Like a boomerang ( John 6v 66)

Sometimes when one ministers God's word,something  you touched on, comes back like a boomerang to you.,I was feeling  a bit unsettled in relation to a person I know, I was wondering what he was up too,and then the words from the word I preached came into my mind.It was from John 21 Jesus was talking to Peter,recommission him in his service,Then Peter said to our Lord ,'what about him?',speaking of John the beloved disciple,Jesus answered,'what is that to you? You must follow me'.It  was like Jesus saying  to me,'get your eyes of him ,'You must follow me'.There is an old saying,'Key your eye on the ball',it was a reminder to me to keep my eyes on Him and follow Him.It could l suppose  have  been a rebuke to me,and I deserved it.There's a game I used to play when I was a child called ,'Follow the leader',the only thing is following Jesus is not a game,it is the challenge to all Christians,in all walks of life,there are no exemptions.We must keep right on to the end of the road,no matter what anybody else is getting up to,if we don't ,then what will be the end there off?,

                                                            ' Jesus said follow me'

A great artist . (Genesis 1 v 31 )

 Genesis 1 v 2 reads ,'Now the earth was formless and empty',Calvin translates these words,as,'confused emptiness'it is David Atkinson who writes a number of  helpful comments on these words,'So here creation,shapeless and formless,awaits the artistic creativity and ordering of the Creators hand', There is a modern song written by Rod Stewart called,  'Who designed a Snowflake', the last verse reads,

                                      ' Some will tell you natures random,

                                        That beauty's just a quirk

                                         I believe an artist is at work  ,

                                        Sshhh, an artist at work,

                                        I say,look a genius at work'

In the Academy in Florence stands Michelangelo's sculpture of  St Matthew, It is unfinished. The inscription points out how the sculptor is about to cut away the stone around the figure that he has perceived inside the marble block' Yes out of the formless emptiness,our great God would create a world of great beauty,let us bow humbly before Him and worship Him.

Faithful Creator. ( Ephesians 2 v 10)

I was surprised to receive notification as regards my pension,on April 3rd I was 80,they said that I was going to receive an increase to my pension,my heart was beating  rapidly,at last my ship had come in,but alas my dreams were shattered,as I read the amount awarded me,25 p a week,now I cannot go on that cruise.You see 25p is not very much,it would not get me one a half cup of coffee.Ah well I am not concerned  God will continue to look after me,as he always has done.One of the wonderful things about God, is His faithfulness,I remember when I was young ,there were times we did not  have any money,but God was gracious even though Jesus was not our Saviour. Our Saviour said that our Father in heaven 'causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous, and on the unrighteous. My mother had separated from my father,and she was left to bring up 4 children,she worked,but women's wages were poor.I have asked myself recently how did my mother manage,the answer is simple ,God .Mankind may have deserted God and they have ,but He is a faithful Creator .(1  Peter 4 v 19),even though they do not recognise Him,or even thank Him.So like our heavenly Father we are called,'to do good to all people',and then he adds,'especially to those who belong to the family of God .( Galatians 6 v 10)

                                                 ' If I can help somebody as I travel along'

                                                   If I can help somebody with a word or song,

                                                   If I can help  somebody from doing wrong,

                                                   my life shall not be in vain.'

An imperfect family. ( 1 Peter 4 v 8 )

 Would it be a good thing if church leaders would gather any new Christian together and teach them a very simple truth ,let me put it this way,'When we are born we are born into a imperfect family,so it is when we are born again  we are likewise born into  an imperfect family.We who are part of God's family are far from perfect,we are at different levels of sanctification.Our Saviour said ,'be you perfect',He was talking to his disciples and indeed to every Christian,telling us to always to bear that in mind,we are accepted by God  because of Christs righteousness, but in ourselves we are still children of Adam, and unfortunately we sometime show that more that  the fact, that we are children of God.We loose sight of the fact that we are to be .conformed to the image of Christ.(Romans 8 v 29) . The result being  Christians are not always loving to each other, I  have been hurt by other Christians,and I'm sure you have, and I'm sure I have hurt other Christians.There is a little rhyme which goes,it is a bit cynical,'To live with saints above that will be grace and glory,to live with them below ,now that's another story'. As Christians we have to accept our fellow Christians imperfections,as they have to accept ours,it will not always happen,but it should.As God loves us so we must love others,1 John 4 v 20, reads ,'Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar'. 

                                                 'Dear brothers and sisters in Christ

                                                  we are not perfect, but one day we 

                                                  will be. ( Jude 24-25)But until that

                                                  day ,be patient,forgiving, and 

                                                   loving with one another.

Amazing Love. ( Romans 5 v 8 )

Around our coasts we have  an organisation called the coastguards ,their job is to rescue those in danger in the sea,children can be washed out to sea very easily on little rubber dinkies.Some people do not take the dangers seriously, and get into trouble,and the coastguards will rescue  them.They have a policy that rescues everybody ,who needs  rescuing irrespective of how they  got into trouble. In someways it is like Gods mercy,take the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15 v 11ff. The  son in the story that Jesus told,was no good,he was interested in doing things his sinful way,the bitter older brother summed it up ,he had squandered the money his father had given him on prostitutes,he spent all his money on the good life,with his no good friends.He ended it up in Skid Row,he ended up in dire straits,serves him right ,he made his bed,let him lie in. The situation brought him to his senses ,so he decided to go home to his father when he came to him, begging forgiveness his father choose to forgive him,irrespective of what he had done.We are all prodigals to some degree yet irrespective of whatever we have done,if we come to God in all our need ,in all our guilt, God will forgive and forget those sins we have committed, and welcome us into His family, through Jesus His Son.

                                           'I was sinking deep in sin,sinking to rise no more, 

                                           Overwhelmed by guilt within,mercy I did implore

                                            Then the Master of the sea heard my despairing cry,

                                             Christ my Saviour lifted me,now safe am I .

                                                                                       

                                              

                                              

The race set before us,( 2 Timothy 4 v 6-8)

Just recently the London marathon took place,it is a very large event ,  it raises a lot of money for charity,it is 26mi 385 yds or 42.195 km, long.In  Hebrews 12 v1  we read,'Let us run with perseverance  the race marked out for us', generally people running a race wear very light clothing,they remove all that hinders them,so the writer of Hebrews tells us that we are to 'throw off everything that hinders  and the sin that so easily  entangles'us.consider how inclusive this exhortation is,we are to throw of everything that hinders us,no matter how legitimate it may be,we are not to spare it ,if it is a hindrance we are to get rid of it.This also includes the sin that so easily trips us up,yes it is easy to fall into sin ,whatever it may be, we are to get rid of it.The race that the Christian is on will have obstacles to overcome.What obstacles are we facing?, let us remember every obstacle we face is an opportunity to exercise faith  and they are not meant   to drive us away from God ,but to drive us to Him.We must keep our eyes on Jesus,for without Him we can do nothing,but with Him we can do all things Philippians 4 v13.Let me highlight what is very important.,in the the words of Paul the apostle ,one who suffered so much for Christ,and faced tremendous difficulties/, just before he was put to death he said,'I have finished the race,I have kept the faith.2 Timothy 4 v 7,in giving up we loose everything ,but in finishing the race we will be be wonderfully rewarded, that's not saying we earn our salvation,John Stott calls it 'the evidence of our justification ' that will be rewarded. 2 Tim 4 v 8.

                                                          Press on,hold on ,carry on'

The worst of sinners.( 1 Timothy 1 v 12 - 17 )

 In Luke chap7 v34ff, we have Jesus in the home of a Pharisees called Simon ,He had been invited there for a meal,there were other guests there as well,some were Pharisees.As they sat eating the meal a woman came in, people knew who she was , she came to where Jesus was sitting, she came not just as a spectator ,but as women who had a great need,which only Jesus could meet.This woman  was more than likely a prostitute,she carried in her hand a container with very expensive perfume in it. Jesus was sitting on a low couch with His feet tucked behind Him.Standing behind him she started crying profusely wetting  his feet, so she knelt and wiped his with her hair,she also kissed them and then poured the perfume over them.The Pharisees were outraged,saying if this man were a prophet he would have known what kind  of woman she was,that she  was a sinner. Jesus knew this,they failed to see  that Jesus had come to save sinners. He said to the woman,''Your sins are forgiven'' ,and,''your faith has saved you go in peace''. He also said ,' her many sins have been forgiven',connecting  that with the great love she had shown.Thomas Brooks said the following.

                              'The greatness of a man's sins  does but set off the riches of free grace.

                               Sins are debts,and God can as easily blot out a debt of many thousands,

                               as He can a lesser one; therefore let not the greatest rebel despair, but

                               believe, and he shall find,that where sin abounds,grace shall much more 

                               abound'.

I'll do it my way( James 4 v 13-17 )

In James 4 v13 -16  There is a challenge to the blatant presumptuousness and blindness of people who are taken up with the affairs of life ,ignoring the uncertainty of life,and ignoring God.They make their plans without giving a thought for God, it is Alec Motyer who writes the following,'We overlook frailty (a mist) v14, and ignore the fact that even the small print of life is in the hands of a sovereign God(if God wills) It is a presumption that we are masters of our own life,so that we need to do no more than decide and, lo and behold, it will happen like that.It touches ability ; and trade and get gain. Of course we shall succeed if we want! We can do it'.James rebukes them ,instead of them bringing God into their affairs they boast in their arrogant schemes,ignoring the fact that all such boasting was evil. It appears he is challenging professing Christians who should have know better,does not the scripture tell us that we should acknowledge God in all our ways (Proverbs 3 v6 ) It was Fanny Crosby who wrote,

                                              'Hold Thou my hand! so weak I am and helpless,

                                              I dare not take one step without Thy aid;

                                              Hold Thou my hand for then ,O loving Saviour,

                                              No dread of ill shall make my soul afraid'.

William Cowper. ( Psalm 40 v 1- 3 )

 William Cowper was befriended by John Newton and he lived with John and his wife for a number of years,John was the minister at a place called Olney in Buckinghamshire. They were very close friends and William helped in his ministry,and they worked together  in writing a hymn book for the church at Olney. One of the hymns John wrote  was,' Amazing Grace',and one of hymns William wrote was,'God moves in mysterious ways',they are both ,two of my favourite hymns.William was one of the most widely read English poets of his day,he had a wonderful grasp of the English language. He used to take part in the prayer meetings at the church and people loved to here him pray.John said ,' Of all the men I heard pray, no one equalled Mr Cowper'.He was a very shy man so it was quite a task for him to pray publicly, and he confessed ,' that his mind was always greatly agitated for some hours preceding'. Yet he like us  had been taught and was convinced,that,'Satan trembles when he sees,the weakest saint upon his knees'.Never underestimate the power of prayer in dealing with the enemy of our souls,prayer is the most wonderful gift God has given to us His children,don't neglect it,don't underestimate the importance of it.

                                                 'Prayer makes the dark'ned  cloud withdraw,

                                                 Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw;

                                                 Gives exercise to faith and love,

                                                 Brings ev'ry blessing from above.'

                                                         Words W. Cowper.

Seek God. ( Isaiah 12 v2 )

 In Psalm 143 v 8,David prays,'Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life' he is in difficulties,he  writes of his enemies pressing in upon him,so much so that he is overwhelmed v 3-4. Sometimes we are brought into situations that overwhelm us,David was a very brave man,he had faced many difficulties in his life,he was hounded and hunted by King Saul, his was in continual danger,Saul was relentless in his attempt to kill him. How did David react to all the trials  he experienced,well the scripture records that he turned to the only one who could help him  ,'God'.So he seeks Him,not in a trivial way v 6 reads,'I lift my hands to you in prayer,I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain'.Here is a man who is in desperate straits, he acknowledges his unworthiness v2, God owes no one any favours no matter who they are,Yet we are encouraged to seek God in our difficulties , to all call upon Him in the day of trouble that in his mercy He will help us.As His children we are assured of His care and protection His word tells us He will come to our aid as He came to Davids ,time after time.

                                           'His love in times past forbids me to think,

                                            He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink;

                                            Each sweet  Ebenezer I have in review

                                            Confirms His good pleasure to help me

                                            quite through'

                                                         Words John Newton.

Remind me. ( Luke 15 v 11-31)

I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if  the Lord had not intervened ,I know my thought pattern was taken me in a wrong way,anything that takes you away from God,is the wrong way, no matter how legitimate it may appear.In the Irish song  ,'The Mountains of Mourne', a young lad in London writes to his sweetheart in Ireland,of those who where digging for gold in the streets,that's what they told him,so he started digging ,but for all that he found there ,he might as well be,where the mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea. So often in ones life we are chasing after the gold  at the end of the rainbow ,like those who where digging for gold in the streets,we discover all we have is fools gold Thanks be to God when I found Christ  or He found me, I found true riches,the words of a hymn come  to mind .                                         

                                      'I sighed for rest and happiness, I yearned for them, not Thee;

                                      But while I passed my Saviour by,His love laid hold on me.

                                      Now none but Christ can satisfy, none other  name for me,

                                      There's love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus found in Thee'

            'All things were changed when I found Jesus,I found the meaning of life, and I found direction.' 

             'Roll back the curtain of memory now and then,show me where you brought me from and where 

               I could have been, I'm only human and so I forget so remind me,remind me,dear Lord.'

                                                               ' (Words Dottie Rambo),dear Lord

Mighty God ( John 1 v1 )

I often get frustrated when speaking to JWs ,and often think, is it worth while trying to reason with them?,for when it comes down to it ,they are not really interested in what one has to say. Their main aim is to convince you that they are right,and what we believe is wrong. I not so good at discussing with them, I remember speaking to two young girls, I was touching  on the deity of Christ, I quoted from Isaiah 9 were we have a Messianic prophecy, which declares that He is the Mighty God, Now of course you must remember that they are instructed as to how answer as to  these passages. One of the young girls said that He was not almighty,had she a valid point,no she hadn't,there are many Scriptures  that  declare God to be mighty CP Deut 10 v17/Neh 9 v32/Isa 1v 24,and in Isaiah 1 v24 we have God declared to be Almighty and Mighty. So when we read that the Messiah is Mighty God  it means just that.

                                                  'And He will be called Wonderful

                                                  Counsellor ,Mighty God ,Everlasting

                                                   Father,Prince of Peace.'

                                                               Isaiah 9 v 6 

                                                                 

Our wonderful bodies. ( Psalm 139 v 13 - 18 )

  Psalm 139v14  reads,'I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made', Scroggie calls the body 'This wonderful machine,' it truly is ,one could be overwhelmed in trying to take in all that is involved in  our bodies .Here are a few of the amazing contents of our bodies ,their are billions and trillions of cells,There are 10 different systems in our bodies,here are some of them,'Digective/ Immune/ Nervous// Reproductive/ Respiratory,Urinary.Yes we have a wonderful body. The point I would make is this,it could not just have happened,it is impossible.the so called being  evolution is a poor answer indeed no answer as to life on planet earth.Let none of us be blinded by the blinded scientists,who refuse to consider what the word of  God declares ,that God made us.R. C. Sproul wrote the following,' According to scientific materialists,''human beings , like everything else,are merely complex material systems,and are therefore no more,in essence,than extremely clever animals'' Christians, on the other hand,believe that human beings are a union of body and soul and that they are in the image of God,with intellect and will''.

God did it. ( Genesis 1v 1 )

 I will continue considering  the big lie,evolution, I have been thinking much about this subject,I want to start at the beginning, in other words when things came into place.There must be a cause and effect,did everything come into being by chance?,we will look at that.What is chance?let us consider what it isn't,it is not a being,in other words it has no power to do anything,to attribute chance as having casual power or any power is as one person said ,is to, 'suffer rocks in ones head'.Chance describes what may happen,or what may not happen,it has no power to make things happen or not happen.It is also said that time and chance have no being and consequently they have no power.As  the late, R .C. Sproul said,'The fatal flaw of the chance  scientists is they impute real being to the name chance',and they also do that to time.There are those who speak of self creation,which is a nonsense for as R.C.S ,writes,' For something to create itself,it must be before it is.this is impossible.'As I look at the universe,and how this little planet earth is situated, and all the variety of life within this planet it cannot just have happened.As a Christian I believe in a God the only God who created all things,who brought all things into being by the word of His power..

The big,big lie. ( 1 John 5 v 19 )

I had a basic education ,did not like school,there is more to it than that,so who am I to challenge  the very educated scientific world, why should a little nobody like me go against the trend,peddled out continually by people like the respected David Attenborough always pushing his belief on evolution,Most people go along with it after all its D A,and of course the all wise all knowing scientist,tell us its so,so it must be right. So I am a small gog disagreeing with those all knowing people with whom the world gives unquestioning obedience.I know that I am just like a voice crying in the wilderness,I will not be the  first to go against the establishment, Nicolaus Copernicus caused a stir when he said the earth was not the center of the universe,but he was right. A Dr Semmelwels proved the importance of hygiene when a child was being delivered,but the establishment rejected it, but he was right. I believe that the theory of evolution is one of the biggest lies there is,why do I think that?, I will continue this next time. 

                                                 '  The establishment is not always right'

Are you impatient? ( Psalm 40 v 1 )

 Sometimes I feel frustrated, I supposed we all do at times,and recently I found myself asking  our loving heavenly Father why  was He not granting me a particular thing.I should know, the fact is if God is withholding something from us,He must have a good reason. I know that, but never the less I do get impatient,and a sense of frustration fills me. Of course my request may be answered but not yet,patience they say is virtue,but it does not come automatically to us.People do not like waiting,we see it in so many ways,in the lines of the supermarket,you hear people saying 'they have only got two people serving.' And of course on the roads how many accidents are caused by people being impatient.We are not happy with delays,even when its God who is doing the delaying,The thing is we want it now,whatever it may be.why do I have to wait?,why?,God may simply say to us,'Because I said so'. that should be enough, often its not.There is a saying which goes,'The waiting game', God is not into playing games, He is into changing  us from the old to the new, and he says to all of us we have need of patience.to wait on Gods timing,which is always perfect,always.He never comes to late or to early.Psalm 40 v1 reads 'I waited  patiently', it does not say impatiently. Spurgeon points us to our dear Saviour as patience personified,   Impatience  never lingered in His heart,much less escaped His lips in His suffering,one thing for sure He was patient,He waited,and waited,; was patient,and patient to perfection' .David's patience was not in vain, for in v1ff he tells us that the Lord heard his cry,and acted on his behalf.

                                                            'Patience is not a vain exercise'.

                                                   

God is to be feared. ( Revelation 20 v 11 -15)

Psalm 119 v 119-120 reads ,'All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross. My flesh trembles in fear of you',he is speaking about the Lord,I stand in awe of your laws'.Unlike the wicked he loves God's word,he is very conscious of his unworthiness so much so that he trembles in fear before a holy God. Michael Wilcox writes on the psalmist ,'trembling in fear, says ,'Let us not assume complacently that that ' merely means reverence.'. Verse 120 is about the shudder of dread;' For our God is a consuming fire'.(Hebrew 12 v29) Of course the fear of God does mean reverence also ,we must always remember whom God is, He is not our old pal,or our bosom friend He is God and  must be treated with reverence, always bearing in mind that we must not act in ways that offend Him.Consider what our Saviour said,' And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.But rather  fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell'(Matthew  10 v 28) The unsaved care to ignore this truth,alas to their cost, hell is real as sure as heaven is real,every knee shall one day bow before Him,the unsaved in dread and anguish,as they await their terrible fate.the saved will bow before Him,in gratitude and thankfulness for the mercy shown to them,in saving them,from a fate worse than death.

                                                                      'Fear God'

Be a Sower. (Psalm 126 v 6 )

After the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon died,a man told how he came to know Christ as his Saviour. Spurgeon was going  to preach at a very large premises at  Crystal Palace.Thousands were expected to attend the meeting,he wanted to check out the acoustics,so he got up on the platform, and spoke with a very clear voice the words from John 1v 29,'Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world',he heard  his voice echo around the hall. When he left, a man who had been in another part of the building, came out of the room he was in , knelt down,and asked Christ to save him.Years ago I read how Wesley was held up and robbed of his money which he had very little off,and as the man was leaving Wesley spoke to him,he said,'I have something more to give you',here is what he said,'You may live to regret this sort of life,if you ever do here is something to remember,'The blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin (12 John 1 v7 ) Years later he met that man ,he had trusted the Saviour and had become a successful businessman,,he said to Wesley ,'I owe it all to you',Two remarkable conversions,let us all be faithful  in witnessing for Christ, and trust God to bless the word sown.

There is more. ( John 11 v 25 )

My son's family has had a death in there family,the cat has died,they are upset,yes a lot of people see their pets as part of their family, I understand that.It came up in discussion when my wife and I were visiting relatives,and a niece said I could pray in order to help that cat cross over.Well I told them I don't think so,and sought to explain ,that animal's ,lovely though they are,they don't cross over,the fact is when they die they cease to exist.We are told that God has placed  eternity within the human heart(Ecclesiastes 3 v11). One translation puts it like this,'has put eternity into man's mind' Derek Kidner writes, Unlike the animals immersed in time,we know something of eternity; enough at least to compare the fleeting with the ' for- ever.'.We are like the desperately near sighted,inching their way along some great tapestry or fresco in an attempt to take it in'.Again as someone else said,'There is something more to life than what we can see and experience in the here and now'.Within humanity there is longing for something more,and they are continually chasing a 'will-o'-the- wisp', a delusive or elusive goal',or to put it plainly,'Shadows'.The word of God tells us 'that the things that are seen are temporal,but the things that are not seen are eternal', (2 Corinthians 4 v 18 ) It is only as we come to know God who is eternal through Jesus Christ  we realise that we have been saved from a lost eternity, and saved to life eternal with God in heaven.

We have a choice ( Romans 5 v 17)

 When on holiday with my son and family, we viewed  a lovely garden,as I  walked around it, I thought how beautiful the garden of Eden must have been .It was a perfect in a perfect world. God the creator was pleased with what he had done,we read these words,'it was good' and  when He created  Adam and Eve and placed them in the garden He said that it was very good.All creation was in harmony with not one note of discord,Adam and Eve had everything going for them,they had not a worry in the world.Present humanity cannot grasp perfection,cannot appreciate what that truly means. Let us return to that perfect garden,to a moment in time when creation experienced a change,Romans 8 v22 tells us,'For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now'.That beautiful perfect garden had turned from perfection to imperfection.But of course something more serious had taken place place,those perfect human being were now changed,life would become a struggle,they would experience something we were meant to experience  ,death.That perfect nature was changed,they had now a fallen nature,and all kinds of evil was possible, God did not forsake His creation,but the crown of His creation had forsaken Him.But God had a plan a new creation,and the one who would bring it into being  would be Jesus.In their perfect state humanity had a choice Genesis 3 v2,they made the wrong choice,and we paid the awful price for their sinful choice.But now there is way back to God,from the dark paths of sin ,and all its consequences when we come as a sinner to Jesus.

                                                              'Make the right choice'

Littleness. ( 1 Corinthians 3 v 10 - 15 )

 Some of us are called to be missionaries ,ministers,deacons,yet there are many dear people who for whatever reason cannot do very much.It was Milton who said,'They also serve who only stand and wait'. We cannot all be at the battle ,but we can support those who are by prayer,the great Apostle Paul,knew the importance of prayer support, in writing to the Christians in Ephesus he wrote,'Pray also for me'.Never let us underestimate our prayers for others,they make a difference.We can serve God in many ways,think not about what you can't do,but what you can do ,be it ever so small. A widow woman give the little she had over to God,and God blessed it ,and it fed the prophet Elijah,herself and her son.( 1 Kings 17 v 7ff).A little boy handed over his lunch and Christ used it to feed thousands of people (John 6)A poor widow woman  give her last bit of money, two small copper coins ,worth practically nothing into the temple treasury,and our dear Saviour commended her highly for it.(Mark 12 v 41ff).If Christ places a cup of water in your  then that's all he demands (Matthew 10 v42)

                                       'Be not concerned how others view our smallness

                                        of gifts,or our smallness of giving,It is how Christ 

                                         views them,that's what is important.'

Good and Evil ( Isaiah 5 v 20)

 Let's consider some thoughts from Psalm 119 v 65-72. We will consider v66 ,'Teach me knowledge and good judgement,for I trust in your commands'.it is Michael Wilcock who writes the following,'It is Scripture that both promises and conveys the good things that the Lord intends for his servant. They include knowledge,which is an excellent gift,and good judgement.( the ability'to distinguish good from evil) V65 reads,'Do good to your servant,according to your word,Lord. How are we as Christians going to distinguish between good and evil?,the answer is very simple according to God's word.. We are  not left to ourselves to flounder blindly on the worlds idea's of morality ,which so many Christians alas are doing.We have the 10 commandments,and many other scriptures that help us to distinguish between good and evil. In v66  we read,'For I trust your commandments', yes we must trust God's word, in all things,in relation to morality and theology,if we do, we will be walking in the light,if we don't we will be walking in darkness. Remember what our Saviour said ,if you love Me,keep my commandments. ( John 14 v 15)

Little Children. ( Proverbs 22 v 6 )

I fervently believe in child evangelism,I believe the sooner one becomes a Christian the better,why  do I believe this,?.Well recently three young lads were sent to prison for a long time,for they were involved in the murder of a young lad. I thought ,if only they had found the Saviour early in life ,things would have been different. You might have come to Christ when you were young,and you have listened to a testimony of someone who had lived a wicked life,and you may have thought I didn't do such terrible things, I haven't much of a testimony. You are wrong , because you can testify how God has kept and saved you from those things,that's something you can praise God for.I wish I had not strayed from God for a number of years,and during those years I accumulated thought patterners that still plague me after 60 years following the Lord. It is truly wonderful the grace that saves us from sinning ,and the grace that saves in our sins,Just let me add ,we are all sinners ,children are sinners, and its amazing how soon they can manifest that,but if they come  to know Christ early as I have said,they can be preserved from what those three young people did.

                                                  'Jesus said , 'Let the little children come

                                                   to Me,and  do not hinder them.'

                                                             'Matthew 9 v14 '

Acceptance ( 1 John 5 v 14-15 )

                                                         'God grant me the serenity

                                                     to accept the things I cannot change,

                                                     courage to change the things I can,

                                                      and wisdom to know the difference'

Seemingly next to the Lord's prayer,it's the most used prayer in the world,I am sure it's not meant to be negative,some people may see it as that.  I think we balance it up by mentioning the will of God, is it always God's will to heal,to deliver us?.The fact is some things don't change even though we pray ,and pray,and pray, 2 Corinthians 12 v 7ff, yes with God all things are possible, that is very obvious,and we are encouraged to pray in faith for God to answer our prayers,which He does, If you are a Christian then God has answered the most important prayer you have ever uttered,the prayer to be saved.It didn't stop at that as Spurgeon says everyday that you are a Christion is a miracle.Over my long Christian life God has answered so many of my prayers,for four years my then wife and I trusted God to meet our needs while at Bible college,and He did,it was a trial but God brought us through it.God will answer our prayers ,but this is the key thing, if it be His will.this is not to discourage us praying,keep praying,in His will He will answer our prayer.If he doesn't then it was not His will. The prayer we are considering stresses the things we must do ,and what we must accept.

Looking Back (Hebrews 13 v 8 )

    There is a looking back that's negative and there's a looking back that's positive.Paul the apostle touches on the negative,in Philippians 3 v 13, he writes ,'But one thing  I do forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is a head'. This sort of looking back entails that which hinders one moving forward, a refusal to go forward,we dwell on what worked yesterday,and it is obvious it is not working.The sad is they don't give new things a chance.I know God gives us words in relation to the church,but the evidence that it is from  God means a fulfillment of that promise,if it doesn't happen then we have to accept that and move on.That can hold back the church from moving forward,and it can can cause individuals from moving on also.(Deuteronomy 18 v 22) It is worth considering  that the negative reasons for a church and individuals that stop us moving forward.What about the positives aspects of looking back?Michael Wilcock say's  the following,'Bible people would be nonplussed by our curious modern preoccupation with the future,or rather by the notion that we need to find out somehow what the future holds, and we do so by turning  our backs on the past.He goes to point out that by looking back ,'we find God is always active and always consistent.'  What He done in the past He can do today,.leading,protecting,and providing, you get the picture.That God always keeps His word,he cannot lie,He did not forsake Israel of old ,so He will not forsake us the New Covenant Israel..What God did in the past He can do in the future,MW further says,'That is a considerably more reliable forecast,be it said, than any we are likely to find in our news -    papers from astrologers, meteorologists, or politicians!.

                                                                ' Ebenezer' 

                                                             '1 Samuel 7 v12'

Our heavenly home.( John 14 v 1-4 )

In Psalm 119 v 19 we read'I am a stranger on earth', in Hebrews 11 we read about the saints of God in the OT as being  ,'Foreigners and strangers on earth, and that they were longing for a better country-a heavenly one.it carries on into the NT we are told that our citizenship is in heaven, ( Philippians 3 v 20),and in 1 Corinthians  15 v 49 we read,'Just ae we are now like the earthly man, we will someday be like the heavenly man'.One day where Jesus is we will be,  ( John 17 v 24 ) Yes a wonderful destiny awaits us,until that day comes whither in death or when Jesus comes back we are to be witness'es for Him by our words ,and by our lives.As Christians we long for heaven and home, so  be careful not to be so taken up with this world that is our temporary dwelling place to the point that we forget our eternal destiny.We are to set our hearts on things above,where Christ is,seated at the right hand of God  (Colossians 3 v1).

                                                       ' Heaven here we come'

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Promoted to Glory. ( Philippians 1 v 23 )

 For all us death is inevitable that's an obvious thing to say ,we cant change it,for the bereaved it can be very painful,even though their loved has gone to heaven.My youngest son's father-in-law died recently,he was a Christian, he had suffered long with cancer.My son said although he was sad at his death he was no longer suffering and he had gone to a better place.William Barclay writing on Pauls words in Philippians 1 v23 ,'of having a desire to depart and be with Christ'.says,'The word for depart...is the word for striking camp, loosening the tent ropes,pulling up the tent pins and going on.It is said that in the terrible days of the war,when the Royal Air Force stood between this country and destruction,and when the lives of its pilots were been sacrificially spent, they never spoke of  a pilot as having been killed; they always spoke of him as having  been ''posted to another station''.Each day's march is a day's march nearer home.Death is a setting sail,a launching out into the deep, a departure on that voyage to the everlasting haven and to God. Heaven is that place where all earth's questions will be answered,where the torturing problems will find their solution, where the broken things will be mended and the lost things found, and where those who have waited will in the end understand'.The Salvation army  speaking about  of fellow salvationist when they die as being ,'promoted to glory'.

Nice people. (Romans 3 v 23 )

 My wife are members of the ,'National Trust',it is an organisation that manage former stately homes ,we hope to visit one soon.They usually have beautiful gardens,as to myself I have a small garden,and now that the weather is changing I have been attending to it, I do appreciate my garden.When God had finished creation,he gave Adam and Eve a garden to live in,they were to look after it,at that stage they were perfect  in everyway, but these lovely people sinned,and that sinful nature and it's consequences has been passed unto all of us.That means even lovely people sin,and they need a Saviour. yes the king on his throne and queen on her throne are sinners .Consider this ,King James the ist of England was a very religious person,he loved sermons,and authorised a Bible translation generally known as the AV ,the Bible that Paul the apostle used (I joke).This very religious king, had a likening for women and men,in fact there was a saying at the time which went,'Elizabeth was King; now James is Queen'.Yes humanities sinful nature will always manifest itself ,yes the nicest of people are sinners, don't let us ever forget that.That is why everyone needs a Saviour, the nice young person,the nice old granny,the nice mother the nice father,all need a Saviour. They are all lost, just as lost as the worst of people,and the most evil of people,niceness is not enough,it only hides the fact that they need Jesus. So don't be fooled,don't let their niceness,hold you back from witnessing to them,and indeed praying for them.

Stuck in the mire (Psalm 40 v 1-5)

 Michael Wilcock wrote the following,' Are you stuck in the mire? Then get stuck into the scriptures!'It made me smile,but it's very good advice,I have had my moments of being stuck in the mire,In Pilgrims Progress ,Christians finds himself in what is called ,'The  slough of despond' ,and it only became worse as he went along,as he met all sorts of people like ,Mr Obstinate,Mr  Pliable and a certain Mr Worldly  Wiseman. You see he failed to follow instructions of the man called Evangelist,but eventually he met a man who told him to keep to the straight and narrow path,and it would lead him to the place of deliverance.If like Christian we go to any Tom, Dick or Harry, that will not help ,yes there are many  voices calling out to us, but where will they lead us?where are you looking to find refuge?,Here is a word  from God to you ,spoken by a man who found himself stuck in the miry clay,he declares ,'I waited patiently for the Lord,he turned to be me,and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit,out of the mud and mire'.And two wonderful things happened,'He set him upon a rock',that's a place of certainty and this followed by a note of certainty and rejoicing,,from  despair ,and being downcast ,to singing praises unto God.

Mercy, ( Ephesians 2 v 1 9 )

 When someone  commits an awful crime,one may think or say that person doesn't deserve mercy, instead they are getting what they deserved,put them in prison and throw away the key.Or we may say bring back capital punishment,they should be ,'hung, drawn and  quartered, that was an awful way to die,it involved ,well I won't go into that, all I  can assure you is ,it was ghastly. We are talking here on an horizontal level level,  sins and wrongs that we perpetrate on each other,but what about the wrongs we commit against God?,they are called sin,and the fact unlike human justice, no one will escape the judgement of God,in fact no one deserves mercy,no one.Here is one definition of mercy, the compassionate treatment of those in distress,especially when it is within one's power to punish or harm them'.The Bible teaches that everybody sins,and everyone will stand before God to be judged ,there will be no plea bargaining , or saying you are innocent,that it wasn't you, or it was someone else, no  for all have sinned an come short of the glory of God. (Romans3 v23 ) .All the sins one has committed all their lives ,will be judged,the seriousness of your sin will be seen for it was,hateful in Gods estimation,and absolutely no mercy will be shown you,and let me say it will be worse that being,hung ,drawn ,and quartered,for it will be an eternal judgement.But while you live and our spared here  there is hope for you,for God is merciful,. If we seek God for mercy now,by accepting Jesus as our Saviour then we can have all our sins forgiven, and can escape the just judgement of God.

The word of God. (Isaiah 40 v 8 )

 The longest Psalm is 119 it has 176 verses,the longest chap in the bible,and it is divided up into 22  portions and each portion is  headed by a letter from the Hebrew alphabet,twenty two in total. Portion 9-16 is a word for young people, although it could apply to all ages. Verse 9 reads.

                                           'How can a young person stay on the path of purity?' 

There are so many things that young people have to face in life that can harm them,in the sexual area, that's a major thing,addictive things,wrong company,etc .The answer to the question is this,

                                             By living according to your word.

Yes God's word is the answer v105 tell's us that God's word is ,'A lamp to our feet,and a light to our path'. The young people of the world,are walking in darkness,and when you walk in darkness then you will be sure to fall morally. One my son's called Brian ,and his wife served the Lord in Ibiza,and they saw the state that many young people got into,at times it was very grim.If your a young Christian  you need to live by God's word. ( This applies to all of us. next we are told ),

                                             I have hidden your word in my heart 

                                             that I might not sin against you. v10.

It 's good to read God's word,but we must remember what it says,and obey it,James 1 v 22 reads,'Do nit merely listen to the word,and so deceive yourselves' Memorise it ,and live by it'

                                               'I delight in your decrees;

                                                I will not neglect your word'.

He is saying,' I love the word of God ,I treasure it , it will be my daily bread,it will be my purest delight.I know if I neglect it,I will be self harming my soul.'

                                           'Don't let  dust gather on your Bible'