Lessons I've learnt. ( Psalm 37

Andrae Crouch wrote a lovely song that became very popular,it was called ' Through it all'. I just want to leave it with you.

                                  'I've had many tears and sorrows, I've had questions for tomorrow,

                                  There've been times I didn't know right from wrong;

                                   But in every situation God gave me blessed consolation,

                                   That my trials come to only make me strong.

                                    I've been to lots of places,and I've seen a lot of faces,

                                    There've been times I felt so all alone

                                    But in my lonely hours,yes those precious lonely hours,

                                    Jesus let me know that I was His own.

                                    I thank God for the mountains, and I thank Him for the valleys,

                                    I thank Him for the storms He bro't me through;

                                    For if I never had a problem I wouldn't know that He could solve them,

                                    I'd never know what faith in God could do.

                                    Through it all, Through it all, I've learnt to trust in God,

                                    Through it all, Through it all,I've learned to depend upon His word.

    

Be careful ( Isaiah 6 v 5 )

My grandson whose wife is a teacher said of pupils that they are not very respectful towards to their teachers,respect is important.I  recently was on the London underground and people did offer their seats to me,because I am elderly, not all young people are disrespectful, but were it raises its ugly head it is not very nice.But let us consider reverence,it has respect to it,but it goes deeper especially to God. I believe God is the most friendly being in all the universe,friendship is a wonderful thing,I have a number of friends whom I treasure. We often sing ,'What a friend we have in Jesus', and it is true he is our best friend ,and the one who sticks closer than a brother,so much we can say about him. And of course He reflects that greater friendship we have with God Father ,and God the Holy Spirit,the blessed trinity. But we must be careful to not cross the line from friendship to familiarity,we must always treat Him with reverence.a reverence that sometimes is filled with awe, and even fear.A man in the OT crossed that line and suffered for that 2 Samuel 6 v 6 - 7 ) .D.R.Davis writes the following,'God's people tend to forget what sort of God they face. We forget that there is heat in His holiness. No we do not need to be terrified, but being scared  wouldn't hurt'.

Why me Lord. ( Luke 18 v 9 -14)

The country and western singer  Kris Kristofferson went to a church with a friend, during the service the preacher asked if anyone was lost,to put up their hand,he was reluctant to do that,but suddenly he felt himself doing it.People were asked to come down to the front,which he did,he was asked did he want to receive Jesus,he wasn't sure,but all of a sudden he started crying,and he felt forgiveness.From that experience he wrote a song called ,'Why me Lord'. Here are the words of it.

                  '  Why me Lord,what have I ever done,to deserve even of  one the pleasures I've known?,

                     Tell me Lord,what did I ever do that was worth loving you,or the kindness you've shown.

                     Lord help me Jesus I've wasted it so help me Jesus,I know what I am,but now that I know

                     that I've needed you so help me Jesus,my soul's in your hand.

                     Try me Lord if you think there's a way, I can try to repay,all I've taken from you,

                     Maybe Lord I can show someone else,what I've been through myself

                      on my way back to you.

           Let me ask you the the same question that was asked to Kris, do you want to receive Jesus?

Take heed. ( Psalm 90 v 12

 I remember reading how Paul Newman visited Elizabeth Taylor when her husband had died,and she told him off when he started speaking platitudes to her.  A platitude is trite and meaningless, and is the last thing a grieving person wants to hear.When Jesus stood outside the tomb of a man called Lazarus,He wept, tears can speak  to people, likewise silence,Jobs comforters started well for when they came to him none of them said a word, because they saw  how great his suffering was.( Job 2 v13 ) I am reminded of the words from the musical Les Miserables , 'There's a grief that can't be spoken, there's a pain that goes on and on'.Death and tragedy speaks for itself,often we do not know why certain things happen, and we may never know, So where do go from there?,in Ecclesiastes we read,'It is better to go to the house of  mourning  than to go to a house of feasting,for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take it to heart',( 7 v 2 ).We should not live with a morbidness as regards death and tragedy and yet at the same time we should  not ignore them, for they remind us of that hidden but real reality , that we all one day will be ushered into the presence of  God,and depending whither we have trusted Jesus  or rejected Him, will determine where we will spend eternity in heaven,or eternity in hell.

Annihilationism ( Mark 9 v 42 - 48 )

 Just lately I discovered that a very well known Bible teacher,believed in annihilationism,,which is a belief that after the last judgement, all unsaved human beings,all fallen angels and Satan himself will be totally destroyed so as not to exist.Many people believe that when you die that's it,some Christians find the doctrine of hell,that place were all the unsaved will exist in a place of punishment for all eternity,hard to accept. If that is what the Bible teaches then we must accept that, there is a heaven and there is a hell.as heaven is wonderful,so hell is an awful place to be avoided at all cost ,CP Mark 9 v 42 -48. Bruce Milne writes,'There is no more terrible prospect conceivable than of being consigned to hell'.  in Matthew 25 v 41 ,Jesus declares to those who are not saved,'Depart from Me,you who are accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels' The term ,'eternal fire',is also used in Matthew 18 v 8, and in Hebrews 6 v 2,we read of 'eternal judgement'. Jesus taught much on hell ,one may struggle as many do as regards hell, how can God who is love cast people into hell?,yes He loves but His is holy love.Christ death on the cross tell's us of the love of God,but it also tells us clearly of the awfulness of sin,Christ on the cross bore the punishment for sin,we need not go to hell if we but only believe in Christ,if we don't then eternal hell awaits us. Bruce Milne writes,'It is not just that hell is so terrible,but that heaven is so wonderful that every effort is to be made and every possession,if necessary, relinquished in order to arrive there'

                                                  'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

                                                   and you shall be saved'

Universalism. ( John 3 v16 )

It wasn't for many years that I discovered  that one my favorite Christian writers did not believe in the deity of Christ,but he also believed in universalism,which  means that everyone is going to be saved.That means all different religions,those of no religion, all those who have never accepted Christ as their Saviour, they will be in heaven.It is to say the least a strange belief. and is totally at odds with what the Bible teaches .The story of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16 v 19 - 31,would clearly teach there will be those that will not be saved.Like Daniel  12 v 2,which reads'Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake some to everlasting life, and others to to shame and everlasting contempt' In Matthew 25 v46 we read of those going to eternal punishment,and those going to eternal life.We are told if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ we shall  be saved Acts 16 v 31. In Revelation 20 v 15 'Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life are thrown into the lake of fire. In 14 v6 ,Jesus said no one comes to the Father except through Me,one of the reasons we preach the gospel is that people can go to heaven,and not go to hell,we deal with the subject of hell next time.

Ponder ( Psalm 22 v 1)

  Dale Ralph Davis asked the following question,'Do you think we lose something if we spend  much time thinking about the theology of the cross in the Epistles, but rarely stand at the actual scene as depicted in the Gospels?'There is I'm sure an aspect of that, that is true ,but without the theology that person hanging on the cross is just another man dying a horrible death. The theology gives the meaning as regards that man Jesus  who was truly God and truly man.likewise the theology tells us the purpose of His death.It also tells us something we cannot see,something that goes beyond the awful and terrible physical suffering,that is Jesus bearing God's wrath. again it is D.R.D ,who writes ,'Don't run off. Stay at Golgotha. Let the sadness sink in . Consider the wrath of God, And ponder the pathos of love,and he points to 1 John  4 v10,which reads,'Is this not love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins'

                                                      'Love so amazing so divine

                                                       Demands my soul,my life,

                                                       My all.'

                                                          'Words by Isaac Watts'

Why the cross? ( Romans 1 v 16/ 18)

One may ask why did Christ have to die on a cross?, here is why,Murder,lying,evil motives, bad language,sexual perversion,rape,sexual abuse,adultery,fornication , thoughts,hate,racism,oppressing the weak, exploiting people,injustice,pride,idolatry,self love,lack of love, deceitfulness,putting people in gas chambers,destroying the unborn,doing and speaking evil, causing others to sin,coveting ,blaspheming,  cruelty ,incest,spiritualism,occultism.These are just the tip of the iceberg, but they are an answer as to why Christ had to die on the cross.The Bible declares that we are all sinners,it is amazing how soon in our lives our fallen nature manifests itself, because of our sin Gods wrath is  revealed against us,and as long as we are in that condition,God's wrath remains on us.(John 3 v36),that means everyone. That wrath if it remains on us will be activated as God passes his judgement and cast sinners into hell.Now let's get a little bit technical,the death of Christ was a sacrifice for sin , and in that sacrifice  Christ  who was sinless, experienced   the wrath of God, His sacrifice was a propitiation( Romans 3 v25 )Without that Sacrifice no one would be saved,every last human being would never be saved.That is why Christ had to die on the cross,there was and is no other way to be saved.

                                                      '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.

                                                             Words by EI  Nathan.

The historical Christ. (1 Corinthians 15 v 3 - 8 ) 1

 It is important to know that Jesus is mentioned in secular history,by well known historians,and that He was executed by Pontius Pilate the Roman Govern ,I mention two historian's one Tacitus a Roman historian, and  Josephus a Jewish historian.Both these men wrote of a historical Christ,they were not Christians, a later historian Lucian  mentions  Jesus being crucified.  It should not surprise us that Christ was crucified  as the OT books foretold the one who would come  and die a violent death CP Psalm 22 ,Isaiah 52 v13-15, consider the whole of Isaiah 53. Jesus himself knew the reason why He had come, before He died he told His disciples,that He would be crucified and on the third day rise again. ( Luke 24 v 6 - 7, v26)Why I said that Islam was a religion built on lies was because they deny that Christ died on the cross,they refuse to accept the secular and biblical evidence,they believe it is fake news, but its not.Christianity is built on sound secular and Biblical evidence. Next time we  will consider why the cross was so necessary.

Propaganda ( Psalm 119 v130 )

Joseph Goebbels was the Minister of Propaganda this ministry sought to control what the German people would hear. One means of doing this was to issue each household with a radio,otherwise known as a,'People's Receiver'. Most of what was broadcast was in keeping with Nazi belief's,as regards the superiority of their race, and their hatred of the Jews, it was a means of brainwashing, a controlling of peoples minds.All totalitarian states do this,the cults do this Islam does also does this,people are not allowed to think for themselves, it is a religion based on lies.Christianity is not based on fake or false news, if we are Christian's, we follow one  who is way the truth and life, Jesus,the gospel is not false or fake news, we do not have a minister of propaganda.What we do have is the word of God, that word is the touchstone of our beliefs,we must not deviate from it,in any way.

                                           ''The Word of God comes first,and with that Word

                                             the Spirit breathes upon my heart so that I believe''

                                                                     Martin Luther.

Motives( 1 Corinthians 10 v 31 )

 It is all to possible  to do good things ,with bad motives,our Saviour speaks of those who  prayed in the synagogue, and some people who prayed out in the streets where everyone could see them.I remember years ago going to a large church gathering,in which they publicly called up people from missions to give them money,I felt the way they did it was wrong,I know a man who boasted how much he prayed and read his bible as compared to a man he was seeking to humiliate. The things these people  did were good in themselves,but done out of a bad motive. A  Donald Grey Barnhouse  told about little Willie, who had crawled out on the ice and rescued a playmate who had fallen through. Praise and admiration were heaped upon him. Then a lady asked,'Tell us my boy, how you were brave enough to risk your life to save your friend'. In between  breaths Willie shot back,' I had to - he had my skates on'. It is said God looks on the heart,looks beyond the deed and looks at our motives.

If it is. ( 1 John 5 v 14 )

I remember a friend of mine telling me of an experience he had,when on one occasion he had  no money,he was hungry,and he did something unusual ,he went into a cafe and ordered some food,trusting God.   .When the food arrived he bowed his head and give thanks ,unknown to him there was a person  in that cafe who decided if he saw someone giving thanks for his meal,he would pay the bill, which he did.Now that was a one off experience, I am not advocating that people do what my friend did.That was his experience in God providing ,and we do believe that God will provide for our needs (Phil 4 v19), how he will that do  this is in His hands. When I was younger I went to Bible college,for three years,my wife and I had no savings,we then had three children,and so it was very challenging.Where we foolish? ,some people may have thought so, all I can say it wasn't easy, It did not stop there when I had completed my three years,my then wife went to Bible college for one year.That was our experience,I am not encouraging anyone to do what we did, we must be careful not to put God to the test ( Deut. 6 v 16)But if it is His will to step out by faith I believe God will meet the needs,it may not be that God will provide in the way  he did for my friend or what He did for my wife and I,He may,he may not. There was a young couple at the the same Bible college that I attended,they had to leave because they did not have the funds to continue.God has his reasons,for saying yes and saying no, both can be God's will and it will work out for the best if it is His will (Romans 8 v28 )

Witnessing. ( Isaiah 55 v 11)

 No doubt about it some people are very gifted at witnessing, so maybe we should leave it to them,what do think?.I remember years a go a man who was a very simple soul,being told off by this Christian lady,because he wore a lot of badges with  Christian messages on them,shame on that lady. I am sure we have all  heard people witnessing and we have been critical the way they were doing it ,and you think that they are putting people off from being a Christian.W.P.Nicholson was a very effective  evangelist, but he used terms that would appear to most of  us as being inappropriate. I believe that there are people who are called to be evangelist, but that does not mean we should not witness for Jesus. when is the right time  to witness?, anytime,how does one go about it? ,prayerfully, humbly, then just do it. Then what about results?, leave that to God,it is He who gives the increase,the words of witness that you may give,may lie dormant in a persons mind for years,but then at a particular time it will bear fruit. Remember this ,there will be those who will take offence,that comes with the territory,as long as we are not offensive. Always remember you are not doing it on your own,God the Holy Spirit is with you, he will help you.

Can God? (Psalm 37 )

 A  little chorus goes, ' When your cup runneth over' with joy,is based on a quotation from the Hebrew Bible ,Psalm 23 v 5,means,'I have more than enough for my needs'. God loves to bless His children, most Fathers do, if they can,sometimes they just cant do it ,but our Father in heaven can,In unbelief  the children of Israel in the wilderness tested God,by declaring ,'Can God spread a table in the wilderness?'.  So often like them we limit God,but of course He can, CP Matthew 6 v 31 - 34. He is not only able, he will provide,the Psalmist in Psalm 37 v 3 exhorts us to'Trust in the Lord and do good;  so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed'  In v 25, he also declares out of his own experience,'I was young  and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread'.   Verse 3  tells us to do two things,'Trust in the Lord and do good',to trust God is essential, seems so simple it seems so simple,but many are not prepared to do that. Next he tells us to do good, no shady dealings,no thinking He will understand,no He won't,he expects us to act with integrity at all times.This Psalm was written by David,in all his troubles he had proved God to be faithful,it is now our turn to prove God's faithfulness.

One that day all be different. ( Philippians 2 v 5 - 7)

 I watched recently a movie by Robin Williams called, 'Patch Adams', it was about a man Patch Adams who wanted to help people,so he trained to be a doctor. But he wanted to bring a more human side to treating people,it was a nice movie,but for all its well intentions,it lacked something vital ,God never got a mention, That's nothing new of course, one is not condemning those are in the business of helping others,they are to be commended. The fact is ,that should not mean, God is to be ignored,which He is,the God who created us, is the God who sustains all of us,we are told that in him we live and move and have our being (Acts 17 v28) .There is so much evil in this world,we read this in the newspapers ,on the TV, everyday  ,yet there is  so much more we do not see,we underestimate our sinful nature. The fact is God is not responsible for any of the evil in this world,we are.yet in spite of this God remains  a faithful creator,and blesses this world,more that we deserve.One day it may be sooner than we think,the day of Lord will come,and judgement will fall upon all those who have rejected His Son Jesus,and His wonderful love.He will no longer be ignored,and sinned against, on that great judgement day,every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord.

Procrastination. ( Revelation 3 v 20 )

 I said to myself ,''I will do it later,then I said no I will do it now,and so I did,my wife can be a bit critical at times,when I say I will do it later,she very cynically, and very annoyingly'I suppose it will never get done'',as if. I ask myself the question are all wives like this?,well she may have a point.I suppose its possible, some things don't get done,we put off,and we put it off, but not today, I got over my procrastination spirit,and did it,I must tell my wife,but I don't think so,for she may say,'so what,do you want a medal?''Ah procrastination, the art of putting things off,Martin Luther said, 'How soon, ' not now ' becomes never'. People make jokes as regards procrastination like the following, , My mother always told me I wouldn't amount to anything, because I procrastinate,'I said ,'Just wait'.One can laugh at this but of course when it comes to salvation to procrastinate can be a very serious business. On one occasion the apostle Paul witnessed to a Roman governor (Acts 25 v 24 - 25) God spoke to him ,but he  resisted that ,and then he said to Paul,''when I have a convenient season I will call for thee''.In Isaiah 55 v 6, we read ,'Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is neat''.The whole point is the urgency, a limited time of opportunity. tomorrow may not come for you,take the opportunity now to trust the Lord.

                                                          ' Now is the day of salvation.'

An aroma ( 2 Corinthians 2 v15 - 16)

 An author called Rita Snowden tells of her visit to a small town near Dover,England. She was having tea in the late afternoon when she became aware  of an unbelievably  pleasant scent filling the air. She asked the waiter the source of the scent and was told that it came from the people passing by . He explained to her that they worked in a perfume factory down the street and were on their way home. When they  left the factory  they carried  with them  the fragrance  that had permeated their clothes during their day's work.     I remember meeting my cousin  whom I hadn't seen for many years, he said to me your different, I hope that difference was that Jesus was somehow shining through this earthen vessel that I am.When the apostles were arrested and brought before the Jewish authorities, (Acts 4 v 13)' they  took note that these men had been with Jesus'. In  2 Corinthians 2 v 15-16 ,Paul writes ,'For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other ,an aroma that brings life'.The fact is there will those who will accept the wonderful fragrance of the Gospel  will receive eternal life,others will reject it  and will die in their sins.

Who is this man.? ( Isaiah 9 v 6)

 Some call him his holiness, but his holiness  made a lewd suggestion to a young person,he is seen as a god ,gods there are in plenty in this world, but what are they ?They are only bit actors playing a role,that in no way represents a true deity,I would go farther and say they are satanic, who enslave their followers  and lead them into the dark, a darkness that will never cease. Now let us turn away from these phonies, and let me point to an unique person,he was born of a virgin, born in obscurity, when He grew up,he began ministering,in word and in doing  good,that  good involved miracles,He turned water into wine,walked on water,calmed a storm,raised the dead,give sight to the blind,hearing to  the deaf, speech to the dumb,freed people from Satan's power,and so many other things,and He unlike that lewd person whom  some address as His holiness,He never sinned in word.thought,or deed. This man's last acts was His death and resurrection,His death was awful ,crucifixion ,yet in that death mankind could escape the just punishment for their sins,as He would bear the punishment for them,when they put their trust in Him..Three days after his death He rose from the dead,if a person trusts Him as their Saviour, they likewise will rise from the dead. Who was this man His name is Jesus,otherwise known as Emmanuel, meaning,' God with us.'

                                                             ' My Lord and my God'

Have you? ( Acts 16 v31 )

 Jesus said,'But you will receive power when the Holy Ghost comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,and in all Judea  and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' (Acts 1 v 8 ) Tony Campolo wrote the following,'It so easy for those of us in the  evangelical community to talk about people  going to hell.But if in the depths of our being we really believed this ,we should  constantly be witnessing , because the thought of  people going to hell without having heard about Christ should be an intolerable burden to bear'.It is a fact if you asked ,do most of them want to go to heaven when they die,they would say  yes,but everyone is not going to heaven because they have not received Christ as their Saviour. The question is,have you?.

Little providences. ( 1 Kings 17 v12 -14 )

 I read this recently,'Little providences make big differences', I remember getting a puncture I hadn't changed a wheel for along while,and a man passing by took over and changed it for me,a little providence. As I look back on my life I see God intervening in small ways.God does that,it was a lost donkey that brought Saul in contact with Samuel ,and what followed was ,Saul became Israels first king.I remember many years ago we had absolutely no money,and we had two commemorated Churchill coins given us a few years previous by my wife's aunt,so we cashed them in.A similar case arose,we were living by faith, no money,but I had a bought a trombone a few years earlier,so we were able to sell it and get some money for food. I had tried many places to get into Christian ministry, I saw in a Christian magazine a church advertising for a minister,and lo and behold I got the job. During my time at Bible college we lived by faith that meant trusting God for our needs, we did not get a grant, during that time there was man in the church we attended called Jackie Dunbar ,and during that time he give me on a regular bases two pound .We should think of Gods providence continually , even in those,'little  providences' ,they can make a difference,yes a very big difference.

Repentance (Luke 19 v 35 - 43

Cruden's writes the following about repentance,'Repent or repentance is used of regret  and sorrow for having done some deed. It is not always used for godly repentance,which means such sorrow as shall cause a complete change of action. Judas repented of his betrayal of Jesus,(Mat 27 v 8 ), but did not change his life.When it is used in regards to God it is in a figure of speech,which speaks of Him almost as if human; and since his actions are changed,attributes to Him the feelings in a man, would cause such a change'.Repentance is very important, it would be evidence by change. an abuser would stop abusing,a thief would stop thieving,take the example of Zacchaeus mentioned in Luke 19,he had an incounter with Christ,he was a hated tax collector,those tax collectors would exploit their position,making people to pay more than they should,but getting to know Jesus changed all that,he had Jesus as a guest in his home. We read that he stood up and said,'Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four time the amount'.'True repentance goes beyond a merely emotional response'. (Davis)

Death. ( 1 Corinthians 15 )

I had a birthday recently I was 79 ,my oldest son gave me a present of two books,one of them was called,'This Mortal Coil, a history of death'. I wonder if he is trying to tell me something?. One thing it did do was make me give up smoking, I joke I do not smoke, it made me laugh.Of course death is not  a laughing matter, but it is inevitable,but humanity is doing all they can to hold it back. I am reminded of the story how King Canute (who was also called Canute the great) is reputed to have tried to stop the tide come in, of course he didn't do that, he was a Christian, he was seeking to show were real power lay ,in God alone.In Revelation 1 v 18 we read of Jesus who holds the key of power of death and hell.Yes we cannot hold death back ,it will happen,what then? There are two destinies heaven or hell,we don't have to go to hell,and we can most certainty can go to heaven..When we trust Christ our sins are forgiven,and we are given eternal life, so it means when we die, we shall live again,in that wonderful future he has prepared for all those who trust Him.

Thy will be done. ( 1 John 5 v 14 - 15 )

I get so tired of seeing these wicked false religious people, sucking money out of people,and claiming miraculous healing which don't happen. So many desperate  dear people being deceived ,no words can describe the awfulness of these people who will eventually be dealt with by God,make no mistake about it ,it will happen. Those awful  people would nearly convince you to believe that miracles don't happen,but just recently I was  talking to a dear brother in  Christ recently,this brother is a very spiritual man.  He shared with me an experience in relation to his father,his father had cancer, he had many serious operations,but to no avail.One day a member of his family phoned him asking him to go to his father, as he was feeling awful. When he went to his father he found him standing very agitated,complaining of the terrible pain he was in, an ambulance was coming, so he told his father to get a few things. While his father was doing that, he cried unto God for him,and at that his father came back,and as he did he bumped into his son accidently. His father cried out, whats that?,then he said all my pain is gone,and it was. Now the thing is he was not healed of his cancer,but his pain had gone. 

                                                   '  In His will all things are possible.'

Meaning ( John 1 v1-5 )

 Is that all there is?,we are born ,live how many years and then we die, and that's it!, I have just finished reading a book  called,' Life change',in it 16 men tell their extraordinary stories.Those 16 people would as you would expect come from various backgrounds,a number of them were involved in crime ,drugs violence,but one was an entertainer ,another was an adventurer.The common denominator was they had no meaning to their lives,some had plenty of money,non of them believed in God.The question is what changed them?,what transformed their live?,or  should I say who changed them?. Let us ask the question first ,what is the meaning of life ?, why do we exist?, why? yes why?. Most live especially in our western society ,at a physical,and material level,that's it, so many are content to live at that level.But if for a moment we think about life at a deeper level, we may begin to ask the question ,surely there is more to life than this. People put a lot confidence in science, but they do not have the answer to the meaning of life.On a personal level ,there was a time when I had got away from the Lord ,and to me there didn't appear to much meaning to life,we are just here because of supposedly a freak accident,following a big bang.and planet earth with all the variety of life just happened of its own accord. Well thankfully like those 16 men  I found the answer in God through Jesus,we often here people say,that Christ is the meaning of Christmas He is , but He is more than that,He is the meaning of life.To get to know Him one must accept Him as their Saviour, and then all things will fall into place.

A word in season. ( Proverbs 15 v 23 )

 It was Charles Spurgeon's first year of ministry in London, Cholera struck. One family after another called Spurgeon to the bedside of loved ones and almost daily he stood by a grave. At first Spurgeon  threw himself into his visitation of the sick with all his youthful vigor. Soon , however, ''weary in  body, and sick at heart'', he began to think he was about to succumb. He was on the great Dover road dragging himself home from a funeral when a large broadside posted in a shoemaker's window arrested his attention .It did not look like a trade announcement, nor was it, it was a quotation from Psalm 91 v10 which read,  'Because thou hast made the Lord , which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation, there shall no evil befall thee, neither  shall any plague come nigh dwelling'. These words greatly encouraged Spurgeon, and he appropriated them by faith.He felt refreshed and secure,and carried on his visitation of the dying, in a calm and peaceful spirit'.

Idols. ( Exodus 20 v 2 -4 )

 I was watching a popular TV program called the,'Antique Roadshow', one man had brought two wooden idols,to have them valued,he  said they had spiritual significance. When he was told  what they  were worth ,he said ,'I am not selling them, I am keeping  then to protect my home'. In relation to idols we read the following in Psalm115 ,they are made by human hands.they have mouths,but cannot see. They have ears,but cannot hear, noses ,but cannot smell. They have hands , but cannot feel,feet but cannot walk, nor can they utter a sound with their throats.Those who make them will be like them, and so will all who trust in them'. Some idols were made of silver or gold, that did not change anything,they had no power to do anything, Even Socrates spoke of them with contempt, yet people did and still do,trust in such things.In making the point of the uselessness of idols, the Psalmist exhorts Israel ,to trust in the Lord,He will help and protect them,for He alone is the living God,in Him alone is there salvation through Jesus.So get rid of your lucky charms,and if are trusting in a wooden idol ,burn it,a stone idol, take a hammer to it, if money is your idol or any other thing is your idol ,forsake them and turn to the living God.

                                                      The dearest idol I have known,

                                                      Whate'er that idol be,

                                                      Help me to tear it from Thy throne

                                                      And worship only Thee.

                                                              W. Cowper.

Form filling. ( Psalm 4o v 1)

Because I am over seventy I have to renew my driving licence every three years,so they sent me a form to fill in ,I thought I had completed it,but I hadn't so they sent it back to me to complete,I ticked the box I felt was the right box and returned it.But low and behold I had ticked the wrong box,so they sent it back to me again,I then ticked the right box and sent it back with apology.So I waited and waited for my licence to come through, I was getting quite anxious and was praying about it,and suddenly these words popped into my head,'The answer is already on its way', the next day I phoned the licence people up,and they assured me it was in the post,and today I received it. I must confess I was at fault for not taking more care in filling in the form, well I am 79,thats's a good get out of jail card.But having said that  God encouraged me with those words,'The answer is already on its way',and so it came to pass.

Restraining Grace.(Matthew 6 v 13 )

 A  man called Blaikie wrote,'' It is a mark of sincerer and genuine godliness to be not less thankful for being  kept from sinning than from being rescued from suffering''. King David was very angry with a man called Nabal, so he strapped on his sword , and with 400 men ,set out to kill that man and his whole household ,but the wife of Nabal, Abigail intervened and persuaded him from taken that action,and David declared,  ' 'Blessed be Yahweh(Lord) who.....has held back his servant from evil'' 1 Samuel 25 v39'.As I look back on my long life I can remember so many times I could have sinned,but didn't as God held me back.We talk about God's saving grace,but what about His restraining grace'. It was Robert  M. M'Cheyne who penned the following words as to when we are in Glory,' Then ,Lord , shall I fully know,not then ,how much I owe'. God is forever watching over His children ,protecting them,preserving them, and restraining them, yes not till them,so true.

                                                     'When I stand before the throne,

                                                      Dressed in beauty not my own,

                                                      When I see Thee as Thou art,

                                                      Love Thee with unsinning heart,

                                                      Then ,Lord, shall I fully know,

                                                      Not till then,how much I owe'.

God will act. ( Exodus 34 v 6 - 7 )

Dale Ralph Davis writes,'We expect opposition from society at large, but what can we do when the  creeping death seeps into the church, especially when her human leaders are  indifferent in faith and  unholy in life'.We move to the book  of 1 Samuel to consider the High priest Eli,he had two sons  Hophni and Phinehas, they all served in the tabernacle  at a place called Shiloh ,these two men were also priests.They are described as scoundrels and having no regard for the Lord or they did not know the Lord,yet they served as priests.( 1 Sam 2 v12) I was surprised to read a survey made a number of years ago,that in a certain denomination300 ministers did not believe in God. The problem was Eli's two sons exploited their position,by showing contempt as regards the sacrificial  offerings made to God,and exploiting there position sexually (1Sam 2 v22)They were rebuked by their father but they did not listen,the father Eli should have stopped them but he didn't,it demanded action not words.  But Eli was to weak for whatever reason,God spoke to Eli twice, warning him that judgement was coming,no longer would his family serve in the priesthood and his two sons would die.,and so it came to pass.In 1Peter 4 v 17 we read that God will judge His church,He will  not stand idly by while those who  act wrongly and teach things that are contrary to His word,judgement will fall.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Grieving. ( 1Thessalonians 4 v 13 -18 )

I would like to share something by Dale Ralph Davis,which I hope will be helpful, on grieving,,'Sometimes in the church there is such an impatience with grief. Why isn't Allan 'over' Carol's death or Connie over Tom's since it's been eighteen months- why can't that mother get beyond the death of their ten year old. I do not deny  that believers may deal with loss in grotesque and twisted ways. However, the persistence of grief is normal not pathological. With passing of time the acuteness of sorrow may lessen but its ache remains. I recall a Christian woman in her seventies telling me that her husband had been dead thirteen years and still she felt the loneliness and missed his companionship. She was a well balanced  mature , joyful Christian woman. But she lost the person she loved, and in one way, she had never gotten over it. Nor should she. Great love has the greatest pain'.