I wonder? [1 Corinthians 15 ]

As I grow older I think about heaven and what is like,and what will I be doing in eternity,there is a healthy curiosity,and there is an unhealthy one.One thing for sure it will be different ,in the nicest sort of way,we will have new bodies, a spiritual body,as flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. [1 Corinthians 15v50] David Prior writes,'because decay and corruption cannot be part of what is eternally incorruptible.We will bear the image of Christ[ 15 v49]again as D.P writes,'both in the sense of being made like him and in the sense of sharing his resurrection...in this whole
discussion Paul is struggling to describe the indiscrible' Ladd goes unto say,
'Who can imagine a body without weakness? or infection?or tiredness?or sickness ?or death? This a body utterly unknown to earthly historical
experience......it is an order of existence in which the laws of nature......no
longer obtain. In fact, when one puts his mind it,it is quite unimaginable'
as the song goes','I can only imagine'It is important what John MacArthur
says about those who claim afterlife experiences,it is called ''heaven tourism'',avoid them they are not helpful. But one thing for sure Heaven
is only for Gods people,[ John 14 v6 ],and will be utterly wonderful.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God help us to live in the light of eternity,to keep the hope burning
of Christ coming again in our hearts. in Jesus name we ask this Amen.

Something you cannot do. [ Mark 10 v 17-27]

''Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moth and rust destroy,and where thieves break in and steal.But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,where thieves do not break in and steal.For where your
treasure is,there  your heart will be also.[Matthew 6 v19-21]. On these words Dr. Martyn. Lloyd-Jones comments.
''The truth of this proposition is obvious.Both make a totalitarian demand
upon us. Worldly things really do make a totalitarian demand......they tend to grip the entire personality and affect us everywhere. They demand our entire devotion;they want us to lived for them absolutely. Yes ,but so does God.thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,and with all thy mind,and all thy strength.' Not in a material sense necessarily,but in some sense or other He says to us all,'Go,sell all that thou hast, and come,follow me.'He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me:and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.It is a totalitarian demand.As v24 points out:Either he will hate the one,and love the other; or else he will hold to the one,and despise the other.' It is'either-or; compromise is completely impossible at this point. 'Ye cannot serve God and mammon'.
                                           A  prayer.
                   Dear Lord, I want you more than gold and silver,
                                      only You can satisfy.
                                      You alone are the real joy giver,
                                       and the apple of my eye.
                                       You alone are my strength,my shield,
                                       to you alone may my spirit yield.
                                       You alone are my heart's desire
                                        and I long to worship You. Amen.
                                          [Words by Martin Nystrom ]

An absolute promise. [Matthew 7 v 7-11]

In Dr.Martyn Lloyd-Jones commentary on the Sermon on the Mount , he  comments on Matthew 7v7-11,we read,''I cannot imagine a better, more
cheering or a more comforting statement, with which to face all the uncertainties and hazards of our life in this world of time, than contained in v7-11.It is one those great comprehensive and gracious promises which are to be found only in the Bible.There is nothing that can be more encouraging as we face life with all its uncertainties and possibilities,our 'future all unknown'.In  such a situation,this is the essence of the biblical message from beginning to end,this is the promise that comes to us:'Ask and shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.'
In order that we might be quite certain about it,our Lord repeats it,and puts it in an even stronger form, for He says:'Everyone that asketh receiveth; and
he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.'There is
no doubt about it,it is certain; it is an absolute promise.What is more,it is a promise made by the Son of God Himself,speaking with all the fullness and
authority of His Father''.
                              
                              Standing on the promises of Christ my King,
                              Through eternal ages let His praises ring:
                              Glory in the highest ,I will shout and sing,
                               Standing on the promises of God.

                              Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
                              When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail.
                               By the living word of God I shall prevail,
                              Standing on the promises of God.
                                       [Words by R.Kelso Carter ]

The divine weaver. [Romans 8 v28]

 Joseph had forgiven his brothers,for all the evil they had done to him[ Read
Genesis 45/ 50v13-21] they were anxious that he would punish them,so he spoke to them,and its here, I want to quote Max Lucado,''You meant evil against me''[Genesis 50v20], Joseph told his brothers,using a Hebrew verb that traces its meaning to weave,or plait. You wove evil,he was saying,'' but God rewove it together for good''.This reminds me of a poem I read ,I do not know the author.
                                              The Divine Weaver.
                            My life is but a weaving, between my Lord and me;
                            I cannot choose the colours, He worketh steadily.

                            Often times,He weaveth sorrow and I,in foolish pride,
                            Forget He seeth the upper and I, the underside.

                            Not till the loom is silent and the shuttles cease to fly,
                            Shall God unroll the canvas and explain the reason why.

                            The dark threads are as needful in the weaver's skilful
                            hand,
                            As the threads of gold and silver in the pattern He has
                            planned.

Just one look. [1Corintians 10 v 12-13 ]

I was walking through my favourite store,where I buy much of my clothes,
and as I was looking at different items,I said to God,no not my wife,I am only looking.In other words I was saying To Him ,I was not going to buy to
buy anything, but I was tempted,as I viewed a certain article,but I reminded
myself what I had said to the Lord. Yet I was tempted,I have since thought of three people in the Bible who did what I did ,they just looked,the result was disastrous.The first one was Eve,the mother of humanity,after the devil had tempted her ,she looked,at the forbidden fruit[CP Genesis3 v 6].
The next person was Achan who looked,and took ,what God had forbidden
[Joshua 7v 21].Then there was that wonderful holy man, David,who looked at a married woman,and you can guess the rest.[2Samuel 11 v2 ]Each of these people looked and then they coveted,and brought disaster and pain on others and themselves.Right at this moment many people like them,are fixing their gaze on something or someone,that if they allow temptation to take hold,one can easily imagine what may happen.So let us all listen to warnings of scripture,the Bible tells us let him[or her] who thinketh that he/she ,standeth,be careful lest he,or she,falls.

                           Yield not to temptation,for yielding is sin
                           Each victory will help you some other to win;
                            Fight manfully onward,dark passions subdue,
                           Look ever to Jesus,He'll carry you through.

                            Ask the Saviour to help you,
                            Comfort,strengthen ,and keep you;
                            He is willing to aid you,
                            He will carry you through.
                                 [Horatio Palmer.  1868 ]

We have a helper. [ Psalm 143 ]

Whatever task,whatever difficulty we may have to face,God is sufficient,he is in control even though it may not appear so.Listen to the whispers of Jesus,there is so much noise in this world,so many sounds in our head,so stop ,and listen,to that still small voice of your Saviour.Are you panicking?
are you struggling?,like the disciples in the storm,stop and remember Jesus was with them and He is with you,you are not on your own,Jesus is with you,and makes all the difference.Now raise your thoughts heavenward,like the Psalmist who said ,I lift up my eyes to the hills,but he did stop at the hills,he went on to say,my help cometh from the Lord who made heaven and earth[Psalm121v1-2]Who did he say was his helper?,I remember times when there was no food in the house,literally no food,and there was no money to buy any,and my children needed fed,my help came from the Lord.I remember so many times facing so much,that was beyond me,but not beyond the help of my Lord . Whatever trial you are going through ,your Lord knows all about it ,and he has the situation in hand,There is an old hymn with following ,words,about reaching the end of Our hidden resources
,consider and be encouraged that your Gods resources never run out,never.
                                      A prayer.
 
                       O Lord,hear my prayer,listen
                       to my cry for mercy,in your
                       faithfulness and righteousness
                        come to my relief.
                                      Amen
                             [ Psalm 143 v1 ]

We cheapen the Gospel.[John 3 v16 ]

In James 3 v1,we read,''Not many of you should presume to be teachers,my
brothers,because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly''
The call of God to a Christian ministry is very challenging,and bears with a tremendous responsibility.The prophet Ezekiel is told by God,'I have made you a watchman,'[3 v17],a watchman in ancient times was one who stood on guard,and would sound a warning if an enemy was approaching.If he failed in this he would be held responsible.Ezekiel is warned to be faithful in speaking Gods word ,if he did not do this God would hold him responsible.Every Christian is called to be a witness[Acts 1 v8], I read this recently ,'If we do not tell them who will',an the answer is no one'.Those called to be ministers are given by God the challenge to regularly proclaim Gods word,in a public manner.And like Ezekiel they will be held accountable,as to their faithfulness in ministering to the saints,but also to the unsaved.We must warn them of the wrath that is coming,John Stott writes,'We cheapen the gospel if we represent it as a deliverance only from unhappiness,fear,guilt and other felt needs,instead of as a rescue from the coming wrath'
                                         A prayer.
Dear God we thank you that you so loved the world that you gave Jesus,that we may believe in Him,and not perish. Amen.

All Gods children are special.[Romans 2 v 11]

In the life of Jacob we see the dangers of parents having favourites,it made
the others feel unloved,and the favourite son, Joseph becoming a focus of
hatred.It hurts when one member of a family is a favourite child,and it is wrong.A lady in the church in which I was a minister felt that our Saviour had favourites,now it is true that certain of the disciples are highlighted more than others,in fact we do not read much about some of them.Because they were chosen to particular leadership roles,does not mean that our Lord loved them more than the others. Let us remember that although our saviour was human,it was not a flawed humanity,being also divine he would reflect
a love for all.In Romans 2 v11 we read ,'God does not show favoritism',and
in John 3 v16,we read ,that God loves the world.It is true that God choose Israel,but that was to fulfil his saving purposes,they were loved,as all Gods family our loved.If we are part of Gods family we are loved equally,with an everlasting love,a love that is unconditional,a love from which we can never be separated  from[Romans 8 v37-39].As a loving Father,God will deal with all us in a loving way,according to his will,when we come to prayer,he hears, all his children's prayers.
                                              A  prayer.
Dear Father in heaven I thank you that all your children are special, and that you have no favourites,Amen.

Joseph. [ Matthew 6 v 9-15 ]

One of the most  lovely characters in the Bible is Joseph, you may not know anything about him,you can read about him in Genesis 37-50.He
was hated by his brothers,who sought to kill him,but instead they sold him into slavery,and he ended up in Egypt,were God showed him favour,but he was accused of a crime he didn't commit,and landed up in Jail,But God wonderfully released him,and promoted him to a position of power,after a while his brothers came into Egypt seeking to buy grain,Joseph could have
have had them killed but instead he forgave them.It is Peter who asked Jesus ,''Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me?up to seven times?''. Jesus answered,''I tell you,not seven times,but seventy seven times''.Unforgiveness is not allowed in Gods
kingdom, there will always be reason not to forgive those who hurt us, or
those we love,but there is a greater reason to forgive,and that is,we have been forgiven,by God because of Jesus. W. Barclay writes,''We have been forgiven a debt which is beyond all paying-for the sins of man brought the
death of Gods own son-and,if that is so,we must forgive others as God has forgiven us,or we can hope to find no mercy''
                                      A  prayer.
 Dear God help us to forgive those who hurt us or those we love,let us
remember how in love you forgave us,in Jesus name Amen

Hope. [Psalm 42 ]

How are you all today?,what are you facing?,what difficulties,sickness,
adverse circumstances,concerns for your family,unanswered prayers. So how are you today?,how are you viewing life?,does it all seem to much to take in?.Well here is a word for us all,written by a man who was feeling very low,this is what he said,''Why are you cast down,O my soul?Why so
disturbed within me? Put your hope in God,for I shall yet praise Him, my
Saviour and my God''.[Psalm 42 v5] Contrary to rumours put out by the enemies of our soul,God is not dead,no He still rules and reigns ,He is still in control and always will be.So let us all like the writer of that Psalm,say
to our souls,''Put your hope in God''.Evil will not have the final say,death is not the end,Christ reigns,and one day soon we will be with Him,whither in death,or at his return.As to this life,remember.
                        God is still on the throne ,
                        And He will remember his own.
                        Though trials may press us,
                        And burdens distress us,
                        He never will leave us alone,
                        God is still on the throne ,
                        And He will remember His own
                        His promise is true,He will not forget you,
                        God is still on the throne.

Letting go [ Mark 10 v 17-22 ]

I read somewhere that monkeys are captured by putting a nut into a narrow
neck jar. So when the monkey puts its hand to get the nut,it cannot get its hand out without letting go of the nut. So it is the monkey is taken captive,simple because it will not let that nut go,but it will not let go.Think of a man whose boat has capsized,he is hanging on like grim death,he cannot swim,then he spies a boat coming to his rescue.When the boat arrives ,the person in the boat cries give me your hand,but the man
is so frightened,he refuses,and so the person in the rescue  boat calls to him,I cant save you if you will not let go.So it is ,like the monkey, and the man,unless we are prepared to let go of our idols,of our sins,or whatever,we cannot be saved.We see this in the account of a rich man who wanted eternal life,when he was faced with letting go of his riches,we read,he went away sad, because  he had great wealth, in other words he refused to let go.
                              Oh,what will you do with Jesus?
                              The call comes loud and clear;
                              The solemn words are sounding
                              In every listening ear;
                               Eternal life's in the question,
                               And joy through eternity;
                               Then what will you do with Jesus?
                                Oh,what will your answer be?.
                                     [Words by Nath Norton]

Admit your guilt. [ Luke 18 v13 ]

It  is significant that the first of  the 'twelve steps' of  Alcoholics Anonymous is; 'We admitted we were powerless over alcohol- that our lives
had become unmanageable'.How very few will admit that they are sinners,
and that they need Christ to save them.I have met some,but not a lot ,most people think of the worst sort of people,as sinners.But the fact,that being a
sinner is not an exclusive club,one could name a lot of people who would class as the worst sort of people.When it comes to how God views mankind,
He simple tells us,that all have sinned and come short of His glory[Romans 3 v23 ].I am a key football supporter,I used to play a little bit when I was young, but as I watch the football on the TV,it amuses me that most people
who foul another player,often proclaim their innocence,even though its blatant obvious that they are guilty.So it is, we protest that we are not sinners,like the footballers,oh I am not perfect we may say,in fact no one
is perfect,but we are sinners.So like the alcoholic we need to admit ,that we
are powerless over whatever,be it gambling,sexual perverseness,or alcohol. Nothing can save us,no one can save,until we admit our desperate need.
                                                A  prayer.
Dear God we thank there is a way back to God from the dark paths of
sin ,that there is a door that is open and all may go in,when we come as a sinner to Jesus. Amen.

Worry [ Psalm23]

''Why worry,why worry,worry gets you no where at all'',so goes the words of an old song.Its a good question,as to why we worry,after all many of the things we worry about don't happen.Also when things do happen,we manage to work things out,but of course that is only part of the answer,yet we will still worry.As I read the word of God I read of people like you and me,will God reject us because we worry?,no[Romans 8v33-39].The fact is we are not perfect,He knows this,as to this life we will always be imperfect,
but are aim by Gods grace is to overcome,those imperfections.The word for worry comes from the German tongue and means to strangle,when worry takes control of us it can have that effect upon us,in its extreme form it can cause panic attacks .So what is the remedy,that can stop this happening,it must be faith in God and his word.There are many words from God that
can help us cope with the worry,take the best known Psalm which is the 23rd ,read it ,set your mind on it,I quote v4,''I will fear no evil for thou art
with me''.What ever evil you are faced with,whatever difficulty imagined or
real,consider those words from that  Psalm.
                                            A prayer.
Dear God help us to focus on You, and your word,and rest upon it, in Jesus name Amen.

Worry [ Matthew 6 v19- 34]

People often ask is it a sin to worry?,I don't think so,but it can lead us to loose sight of God.That is what our Saviour is getting over in the sermon on the mount,keep focused on God,let nothing divert us from Him,when we focus on money or whatever,then we entering into that place of insecurity.Our Saviour tells us you cannot serve God and money,the word serve can have the meaning of bondage,consider how many people are in bondage to money,and what they will do to  accumulate it.But we may say,I need money,true,and so Jesus goes on to say,''do not worry about what
you will eat or drink,or about your body[how many people worry about their body in a wrong way]and what you will wear.Is not the life more important than food,and the body more important than clothes.Now He stressing the importance of not making them a focus of worry,worry will not change anything.The answer is not worry but a trust in God who looks after the tiniest of creatures,but not only trust, but put God first,and leave Him to look after you,live one day at a time[Matthew 6 v19-34]
                                        A prayer.
Dear Lord help us to put you first and trust you to look after us Amen.

Worry [ Psalm 31 v 15 ]

I want to leave you with some of the things that Charles Swindle says in his book ,Perfect Trust,as it will hopefully help us in relation to worry.
''When we embrace Gods sovereignty, we find that confidence increases,
insecurities fade,worries decrease and calmness replaces striving''
CS goes on to stress why focusing on Gods sovereignty will help us,''Our
all-wise,all knowing God reigns in realms beyond our comprehension, to bring about a plan that is beyond our ability to hinder,alter,or stop.his plan would include,all promotions and demotions,occupations.It  includes
prosperity and adversity,tragedy and ecstasy,joy and sorrow,gain and loss. It envelops illness as well as good health, healing as well as disease,perilous
times and comfortable times,safety and ease as well as disasters and calamities. It would enclude all handicaps, heartaches,helpless moments,
disappointments as well as significant accomplishments and amazing discoveries.....Being sovereign,He is in charge of life.....we are not in the hands of blind fate,we are in the hands of God.''
                                          A  prayer.
Sovereign God help to rest in the reality of the truth that we are in your hands,and to trust your purposes for our lives in Jesus name Amen.
.

Worry. [Matthew 6 v19 -14]

The people in the Bible no matter who they are,are  people who felt fear,
who worried,about this and that.So it is continually,we have words of
encouragement,this especially applies to worry. In that message our Saviour gave called the sermon on the mountain,He tells us about ,the danger of living with a wordly mindset,laying up treasures on earth,the danger of setting our hearts on our treasures,when all the time our hearts should be fixed on God.Remember what Jesus said to Peter,'' Do you truly love me more than these ?,[John 21 v15]Jesus asks all of us to  face these challenging words.He speaks of laying up treasure in heaven.[Matthew 6 v20] .Now lets be honest having money in our bank account gives us a feeling of security.There is nothing wrong with having money as long as money does not have a hold on us. The laying up of treasure in heaven challenges us to be generous,to gave to those in need,and to trust God instead of our money.There were times in my life when to give was a challenge,because I had so little,but God provided, it still is a challenge ,but Jesus said don't worry,you have a heavenly Father who will provide for you.
                                         A  prayer.
Dear heavenly Father we thank you ,for assuring us that you will provide
help us to be generous,help us be like you the giving God,in Jesus name Amen.

Worry [ Psalm 23 ]

Let me ask you a question ,do you worry?,well join the club,for everyone
worries.The very nature of life,will always bring uncertainties into our lives,
no matter if you are billionaire,even if you are famous,and idolised.No one
escapes those things which can cause us to worry.Our Lord did not worry,not because everything in the garden was rosey,but he had a perfect trust in his heavenly Father.Consider the story of the disciples crossing the
sea in a storm in,[Mark 4v 35ff],everyone was in danger of drowning,but Jesus was fast asleep,everyone else was fearful.Is it possible to reach that
degree of  freedom from a lack of worry,to smile at the storm,to  know
a totality of peace.?.It is a challenge,to aim at,that in a world of  full of
uncertainties, we may enter into the peace of God that transcends all
understanding. The first thing we must focus on is what scripture has to say,for it has so much to say ,that can help us.I want you read something
,but not just to read it,but think about it,pray about it as you read it,it is Psalm 23.Tomorrow we will think more about worry and how we can overcome it.
                                    A  prayer.
Dear loving Heavenly Father, you know that we worry,we bring those things that are causing us fretful,and fearful thoughts,and ask that like our Saviour Jesus we may your peace.Amen

The church not perfect. [Ephesians 5 v26-27]

As I finish my study on 2 Corinthians,one can come away with a negative
impression of local church ,but we must get balance.In Philip Yancey's book ,Vanishing Grace,he deals with the church,and there is much one can see that is far from what it should be.On the other hand there are many in Gods church who are making a difference for the better in this needy world.
Philip quotes Eugene Peterson,,''When Christians believers gather in churches,everything that can go wrong sooner or later does.Outsiders,on observing this,conclude that there is nothing in this religion business except,perhaps business- and dishonest business at that. Insiders see it  differently. Just as a hospital collects the sick under one roof and labels them as such, the church collects sinners.Many people outside the hospital
are every bit as sick as the ones inside,but their illnesses are either undiagnosed or disguised.It's similar with sinners outside the church.So Christian churches are not,as a rule,model communities of good behaviour. They are,rather ,places where human behaviour is brought out in the open and dealt with.''
   The church is like us as individuals,a work in progress,but the Lord of the church will one day present her to himself, as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle,or any other blemish,but holy and blameless.[Ephesians 5 v27]
                                            A  prayer.
Dear Lord perfect your church that it may more reflect you ,help us to love
your church,as you love it Amen.

Free at last. [ 1 Corinthians 6 v 9-11]

''The Achilles heel of man is his mind, since he is so prone to intellectual pride, especially in matters to do with religion.It was with unerring judgement about human vulnerability,therefore, that Satan blinded, not the
emotions,or the will,but the mind of man''[Paul  Barnett][1 Corinthians 8 v1-2] One of the great and wonderful changes that come into our lives when we come to Christ,we begin to think different.No longer do we believe the lies of Satan,or society,we begin to have a new mind set.We begin to evaluate things differently,we see wonders of creation,we see the danger of riches,we who were once blind, now can see. Before we became a Christian our minds were full of sinful imaginations,these imaginations are strongholds.[2 Corinthians10 v5]In Romans 1 v16, we read that the gospel
of Christ is the power of God unto salvation,to everyone that believeth.
Writing to Christians at Corinth,Paul declares'' that the wicked shall not
inherit the Kingdom of God. Do not be deceived; Neither the sexually
immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers,nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders, nor thieves nor the greedy, nor drunkards nor slanders ,nor swindlers ''But he goes on to write that they had ceased from these things,when they trusted Christ[1  Corinthians 6 v9-11]Whatever bondage
we are in,Christ can deliver us from mind sets,that are destroying us.
                                       A  prayer.
 Dear God we thank for Jesus your son,who died to forgive us,and to set us free,Amen.

A difficult church. [John 15 v17 ]

The apostle Paul had worked hard with the Corinthian Church,visiting it[in total according to Paul Barnett 7years],he also wrote a number of letters to
them,we have just two of his letters.The church were difficult beyond degree,but it was obvious that he loved that church.Paul Barnett ,''Sacrifice is at the heart of the gospel,and also at the heart of ministry-whether it is in evangelising unbelievers or providing pastoral care for the flock of Christ. service of God,where it is true to him,is never easy and frequently is painful''. the church I attend, was not so long ago a battlefield,and in the end
the Pastor resigned,both he and the church had their faults.People often think,that the early church was wonderful,not so ,as the Church of Corinth
proves.[P B]''Despite this Paul did not disown them as Christians or repudiate their profession of church membership.Subsequent Christians have not always been so charitable as Paul.''  Sinless perfection in believers
will never happen,of course all churches are not like Corinth ,but they do still exist.To all of us echoing down through the years are the words of our Saviour,to His church,this is my command; love each other[[John 15 v17 ].
There is no get out clause in this,no ignoring it,no running away from it,no
self justifying,for whatever reason,for not loving our Christian family.
                                      A prayer.
Dear Saviour we thank you for your church,help us to love those in our local church,in obedience to your word Amen.

A light for the journey[Psalm 119 v105 ]

While travelling to a friend recently,using my navigational device, I was suddenly faced with a road sign,informing that the road ahead was closed.
I must confess I depend on the navigational device,years ago one used a map book.Faced with the road closed signed I turned around ,but the device kept telling me to turn around.It took me awhile before I got back on track, but thankfully I did,and was able to reach my destination.As a Christian
I am on a journey,and on that journey,I will meet many obstacles,I will be faced with deviations,unexpected signs that tell me the way ahead is blocked.We have no navigational device for life's journey,but we do have
a wonderful resource,its called the word of God,hear is the word for us all today,/Your word is a lamp to my feet,and a light to my path.[Psalm119 v105]/Dependence on Gods word is vital on our journey home,years ago a man was travelling by night,was given a torch of light wood,or ''pitch pine''.
He raised objections,it was too small,it will light you home.He then said,the
wind will blow it out,again he was told,''It will light you home'',then he said,
''but what if it rains ?'',he received the same answer,It will light you home'',
and it did.The word of God will be a lamp to our feet,and a lamp to our path
,it will light our way home.
                                            A prayer.
                      Lead ,kindly light,amid the encircling gloom,
                                         Lead Thou me on.
                      The night is dark,and I am far from home,
                                         Lead Thou me on.
                      Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see
                      The distant scene; one step enough for me.
                            [Words by John Henry Newman.]
                       
                              

Unchanging one.[ Malachi 3 v6]

Paul Barnett wrote,/ The God of the Bible,of yesterday,is the God of today,
powerful and active to comfort his people/.Yes the God of the Bible,that means the Old Testament and the New Testament,there is only one God.The
fact is we change, He changeth not ,in the Old God ,spoke through the prophets,at many times and in various ways.[Hebrews 1 v1]And then the writer goes unto say,/But in these last days he has spoken to us by his son/.
Jesus has not replaced God,no He was God manifested in the flesh,we read
in 1Timothy 3v16 ,the mystery of  godliness is great,He appeared in a body/.Again in Colossians 2 v9,we read,'For in Christ all the fullness of the
Deity lives in bodily form'.It is our Saviour who said,'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me/[Matthew 28 v 18]So when we pray,in Jesus name we can rest assured that Gods power is available to work on our behalf,to do exceeding abundantly above all we can ask or think,according to the power that worketh in us[Ephesians 3 v20.] And He is also  able to comfort all his children who mourn, so let us  lift up the eyes of faith,to an all sufficient Saviour.
                                          A  prayer.
Dear God we thank and praise you ,that you never change,and that we can,
experience ,your wonderful power,and comfort ,through Jesus,Amen.

My prayers are not being answered. [ Mark 14 v 35-36]

Recently a friend said to me ,prayer is not being answered,she was upset,
things where getting on top of her.She reminds me of one the prophets ,
Habakkuks,who asked the question to God,/How long,O Lord,must I call for help,but you do not listen?or cry out to you,''Violence'' but you do not save.[ Habakkuk 1 v2]Now Habakkuk was a godly man,and my friend is a godly person.So for whatever reason,they reached the conclusion that prayer was not  being answered. Now I am sure my friend has had many prayers answered,likewise Habakkuk,likewise myself.So when my friend
said prayer was not being answered,her precept was not taking into account
the times God  had answered prayer.When it comes to prayer we must
appreciate that we are limited as to,the why's and wherefore,of Gods perfect will.The fact is, our all wise God has His own reason as to why and how  He responds to all our prayers,Charles Swindle in his book perfect trust, writes,/It is a waste of time trying to unscrew the inscrutable workings of God. You will never be able to do it/.Now surely this applies to prayer,if God appears not to be answering our prayers then He has a perfect reason.Now my friend still believes in God,but is struggling with this one issue.The most important thing to do is simply to trust in our God who loves us,to just tell Him,that you trust Him,and will leave the unanswered prayer with Him.
                                          A prayer.
Dear God help us to trust You,even when our prayers appear not to be answered,in Jesus name Amen.

He was the last person I thought would become a Christian. [John 3 v8 ]

In his book 'Perfect Trust',Charles Swindle',wrote the following,/Our sovereign Lord operates from an eternal agenda,not a daily planner.
Sometimes,when we expect Him to charge over the hill with the cavalry,He holds back,other times, at the exact moment we think He has misplaced our address,He comes in through the back door.And when we wonder if we'll
ever feel His warmth,He pulls us in from the cold and sets us in the front of
crackling fire...Even with all He has revealed about Himself in His Word, His works often in ways we can't explain.'/I found these words very meaningful and helpful,it reminds me that we cannot tie God down,and that
the predicting game,as to Gods ways,is foolish.In John 3 v 8,we read,/The wind blows wherever it wants,just as you can hear the wind but can't tell
where it comes from or where it is going,so you can't explain how people
are born of the Spirit/.My Study Bible comments on this,/Jesus explained
that we cannot control the work of the Holy Spirit,He works in ways we cannot predict or understand./ A friend of mine told a person she knew,how
a certain man had become a Christian,the person replied that he was the last person in the world she thought would become a Christian,but the fact is he did become a Christian.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God forgive us for our foolishness,You do work so often in ways we do not understand,saving the most unlikely people,and doing the most
unexpected things.in Jesus name Amen.

The word was God. [ John 1 v 1]

The Jehovah Witness's are active in the area where I live,and so it happen that two called at my door.What does one do,talk to them?,now that is a challenging thing to do,for the enemy is strong.The important thing to remember ,because this is a stronghold of Satan ,it does not mean they are right.This organisation was borne out of a rejection of Biblical truth,what they do not understand ,what appears to their rational mind as irrational,they reject.Now that may sound reasonable,but it is not,they will reject the doctrines ,which the Bible clearly teaches,they have a translation,which has been changed to fit in with their beliefs.One simple but very important
scripture,illustrates this is John 1 v1,which reads,/In the beginning was the the word,and the word was with God,and the word was God./Now this is clear statement on the divinity of Christ,but because they have rejected that doctrine ,they have slipped in an a,to make it read ,/a  god/.We must appreciate the importance of this,instead of accepting what scripture says,
the JW's,have perverted the scripture.Paul Barnett states,/Christianity stood
or fell depending on one's view of the person and work of Jesus.False views
of Jesus have been promoted throughout history,including in these present
times.Such views must be firmly opposed in our generation as they were then by Paul if the true gospel is to have its power to mediate salvation.
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God help to contend earnestly for the faith that was once for all
entrusted to the saints,in Jesus name Amen.

Is it I?. [ Psalm 51 ]

According to Pablo Picasso, a fascist officer barked at him,'Did you do that?,and pointed to a photo of the huge painting Guernica,which graphically depicts the bombing of civilians, 'No, you did',the artist replied.
Sometimes we are blind to the way we are behaving,and the trouble we are causing.King Ahab blamed Elijah for the trouble Israel was having,when in
fact,the king was to blame[  1 Kings 18 v17-18 ].When Nathan the prophet
told King David,of an rich man who was oppressing a poor man David,
became angry,and threatened to have that rich man put to death.Imagine  his surprise and horror when the story was turned on him,when Nathan said to
David, 'you are the man'.The point of all this is,that often we are into denial
as to where the blame really lies,we blame others,we blame circumstances,
we even blame God.As long as we keep doing this ,things will not change,
and whats most important we will never change.When our our Lord told his
disciples that one of them would betray him,they began to say to one another, is it I?. [Mark 14 v19]. Are you into some addiction that is causing
you trouble,but you are unwilling to admit it,not willing to take responsibility,for the mess your in.Is it not time to face your demons,to
acknowledge them,and to pray to Christ to forgive you,and for grace to
change whatever the price.Instead of asking ,is it I?,acknowledge ,that it is you.
                                         A  prayer.
Search me,O God,and know my heart,test me and know my anxious thoughts. And see if there is any offensive way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting. in Jesus name Amen.