The bigger picture. ( Habakkuk 3 v 17 -19

I remember when TV's had very small screens,my what a change has taken place, I also remember when movies were made  in  cinemascope, a very wide screen,not so long ago I went to see a movie and it had a massive screen.I must confess the bigger screen is better, or the bigger picture is better. Life is so often like a small screen, events happen to us disappointments, and so on,although these things can be major , we often do not see the bigger picture . I am aged 79 many things have happened in my life and so often  I didn't understand why ,but now looking back at the bigger picture, I can see God's providence in his protective care, and in so many ways,and am assured that He is working out  all things for my good. I can truly say ,great has been His faithfulness .Of course there are still mysteries , I have to bow in humility and simple trust Him, whose ways are pass finding out (Romans 11 v 33),yet holding on to the truth of Romans 8 v28,that all things are working together for  good for all God's children.God only knows the bigger picture, one day we shall know,and on that day,

                                                 ' We'll bless the hand that guided,

                                                   We'll bless the heart that planned,

                                                   When throned where Glory dwelleth

                                                    In Immanuel's land'.

                                                         Words A.R.Cousin.

What need I more?. ( John 1 v 1 - 3)

 One of the readings in our Kings coronation was Colossians 1 v 15 - 20,it was read by our Prime minister , it reveals to us wonderful truths about Jesus,His being,His power,His purpose.There were those who were troubling the Christian church in Colossae, saying  that they needed more than Christ,but they are told ,when we have Christ our needs are fully met,beware of those who say you need more, so here is what Paul wrote.

                         'The Son is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn over all creation.

                          For in Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible

                          and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;all things 

                          have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in

                          Him all things hold together. And He is head of the body the church;He is 

                          the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything

                          He mighty have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness

                          dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile  to Himself  all things, whether

                          things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through  His blood, shed

                          on the cross'.

                                                            'Hallelujah !what a Saviour!'

Follow where He leads. (Matthew 8 v 18 - 22)

 C H. Spurgeon started preaching at the very early age of 17 ,and  God blessed his ministry,and one  of those  who heard about  him was a principal of a Bible college,he felt that if  Spurgeon would attend a Bible college for some  formal training his usefulness could be multiplied. He arranged to have an interview at a friends home,when Spurgeon arrived for the interview he was shown into the drawing room, the principal of the college was shown into the parlour, they had not been informed of the others presence.In the end he had to leave to catch a train,so the interview never took place. The principal left a note encouraging him to apply to the college ,feeling that a trained preacher's usefulness would be increased by this.That evening while out walking,and thinking about what had happened , his direction was changed when he heard as it where a voice saying,''Seekest Thou great things for thyself, seek them not'.So there and them  he decided against going for formal training,though many friends urged him to, He said,'I remembered the poor yet loving people God had placed in my charged,so he decided that he would continue ministering to them ,even though it would mean possible obscurity and poverty'. God knows what we need,we may need training ,we may not ,Spurgeon was a remarkable gifted man, a humble man,and a obedient man,and God used him wonderfully .We all have a path that God has ordained for us,let us not be disobedient to His heavenly calling,and with humble obedience follow where He leads.

Hell is not a laughing matter. ( John 3 v16

 I want to  borrow two stories I read in a book by ,' Dale Ralph Davis','Two famous preachers were talking,their names were Andrew Bonar and Robert Murry M' Cheyne, M'Cheyne asked Bonar what text he had preached on the previous Lord's Day, Bonar said,'' The wicked shall be turned into hell''( Ps 9 v17). on ' hearing that awful text, M'Cheyne asked,'were you able to preach it with tenderness?'. I read the following by someone who said,'That the righteous will laugh when the wicked are turned into hell',I think that is most awful thing anyone could say.Hell is no laughing matter, and anyone who thinks it is,is sadly wrong.I witnessed to many people,preached to many people and told them about hell, it was always with great sadness, That great minister George Whitefield said this,' You blame me for weeping, but how can I help it when you will not weep for yourselves, though your immortal souls are on the verge of destruction, and for all you know,  you are hearing your last sermon, and you  may never more have the opportunity to have Christ offered to you'.

                                                       'Where will you spend eternity?'

That evil trinity. ( Ephesians 6 v 10 -18)

 The Christian we are told face on their onward walk with God, an evil trinity, the ,'World',the 'Flesh,and the 'Devil'. It is in 2 Timothy 4 v 9 ,Paul writing from prison , conscious that he was going to soon face death,writes something very  painful and sad,a former colleague and friend called Demas had deserted him,why?, because he loved this present world.John Stott comments on this ,he writes,' The details are not divulged. Bishop  Moule may have been right  to guess that he was smitten by cowardice in that reign of terror'.The question we could ask ourselves is Christ worth dying for,? We could also ask is Christ worth living for,if it means suffering? ,Paul thought so. Now let us consider the,'Flesh', in Romans 13 v 14, we read,' Clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ.  And don't let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires'.It would be interesting but sad to know how many Christians are involved in pornography.Let us not pamper our Flesh cp  Matthew 18 v7 -9, where our Lord stresses how severe we must be with ourselves(we must not take it literally).Last but not least the,'Devil',in 1 Peter 5 v 8, we read,'Be alert and of sober mind,your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion ,looking for someone to devour'.There is no telling where he will not attack you,or when he will attack,but what is certain he will attack ,of that you can be sure,so you have been warned.

                                             '   'Be strong in the Lord and in His

                                                            mighty power'

                                                           Ephesians 6 v 10.

The devil. ( 1 John 3 v 8 )

  He told me a lie,so said my friend about her brother,it has upset her, she is wondering why he did it. I  remember when I was young ,my friend denied that he been dinking the milk from the fridge,but alas he had ,as one could see a milky ring around his mouth.My mother use to say you cannot trust a liar,and of course it is true you cannot trust a liar.I wonder do you realize that all the trouble and evil we have in the world began when someone believed a lie. The one who told the lie was the devil,our dear Saviour  ( John 8 v 44) called him the father of lies,those words were spoken to very religious people.It all began at the very beginning of creation,Eve our first mother, chose to believe a lie and disobeyed God ( Genesis 3 ) ,and so sin entered the world ( Romans 5 v12 ),A great divide came into being,and as dear C Swindoll points out,'The universe  is sharply divided between light and dark, truth and lie, the kingdom of  God and the world'. The devil continues to cause havoc by his lies,consider the false religions,lies from hell,he blinds multitudes,with false promises (Matthew 4 v 8 ),gives people false hope.. But I will leave you with words from  James 4 v7.

                                                     'Submit  yourselves, then, to God. 

                                                      Resist the devil, and he will flee

                                                      from you'

                                           

God the Father. ( Nehemiah 9 v 17 )

I recently was looking at comments on a book that I was going to order,I found one interesting,it was a man in his early eighties.He mentioned his early Christian  experience,which he said was miserable,one of the reasons he said was ,he never felt he was good enough.He went unto write that the second half of his life was happier,because he was not living under the shadow of an angry God who would punish him every time he didn't get things right.I was very sad what that man had to say, I just wonder ,where this came from?,was it from his family ,or his church situation? or was it from both?.For the God he mentioned is not the God of the bible,When I was young ,school teachers were permitted to use a cane, to punish what they considered were  wrong doings, some had a reputation of being very severe,God is not like that . That persons religion appears to have been  very legalistic , like living under the law.I have never looked on God like that,He has always been my loving heavenly Father,and although I am 79 He still is my Loving heavenly Father.I have never been the perfect son,but He has been the perfect Father.Yes He will  like any loving father discipline us when we do wrong,(Hebrews 12 v 5-6 ),but He is not standing over us to beat us into the ground ,and  our acceptance by Him, is not on the bases of what we do ,but what Christ has done.

                                                         'There's a wideness in God's mercy,

                                                           Like the wideness of the sea.

                                                           There's a  kindness in God's justice,

                                                            Which is more than liberty'

                                                                 Words F.W.Faber.

Be ready ( 2 Peter 3 v 1 - 14 )

 A number of years ago I felt the Lord told me that I had so many years to live,I  told a few people,and it didn't happen,yes I'm by my sell by date. It's a bit like the Lord's coming we know He is coming , and like I did,there are those who have made forecast when He is coming.and of course it hasn't happened.The JWs have done it a number of times,instead of admitting they got it wrong they waffled round it,but that's the cults for you. Our Lord said in Acts 1 v 7, 'It is not for you to  know the times or dates the Father  has set for His own authority.In Matthew 25 13, our Lord said ,Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.' In Deuteronomy 29 v29,we read,'The secret things belong unto the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us'. So only God knows,it is His secret,people  still try to figure it out,and they say all sorts things,to  have us believe ,he is coming soon ,they point to certain signs.No let us not become members of the curiosity club. but let us take to heart the words of our Lord,'Be ready ' , ( Matthew  24 v 44) I apply those words in a two fold way,(1 ) If your are not a Christian you are going to die,the most important I would say to you,'Be ready',trust Jesus as your Saviour. (2 )For us who are  Christians live in the light of Christs coming,'Be ready'.

Holy ground. ( Isaiah 53)

A well known American actor,who served his country in the second world war,would speak at events for war veterans.He was at the D Day landing,were many of his colleagues and friends died. In going over these things he spoke of ,'The holy ground of our memories', of the many who who had died,and  who had shed their blood,to defeat a very wicked enemy.I never served in combat ,but I like all Christians have a holy ground within my memory,it is not about battle field as such, its an old rugged cross,on which a mangled body hangs,it is our beloved Saviour, Jesus. Those who put Him on that cross mocked Him, to them He was an imposter, one whom they hated,because He challenged their heartless ,oppressive religiosity.But scripture  tells us clearly who He was ,our Messiah, our Saviour ,who willingly laid down His life as a sacrifice for our sins, Calvary  will always be ,'The holy ground of our memories'.

He is leading (Psalm 18 v 30)

 Often I  look back on my life and consider how God has led  me,to where I am now,it was the servant  of Abraham, who was sent to get a wife for Abraham's son Isaac from his relatives.He had no satnav but was guided to the very girl, her name was Rebekah , He declared ,''the Lord has led me'',( Genesis 24 v27 ). On the day I was coming from Northern Ireland to come to England,God gave me two wonderful promise's,'He laid them on safely',(  Psalm 78 v53)/ Behold, I send an Angle before you to keep you in the way to bring you into the place I have prepared'. ( Exodus 23 v 20 ) ,so it came to pass.God is in the business of guiding us all the days of our lives. In Psalm 48 v 14, we read,'For this God is our God  for ever and ever; He will be our guide even to the end'.He does not leave us stranded, in fact He does not leave us.He will bring  us to that place, He wants us to go,He is a sure guide, He will make no mistakes,we can rely upon Him completely.  He guided the Israelites for 40 yrs in their wilderness journey,we read in Exodus 13 v21 -22, how God granted them a pillar  of cloud during the day, and a pillar of fire during the night to lead them . He is leading us to our heavenly country,this world is not our permanent dwelling, all that we look upon will be no more,and then we will enter into our glorious rest with our glorious Saviour.

                                            ' Jesus, still lead on till our rest be won;

                                              Heavenly  Leader, still direct us,

                                              Still support, console,protect us,

                                              Till we safely stand in our Fatherland.'

                                                         Jane Borthwick.

Give glory to God .( Joshua 7 )

When Achan  who had disobeyed God was found out ,he was told by Joshua ,'To give glory to the Lord,the God of Israel,and honour Him',and confess what he had done. ( Joshua 7 v 19 )When a believer sins he dishonours God,but all is not lost,Matthew Henry says the following,'In confessing sin, as we take shame to ourselves, so we give glory to God as a righteous God, owing Him justly displeased with us, and as a good God,who will  not use our confessions as evidence against us, but is faithful and just to forgive when we are brought  to own, that He would be faithful and just if He should punish'.When King David sinned he was willing to live with it, even marrying the wife of the man he had murdered,but when His sin was exposed,he confessed and God forgive him,but God also justly punished him. ( 2 Samuel 12 .CP Psalm 51) 

                                                'You may ignore your sin

                                                     BUT GOD WON'T'

No negotiating. ( Psalm 97 v 10 )

 R.Davis said,'Whether it is the evil and sin  within us or some form of it outside us God does not call us to negotiate with sin and evil but to wage war on them, to nurse  a holy hatred  toward them in all their multicolored forms'.Recently churches in a certain denomination  were sent questionnaires,as regards allowing people in a self same gender relationship,to become ministers.The questions is why are we as so called Christians  appearing to be negotiating about something that which is clearly condemned in the bible ?,An other denomination  has just appointed a transgender person to be an archdeacon. Transgenderism is being pushed upon people, in our schools where  it is being taught ,and some parents are running with it.How society deals with these issues is their business,but as Christians we must take our stand on what the Bible teaches.We must not negotiate with those who want us to accept such things and we must make it clear  that we stand against them. We are to hate evil, I am not saying we should persecute anyone,but we must definitely not accept or practice the things mentioned, they are totally unacceptable to us as Christians.

                                                  'Dare to be a Daniel! Dare to stand alone!

                                                   Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make

                                                   it known.

                                                                    Words by P.P.Bliss

Grace. ( Romans 3 v 23 - 24

 Many people are aware of the word grace, owing to the popularity of the hymn written by John  Newton,   'Amazing Grace',but of course many don't know what the word means. The meaning of grace is as follows,'The free mercy of God,or the enjoyment of  His favour   (Cruden's),but it is also seen as a Christian virtue( 2 Cor 8 v7 ), the end of that verse is interesting and indeed challenging ,were it reads,'excel in this grace of giving'. Let us remember as Christians we are not to be tight fisted, It may surprise some people that  the word grace is to be found in the OT,not a lot,but what is clear it is manifested in abundance throughout the O.T..I am studying at book of Judges, and if you are familiar with that book you would be aware of a downward spiral spiritually of Israel. Time after time the nation turned from God to other god's, in fact the history of Israel is of a continued forsaking  Him.So time after time He dealt with them very severely.But here is were grace comes in, for time after time He forgive them and showed mercy to them. At their darkest moment God declares,'I have loved you with an everlasting love'', (Jeremiah 31 v 3 ) That is the God of  the  O.T, and indeed the God of the N.T, the wonderful truth is, there is a way back to God from the dark paths of sin, Calvary cross is where we begin ,when we come as a sinner to Jesus.

                                                   'Amazing Grace how sweet the sound,

                                                    That saved a wretch like me,

                                                     I once was lost,but now am found,

                                                     Was blind ,but now I see.'

                                                               John Newton.

Pain. ( Psalm 22 )

What's the price ?,that's what want to know when we buy something ,recently in one of my daily readings by a man called Mike Witter wrote, 'Pain is the price of love'. That struck a chord within me, because it's very true,and there are so many examples of that in life.If you have a pet it is going to die,that's painful, looking after someone you love who is chronically ill,that's painful.It does not end there for death will come, and that's a pain that will always be there.In the musical ,'Les  Miserables',based on a book by Victor Hugo,part of the story is about an attempted revolution that failed.There is a song, sung by a young man,who lost his friends in that revolution,we have the following words in that is song,'There's a grief that can't be spoken,there's a pain that goes on and on'.Yes pain is often the price of love,There is a cost with true love, we see this in Gods redemption of mankind, we read that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3 v16),from the moment our Saviour was born,He knew what it would lead to,pain.more pain than you and I could ever imagine,and it was all borne out of  love. for you and for me.

                                                         'I stand amazed in the presence

                                                          of Jesus the Nazarene,

                                                          And wonder how He could love me,

                                                          A sinner, condemned unclean.

                                                          How marvellous! how wonderful

                                                          And my song shall ever be;

                                                          How marvellous! how wonderful

                                                          Is my Saviours love for me'.

                                                                 Words C H. Gabriel.

                                                

Napoleon ( Titus 3 v 3 - 7 )

 Napoleon said the following,' Everything in Christ astonishes me. His Spirit overawes me, and His will  confounds me. Between  Him  and whoever else in the world, there is no possible term of comparison. He is truly a being by Himself... I search in van in history to find the similar to Jesus Christ, or anything which can approach the gospel . Neither history , nor humanity, nor the ages,nor nature,offer me anything with which I am able to compare it or explain it. Here everything is extraordinary.' What a wonderful statement,but ah there's that but,did he know Christ as his Saviour?, I hope he did,you see its possible to think well of Christ and to not know Him as ones Saviour. Gandhi admired Christ and was influenced by His teaching, especially the sermon on the mount,but that's as far as it went.Islam have a Christ whom they admire but it is a Christ minus the cross.Yes to admire Christ is not enough, one must know Him as their personal Saviour, He did not come to set up a fan club , He came to die on the cross to seek and to save sinners.

                                                     'Do you know Him as your Saviour?

I am the bread of life. ( John 6 v 35)

 ,'Recently my wife and I were out with friends from  the church,and I asked a lady sitting beside me,'' Do you like cats?'',she replied no.But later it turned out she thought I said ''do you eat cats?,that made me  laugh.We all have things we like  and what we don't like, I would not like to eat a cat or a dog,but I do like  a lot of things,though I still have problems eating certain vegetables, but I do ,for I know that they are good for me. One food I really like is bread, soda bread,wheaten bread.bread is known as the staff of life,meaning one of the most important foods we eat.In John 6 our Lord performed a wonderful miracle,in which he fed thousands with a few loves and a few fish.When Jesus moved on,by crossing a lake to Capernaum, the crowds followed Him,it was then that our Saviour made clear the meaning behind the miracle.In the gospel of John the miracles that  our Saviour performed ,are seen as signs (6 v 14).The crowds only saw this miracle being like a local food bank, or like the miracle of the manna in the wilderness.( ( 6 v 31) Our Saviour points them to the greater truth,v 35 reads ,' Then Jesus declared whoever comes to me will never go hungry,and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.'In other words He will meet the deepest need of the human heart, but not only that, those who ate the manna in the wilderness died,but when you trust Jesus you will live forever (v 51. / 11v 25)

                                                    'Jesus says, come and dine'

Our idols ( 1 Corinthians 1 v 26 -31 )

I  listened to the testimony of a famous sportsman telling how he came to know Christ, his name is Bernhard Langer, in case you don't know about him,he was one of the top golfers in the world. He comes from Germany,and was brought up in very religious family,he said he did everything to try and please God,to win his favour. Well that didn't work out until he had a real spiritual encounter with God,when he asked Jesus to be his Saviour. Writing on the wealthy and famous,Philip Yancey who had opportunities to interview,''stars'', great footballers,movie actors, music performers, best selling authors, politicians, and TV personalities. We fawn over them,poring over the minutiae of their lives...... Yet  I  must tell you that,in my limited experience, I have Paul Johnson's  principle to hold true; our ''idols'' are as miserable a group of people as I have ever met. Most have troubled or broken marriages. Nearly all are incurably dependent on psychotherapy. In a heavy irony,these larger- than-life heroes seem tormented by self doubt'.The fact is ,'fame and fortune ', does not remove our need of Christ ,as ones Saviour, in fact it highlights it.

Christ will remain. ( 1 Kings 19 v 14/18 }

When the communist took over China,all missionaries had to leave,but the good news is the church did not die.Our Lord said I will build my church, and He is doing just that ,in spite of  Christians being persecuted. I read of a certain place were some Christians took up residence,they built houses ,planted crops,and prospered,they also witnessed to the people and many came to know the Lord.But the non-Christians did not like that,as it was having an affect as regards the witch doctors powers,plus other things. So the authorities told the Christians they would have to leave.The Christian leader said this,'we will leave , but Christ will remain'.At this time I think of  dear Afghanistan where the Taliban have taken over,many Christians have had to flee as being ex-Muslims they would be put to death.So that's it? no,I  believe Christ is still there.The prophet Elijah lived at a time when the true followers of God were under attack,Elijah cried unto God,' I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty,. The Israelites have rejected your covenant,torn down your altars,and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left,and now they are trying to kill me'.But God replied,' Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel,all whose knees have not bowed to  Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him' ( 1 Kings 19 v 14 /18)

                                           'In times of the greatest degeneracy and apostasy

                                           God has always had, and will have, a faithful remnant.

                                                                Matthew Henry

Deliverance. ( Luke 4 v16 -21 )

 Lets continue on in Luke 8 and consider a case of demon possession,here in the west we are not acquainted with such things, but in v26- 39,we read a very obvious account of a man that was demon possessed.A man out of control,he was naked,lived among the dead,his life was an absolute nightmare,but help was on the way,in the person of Jesus,the one who calmed the raging storm,was going to be set him free.With Jesus there is always hope,but the story involves other things.as we will see. The man runs up to Jesus,but it is not him who speaks to Jesus, it is the demons,they don't just speak they shout,they are afraid,for though they have never seen Him ,they knew who he was,they address Him as,'Son of the most high God'. They beg Him to not torture them,for Jesus had began to command these demons to come out of the man,the damage they had done to this man was awful.Jesus speaks to them,'what is your name?',they replied Legion for they were many. They further asked not to be cast out into the Abyss,and to cast them into pigs near by,this was a Gentile area,so Jesus did that,when they entered  the pigs  they ran into the sea and drowned .When the local people heard what happened, they hurried to the scene and there they  saw an  amazing sight, the demons had been cast out and there he was sitting at Jesus feet, clothed and in His right mind.

                                          ' From home and friends the evil spirits drove him,

                                            Among the tombs he dwelt in misery,

                                            He cut himself as demon pow'rs possessed him,

                                            Then Jesus came, and set the captive free.

                                                         Words Oswald J.Smith

                                          

Miracle and Mystery.( John 20 v 28 )

 Retuning to the disciples and Jesus in the storm( Luke 8 v 22 -25,to what was a miracle ,it was an ancient King Canute the Great, who in humility showed to his subjects that he couldn't turn the tide back.He had no control over the elements,Kenneth Copeland boasted he controlled the weather,well so much for that.,of course he believes he is a god. It was a miracle performed by Jesus in spite of the disciples lack of faith, what Jesus did filled them with fear and amazement,and questions,'Who  is this? He commands even the wind and water, and they obey Him',let us consider two OT quotations Psalm 107 v29,which reads'He stilled the storm to a whisper,the waves of the sea were hushed'. Here it is speaking of God  the only one who has control of the elements, likewise in Psalm 106 v 9,we read  ,'He (God )rebuked the Red Sea.,the word rebuke is the same word in Luke 8 v 24, were we read,' Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the waters',immediately the storm ceased.So we answer the question,that the disciples asked themselves,' who is this man?'( NLT), is it not obvious?

In a storm. ( Psalm 46 )

 One day Jesus said to His disciples,'Let us go over to the other side of the Lake, (Luke 8 v 22) as fishermen that would have been no problem with that,but they did not know what lay ahead. The Bible tells us that we do not know what a day may bring forth. In Proverbs 27 v1 we read ,' Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day will bring forth'.People read their horoscopes in a vain effort to find out what a day will bring forth.Hoping it will bring happiness ,love,and storms,no they don't hope for storms,no more than the disciples hoped for a storm,a  life threatening storm. Well after all Jesus was with them surely all will be well ,wrong, Jesus can lead us into a storm,!, But we read that Jesus was asleep ,and even though the storm grew more fierce,He continued to sleep,but the disciples became more and more anxious, until it reached the panic button time.In that panic they went to Jesus,and in their panic they woke Him,with the words ,'Master, Master, we're going to drown''. Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm'. I will stress of one lesson we can learn from this event,If Jesus leads us into a storm,He will most surely bring us  through the it. Here are some words from a hymn by Mary Ann Baker.

                                                ' The wind and the wave shall obey Thy will

                                                                  '' Peace be still''

                                                 Whither the wrath of the storm tossed sea,

                                                 Or struggles or evil,whatever they be,

                                                                      ''Peace be still''

One way. ( Acts 4 v 12)

 If I raise certain issues I  could be classed as intolerant  ,offensive,and not reflecting true Christianity,  which is a religion of love.   I raise this issue as recently our king went to Scotland to confirm that he is king of Scotland.There was a service held in a Cathedral, representatives of different religions were there,Muslim's,Buddhist, Jews,and others.each were invited to pray for our king. All very nice or was it?,of course not,why not?,simple because they were been  given credibility to that which is not credibly. None of these religions represent the truth,I have listened to Christian apologists,they are those who seek to defend the Christian faith,and it is clear as to the errors of these religions   .There are many things one could challenge as regards these religions,the morality of the so called prophet Muhammad, who had sex with a nine year old girl,he also  married his adopted son's wife.Then what did he believe about Christ?,he tells us Christ did not die on the cross,the implications of are very serious. None of those religions present would accept Christianity,in fact I pray for fellow Christians who are being murdered and persecuted by these other religions. None of those religions would recognise that they need a Saviour, look at mankind ,what does mankind need ? they need a Saviour, and there is only one Saviour, Jesus.

                                                             'Jesus said ,'

                                          '' I  am the way,the truth, and the life,

                                            No one comes to the Father except

                                            through Me.''

It's impossible. ( John 1 v1 - 5)

 I was watching a nature program on the TV, and one the presenters was speaking about a beautiful moth, and she said this,''what an amazing design'.I do not think she appreciated the full significance of what she said,as most of the presenters of nature programs ,believe in evolution,in other words creation just happened .My reply to that is ,it is impossible, for where you have design you must have a designer,it is all around us everyday,but most of these evolutionist are atheist,they don't want to believe in God.The Psalmist declared as regards his body,'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made'.(Ps 139 v 14 )One has said ,'every birth is a divine creation',it is something of a mystery ,but a greater mystery if you believe it just happened.   Jason Lisle  declares that there are three things that support the biblical view. of creation; laws of logic, uniformity of nature,and morality'.Take logic, at this time we have those who are hold views that are illogical as regards gender,likewise it is illogical to say everything just happened and that there is no designer of the universe. Why do we have uniformity in creation? it just happened? impossible, next morality, why do most nations have a degree morality,why is that?,where did it come from?why do they have a conscience?. I just mention these things, I am not an expert on this subject,but the fact is without God there is no meaning to life,and no future

                                            'He whom by all things were made

                                            came into this world to reclaim back 

                                             His creation. 

A reluctant prophet, ( Galatians 1 v13- 17 )

 When Moses was called to go into Egypt ( Exodus 3-4 ) ,it was very obvious that he didn't want to go,and each time God dealt with the issues he raised, he still didn't want to go.He wanted out of it ,even asking God to send someone else,at that, the Lord became angry with him.It is wonderful how patient God was with him, I often wonder how God puts up with me, but He does,it is amazing,there is a word as regards God putting up with His people, 'longsuffering', yes that seems right.But God will have His way,he didn't let Moses of the hook,and likewise  he would not let let Jonah of the hook either. Moses truly was a reluctant prophet,there are reasons why he felt the way he did,Alec Motyer points out as regards Moses,' That he needed tons of reassurance', he was chronically uncertain about himself',He had left Egypt under a cloud it had left it's mark on him,As  A.M writes ,'He was no longer a prince of Egypt,but a shepherd of Midian who needed a tender loving hand holding him.Moses was the man for the job,all that went before equipped him for the task that lay ahead. I think of my own experience,I was so willing to go to the ends of the earth to serve God,but God held me back, I was not equipped ,if truth were told.If God calls one to serve Him he will have equipped them for that task.

Don't give up ( Psalm 116 v 1-2 )

There is an old hymn that asks the question,'did you think to pray?,' it's a good question,for unfortunately we do forget. Prayer is a wonderful gift from God,given to His children,it is not a vain exercise,it is vital, as we walk through this world with all  those things we have to deal with. Could be you have become disillusioned, because you prayed and it seemed no answer was given. Well join the club you are not on your own,we have all prayed, many have prayed for healing for others and for themselves,and it hasn't happened. The great apostle Paul  prayed for healing it didn't happen,but God had a reason to keep humble , but God did answer his prayer, here was God's answer 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12 v 9 )I wonder what the reason is why  God has not answered your prayer?,there is always a reason. Yes I have had my no,from God,but I have had many yes-es,many needs met,problems solved,big and small,Take a moment and remind yourself of the answers to your prayers. Don't give in to unbelief,or whatever,persevere, press on,keep calling on God,don't give up, and don't give in. Remember God is not in the business of playing with us, He loves us to much for that, remember He is your loving heavenly Father,who loves to bless  His children.

He touched me. ( Luke 5 v12 - 6)

 Just imagine going about in worn and torn clothes,with your hair a mess ,you never comb it,and you have a covering over your mouth.If anyone comes near you ,you have to shout out,'Unclean.unclean!'. You are not allowed to live at home ,you could not earn a living,and you are depending on the goodwill of others to give you food,in a way you are cut off from normal human society, having to live in  a cave,if you could find one.. All this because you were a leper (i.e, Hansen's disease) I have watched programs on  Leprosy, and one of the symptoms is you loose all feeling in your hands and feet,people have accidents,the result disease sets in and you loose fingers and toes. You are completely  isolated ,no one would touch you with a barge pole, or any other pole,think of those words,'No one would touch you', after all you were unclean, you are covered with leprosy . But then you hear about a man with the power of healing, his name is Jesus, and suddenly you see Him walking down the street,and you pick up courage,and you throw yourself down before Him,and you cry out in desperation ,'Lord if you are willing,you can make me clean',And to your amazement he did something no one has done for years,He touched you ,and He healed you. Jesus is still touching peoples lives,people whose lives are ruined by sin and all it's consequences, bringing healing into their lives,where there is despair , replacing it with hope,where there is sadness replacing it with joy,where is guilt replacing it with forgiveness.

                                  'Shackled by a heavy burden,neath a load of guilt and shame,

                                   Then the hand of Jesus touched me,and now I am no longer the same.

                                   Since I met this blessed Saviour, since He cleansed and made me whole,

                                   I will never cease to praise Him, I'll shout it while eternity rolls'

                                                                 Words  Bill Gaither .

Our greatest need.( Isaiah 41 v 10)

 As Moses was the chosen one given the responsibility in leading Israel to the promised land, God says these tremendous words to him,' My Presence will go with you,and I will give you rest'.in Matthew 28 v20 ,our Saviour said to the disciples and to us, 'I am with you always ,to the very end of the age'. These words grant to each of God's children a wonderful comfort,as we face each day  He will be with us 24/7,fifty two weeks of the year.Whatever trial you may be facing, He will be with you,whatever task you are faced with He will be with you,Let not feelings rule our lives,by faith take hold of this wonderful promise,I recently found myself singing part of a hymn by Annie Hawkes, it is a prayer

                                           'I need Thee every hour,most gracious Lord;

                                           No tender voice like Thine, can peace afford.

                                           I need Thee every hour,stay Thou near by;

                                           Temptations lose their power,when Thou art nigh.

                                            I need Thee every hour,In joy or pain;

                                            Come quickly and abide,or life is vain.

                                            I need Thee every hour, teach me Thy will;

                                            And in Thy rich promises,in me fulfil.

                                                                Chorus

                                                 I need Thee, oh, I need Thee'

                                                 Every hour I need Thee;

                                                 Oh, bless me now my Saviour,

                                                 I come to Thee! 

                                     

                                               

Will we past the test. ? ( Job 13 v 15 )

 It is obvious to me that being a Christian will not guarantee, a life without suffering, in the word of God you see very godly people suffering greatly. Here's the sad thing there are those who preach a prosperity so called  gospel, of course they stipulate,the secret is in giving to God. All that means is you can buy God's favour and of course you can't,Philip Yancey writing on the book of Job says ,' It represents a step beyond the ''contract faith'' assumed in most of Old Testament;Do good and get blessed, do bad and get punished', If we base our faith on a lap sided point of view as regards the OT or even the NT,then what are we going do when trials come upon us? Jacob wrestled with an angel he received a blessing, but he also came  away with a limp for the rest of his life.( Genesis 32 v 22 - 32).Paul was a man of God the greatest of the apostles,and God blessed his ministry ,but he had to live with a thorn in the flesh (2 Cor 12 ).Godly people do suffer,and so we must the facts we will not be excluded from suffering,and that's a fact.Philip Yancey sums up the book of  Job,here is what he says,' It is not about suffering....Seen as a whole,the book is about faith, the story of  one man selected by God to undergo a staggering ordeal by trial.' Most of us have to narrow a view of suffering,no one wants to suffer,and we hide from the truth and believe that being good and doing all the right things well,will preserve us from suffering,but it won't, God declared Job the best man on earth ( Job 1v 8) Yancey writes,'Yet Job suffers the worst  calamities,which poses a test of faith in its most extreme form,'

                                                            'Dear Lord grant us the  grace

                                                             that when you send  suffering into 

                                                             our lives, we will not fail the test

                                                             of trusting you. Amen.'                       

                                                             

Lest we forget ( Luke 22 v 14 - 20 )

 Recently I watched an old war movie ,it was in black and white, and involved,' bomber command', unlike modern movies,it didn't glorify violence,it stressed the loss of many dear young men, and the sadness that brought.It was Winston Churchill who said,''Never in the history of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few''.Those brave airmen payed a great price so that we could  escape a great tyranny,that would have destroyed so much that we  held dear, and love.That old movie I watched had a very important  message, and its this,' lest we forget'.Now turn to another battle ground,where we see a man hanging on a cross, a young man,who is that young man?,His name is Jesus,when He came from heaven, he knew the purpose of his coming was to die on the cross,and in that dying  to wage war against all that 's evil in this world. Against the devil, that being who hates God and his creation,one who hold's so many in his power. Last but not least ,he came to defeat death. He won the victory over them all, but at a tremendous cost,it cost Him everything.Now let me ask you a question why do we keep the 'Lord's tale'?,and I will tell you why,''Lest we forget''.it appears incredible that any of us will ever forget  what Jesus did for us on Calvary's  cross,but sad to say there are those who have.So don't forsake the Lords table ,lest you forget,and wander away from Him who loved you and died for you.

                                                    '  Lest I forget Gethsemane,

                                                       Lest I forget Thine agony,

                                                      Lest I forget Thy love for me,

                                                       Lead me to Calvary'. 

                                                        Words .  Jenny. E. Mussey.

Old age. (Psalm 37 )

They  say the camera doesn't lie, and I suppose a lot of  people wish it did. I had a photo taken of recently and it brought home to that I am 79 but I look 79, I'm an old man, what can we say about old age, has it got  advantages?,old age can be a blessing it can be a burden. King David in his old age wrote a lovely Psalm and this is what he had to say,'I was young and now am old,yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread',  (Ps 37 v25 )Like David I look back on my life and I can testify to God's faithfulness,how He has never forsaken any of His children, and that includes me,I have been so conscious of His presence with me.Yes I can look back and rejoice that God has been with me,and  I can also can look forward with wonderful assurance that He will still be with me.  So in this Psalm David encourages  and instructs His children to not fret when evil people seem to prosper but to simple trust and delight in God  and he will not disappoint. We are to be still before the Lord rest in his presence, there is no point in worrying( Matthew 6 v 19ff) One day in the fall of 1874, in a flat in Lower Manhattan, a blind woman answered a knock on her door. On opening the door, she felt some folded paper being pressed into her hand by someone who left without a word. It turned out to be ten dollars. The woman had not had the money to pay the rent, and so had prayed for the Lord to supply her need. And here it was.So it was later that day Fanny Crosby wrote.

                                       'All the way my Saviour leads me,what have I to ask beside ?

                                        Can I doubt His tender mercy, who through life has been my guide?

                                        For I know , whate'er befall me,Jesus doeth all things well.'

                                                 ( I am indebted to R .Davis for the story)

It's not the end ( 1 Corinthians 15 )

If your  are like me and you've suffered the lost of one you loved dearly, well if you haven't, the thing is it will happen,and that brings with it a lot of pain.The pain will ease but it will always be there,when your not expecting it, and you will shed a tear. We all live in the shadow of death hanging over us , when death will happen we don't know, there is nothing we can do about it.What a great comfort to know that the one you loved is in heaven, it is tremendous source of comfort.As I wept a tear recently ,I heard myself saying ,'it is not the end'.Remember this statement is not based on nonsense or  false sentimentality,but on the solid word of God, and a historical person called Jesus, who said,' I will die , but on the third day I will rise again', and you know something wonderful He did just that.His death was foretold in scripture (Isaiah 53),likewise His resurrection (Psalm 16 v10), hallelujah, yes praise the Lord.Because He lives, everyone who trusts in Him will  live also,no ifs or buts,yes it is not the end

                                                     ' Because He lives we shall live also' .