Not by chance (Hebrews 1 v1ff) Christmas

Nothing concerning Jesus happened by chance,that includes His birth ,let us consider the prophecy of  Micah 5 v 2 which reads ;But you,Bethlehem Ephrathah though you are small among the clans of  Judah ,out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel,whose origins are from old, from ancient time'. Micah prophesied this ,approximately 740-698 BC,this is the verse the priest and teachers told Herod when he asked them where would the Messiah would be born. ( Matthew 2 v 1ff.)Just another of the prophecies concerning Messiah Jesus.His birth coincided with Caesar Augustus ordering a census to be made,in which everyone had to go their home town.( Luke 2 v1-3). When the child Jesus was in grave danger, Joseph and Mary escaped into Egypt with Him,again that fulfilled what Hosea foretold ( Hosea 11 v1),this was God's plan,and as we go through the scriptures as regards His  death we are told in 1Peter  1 v20 and Revelation 13 v 8  it was planned  in eternity,one commentator  writes the following, 'God's plan for salvation was established before time began, making Jesus sacrifice eternally significant and always  present in His mind'.

Miracle 4

 We considered how in spite of the miracles that Jesus did and the scripture that clearly pointed to Him as being the Messiah, they rejected Him ,not only rejected Him ,but they crucified Him,why did God not do something about it?.Let us consider the miracle of the cross,yes it was a miracle,for through His death on the cross in His mercy and love God was achieving for humanity a way of escape from us going to Hell.John 3 v16 spells it out for us,'For God so loved the world,yes He does love the world ,amazing,yes it is true.Out of a heart of love He thought of a plan,a way in which we  undeserving sinners could be saved, His blessed son Jesus would take the sinners place and take the punishment for their sins.He the just one would die for the unjust,He the sinless one would die for the sinner.So if they would believe in Him they will not perish but have everlasting life. Humanity cannot perform the miracle of salvation,sad to say that many do try to save themselves,but it's futile ,but they will keep trying.

                                              'My Father is all powerful and that you can't deny

                                               A  God of might and miracles it's written in the sky

                                               It took a miracle to put the stars in place

                                                It took a miracle to hang the world in space

                                                But when He saved my soul cleansed  and made me whole

                                                 It took a miracle of love and grace.

                                                                Words  Eddy  Arnold

                                              

Miracle 3

 Miracles didn't stop at the birth of Christ ,when Christ began His ministry,He performed many miracles, turning water into wine,and many more would follow,not all were recorded ,for John tells us this in CP Chap 20 v 30.Yet in spite of all these miracles He was rejected and despised as the prophet Isaiah foretold chap 53v3,we need not be surprised at this, the question is why?.Consider  the words of John in chap 1 v10-11,'He was in the world ,and though the world was made through Him,the world did not recognise Him/  He came to that which was His own,but His own did not receive Him'.Is their an answer as to why He was the in world and it did not recognise Him,and His own people did not receive Him.In  John 3 v 19 we read,'This is the verdict: light has come into the world,but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil'.That is the answer, and that is why,we must  never underestimate the darkness of the human soul.,and next time we will consider this further.

                                                          'This dark world of sin'

A miracle ( Isaiah 9 v 6 -7) 2

 I mentioned last time that two miracles took place when Jesus was born,for the child that was born,was different , how was he different?,well the answer is ,he was truly human and truly God.How was it possible ?,it was a miracle.Again let us travel back over 700yrs to the promise that Isaiah made in chapter 7 v 14 , in this verse we are told of a virgin conceiving giving birth to a son, and that he will be called Immanuel,which means God with us.Then we move forward to Isa 9 v6  when we are told of a child being born,and His name would be,'Wonderful Counsellor,Mighty God, everlasting father,Prince of Peace.I remember speaking to some Jws,when I said He was mighty God,one them replied ,yes but He was not almighty God.That was a nonsensical answer for the adjective does not change the object, that He was God.For other OT scriptures as regards Christs deity CP Isa42 v8   / Psalm 45 v6-7/ 110 v1/ Daniel 7 v 13-14/.It is Leupold who comments that Isaiah's use in 9 v6  is the same title unequivocally for God in  10v21  It was the  Collingsworth family who wrote a hymn which starts.Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall? and the answer is,'Tis the Lord!O wondrous story,Tis the Lord,the king of glory! Yes it truly was a miracle.

Miracles ( Luke 1 v26 -38) 1

 They say there are four types of miracles,healing,exorcism, nature miracles,and resurrection,well that's what they say,I believe there are more than that.Here we are in the Christmas season when we remember a miracle ,in fact two miracles happened. In Isaiah 7 v14  we read,'The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son'Now that is truly a miracle,it is impossible for a virgin to bear a child,yet here we have a promise that it was going to happen. It would not happen for just over 700 yrs ,Gods word will be fulfilled no matter how long it takes .Bethlehem was to be the place it would happen. (Micah 5 v2)  The girl Mary had a visit from an angel who told her she was going to have a son who would be called Jesus,here was her reply 'How will this be,...since I am a virgin?'(Luke 1 v34) it was an obvious question ,It would take a miracle,a miracle which God performed (Luke 1 v 35)Don't let anyone rob you of this truth,and don't be blinded  by all the non-Christian  things which surrounds Christmas, it was truly a miracle.

Christmas ( John 3 v 16)

 My wife has been very busy buying and wrapping up the presents ,we have a very large family.A thought suddenly came to me about Christmas,I have never,I mean never, known anyone who has been saved at Christmas,I have been following the Lord for 61yrs,that's a long time, when I was a minister, I always sought to present the gospel to people.Im sure that many are going to sing the carols,enjoy the mince pies,and look at the nativity with baby Jesus ,Mary,Joseph,shepherds,and the animals.But they never go beyond that,so another Christmas passes into oblivion, My dear wife asked me, what do I want for Christmas,I really don't need anything,but I will appreciate any present I am given.As I was driving home recently,I said  to the Lord,let me see someone being saved,and then I added,let me lead someone to Christ,that would be the most wonderful gift of all.

                                                      'O teach me what it meaneth,

                                                       That cross uplifted high,

                                                       With one , the man of sorrows,

                                                       Condemned to bleed and die,               

                                                       O teach me what it cost Thee

                                                       To make a sinner whole;

                                                        And teach me,Saviour,teach me

                                                        The value of a soul'  (Words Lucy A.Bennett)

                                                         

Weakness (2 Timothy 4 v 16-17) 1

 The book  of Judges is about Israels failure to follow God, followed by God punishing them, then rescuing them when they called on Him. One writer  describes their turning to Him as mere remorse,not repentance.He nevertheless did rescue them, until the next time. He raised up individuals who were called Judges who would rescue them,one of the Judges was called Gideon (Chap 6 -7),for seven years they were being oppressed by two nations,they were in dire straits ,and then they called on God to rescue them, imagine it took seven years of oppression before they turned to God,he is very patient with his people,and with you and me. Now let's think about Gideon,he was to learn a number of lessons , one ,being weak is not a disadvantage, in v15 he says ,how can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family. The Lord answered,''I will be with you'' God does not leave us in our weakness no,He will be with us,today and all our tomorrows, when we go to work,when we go shopping or whatever,He will be with us, simply because He dwells within us,by His Spirit.

Don't be like Ephraim ( Deuteronomy 8 v 1 -5)

 I have just watched an old movie about people considered a coward,in the end he proved he wasn't ,and he succeeded ,and he showed that he was a very brave man. In the movie, the man had received four white feathers from four different people, indicating they believed he was a coward.There is stigma attached to being coward,the army take a very dim view as regards a soldier being a coward.There was a time when those acted cowardly would be shot. There are cowards mentioned in the Bible  ,we read the following in Psalm 78 v 9-12 it reads ,'The men of Ephraim,though armed  with bows,turned back on the day of the battle; the reason,' They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by the law,They forgot what He had done, and the wonders He had shown them'.These people were armed,yes they had the means to win,but alas they turned back, The English archers defeated the French in the battle of Agincourt so bows an arrows were very effective weapons. Reason why they ran away,'They did not keep God's covenant and refused to live by the law',Ephraim the leading tribe in Israel,had forsaken God,if we forsake God  there are sad consequences .They had forgot what God had done,the wonders that He had performed for them.. Spurgeon writes,'Ere we condemn them,let us repent of our own wicked  forgetfulness,and confess the many occasions upon which we also  have been unmindful of past favours'.                                             

Marriage ( Hebrews 13 v 4 )

 In these days marriage in our society marriage is being ignored by many, some  people just live together,even  Christians are doing this,I am sure they have their reasons, but whatever the reason marriage is what God desires , The first miracle was performed at a wedding CP John 2, and in John 4  Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman, who had been married five times,and the person she was living with was not her husband v 17.There Jesus was making distinction between marriage and living together, The  Samaritans accepted the first five books in the Bible,and it is there we read where the Jews and the Samaritans based the divorcing of wives that Moses had given Deut 24 v 1,it reads that he could  simply,' give her a certificate  of divorce and send her away',thats all it took ,so simple,One can see how abusive that could be, simply by what was said as regards the Samaritan woman.It was seen by Jesus to be wrong ,and  he answered the religious peoples as to why  Moses had given this rule. Jesus answer was because of the hardness of their hearts. Mt 19 v 8.In a sense they were making a mockery of marriage ,treating women in a wrong way,and going against the sacredness of marriage as God intended it to be.

That final step ( 2 Corinthians 8 v 9)

That final step comes on the last moment of our walk to glory,but sometimes on that journey we  struggle,   so much so that we  can't go on to towards that final step .There are two things that should help us,one is keeping our eyes on Jesus ,and the next one is the joy of  heaven . (Hebrews  12 v 3)We cannot fully grasp what awaits us in heaven,so many things clouds our vision.Of course we walk by faith,but sometimes our faith is weak,our loving heavenly Father understands.So let me mention some things as regards heaven, there you will never feel tired, you will no longer be tempted to sin, imagine you will never think a wrong thought,be it sexual, covetousness ,anger,hate, or experience coldness of spirit, all the bad memories will be gone.There will be no evil people ,no more wicked dictators,no more depression,no more despair.Our minds will be free from all confusion,no more mental illness,no more darkness,for the Lord will be the light thereof. None of this could  have  come about if Christ had not come,by coming to this sinful world,he made it possible for sinners to be forgiven and that we at last could go to heaven.if we simply accept Him as our Saviour.

Just a carol. ( Luke 2 v 8- 14)

A friend sent me a Christmas card,with the words of a carol written by Charles Wesley, I have never heard it sung, so I like to share it with you.

                                                      1      'Let earth and heaven combine,

                                                             Angels and men agree,

                                                             To praise, in Songs divine,

                                                              The incarnate Deity;

                                                              Our God contracted to a span,

                                                               Incompressible made man

                                                     2        He laid His glory by,

                                                               And wrapped Him in our clay;

                                                                Unmarked by human eye,

                                                                The Latent Godhead lay;

                                                                 Infant of  Days, He here became,

                                                                  And bore the loved Immanuel's name.

                                                       3         Unsearchable  the  love

                                                                  That has the Saviour bought;

                                                                  That grace is far above

                                                                   Or  man's or angel's thought;

                                                                   Suffice for us,that God we know,

                                                                    Our God was manifest below.'

                   

                                                         

                                                

They won't fool Jesus.(Matthew 7 v 15 - 23)

 In  Titus 1 v 16,we read 'They claim to know God,but by their actions they deny Him',this again tells us clearly of the importance of showing the evidence of being a Christian.No matter what people say if  their lives are sinful ,it is obvious they are  not Christians. Our Saviour said in Matthew 7 v22-23,'Many will say to me on that day,''Lord,Lord,did we not prophesy in your name and in you name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly,''I never knew you.Away from me,you evildoers!'An extreme example of this is Judas  we read that he ,'he shared in the ministry Acts 1 v17,he fooled everyone but not the Lord.People can hide a lot of wrongful doings under a cloak of religiosity.Think of the atrocities have been perpetrated by very religious people, There are those who name Christ as their Saviour,claiming miracles,casting out so called demons.one day,yes one day,they will be shown for what they are,evildorers.Our Saviour said 'Watch out  for false prophets. They come to in sheep's clothing,but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognise them.( Matthew 7 v15-16)

Anger ( Ephesians 6 v 10)

One of the first things that happened after the fall, was a murder most foul,between two brothers(Gen 4),Cain  and Abel, the problem began when the two brothers brought offerings to God,Cains offering was rejected by God,  Abel's  offered was  accepted. It was God's choice ,it is His prerogative after all he is God,Cain should have accepted that but instead he became angry not with God but with his brother,God knew how he felt ,God sought to reassure him that if he did that which was right he would be accepted, and warned him of where his anger would lead,God told him to rule over his anger.Think of the many evil's that have come out of uncontrolled anger.There are scriptures warning about the danger and consequences of uncontrolled anger. Psalm  37 v8 tells us,'Refrain from anger,and forsake wrath', Ephesians 4 v27 ,tells us our anger gives the devil a foothold ,Cain destroyed his own brother,Remember what Peter tells us about our Lord,'When He was reviled,He did not revile in turn,when He suffered He did not threaten,but continued entrusting Himself to Him who judges justly' ( 1 Peter 2 v23)

Hardness of the heart. (Matthew 11 v 28-30)

What do I want when I minister, and so this thought came to me,I want what I say or publish, to be from God's heart to my heart and then to your heart. There is a medical mission in Malawi called Lifeline and one patient said ,'At Lifeline, they treat my body and my heart', Christianity is  all about helping people but it's  also about touching people's heart ,what we mean is the core of their being.that which no one can see, but God.In Mark 3 we read of our Saviour he is in the synagogue,and there was present of a man with a withered hand.There were Pharisees present and they were not watching him in prayerful hope that He would heal that dear man,no they were looking to see if He would heal him,so they could accuse him of  breaking the sabbath.Jesus knew that they were out to destroy him.So Jesus  said to the man, stand up. .Before he performed the miracle he said the following,'Which is lawful on the sabbath: to do good or to do evil,to save life or to kill? but they remained silent.'And  when he looked at them it was with anger,being grieved  for the hardness of their hearts',then he healed the man.   Our Saviour did not speak well of the Pharisees, their religion put burdens unto  people, (Read Matthew 23) whereas Jesus said he had come to help the weary and the burdened ,and give them rest,may God give us grace to be more like Jesus.

Good works ( (Matthew 6 v25ff)

 Let's consider further Matthew 6 v 19ff It is not wrong to have money,but it is wrong that money should  have us. God is not telling us ,to give all our money away.I remember reading about C T.Studd ,he came from a wealthy family,he and his brother ,played cricket for England. When the Lord saved him he  felt God was calling him to be a missionary,and I believe he gave most of his money away. He said many quotable sayings,here is one of them,'Some wish to live within the sound of chapel bell,I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of Hell'. So much for CT , Ephesians 2 v10 tells us'For we are God's handiwork,created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared us in advance, for us to do'.It is not all about money but money is included ,there are many societies that are involved in helping people, they need financial support,And as we give ,give as on to God,Jesus speaks of treasures in heaven CP  1 Cor 1 v 8ff,yes there will be rewards in heaven one person describes them as not physical but spiritual. Our security is not our bank balance.our security is God.

Money,Money,Money, ( 1 Timothy 6 v 10)

 In  Matthew 6 v 19ff our Saviour  instructs us as regards money and how we should manage it,He  reminds us of the uncertainty of wealth,After the confederacy (USA) was defeated their currency was worth  nothing,In the 1920 Germany suffered from hyperinflation their currency was practically nothing.In these days, the scammers are robbing people blind. When one hears of the very rich, one wonders why do they need so much money?But our Saviour is speaking to everyone, telling us to 'store your treasures in heaven'.He warns us we can't love God and money,in v 22-23, He warns us of that which clouds our vision in this case money  and that has adverse consequences that are very serious.The rich young man mentioned in Matthew 19 ,choose His money, rather than trusting and following Jesus.In Matthew 16 v26 Our Saviour said,'And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your soul? It was George Beverly Shea who sang a lovely song ,here is the verse.  

                                             'I'd rather have Jesus than silver and gold ,

                                              I'd rather be His than have riches untold;

                                              I'd rather have Jesus than houses or  lands,

                                              I'd rather be led by His nail pierced hand

                                              Than to be the king of a vast do-main

                                               And be held in sin's dread sway.'

                                                              Words Rhea F. Miller

                                                                                                  

                                              

                                             

A man with a mission.( John 10 v 11)

The words of the song,'The impossible Dream' from 'Man of La Mancha'are very inspiring so much in it that challenges one,it is to say the least overwhelming ,'To beat the unbeatable foe,to run where the brave dare not go,to follow that star, no matter how hopeless,to be willing to march into hell,for a heavenly cause'. The  last part of the song reads,'And the world will be better for this,that one man ,scorned and covered in scars,Still  strove with his last ounce of courage,to reach the unreachable star' I know someone who did not have an impossible dream,he had something more than that,he had a mission that no one else could perform ,it was a mission of love,He was rich but he became poor,so many would be rich,oh no, not in worldly wealth,which passes away.He touched many lives for the better,filling them with hope,and joy,a hope ,not in that which is seen,but in that which was everlasting.a sure and certain hope that went beyond the grave,to a eternal home in heaven.This world is a better place for His coming, but there was a price to be paid . Scorned and covered in scars He paid the ultimate price that our sins may be forgiven by dying on a cross at a place called Calvary.

Faithfulness.(Acts 4 v 19-20)

 Ezekiel the prophet was with the Jews in Babylon,Judah  still survived,but not for long,eventually they would be overthrown,by the Babylonians.In chapter 2 of Ezekiel ,he received a call from God .No he wasn't going to be a missionary like Jonah who was called to a heathen nation.God speaks to him,he calls him 'Son of man', here it indicates his humanity,nothing more,Let us remember we should honour those called to be prophets, and leaders of God's people,but also remember that they are mere men.God declares ,I am sending you to the Israelites,oh that was wonderful,he wouldn't have to learn another language,but it was going to be a difficult assignment,for here is what God says about His people ,They are rebellious, obstinate,and stubborn,yet they are known as the children of God.As one reads the history of the Christian church ,how they burned people to death and opposed the gospel,it is not a happy picture.It was not going to be easy to say the least for Ezekiel ,God is telling Ezekiel how it was.Ezekiel is told not to be afraid or terrified. When God  calls you to be preacher,pastor or an evangelist .we must show neither fear or favour. God tells him 'You must speak my words to them , whether they listen or fail to listen'He had to be faithful to his God given calling. More than ever we need faithful servants of Christ one day we will  have to give an account to our Saviour, will we hear Him say?,'Well done good and faithful servant'.

The blood of the Martyrs ( Philippians 1 v 29)

In ancient Galatia,the 'Galatian League',met in solemn  convocation in memory of Caesar ....they wanted to honour him as their Saviour  and Lord'. People believed that he was an actual god,yes they really believed that,of course they had many gods,so imagined  that when Christianity came into being,they would have been none to pleased.As time went on they showed their displeasure ,by executing untold thousands of people,who refused to say Caesar was Lord,Peter and Paul paid the price by being martyred .We read of the account of the Bishop of Smyrna, Polycarp who was martyred, h,e was 86,they pleaded with him to say Caesar was lord but he refused,this is what he said,'Eighty six years I have served Him(Jesus)and He has done me no wrong',with that they burned him at the stake.Times have not changed,many countless thousands of people are still being martyred,we need to pray for them,that's the least we can do.Tertullian spoke of the,'Blood of the martyrs', as I said ,this still goes on ,they will die either by the machete, bullet, beheading,and even by been burned alive.

God revealed ( 2 Timothy 3 v 16)

 I am reading a book called Dominion by Tom Holland I find it an interesting book,but there are things that he writes I would take issue with him,one, being that Greek philosophy influenced our theology in relation to the being of God. Some philosophers like Plato or Aristotle  may have believed in one god,whatever they believed it would have not been the God of the scriptures, their concept of God would have come through their own flawed understanding.Our concept of God came  through divine revelation,in other words God revealed himself to us.The apostle Paul  declares that through wisdom mankind did not Know God (1 Corinthians 1 v 21) Likewise the gospel it is all foolishness to them (1 Corinthians1 v23) I Cor 2 v 14 we read,'But people who aren't spiritual can't receive these truths from God's Spirit.It all sounds foolish to them,and they can't understand it.' One commentator writes the following,'No non Christians cannot understand spiritual truths' ,it is as simple as that, So where did we get our revelation from? 2 Peter 1 v 20- 21 reads ,'Above all,you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative.No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit,and they spoke from God'

                                                'The main thing to keep in mind here is

                                                 that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter

                                                 of private opinion. And why? because it's

                                                 not something concocted in the human 

                                                 heart.'

                                                 

                                            

Jesus saves (Luke 18 v 9 -14 )

 The apostle Paul  wrote to Titus who led the church,and in chap 3 he points out a number of  things,I will touch on two of them ,v3 'their past',v4 ,'the kindness and love of God '.Paul includes himself in what he  writes.let us look at their past,and we can also add our past ,because we are all sinners,and manifests that reality in different ways.Here is the list he mentions ,'At one time we to were foolish,disobedient,deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.We lived in malice and envy,being hated and hating one another.'I'm sure we could all add other things to that list,let's consider are dark and sinfull pass.Let us consider that we were foolish,or as one translation puts it, we were senseless,like the prodigal son .in Luke 15v 11ff.Next we were disobedient in so many ways ignoring God's moral laws,next we were deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures,do you remember those days,or are you still in those days?Next ,'We lived in Malice and envy,being hated and hating one another.'The hymn writer  wrote,'I  once was a stranger to grace and to God,I  knew not my danger,and felt not my load'.What does he mean by that,what danger? every unsaved person is a breath away from going to hell. Verse 4-5, tells us,'But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour ,appeared,he saved us',if you are saved ,offer up a praise of thanksgiving,if you are not saved,get down on your knees and ask Him to save you.

                                    

Trust is the key. ( Psalm 91)

 It is believed that Moses wrote Psalm 91,it is to the whosoever who dwells under the shelter of the Most High,who rests in the shadow of the Almighty. When they do that they will come under a blanket of security. Israel throughout their history often failed to do that,  and God was not pleased,if only they had,they would have been delivered from so many things. As children of God we are faced with the same choice,if we do ,God promises us deliverance,if we don't  we will suffer the consequence of our unbelief. There are many dangers many difficulties mentioned in this Psalm ,I mention a few, pestilence, plagues, and  physical harm.Yes there are a multitude of things that can harm the child of God whatever they may be,but God is watching over  his Children,v7 reads,'A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.' v 10 reads,'no harm will come near you no disaster will come near your tent'.(This is what they lived in during their wilderness journey) In  verses 11-13 we are told that God will use His angels to preserve His children.In verses 14-16,God speaks, 'Because he loves me,'says the Lord ,'I will rescue him;I will be with him in trouble,I will deliver him and honour him.With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.'

                                                      I am the Lord,the God of all 

                                                     mankind.Is anything to hard

                                                    for me'

                                                             Jeremiah 32 v 27

                                       

Now you will see what I will do. ( Ephesians 3 v 20)

Many years ago I did voluntary work in a Christian bookshop,it was owned by a married couple.I myself had managed  a Christian bookshop,but in the end we had to close it,it wasn't making enough to survive,the shop was in Belfast,and there were no shortage of Christian bookshops,we just could not compete.It seems a nice idea to open a Christian bookshop ,but there are very few bookshops now,simple because of the internet .Now getting back to the shop I  did voluntary work ,it was not making enough trade to survive,there were overheads,and things financial was getting worst.They even opened a cafe to support it but that didn't work out,they had  a lease that they couldn't get out of.I got a scripture from Exodus 6v1,which read,'Then the Lord said to Moses,'Now you will see what I will do'. I shared this with the owner of the shop,and it was shortly after this,that the local council purchased the premises,praise God.It got that couple out of a very difficult situation. Sometimes we are like that couple we find ourselves in very difficult situations,we are boxed in,the roof it seems is going to cave in on us,but  dear child of God,you are not forsaken,you have come to the end of your human resources,but that's not the end of the story,your prayers have not gone unheeded,God is saying to you ,'Now you will see what I will do'.

You give ( Matthew 14 v16)

 I have many weaknesses,one is English scones ,for lunch I had an English scone plus Greek  yoghurt with mandarin segments, they tasted lovely.I thanked God for them ,and I thought how many people  have never had the pleasure of eating such things. Many people in this world are just about existing at starvation level,they have neither in them or on them.The water they have to drink is polluted,they have no medicine,live in a one room hut .When Christ was on earth  He had compassion on the hungry and He fed them, (Matthew14 )Before He did that,He said to the disciples,'You give them something  to eat'. These words are a challenge ,it is our blessed Saviour saying to all us,you help the hungry , poor, homeless, widows ,orphans and the sick. Let us not be judgemental,let us remember our Saviour  wasn't He fed everybody that day His giving was not conditional,He gave freely to them all.