Money . ( Luke 6 v 38 )

Money,money,money,we all need money, it is important to treat it with respect,we are not meant to love money ( 1 Timothy 6 v 10 ), when it comes to money ,we are to act responsibly, Joyce Meyer had three rules as regards money, spend ,give, save. A lot of people would save save themselves a lot of  pain, and trouble if they followed  those  rules. As regards giving,there are so many  needs in this world ,we just cannot give to them all, but we should give to some,as God as we are able .My wife and I set a certain portion of money aside every month,to give as God directs us. But of course it is not rigid ,if we see homeless people , or we see or hear of a need, if we can we should give. It saddens me when I hear of church leaders going on about money all the time, they are not to milk the people of God .dry, by putting them on a guilt trip.There is nothing so sad  as church leaders exploiting their  congregation. T V evangelists are notorious for this practise, to their shame,not all of them thankfully.                                                                                                                                                                                                                         A prayer                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Dear Lord grant us all a generous spirit,                                                                                                    in relation to our money,and time,                                                                                                                           In your  name                                                                                                                                                    Amen.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        .                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Don't give up ( Hebrews 11 v 35b - 39 )

In the Bible we read of those who give up following the Lord,and I personally know many who have .There are many reasons why this happens, in 2 Timothy 4 v 10, we read, ''Demas,because he loved this world, has deserted me''.One of the temptations that the Devil used against the Lord was connected with the world and its splendour,  ( Matthew 4 v 8 ) but of course He rejected his offer. Moses we read rejected the glory of Egypt and all that this meant, why ? because he saw a greater glory, not with his natural eyes, but with the eye of faith. ( Hebrews 11 v 24 - 27 ) The world has in one sense much to offer us, and in another sense it has little to offer us,it depends  on how we view the world and its tempting offers, with our natural sight, or with the eyes  of faith.Yes the world can offer us pleasure, and so we go back,which leads unto perplexities . It was Jobs wife who tempted  him to curse God,(Job 2 v 10 ),but Job resisted that temptation, and said something we all need to hear,''shall we accept good from God, and not trouble''.Because our world falls apart ,tragedy strikes, and we like Jobs wife see faith in God as pointless,we are perplexed,and refuse to trust God to help us through, so we give up.It is sad when Christian's  receive hurts from other Christians,even from their ministers,or even their best friends. Whatever it may be ,there is no guarantee that we will not experience it,we live in a fallen planet,that will never change,never.The abiding truth is this, the only hope for us,and the safest place for us, is to abide in Christ,to not go back,to not give up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            John Bunyan spent 12 years in prison                                                                                                        for simply preaching God's word. He                                                                                                        lived in danger of  being executed                                                                                                            many where.His first wife died leaving                                                                                                    with 4 children,one of them blind.                                                                                                                          He wrote                                                                                                                                      He who would valiant be gainst all disaster                                                                                              Let him in constancy, follow the Master,                                                                                                  There's no discouragement,shall make him                                                                                               once relent. His first avowed intent,  to be                                                                                                 a pilgrim.                                                                                                                                                                     HE DID NOT GIVE UP.

Status ( 1 John 2 v 16 - 17 )

A new store opened in the shopping complex near where I live, so I gave it a visit, it sold designer clothing and footwear.A percentage of what was being sold was reduced like the 550 pound trainers.I choose not to buy anything,because one would be simply going for a status symbol. As I drove home empty handed (of course I had my hands on the steering wheel,just in case I was breaking the law) I listened to a radio program ,about those who fly for points, it all sounded a bit weird ,the more they fly the more points they get which goes towards more  flying.They visit places all over the world but they do not leave the airports they just travel,they just swap planes or go back on the same plane. This has nothing to do with those who receive points through their normal flying ,it is about status. Status symbols are important to people, when I became a minister I wore a clerical collar ,known as a 'dog collar',I felt it give me standing or status. Of course none of these things are important, often they  come under what Gods word calls the pride of  life..1 John 2 v 16.the pride of life belongs to what is called a trinity of evil,the other two are,the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Do not set your hearts on the godless world                                                                                              or anything in it. Anyone who loves the world                                                                                          is a stranger to the Father's love.Everything the                                                                                        world affords,all that panders to the appetites                                                                                            or entices the eyes,all the glamour of its life,                                                                                            springs not from the Father but from the godless                                                                                      world.And that world is passing away with all                                                                                         its allurements, but he who does God's will                                                                                               stands for ever.                                                       

God's way, God's word. ( Daniel 3 )

It is Selwyn Hughes who makes a very obvious statement that one of the purposes of the Bible ,not least being a manual of instruction.. The Christian is called to live in a God instructed way,which will differ from the non- Christian way. When I was young I visited a Salvation army meeting,there was  a young unmarried couple,and they had engaged in sex, the result was she became pregnant This was consider unworthy for a Christian, they  sought forgiveness at the mercy seat. I read in a news paper a young lady who said she would never dream of marrying someone, she had not lived with.So it is that Christians are engaging in similar practises, I highlight  these things but there are many other things we could mention,many Christians drink alcohol to access . .Now of course in raising these things we must never be like the Pharisees, who had a holier than I  attitude, Jesus  told us not to judge as the Pharisees did,but to judge righteous judgement ( John 7 v 24 ) The Pharisees were out for blood,stoning the order of the day, Jesus judgement was one that sought to recover  the sinner from  their sinful ways . I hope I have not strayed to far from my point,I will end by quoting S/H  who stresses one aspect of Gods word,'' is for us to  use as a manual of instruction, so that we can learn how to follow God and discover answers to the problems of daily living, and thus show the world a new approach to life''                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

But they are all doing it.. ( Matthew 7 v 13 - 14 )

Many people quote J.B. Phillips translation of Romans 12 v 2, which reads,''Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within,so that you may prove in practise that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards  the goal of true maturity''. It is Mary. J. Evans, who writes the following,'' We are all influenced  by the culture,the worldview of the society in which we  live. It is vitally important for us to recognise that God's view of the world is sometimes very different and to learn to critique even as we observe our own cultures.'' Consider the media ,we seem to be expected to accept so many things that they push at us,abortion,homosexuality ,materialism, violence. As to the old west it appears they glorified thieves,robbers, and murders, many bankers had, and may still have a culture that is questionable..                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Remember it is a narrow but straight                                                                                                                      Road we are called                                                                                                                                           to walk.

How much interest? ( Matthew 25 v 31 - 46 )

I had an email informing me that someone had set up a direct debit on my account, which we knew  nothing about,we hopefully have sorted it out, if not then all donations appreciated. Anyway in this age when so much of our business is done on line,security of our finances have become  a big  issue.Many dear people have given information to strangers on the phone, and have lost a lot of money. It raises the question can our finances be ever really secure?,now of course this is not new, Jesus reminds us all ,how thieves can break in and steal from us ( Matthew 6 v 19 ),Sadly we can set our hearts upon them, instead upon God,and others.So He tells us to lay up treasures in heaven, what does that mean?,well it does not mean that we can buy our way into heaven ( 1 Peter 1 v 18 -19 ). It means doing good,being generous, A certain king was criticised by his family for giving all his treasures to the  poor in the year of famine.His critics reminded him how his father had  accumulated great wealth,but he had squandered his.He replied,' my father had gathered treasures for below,I have gathered treasures for above'.If God has given you great treasures,the question is what great good have you done , Jesus is not just speaking to the very rich  but to all of us ,as how we have helped others?,well how have we  helped others.?

A book that changed my life ( James 1 v 20 )

I read an article written by a successful writer, called ,' Books that changed my life', it goes back to when she was an aspiring writer.I love reading ,the earliest books I remember where, 'Robinson Crusoe,' and 'Tom Sawyer'. Because I enjoyed them they encouraged me to read ,I  know some Christians do not read fiction,but I do,I enjoyed Robert Harris, book Conclave,a fictitious book on the electing of a new Pope, really compelling and fascinating .An  old friend passes on to me ,'Readers Digest', the first thing I turn to ,is the article called 'Laugh',it has 3 pages of jokes, I must ,I know ,what you are going to say,not a joke,yes  here goes,'' My grandmother started walking  five miles a day when she was 60. She's 97 now and we don't know where on earth she is''.Now in case you are one of those people  who would judge me, remember the bible says ,that there is 'a time to weep and a time to laugh'. ( Ecclesiastes 3 v 4 )
                                                        A prayer.                                                                                                                              Dear Lord we thank you for being able to                                                                                                laugh,that you give us a sense of humour.                                                                                                                       Amen.

The ministry ( Ephesians 6 v 19 - 20 )

My front door needed adjusted, the problem is who can I get to fix?, as I look back on jobs, people did for me,there were those who didn't do a very good job.Possible the problem with my door was caused by someone in the past.thankfully I got the door fixed,by a man who was well qualified.Now when it comes to the word of God, it is vital that I study Gods word,in order to explain it correctly ( 2 Timothy 2 v 15 ). When I was at Bible college ,one of the lecturers said,if one is called to the ministry,it will mean a life time of study. As Paul reminds in so doing we have Gods approval, I read different books, but my main reading and studying  is the bible. I have a library of books that aid me in my study,I use different commentaries, concordances, I  have just purchased  a bible with Strong's Hebrew and Greek dictionary of the Old and New Testament .I personally do not know Hebrew or Greek. In my studying of Gods word, I at all times hold fast to the truths therein,and preach it,it is a sad truth that many in the ministry do not hold to biblical truths,that is very sad, for they are doing untold damage to those they minister to. Sad though it may be I can only be responsible for my own God given ministry, I will not be accountable for those who do not preach  the whole council of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                          A minister must preach the truth                                                                                                                the whole truth,and nothing but the                                                                                                                              truth.                                                                                                                                                                                                     

He is altogether lovely ( Song of Solomon 5 v 16 )

Mary J. Evans , writes, '' Hero worship, even of great biblical characters, is not recommended''.the same goes in life  ,and in the present church,or missionaries , ministers.Yes we can have our hero's, but we must remember and never forget the best of men are but flawed men. Now take David,a wonderful man ,brave , forgiving, sometimes, a wonderful prayer life, but a very flawed individual,  was he a good father?,was he a good husband?  . Yes of course we love David,our wives love us,our children love us, in spite of our many flaws. I was all dressed up , then I noticed a double crease on one leg of my trousers. that simple thing reminded me like David I get things wrong, we all do,so  ,so remember, no hero worship.                                                                                                                                                                          Let us turn our eyes upon Jesus                                                                                                                           and worship Him.

A book that changed my life. ( Psalms 119 v 105 )

Of course the book that has changed many people lives is the bible,that goes for me,because it is a living word it continues to change my life. Where I could be unforgiven, the bible challenges me to forgive,where I be tempted  in many areas of my life,the bible challenges me to not yield to temptation.When I am struggling  the Bible tells that God is there to help me cope and even overcome my difficulties.I am told that God will meet my needs and He does,whatever that need may be. I am assured continually that my Saviour is with me, watching over me,guiding me.When I  feel panic rising in my heart,He tells me,trust Me,and when I think of dying I am assured of a wonderful future,beyond death, in which everything will perfect. From an early age,the bible assured me that I had a Father called God.All this came into place when Christ became my Saviour and my Lord,and I became a child of God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    The living word of God changed my life,                                                                                                   and it can change your life.

What Jesus said. ( Matthew 8 v 11 - 12 )

In Matthew 8 v 11 - 12, spoken in response to a Roman centurion who had a serious ill servant,      would  Jesus  heal him. What follows caused Jesus to marvel at this non Jewish   man's faith,for  he says to Jesus,to speak and his servant would be healed. The conversation widens out , which  would challenge the Jewish exclusiveness, and would even challenge them to question their standing before God.  Jesus took this opportunity to give hope to the world,the kingdom of God is no longer to be limited, but will include those from every tribe, not just from the 12 tribes of Israel,and every tongue, not just of the Hebrew tongue,people from all over the world. ( Revelation 5 v 9 ) ''Next Jesus goes on on to speak to those who considered themselves as those who thought that because of their ancestry they had automatic entrance into the kingdom of God.( John 8 v  31 - 59 ). These are the unrepentant Jews ,''(From my study Bible) ,Not only will they not gain entrance into Gods eternal kingdom ,but they will be cast out into the outer darkness , in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.These words remind us that contrary to what many people think ,death is not the end,and that eternal glory awaiting all who accept Jesus,and eternal judgement for those who don't.

He just touched it ( 2 Samuel 6 )

When  David became king and things were going well for him,his mind turned to the Ark of God or the Ark of the covenant ,which was being kept by a family in a place called Kiriath-jearim, it had stayed there for twenty years.after the battle with the Philistines ( 1 Sam 7 ) David decided to bring the Ark to Jerusalem,so they placed the Ark on a new cart and headed back to Jerusalem . Everybody was celebrating and the bands played, wonderful,then something happened that stopped everyone in their tracks.,a man touched the Ark ,thinking it was going to fall of the cart,but the moment he did that, the Lord struck him down for his irreverent action and he died.Davids immediate response was anger and then then fear.It may seem an innocent thing to simply touch the Ark, but it wasn't. God forbid anyone to touch it on power of death ( Numbers 4 v 15 ),and the Ark was meant to be carried. Deuteronomy 4 v 2  / 5 v 32 / 12 v 32 .  stresses the importance of doing exactly what  God commands,to not deviate from it in any way or there would be consequences. Uzzah paid the price for disobedience ,the same would have happened to David if he had touched the Ark.It is Mary J.Evans who writes''Our conviction that God is' nice and would never do anything that we might not like ,makes passages like this one difficult for us. We need to grasp much more clearly what it means to say ,that God is holy.......Passages like this force us to take seriously how strongly God feels about placing our preferences before His revealed will''                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Gods instructions were not to be so                                                                                                                          lightly dismissed.                                                                                                                                           ( M.J.Evans)                                                                                                                   

Lock your cars ( 1 Thessalonians 5 v 9 )

One of my boys and his family live in an area which they feel is reasonably safe,when he goes home he dose not lock his car.So when he came out one morning he discovered that someone had got into his car and stole his sat nav. I often hear older people talking about when they where young ,they didn't lock their doors, maybe that was true,as it was a more closed society,less mobile society.It may be sad to think that we cannot leave our cars unlocked,or our houses unlocked.but the reality is we live on a fallen planet,we are all sinners, oh no we will not necessary,rob someone,but the reality of our fallen nature will in some way show its self,we glibly say, no one is perfect,not only is no one perfect we are sinners,thats the truth,the whole truth,and nothing but the truth,and without exception we need  a Saviour,for sooner than you may think,it will catch up on you,your sin will find you out . In the book of  Revelation 20 v  13 we read that a record of our deeds is being kept in heaven ,imagine ,that every wrong thought,word, and deed that we have ever committed will be revealed,and judgement will fall,there will be no escape ,no heaven,only.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Christ came into this world to                                                                                                                              save sinners                                                                                                                                                      that                                                                                                                                                            means                                                                                                                                                            you.

Faith Road. ( Hebrews 12 v 2 )

Have faith in God, because those in the kingdom of God,enter it by faith,and are challenged to live by faith. Faith in  God means we tare rusting in God who is invisible if my memory serves me right a Russian astronaut made a cynical comment in space as regards no evidence of God.As a Christian I worship a God who is invisible ,that His being is a mystery ,and whose ways are also a mystery.Likewise I believe in a Saviour whom I have never seen, yet I love Him and I believe He loves me. There is are so many things I cannot explain,and  may never explain,this side of eternity. God alone  knows all things, when I come to him in prayer,it is a way in which I can communicate with Him, I am not talking to myself,or the ceiling,no to my God who is also my loving heavenly Father. The road that I am on is called, ' Faith Road', I started on this road when Christ became my Saviour,as I journey on I sometimes loose my way,but God the Holy Spirit,gently draws me back again. On Faith Road,I will meet many obstacles, but by Gods grace, through faith I carry on,.By faith I keep my eyes on Jesus who  says, do not be like Peter who began to drown, because he took his eyes of me, His faith turned into unbelief, but I held him up.I must confess I am a bit like Peter, but I know by faith that Peters Lord is my Lord, and each time I fall,He will lift me up and help me to stand.

God is ( Isaiah 40 v 18 ff )

I noticed that a strange look came  over the face of a Mormon, when I said,'God is not a man' ( Numbers 23 v  19 ), for they believe that God has become human,according to them God has a body. It appears they do not accept the scripture that tells us ,that God is Spirit ( John 4 v 24 ).God has no eyes but He can see,He has no mouth, but He can speak, He has no ears but he can hear,He has no ,and so we could go on.The Bible refers to Gods hands,His mouth, His face,the word that is used for this practice is called anthropomorphism,I read the following on this subject,''The use of human terminology to talk about God is necessary when we in our limitations wish to express truths about Deity, who by his very nature cannot be described or known ,without anthropomophic expressions,this  Theological reality would remain inexplicable'' In other words it is a simple  way in which we can,relate to one,whose being is beyond our understanding.

The Christian hope.( Romans 5 v 2 )

'But now abide, faith,hope .and love',we read these words in 1 Corinthians 13 v 12, William Barclay says that these are the three great pillars of the Christian faith.Let us consider 'Hope'.I heard Billy Graham speaking on ,'you tube',of a conversation he had with Winston Churchill ,and how WC expressed great concern as to the state of the country and hr ask Billy what hope was there.Many people in this world live with no hope. The bible writes of  those who know not Christ as ,'having no hope and without  God in this world ( Ephesians 2 v  12 ) The bible speaks of ,' Christ in you, the hope of glory', ( Colossians 1 v 27), Jesus said I give unto those who trust Him eternal life, and they shall never perish  ( John 10 v 28 ). We will all die one day or another we have a wonderful hope that death for the Christian is a door into Heaven. Make no mistake only those who trust have eternal life, simple because only Christ death on the cross,deals effectively with sin, unforgiven sinners cannot enter into heaven, cannot.W. Barclay states,''the Christian is on his way, not to death, but to life''. The Christian has a sure and certain  hope that helps them face  death, as the old hymn declares,''I have hope that will surely endure after the passing of time.''

Growing faith. ( Psalm 119 v 105 )

Many people are like Thomas who said,''Unless I see'',(John 20 v 25 ),although it may sound different ,they cry out how can this be,not so long ago I spoke to a man on holiday.He had attended a Alpha course. He could not accept  the miracles, to him they were just made up stories that were  not real.In response to what Thomas said, Jesus said ,''blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed'' ( v 29 )That's the challenge  Christians must accept,the way of faith. Selwyn Hughes writes, ''A growing faith comes to see that it is God's world and believes it.As W.E. Sangster said,'not by shutting one's eyes to the apparent contradictions that are in the world but by believing that to God there are none', Faith is always at its best and is most robust when it is faith in the faithfulness of God.When we can see that the apparent contradictions only disguise the  love which burns  in all things, then we are really growing''.For our faith to grow,then we must feed as it were on Gods words  ,seek to understand Gods word,trust Gods word.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         How firm a foundation,ye saints of the Lord,                                                                                           Is laid for your faith in His excellent word,                                                                                               What more can He say than to you He hath said,                                                                                     You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled.

David ( 1 Samuel 28 - 30 )

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Starving Christians. ( Matthew 4 v 4 )

It is surprising and sad that some Christians never consistently read Gods word, and those who do read ,have  so little understanding of it.There are a number of things that we need to avail ourselves to,if we are grow spiritually,read and understanding Gods word,in Acts 8 v 26 - 40 we read how Philip met a Ethiopian who was returning home in his chariot,and was read from Isaiah 53 when Philip asked him the all important question, ''Do you understand what you are leading?''. He confessed that he needed someone to teach him.So for a short time Philip explained what the passage from Isaiah 53 meant,that it spoke of Jesus.The result was this man came to faith in Christ, I read this in one my daily devotions by C.S.Lewis who pointed out' that many people drifted away from their faith because they did not put their faith on the Word of God'. Jesus ,when he was starving after 40 days of fasting said,''man shall live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded from the mouth of God. ( Matthew 4 v 4 )                                                                                                                                                                               Make Gods word your daily bread.

Fragile. ( Matthew 11 v 2 8 )

Sometimes I feel fragile,it may surprise us to to know how fragile some people are, having worked  with mentally ill people for 23 years, I am conscious that mental illness  can happen to anyone,it is an illness of the mind..We  only see the outside,hiding behind a mask,that gives us the impression that all is well. A sound mind is a great blessing be thankful that you have a sound mind,for  you would not want to suffer from a mental illness.Many people can not understand mental illness,and think people should pull themselves together. In its severest form mental illness,can effect some people so badly, that they become prisoners in their own homes.Many people who are mentally ill hear voices,usually a number of voices,or just one,and usually the voices or voice speaks very negative things to that person,they say awful things,swearing,nothing very nice.Then there are those who have continual nightmares,which effects their sleep pattern,when the person is deprived of sleep,the persons mental illness increases. They may feel that their is always someone trying to kill them, to them it is real,even though its not. Most people who are mentally ill  are not violent,but some are,especially if they stop taking their medication,sad to say that the violence is mainly to themselves,self harm,attempting suicide,and unfortunately succeeding in the latter. I am just trying to give you a little bit of insight to mental illness,let us remember they are people who need to be loved,for God loves them,and so should we.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Dear God have mercy upon those who are mentally ill,bless their dear families                                     as they do their best to support them,likewise bless those who work with people                                   with mental illness in Jesus name Amen.

Live it out ( Ephesians 2 v 10 )

Mary J. Evans writing about and how David acted toward King Saul,he would not harm him,even though the king  sought continually  to put David to death.David was tempted to kill king Saul,but did not yield to temptation. Mary writes the following,''Davids theology was,at least at his best times, not restricted to his poetry but was worked out in his life day by day.''  That is the challenge for all of us,it reminds us of what we are told in James 2 v 18, ''Show me your faith'', there must be from all of us the reality of our faith in our lives,or else our claim to be a Christian is fraudulent.Now I know that not one of us, is perfectly following the Lord, but we must  have that as our aim,if not we are fooling ourselves. Our Saviour challenged his listeners to believe  on the evidence of the miracles He had performed  (  John 14 v 11 ).So the challenge for us  is to be like David, to live out our theology in our lives day by day.

Life beats hate ( 1 Corinthians 13 )

'Life beats hate' is a title of a book written by Anthony Ray Hinton who was wrongly convicted of murder and spent 30 years on death row,where he learned an inspirational lesson,so read the article in a Readers Digest.It goes on to tell us how for the first few years he was consumed by hate, until he      he realised that ''hate was a choice'', and  one he didn't want to make anymore. The choice is not easy but it is the best choice, for all of us,may God grant us the grace to make the right choice.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Jesus prayed on the cross,                                                                                                                                 Father forgive.                                                                                                                                            ( Luke 23 v  34 )

The King's heart ( Ephesians 1 v 11 )

The kings heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes. ( Proverbs 21 v 1 )  The heart as is used here stands for that inner self ,the will,feelings,intellect,in this case the place where we may reach decisions.Charles Bridges writes,''The king's heart God directs as a  responsible agent, without interfering with the moral liberty of his will. ''. God can grant favour in that interview for a job,in that promotion,in that place of persecution,in that dispute whatever it may be.Read the life of Joseph  ,from being a prisoner,to being a joint ruler of Egypt,how did that happen?,the Lord was with him.Likewise the case of Daniel and his friends the Lord was with them, like Joseph they were promoted to high places of authority and trust.Again as CB writes ''The hearts of wicked kings are in the hands   of the Lord,yet He hath no part in their wickedness''.   In spite of evil rulers, God overrules,for He is sovereign, although it appears that so called mighty powers rule,there is a greater power, the throne of heaven is not empty,no,our sovereign Lord Jesus rules.                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Hast  thou not known,hast thou not heard,                                                                                                 That firm remains on high                                                                                                                         The everlasting throne on high                                                                                                                   Who formed the earth and sky?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     Art thou afraid His power shall fail                                                                                                           When comes thy evil day?                                                                                                                         And can an all -creating arm                                                                                                                     Grow weary or decay?                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Supreme in wisdom as in power                                                                                                               The rock of ages stands;                                                                                                                             Though Him thou canst see, nor trace                                                                                                       The working of His hands.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             He gives the conquest to the weak,                                                                                                           Supports the fainting heart;                                                                                                                       And courage in the evil hour                                                                                                                     His heavenly aids impart..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Mere  human power shall fast decay                                                                                                          And youthful vigour cease                                                                                                                        But they who wait upon the Lord                                                                                                              In strength shall still increase.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       They with unwearied feet shall tread                                                                                                         The path of life divine,                                                                                                                               With growing ardour onward  move,                                                                                                         With growing brightness shine.                                                                                                                        ( Isaac  Watts )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

Honour ( Revelation 5 )

I have read and preached from 1 Samuel  many times,so I was surprised that I had missed something of importance it relates to king Saul ,it was after he had fought with the Amalekites, ,we read in 15 v 12, that he' ,set up a monument in his own honour'. It indicates to me,that here is a man who lost the plot, what do dictators do, they have statues of themselves erected .Mankind is full of thieves, who rob God of His honour,the scientist, have robbed God as the one who created all things.Saul should have raised up a monument to God, who had given him the victory.The challenge that comes to us all are we giving glory to God?.are we honouring Him?.or are we like king Saul, We owe everything to God,the victories,the achievements,do we give Him the honour?,let us start to give God the honour.;                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Those who honour me I will  honour                                                                                                                     ( 1 Samuel 2 v 30 )                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Deliverance ( John 17 v 6 - 12 )

'And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one', 'Temptation, can mean a trial of ones character,of ones virtue, temptation,solicitation to sin,especially from Satan' Our character is continually under attack,Satan will always seek to under mind our character.Evil takes in so much and no one is excluded from its influence.If our first sinless parents could be overcome  how much more are we vulnerable to attack from the arch enemy of all that is good.So how appropriate  for us to pray these words,'lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one'.The word deliver has the meaning of snatching one from danger,rescuing ,God alone is able to truly deliver us,and when we pray,call on Him,cry unto Him,He will not fail us.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       I need Thee ev'ry hour,                                                                                                                               Most gracious Lord,                                                                                                                                   No tender voice like Thine,                                                                                                                        Can peace afford.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            I need Thee every hour,                                                                                                                              Stay Thou near by,                                                                                                                                      Temptations lose their power                                                                                                                     When Thou  art nigh.                                                                                                                                     ( Anne Hawkes  )                                                                                                                             

Forgiving others ( Matthew 5 v 7 )

We have consider ,the request for forgiveness ,now let us consider the vital importance of forgiving others,yes we have a choice,to forgive or not to forgive.Our Lord teaches us,that being forgiven,  should bring a positive response from us.We rejoice that God forgives us all our sins,but are we prepared to forgive others? v 14- 15, tells of the consequences of not forgiving ,we put a barrier between God and us,God will refuse to forgive us.There are reasons why we feel we should not forgive,the hurt they caused you,the pain that you feel,they do not deserve to be forgiven.The fact is God could quite easily say the same thing to us .but He didn't, when we cried unto the Lord,He did not turn a deaf ear to us, He did not turn away from us. No He didn't, He forgive us,we see this illustrated right through the Bible, Nineveh,the place Jonah was sent to,to preach judgement,but when they repented of their evil ways God forgive them , our Lord forgive Peter ,our Lord forgive Paul the chief persecutor of  the early Christians.Such love by God in forgiving these people,requires us to in return to forgive those who have hurt us.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              He expects                                                                                                                                                  He requires,                                                                                                                                                       us                                                                                                                                                               to                                                                                                                                                               Forgive.

Forgiveness. ( Matthew 6 v 9 - 13 )

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors',the term debts means sin,W. Barclay,writes that there are five different  words that are used for sin in the New Testament,briefly here they are, /Missing the mark/Stepping across the line which is drawn between right and wrong/to slip into sin/lawlessness/ debt a failure to pay that which is due/.Even as believer we sin in one way or another,by speech,word,deed,thought,there are many ways in which we sin,so we need to ask God  to forgive us, and the wonderful thing is He will. CP  1 John 1 v 9.

Daily bread ( Matthew 6 v 9 - 13 )

'Give us today our daily bread',  Many years ago my Pastor said this request was not for now, I think he said it applied to a future,tribulation. After all He said, we have no shortage of food, well when I was living by faith often I had a shortage,and many dear believers have a shortage,and to them it seems a very meaningful thing to pray.Of course the Lord has supplied my need,but the general principal, in requesting for daily provision,is a very needy reminder of our dependence on God for our daily needs.So many people have lost sight of their dependence on God.W. Barclay writes,'By implication, this petition gives God His proper place,' Let the unbeliever scoff at this,in their proud ungrateful spirit,but let us never, forget our food is  a direct gift from a gracious and loving God.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      All good gifts around us                                                                                                                            Are sent from heaven above,                                                                                                                      Then thank the Lord, O thank                                                                                                                     the Lord                                                                                                                                                     For all His love.                                                                                                                                          ( M. Claudius/J.M.Campbell)