Very serious ( Luke 16 v 19 - 31 )

I was listening to a a former atheist talking about becoming a  Christian ,he was a  qualified scientist ,he spoke of attending church thinking all he would hear  about was  sin and hell, instead he heard about love.I had not time to listen to anymore of what he was saying, I hoped that is not where  he stopped,I hope he went unto realise, that like or not,that we have accept that sin and hell are realities,that we have to accept. We cannot water those things down,they are to serious to do that,I remember hearing  about a Christian who was a passenger on the Titanic,he did die ,but before he did ,he swam around telling people about Jesus that they may be saved.Church history is full of people who endured so much ,in order tell people about Christ,who can save them. think of what Christ suffered in order for them to save them..People are grossly ignorant  of spiritual things, I am not ignorant of spiritual things, I know what the Bible teaches,as regards unforgiven sin,dying without Christ is a very, very, serious business.

                                                  ' Come to the Saviour make no delay'.

Trust in man , can never. ( Proverbs 3 v 5 )

 It was Napoleon who said that God was always on the side of the biggest battalion ,one writer pointed out that it was a dictum he lived to regret . When he invaded Russia he had an army of about 600,000 men, when he returned to France, he had 35,000 soldiers. Writing on Psalm 116 v 8,    which reads ,'It is better to trust in the Lord than man..... than princes, Herbert Lockyer comments,''Good it is to trust  in Jehovah'', 'It is better in every way to trust in the Lord to help us , because it is wiser , seeing He is more able to help us than the best of  men, who are only frail men at best.It is also safer to have Him  as the object of confidence,because we are always secure in His hands. Trust in man can never produce a sacred  calm of spirit, and sanctity of the soul, as the Lord can in the hearts of those who trust in Him'.

                                                  'Trust in the Lord with all 

                                                         of your heart'

Are we growing? ( John 12 v 21)

 I see now that winter is ending, although to be truthful it has been a very mild winter, one of mildest I can remember.My Geraniums have come through practically unharmed, and I have just notice that the row of small bushes are beginning to grow,and of course the grass  has also needed cut, looks like summer is on its way,or so it appears,we will see. I wonder what season are you in,for I think our life span has it seasons, I suppose I am in the last season,winter.the signs are there ,my memory is not as good as it used be,but still reasonable,and of course I am on some medication,but thankfully nothing to serious. Of course getting old does not mean one should stop growing spiritually,I wonder how we judge that?, we cannot go to the doctors to find the answer ,so where do we go to assess our spiritual growth?.Suppose we could ask a friend, who has known us many years,or ones wife.But of course the word of God ,will tell us,the qualities of spiritual growth. There are many scriptures that help us,guide us, and challenge us in relation to spiritual growth ,here are a few, Matthew 5-7 / 2 Peter 1v 5-8 / Galatians 5 v 22-23.The aim of it is, that we should be more like Jesus .Romans 8 v 29.

                                                                ' Keep growing'

Not distant. ( Ephesians 2 v 11 - 13 )

Psalm 116 is a lovely Psalm,it is known as the,'Pronoun Psalm', examples of pronouns ,I,Me, and You. The first two verses, have 6 pronouns, 3 as regards himself,and 3 as regards God. Other people see it as the,' I   Psalm', it reminds us that a relationship with God is very personal ,it not just a religion,one of going through the motions,nor is it a distant relation.There is a lovely hymn which emphasise that closeness with God through Christ,I not to sure who the author was, for two are mentioned ,'Horatius Bonar, and Catesby Paget, Here are some of  the verses.

                                                   '  By nature and by practice far-

                                                     How very far from God!

                                                     Yet now by grace brought near to Him,

                                                     Through faith in Jesus blood.

                                                     So near, so very near to God,

                                                     I cannot nearer be;

                                                     For in the Person of His Son

                                                     I am as near as He.

                                                     So dear, so very dear to God,

                                                     More dear I cannot be;

                                                     The love wherewith He loves the Son,

                                                     Such is His love for me'.

Those who are truly His. (2 Timothy 2 v19 )

 There is a saying, that',one should not judge a book by its cover', in the movies the baddies look like baddies,but in real life, the baddies usually look anybody else, of course there are exceptions. I am sure Judas did not look like the person he turned out to be,it appeared everyone accepted him as a true  disciple. But Jesus knew  exactly  what he was like,John 13 v 11,one may ask the question why did he choose him?, well like so many mysterious in life,which we cannot understand, we must trust the why to our all wise and loving sovereign God. One of the things I would say, Judas was a person who was a  thief,he was very ,very brazen in his actions which he assumed were hidden. To actually steal,and pretend to be a follower of Jesus in spite of the fact that he saw the miracles,he heard the teaching,yet none of this  appeared to touch him,the result was he committed the unforgivable sin,so very sad. Yet all the time he appeared a faithful follower of Christ, but he wasn't ,we are told that the Lord knows those who are truly His. 2 Timothy 2 v19. It goes unto say,'and , everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.'It is Matthew Henry who comments,' We must depart from iniquity ,else He will not own us',Judas by not departing from the sinful course he choose,showed that he was not a true follower of Christ.

Wait . ( Psalm 37 v 7 )

Most of us do  not like waiting,how often I have heard people complaining about waiting,I have just had a new system set up on my internet,that's really fast,doing away with waiting.I get impatient when I go to the bank ,it always appears that people in front of me are taken a long time,and longer than I take,impatience often blinds us to reason. When one thinks of it ,many accidents are caused by people being impatient ,no wonder the Bible tells us that we have need of patience. Hebrews 10 v36.I read this recently,'The only thing harder than waiting on God is wishing you had'.if only Saul had just waited,he may have continued to be king 1 Samuel 13 .if only Abraham and Sarah had waited Gods time, they would never have had Ishmael whose descendants  the Edomites, would give Israel a lot of bother. How often people say ,myself included,'if only I had waited'. So many people are so very busy,and they don't take time to pray, yet is so important,it is not being legalistic,that would do nobody any good, but it is very important in developing a relationship with your loving heavenly Father.We have these wise words, 'in all your ways acknowledge God,and He will direct your paths Proverbs 3 v 6.

                                                ' I waited patiently for the Lord;

                                                 he turned to me and heard my cry'

                                                           Psalm 40 v 1 

Don't be surprised. ( Revelation 3 v 5 )

 She is 67 she lives in Iran, she was arrested suffered the trauma of intensive interrogation by the state security agents and given a jail sentence,she was summoned again to face the same charge. She said that her only crime is her belief in Jesus Christ. Our Saviour said,'If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you'. .....'if they persecuted Me,they will also persecute you'. John 15 v 18- 20.Her only crime was her belief in Jesus Christ , our Saviour said ,we shouldn't be surprise,because Christianity challenges ever other religion,declaring that Jesus is only way to God ,John14 v 6.Of course the devil who has blinded the minds of those who do not believe the Gospel,will not like being robbed of his followers. In Colossians 1 v13, the apostle reminds the Christians, that they had been delivered from the power of darkness, and had been translated into the kingdom  of God's dear Son'.Satan and his followers do not like loosing any prisoners, and so believers in Christ will be persecuted, so don't be surprised when you read of believers being persecuted .But do pray for them that they will be faithful , if need be ,even unto death..

Made new .( John 3 v 1 - 8 )

The surgery I go to has three doctors,of course I have not gone to the surgery recently ,since the virus kicked in,like many people, my contact was by phone.Considering this they have been excellent,they have sent me for many tests to have things investigated.Thankfully nothing serious has been found,just recently I was sent for another test  a Gastro investigation,this means a tube with a light on it ,would be passed down ones throat into my stomach.I found it difficult,but no complaints,for everyone was very kind and helpful,and it has revealed no serious problems. It is wonderful how things have developed within the medical profession,but one thing they cannot  see is our fallen nature, no camera can see that, only God can do that, He knows all about us ,our totality of being.and this is what His diagnoses ,and its not good,here how it is described in Jeremiah 17 v 9, 'The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked'. Only God can say that, for only He can see what we are really like.Only He , has the answer for such a complaint.  When a person comes to Christ a wonderful thing happens , they receive a new nature,old things pass away, all things become,which enable to have a new attitude,a new focus,based upon a new relationship  with God  through Christ.  2 Corinthians 5 v 17.

Small requests. ( Psalm 37 v 4 )

I am sure we all have a favourite food,which we really love,I have a favourite bread, Irish brown soda bread,also known as wheaten bread.Now only one store sells the particular brand that I really like,but alas they only  keep it occasionally.Well as they say absent makes the heart grow fonder,so I usually buy a couple of loves, when they are in stock ,and put one in the freezer.I don't have to share this bread, thank goodness,as I am the only one in my home who likes it. Well the store recently had not stocked it for a while,and would you believe it, I spoke to God about it ,asking him that the store would get some in,and low and behold,it did, to my delight. Oh some people say ,we shouldn't bother God  about such things,such trivia,they may even think that one is being disrespectful ,not so,He the God of the greater things,yes He is,but He is also the God of the small things Matthew 10 v 29.I once read when Spurgeon's wife was ill and confined to bed,she told her husband that she had asked God, for two little song birds,and God answered, Spurgeon  jokingly said that she was God's spoilt little child. Child of God ,he loves us so very much ,and delights to answer even ,our smallest request.

Troubles their are many. ( Psalm 31 )

 David that man after Gods heart ,lived a very challenging life from dangers as a shepherd boy ,were bears and lions roamed,to facing a giant, and being hunted and hounded like a wild animal,by King Saul.In his later life his own son Absalom, sought to kill him,and so we could go on,how did he survive?.We will come to that,the good that came out of Davids life is his writings,writings inspired by Gods Spirit .Of course the  Psalms are a wonderful example of this. consider how they have blessed so many people.Psalm 31 is such an example ,again he is writing out of a life threatening situation,Unlike the many surrounding nations,who worshipped worthless idols,his hope he declares was ,'In you,Lord,I have taken refuge',in v 9-10,  he is honest to admit how he feels ,emotionally and physically affected,we may not smile in the storms of life,but we can trust in our God and Saviour, who does not  despise us for our weaknesses,but understands.and feels for us.  Our dear Saviour experienced the trials of life,one person has written,'He ,''co- suffers'',with us'.and encourages us to come to the throne of God with confidence so that we receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.  Hebrews 4 v 14 -16.

                                                          '  Ask the Saviour to help you.'

Pray. ( Psalm 107 )

In Psalm 107 we have the ongoing experiences of God's people, in the wilderness,and the Babylonian captivity,being afflicted with sickness, deliverance in a storm,blessings and chastisement,and mercy.The history of the Israel of the OT has a repetition to it,blessing, sinning,chastisement,restoration.I want us to consider the deliverance in a storm v23- 30,sea travel was notoriously dangerous,wind power drove the ships but it also could destroy them.In the storm here mentioned,it was sent by God v25.Why does God send storms into His children's lives?, the fact is, He does for different reasons,sometimes we are not sure why.In the case of  Jonah it was for disobedience,in the case of Paul and Silas in Acts 27, the witness of  Paul ,to those in the ship, To the disciples in Mark 4 v35ff, to challenge them as regards faith ,or the lack of it.In Psalm 107 we read three times,'Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He brought them out of their distress'. We read that the storm was so bad, they could do nothing,it reads that,' they were at their wits end'. It appeared that they were going to perish, and its only then we read,that they cried unto the Lord, Spurgeon  comments,'Though at their wits end, they had wit enough to pray'.It is never to late to call on God,no matter how dark things look,the Lord answered,'He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed', not only that ,'He guided them to their desired haven'.

                                                                   

                                                                 ' Psalm 50 v15'

                                                 ' Call on me in the day of trouble;

                                                   I will deliver you, and you will

                                                   honour Me'.

                                                   

He is real. ( Luke 4 v 14 - 21 )

 The devil is called the god of this world, he is not a god in essence,but this  he desires more anything else, that people worship him as god.He is barefaced in this we see his brazenness ,when he tempted our Lord to bow down and worship him Matthew 4 v 9.of course our dear Lord,reminded him that God alone must be worshipped, and served. He has more success with fallen humanity, in a moral sense,and in a spiritual sense, history teaches us that.Surely Hitler and Nazism manifested a satanic  influence, also the genocidal tendencies that many in power have manifested. In 2 Corinthians 4 v 4,we read that he blinds the minds of unbelievers, so they will not be saved ,from hell,because his joy is one of destroying humanity.Our Saviour called him the prince of demons, Matthew 9 v34,and the prince of this world,John 16 v11. Often the devil is depicted  by the world as a comical character,but God's Word tells us that he is like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour 1Peter 5 v 8.The vast majority of people don't give much thought as regards him,and of course he is happy with that,he wants people to believe he does not exist.There is much more could be said about him,but the good news is,'The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devils work, 1 John 3 v8, the devils works are manifold and are always evil,and destructive,when we sin we following in father devils footsteps.John 8 v 44/ Eph  2 v 2.John Stott writes ,'in Christ we can escape his tyranny,' when we accept Him as our Saviour.

Too good to be true?. ( Acts 16 v 31 )

 The wonderful truth as regards salvation,it is free, religious observance,good works, can not save a person,it is not a flat pack ,something that we have to assemble ourselves. Most religions are flat packs,in other words you have fulfill certain things to qualify ,to be accepted, and go their special place after death, but even them it appears that there are no guarantee ,that you will make the grade. Here is a wonderful thing the moment one trusts Christ,one is saved, no if's or buts,it seems to good to be true, but it is. Is there a catch?, no,we receive Christ in simple faith,in all our need,repenting of our sin, that means turning away from them. The result will be, your sins will be forgiven.You will receive God's Holy Spirit, who will enable you to live the Christian life . This is possible because Christ paid it all ,through His death on the cross,it is on the bases of what He accomplished on the cross,that is sufficient . 

                                               'God forbid that I should glory,

                                                save in the cross of our Lord

                                                         Jesus Christ.'

                                                       Galatians 6 v14.

                                               

                                            

Our substitute. ( Galatians 2 v 20) 1

I 1 Peter 2 v 24 we read,' He himself bore our sins in His own body on the cross',there are two things I would highlight in that statement ,Christ on the cross was our substitute,in other words he was taken the sinners place.The second thing is ,He was taking the sinners punishment,so let us consider the first ,our Saviour being the sinners substitute.It is Charles Dickens who wrote the novel called ,' A tale of two cities',its setting is French revolution,during the Reign of Terror,under Robespierre,were many people were executed including the King and Queen.In the novel Charles Darny was being held in prison awaiting to be executed,he is married to an English girl,she had a friend who loved her,called Sydney Carton. He made the heroic decision take the place of Charles,and this he did,and so went to the guillotine and died in place of another.So Christ went to the cross in our stead . It is in Romans 5 ,the apostle Paul  writes,'Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were still sinners Christ died for us'. he follows that up by saying, in our unsaved state we were God's enemies'.It is amazing to think of such love,after all who would die for those who hated and despised Him, Christ did.

                                                    ' Man of sorrows ! what a name

                                                      For the Son of God who came

                                                      Ruined sinners to reclaim!

                                                      Hallelujah! what a Saviour.

                                                      Bearing shame and scoffing rude,

                                                      In my place condemned He stood;

                                                      Sealed my pardon with His blood;

                                                      Hallelujah! what a Saviour.                                                      

                                                      

                                                    

Be discerning. ( Acts 17 v 10 - 12 )

I am going through the whole of the Psalms as my daily reading ,using a devotional commentary , a friend of mine is likewise reading the Psalms,he is not using any commentary.Both are valid ,some proud people tell you don't need books,it seems so spiritual  to say that you just need the Bible.I don't agree , in fact I strongly disagree. The  fact is I am limited, as we all are, and as a minister ,I know that people need to to be taught from God's word.I realise that there people who are preaching ,and writing books,that to say the least are dubious,and doing a lot of harm to people.It is not a new thing,in the OT we read of false prophets, who laid God's people astray, with dire consequences.We are all as Christians  called to be  discerning. CP 1 John 4 v 1-3. Which reads,' Dear friends , do not believe every spirit , but test the spirit to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. Then he goes unto tell them how to recognise  who is genuine ,and who is not genuine.The is a major theme throughout the epistle,who is genuine and who is not. John Stott highlights certain things as to how we judge people,' Moral, doctrinal,'social . faith ,love,and holiness.If these things are missing, then  we may ask the question as to there genuineness.  .                                                              

The Cross. ( Isaiah 53 )

 What was involved when our dear Saviour died on the cross?. I would like to mention two things, ( 1 ) Christ became a substitute,in other words He was dying in the place of sinners.This is foreshadowed in the animal sacrifice .CP  Leviticus 1 v 4, we read,'Lay your hand on the animals head, and the Lord will accept  its death in your place to purify you, making you right with Him'. ( 2 ) An offering for sin. Leviticus 16, Jesus the Lamb of God became a sin offering CP also John 1 v 29.On the cross Jesus was dying for others,and their sins, lets remember Jesus never sinned. CP Hebrew 4 v 15.  we read In 1 Peter 2 v 24,/  'Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree', also CP Isaiah 53 v 11-12.A. M. Stibbs writes,'To bear sin or iniquity means in the OT to be answerable for it, and to endure its penalty.' Now everyone of us are sinners, and we read that Gods wrath is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness.Romans 1 v18. And in John 3 v36 we are told that the wrath of God abides on all unbelievers.To sum it up,Jesus on the cross became a living sacrifice, and that meant bearing the wrath  of God for sin,so that when we believe in Jesus,our sins are forgiven,wrath is removed from us, and we are accepted by God as His child.

                                                 By Christ, the sinless Lamb of  God,

                                                 The precious blood was shed,

                                                 When He fulfilled God's holy Word,

                                                 And suffered in our stead.

                                                The wrath of God that was our due,

                                                 Upon the Lamb was laid;

                                                 And by the shedding of  His blood,

                                                 The debt for us was paid.

                                                          D.W.Whittle

Be a witness. ( Acts 1 v 8 )

 I have always been  conscious that I should witness to people ,today I went to the optician ,to have a test on my eyes, and purchase new glasses.A nice young lad dealt with me  and he appeared to know what he was doing. My wife was with me,and he was as many people are,is living with a young lady,the term is his partner. I didn't get into that to much, I  know it's wrong,but I left it,remember our Saviour  did not condemn a certain lady , who had a number of husbands,and the person she was living with at that time ,was not her husband. I did manage to talk to him about Christ,I hope and pray that God would bless my witness, brief and all that it was.It was a brief  encounter, but it may have been that young lads first time anybody had spoke to him about Christ. I do wish that I was more capable at witnessing,but at least I did witness.There are people who are Christians, and they find it hard to witness,people can be very reserved in this country, or just shy,but the fact is ,how are people going to hear the gospel, unless someone like you and I tell them?.If you do witness to people, keep at it, don't give up. and if you do find it hard to witness, the Holy Spirit who dwells in every Christian can help you

                                                                    Prayer.

                                                  Lead me to some soul today

                                                  Teach me Lord ,just what to say.

                                                                     Amen.

/

YOU Say vs God Says.( John 15 v 5 )

                   My niece sent me a calendar with the following on it,so I will share it with you.

                            You say; ''It's impossible . '    God says; ''All things are possible''   

                                                           Luke 18 v27  

                            You say ; ''I'm too tired ''        God says.'' I will give you rest''.

                                                           Matthew 11 v 28- 30.

                            You say;''No one loves me''     God says; ''I love you''.

                                                           1John 3v1.  Jeremiah 31 v 3.

                             You say; ''I can't go on''            God says.'' My grace is sufficient''.

                                                            2 Corinthians 12 v 9

                            You say;'' I can't figure things out''God says;''I will direct your steps''.

                                                              Proverbs 3  v5 -6 .

                            You say;  ''I can't do it''. God says ; ''You can do all things''.

                                                             Philippians 4 v 13.

                            You say; ''I'm not able''. God says;  ''I am able''.

                                                            2 Corinthians 9 v8 

                            You say; ''I can't forgive myself''.God says; ''I forgive you''.

                                                            1 John 1 v 9.

                            You say;'' I can't manage'' God says; ''I will supply all your needs''.

                                                             Philippians 4 v19.

God alone did it. ( 139 v 1- 18 )

 Psalm 100 is very short,only five verses,it is called , The Old Hundredth',and has been a great blessing to many.It is a very positive psalm.It begins,' Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth.'Joy ,sometimes all we see is gloom and doom,but let us remember God is still on the throne,and he is in control,even though things appear out of control. they are not,God is still sovereign ,not the sovereigns of this world,they come and go ,but He still reigns,He has not given up control,nor will He,He is the same today as He was yesterday, and He will be same for all our tomorrows, So shout for joy to the Lord praise Him, and rejoice in Him. In v 3 we read,'Know ye that the Lord He is God', There are no other god's, consider the following scriptures,  Isaiah 44 v 6 ,'Apart from me there is no other god's, 45 v 5,'I am the Lord, there is no other ; apart from me there is no God'. v 22,'Turn to me  and be saved;all the you ends of the earth; for I am God .and there is no other'. 46 v I am God , there is no other'.Show that to Mormon missionaries,and others in their blindness who believe in multitudes of god's . V 3 continues by declaring  ,'it is He that hath made us, and not we ourselves'.We are self made, no we are God made, it is the only possible answer, as Lockyer writes,'We did not make ourselves or contribute anything towards our  composition', God did it all.

Time will tell . ( Psalm 94 v 23 )

 I read this recently,'Do you believe that everything in the world and in our own lives down to the minutest details is ordered by the providence of God.?'Very searching question, very challenging also,yet it must be so , for God is sovereign .We have a God  who is not just a spectator of what is going on in His world, a world that appears to be out of control. I say appears,Faith looks beyond what we cannot see,to God,who rules over all the universe, and all that is going on, in this world.But the fact is His ways are past finding out,let us not judge God,as regards the evil that is going on in the world.Evil does not originate from God, evil originated from the devil,and from him it took root in humanity.Both these factors are continually at work in this world,we must  not be surprised at the war in Ukraine,although it saddens us,but we are part of the problem,for all of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God.Painful and awful as to what is in this world,God purposes will be fulfilled.I read this as to the providence of God,''Providence arranges retaliations as remarkable as they are just'''In Psalm 94 v 23,we read,' He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness;' Only Gods knows what will happen to the Kremlin , and to Russia itself, it's in God's hands,time will tell . 

God our teacher.( Hebrews 12 v 4 - 12 )

 We would all agree that education is a wonderful thing, I personally am grateful for what I learnt at school,I am also grateful for the Pastors and teachers who ministered to me and others. I am also grateful for the Christian books that I possess ,that have instructed me in the things of God written by godly people.I wonder do you realise that our God is also a teacher,  In Psalm 94 v 12 we read,'Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest ( disciplines),O Lord, and teaches him out of thy law'. Spurgeon comments ,'The afflicted believer is under tuition, he is training for something higher and better, and all that he meets with is working out for his highest good'.Herbert Lockyer comments,'It is by trials that God teaches.Trials, in themselves , can be severe schoolmasters,but the Divine Schoolmaster knows how to guide us into a deeper knowledge of all He is in himself through them. As seeds,  covered with snow in winter flourish mostly in Spring, so God knows that the sorrows of life can yield much fruit  in our witness for him'. Many of the Psalms were written by people who suffered,like many hymn writers, also consider Job and Saul,all these people were under the chastening hand of God. Consider what Paul wrote ,that out of suffering, blessings came , because of what it produces,Romans 5 v 3-4.

                                                I've had many tears and sorrows,  

                                                I've had questions for tomorrow,

                                                there's been times I didn't know right from wrong,

                                                But in every situation God gave blessed consolation,

                                                That my trials came to only make me strong.

                                                                  Andre Crouch.

Friendship. ( John v 13 - 15 )

I'm sure we would all agree that friendship is  important,some friendships last a life time,others come into our lives for a while and then move on,yes friendship is important.J.C. Ryle writes the following,'Every true Christian has a friend in heaven , of almighty power and boundless love. He is thought of, cared for, provided for, defended by God's eternal Son.  He has an unfailing protector, who never slumbers or sleeps, and watches continually over his interests. The world may despise him, , but he has no cause to be ashamed. Father and mother even may cast him out, but Christ having taken him up will never let him go. He is the ''friend of Christ'' even after he is dead.! The friendships of this world are often fair- weather friendships, and fail us like summer dried fountains, when our need is sorest ;  but the friendship of the Son of God is stronger than death, and goes beyond the grave.The Friend of sinners is a Friend that sticketh  closer than a brother.'

                                                  ' What a friend we have in Jesus'.

!

How important is truth?. ( Ephesians 2 v 1 - 10 )

 How important is truth to you?,and indeed to me? well if we don't have truth ,what do we have?. Consider if the god of this world is the devil,he is not in essence a god, its what people have made him. The apostle writing to Christians, reminds them of their former state,' You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil- the commander of the powers in the unseen world (Ephesians 2 v 2 ). Now we have pointed out  before that the devil is a liar and the father of lies,and that he twists the truth, so that it becomes a lie.So it is that many are spiritually blind, and really do not know what truth is,in fact they exchange the truth for a lie ,and worship all sorts of things ( Romans 1 v25 ) Chuck Swindoll states the following,'So potent is the power of Satan that he gets people to believe that truth is a lie and that a lie is the truth. He fills the world with temptation  and traps, and he reigns over his kingdom of darkness like a malevolent dictator oppressing his powerless victims' False  religions is one of his specialties,let us be very clear  about them,when we say that Christ is the only way to God,we are saying that all other religions are false.Their followers may be sincere, but they are sincerely wrong, Christianity is not just another religion,it is the only religion that can save a person from hell ,and take you to heaven.For only Jesus is the way the truth and the life,and the only one that can bring one to God.

Built on lies. ( John 8 v 44 )

 Nazi Germany was built on lies,the Nazi  party sought to control the nation,every home was supplied with a radio,those radios and what they broadcast was completely controlled by the government.The government believed if you told a lie often enough it would be accepted as truth.Their control went further, no one was allowed to raise a dissenting voice,if they did, they would be sent to a concentration camp were they more than likely be murdered. Does it all sound familiar?of course it does, consider what is happening in Russia now.It is a serious thing when a life or a society is  built on a foundation of lies, my mother used to say, 'you can never trust a liar.'Think how many lives that have been destroyed by lies,lying is a serious business,we all get phone calls from people who tell us lies,they just want to rob us.Consider how serious all this is and its consequences, for those build their lives on lies.Here is what we read in Revelation 21 v 8 -9 that liars with all sorts of wicked people, will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death'.

I can, I can't (Acts 12 v 1 - 19 )

I wonder what comes to mind with the following,'I can, I can;t',the apostle wrote that he could do all things through him who give him strength', ( Philippians 4 v 13) This fits in with what our Saviour told us, that apart from Him we can do nothing( John 15 v 5 ) These words stress the importance of reliance on Christ in all aspects of our lives. Samson had to learn that lesson,and it cost him dearly( Judges 16 ), as I look back I am amazed at the things God has helped me to do,completing a three course at Bible college ,learning to drive,to be able to stand up and preach,bringing up a family of five boys, even doing this blog.What about tomorrows challenges? you may be facing daunting tasks,let me remind you that the God who helped you in all your yesterdays,will help you in all your tomorrows.What about the I can't?, they are many,I can't change people,I can't save people,what is your I can't, at this time?,it's not about giving up, no,it's it is a fact that there are things we can't do,possible not meant to do,some situations that are beyond us,and so it could be best to simply walk away from. But let us remember the importance of prayer,it may be an obvious thing to say,but we all need to be reminded how vital prayer is, and not to underestimate its importance and power. When Peter  was in prison on the orders of Herod, in his cell he was bound by two chains,he had two solders standing guard over him, plus soldiers guarding the entrance of the cell. Coinciding with this the church was praying,that was all they could do,but praise God it was enough,for God heard their prayer ,and Peter walked out of that prison a free man.

Creation. ( Genesis 1 )

 Im thinking about  God and creation, I have chosen some things that William Hendriksen has written in his commentary on Romans ,chapter 1 v 20.'The vastness of the universe, the fixed order of the heavenly bodies in their courses, the arrangement of the leaves around a stem, the cycle of  the divinely created water works ( evaporation, cloud formation, distillation,pool formation), the mystery of  growth from seed to plant- not just any plant but the particular kind of plant from which the seed originated, the thrill of the sunrise from faint  rosy flush to majestic orb, the skill of birds in building their '' homes'' without ever having taken lessons in home building, the generous manner in which food is supplied for all creatures, the adaptation of living creatures to their environment ( for example, the flexible soles of the camel's feet to the soft desert sands)'.These things did not just happen it is impossible.

                                                          'In the beginning God created the 

                                                           heavens and the earth'

                                                                    Genesis 1 v 1.

She speaks to trees ( Romans 1 v 18 - 23 )

                  A .Robert Goulet wrote a song that became very popular, the verse reads like this,

                                        ' I talk to the trees but they don't listen to me,

                                          I talk to  the stars but they never hear me, 

                                          The breeze hasn't time to stop and hear what they said,

                                          I talk to them all in vain

I read the following  recently,about a girl called  Holly , she is a tree whisperer, a person who connects with nature.She feels for the trees pain,  and sits and asks them questions, and waits for an answer. It is sad and strange the things people believe, and yet are blind to the reality of God who created all things, it may appear a harmless thing to be a tree whisperer,  but its not, in reality its all in vain.Creation for that's what it is ,our God made all things,He is the great Creator,he made every leaf,every blade of grass,and every hair on our heads,He made everything,he made you and me.Creation is a witness of God's glory , power,and His person. ( Romans 1 v 20) But our sinful nature is blind ,we only view things from a horizontal level, failing or not willing to accept the obvious,that there is creator God. And it goes further than that,for the great creator of this world  stepped into this world in the person of Jesus, yet ,they refused to recognise Him, but not only that , they crucified Him. Sad but true,

A God silence. ( Psalm 77 )

 In Psalm 77 v 19, we read,'Your  way was in the sea ,Your path in the great water, and your footsteps were not known'. The psalmist  writes of  needing  God's help,he expresses  deep concerns ,that God appears not to be responding to his situation,it also  appears that God is never going to help.Verses 7-9 are questions he is asking in response to God's not acting to help him.Many of us can identify with him,when we  are up against it , and we are filled with thoughts of God not caring,being angry with us. In verse 10 we have him expressing his weakness, that was happening was overpowering him.His mood changes and he  begins to appeal to God in relation to His great deliverances in the past, His power,and miraculous deeds, and to Gods character. Verse 15, he highlights the rescue of God's people out of Egypt. Verse 19 reads'Thy way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters,and Thy footsteps are not known'.It is Barnes who comments on these words,'Thy footsteps are not known', as the mystery of Gods Providence,that His ways are often past finding out.yes He takes comfort in God dealings in the past with His people,but remembering the importance of trusting Him when it appears there is a God silence.And as one writer puts it ,'when we cannot trace God we can certainly trust Him.'

                                   

Empty hands. ( Psalm 130 v 1 )

 There is an old hymn that has these words ,'nothing in my hands I bring,' reminding us that salvation is not about us doing,working or whatever,it is coming to God with empty hands. Those hands are reaching  out to God for His mercy , grace ,and forgiveness,it is a place were pride is vanquished, boasting is silent.We are bowing at the cross of Christ, and the cry of our heart is,'God be merciful to me a sinner'.We come just as we are with a deep sense shame,and lostness ,as  we look at the cross we see the enormity of sin ,for we kneeling in the presence of Him who is holy,our wrong actions, ,thoughts,and motives,are seen for what they are ,sinful, No more excuses ,no more ignoring our past, our sinful blindness and willfulness,we were rebels, we never wanted or cared for God,in our blindness we thought we should ignore God,whom we never took serious . We believed so many wrong things, we made light of things that God said was wrong,we remember so many times we twisted the truth, replacing them with our lies.We went along with the crowd on the broad road ,not realising that the broad road leads to destruction,we never took serious,that there was a place called hell,and if there was a heaven,God who is love will welcome us in ,forgetting that God is holy,and that He will judge  those who lived and died in their sin.So here we are now,bowed down,broken,repenting,begging pleading for forgiveness,and the good news is this Christ died for sinners,and whosoever calls on the name Jesus shall be saved .

                                                   'Out of the fear and dread of the tomb,

                                                    Jesus, I come! Jesus I come!

                                                    Into the Joy and light of thy home,

                                                     Jesus, I come to Thee!

                                                     Out of the depths of ruin untold,

                                                      Into the peace of Thy sheltering fold,

                                                      Ever Thy glorious face to behold,

                                                      Jesus , I come to Thee.'

                                                               Words,W.T. Sleeper.