More. ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10)

 The word mercy has the meaning of compassion, pity for the underserving and the guilty, that is you and that is me. I continually stand in need of mercy, and the good news is, God is merciful, to all who come to Him through Christ, The cross says it all, at the cross there is mercy for all, who would seek forgiveness, through Jesus. I heard this song recently written by ,Matt Papa, it is called ,''His Mercy  is More''.

                                 ( 1)    What love could remember, what we have done,

                                          Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum,

                                         Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore,

                                          Our sins  are many, His mercy is more.

                                (2 )     What  patience would wait as we constantly roam

                                           What  Father so tender is calling us home,

                                            He welcomes the weakest , the vilest, the poor,

                                           Our sins are many, His  mercy is more.

                                  ( 3)         What rules of kindness, He lavished on us,

                                            His blood was the payment, His life was the cost,

                                            We stood 'neath  a  debt we could never afford

                                            Our sins  they are many, His mercy is more   

                                                                      Chorus

                                                              Praise  the  Lord

                                                              His mercy is more

                                                              Stronger than darkness

                                                              New every morning,

                                                  Our sins are many, His mercy is more

                                                                 

                                                        

Put firt things first. ( Matthew 6 v 33 )

 Our wonderful  Saviour said so many wonderful things ,in Matthew 6 v  28 - 34 ,he  emphasises the importance of not worrying, why?, because we are all inclined to worry. In these verses, he  highlights  not to worry about what to eat, drink, and wear, he points us to our heavenly father, as an example of Gods care for nature. He reminds us how much more valuable we his children  are ,than the birds etc . we alone are the children of God. He points out the fruitlessness of worry v 27,and yet we worry, to our shame, Jesus never worried, you may think it was easy for Him , but it wasn't, to leave heaven and come to earth, was never easy, but he did it. He also emphasised  how our Father in heaven , knows what we need, rest on that. Our worries can shift our focus away from an important  challenge, that is to seek first  Gods kingdom  and His righteousness, if we do, everything we need  God will supply. A.W. Pink  wrote.

                                               'Remember dear reader that  tomorrow

                                               will bring with it tomorrow's God'.

                                                    

Will I make it? . ( Jude v 24 -25 )

Although I have been following the Lord 57 years ,this thought  crossed my mind, 'will I make it '?,will  I be like Demas who was beguiled by the world and became a deserter, or a Judas who betrayed the Lord. There are so many things we have to face, the world with all its allurements, the flesh, that is our fallen human nature, and of course the evil one, known by various  names, the Devil . These are real aspects of what we have to face, everyday, it is ongoing, and will continue to end of our Christian life. While I don't live in fear of not making it, the thought crosses ones mind,  will I make it?. First let me say this. if we are truly saved ,we cannot loose our salvation ( John 10 v 28 - 29 ),that does not mean that we can live in sin, no the evidence that we are a Christian, is shown by the good we do, and by a holy life. Will I be like Paul who wrote,' I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith'.( 2  Timothy 4 v  7 ). That is  the challenge that faces every Christian, so how can it be done?, ( 1 ) Know thyself, recognise that we are weak, that does not gave an excuse when we sin, or that we should give into sin, no, it means we  need to rely upon our God ,everyday and every minute of the day, for with out Him we can do nothing. (2 ) , Pray without ceasing, 24/ 7, ( 3 ) Read Gods word. (4 ) Meet with other believers. ( 5 ) Witness to others. (6 ) Daily repentance.

                                               O rebuke me not in anger!

                                              Suffer not my faith to fail!

                                              Let not pain, temptation, languor,

                                              O'er my struggling heart prevail;

                                               Holding fast Thy word I stand,

                                              None can pluck me from Thy hand.

                                                     Words. C. Elliott.

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Make the right decision. ( John 3 )

 I  heard a dear minister praying,  and in his prayer he give thanks for salvation, and  he said these words, ''We were not looking for you''. I have witnessed to many people, and most of them were not looking for God, In the parable of the lost sheep,( Luke 15 v 1- 7 ) it is the shepherd  who goes searching for the lost sheep. In Luke 19 v 10  Jesus says , ''For the Son of Man came to seek the lost''.  It is God who takes the initiative ,in the salvation of a soul. Salvation from start to finish is of the Lord  ( Jonah 2 v 9 )  Fifty seven years ago while standing at a corner of a street , a neighbour and her husband were passing by to go to church ,and I asked them could I go with them, I was not consciously seeking the Lord, but that night  He found  me.  Many who go to evangelistic meetings are not seeking the Lord, but He is seeking them, and by His grace they find Him. Without the Spirit of  God, working in our hearts ,no one would be saved, if you are not saved, my prayer is that the Spirit of God may work in your heart ,and bring you to Christ. In these days when many are perishing, if you feel any concern  or stirring in your heart, it is the Spirit of God, leading you to make a decision, make the right one, and trust Jesus as your Saviour.

9Jonah 2 v 9 )

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With God. ( 1 Samuel 17 )

 In one of  Agatha Christies novels, we have Hercule  Poirot speaking to a young girl whose life, to say the least had been difficult, this is what he says,'' There is nothing in the world that can't be repaired by the hand of Almighty God, without this certainty , we will all go mad''.  

                                                'With God, all things are possible'.

                                                           Matthew 19 v 26.

The underdog ( 2 ) ( 1 Samuel 17 v 32 - 50 )

 So we continue ,Saul  and his army are scared out their wits, terrified, should they have been?, well let us  not be to hard on them. of course they should not have, for Almighty God was with them ,when  fear rules faith goes. In spite of this God would not forsake them, nor will he forsake you, and me when we copy the Israelites, for God is never caught unawares, he had a plan, he was going to use a young man, that young man's name was David. God would get the glory, let us remember to give God the glory at all time ,in the big things, in all things. David came  into the Israeli camp and was brought before Saul, and told him he would fight the giant ,and so he went  forth, not clad in armour, or with a large sword, and stood before the giant. The giant looked at him in amazement and I am sure the Philistine army did the same, and maybe they thought ,this is a cert, we are going  to win. It seemed  impossible for this young man to slay their champion. But you know something, he did, and Israel got the victory , and God got the glory. 

The underdog ( 1 ) 1 Samuel 17.

 Here is some news , well if you are from Northern Ireland, yes it is not bad news from my little country. The Northern Ireland women's soccer team have qualified for a  major women's tournament, one of the reasons  I mention this, is because I heard the manager of the team being interviewed before the qualifying match that it was unlikely his team could win, as none were professionals. I do not know if the manager is a Christian, but in his answer he reminded the interviewer about David  and Goliath, and how the impossible happened. Think of that story in 1 Samuel 17,on one hill was the Philistine army, and  the Israelites were on the other .It was a stand off, but then something happened, a massive man came forth, clothed as warrior , and holding an enormous spear. He challenged the Israelites to send out their champion, to  fight him, and if he won, the Israelites would rule over the Philistines, and vice versa. Well Saul and al the Israelites were dismayed and terrified. We will continue this next time

Not me, Him. ( Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9 )

 Witnessing to a lady recently, when I asked her , was she a Christian, she spoke of the good things she did, I sincerely commended for that, and encouraged her to continue to doing that. I think it is right to acknowledge the good people do, there are Muslins who do good, also Hindus as well, likewise there are atheist who do good.  I have mentioned this at times, it is not the good things we do that are a problem, it is the sins we commit ,they are the problem. What  makes one a Christian is not the good we do ,but what  Christ has done on the cross ,He dealt with what no one else could do, sin, He was ,and is Gods answer, that would enable us to have our sins forgiven. No matter what good works we may do, all they are, commendable though they  be,  are simply good works. They are not our ticket to heaven, they will not gain us acceptance with a Holy God .If  we are hoping that they will stand us in good  stead with God ,you are very , very, mistaken. I have assurance of eternal life, because of Jesus, a  man called Horatius Bonar wrote the following.

                                                  Upon a life I did not live,

                                                  Upon  a death I did not die;

                                                  Another's life, another's death,

                                                  I stake my whole eternity.

She opened the box. ( Romans 5 v 13 )

 If  my memory serves me right, there was a quiz program on TV,  when  the contestants who had done well, were asked the question,' will you open the box or take the money'. There is a Greek legend about about a girl  called Pandora, who done something she shouldn't have ,she opened what now is called ,'Pandora's Box', in doing  so ,she released all the evil in the world. It reminds me of another story, not a myth, but something that really happened, when two people disobeyed God, and in that single act, they released into the world ,sin, with all its its dreadful consequences for mankind. We read, ' When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned' (Rom 5 v12 ) Yes its no myth ,it  is all to obvious, yes ,it is really bad news ,but let's move on, returning to Pandora's box, it tells how she tried to shut the box, and managed to stop one thing escaping,' HOPE'. As we look at the world with all it's evil, when we look at the power of death, we may ask in despair ,what hope have we?. There is a wonderful  answer, for God is called  the God of hope ( Rom 15 v 13),and He has provided hope, in the person of His Son  Jesus, why don't you trust Him and then you would have a sure and certain hope.

Bottle of tears. ( Exodus 2 v 23 - 25 )

 In Psalm 56  and  v 8 ,we read of  David in his destress crying unto God, 'You keep track of all my sorrows, You  have collected all my tears in your bottle, You have recorded each one in your book'. Tear bottles have been found in Egypt and in Rome , tears would be collected by a friend at times of sorrow. Barnes writing about this says,' All the tears that we shed  are remembered by God, the genuine tears shed, God will not forget, God will not forget the suffering of his people. David was suffering and in great distress, it  is not wrong to weep ,David wept, our Saviour wept, David desired that God would respond to his tears of supplication.  Consider how an earthly parent responds to the tears being shed by their child, how much more will our loving heavenly respond to our tears. So it was ,that David had confidence that God would deliver him, 'When I cry unto thee, then shall my enemies turn back; this I know; for God is for me'.

                                               I waited patiently  for the Lord;

                                               he inclined to me and heard my cry.

                                                             Psalm 40 v1 .

What do you do in trouble? ( Psalm 56 )

 Our bodies are  wonderfully made, is in it strange that we cry when we are emotionally upset, why?, in Psalm 56 v 8 we read ,'You keep track of all my sorrows, You have collected  all my tears in your bottle, You have recorded  each one in your book'. David who wrote the Psalm was experiencing a time of great  trial. In the Psalm he speaks of being afraid, his enemies are watching his every move ,seeking  an opportunity to destroy him, Yes even great brave people feel fear, yes even David the giant killer, he did not ignore the reality, but his thoughts did not dwell there ,and he declares to God,' I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN YOU'. When your heart is pounding with fear, look up to Him ,the one who can deliver you .It is Albert Barnes commenting on these words ,wrote..

                                    It is a good maxim with which to go into a world of danger;

                                         a good maxim to go to sea with;

                                         a good maxim  in a storm;

                                         a good maxim when we are sick;

                                         a good maxim when on danger on the land;

                                         a good maxim when we think of death and judgement.

                                                    ''I  WILL PUT MY TRUST IN YOU''

                                        

Only One. ( Exodus 20 v 2 - 5 )

In the ancient world  countries were filled with the worship of many gods, the list is endless, in Greece gods there were in plenty ,but even there, some of the great thinkers were beginning to see beyond their flawed gods.  Our arch enemy  Satan is called a god, in 2 Corinthians 4 v 4 ,we read,' The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers'.  Charles Hodge writes,' The word god  may be used figuratively as well as literally. 'We may say that money is the god of  this world, or as Paul said of certain men. 'their belly is their god ', but none of these things are in essence God. Satan  who is called a god of this world, because , as Hodge points, because of  the power which he exercises over the men of  the world, and because of the servile obedience they  render to him'. In Isaiah 43 v 10 we read,'' But  you are my witnesses ,O Israel!'' says the Lord, you are my servant. You have been chosen to know me, believe in me , and understand that I alone am God. There is no other god, there never has been, and there never will be. I, yes I, am the Lord, and there  is no other Saviour'  It is interesting to note  that there is only one God, and one Saviour'. That one true God manifested Himself as a saviour in the person of Jesus Christ.

                                                     Who is He on yonder tree

                                                     Dies in shame and agony?

                                               ' Tis the Lord! O, wondrous story !

                                                ' Tis the Lord , the King of glory!

                                                  At His feet we humbly fall-

                                                  Crown Him! crown Him, Lord of all!

                                                      ( Words by  B. R. Hanby )

The Book. ( Jonah 2 v 9 )

I wonder do you have a favourite book or books, I have many favourite books, here are a few ,'The wind in the Willows, Watership Down, Pilgrims Progress,' I have hundreds of books ,and have read hundreds of books. I am always reading something. It was Sir Walter Scott who when he was dying said to his servant ,''Bring me the book'', and the book he meant was the Bible. Of all the books I have, the most important  one is the Bible. it is unique, what makes it unique ?,it is the word God. Of no other book can that be said , it is literally God speaking to us, that means what he actually said, and what others have said. It is a book with history telling us how the world began , and how man came into being and how sin came into the world. There is so much more we  can say about the Bible, the poetry ,the songs, the hero's, the villains, love stories, tragedies, the triumphs . All of life is there ,but it is a book about redemption from sin, Sin that offends a holy God, and its terrible  consequences for everyone is clearly spelt out. The Bible tells us the truth, that many people don't want to hear, that we are sinners, we might be into denial, but it is evident in a millions ways . We are all born separated from God ,His wrath lies upon us, left to ourselves we will perish and go to Hell. The Bible is the only book that reveals the God of loves answer, Jesus, whom we need to believe in, if the sin problem is going to be resolved.  

                                          ' Believe in the Lord Jesus , and

                                            and you will be saved.'

                                                         (Acts  16 v 31 )

                                                                                                 

You failure. ( Philippians 3 v 12 - 14 )

 What have these three biblical characters have in common? ,King David, the apostle Peter ,and Mark the writer of Marks gospel, they all failed. Unlike Islam ,who take extreme displeasure at any body who dares to criticise there prophet. The Bible does not try to hide the failings of those recorded within its pages, all the disciples forsook Jesus when he was arrested. The Roman Catholic church failed so many young people, by not dealing with  the awful abuse that was going on, better they had. China a great nation fails  to admit there failures, and begin to change. I remember being told that the Chinese hate to loose face, hate  to admit they have failed. But lets be honest none of us like admitting we have failed, or that our children have failed. There is a sense of shame  when we fail, and even anger, even pain, whither it is in our marriage, jobs, driving tests, moral failures, financial failures ,sporting failures. Let me say this ,we all fail, do you know anyone who has never failed?, of course not, that appears obvious. Consider those three men, David failed morally, God forgive him ,he will forgive you, and restore you, if you repent, and ask His forgiveness .Peter did something he said he would never do, he denied his Lord, well the Lord  restored him, and recommissioned him.  Mark,  in the apostles Pauls eyes had failed, well he recovered from that, and even Paul had to admit later on ,that he was useful. Let  us learn from our failures, to walk humbly, and not to be so judgemental of others, who fail, and not to give up, deal with what needs dwelt then, and then by Gods move on.

Are you feeling insecure?. Psalms 23/ 121/27

Totalitarian states and those who govern  then appear to to be very insecure  ,while watching a documentary by Michael Palin on a visit to North Korea, the first thing he was asked ,did he have a Bible. Michael felt that was funny, but for the North Korean regime it was no laughing matter, they were deadly serious. When  Mao Zedong became leader of the Communist Party in China, he went to see Stalin, and asked his advice, Stalin advised him to get rid of all the opposition. Present  day China are a powerful  nation, they have a vast army, many weapons of mass destruction, no one can threaten them, yet they feel threatened ,when anybody criticises them. They hound those dissidence who challenge their policies, put them in prison, kill them .It is a historical  fact that Stalin, uncle Joe, was paranoid,  especially  of those near him, and no matter how much evil they had committed for him, he had them eliminated. The fact is  we live in a very insecure world, think how many people feel at this time, insecure. As Christians we also can feel insecure, well we have to be honest, we do, so what is the answer ?, faith in our loving heavenly Father, faith in his word.

                                                 I will fear no evil no evil

                                                 for you are with me.

                                                            Psalm 23 v 4.

God listens ( Psalm 34 )

 I  found the words from a Christian song by Chris Tomlin instructive, it is from an album called. 'The God who listens'.

                                                               I'm not just hoping,

                                                               I'm not just wishing,

                                                               I know I'm praying,

                                                               I know He hears me,

                                                               I know He's living,

                                                              Yes, I am praying,

                                                              To a God who listen's.

                                      And without faith it is impossible to please God,

                                     because anyone who comes to Him must believe

                                     that He exists and that He rewards those who

                                     earnestly seek Him.

                                                                  Hebrews 11 v 6.

Jekyll and Hyde. ( 2 ) ( Romans 5 v 6 - 11)

We ended last time by pointing out that  the bad we, the wicked we do, should be seen from Gods view point as sin. Society rarely mentions the word sin, we go to court ,to give evidence, we are asked to swear on the Bible, that we are  going to tell the truth , the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Yet the vast amount  people ignore the Bible, and  do not believe the Bible, and indeed resent what the Bible says. God has  a moral standard, that reveals to us what is right ,and what is wrong. When we break his moral standard we sin, this includes even our thought life, lustful thoughts ,hateful thoughts, covetous thoughts, are sinful. Telling untruths is a sin, stealing is a sin. Of course there is only one God, the God of the Bible,  to worship any other God, is a sin. Here is  a very important thing to remember, it is impossible for us not to sin, we have a nature that just cannot be sinless. It's impossible, we will always be, Jekyll and Hyde,  there is nothing we can do to change that, you look at others, and you say why did they do such and such a thing. Then you look at yourself and you ask the same question ,why?. welcome Jekyll and Hyde. And so the sins mount up, and up and up, but now the good news ,Christ Jesus died for sinners, that's you that's me, we can be forgiven, no matter how sinful we are. We have to stop protesting our so called innocence,  and  humbly seek the mercy of a holy but forgiven God, though his Son Jesus.

                                                                    

                                                      Christ receives sinners.

                                                      Christ died for sinners.

                                                         That means you

Jekyll and Hyde.( 1 ) ( 1 John 5 v 17 )

 I was touched emotional while watching TV ,about a charity which runs  a organisation where children with special needs and others  could have a session riding a horse,  they had a problem ,because of the pandemic they were going to have to close, for lack of funding.  The good news is, they are not closing, because people have sent in gifts ,I think they received about 5 million pound.  Yes there are many dear people who do a lot of good things, in giving to others, serving others, etc, but there is two sides to everything, and the other side is this ,we are sinners. That means everybody even those nice people who sent the gifts into that charity, the nice old lady ,and the  nice old man. It was Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote the novel called .'The  strange case of  Jekyll Hyde'. It highlighted the unpredictable dual nature we all have, sometimes good but also the not so good, and also shockingly evil. The little nursery rhyme about a little girl, reads,' When she was good, she was very ,very good but when she was bad , she was horrid' All of us are a mixture, there are two sides to all of us, that's a fact. From  a human point of view, what we call bad ,God calls  sin, it is vital that we see wrong as not just about being bad, but sinful. It is also important to understand that the good that we do ,does not nullify the sins we commit ,they remain with us ,and their awful consequences .We will continue this next time

Who is offended? ( John 8 v 1 - 11 )

 Matthew  Parris writing in the Times  newspaper ,wrote on evangelicals who complained about certain things shown on TV ,he stressed  that usually there is advanced warnings so that they could switch off. I understand that point of view to some extent, and in the present moral climate, it is helpful. But ,yes there is always a but, where is God in all this ?,there are people who say what goes on between two consenting adults, is alright .People say that swearing and blasphemy is just another another way of speaking, or it does not matter how one thinks. The fact is ,it does matter, it matters to God, but then most people don't think much about God. But one day they will stand before God, what then?, a good question.it says in God's word after death the judgement. Hebrews 9 v 27, God will not be protesting but judging .So should we as Christians say nothing ,of course we should, but a note of quotation, as regards taking the moral high ground. In Christs day there were those who took the high moral ground, they were called Pharisees, unfortunately many of them ,were self- righteous. Charles Bridges wrote the following, ''There is not a sin, that the highest saint of God may not commit, if trusting in  himself.'' The Pharisees did not  see it like that, so at all times they were out for the kill, not so the Christian. We must speak yes we must speak ,but it must always be in love ,pointing people to the only who  one can forgive, and who can save, even Jesus.

Don't despair . ( Romans 8 v 18 )

 In  Colossians 3 v 1- 4 ,we read ,'Since,  then , you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above , not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ  in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears , then you will appear with him in glory.' These words run contrary to those who say, that being heavenly minded, makes us of no earthly use. My mind often turns to my homeland, no I am not talking about Ireland, I am talking about heaven, were my Saviour is ,I want to leave with you the words of what once was a popular song, it is called ,'It will be worth it all when we see Jesus'.

                                     Sometimes the day seems long, our trials are hard to bear,

                                     We are tempted to complain, to murmur  and complain.

                                      But Christ will soon appear, to catch his bride away.

                                     All tears forever over ,in God's eternal day.

                                     It will be worth it all when we see Jesus!

                                     Life's trials will seem so small, when  we see Christ,

                                     One glimpse of his dear face, all sorrow will erase ,

                                     So , bravely run the race, till we see Christ.

                                     

Not just listening ( Matthew 7 v 24 - 27 )

 Often when I challenges people from the pulpit ,it comes back to challenge me, it easy be it from from the pulpit or wherever to challenge people without taking up the challenge oneself. In James 1 v 22, we read,' Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive  yourselves. Do what it says'. Our Saviour said, ' But everyone who hears these word of mine and does not put them into practice is a foolish man, who built his on sand. The rain came down, the streams arose, and the wind blew and beat  against that house, and it fell with a crash'. Matthew 7 v 26 - 27 .  I am sure you have heard of the sin of omission, were we do  nothing, like those who hear the  gospel, and don't do anything about it ,that's disastrous. If we are Christians ,it is not enough to compliment the preacher on his sermon, rather the question is what will we do with what he said, or I should say what God has said through him?. I wonder are you one of Gods obedient children, or one his disobedient Children?

                                                        A short prayer.  

                              'Render my obedience to thy will holy, natural and delightful,

                               Let me never undervalue or neglect any part of thy revealed

                               will. in Jesus name Amen.   ( Words from ,'The valley of vision) 

                       

Panic. ( Psalm 27 v 13 - 14 )

 The great prophet Isaiah lived at times of great change, the nation of Israel had split, there was a gradually decline in their relationship with God.. Eventually  things would become so bad, that both the two lots would  became known as Israel also called Ephraim, they were made up of 10 tribes. Then we have Judah and Benjamin, although the Benjamin rarely gets a mention. Isaiah  ministered in Judah, through very difficult times, Judah was a very small country and came under threat many times ,from Israel and Syria, they were uncertain times. So God spoke to the prophet and the people, and hear is what he says ,'Do not fear what they fear',     Isaiah 8 v 12.    They were not to be alarmed, many were,   but they were to have confidence in God, to have faith to believe that God was able to save them.   When the pandemic came panic took over, the shelves in the supermarket soon emptied, so easy to panic, as the disciples did in the storm Mark 4 v 40. They were really afraid, they had no faith, today let us not  live in fear of anything, let us, have confidence in our God, to undertake for us, He has promised he will Psalms 23 /121/ 

Finish . ( 2 Corinthians 12 v 9 )

I wonder how many jobs ,have remained unfinished, how many university courses have not been completed, there is no end of things that have been left   unfinished. When I attended Bible college there were some students who did not finish the course, because of financial reasons. I said to someone recently that the Christian life is one of life's greatest challenges, Jesus made it clear that there is a cost  in following him, and there is, the old term ,the perseverance of the saints says it all .Perseverance means making a continual effort to do or achieve something  despite difficulties, failures or opposition , having a steadfastness. Read the life of the apostle Paul, don't compare yourself to him, but nevertheless we like him, are called to persevere .There are many challenges in life, moral, physical, mental and spiritual ,there will always be temptations, they  do not lessen with age. Everyday brings the ongoing challenges ,to  be faithful,  holy, loving ,forgiving, to be like Jesus. Yes we will at times fail, falter, and fall, but still we must press on, go on , strive on. The question we may often ask ourselves is how? , yes how,? Hebrews 12 v 1 -3 ,encourages us to get rid of the things that will hinder us, whatever  they may be, to persevere, to keep our eyes on Jesus, and follow in his footstep, to glory.

Bow the knee. ( 2 ) ( Proverbs 3 v 5 - 6 )

 So all things will be new, but what about now?, I know for many Christians ,life is not easy ,physical limitations, mental illness, and so it goes on, I heard this Christian song recently, written by Chris and Diane Machen, here is part of this song, it is called .'Bow the knee '.

                       There are days when clouds surround us, and the rain begins to fall,

                        The cold and lonely winds won't cease to blow,

                         And there seems to be no reason  for the suffering we feel,

                         We are tempted  to believe God does not know,

                         When the storms arise, don't forget ,we live by faith, and not by sight.

                         Trust the heart of your father, when the answer goes beyond 

                          What you cannot see 'Bow the knee',

                          Lift your eyes toward heaven, and believe the One who holds eternity,

                           And when you don't understand the purpose of His plan,

                           In the presence of the King, 'Bow the knee'.

                   

Will you be there? ( Colossians 1 v 27 )

 A  famous actor said this about death, ''Come on ,there is greater adventures beyond'', the writer of Peter Pan ,has Peter saying a similar thing. I would like to think that will be so, though I  don't speculate  on this  as we really don't know. I am sure of this ,that whatever eternity hold for those who know Christ as Saviour it will be wonderful, Before our Saviour went to heaven, he  assured us that he has gone to prepare  a place for us, John 14 v 3. Some take this to mean, that through his death on the cross he would be preparing a place for us in heaven. Of course there is a truth in that ,for without His death on the cross no one could go to heaven. For through that death ,our sins can be forgiven ,let me stress ,unless we trust  Jesus and so have our sins  forgiven we can never go to heaven, one writer comments ,'Those who will not lay aside the evil of their ways are barred from heaven', Rev 21 v 27. I am sure when Jesus  said he was going to prepare a place for us we can accept that at face value, it is Morris  who writes the following, 'Nothing is said about the nature of the place that Christ prepares. It is sufficient for the believer that he will be with his Lord' ,in other words, where Jesus is, it will  be Heaven there.

All things will be new. ( 1 ) ( Revelation 21 v 1 / v5 )

 When I was  young and went to school, we used to have what was called an eraser, it was a piece of rubber that we used for removing mistakes written with a pencil ,or a pen. Someone wrote ,wouldn't it be great go a. land of beginning again, if only, but it cannot happen. Yes  we have been forgiven which is wonderful, but for  some the scars remain, the pain remains, if only it were not so, we cannot erase them or go to the  land of beginning again. that's a fact. When  I think of heaven, and when we arrive there, all  will be new, no longer will any child of God  have to live with their past, the scars will be removed ,totally erased. Never again can anybody hurt us, never again will we suffer, all that will be, in the past ,we will no longer live with  the shadow of the past hanging over us. no longer having to cope ,we will  be completely set free, no longer have those awful flashbacks, nightmares, fears, painful memories, no longer feel crippled inside, no longer having to put on a front, and pretend that you are alright. Yes all things will be new, we will be new, and we  will live in an new heaven and a new earth. Yes something to look forward to ,in the meanwhile, we will continue that the next time.

Because. ( Ephesians 1 v 3 - 10 )

 We are now moving from the Easter celebrations, but we are not leaving the wonderful truths of  Easter behind us . In a sense ,everyday can be an Easter experience, we can rejoice everyday in our wonderful Saviour .

                                Because the world needed a Saviour He came.

                                Because we needed forgiveness of sin He came.

                                Because He rose from the dead we shall live for ever.

Let us live and rejoice each day in the wonderful, marvellous ,mind blowing, life changing, love of God in His Son Jesus.

                               'For this is how God loved the world, He gave his one 

                                and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him

                                will not perish but have eternal life'.

                                                            John 3 v16 

Faith makes a difference. ( Romans 4 v 18 - 21 )

 I do not know who wrote the following ,but I will share it with you. 'Faith is dead to doubts, dumb to discouragements, blind to impossibilities, faith lifts its hands up through the threatening clouds, lays hold of Him who has all power in heaven and on earth. Faith makes the up look good, the outlook bright, the in look  favourable, and the future glorious'.

                                                           Hebrews 11 v 6

                                     And without faith it is impossible to please God,

                                     because anyone who comes to him  must believe

                                     that he exists and that he rewards those who

                                     earnestly seek him.

Have confidence . ( Psalm 62 v 8 )

 As I  grow older I look back ,and I can say with confidence, my times are in His hands, indeed when I was in  my mothers womb I was in His hands. .As I grew up I was  in His hands, and all through my life I have been in his hands , till this moment in time. But  it does not stop there as I wait the next step of my journey I will be in hands ,it is with confidence I say that, yes when time ceases for me and when I enter eternity, I will still be in His hands. As a Christian one has to face many dangers, both natural and spiritual, but nothing can harm us or hurt us unless God permits, because we are told our times are in His hands ( Psalm 31 v 15 ) I remember Jesus said, we cannot be plucked out of  His fathers hands, nor out of His hands ( John 10 v 28 - 29 ). Nothing can change these truths, no matter how much they try, no matter how much they lie, this truth shall stand the child of God is in His hands. Someone has said  the first words we may utter as we enter heaven is,' I see'. Yes  then shall we know ,then shall all be revealed, and we shall worship the God whose ways are perfect, even though they have been at times painful .

                                       My times are in Thy hands, Whatever they may be,

                                       Pleasing or painful, dark or bright.as best may seem to Thee.

                                                             Words  W.F. Floyd.

It started with a lie ( 4 ) ( John 3 v16 )

 Continuing in our look at mankind's beginning in  the garden of Eden, Eve focusing her attention on the forbidden  fruit , found that it was,' desirable'. I read recently of a man who had an accident in his car, the reason it happened was, his front car window was covered in frost, he had made a small window in it, but not  enough. he was charged with dangerous driving.  Desire is like that,  Eve became blind to everything except the tree and its fruit. Samson's  desire for a woman (Judges 16.)caused him to loose his eyes and his  freedom, uncontrolled desire can destroy you. The desire for whatever has cost some everything, even their very souls ,and that's a very high price to pay. It tells us as regards our Saviour , that there was no beauty in Him, that they should desire Him  ( Isaiah 53 v 2 ) Eve ate some of the fruit, she got her desire, but was it worth it?, but not content with  what she did, she give some to her husband, it is sad when we sin, but it is even worse, when  we encourage others to follow us in our folly .From that moment on everything changed ,they lost their innocence, they lost paradise, everything  changed for then for us all, the awful damaged had been done. Only  when the second Adam came , would there be an opportunity ,to return to  a relationship with God ,on this good Friday let us rejoice that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and that's the truth.

It started with a lie (3 ) ( Genesis 19 v 26 )

 So Eve is buying into what the devil tells her ,no one is forcing her, she had the ability to make a choice, here is what we read ,' When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. Genesis 3 v 6.  She looked, she may have looked at it many times, but now it was different, the devil had told her so, There is a little children's chorus which reads, 'Be careful little eyes what you see, ' out of curiosity many people look at pornography, and they get hooked, they thought it would be fun, but now they are hooked, now they are enslaved, Yes when it comes to looking be careful,  yes be careful. Then we are told it was pleasing to the eye, let us remember, all that glitters is not gold, remember if you are married, that person you keep looking at ,and you find them attractive, that colleague, that neighbour, they are the forbidden fruit.

                                                 Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin,

                                                 Each victory will help you some other to win;

                                                 Fight manfully onward, dark passions subdue,

                                                 Look ever to Jesus, He'll carry you through.