorious person,I will call him a loan shark[the bible calls him a tax collector,they collected taxes for the Romans,and they abused their position.
They were both religious so they went up to the temple to pray,the very religious person ,prayed thanking God that he was not a sinner like the loan shark,he fasted twice a week and he abstained from wrongful sexual behaviour,he was thankfully that he was not like the loan shark.
The loan shark ,unlike the very religious person ,who stood up praying,
stood at distance,not daring to lift his eyes heavenward,he was very distraught,very sorrowful,and all he could pray was ,God be merciful to me
a sinner.
Now who do you think was accepted by God?,very simple, the one who
sought mercy.
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy upon us poor sinners,and grant us forgiveness ,
through Jesus the Saviour of sinners, Amen
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Retirement. [Psalm 48 v14]
I will be retiring from working with social services,at the end of April,I have worked there for 23years. I believe it is the right decision,but it brings with certain concerns,what will I do when I retire?,I shared this with a friend whose reply was very helpful,he said,I am retiring from work,but I am not retiring from the Lords service.Yes we never retire from serving the Lord,there is always something for us to do,the words of an old hymn comes to mind,/There's a work for Jesus none but you can do/ So I must not think because I am retiring that God will put me on the shelf,no we are not meant to be ornaments.
I love the words from Psalm 48 v14,/For this God is our God forever
and ever,He will be our guide even unto death./ In times of uncertainty these are words of assurance,especially as one grows older,and at times when one is entering retirement.It is lovely to be able to retire,but it is unknown territory,a path we have not tread before.Abraham went out
not knowing whither he went, but he knew who was going with him.
Years ago when little children would have to work at cleaning chimneys,
when they could it no more,they would be discarded,they where no longer
of any use. Such is the human situation,thrown aside,like a old TV,that no longer works.but God is never in the business of discarding anyone.
A prayer
Dear God we rest in You,knowing that we are precious to You,at every
stage of our lives,that you will never discard us,and will always use us in some measure in your service,in Jesus name Amen.
I love the words from Psalm 48 v14,/For this God is our God forever
and ever,He will be our guide even unto death./ In times of uncertainty these are words of assurance,especially as one grows older,and at times when one is entering retirement.It is lovely to be able to retire,but it is unknown territory,a path we have not tread before.Abraham went out
not knowing whither he went, but he knew who was going with him.
Years ago when little children would have to work at cleaning chimneys,
when they could it no more,they would be discarded,they where no longer
of any use. Such is the human situation,thrown aside,like a old TV,that no longer works.but God is never in the business of discarding anyone.
A prayer
Dear God we rest in You,knowing that we are precious to You,at every
stage of our lives,that you will never discard us,and will always use us in some measure in your service,in Jesus name Amen.
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Send down the fire. [ Habakkuk 3 v2 ]
The book of Haggai is written in the context of Israels second exodus,when
they had returned from the Babylonia exile.They returned with a purpose of rebuilding the temple,that they would worship God in His appointed way.That way foreshadowed in its sacrificial system,the coming of the Lamb of God,who taketh away the sin of the world.It is Robert Fyall who writes the following,/ In Exodus25v8 ,we read,/Have them make a sanctuary for Me,that I will dwell among them/This command remained valid,and failure to rebuild the temple would have been tantamount to saying, that they did not want God dwelling among them./
Unfortunately the people had lost their way,and had neglected this task[CP Haggai 1],the neglect was serious.Again referring to this R.Fyall, he makes
the following comments ,/They were in fact saying the time to build the temple would never come.They were accepting the state of spiritual deadness as normal.....their loyalty to God had withered....they were allowing time to drift past,whereas God spoke to them of urgency of the
present time....They had grown cold and were not giving priority to Gods presence among them/
As I read these things ,I wonder could much of what we have read be applied us,neglect,spiritual deadness,loyalty to God withering,a lack of
spiritual urgency,cold spiritually,not giving priority to God.
A prayer
Dear God revive us ,Your people today,send down the fire and burn up the dross in our lives,for Jesus sake Amen.
they had returned from the Babylonia exile.They returned with a purpose of rebuilding the temple,that they would worship God in His appointed way.That way foreshadowed in its sacrificial system,the coming of the Lamb of God,who taketh away the sin of the world.It is Robert Fyall who writes the following,/ In Exodus25v8 ,we read,/Have them make a sanctuary for Me,that I will dwell among them/This command remained valid,and failure to rebuild the temple would have been tantamount to saying, that they did not want God dwelling among them./
Unfortunately the people had lost their way,and had neglected this task[CP Haggai 1],the neglect was serious.Again referring to this R.Fyall, he makes
the following comments ,/They were in fact saying the time to build the temple would never come.They were accepting the state of spiritual deadness as normal.....their loyalty to God had withered....they were allowing time to drift past,whereas God spoke to them of urgency of the
present time....They had grown cold and were not giving priority to Gods presence among them/
As I read these things ,I wonder could much of what we have read be applied us,neglect,spiritual deadness,loyalty to God withering,a lack of
spiritual urgency,cold spiritually,not giving priority to God.
A prayer
Dear God revive us ,Your people today,send down the fire and burn up the dross in our lives,for Jesus sake Amen.
Tuesday, 17 February 2015
All of lifes eventualites.[Psalm 23]
Worry,we all worry,God knows,I suppose that is why He put so many fear not's in His word, why he gave us the 23rd Psalm,and many other reassuring
scriptures. Yet we still worry,anxious thoughts fill our hearts,what if?,what will happen?,how can I manage?,these and many other thoughts crowd our mind. Yes our mind,how easily we slip into the lower gear of fear,I remember learning to drive,then I drove a manual,and one of the things ,we had to learn was a hill start.It was so easily to roll back,and it is like that in
life,we come to the hills of difficulties,and we struggle,and we roll back to the the place of unbelief,to the place of fear,and concerns,and instead of
experiencing ,peace perfect peace,we experience fear.
I love the character Elijah ,what a mighty man of God,when he prayed things really happened,miracles were performed.Boys a dear, what a man,
stop there ,he was a man,and like you and I, he experienced,depression,
and despair,he wanted to die.How did God respond? did He tell him off,no,
did He reject him ?, no.So what did he do?He spoke with a still small voice,
a gentle whisper,God was not in the strong wind,or the mighty earthquake,
or the fire. None of those things harmed him,fearful though they may have been,no,and none of those things that we are worried about will harm us,they may alarm us,but God,whispers,fear thou not,for I am with you,
be not dismayed,for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee,yea I will help thee,yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness[Isaiah 41 v10]
A prayer
Dear God in our utter weakness we cry unto You ,that You will grant us peace,and faith for all of life's eventualities in Jesus name Amen.
scriptures. Yet we still worry,anxious thoughts fill our hearts,what if?,what will happen?,how can I manage?,these and many other thoughts crowd our mind. Yes our mind,how easily we slip into the lower gear of fear,I remember learning to drive,then I drove a manual,and one of the things ,we had to learn was a hill start.It was so easily to roll back,and it is like that in
life,we come to the hills of difficulties,and we struggle,and we roll back to the the place of unbelief,to the place of fear,and concerns,and instead of
experiencing ,peace perfect peace,we experience fear.
I love the character Elijah ,what a mighty man of God,when he prayed things really happened,miracles were performed.Boys a dear, what a man,
stop there ,he was a man,and like you and I, he experienced,depression,
and despair,he wanted to die.How did God respond? did He tell him off,no,
did He reject him ?, no.So what did he do?He spoke with a still small voice,
a gentle whisper,God was not in the strong wind,or the mighty earthquake,
or the fire. None of those things harmed him,fearful though they may have been,no,and none of those things that we are worried about will harm us,they may alarm us,but God,whispers,fear thou not,for I am with you,
be not dismayed,for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee,yea I will help thee,yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness[Isaiah 41 v10]
A prayer
Dear God in our utter weakness we cry unto You ,that You will grant us peace,and faith for all of life's eventualities in Jesus name Amen.
Monday, 16 February 2015
Sleepless nights. [Luke 15 v11ff]
I was watching a documentary on the second world ,a exsoldier was relating his experience he had been fighting for two years,and was demobbed, and was returning home.He was very emotional as he spoke of that moment when he came in sight of his home,one of his three sisters spotted him,she ran indoors and told the family.They all ran out to greet him ,and his father said,son now we can sleep at night.Now we can sleep at night,my thoughts turn to the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15v11ff.A story of a young man leaving home,a young foolish man with money in his pocket,who got into
all sorts of difficulties.Think about the father how many sleepless nights he must have had,praying ,wondering,worrying about his youngest son.When the man got into serious trouble,financially,was going hungry ,dressed in rags possible no shoes.It was then he came to his senses,he was a sorry mess
so he decided he should return home to his father.He would acknowledge
his failings,and would work as a servant.So off he went and his dear father,
when his father saw him afar of,this son whom he loved was alive,this son who caused him many sleepless nights,was coming home, and my that father was glad.
Now God does not have sleepless nights,but He has a heart bursting with love for us,He see's the mess we make of our lives,and if we would but come to our senses,if we but acknowledge the mess we have made,He will run to us and embrace us,and say this is ,[put your name in there],
who was dead,and is alive again,was lost and now is found.
A prayer.
Dear loving Father we thank You that You love all Your wayward children,
and if they but return to You,in Jesus ,You would welcome them home,Amen
all sorts of difficulties.Think about the father how many sleepless nights he must have had,praying ,wondering,worrying about his youngest son.When the man got into serious trouble,financially,was going hungry ,dressed in rags possible no shoes.It was then he came to his senses,he was a sorry mess
so he decided he should return home to his father.He would acknowledge
his failings,and would work as a servant.So off he went and his dear father,
when his father saw him afar of,this son whom he loved was alive,this son who caused him many sleepless nights,was coming home, and my that father was glad.
Now God does not have sleepless nights,but He has a heart bursting with love for us,He see's the mess we make of our lives,and if we would but come to our senses,if we but acknowledge the mess we have made,He will run to us and embrace us,and say this is ,[put your name in there],
who was dead,and is alive again,was lost and now is found.
A prayer.
Dear loving Father we thank You that You love all Your wayward children,
and if they but return to You,in Jesus ,You would welcome them home,Amen
Sunday, 15 February 2015
Trust [ Proverbs 3 v 5 ]
I received a nice scarf for Christmas ,it was a Ted Baker,I was not to
interested in its designer label,but it is a nice scarf. I looked at the label ,and
read these words,/Trust Ted/.Trust Ted ,I do not even know Ted,I suppose
what the label is telling us,that when you buy a Ted Baker item,be it a scarf
or whatever you wont be disappointed.
On the American dollar we have the words,we trust in God,I hope that is so,many nations trust in their vast armies,their military might.Israel was warned,about multiplying horses,they related to military power,Psalm20v7,
reads,/Some trust in chariots,and some in horses,but we will remember the
name of the Lord our God/.
Now these words come as a challenge to all of us,what or who are we trusting in?.First what are we trusting to be saved?yes we need to be saved,
is it our good works,our supposedly good life,or are we trusting in Jesus,
to save us?.
Again are we trusting in our wealth ?,health,friends,etc,or are we trusting in the Lord?.
It was the apostle Paul who wrote,/Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits.......we were forced to trust God totally.[1 Corinthians 1v9]
We need to totally trust in God to save us,and then , we must
continually ,totally, trust Him every day ,every hour,all our lives.
A prayer.
Dear God forgive us for not trusting You,for not seeing that it is the safest,and best thing to do, help us in Jesus name, to be more trusting Amen.
interested in its designer label,but it is a nice scarf. I looked at the label ,and
read these words,/Trust Ted/.Trust Ted ,I do not even know Ted,I suppose
what the label is telling us,that when you buy a Ted Baker item,be it a scarf
or whatever you wont be disappointed.
On the American dollar we have the words,we trust in God,I hope that is so,many nations trust in their vast armies,their military might.Israel was warned,about multiplying horses,they related to military power,Psalm20v7,
reads,/Some trust in chariots,and some in horses,but we will remember the
name of the Lord our God/.
Now these words come as a challenge to all of us,what or who are we trusting in?.First what are we trusting to be saved?yes we need to be saved,
is it our good works,our supposedly good life,or are we trusting in Jesus,
to save us?.
Again are we trusting in our wealth ?,health,friends,etc,or are we trusting in the Lord?.
It was the apostle Paul who wrote,/Instead of trusting in our own strength or wits.......we were forced to trust God totally.[1 Corinthians 1v9]
We need to totally trust in God to save us,and then , we must
continually ,totally, trust Him every day ,every hour,all our lives.
A prayer.
Dear God forgive us for not trusting You,for not seeing that it is the safest,and best thing to do, help us in Jesus name, to be more trusting Amen.
Saturday, 14 February 2015
He is working behind the scenes. [ Psalm 96]
It is R. Fyall in his commentary on Ezra, states that the fundamental theological principle underlying this book,is providence and human responsibility.It is John Flavel who wrote a book called the mystery of providence,and this is a very important truth.Fyall writes,/providence is not visible in the way that human activity is.Outwardly nothing may appear to be happening,yet in His providence God is working behind the scenes./
We live in a fallen world,a world that is in rebellion to God,all things have been affected by this,evil is ever at work,but so is God,who is sovereign
Hast thou not known,hast thou not heard,
That firm remains on high,
The everlasting throne of Him,
Who formed the earth and sky.?.
Art thou afraid,His power shall fail,
When comes the evil day?
Supreme in wisdom as in power,
The rock of ages stands,
Though Him thou canst not see,nor trace,
The working of His hands.
[Isaac Watts]
A prayer
Dear God we rest on You, our sovereign God, help us to not only to live,
by faith,but in that life of faith,to rest in Your providential sovereign purposes,in Jesus name. Amen .
We live in a fallen world,a world that is in rebellion to God,all things have been affected by this,evil is ever at work,but so is God,who is sovereign
Hast thou not known,hast thou not heard,
That firm remains on high,
The everlasting throne of Him,
Who formed the earth and sky.?.
Art thou afraid,His power shall fail,
When comes the evil day?
Supreme in wisdom as in power,
The rock of ages stands,
Though Him thou canst not see,nor trace,
The working of His hands.
[Isaac Watts]
A prayer
Dear God we rest on You, our sovereign God, help us to not only to live,
by faith,but in that life of faith,to rest in Your providential sovereign purposes,in Jesus name. Amen .
Friday, 13 February 2015
Their only hope.[ Romans 1 v16]
We live in a changing world,and one the great changes is the Internet,in many ways a great invention,but it has its downside.One of the downsides
is the effect it is having on our children,children are bullied,they are influenced by their friends,to send inappropriate images of themselves to
others and also inappropriate messages.There is a site that has been set up so whatever photo or message you send will quickly disappear.People having affairs use this site,the evidence disappears,no one can check up on them.
It is a very frightening to hear about such things,I have grand-children
,and I am very concerned about them,but not only them ,but young people of today.It appears morally things are becoming worse ,children today have very little contact,with church,very few of them have heard the Gospel.They have no concept of sin and its consequences, they blindly follow their peers and their sinful nature,not thinking or caring about the consequences.
The voice of God is not listened to,I write these things out of concern for our young people,and for all people, we need to pray,and to preach the truth,that our young people may come to Christ,He is their only hope.
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy on our young people who are bombarded with so many things,so many wrong influences, we pray for their salvation,through
Jesus Your son Amen.
is the effect it is having on our children,children are bullied,they are influenced by their friends,to send inappropriate images of themselves to
others and also inappropriate messages.There is a site that has been set up so whatever photo or message you send will quickly disappear.People having affairs use this site,the evidence disappears,no one can check up on them.
It is a very frightening to hear about such things,I have grand-children
,and I am very concerned about them,but not only them ,but young people of today.It appears morally things are becoming worse ,children today have very little contact,with church,very few of them have heard the Gospel.They have no concept of sin and its consequences, they blindly follow their peers and their sinful nature,not thinking or caring about the consequences.
The voice of God is not listened to,I write these things out of concern for our young people,and for all people, we need to pray,and to preach the truth,that our young people may come to Christ,He is their only hope.
A prayer.
Dear God have mercy on our young people who are bombarded with so many things,so many wrong influences, we pray for their salvation,through
Jesus Your son Amen.
Thursday, 12 February 2015
Here I am. [Isaiah 6 v 1- 13]
The call of Isaiah was to say least very dramatic ,it commenced with a vision of the Lord,of angelic beings praising God,and the door posts of the temple shaking,and smoke filling the temple.Isaiah felt overwhelmed and unworthy,this is followed by him being cleansed.Then he heard the Lord speaking,/Whom shall I send and who will go for us/[Isaiah 6v8 ].
Why did God ask such a question?it appears He wants volunteers,it is
H.C.Leupold who writes,/The Lords question is addressed to no one in
particular,.....but to those who will respond,in perfect freedom and without a trace of unwholesome compulsion./
While we admire Gods patience with Jonah,His attitude of reluctance
to obey is sad to say the least,even when God blessed, all he wanted to do is die,[Jonah 4 v8].Jonah had to be pressed ganged into service, not so Isaiah,hear his instant reply,/Here am I,send me [6 v8 ].When Jesus called the disciples, we read,/They immediately left there nets and followed Him[Mark 1 v18 ]
Is God calling you?what is your answer?,what is your response?,in the words of and old song are you willing to be willing?
A prayer.
Dear God we ask for discernment as to Your will for our lives,whatever that
call may be,help us to be willing to be willing,in Jesus name Amen.
Why did God ask such a question?it appears He wants volunteers,it is
H.C.Leupold who writes,/The Lords question is addressed to no one in
particular,.....but to those who will respond,in perfect freedom and without a trace of unwholesome compulsion./
While we admire Gods patience with Jonah,His attitude of reluctance
to obey is sad to say the least,even when God blessed, all he wanted to do is die,[Jonah 4 v8].Jonah had to be pressed ganged into service, not so Isaiah,hear his instant reply,/Here am I,send me [6 v8 ].When Jesus called the disciples, we read,/They immediately left there nets and followed Him[Mark 1 v18 ]
Is God calling you?what is your answer?,what is your response?,in the words of and old song are you willing to be willing?
A prayer.
Dear God we ask for discernment as to Your will for our lives,whatever that
call may be,help us to be willing to be willing,in Jesus name Amen.
Wednesday, 11 February 2015
The graveyard of our hopes.[ Hebrews 11]
Robert Fyall writes in his commentary on Ezra and Haggai the following,
/When we come to an apparent graveyard of our hopes,we need to renew
our trust in a God who knows His way out of the grave/.When a giant called
Goliath came on the scene,we read,/When Saul and all Israel heard those words[the challenge by Goliath] of the Philistine,they were dismayed,and greatly afraid.[1 Samuel 17v11]/The enemy of our souls wants us to
loose faith,to believe the worst,to cry out woe is me I am undone,he hopes that we change gear,from faith to unbelief.The only way we will be more than conquerors is by faith, John writes ,/This is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith[1 John5 v4]/
Israel trembled, nobody was willing to face this giant, well not quite,a young man came unto the scene,his name was David,a man after Gods own heart,a young man of faith,who spoke how the Lord had helped him kill a
lion and a bear,believed that God would give him victory over this giant.
Here is the good thing He did,here is his battle cry as he faced that big, big ,big giant,/I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts........This day
the Lord will deliver thee into mine hand[1 Samuel 15 v45-46]/
Consider those words by R.Fyall.../When we come to an apparent
graveyard of our hopes , we need to renew our trust in a God who
knows His way out of the grave.
A prayer.
Dear God of all hope You know that often we fail to trust You and so we loose hope,forgive us,help us to see our situation with the eyes of faith,
and so get the victory, in Jesus name Amen .
/When we come to an apparent graveyard of our hopes,we need to renew
our trust in a God who knows His way out of the grave/.When a giant called
Goliath came on the scene,we read,/When Saul and all Israel heard those words[the challenge by Goliath] of the Philistine,they were dismayed,and greatly afraid.[1 Samuel 17v11]/The enemy of our souls wants us to
loose faith,to believe the worst,to cry out woe is me I am undone,he hopes that we change gear,from faith to unbelief.The only way we will be more than conquerors is by faith, John writes ,/This is the victory that overcometh the world , even our faith[1 John5 v4]/
Israel trembled, nobody was willing to face this giant, well not quite,a young man came unto the scene,his name was David,a man after Gods own heart,a young man of faith,who spoke how the Lord had helped him kill a
lion and a bear,believed that God would give him victory over this giant.
Here is the good thing He did,here is his battle cry as he faced that big, big ,big giant,/I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts........This day
the Lord will deliver thee into mine hand[1 Samuel 15 v45-46]/
Consider those words by R.Fyall.../When we come to an apparent
graveyard of our hopes , we need to renew our trust in a God who
knows His way out of the grave.
A prayer.
Dear God of all hope You know that often we fail to trust You and so we loose hope,forgive us,help us to see our situation with the eyes of faith,
and so get the victory, in Jesus name Amen .
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
His Mercy endures forever. [Psalm 136]
Psalm 136 commences,/O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,for His mercy endureth for ever./The next 2 verses begin with similar words,to give
thanks,and each verse repeats the words,/for His mercy endureth for ever/
Have we thanked the Lord this day?,and how often have we thanked Him?,sometimes we talk to people and they have no spirit of thankfulness
to God.
He thanks God for He is good,so many are of the opposite opinion,but one thing I will always say the Lord is good,He is good to me,in fact goodness and mercy has followed me all my Life,can you not say amen to that?.
Then he adds the reason for his thankfulness,he declares 26 times, for His mercy endureth for ever.These words are a response to Gods mercy in his past history. Stop and let us consider all the good things God has done for us,sins forgiven,eternal life,adopted into Gods family,and at what a cost,why ?because He loves us. This is no ordinary love,this a love which goes beyond our deepests feelings,goes beyond any love that we can describe,all other love in comparison is but a faint shodow,this love is Jesus.
A prayer.
Dear God we gave You thanks ,yet not nearly enough,but such as it is we
give it,for You are really, really good,and Your mercy in Jesus Christ, endures for ever.Amen.
thanks,and each verse repeats the words,/for His mercy endureth for ever/
Have we thanked the Lord this day?,and how often have we thanked Him?,sometimes we talk to people and they have no spirit of thankfulness
to God.
He thanks God for He is good,so many are of the opposite opinion,but one thing I will always say the Lord is good,He is good to me,in fact goodness and mercy has followed me all my Life,can you not say amen to that?.
Then he adds the reason for his thankfulness,he declares 26 times, for His mercy endureth for ever.These words are a response to Gods mercy in his past history. Stop and let us consider all the good things God has done for us,sins forgiven,eternal life,adopted into Gods family,and at what a cost,why ?because He loves us. This is no ordinary love,this a love which goes beyond our deepests feelings,goes beyond any love that we can describe,all other love in comparison is but a faint shodow,this love is Jesus.
A prayer.
Dear God we gave You thanks ,yet not nearly enough,but such as it is we
give it,for You are really, really good,and Your mercy in Jesus Christ, endures for ever.Amen.
Monday, 9 February 2015
Vengence.[ Romans 12v 19-21]
The bible tells us that when it come to vengeance we are to leave it with God. Stalin the Red Tsar was a very vengeful person. When the three major leaders were discussing what should be done with Germany, when defeated,Stalin said that 50,000 Germans should be shot.Dear old Churchill
protested,I think he said it wasn't cricket,the American President laughed ,
thinking Stalin was not serious,but of course he was. Churchill knew he was serious,it was said when the the Germans were defeated Churchills hatred went,not so Stalins.
In the book of Esther a man called Haman felt slighted by Mordecai the Jews ,he wanted vengeance,so he managed to persuade the King to pass a law to kill all the Jews in his empire. The more he thought on Mordecai,the more angry he became,he wanted to destroy this man, and at the advice of his wife he had a gallows erected ,to hang Mordecai on.
Things changed very dramaticly,and quickly in Gods Providence ,Haman
ended up on his own gallows,Mordecai was promoted,and the Jews were saved from extinction.
A prayer.
Dear God save us from a vengeful spirit, in Jesus name Amen.
protested,I think he said it wasn't cricket,the American President laughed ,
thinking Stalin was not serious,but of course he was. Churchill knew he was serious,it was said when the the Germans were defeated Churchills hatred went,not so Stalins.
In the book of Esther a man called Haman felt slighted by Mordecai the Jews ,he wanted vengeance,so he managed to persuade the King to pass a law to kill all the Jews in his empire. The more he thought on Mordecai,the more angry he became,he wanted to destroy this man, and at the advice of his wife he had a gallows erected ,to hang Mordecai on.
Things changed very dramaticly,and quickly in Gods Providence ,Haman
ended up on his own gallows,Mordecai was promoted,and the Jews were saved from extinction.
A prayer.
Dear God save us from a vengeful spirit, in Jesus name Amen.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
Whats really important?[Psalm 90 ]
The superbowl was ruined because of an advert in which a young child died.I remember a colleague becoming upset over an advert about cancer,using the same name of a friend of hers who died.I can appreciate people being upset at adverts,and yet I cannot help but feel that those who
became upset when the the superbowl was being screened,should stop and think.There was a famous coach who said that football was more important
than life.
Sport is massive ,and of course I love sport,but sometimes I have to step back and remind myself,that there are more important things in life.The advert should remind us all and all who were watching the superbowl,of what is more important.
Sport has for many become an object of worship,it shouldn't,we call our favourite sports personalities our idols,should we use that term for any person?.
Those who were watching the superbowl more than likely needed to
be reminded of more important things than sport,as we all do,God is breaking in to remind them and us,To teach us all to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom[Psalm 90 v 12].
A prayer.
Dear God help us to understand what is really important,and to pursue it,
in Jesus name. Amen.
became upset when the the superbowl was being screened,should stop and think.There was a famous coach who said that football was more important
than life.
Sport is massive ,and of course I love sport,but sometimes I have to step back and remind myself,that there are more important things in life.The advert should remind us all and all who were watching the superbowl,of what is more important.
Sport has for many become an object of worship,it shouldn't,we call our favourite sports personalities our idols,should we use that term for any person?.
Those who were watching the superbowl more than likely needed to
be reminded of more important things than sport,as we all do,God is breaking in to remind them and us,To teach us all to number our days,
that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom[Psalm 90 v 12].
A prayer.
Dear God help us to understand what is really important,and to pursue it,
in Jesus name. Amen.
Saturday, 7 February 2015
That unmentionable place. [John 3 v16 ]
We all have likes and dislikes,I must confess I do not like it when it snows,
snow is alright in Christmas cards,or for those who like skying. Yet I
cannot do anything about it,the weather is not subject to my likes and dislikes. This goes for a lot of things ,serious things,like death,I am attending a funeral this morning,death does not ask our permission,it matters not who it is,young ,old or middle age. It is the great leveller,the most powerful man in the world has no power over death.The word of God
tells us clearly,it is appointed unto men once to die,no there is no reincarnation,you just die once,and indeed once is enough.My wife has just
taken out a life policy,it is good to be prepared financially,but it does not stop there,for we are told that there is after death existence.Oh yes death in some ways is the beginning of an existence that will never end,it opens the door to two possible destinies,one is called heaven,the other is that unmentionable place,can you guess what it is?,I do sincerely pray that no
one reading this blog will end up in that unmentionable place,I do not like to talk about it,but I must,as a Christian minister I must warn people about the awful consequences of dying with out Christ.Believe me when I tell you
better to have not been born,than to go that place,I don't want anybody go to such a place,God does not want you to go to that place,that is why He sent Jesus,that no one need go to such a place,and suffer such a fate.
A prayer.
Dear God You so loved the world that You gave Your only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life,for
this we thank You.Amen.
snow is alright in Christmas cards,or for those who like skying. Yet I
cannot do anything about it,the weather is not subject to my likes and dislikes. This goes for a lot of things ,serious things,like death,I am attending a funeral this morning,death does not ask our permission,it matters not who it is,young ,old or middle age. It is the great leveller,the most powerful man in the world has no power over death.The word of God
tells us clearly,it is appointed unto men once to die,no there is no reincarnation,you just die once,and indeed once is enough.My wife has just
taken out a life policy,it is good to be prepared financially,but it does not stop there,for we are told that there is after death existence.Oh yes death in some ways is the beginning of an existence that will never end,it opens the door to two possible destinies,one is called heaven,the other is that unmentionable place,can you guess what it is?,I do sincerely pray that no
one reading this blog will end up in that unmentionable place,I do not like to talk about it,but I must,as a Christian minister I must warn people about the awful consequences of dying with out Christ.Believe me when I tell you
better to have not been born,than to go that place,I don't want anybody go to such a place,God does not want you to go to that place,that is why He sent Jesus,that no one need go to such a place,and suffer such a fate.
A prayer.
Dear God You so loved the world that You gave Your only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him will not perish but have everlasting life,for
this we thank You.Amen.
Friday, 6 February 2015
He is in control.[ Daniel 4 v 34-35]
The whole subject of healing is to say the least difficult,a friend told me,
that her husband had cancer,in the prostate, and also in the lungs.The cancer in the lungs gave most concern,so the elders of the church met with him ,
anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord, and prayed for him,as we are instructed in James 5 v14-15. The result of it was,when more tests were made,there was no sign of cancer in his lungs,I just wonder should I stop here?.
Healing does not happen for many people,a local pastor I know son died
in his teens,much prayer went up,but he still died.How do we reconcile healing and not being healed,my friend is in his seventies. Why was that young man with all his potential allowed to die,leaving his family devastated?,this to our natural way of thinking does not make sense. The
term natural way of looking at it,may hold a clue and even and answer to
our question.
A friend of mine said to me, the last time I saw him he was reading again
a book on the sovereignty of God.I am sure we could all benefit from reading a book on Gods sovereignty .It is a doctrine we should not neglect,
for it brings to us the mysterious truth that God is in control,that He is working out all things after the council of His will.
He will do as He will,even though we may struggle with this,for His children,His purpose will always be best,even though it causes us pain.
A prayer.
Dear sovereign God we bow before You,and ask for grace,to trust Your perfect will,in Jesus name Amen .
that her husband had cancer,in the prostate, and also in the lungs.The cancer in the lungs gave most concern,so the elders of the church met with him ,
anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord, and prayed for him,as we are instructed in James 5 v14-15. The result of it was,when more tests were made,there was no sign of cancer in his lungs,I just wonder should I stop here?.
Healing does not happen for many people,a local pastor I know son died
in his teens,much prayer went up,but he still died.How do we reconcile healing and not being healed,my friend is in his seventies. Why was that young man with all his potential allowed to die,leaving his family devastated?,this to our natural way of thinking does not make sense. The
term natural way of looking at it,may hold a clue and even and answer to
our question.
A friend of mine said to me, the last time I saw him he was reading again
a book on the sovereignty of God.I am sure we could all benefit from reading a book on Gods sovereignty .It is a doctrine we should not neglect,
for it brings to us the mysterious truth that God is in control,that He is working out all things after the council of His will.
He will do as He will,even though we may struggle with this,for His children,His purpose will always be best,even though it causes us pain.
A prayer.
Dear sovereign God we bow before You,and ask for grace,to trust Your perfect will,in Jesus name Amen .
Thursday, 5 February 2015
God gives light [Psalm23 ]
Lastly ....../God gives light for the guidance of His people./
Jesus said that He was the light of the world,he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. [John b v12]As sure as Israel was guided in the wilderness,by a pillar of fire by night,and a pillar of cloud by day [Exodus 40v38],so God will guide His children now.
Many years ago I received a call to pastor a church in England,on the 11th November we set off on our journey,and I read these words in my daily light, He lead them on safely[Psalm78v53],Behold, I send an angel before thee,to keep thee in the way,and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared[Exodus23 v20]
What a word to receive at that time,and so it came to pass,Jesus said we shall not walk in darkness,/For this God is our God forever and ever, He will be our guide even unto death[Psalm 48v14].We are told in all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths[Proverbs 3 v6]. Yes God gives light for the guidance of His people,as I look back I can most certainty trace ,Gods providential leading,He shut many doors,but He most defiantly
guided me.
All the way my Saviour leads me ,
what have I to ask beside ?,
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
who through life has been my guide ?
[Fanny J.Crosby]
A prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You that as we follow You we shall not walk in darkness. Amen.
Jesus said that He was the light of the world,he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness. [John b v12]As sure as Israel was guided in the wilderness,by a pillar of fire by night,and a pillar of cloud by day [Exodus 40v38],so God will guide His children now.
Many years ago I received a call to pastor a church in England,on the 11th November we set off on our journey,and I read these words in my daily light, He lead them on safely[Psalm78v53],Behold, I send an angel before thee,to keep thee in the way,and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared[Exodus23 v20]
What a word to receive at that time,and so it came to pass,Jesus said we shall not walk in darkness,/For this God is our God forever and ever, He will be our guide even unto death[Psalm 48v14].We are told in all our ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct our paths[Proverbs 3 v6]. Yes God gives light for the guidance of His people,as I look back I can most certainty trace ,Gods providential leading,He shut many doors,but He most defiantly
guided me.
All the way my Saviour leads me ,
what have I to ask beside ?,
Can I doubt His tender mercy,
who through life has been my guide ?
[Fanny J.Crosby]
A prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus we thank You that as we follow You we shall not walk in darkness. Amen.
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
God never gives up.[ Lamentations 3 v22-23 ]
Next let us consider that....../God never gives up on His people/.
I have just finished reading Jonah the prophet of God,I have no difficulty
about the fact that he was swallowed by a great fish.The thing I find amazing about this book,is Gods patience with this grumpy man,If he had been a guest on that famous radio program,desert island disc,where the guest is asked to imagine being marooned on a desert Island,and they are given the choice of having a number of their favourite pieces of music,
Jonahs first piece would have been,/I did it my way/.When called to go
to Nineveh to proclaim a message of judgement,he rebelled,and went the opposite way.But God did not give up on Him,and even after the fish experience,he was still Mr Grumpy,one commentator,writes that where the fish vomited him up ,he had to walk 900miles,to Nineveh,and I imagine that
during his walk,he would have been stewing on the fact that he doing that
which he really did not want to do it,yet he did it ,but not with a good heart.
An so to Nineveh,,he did his job,which resulted in every preachers dream,the people repented,and God responsed by showing mercy.Jonah of course was not happy with this,he wants to die,he just could not come to terms with God and His ways ,in showing mercy,to that wicked city.Yet God never gave up on him,I would have,but God loved this prophet,as He loves you and me,and it is truly amazing that, he never gives up on us.
A prayer.
Dear God we confess that there is a Jonah in all of us,we thank You that in spite of this You never gave up on us ,thank you in Jesus name Amen.
I have just finished reading Jonah the prophet of God,I have no difficulty
about the fact that he was swallowed by a great fish.The thing I find amazing about this book,is Gods patience with this grumpy man,If he had been a guest on that famous radio program,desert island disc,where the guest is asked to imagine being marooned on a desert Island,and they are given the choice of having a number of their favourite pieces of music,
Jonahs first piece would have been,/I did it my way/.When called to go
to Nineveh to proclaim a message of judgement,he rebelled,and went the opposite way.But God did not give up on Him,and even after the fish experience,he was still Mr Grumpy,one commentator,writes that where the fish vomited him up ,he had to walk 900miles,to Nineveh,and I imagine that
during his walk,he would have been stewing on the fact that he doing that
which he really did not want to do it,yet he did it ,but not with a good heart.
An so to Nineveh,,he did his job,which resulted in every preachers dream,the people repented,and God responsed by showing mercy.Jonah of course was not happy with this,he wants to die,he just could not come to terms with God and His ways ,in showing mercy,to that wicked city.Yet God never gave up on him,I would have,but God loved this prophet,as He loves you and me,and it is truly amazing that, he never gives up on us.
A prayer.
Dear God we confess that there is a Jonah in all of us,we thank You that in spite of this You never gave up on us ,thank you in Jesus name Amen.
Tuesday, 3 February 2015
Three things about God.[ Isaiah 40 v 13-17]
Robert Fyall in his book on ,/ The message of Ezra and Haggai/,wrote the following three things about God.
God never abandons His purpose.
God never gives up on His people
God gives light for the guidance of His people.
Let us consider the first point,God never abandons His purpose,as we read the history of Gods people,a people that continually fail to Follow God.In some way God is amazed at this.[CP. Jeremiah2 v 9-13].Yet God never abandoned His purpose for them,to the Israelites in captivity,he declared,/I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you....For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,saith the Lord,thoughts of peace,and not of evil,to give you an expected end. [Jeremiah 29 v10-11]
A prayer.
Dear God whatever difficulties I am facing,I know Your purpose for me will be fulfilled in Jesus name we pray this. Amen.
God never abandons His purpose.
God never gives up on His people
God gives light for the guidance of His people.
Let us consider the first point,God never abandons His purpose,as we read the history of Gods people,a people that continually fail to Follow God.In some way God is amazed at this.[CP. Jeremiah2 v 9-13].Yet God never abandoned His purpose for them,to the Israelites in captivity,he declared,/I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you....For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,saith the Lord,thoughts of peace,and not of evil,to give you an expected end. [Jeremiah 29 v10-11]
A prayer.
Dear God whatever difficulties I am facing,I know Your purpose for me will be fulfilled in Jesus name we pray this. Amen.
Monday, 2 February 2015
Trouble. [ Psalm 121]
A friend in reference to something I told him,replied, How soon we are brought into trouble. Now I do not want to instill fear into anyone,but it is true ,sometimes the trouble is of our own making,sometime its not. The reality is this ,trouble of various kind can upon us when we least expect it,and often we are unprepared for it.Think upon poor old Job,everything was wonderful,when in a very short time,he had lost all,children all 10 of them.His wealth and health also was taken from him,this was followed by his wife telling to curse God and die.Then his friends turned up,and they didn't help,for they sought to load him with guilt,his sin had brought it about.Thankfully what ever trouble we may experience , hopefully will not
be a Job experience.
Listen, if at this time trouble has come upon you suddenly,please don't panic,ask others to pray for you.Then you pray,and read Gods word ,seek to discern his will for you in this situation.For nothing comes into our lives
by chance.Your loving Heavenly Father is watching over you,He can if He chooses deliver you,trust Him,be still and know that He is God.
A prayer.
Dear Lord we are in Your hands,be merciful to us,in our time of trouble,and grant deliverance In Jesus name Amen .
be a Job experience.
Listen, if at this time trouble has come upon you suddenly,please don't panic,ask others to pray for you.Then you pray,and read Gods word ,seek to discern his will for you in this situation.For nothing comes into our lives
by chance.Your loving Heavenly Father is watching over you,He can if He chooses deliver you,trust Him,be still and know that He is God.
A prayer.
Dear Lord we are in Your hands,be merciful to us,in our time of trouble,and grant deliverance In Jesus name Amen .
Sunday, 1 February 2015
Come. [Matthew 14v23-33]
O man of little faith,why did you doubt?[Matthew 14v26-31] ,these words where spoken to Peter sometimes known as the big fisherman.Now as to how big physically he was, I do not know,but no doubt he had a big personality.He was a very spontaneous person ,not always the most spiritual
He See's Jesus walking on the water,he and the disciples were not sure who it was.Lets face it, it is not a thing anyone can do,so they cried out in fear,
thinking all sorts of things.It was then they hear the words,be of good cheer
it is I ,be not afraid,it was their Saviour. Are you afraid at the moment?
listen to what Jesus is saying,be not afraid,now the circumstances was, the
disciples were in a storm.Again I ask the question,are you in a storm?,Jesus had not forsaken them,He was there with them,and He spoke to them,it is I be not afraid.Are you listening or are you letting your fear of the storm,
take over?,we have a choice,listen to the storm or listen to Jesus.
Now returning to Peter,he responses, Lord if it is You,bid me come to you on the water,and Jesus simply said, come.and Peter did just that.Everything
was going so well,and then he started listening to the storm,and his faith shrunk,to a man of little faith,and he began to sink.The good news ,Jesus did not let him drown,no He saved him ,come to Jesus with much faith come to Jesus with little faith,in Grace He will not let you as it where drown,in your sin or your sea of troubles.
A prayer.
Dear Lord we simple come to You in all our weakness ,in all our need,have mercy upon us, Amen.
He See's Jesus walking on the water,he and the disciples were not sure who it was.Lets face it, it is not a thing anyone can do,so they cried out in fear,
thinking all sorts of things.It was then they hear the words,be of good cheer
it is I ,be not afraid,it was their Saviour. Are you afraid at the moment?
listen to what Jesus is saying,be not afraid,now the circumstances was, the
disciples were in a storm.Again I ask the question,are you in a storm?,Jesus had not forsaken them,He was there with them,and He spoke to them,it is I be not afraid.Are you listening or are you letting your fear of the storm,
take over?,we have a choice,listen to the storm or listen to Jesus.
Now returning to Peter,he responses, Lord if it is You,bid me come to you on the water,and Jesus simply said, come.and Peter did just that.Everything
was going so well,and then he started listening to the storm,and his faith shrunk,to a man of little faith,and he began to sink.The good news ,Jesus did not let him drown,no He saved him ,come to Jesus with much faith come to Jesus with little faith,in Grace He will not let you as it where drown,in your sin or your sea of troubles.
A prayer.
Dear Lord we simple come to You in all our weakness ,in all our need,have mercy upon us, Amen.
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