Press on. (Philippians 2 v 27 - 30 )

 John Bunyan who wrote ,'Pilgrims Progress',about a man called Christian who got saved, and went on a journey to the Celestial City,and on that journey he met many obstacles.Believe not those deceiver's who tell you that the road to glory is paved with gold,and healing is guaranteed,that is what that liar the devil promises CP  Matthew 4 v 8. To be a Christian is very challenging,many people are suffering and dying for their faith.We may not be,but the challenge is still great,we are bombarded by many things, the devil is still active,doing all he can to discourage,deceive,and yes even tempt us to give up. Then the worlds influence is always there ,promising so much,and giving so little,the worlds values run contrary to God's values.Then we have the biggest enemy ,you will see him when you look in the mirror,and unless we die daily to Christ,denying ourselves,refusing to give in to our  baser nature,we will find ourselves in dire straits.Jesus said,' follow me',not the crowd,not friend or foe,not the self centered way,not leaning upon are own understanding,but in all our ways,trusting Him to direct our path. Our dear Saviour has promised to help us and keep  us, and bring us through to that Celestial city,where we will never grow old,so press on,persevere on,let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus,the one who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross,scorning it's shame.

                                                       

Stand by me. ( Psalm 40 v 1 - 3 )

The apostle Paul was in prison and he writes how ,'No one came to his support,but that everyone had deserted him',( 2 Timothy 4 v16- 17.)Then he adds,' But the Lord stood by my side and  gave me strength'. ( See John Stotts  remarks on this in the Bible Speaks Today series) There are I am sure many people who can identify with Paul's experience,it was Pastor  Bonhoeffer who was imprisoned by the Nazis who wrote of what he  missed most, was Christian fellowship.There are Christians in so many places who are literally on their  own,and there Christians who are in Pauls situation, in prison in isolation.Likewise we have many lonely people,and needy people ,well you get the picture,maybe your are in that position now,there is Christian song, which touches on this, it really is a prayer which you can pray,and  I believe God who drew near to Paul and strengthened him will do the same for you.The song is called ,'Stand by Me', written by Charles Albert Tindley.

                                      1     'When the storms of life are raging, stand by me,

                                              When the storms of life are  raging stand by me,

                                             When the world is tossing me,like a ship upon the sea,

                                             Thou who rulest wind and water ,stand by me.

                                       2     In the midst of tribulation, stand by me

                                              In the midst of tribulation,stand by me.

                                             When the hosts of hell assail,and my strength begins to fail,

                                             Thou who never lost a battle ,stand by me.

                                       3     In the midst of faults and failures,stand by me,

                                              In the midst of faults and failures, stand by me.

                                             When I've done the best I can, and my friends misunderstand,

                                             Thou who knowest all about me,stand by me.

                                             

                                             

Runaways ( Luke 15 v 1- 7 )

It was Francis Thompson,who wrote  a poem called,' The  Hound of heaven', it is about the pursuit of  the human soul by God's love. God follow's the fleeing soul ,and by His divine grace,until the soul  turns to God alone, in that ever ending pursuit'. (These words are not mine) Here are few lines from this poem,

                                                      ' I fled Him ,down the nights,and down the days;

                                                       I fled Him, down the archers of the years,

                                                       I fled Him ,down the labyrinthine ways,

                                                       Of my own mind, and in the midst of tears,

                                                       I hid from Him,and under running laughter'

When Adam and Eve sinned,they hid from God,and we their sons and daughters  have followed in our parents footsteps..We think that we are good at running and hiding from our Creator.be that as it may, God in mercy has intervened,and has been seeking us runaways. In Ezekiel 34 v 15 -16,the Sovereign Lord declares.'I will search for the lost'.Why did Jesus come? ,'to seek and to save that which is lost'(Luke 19 v 10 )He had to do that, for we told,' there is no one who seeks God (Romans 3 v 11) His seeking is the divine initiative,we keep running He keeps seeking until He finds the sheep that is lost,and  brings it home rejoicing. Ah but what a price he had to pay, He lay down His life for the sheep,oh the suffering He endured,why did He do that?love ,yes love so great that He who was equal with God,give up His divine privileges,made Himself nothing but  a servant,and became obedient unto death,even death on a cross (Philippians 2 v 5- 8)

Words ( Matthew 12 v 36 -37 )

 A lady said,''I  have the body of ET ,I am basically a torso with legs''. Why am I writing this? because  that phrase really caught my eye, it was such a wonderful description of her body.I recently heard a famous actress quote  a passage from Shakespeare it was wonderful to listen to. God has granted mankind  a unique means of communication  where we can be entertained in so many ways,in the written form,in songs that are sung,and so on. It is James in his epistle  writing about what we say with that little member of our body, the tongue ,and how difficult it is to control, words are so easily spoken,hurtful words, healing words. Our Saviour speaking to the the religious leaders of  His day said,'' that everyone will  have to give an account on the day of judgement for every empty word they have spoken''. ( Matthew 12 v36). The fact is we will be accountable for what we have said, all those who have spoken against God and His word,who have blasphemed,all those false religions,and false prophets,the broken vows.We are thinking mainly of unbelievers ,but let us who are Christians, take heed also,as to what we say,God is listening He does not ignore ,the wrong things we say,and will surely deal with us .

One day. ( John 14 v 1-4 )

 The apostle Peter writing in his epistle as regards our Saviour ,declared ,'Though you have not seen Him,you love Him'.( 1 Peter 1  8 )We would answer,'but one day we will see Him, the poet  Ray Palmer wrote;   

       1      'Jesus,these eyes have never seen,                       3     Yet though I have not seen,

                That radiant form of Thine,                                       and,still, must rest on faith alone,

                The vail of sense hangs dark,                                    I love Thee, dearest Lord  ,

                Between Thy blessed face and mine.                        But will unseen ,but not unknown.

       2       I see Thee not, I hear Thee not,                           4   When death  these mortal eyes shall see,

               Yet art Thou oft with me,                                            And still this throbbing heart,

               And earth hath ne'er so dear a spot,                            The rending veil shall Thou reveal,

               As when I meet with Thee.                                         All glories as Thou art.

                                                              ' We will see Jesus

                                                                     one day' 

                                 

           

       

         

       

     

             

What a mess .( Isaiah 55 v 12 )

 I was in my kitchen and as I opened one of the doors to get something out,and I heard a bang,and I looked down,a jar of tomato puree,had fallen out and smashed on the floor,what a mess. Yes it was a mess,but it wasn't to hard to clean up, thankfully,but some messes are not so easy to clear up.people do all sorts of things,and there comes a point when they look and say,'what a mess I've got myself into.' Many people in prison must think that,likewise many people destroy their marriages by getting involved with someone they shouldn't have.There are young people who have stabbed and killed another young person, and when the dust has settled,and they are in their prison cell,they will think what a mess I  have got myself into.Is gambling a sin?what I do know is this,it has ruined many peoples lives,likewise alcohol ,so many peoples lives become a mess of their own creation.Our dear Saviour told a wonderful story  that illustrates how the mess people can get themselves into deep trouble of their own making ,we read about in Luke 15 v 11ff,of a young man who had everything,but lost it all,and found himself in desperate straits,and he knew it.what a  mess he was in,no one would help him. No one but his father,the father who loved him.Fathers are like that ,and he did help him,and his life was changed for the better.The father in that story is a picture of God who loves mankind,that is why Jesus came, if your life is mess  for whatever reason,there is one you can turn to,Jesus and I can assure you He can forgive you and change you,like no one else can.

                                                  ' Out of my shameful failure and loss,

                                                    Jesus,I come! Jesus, I  come!

                                                    Into the glorious gain of The cross,

                                                    Jesus,I come to Thee !

                                                           Words  W T.Sleeper.

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I don't want to preach that. ( Ezekiel 2 v 7 )

 I sometimes wish I  could leave out certain things in my blog, but I can't,what am I referring to?,mankind's sinful condition,and the terrible consequence that follows. Wonderful,wonderful,there is heaven,for those who receive Christ as their Saviour. By the grace of God you have done that, as I have,and we can say or sing,'Amazing Grace that saves a wretch like me,I once was lost but now am found,was blind but now I see'.What a blessed assurance to know that one is saved,and we are going to heaven,what a wonder it will be when we arrive in that place that Christ has prepared for us.Which leads me unto  the other thing I don't like preaching but first let me tell you what a friend told me once. He was attending  his fathers funeral,I knew his father, he was named after him.He told me as the coffin was being lowered into the grave,his thoughts were not on his father,but rather on himself,and what awaited him beyond the grave. He had every right to be afraid,  and here is what I would rather not preach on,hell. Why? ,because I know it's awful, many ministers don't preach it,don't even mention it, the prophets  did not shy away from speaking  about judgement ,and many of them paid the price  for doing that.( Matthew 23 v37).There was a little rug in the pulpit I used to preach in, it had these words on it,'Preach the Word', yes even though you find it hard,and even though people don't want to here it.

Consequences ( Hebrews 3 v 15 )

 Last time I wrote about Solomon ,who was a great king for most of his reign, it appears that God was very patient with him but in the end God said enough,is enough.It need not have been like that in 2 Chronicles 7 ,after the dedication of the temple,God appeared to him and spoke to him.The first part of  the chapter is about God responding to Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple,the second is the importance of obeying God and the consequences of disobedience which would be very serious for him and the nation. In spite of that he did not take it  serious enough, but instead gradually moved away from God,His ways and His will.Think about disobedience and its terrible consequence,it all started  with Adam and Eve,and so we the children of Adam have followed in our first parents footsteps.Look at this world ,why are so many awful things happening?,the answer is mankind is living in disobedience to God,falsehood abounds in all sided's we should never be surprised at awful things happening, just look into our own hearts. Here is a word for us Christians, obey God, if we don't ,there will be consequences,but the good news is God is still in the business of forgiveness. If you are not a Christian repent and turn to Jesus  He will forgive you,and bring you from the road that leads to destruction, and put you on the road that leads to heaven not to hell.

Solomon ( 1 Kings 11 v 9 - 13 )

 I am going through that wonderful book of Proverbs written by Solomon, a man endowed with  tremendous wisdom from God.He blessed him not only with wisdom but with many blessings.Now in Deuteronomy 17 v14 -17,God gave instructions that as to what the kings were not meant to do,not to multiply horses,horses symbolised  military strength,God alone was to be Israels strength.What apples to Israel  and its king,applies to God's children, God must be our strength, without Him we can do nothing. Solomon disobeyed God in this ,1 Kings 10 v 29 - 30.The next thing the kings of Israel were not to do,was not to take many wives,Solomon disobeyed  that,he not only took many wives,but he took foreign wives 1 kings11 ,and these wives turned his heart away from God to foreign god's. Some see the marrying of the foreign wives as an act of strengthening political alliances. Let us all be careful as to whom we join hands with, the  word of God says,we are not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers ,2 Corinthians 5 v17.We cannot join hands with other nations religions,or the worlds moral values.The next thing Israels  kings  were not to do was to accumulate large  amounts of silver and gold,in other words they were not to be materialistic. There is nothing wrong with being  rich, as long as that does not become our goal in life,and it becomes our god.Solomon for all his wisdom went beyond what he should have,and it had severe consequences for what followed,let us take note of that.

The secret sin. ( Exodus 20 v 17 )

We do not hear much as  regards the ten commandments in these days,possible because it is in the Old Testament,so let me stress that all scripture is to be honoured as being God's word (2 Timothy 3 v16 ) There are things in the OT that do not apply to us now, but they were still the word of God to be obeyed ,then.As regards the 10 commandments they are not to be ignored, of course our Saviour pointed out not just as to the basic commandment but to the spirit of the law,one may not have committed actual murder or adultery, but in ones thoughts you have lusted after someone,and hated someone ,then you are guilty of breaking those commandments (Matthew 5 v 21 -30) There is one of the commandments that many don't take serious, and it is the last one  coveting, it is a secret sin, but it is a sin for all that.Today many people are committing that sin. coveting what others have,their wives,husbands,money and many other things, consider all the evil that comes from coveting those things mentioned. It is a secret sin but it is not a secret with God,because God looks on the heart,He sees it for what  it is,we may not think it is sinful,but it is,and if you are involved in that sin which everyone without a doubt has committed,remember we cannot  hide our hidden sins  from an all seeing holy God .

                                                     ' If we confess our sins,He is faithful

                                                       and just to forgive us our sins,and to

                                                      cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'

                                                                      1 John 1 v 9.

We make our plans. ( Proverbs 27 v 1 )

 A very famous directer of movies,spoke of his plans for the future, he went on at length as  to the different movies he hoped to make.As he finished I said to myself there was no DV in relation to what he said. I am sure you know that DV signifies ,'God willing', it was used in conjunction with a signature at the end of letters.In other words,'God willing ',the letter may reach you safely. Often people would say that to someone that they planned to meet again,but of course if you leave God out of one's life then God does not come into the reckoning. Many think that they are the master of their own souls,and destinies ,but they are not. Our Saviour told a parable as regards a rich fool (Luke 12 v 13 -21),he was making all sorts of plans,but God said to Him,''You fool ! You will die this very night.Then who will get everything you worked for?.' So many people are like that man, and don't realise God is listening,they ride off as it where into the sunset,and then they are ingulfed in the darkness of death,and all their plans have come to nothing. 

                                                'Here today,gone tomorrow

                                                         but where to?'

                                         

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The greatest miracle. ( Isaiah 53 )

 I was watching a program as regards people who had never been able to hear,and how they received medical treatment and suddenly they could hear,for the very first time in their lives. Little babies stopped crying,older people started to cry,and I was crying to,It was an awe inspiring moment , for all those involved, wonderful beyond words. Then I thought of the miracles Jesus performed,consider the context, there were no cures for deafness,blindness,and so on,you could  spend all your money and you would never have got healed. Consider how those people must have felt when Jesus healed them,like the people who witnessed these healings they were filled with fear, awe, and amazement (  Matthew 9 v 8 )All except  the religious leaders, who took issue with Jesus for healing on their Sabbath, that clouded their vision,and they were filled with hated.And so they watched Him, hounded Him ..Instead of being filled with amazement they turned on Jesus like a wild beast (Psalm 22 v 16- 17),and finally got their way  and crucified Him.Yet strange as it may sound, God's plan and purpose was fulfilled,for out of that suffering and horrendous death the greatest miracle ever  performed took place,the work of salvation,  

                                                'God so loved the world that He gave

                                                 His only begotten Son that whosoever

                                                 believeth in Him should not perish,

                                                 but have everlasting life'

                                                                  John 3 v16.

Unanswered ( Habakkuk 2 v 3 )

 I  want to share with you what  Charles Bridges has to say as regards unanswered prayer,it commences like this,'But I see no answer'. Correct the errors of sense by faith in His word,which declares, whatever appearances may be- He heareth , Judge not by feelings or conceptions, but by His own unchangeable  word,.....that He will refuse you nothing that is really good; that thou dost obtain,if not what you desire; yet what upon the whole is best and fittest for thee. Have patience with God. Dictate nothing. Commit thy will to Him. Say not- ''I will  that Thou give me by and by''. ( Mark 6 v25 ) Leave time and all to Him. If He does not answer in thy time, He will in His own for better season (Isaiah 30 v18 ) He has clearly  shewn His Sovereign appointment, that those who pray must wait His time, and His will. (Luke 18 v 1-7 )'

                                                 ' Remember delay is not denial'.

Truth ( John 14 v 6)

 In John 8 v 32, Jesus said,''Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free''.The truth involves two things, Jesus and His teaching, you cannot have one without the other. Gandhi was influenced by some of the teaching of Jesus, but he didn't know Jesus,there are those who say they know Jesus but refuse   to accept and practice what Jesus taught.To enter into that freedom Jesus talks about ,we must know who He was and who he is,and must believe and practice His teaching.To really know Him means that you are forgiven and you no longer live under guilt,then He will free you from the power of  sin ,like hating others,not forgiving others, He will enable you love your enemies,love the unlovable,all will be changed.Yes you wont be perfect but you will be changed,we will walk in the light and not in the dark.You will have a peace that passes  all understanding, and you will have Jesus with you  always.You will be free from the fear of death for Jesus said ,even though you die you shall live. ( John 11 v25 ).The fact is we cannot change ourselves, it is impossible,one of the greatest enemies,I have to contend with is myself,all things are possible with Jesus. Is it not better to know and follow Jesus who is the light of the world than to walk in the darkness?.

                                                                   'Jesus said'

                                       I am the light of the world.Who ever follows Me

                                       shall never walk in darkness, but will have the light

                                       of life.  ( John 8 v 12)

Are you thirsty? ( John 4 v 4 - 13)

 Our wonderful Saviour spoke to a woman who came to draw water from a well,and he said this to her,''Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again'',(John 4 v 13).Jesus in saying this highlights a very important truth ,which can be summed up by a phrase  used by Charles Bridges, 'Present gratification is humanities main object'. It is a blindness that just lives for the here and now,take those who are on drugs,they want that instant fix, but that's all it is instant .The instant fix  leads to dire consequences, we are blinded to the effect that God has placed eternity within all our hearts,(Ecclesiastes 3 v 11).This means as one writer puts it,' That there is an eternal longing or sense of eternity in the human heart,and that we have a divinely implanted awareness that the soul lives for ever.This world is not our home'.That is why as Christians we are urged to keep our minds on eternal realities,because what we see with the natural eye is passing (Colossians 3 v 1-2 ). I remember a lady who every day was driven by the desire to be always happy , but she never found it.Why do people drink so much alcohol?,why do they eat themselves into an early grave?,the woman at the well had been married 5 times,and she was now living with someone who wasn't her husband?. This is what Jesus said to her,and to  all humanity,'' Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst'', (John 4 v13)

                                            'Come to Jesus and have your thirst quenched'

Not listening. ( Mark 14 v 61 -64)

 While visiting my son and family recently ,I  noticed a group of  Jw's, it reminds me of the many time I  witnessed to these people,. I do not know what good it did,it often left me frustrated and wondering was it worth my while speaking to them.Let us remember they are not seeking the truth,they believe they have the truth,they are not wanting to hear what you believe,they want you to believe the teaching of their founder Charles Taze Russell a man who broke away from Christianity,rejecting the doctrine of the trinity,and many other things. They have their own translation ,which mistranslations so much,the most obvious one is John 1 v 1,which reads,'In the beginning was the word, and one of the main things he  emphasises that Christ  is God'. The writer of that gospel was John a orthodox Jew, and one the main purpose was to declare the deity of Christ  John 20 v 31,the term,' Son Of God',  is a divine title,( John 10 v33)    There are many scriptures that clearly teach the deity of  Christ, So what do the Jw's do?, they alter the scriptures, the most  obvious one is the one I mentioned John 1 v1,  where they change ,'the Word was God', to the ,'Word was a god'. those who know Greek say it cannot be translated that way.  That will make no difference to Jw's , remember that,so tread carefully and prayerfully when you come into contact  with them, and remember they are not really listening to what you will say.

The providence of God.( Romans 8 v28 )

 I was backing my car out of my driveway and I hadn't seen the car parked on the road opposite  ,fortunately I didn't hit it. I could have so easy hit it. I hadn't looked in my mirror and it reminded me again of God's providential care for me.What people call chance I call the providence  of God,as Christians we need  to be different than the non-Christian,they talk about chance,about luck. Consider Romans  8v 28,'And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to His purpose'. Consider those profound words ,all things,our disappointments, our trials,He is overlooking all things in our lives,He opens doors and shut  doors, that job we didn't get,and the job we did get. He keeps His eye upon us 24/7 ,52 weeks of the year,and every minute of every hour . Let us rejoice in such a wonderful God,even in our trials.Consider dear Joseph and all the wrongs  his brothers did to him,Hear what he said to them,'But as for you ,ye thought  evil against me ; but God meant it for good.' ( Genesis 50 v20 ),What applies to Joseph applies to you,and to every child of God,so let us think much on God's providential care for us His Children,even when we do not understand it.

Amazing grace. (Ephesians 2 v 8 - 9)

We are experiencing  a period of very heavy rain,with the result that many places are being affected by floods,fortunately not many have died. The Word of God tells us how God flooded the whole world,it was so severe that all the population of the world,with the exception of eight people drowned.(Genesis 6 v13 ) It was  a one off  event,God promised never to repeat it (Gen 8 v 21)The flood was a judgement on mankind for their sinfulness, Gen 6 v 5,reads,'The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,and that every inclination of the thoughts  of the human heart was only evil all the time.' There are exceptions to the rule,those who walk with God,as opposed to those who don't. there is no middle  road.In the midst of the world about to be judged, we read,'But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord'.Gen 6 v 8. The word grace means, undeserved favour, something that cannot be earned,it is something that is freely given,and that's what saved Noah.Noah was a good man compare 6 v 9,let us remember even good people are sinners.( Romans 3 v 23). Like Enoch ,Noah walked with God, he was a godly man,the grace of God had touched his life,and so he walked in newness of life, all good men are not godly men, by the grace of God Noah was a godly man. We get saved by the grace of God through faith in Christ, and so our walk continues by the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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Heed the warnings. ( John 3 v36 )

We have two alarm detectors in our home,a smoke detector,and a carbon monoxide detector,most homes have them,but some don't. I mention this because of an incident that happened in one of my son's home,my wife and I where visiting him and the family. While we there the carbon Monoxide alarm went off,my son had turned on the central heating, but the boiler was malfunctioning,and it was pouring out carbon monoxide. We responded by turning the gas off and opening the windows.my son phoned the emergency people,who soon arrived.Here is something we were told ,that little detector saved our lives, because this gas has no smell,it will surely kill if left undetected. I read that it is a leading cause of deaths by poisoning in the United States, about 40 people die of it in the U K .I thank God for the warning the detector give us,that our lives have been spared.  The prophets of old were like alarm detectors , warning the people to forsake their sins and turn to God,Jonah is a fine example of that ,he told the people of Nineveh that in forty days judgement was coming from God, because of their sin,so they responded and God forgave them and judgement did not come .What about now?,the fact is that every Christian is meant to be a warning detector,because God has not changed,He still will judge sinners,unless they  like Nineveh, repent ,forsake their sins,and come to Christ to forgive them. Consider this if  we had ignored the warning given off  by the alarm detector we would have all died, I urge you, don't ignore the warning that I am giving.

                                                      'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ

                                                      and you shall be saved'.

                                                               Acts 31 v16

Being generous ( Luke 6 v 38 )

 When our Lord performed the feeding of  the 5000  John 6 there was left overs,the fact is our Lord is very generous,oh yes I know that we are told that our needs will be supplied,and that's very true,as Israel experienced in the wilderness,but there are times when are cup runs over,or overflows with His blessings. The word of God tells us He will do 'exceeding abundantly above all we ask or think'(Ephesians 3 v 20 ) God is the giving God,and here is challenge for all of us  He wants us to be like Him,to have an open hand,not a clinched fist. Remember God delights in a cheerful giver, I personally try to live up to that,but I don't always succeed ,while on holiday recently,with my wife,our son ,his wife and our two grandchildren, we went into a restaurant for a meal.  The young girl that served us very helpful and I felt I should give her a tip,let me say tipping is not necessary in our country, I only had 10 pound on me,but I wanted to give her five pound,so I didn't  give anything,but I did personally thank her .Later on I thought I should have given  her the 10 pound, I could afford to do that, it is an on going challenge,to be generous like our loving heavenly Father.

God the object of trust. ( Proverbs 3 v 5-6 )

 The word trust in reference to God appears so many times in the Bible, in  Charles Bridges commentary I found what he had to say as regards trusting in God. Proverbs 16 v20  we read, 'And  whoso trusteth in the Lord,happy is he'. 'God the object of  trust'.  This is our peaceful security in all things'- Luther said- 'in my hands,and I have lost them all. But  whatever I have been able to place in God's, I  still possess.' In this quite confidence we have nothing more to do with ourselves. A  thousand perplexing thoughts are scattered to the winds. God now takes the place once filled by my unquiet  agitations. The soul is fixed in God.  He reigns over all with an unseeing eye, and an all moving hand.' He mentions in relation to the promises of God ,'that all the world cannot rob us of one word of God.There is more reality in the least promise of God, than in the greatest performance of man. I will therefore ever trust Him on His bare word; with hope, beside hope,above hope, against hope,for the small matters of life.Never did God intend to create our happiness out of our own resources.To feel that we know nothing,that we can do nothing , contrive nothing; then to look up to Him as our supreme Good, and to trust Him as our only Friend - when was such reliance and expectation ever disappointed?.

A historical fact. ( John 14 v 6 )

 In the little town of Tintagel in Cornwall  the legendary and mystical King Arthur is remembered,there is a large center in which one can visit and  hear about him.I  spoke to the one in charge,and pointed out the obvious problems of Arthur being a legendary king,he replied,there was no evidence that he existed, and there is no  evidence that he didn't. I smiled at that answer,later while visiting a store in the town,I mentioned this to a lady ,and I pointed out that Christ was a real historical person,and that His death ,and resurrection really happened,and that when we believe in Jesus are sins are forgiven and we go to heaven. That lady was not a Christian I have prayed for her that she may be saved. It is tragic that so many believe in things  that are dubious and have no foundation of truth ,they are in fact built upon lies.Jesus said three things about Himself ,that He was the ,'Way', the 'Truth', and the ,'Life'. (John 14 v6).  Thomas A. Kempis said,' Without the way there is no going,without the truth there is no knowing,without the life,there is no living'.Let me ask you a question,do you know where you are going?if one is on the wrong road , one can get into serious trouble,and be seriously messed up.,and it doesn't end there,hell awaits.Without truth we are just playing blind mans bluff,although it is not a game,believe me it;s not. the opposite to life is death,without Christ you are dead spiritually,,only Christ can give you eternal life, He said the following  to the religious people of His day, 'unless you  believe that I am he,you shall die in your sins' (John 8 v24-25 )

Children and discipline ( Hebrew 12 v 4- 11)

 I heard a minister say that God was not a disciplinarian,I suppose the  word disciplinarian gives the impression,as it has a sense of unloving severity.that's a worldly discipline It may give the impression that God is standing over us, ready to beat us the moment we step out of place,which He is not .In Proverbs 13 v24 we read,'Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children is careful to discipline them'. Here we have a biblical,or godly discipline,as it mentions the word love, Loving discipline is good,but sometimes as Christians we can be to austere, with our children.,Ernest Hemingway's parents were very strict ,he had a mother who was domineering, and religious,and he lived under a cloud of judgement .Of course children need discipline,it was Luther who said,''Spare the rod and spoil the child,that is true,but have an apple to give them when they do well''.Having said that we may get into serious trouble if we use a rod on our children in the times we live in,but they do need discipline of some sort, but  make it loving discipline, for that's the way our loving heavenly Father treats us His children.

Stillness and quietness. ( Matthew 11 v 28-30)

In Psalm 23 v 2 ,we read ,,'He leads me beside the still waters',some translations have,' quite waters',I  read somewhere that sheep do not like running water. Possible the sound frightens them off,the still waters are quite and peaceful .There is so much noise in this world,so many things pressing in upon us,were is the still quiet waters that we can go to? ,My son has written a book called,'Be still ',a simple guide to quite times.I wonder do you have a quite time?,it is surprising that many don't and rarely read their bible.In Mark 6 v31-32,we read how the disciples were very busy, and they didn't even have time to eat,and here is what our Lord said,'Come with me by yourselves to a quite place and get some rest,' So they went away  by themselves in a boat to a solitary place, How do we feel about those words?,are we willing to apply them to our own lives? are we willing to put them into action?,and if not why?. What are the reasons for not doing it?, I'll leave you to answer that,let me say earnestly we need to do it,oh yes there will be a cost,but remember if we don't do it there will be a  cost.to our spiritual wellbeing.

                                                       'There is a place of quite rest,

                                                        Near to the heart of God;

                                                        A place where sin cannot molest,

                                                        Near to the heart of God'.

The way of the Cross. ( Philippians 1 v 29 )

Chapter 11 of the book of Hebrews is a wonderful  exposition in what it means to have faith,Charles  F. Pfeiffer in his little commentary on Hebrews, divides chap 11 into three sections (1) Characteristics of faith,11 v1-3. (2) Examples of faith, 11v4-32. (3) Triumphs of faith, 11 v 33-40. I  want us to consider no 3,in these verses  those who suffered for their faith are not mentioned by name, it mentions how they suffered,'they were jeered, flogged, put in chains, imprisoned ,stoned to death, sawn in two, killed by the sword,and then there were those who went about destitute,persecuted and ill-treated'. Our Lord said we are to take up our cross and follow Him, it's obvious that the cross is an instrument of suffering,yes it is the way of the cross that leads home.There are lands in which our brothers and sisters are suffering today,I will mention one a Pastor Avedian he lives in Iran,he has been sentenced to ten years in prison,and after that  a further 10 years of deprivation of social rights.He is just one of many who are suffering in Iran. Lets us not forget those in North Korea,Eritrea ,who are also suffering greatly. We need not be surprised at the suffering of God's people,we live in a world that is at war with God, shown clearly when they crucified the Son of God.Let us pray for those who are suffering for  Christ,we may not suffer as those mentioned ,but we will  all most surely  experience different trials on our journey to our heavenly home,remember what our Saviour said ,'Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world' John 16 v 33.

                                               'I must needs go home by the way of the cross,

                                                There's no other way but this             

                                                I shall ne'er get sight of the gates of light,

                                                If the way of the cross I miss.'

                                                           Words J.B.Pounds.

                                                            

When is the time to trust? (Acts 27 v 13 - 26 )

     I read a poem it asked the same question over and over again,' When is it time to Trust?',so here are some verses from it.

                        When is the time trust?                              When is the time to trust?

                         Is it some future day?                                Is it when hopes beat high,

                        When you tried your way,                          When sunshine gilds the sky, 

                        And learned to trust and pray                      And joy and ecstasy

                        By bitter woe?                                             Fill all the heart?

                        No! for the time to trust                               No! For the time to trust

                        Is in this moments need!                              Is when our joy has fled,

                        Poor, broken,bruised reed!                           When sorrows bow the head.

                        Poor,troubled soul,make speed                     And all is cold and dead,

                               To trust  your God.                                          All else but God.

 May God grant us faith to completely trust His Word, even when other sign points the other way.C.H.P

                                                  Taken from ,'Streams in the Desert'

   

                        

                           

                                   

                               

                        

                           

                          

                             

                                                            

                                                   

                                                       

A sin is a sin for all that. ( Isaiah 5 v 20 )

 When I said homosexuality was a sin,a minister said to me that's my opinion,I thought if God says it is a sin, then that's what it is .Sin is not based on my opinion or anybodies , of course that's what many are doing, they are judging what is sin, irrespective of what God's says.  If we  go down that road then we are heading for trouble,it is in the book of Judges that we read these telling words 'Everyone did what was right in his own eyes'. (21 v25),but what they did was not right in God's eyes. We read that when David committed adultery, and murder,God was not pleased with what he had done (2 Samuel 12 v 1 ) if we go   against anything that God declares is sinful, He will not be  pleased,in fact we are told that God's wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness ( Romans 1 v 18) No matter how sin comes dressed up it is still sin, no matter how we rationalize what we do , if it is wrong in God's eyes it is sinful, it is as simple as that, and must be taken very serious. Many churches are facing a crises because the denomination they are in are compromising ,and trying to push on to them , the worlds sinful practices,and so churches are leaving those denominations. The path of sin is a dark path,we who are Christians are to walk in the light ,we cannot walk in the darkness and have fellowship with God,for God is light.If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet  walk in the darkness,we lie and do not live out the truth .( 1 John 1 v 6 )

                                         'Those who say lies are white are colour blind,

                                          yes there's none so blind as those who do not

                                          want to see'.

Don't be late. ( John 3 v 36 )

 In Revelation 6 v 15 -17, we read of Kings,and the great ones,the captains,the rich and the strong,and every slave and every free person,hiding in fear,and crying out for the rocks and the  mountains,to fall and hide them from the one seated on His Throne and the wrath of the Lamb!For the great  day of their wrath has  come ,and who can stand?.' William Barclay writes,'No one is exempt from the judgement of God,'no one whoever they are ,will be exempt ,for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3 v23)There will be no hiding place,no great escape, there will be no mercy shown, none ,the day of grace will have have passed,it will be a time of wrath,consider those words concerning the one who sits on the throne,'the wrath of the Lamb'.Yes He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,yes He who said, come and be forgiven, come and receive mercy, now He is going to pass judgement on those who rejected his offer of forgiveness,mercy and love.Alas people like William Barclay says that this wrath is a wrath of love,which is reaching out  to show His mercy .It is clearly called a day of wrath,compare Rev 21 v 5 -8.were all those who know not Christ as Saviour, will be consigned to the lake of  Fire and Brimstone'.As Christians we have been rescued from the coming wrath (1Thess 1 v10) ,but for  the unsaved they will not escape God's wrath. Bert Shadduck  wrote a hymn called 'The great judgment morning', here is the chorus.

                                               ' And O,what a weeping and wailing,

                                                As the lost were told of their fate;

                                                They cried to the rocks ,and the mountains,

                                                They prayed but their prayer was to late'.

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To know Him is to love Him. ( 2 Corinthians 5 v 17)

 I heard a lady say recently,''The more you know,you realise how little you know'',and she was talking about gardening. If truth were told I would agree with that,there appears to be no end to knowledge,yet there are some people and they appear to know everything,will near everything,There is something I would say, that everyone should know,or someone they should know, that is Jesus.He is knowable,and yet the more you know Him, the more there is to know about Him.and indeed the more you know Him the more you love Him.There are many people who know about Jesus,but yet they do not know Him personally,do you?.Why is it important to know Him personally?, because of who He is,who is He?/He is the Son God, that means He is truly man and truly God,but He is also a Saviour, there is only one Saviour. As I look at the history of mankind I see so many things that bear witness to mankind 's sinfulness,and I believe it manifests itself at a very early age and doesn't leave us.We have seen at times the awful things, like the holocaust,and the  misery that so many people suffered , but suffering did not cease after the  holocaust and things don't  appear to be getting any better.There is only one hope, that is in knowing Jesus,who will save us from ourselves and so many other things.If you don't know Him ,its about  time you did,remember He is only a prayer away

                                   'Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved'

He is altogether lovely ( Isaiah 9 v 6 -7 )

 2 Corinthians 9 v15 reads,' Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift', here the writer is speaking about Jesus,he uses the word unspeakable in an attempt to describe the undescribable ,One writer has said, 'Language is ever weaker than our grief,and not seldom weaker than our love'.The writer is describing something that is beggaring description. in a sense he is lost for words..I am sure we all have had the experience of being lost for words. In John 3 v16 we read that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life'.First of all remember  before Christ came He existed as God the Son,as that second person of the Holy trinity. So when He came he laid aside that which was associated  with His divinity,yet was still divine, Philippians 2 v5-11 ,gives us a wonderful description what that involved,the limitations of being human.that meant for Him living out the role of a servant,it also meant obedience to the will of God in everything. The totality of that obedience was reached when He died on the cross,for the salvation of  sinful men and women. No wonder the writer was lost for words in relation to God's gift, 'Jesus'.