An abundance of rain.[ James 5 v 16[b]-18 ]

A minister I know who for a number of years had a settled ministry, is now exercising an itinerant one, now he is returning to churches,that he preached in 20years ago.He made this sad but telling observation,when he ministered
there 20yrs ago he was the youngest person there,now 20 yrs later he is still the youngest person there,which is a clear indication that there has been no growth.If there is no growth then eventually the church fellowship will no longer exist,the building will be left dormant,and will ether be knocked down,and new houses built on it.In the last church in which I was a joint leader we were not growing,so we let someone else take over,and there have been signs of growth.I am sure that there are many reasons why there is no growth,society has changed,people do not see the need of God,and the need is there of course.Wales experienced a revival many years ago,but there has like the rest of the UK a steady decline,all we are left with is memories.Yet just recently I have heard reports of God moving and saving.it reminds me of the time  when Elijah prayer for rain,after a great drought,initially nothing, but as he prayed,a small cloud appeared the size of a mans hand,so he continued to pray,then there was an abundance of rain.
                                         A prayer.
Dear almighty God,hear the prayers of your people,send a mighty movement of your Spirit and save the lost,in Jesus name Amen.

Turn the other cheek. [ Matthew 5 v38- 39 ]

In Psalm 59v 4,we read David praying,''I have done no wrong yet are they ready to attack me''.Hitler made the Jews a special target,accusing them of so much evil,and out of that belief he not only attacked them,but sought to destroy them.But the fact is they did not do him, or the German nation any wrong.History is full of people being attacked,who did no wrong,in my time as leader of a church there was one lady who attacked ,not physically,but
by gossipping and telling untruths about me.It is not very nice,one can be the nicest person who ever lived and it will not shield them from attack.
Such was the experience of Jesus,what did He do to deserve the pain people
caused Him.When He was arrested ,neither Pilate nor Herod found no fault
in Him,but that did not stop the crowds crying out for His blood,that blood
would be on their hands for ever.Consider His response,''Father forgive them,for they do not know what they are doing[Luke 23 v34].Writing to slaves who had no rights,and could suffer all sorts of unfair abuse,Peter wrote the following.''Christ suffered for you ,leaving you an example,that you should follow in His steps .He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.When they hurled their insults at Him,He did not
retaliate ; He made no threats.Instead He entrusted himself to Him who judges justly.''
                                       A prayer
Dear Lord forgive us for retaliating,help us to be more like You Amen

We are not a club. [ John 15 v17 ]

I have noticed recently a couple who usually attend church,have been missing,that caused me concern,so I phoned and spoke to the wife,I did not
judge them but simple enquired after their well being,assuring them of my prayers.In Hebrews 10 v25,we read,''Let us not give up meeting together as
some are in the habit of doing,but let us encourage one another-and all the more so as you see the day approaching''.I know that it is important to attend a local fellowship,the fact is we need that mutual fellowship,Hebrews 10v25 was written to those who were falling into neglect,of not meeting with their fellow believers. Raymond Brown commenting on this writes the following ''In frightened isolation they might fall,but in supportive companionship they would stand''.He goes on to write,''Not all are destined for a preaching role,[mercifully],but in the local church all must accept a pastoral role''.We are not a club we are a family of believers who should care for each other.Again RB comments are helpful and challenging. ''Every Christian ought to be able to count on the cheering encouragement of his fellow believers.To make that possible,every member of the body of Christ should grasp opportunities in every day to speak the uplifting word and do the supportive thing for his Christian partners in Christ''.
                                            A  prayer.
Dear God help those who are putting themselves in danger by neglecting
the fellowship of believers,and help us all to see the importance of not just
leaving the care of others in our fellowship to the leaders,in Jesus name we ask this Amen.

Why are you sleeping. [ Luke 22 v46 ]

I read this from that old devotional by ,C.H.Spurgeon,'Morning and Evening,' the reading has these words spoken by our Saviour,''Why sleep ye? ,rise and pray,lest ye enter temptation.''
 ''When is the Christian most liable to sleep?Is it not when his temporal circumstances are prosperous?Have you not found it so?When you had daily troubles to take to the throne of grace,were you not more wakeful than you are now?.Easy roads make sleepy travellers.........depend upon it,it is in easy places that men shut their eyes and wander into the dreamy land of forgetfulness.Old Erskine wisely remarked,''I like a roaring devil than a sleeping devil.''There is no temptation as not being tempted.The distressed soul does not sleep;it is when we enter into peaceful confidence and full assurance that we are in danger of slumbering.Take heed,joyous Christian,good frames are near neighbours  to temptations; be as happy as
you will,only be watchful.''
                            
                      '' The greatest danger was victory''
                               [Eric Liddell ]

Reflecting a perfect likeness.[ Romans 7 ]

Often what we do,does not shew what we are,there are evil people who work with children,but are child abusers.We think of people in high office who are doing such responsible jobs,but are adulators,and money grabbers.The fact is what we do, can so often be a cover up,and behind that cover up is what we really are.Judas posed as a disciple but was a thief,and we know where that led him.Stalin was thought of as uncle Joe,but he in fact was a brutal sadistic person,who had countless people murdered and tortured,and yet he loved roses,if only he had loved people.The challenge for all who follow Christ is to be a Christian,     Christlike, and not hide behind a mask. So that Christ likeness will be reflected in all we do,in our homes, jobs,and in all things,this should be our aim.Oh yes I know we will always be imperfect,that is a fact,but our aim should at all times be one of striving to be a perfect reflection of Christ,in what we are ,and what we do.
                                           A prayer.
Dear God we are so conscious that we need your help to be Christlike
so that in everything we may reflect a perfect likeness of your dear Son
Jesus,in mercy help us, in His name we ask this Amen

He will make it plain. [ 1 Peter 1 v 6-9 ]

In  Isaiah 42v 18ff ,the Lord rebukes Israel,they were described as deaf and blind, of paying no attention,it wasn't that they could not hear,they just refused to listen.The result was, God dealt with them ,in severe ways,but as you move into chapter 43,God speaks comforting words of assurance,He reminds them that in spite of everything they have done and gone through
they were precious and honoured in His sight,and that He loved them.there is so much in that chapter that is positive.v2 reads,''When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire,you will not be
burned; the flames will not set you abaze'' Yes God loved them but they would still experience trials,but they would be preserved.So why the trials?
well as we read on in that chapter there was much in Israel that needed refined,such will always be the case.Not only for Israel of old but we who
now the Israel of God, children of the new covenant.
                                 
                             Just trust Me when through paths unknown,
                                             I lead-perchance with pain.
                              Lean hard,my child,take thou My hand;
                                      Someday I'll make it plain.
                                                   [Anon]

Our greatest need. [ John 6 v 66 - 69 ]

In Madagascar the majority of people are very poor,it is described as
desperate poverty and misery,so  reports  the Barnabas aid agency,a Christian organisation.They report, that many people are turning to Islam,
Muslim missionaries hand out portions of the Quran,with bank notes slipped between the pages.They tell the people many of them professing Christians,''When you go to church you are asked to give money,when you
come to our mosque,you will be given money''.When our Lord performed the miracle of feeding five thousand [John 6 ],many followed Him because they felt that Jesus would be like Moses whom they credited with feeding the Israelites in the wilderness.There are no guarantees if one becomes a Christian that one will not experience poverty,sickness,and whatever. There
are many Christian organisations,working in poor countries,helping people, but they are not in the business of bribing people in order for them to become Christians.They are helping, simple out of love,yes we hope and pray that what we do will be a testimony to Gods glory,To seek to bribe people to become Christians,can never be right,nor should never be practised,when people fix their eyes totally on physical needs,we point them
beyond their limited vision ,to Christ.
                                           A  prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus help us in whatever difficulties we are facing,to see that our deepest need is you Amen.

The Living Word. [ Luke 24 v 25-27 ]

In recent times I have been seeking to study every book in the Bible,I have
used a particular study guide,which I have found very helpful.I am about to study that wonderful book of Hebrews.People have different opinion's as
to who wrote this book,the writers name is not mentioned,I personally think Paul wrote it,the great John Calvin did not,the most important thing is not to get to worked up about this,for it in no way,effects  its message .The most important thing for you and me is to read and to understand it,it is Gods word,like the manna of old it is has come down from heaven,to feed our souls,likewise every book in the Bible.I would encourage you to not only read the Bible but to understand it,don't just depend on your minister,let
us all ,''Study to shew ourselves approved unto God,a workmen that needeth
not to be ashamed,rightly dividing the word of truth''[2 Timothy 2 v15].
                   
                                 Break Thou the bread of life,
                                 Dear Lord to me,
                                 As Thou didst break the loaves
                                 Beside the sea;
                                 Beyond the sacred page
                                 I seek Thee ,Lord,
                                 My spirit pants for Thee,
                                 O Living Word.
                                  [Words by Mary  A. Lathbury]

Are you a lemon?. [Matthew 5 v 43-48/ Hebrews 12v15]

My wife likes drinking,no not wiskey,or rum,or beer,but she likes a lemon drink,but it has such a bitter taste to it .Now of course it is all a matter of taste,nothing wrong with that,but there is another aspect in relation to that word bitterness,that is very serious,it is when people hurt us.It is impossible to go through life without being hurt by someone,and here is another aspect of it, is impossible for us not to hurt someone.The problem is when someone hurts us ,bitterness enters in ,and it blinds us to the challenge that all Christians must face up to,that is to have a loving and forgiving spirit. In spite of what we read in Gods word,about forgiveness,and loving yes even our enemies,we are inclined to let our hurtful feelings take over.Again the challenge is to not be ruled by our feelings,but by that love which loves unconditional,that God has for us,even though we grieve Him so many times.Love for others is not an optional extra,it is not something we can pick and choose,it is expected of us by our loving Saviour.So lets stop copying the lemon,by being bitter,remember it is not just about taste,it is vital to grasp the truth that the way of the cross is a road of love.
                                         A  prayer.
Dear God we thank and praise you for loving and forgiving us through
Jesus,help us to have a loving and forgiving spirit to all for Jesus sake Amen.

Risk takers.[ 1 Corinthians 4 v 10 ]

Kipling tells how,on a certain world tour,General Booth boarded the ship at a certain port.He was seen off by a horde of tambourine-beating Salvationists.The whole thing revolted Kipling's fastidious soul.Later he got to know the general and told him how much he disapproved of  this kind of
thing. ''Young man'', said Booth,''if I thought that I could win one more soul for Christ by standing on my hands and beating a tambourine with my feet I
would learn to do it.'' There is something in what Booth said, which we who
follow Christ need to hear,yes we need to be guided by the Holy Spirit,and
indeed empowered by Him.We often have to break convention as our Saviour did,the result was thousands came to hear Him.The brothers Charles and John Wesley did the unthinkable,by preaching in the open air,Hudson Taylor likewise broke convention,when He and his fellow missionaries,dressed in the same way as the Chinese,most missionaries at that time were situated in the coastline of China,but Hudson started ,what became known as the 'China Inland Mission'. Sometimes we feel like doing something different,and we draw back,let us be very clear ,vast amounts of people are going to Hell,the need is great,what are we willing to do ,in order to bring Christ to them?
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God ,help us to do whatever it takes to tell others of Jesus,Amen

Meaning [ Psalm 73 ]

Michael Wilcock writes the following,''The first step towards salvation is to see that life does make sense,and it is the teaching of Jesus which enables men to see this''.I remember as a young man wondering what is life about,it just  did not make any sense,I am convinced that many people feel this way.
It is easy to give into despair,for we all desire meaning in our lives,some try to find it in politics,pleasure, and a multitude of other things,but in doing so they are just papering over the cracks,In the Bible we have a book called
Ecclesiastes,it is about a man who had power,and riches,this enabled him to
have everything his heart desired.Yet he came to this conclusion,it was meaningless like chasing after the wind,nothing appeared to make sense.In a sense this book emphasises this fact life is meaningless,but throughout the Bible we have men and women who found meaning,and it transformed their lives.Returning to myself I found meaning when I found Jesus as my Saviour,when I prayed and asked Him into my life,all things were changed.I found out that life had a meaning, that meaning was Christ.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God we praise you ,and that in knowing Jesus as our Saviour,we find meaning to our existence,Amen.

A call to preach. [ 2 Timothy 4 v 1-5 ]

I suppose one  thing that would frustrate me is not preaching,when I stood down as a minister,the desire to preach remained.Yet it is very challenging thing to do,I am my own worse critic,I am continually trying to improve,yet I sometimes wonder is there any improvement?.It seems in looking back over my ministry,I usually minister to small groups,yet I do not mind as long as I am preaching,if that's the way God wants it,so be it,People apologise to me that the numbers are down,so what,the few as well as the many need to hear Gods word.I am called to be faithful that's what matters,not just to my preaching,but as to what I preach.I have not only to be true to myself,but to my Saviour.Today a man said to me that he had to make a decision,whither to have breakfast,or go to the chapel,he choose chapel.He made the right decision,like Mary of old,he choose that better part,what is that to do with preaching?.Well it means ,that he had a hunger for Gods word,and it was my responsibility to feed him,hopefully I did.
                                      A prayer.
Dear God grant grace to those who feel called to preach,help them to be faithful,in fulfilling their ministry,and all that means, in Jesus name Amen

A cup of tea. [ Acts 1v8 ]

It is surprising how the Lord opens opportunities for one to witness .Two young lads clean my windows,I usually offer then a cold drink,or a cup of tea.To my surprise a conversation opened up which granted me an opportunity to speak to them about the Lord.It was friendly talk,my prayer is that the word of God which is likened unto a seed sown will bear fruit.I have watered those words of witness with my prayers,that is also important. Jesus spoke to thousands of people but He also spoke to individuals,you may not be a preacher,but why not pray,that God will lead you into opportunities to witness to those individuals or couples you come in contact with.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God in our weakness fill us with your Spirit,that we may tell others
about our Saviour,Amen.

Put into practice.[ Luke 22 v39-46]

When our dear Saviour was about to face death,a cruel and wicked death,he prayed,[Luke 22 v39- 46 ],he also told his disciples to pray,so that they would not fall into temptation.But because they were exhausted and filled
with sorrow,they fell asleep.So Jesus came to them,asking them why they were sleeping and challenging them to pray that they would not fall into temptation.How are you and I going face the temptations that continually beset us? ,the answer is simple yet absolutely vital,prayer.If David had prayed when he cast his eye upon Bathsheba[ 2 Kings 11],he would not have fallen into sin.Returning to the disciples,they were tired and exhausted,so they did not pray,there is always reasons why we do not pray,but there are greater reasons why  we should pray,yes even when we are tired and exhausted.It seems to me that Jesus is telling them and us,if we are to overcome the evils that we face,we need,let me stress this again,we need to pray,as if our lives depended on it,what is vital,our spiritual well being does depend on it.Consider the words of Jesus,''Pray that you will not fall into temptation'',but not only consider His words,put them into practise.

                        Have we trials and temptations?
                        is there trouble anywhere?
                        We should never be discouraged,
                        Take it to the Lord in prayer.
                        Can we find a friend so faithful
                        Who will all our sorrows share?
                         Jesus knows our every weakness;
                         Take it to the Lord in prayer.
                               [Words by J.M.Scriven]
                                       

Who or what are you trusting?.[[Psalm 121 ]

In Isaiah 36 v5, we read the following,''Now on whom dost thou trust?'',it is a good question,people are trusting on many things,on their wealth,on their power,whatever.It is Spurgeon who writing on trusting God,as the one we should all be trusting in, writes the following,''Oh blessed trust,to trust Him whose power will never be exhausted,whose love will never wane,whose kindness will never change,whose faithfulness will never fail,whose wisdom will never be nonplussed,and whose perfect goodness can never know a diminution. Happy are those who trust in Him, so trusting
thou shalt enjoy sweet peace now,and glory hereafter,and the foundation of
thy trust shall never be removed''
      
                                Leave God to order all thy ways
                                And hope in Him whate'er betide;
                                Thou'll find Him in the evil days
                                Thy all sufficient strength and guide,
                                Who trusts in Gods unchanging love
                                Builds on the rock that nought can move.
                                        [Words by Georg C. Neumark ]
                                                            

Professing and showing Christ. [ Matthew 7 v 15-23 ]

While on  holiday in Malta,I visited a museum,it showed a  grisly history of
that small Island.The tortures that where inflicted upon people by political,and religion authorities, the political involved those who ruled over the Island,it showed the wickedness of  Islam,on Christian slaves,but it
also showed the awful wickedness by the Roman Catholic church.It mentioned the Spanish Inquisition,I noticed a poster on the wall of people being tortured,a religious  priest looking on,it was awful.One asks the question how can those who claim to be Christians,involve themselves in such cruelty?,but they did,even though it was most diffidently wrong.In England people were burnt at the stake,the people who did the burning were
supposed to be Christians,but can it be possible that one can be religious,
and ,for the life of me I don't see what they did can be reconciled to being a
Christian.And yet it brings a challenge to all of us who profess to be  know
Christ,to live lives, that are in keeping with  being his followers.
                                            A  prayer.
Dear Lord we leave to your judgement those who profess to be yours,but we ask that you would help us all to live in a manner that reflects you in everything, Amen.

Holy Spirit. [ Galations 5 v16-26 ]

While on holiday we decided to go to the cinema,considering what was being shown,I choose one,feeling it may a good story to it.It was rated a 15,
and I sensed it may not be suitable,but I over ruled those feelings,and so we went. Sure enough it was totally unsuitable,and after about 10 minutes we
got up and left.My underlying feelings had been right,what caused those
feelings?,I believe it was the Holy Spirit, and He was right as He always is
,again I was reminded again of the importance,of His prompting.We are told
to live by the Spirit,and to be led by the Spirit[Galations 5v 16-18],after all we as Christians,are indwelt by the Spirit.Whereas before we became a
Christian,we did what took our fancy,and would be drawn into all sorts of things,things that were unhelpful and detrimental to our well being.We left the cinema but other young people didn't,what they watched would not have been helpful to them,and effect them.I am not judging them,but am concerned for them.The challenge for us who know Christ,is to not leave ourselves open to wrong influences,be it movies,or whatever,and that is why we need to be  people who are led by the Spirit.
                                    A  prayer.
Dear God,help us to live by your Spirit,and to be led by Him,when He speaks and prompts us,in Jesus name Amen.

Doing good. [ Matthew 5 v16 ]

It was John Wesley who instructed his congregation to,'Do all the good you
can.By all the means you can.In all the ways you can. In all the places that you can. At all the times you can. To all the people that you can. As long as ever you can.'We read in Acts 10 v 38,that our Saviour went about doing good,of course we must stress that nothing we do, can  save us,we are saved by Gods grace.The vital work that saves us ,is the work Jesus did on
the cross,and that alone,we cannot add a plus to His saving work.In Ephesians 2v8-9,we are told that we are saved by grace through faith[in Jesus],not  by works,so that no one can boast.But  it goes on to say we have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.So as Wesley said, let us do all the good we can,so that we glorify our Heavenly Father.
                                            A   prayer.
Dear Heavenly Father help us to glorify you in these lives that you have saved ,by doing good works in the name of Jesus we ask this Amen .

We will not sneeze. [Psalm 31 v15 ]

One of my favourite books is the autobiography of Martin Luther King,JR.
along with what he did,which called for such courage,he said so many meaningful things.He had to face so much,to help the Black people of America,he tells how a black demented woman stabbed him,he was rushed to the hospital ,the X ray showed that the tip of the blade was on the edge
of the aorta,the main artery.If  punctured,his life would have ended,one report said if he had sneezed ,he would have died.He goes unto to say how if he had sneezed,he would not have been around to see the Civil Rights Bill
being brought in,and many other things of great importance,and ends by saying',Im so happy that I didn't sneeze,'I believe God raised that man up
for a purpose,and until he fulfilled that purpose he would be preserved. In
Ecclesiates 3 v2,we read ,'there is a time to be born and a time to die',and until that time for us to die,we will not sneeze.
                                        A prayer.
Dear God we thank you that our times are in your hands,and until that time comes for us to die,we will not sneeze,in Jesus name Amen.

Shut and open doors [ Revelation 3 v 7-8 ]

In Acts 16 we read how the apostle Paul and his companions were kept from preaching the word of God in Asia ,by the Holy Spirit,then later when they tried to enter Bithynia,the Spirit of God stopped them[ v6-7] Then Paul
had a vision of a man from Macedonia,begging him to come over and help them[v10] It is a man call A,T,Pierson who writes of double guidance,on the one hand prohibition and restraint,on the other permission and constraint
He goes unto mention examples of this,Livingstone tried to go China,but God sent him to Africa instead.Before him,Carey planned to go to Polynesia in the South Seas,but God guided him to India.Judson went to India first,but was driven on to Burma.Pierson concludes,' we to in our day need to trust God for guidance and rejoice equally in his restraints and constraint's this
reminds me of my own experience,I initially felt God was wanting me to go
to different places,such as Brazil,but God led me to Grays,much to my
surprise,the fact as John Stott puts it ,'some doors close,others open'
                                         A  prayer.
Dear God lead us in the way we should go,shut the doors that we are not meant to go through,and open up the door we should go through,in Jesus name we ask this Amen.

Why?. [Proverbs 3 v 5]

Why oh why do people not accept creation,and accept what one would call
pure scientific view?.Recently I watched a DV of a very qualified man putting across  a strong argument for creation.Again another why?,why do the JWs not accept the deity of Christ?,one has had many conversations with them,and it all appears to be vain,they appear to not want to listen. Oh I know the god of this world has blinded then so that they refuse to accept the plain truths of Gods word. The difference between the scientist/JWs and the Christian is they are rationalist and we are not,I am man of faith,faith in Gods word,faith in God who created all things from nothing. The difference is very simple,one group are rationalist, I am not,They will only accept what
they feel is rational,whereas the Christian enters into another realm,God has
granted by his grace faith to me and indeed all Christians.Without faith one cannot know God, faith means that we trust in the Lord with all our hearts and lean not upon our own understanding[Proverbs 3 v 5]
                                        A  prayer.
Dear God so many dear people choose to wholly  lean upon their own understanding,and feel they are safe,help them to see the road of faith
is best,and that it begins with Christ,and leads to a wonderful destination
Amen.
                   [ I will return to my blog on Tuesday 11th every blessing]

Open their hearts. [Acts 16 v 11-15 ]

All of my Christian life, I have sought to witness to people,I am awhere that
one must be faithful,it is not an easy task,and one must have much wisdom.
I wish I could say I have seen many people  trust the Lord,but I have not,
some have,all I can say I  have in my broken way,sought to be,as I have said
faithful.When the apostle Paul was called to Macedonia,[ Acts 16 ] ,he encountered a group of ladies,whom he witnessed to.One of these ladies was called Lydia ,she had her own business,and we read how the Lord opened her heart in response to the message.The result was she and her family became Christians,we read how the Lord opened her heart.Recently
I have been praying that God would lead me to those whose heart the Lord will open.The Message puts it  like this,''The Master gave her a trusting heart-and she believed''.after all we are but the messengers, salvation is of the Lord.We desire that all may be saved,but they will not hear without us telling them,and as we do,our prayer should be that God in mercy will open their hearts.
                                            A  prayer.
                                  Lord, lead me to some soul today
                                   teach me just what to say,
                                   Friends of mine are lost in sin,
                                   and cannot find their way
                                                Amen.

Danger . [ Psalm 34 ]

I was working in someones garden when I noticed it,curled up in a little ball
it was a young hedgehog.It had sensed danger,we all act in different ways
when we sense danger.Some feel fear,and run to a place of safety,a child to the arms of a parent,a wife to her husband.In former days they ran into the walled castle,when the bombs were falling during the second world war people went to the air-raid shelter.Many years ago I heard a missionary relating to us,how that he felt in great danger,and he could not sleep, then the Lord spoke to him,and told him,''The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,and he delivers them [Psalm 34 v7].Now the danger was real , part of the  country were in rebellion,but he believed what God  said, and laid down on his bed and slept.
                                 How oft in the conflict,when
                                 pressed by the foe,
                                 I have fled to my Refuge and
                                 breathed out my woe;
                                 How often when trials,like sea
                                 billows roll,
                                 Have I hidden in Thee,O Thou
                                 Rock of my soul.
                                     [Words W.O.Cushing]