Cold logic ' ( Psalm 73 )

Job had three friends they are usually called Job's comforters,although they did not brign him much comfort.Writing on Eliphaz, David Atkinson comments how he infers Job's suffering was caused by his wrong doings,in other words,he is saying ,that Job was reaping what he sowed.Now of course that is true in many cases, but the fact is Job's suffering was not because of his sin. As DA comments'',Eliphaz is replacing theology with causal  logic. He is taking  a right theological principle and turning it on its head in a way which is both wrong and unfair'' He goes on to write,'' Eliphaz has left faith in the living God in favour of logic, he fails to distinguish between earthly and heavenly perspective.'' Many people are disciples of Eliphaz, they try to fit things like suffering into their mindset, instead of seeing that many things cannot  be explained by our logic.We are children of faith ,faith in a God and  a Saviour we cannot see,and whose ways are past finding out. Again DA comments on Eliphaz writes,'' The moral universe of  the gracious all- sovereign Creator God has been replaced by a smaller universe of natural causes,and material values.

W.E. Henley. ( Psalm 17 v 5 / 107 v 7 )

''My head is bloody, but unbowed.beyond this place of wrath and tears, looms, but the horror of the shade. And yet the menace of the years ,finds and shall find me unafraid,it matters not how strait the gate.How charged the punishment the scroll. I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.''  So reads words from one of the most famous poems ever written,it is called ,'Invictus,',this poem has touched the lives of many people,Nelson Mandela was one of them .One person said it was memorable evocation of Victorian Stoicism,the stiff upper lip.We can think of many people who faced trials, that would have crushed many, with a firmness that was truly remarkable.As a Christian I believe that we are not masters of our fate,we are not the captains of our souls, There is a higher power,a sovereign God who is over all and working all things according to His will,whither people acknowledge it or not. The Lord Jesus taught us to pray,''Your will be done,'' ,and as to facing trials and tribulations of life with a stiff upper lip, many of us have quivering lips.All the disciples fled and forsook Jesus , I am no different, you are no different ,so as to life, and all my goings and comings, I trust it to my God and Father,to lead ,guide and even prosper. And as for facing trials with a stiff upper lip, I will face them prayerfully,praying for the necessary grace to endure,and glorify my God and Saviour.                                                                                                                                                                                                            Lead me gently home. Father,                                                                                                                    Lead me gentle home,                                                                                                                                Mid life's darkest hours, Father,                                                                                                                When sad trials come.                                                                                                                                Keep my heart from, wandering,                                                                                                                Lest my feet should roam;                                                                                                                          Lest I fall upon the wayside,                                                                                                                      Lead me gently home.                                                                                                                                 ( Words....W.L. Thompson )

Amnesia ( John 1 )

It must be very frightening  to suffer from amnesia, when you cannot remember the past, who you are,or whatever ,there are different reasons  why ,one can suffer amnesia. Whatever the reason ,it is not nice, imagine not being able to recognise those you love. Amnesia cant be helped ,but  there is  a spiritual amnesia that can be helped, the ancient Israelites  where inclined to spiritual amnesia,here is what we read in Jeremiah 2 v 32 ,''My people have forgotten me, days without number'', in those times they would have been like Pharaoh who replied to Moses ,''who is the Lord. ''(Ex .5 v 2 ). Sin so distortes  mans  being, that spiritual amnesia settles in., so many are blinded by minds that  for a long time have forgotten that there is a God. They look up into the universe and all they see are stars, and planets ,and fail to remember, the one who created those heavenly bodies..The vast amount of people cannot remember there is a God,who exists, rules and reigns over the whole universe. The result is they live as if there is no God,whom they are accountable to.They look at life with a vacant forgetfulness, not knowing anything about their maker,even denying that they have a maker,choosing to hold unto,the god called evolution.Of course this god does not ask anything of them, neither are they accountable to it,oh no in their spiritual amnesia,they wander lonely as a cloud, not knowing where they came from,or where they are going.The so called smart Alec's of this world , send rockets into space to find out if there is anybody out there.?. Well let me answer that question, there is, and He not only made this world but He visited this world,His name is Jesus , who came to save the forgetful people.

You must be born again. ( John 3 v 7 )

Take yourself back to the days of the early church, Jesus had left and gone back to heaven,but of course His presence was with them, in the person of the Holy Spirit. So it means for them and us  that not only is Jesus with us, He dwells within us, every true Christian has the Holy Spirit within them,this happens when a person is born again ,it is spiritual rebirth,it comes when we trust Jesus as our Saviour (John  1 v 10 - 13). This is does not come about by natural means,it is a work of God,the moment we accept Christ,confessing our sin,for He is a Saviour, sins need forgiven,we become  children of God. Money cannot buy this ,nor can religion  make us children of God ,it is a free gift ( Romans 6 v  23) Everyone is not automatically a child of God ,to those who have never received Jesus we are objects of wrath,Jesus told some very religious people they belonged to their father the devil  ( John 8 v 44 ).  Jesus says there will come a day in when all man will stand in the judgement, claiming to be His, and he will reply, depart from Me I never knew you.( Matthew 7 v 23 ).The serious thing about those words ,these people said they knew Jesus,they were living under a allusion , those who are truly His, are not workers of iniquity.The evidence that we are  Children of God,is manifest in a life that is holy,obedient,loving ,filled with good works.None of these things save us but without them we are showing no evidence that we are true children of God.

Go. ( Matthew 28 v 18 - 20 )

When I younger open  air meetings where still a common thing,now we never see one,but just  recently, I heard a young lady,proclaiming the Gospel,in the open air. While ,away for a few days I heard another person speaking in the open air,both of them where black people.Us white people don't   do open air meetings anymore I wonder why?,I read this recently by Michael Wilcock ,''That there is in truth no such thing as Harmonious co-existence between church and the world, for where there is no conflict it is because the world has taken over ''.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

The future. ( Proverbs 27 v 1 )

The word of God tells us ,that no one knows  what a day will bring forth,( Proverbs 27 v 1 ) many people are dying to know the future ,so they star gaze,people used to tell us ,they could get a message from tea leaves.The fact is not one of us knows about the next 5 seconds ahead of us,but this is what we do know.                                                                                                                                                                                                I do not know what lies ahead,                                                                                                                  the way I cannot see;                                                                                                                                 yet One stands by to be my guide,                                                                                                               He'll show the way to me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              I do not know how many days                                                                                                                  of life are mine to spend;                                                                                                                            But one who knows and cares for me                                                                                                        will keep me to the end;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 I do not know the course ahead,                                                                                                                 what joys and griefs are there;                                                                                                                   but  One is near who fully knows,                                                                                                             I'll trust His loving care;                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                I know who holds the future,                                                                                                                      and He'll guide me with his hand.                                                                                                              with God things don't just happen,                                                                                                            everything by Him is planned                                                                                                                    So as I face  tomorrow
                                                    with its problems ,large and small,                                                                                                            I'll trust the God of miracles,                                                                                                                      give to Him my all.                                                                                                                                   (Words..A.B. Smith)                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Israel ( Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9 )

Lets continue looking at Israel at the time of the Judges ,Consider what Michael Wilcock writes,  ''There is one aspect of the gospel message as Judge conveys it, that Israel cannot save herself'',  No they could not save themselves ,God provided Judges to do it,and they always did. This is a vital point to all the people of the world,we cannot save ourselves, salvation in total is of the Lord CP Jonah 2 v 9 . It means what it says, we cannot save ourselves, no so called natural goodness , can save us,no  religion can save us, no good works can save us CP , Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9.No matter how well meaning you are, sincere you are, whatever,it will not change the truth ,God saves, and Him alone, what does that mean,well first of all we come empty handed to a holy God,with one cry on our lips, mercy,we must also recognise that mercy is received at the cross on which Jesus died.For Jesus work of salvation is the only work that can save us,nothing else .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             When I survey the wondrous Cross                                                                                                           On which the Prince of Glory died,                                                                                                            My richest gain I count but loss,                                                                                                                And pour contempt on all my pride.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Forbid it Lord that I should boast,                                                                                                              Save in the Cross of Christ my God;                                                                                                          All the vain things that charm me most,                                                                                                    I sacrifice them to His blood.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         See from His head, His hands, His feet,                                                                                                     Sorrow and love flow mingled down;                                                                                                        Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,                                                                                                          Or thorns compose so rich a crown?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Were the whole realm of nature mine,                                                                                                       That were an offering  far to small;                                                                                                           Love so amazing, so divine,                                                                                                                       Demands my soul, my life, my all.                                                                                                              ( Words ..... Isaac  Watts   )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Learning from history. ( Psalm 139 v 23 - 24 )

Someone has said,'' Those who will not learn from history ,are doomed to repeat it'',and no where is this seen than in the book of Judges. Here is the theme right through this book, by  M Wilcock.                                                                  Israel sins ( 3 v 7)                                                                                                                                      Israel angers the Lord   ( 3 v 8 a )                                                                                                              Israel is subjected to an oppressor  ( 3 v 9 b )                                                                                            Israel cries to the Lord     ( 3 v 9 a )                                                                                                          A deliverer is raised up    ( 3 v 9 b )                                                    M W points out that the title Judges refer to twelve successive characters in the book, some are not actually called Judges. As one reads this book, and the continual repetition  ,one is tempted to ask, why ?,yes why?,they did not get together and stop repeating the same mistakes ,at no time did they break free from this cycle of events,it did not have to be like this. But let us stop there and and ask the question are we as individuals any different from Israel?.  Most of us have failings, and we have besetting sins, and we keep repeating them causing us trouble, and yet we never learn from our history ,is it not time we stopped repeating those same sins,and stopped bringing havoc into our lives We look further at this tomorrow, here  is a prayer.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Dear Lord help us to take a good look at ourselves,                                                                                 and stop  making excuses, or blaming others for                                                                                       the way we act, in Jesus name Amen                                                                                .                                                                                                                                                                   .                       

He will not change ( Hebrews 13 v 5 - 6 )

 A line from a well known song goes,''The times they are changing'', yes we appear to be world of change,as a man aged 74 ,I can testify to the changes I have witnessed in my short life,from the home I lived in as child to the home I live in now.From using a pen with a nib which one dipped in ink, to write with, trying not to cause the ink to blot as one wrote,to using a computer to write to people. There so many change have and are taking place,one could fill book with them. On the moral front there are changes , in the area of sex, divorce,and in so many other aspects of modern life. And yet we are told that there is nothing new under the sun,oh yes there are many new things ,but for  us all life is repetitive. Yes the times are changing ,but man is still a sinner, that never changes, and never will, and thankfully Gods love never changes, the gospel never changes,these will never change. His promises never change.Mankind can still be changed in a positive good way.and when we put our trust in Jesus,we discover one who will never change.Come what may in Jesus we will be safe and secure,we read that He is bringing many saints to glory,the question is will you be one of them?                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jesus the same yesterday,  today,                                                                                                                 and forever. Hallelujah.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

In a corner ( James 1 v 5 )

I  heard someone say as to their Pastor how he boxed himself into a corner, by his attitude  and what he had said. Like that Pastor I have been there myself , and it is difficult to get out of it,Winston  Churchill's father Lord Randolph  was Chancellor of the Exchequer ,he was a very able politician,but he was opposed to certain things in the government,so he sent a letter a letter of resignation ,hoping it would force change,but his letter of resignation was accepted.and that was the end of his political career. Of course there are things we must take a stand on,truth,holiness, but there are things we must be careful with, and not assume that we can force our ideas on others. We would do well to heed the words of Solomon in Proverbs 15 v 22..''Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed''.Now of course we do not want as Charles Bridges says,to be carried away with every person's opinion,But there are mature godly men or women we could go to,and listen prayerfully to what they have to say.

Job ( James 5 v 11)

''The book of Job is about the unchanging human realities - war, destitution, sickness,humiliation,         bereavement,depression.Also the unchanging goodness of God , who transforms our human agony into justice, kindness,love and joy. It is about the 'terror of the Lord'( 2 Cor 5 v 11 ) and His great  tenderness  ( Jas  5 v 11). It is the story of one man who held on to his life in God with a faith that  survived the torments of utter loss and expanded into new wonders and delight.'' These are word by  Francis I . Anderson in the  preface of his book on Job,the book of Job is one of deep meaning and is helpful to all of us,it challenges all who look to God for a quick fix,and helps us to see that when we loose everything, God remains with us, our  Rock.

Living in sin ( 1 John 1 v 5 v 10 )

Michael Wilcock writes,  '' Never in Life can the Lord's servant claim immunity from Satan's attacks on a heart which is not yet sinless and a body which is still mortal''.I often pray and ask God why some unclean thought comes into my mind?,why are my thoughts not always pure, and I have to raise a prayer and ask God to create in me a clean heart.In Romans 7 we read of the godly apostle  Pauls concern for that law of sin which is within him and indeed in every believer.In Galatians 5 v 16 ff  he writes of the sinful nature which besets him, and every believer, he stresses the different aspects of that fallen nature,'' sexual immorality,impurity and debauchery, idolatry and witchcraft,hatred , discord,jealousy, fits of rage,selfish ambition,dissensions,factions,and envy,; drunkenness,orgies, and the like''Then he gives a solemn warning,''that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God''.Now he is not writing about the normal Christian life,where we may be tempted and even as David  did and fall into sin,I believe that one of  the evidence that we are a  Christian is we do not live in sin.As John writes in 1 John 5 v 18 ,''Anyone born of God does not continue in sin''John Stott  writes the following on these words, ''The new birth results in new behaviour. Sin and the child of God are incompatible. They may occasionally meet; they cannot live together in harmony''

Am I a Saint?. ( Romans 1 v 7 / 1 Timothy 2 v 5 )

I was watching an old movie,the main actor was William Powell,it  was a nice movie, and it touched on something that many dear Roman Catholics, would have appreciated, Sainthood.It involved the thief who was crucified with Jesus,and who confessed the wrongs he had done, and asked Christ to save him,which He did,and the moment he died he went to heaven.And that's it nothing more is said about Him. Now there is no record that He performed any miracle, he was just like the rest of us, a sinner saved by Gods grace,yet in the movie he is classed as a saint , one who we can pray to. Why  attribute to him things he cannot do? he does not hear our prayers and cries for help..If he or anyone else did , then they would be taking Jesus place,and He alone is able to take on board  all that we bring to Him. We cannot make Jesus redundant,oh no,He is our great high priest,the one who saves  us,when we call upon Him like that thief on the cross,and the who ever lives to make intercession for us. The one who is touched with all our weaknesses, the one who alone can help us.Dear  Catholic friend look to Jesus and Him alone,for salvation ,remembering that His saving work on Calvary alone saves us .And keep looking to Him every moment of every day, and here is something that may surprise you ,every true Christian is a saint, C P  Ephesians 1 v 1/ 2 Corinthians 1 v 2. Adrian Rogers said,there are two kinds of people on earth ,''There are saints, and there are ain'ts''

Can I come in? . ( Revelation 3 v 20)

A friend told me the following story, '' A good many years ago a young lad got saved, now he lived in a country where racism was rife,even in Christian churches. Well  the young lad decided he would attend a particular church,but was turned away. He sat outside the church building very sad,and a person came and sat, and it was Jesus. He spoke to the lad asking him why he was sad,the young lad said they would not let in .well said Jesus ,''don't worry, I have been trying to get into that church for years''. In Revelations 3 v  20, we read ,''Here I am, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come and eat with him, and he  with me.'' These words where written to a church.but they can apply to anybody, who keeps Jesus outside their lives.

The lottery ( Luke 12 v 16 - 21 )

I received an invitation to enter the post code lottery,years ago people did the football pools,lotteries have become big business all over the world. The question is this if  a person won a lottery prize,would  all their troubles fade away?,would life hold nothing  but unrefined joy,now don't get me wrong, there is nothing nice about being really poor,where children go hungry, and when illness comes ,and you no money to buy medicine..There are many in this world who suffer so much because of poverty.  But most people in this country, have homes,food education,doctors,colour TVs,cars ,holidays etc, and yet they think if they  had a lot of money their lives would be perfect. Not so because we live in a fallen world, money does not solve everything, it never will.The castles we build for ourselves can so easily fall down, our hoarded nest eggs can suddenly vanish.We think they will last for ever and a day,but they wont,for the grim reaper will break into all our lives,and then what.?.So many ,many people live as if they do not need God,the reality is,He above all else is what we need most.Jesus says to all us follow me just like He said to the the disciples of old.Not to a life without problems, but a life with the problem solver.Not to a life fashioned to our dreams and desires  ,but a life that sees beyond every sorrow ,pain ,and disappointment ,to a greater glory. The journey may be difficult, but  there will be one with all those who trust  Jesus ,every  step of the way.

Walking with sorrow. ( Luke 24 v 13- 32 )

Robert Browning wrote a poem , called,'Along the Road'.

                                             I walked a mile with pleasure,                                                                                                                   She chattered all the way,                                                                                                                           But left me none the wiser                                                                                                                         For all she had to say.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     I walked a mile with sorrow,                                                                                                                     And ne'er a word said she,                                                                                                                         But, oh,the things I learned from her                                                                                                         When sorrow walked with me.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           In the book of Ecclesiastes 7 v 2 - 3, we read                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           It is better to go to the house of mourning                                                                                                 Than to go to a house of feasting,                                                                                                             for death is the destiny of every man;                                                                                                       the living  should take  this to heart.                                                                                                         Sorrow is better than laughter,                                                                                                                   because a sad face is good for the heart.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Dear Lord,                                                                                                                                   Teach us to number our days aright that                                                                                                   that we may gain a heart of wisdom.                                                                                                                         Amen.                                                                                                                                                                 

I did it my way ( Exodus 20 v 1 - 17 )

Someone once said,''The first of all human instincts, is the instinct to do what we like'',Rudyard Kipling wrote,'' Ship me some wheres east of  Suez, where the best is like the worst, Where there aren't no Ten Commandments,an' a man can raise a thirst''. It has always been,its part of our fallen nature,when Satan tempted Eve, knowing what God said, and the consequences of disobeying,she went ahead. Genesis 2 v 15 - 17.  Every day millions of people break the laws of whatever country they live in,there is never a day that the speed limit  is not broken.We like doing our own thing,irrespective of the laws of our country. and as for God telling us what to do,or not do,we fudge the issue by saying God is a loving God, and those who raise concerns about sexual behaviour,are told they are being intolerant,and unloving, and only stirring up hate. Sin has become the unmentionable, in fact God has become the unmentionable,for  if you move God out of the picture,then we need not fear a holy God, what we do in the bedroom and who we do it with ,is nobodies business. The cry of modern man is the same cry that the ancient Pharaoh made to Moses,  ''Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him'' (Exodus 5 v 2 ), and we know what happened to him.

Hallelujah. ( Ephesians 5 v 20 )

I sometimes become emotional when I consider how kind my Loving Heavenly Father is to me,I come from a one parent family,my mother was married ,but left my father, early in my life. The result being she had to bring us up herself,I had three brothers and ,two sisters,in those far of days, there was very little given to single parents.I did not enjoy school and left at the age fifteen ,I had no qualifications.So none of the jobs I worked paid much,when I got married we got along as best we could. The turning point in my life was when I came back to the Lord,and He looked after us,like Paul I can praise God He has taught me to be content,with little or much, When we went to Bible college we trusted God to meet our needs,and He did just that,I am an ordained minister, but it was not Gods will that I should be full time,so I had a a number of Jobs,the last one was a position in a mental health  team,which I  worked at for 23 years.Now I am retired and as I reflect on all the way God has blessed me,I have a wonderful Saviour, and the only thing I can say is,  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, which means simply Praise the Lord..

Broad or narrow road? ( John 3 v 16 )

During the battle of El Alamein ,some of the Allied forces  were making their way along a narrow  pathway, the Germans had lade land mines on either side of it.Some soldiers did stray of the narrow path and where killed. It reminded me of what our Saviour taught in Matthew 7 v 13 - 14 ,about a broad road, and a narrow road. First the broad road it is easy to enter that road and many do , yes I look out on this world and the thing  that saddens me, the vast majority of people are on this broad road. Now this broad road is not a road to no where,no Jesus tells us ,that it leads to destruction.In other words it leads its travellers to utter ruin.I need to continually remind people that the bible teaches of an after life in either Hell or Heaven.The narrow road leads to life,not the place of the dead,but to the place of eternal joy,to all who have trusted Jesus as their Saviour (John 10 v 9 ) Jesus ends his teaching by saying only a few find that narrow road. Remember the majority are not always right , so many never give very serious thought to life's end. Everyone should be asking the question ,''Where am I going to spend eternity?'',will it be heaven or hell?'. As you read these words what is your reply?

Amazing Grace. ( Ephesians 2 v 10 )

A man was talking on the radio about the events in USA of  the protests during the civil rights movement. He spoke of how on one march they were attacked,it was very frightening,but the protesters were determined to not give up.So they marched the next evening, they were soon surrounded by a racist crowd ,many of them had table legs,in which to attack the protesters,the man telling the events of that evening,said he felt real fear.But just at that moment someone started singing , 'Amazing Grace', and as the protesters moved  forward , a pathway through  the racist mob opened up so letting them walk through.The racist were confused by the hymn being sung as it was one of the hymns they sung in their church . Amazing Grace, saved the day,Gods amazing Grace.That amazing  grace did not only save the day,it has saved multitudes ,it has sustained multitudes,it has strengthened multitudes.                                                                                                                                                                                      Amazing grace how sweet the sound                                                                                                        That saved a wretch like me,                                                                                                                       I once was lost, but now am found,                                                                                                            Was blind, but now I see.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,                                                                                                     And grace my fears relieved  ;                                                                                                                   How precious did that Grace appear,                                                                                                         The  hour I first believed.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Through many dangers ,toils and snares,                                                                                                   I have already come;                                                                                                                                 Tis grace has brought me safe thus far                                                                                                       And grace will lead me home,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        The Lord has promised good to me,                                                                                                          His word my hope secures;                                                                                                                        He will my Shield and Portion be,                                                                                                            As long as life endures.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  Yes, when this flesh and heart  shall fail,                                                                                                   And mortal life shall cease,                                                                                                                       I shall possess  within the veil,                                                                                                                   A life of joy and peace                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   When we've been there a thousand years,                                                                                                  Bright shining as the sun,                                                                                                                           We've no less days to sing God's praise,                                                                                                  Than when we first begun.                                                                                                                             ( John Newton )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Gods timetable. ( Habakkuk 2 v 3 )

I often reflect on Gods timing in my life,how things happened at just the right time.Even so I must remember that there is my timetable and Gods timetable. This is seen in the early church as regards the second coming of our Lord Jesus. They had hoped that He would come soon and when it did not happen, Peter had to remind them of mans timetable and Gods,'' But do not forget this one thing ,dear friends; With the Lord a day is like a thousand years ,and a thousand years are like a day''(2 Peter 3 v 8 ).There are people who say that Paul expected Christ to come, in his life time, I believe he hoped that would be ,every generation of Christians hope Christ will come, in their lifetime,that is why it is called the blessed hope. Many of the promises given to Old  Testament saints,did not get fulfilled in their lifetime,but they did get fulfilled at the time of Gods choosing.         Every promise is set to Gods timetable,some happen immediately, but the vital thing to remember is, it will happen,no power on earth can stop it from happening.If it is a promise concerning a need, a job, God will undertake, in His time,coinciding with the promise God desires that we believe, faith in Gods word,will be rewarded,and is pleasing to God ( Hebrews 11 v 6 )

A man possessed . ( John 8 v 34 )

I was speaking recently on Judas Iscariot,people speculate as to why he betrayed Jesus ,well we do not have to speculate. If we stick to what is revealed in Scripture, well the first thing we are told about him he was a thief John 12 v 6, this was said about him,when he he complained about the woman who poured expensive perfume over Jesus. The woman did this as a lovely act of  devotion to Jesus ,in relation to His death.The  next thing we see about Judas he did not care for the poor ( John 12 v 5 ), he would not have agreed that the poor where blessed (Luke 6 v 20 ).Unlike Jesus who was caring and loving he was uncaring ,he was given a position of trust,and he turned out untrustworthy ,for he was the in charge of the finances, but he cooked the books, helping himself,to what we wanted.When Jesus rebuked him for  his reproaching the woman who poured the perfume over Jesus  feet, he must have felt hard done by,for the money would have gone into the common purse,which he had control of. He immediately went to the chief priests,to betray Jesus for money.This was a man who was controlled by a lust for money,and did not care how he got it.And of course the devil took every advantage of  this man,as he will with any of us if we open ourselves to him. Our lusts can so easily control us,so much so we do not care as to others,not care as regards to the consequences. Like Judas the devil can then take advantage and use us for his own filthy ends and even for our destruction,for make no mistake about Judas,there was only one place Judas would end up,and it was not Heaven.

Gods strange...... ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 7 )

So many people ,yes even Christians,bring God down to their level,they judge God, even condemn Him,they point the finger and say that's not right,He should not act like that,why does He not do something ,why did He let that happen. You may be thinking like that ,even the prophet Habakkuk voiced a why?, then there where people who would doubt that the Lord was coming,because they where judging Him from a purely human level,limiting the eternal God to being a creature of time. It was the people at the at the time of Isaiah who could not grasp the God who is merciful,Islam cannot grasp this as many of their followers slaughter  dear people,they see God purely as a fearsome judge.The people of our Lords day thought like this , they could not understand,when he reached out to those they considered sinners,forgetting that  all our sinners.Gods strange ways,His strange love,His strange mercy,His strange forgiveness. Yes strange but its a beautiful strangeness,let us   stop judging God ,from our limited human, position ,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        For my thoughts are not your thoughts,                                                                                                    nor are your ways My ways,says the                                                                                                        Lord.''For as the heavens are higher than                                                                                                  the earth,so are my ways higher than your                                                                                                ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Oh, the depth of the riches both of the                                                                                                       wisdom and knowledge of God. How                                                                                                       unsearchable are His judgements and                                                                                                         and His ways past finding out.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       ( Isaiah 55 v 8 - 9 /  Romans 11 v 33)

Distinctness. ( Matthew 7 v 16 )

When I was a young Christian, Christians were distinct from non-Christian,in that we did not go to places of entertainment,we did not smoke ,or drink, gambling  was considered wrong. I remember playing darts with my workmates ,and a person who I considered a friend snubbed me. TV was considered by many out of bounds, and for a long time I did not have one, Women were frowned on if they  put on make up,or if they  wore trousers,,(slacks or jeans).  The term worldliness was often mentioned  and if you  went against the fore mentioned things ,you were considered worldly. .We were seeking to be separate from the world, I personally am glad that I gave up smoking, and drinking,and stopped gambling ,I do not think I was deprived of anything and am the better for it.. Alec Motyer writes,'' This sort of isolationist difference is not what  the Bible looks for. We are called,rather,  to ransack Scriptures to discover the distinctive features of a godly lifestyle and to follow through with a discipline of obedience to the word of God. ''                                                                                                         ''The Lord desires His people to be distinct,                                                                                               He wants us to live in the courts of earth                                                                                                   according to the rules of the courts of heaven''                                                                                                    (  A. Motyer  )