Suffering ( Revelation 2 v 10)

There are many different types of suffering ,it is Peter in his epistle writes of a particular suffering, it was suffering that  the early church would begin to experience, It would begin under the emperor Nero would inflict  upon the church of Christ,so it started on the first century until the 4th century.Of course it has neaver really ceased for up until this day many ,many Christians in many lands are suffering persecution.One may be surprised at that, surely one would think in should not be happening in 21st century.Our Saviour said ,'Blessed are those who are perseuted because of  righteousness,and in John 15 v20 He also said ,' If they persecuted me,they will persecute you also'. Peter who would suffer martyrdom declared to those Christians he was writing to,'Dear friends , do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal  that has come to test you,as though something strange were happening to you'. (1Peter 4 v12) Peter declares their suffering as God testing them,they could escape persecution  if they would deny Christ.In the 2nd century the bishop of Smyrna was arrested and he was brought before the Roman authorities,the proconsul urged him to offer incense to Caesar,he was told 'Take the oath', and I  shall release you. Curse Christ'Polycarp replied, 'Eighty -six years I  have served Him,and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me',and so he was put to death.

                                                                     A prayer

                                     'Lord help us to never deny you,even it means death'

                                                                       Amen

                                                             

I am a new creation. ( Romans 6 v 18 )

 Edmund Clowney writes ,'There are two ways of life. One is determined by the will of God. The other is marked out by the the will of the Gentile nations,what pagans choose to do. The two cannot be blended; no one can serve two masters.'  Nothing is changed ,I  remember 61 yrs ago when I came back to the Lord,I had a very good friend ,we had been friends since we were kids,but from that time on he went his way and I went God's way. Becoming a Christian means you are dying to your old way of life,It is illustrated in Baptism, where we read in Romans 6 v 3. 'All of us who were baptised into  Christ Jesus were baptised into His death.' it unites us with our Saviour in his death',So when you are baptised you are declaring I have died to my old life,no more bad language, sinful behaviour, wrong thought life, bad and sinful habits, we should see ourselves as dead to them. Baptisim speaks of resurrection, that means a life that is different, people will see the difference ,we will not be perfect in our behaviour,we may fall into sin,but we will not walk in sin.John writing to Christians tells them to confess their sins,and God will forgive them. (1 John 1 v 9 )

                                                  'More purity give me,more strength to o'ercome;

                                                   More freedom from earth-stains,more longing for home;

                                                   More fit for the kingdom, more used would I be;

                                                   More blessed and holy,more Saviour ,like Thee'.

                                                                           Philipp Bliss

He knows how we feel. ( Hebrews 4 v 15-16 )

 One of the reasons God sends trials and diffiulties into our lives is that we may better understand other peoples suffering.The best word to describe it, is empathy,which means the ability to understand and share the feelings of another person.One person puts it like this ,'It involves stepping into someone else's shoes and  experiencing their emotions,thoughts and perspectives'.It is  generally felt that many people don't  understand mental illness, its not until they  personally experience mental illness they begin to understand what it means.At this time I am experiencing something different, and I wondered why,the answer that came to me was,now I  know how other people feel who are experiencing what I'm feeling. Consider our Saviour who is not only our Saviour, but our great High Priest,and one the quaifications of  Him  being our High Priest was the fact that as Hebrews 4 v15 tells us,'For we do not have a high priest who is unable to feel sympathy for our weaknesses, but we have one  who has been tempted in every way, just as we are- yet he did not sin'.It can truly be said ,no one understands like Jesus,and that's a great comfort to all of us,you can never say to Him that you don't know how I feel,He does,and He cares.

All the way( Hebrews 13 v 16 -18 )

 As I was praying a verse of a hymn came into my mind ,it was written by the blind hymn writer ,Fanny J. Crosby,she was one of the most prolific hymn writers of all time.She became blind when she was only a child , a doctor used the wrong ointment.She never was  bitter about this,and didn't let her blindness hold her back. Many hymns were written out the of hymn writers own experience,and we also can identify with what  she wrote.So here is the verse from  the hymn that came into my mind.

                                                        'All the way my Saviour leads me;

                                                        What have I to ask beside?

                                                         Can I doubt his tender mercy,

                                                         Who through life has been my guide?

                                                          Heavenly peace divinest comfort,

                                                          Here by faith in Him to dwell!

                                                          For I know whate'er befallme,

                                                          Jesus doeth all things well'

I have been following my Saviour for 61yrs ,and I would say amen to those word,for as I look back the most wonderful thing that fills my heart with praise,is my Saviours abiding presence,I have never lost the preciousness of  that reality. The walking with Jesus is a walk of faith,not based on feelings or circumstances. A faith that declares like Fanny that whatever befalls us Jesus makes no mistake but does all things well.

                                                          

                                                      

There is mercy. (Jeremiah 25)

Why did God  punish His people by sending the nation of Babylon (whose king was Nebuchadnezzar  )to defeat and conquer them,most of them would die,awful things would take place,a small number would be spared ,but would go into captivity.In Jeremiah25 the prophet tells us why.v3 'The word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again,but you have not listened. He ministered for forty years  urging them to turn from their evil ways,and evil practices,and if they did mercy would be shown to them.They were to stop following other Gods to stop serving them and worshiping them,other prophets had spoken to them, but to no avail.So God says.But you did not listen to me, and you have aroused my anger,and so they have no one to bame for the judgment that was going to fall upon them.Of all people surely they should have listen to Him but they didn't listen,so God had ,had enough and Judgement would fall.But God is merciful and He promised that  the captivity would only last 70yrs. yes God is merciful to His disobedient children.and to those who are not His children if they forsake their disobedient ways ways.For you who are not Christians there is mercy for you ,even though in the words of Charles Wesley, 'You have long  withstood His grace,Long provked Him to His face,Would not hearkeen to His calls, grieved Him  by a thousand falls'.

                                                      'In seeking mercy we must seek Christ'

                                                                 

He giveth,He taketh away. ( Proverbs 27 v1 )

It was my 81st birthday, and I was talking to a lady,and I mentioned that it was my birthday,I then asked a leading question ,'how old do you think I am? she said 40,she really did, a 81 yr old looking like a 40yr old,marvellous ,then our conversation ended and I put the phone down.I must face facts ,no she was right. So much for my humour now back to reality.Psalm 90 v 10 reads,'Seventy years are given to us!Some even live to eighty. But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble,soon they disappear,and we fly away'Consider the opening words,'Seventy years are given to  us!'who is the one us who gives us this life? God (Genesis 1 v 27/ 1 Timothy  6 v13) In  Ps 90 v 12,we read,'Teach us to number our days,that we may get a heart of wisdom' I would put over those words,teach me to live in the light of eternity.How few think about that,they live as if this is all there is,the fact is it's not,for the Bible tells us,'After death there is Judgement(Hebrews 9 v 27)Our life will soon be ended,our days are numbered and it is God who is doing the numbering.Yes soon we will fly away,but where are are we flying to?is it heaven or is it hell?,The only way to get to heaven is by trusting Jesus,and the only way of escaping hell is by trusting Jesus.

We deserve (Ephesians 2 v 1- 5)

 There is so much that one could say about the faithfulness of God,in Lamentations 3 v 22-23, we read, 'Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for  his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness'These are astonishing word for it is spoken by the prophet Jeremiah standing in the ruins of Jerusalem,the city had been overthrown by Babylon ,many had perished  few had survived.This was a judgement from God on Judah for there sinfulness, CP  Jeremiah 2 v11-13,in Ezekiel 15 ,Jerusalem is called an adulterous wife,this chapter makes grim reading.God sent Prophets to warn them but they just contiued  on their sinful behaviour,They exhausted God's patience and so judgement fell,Habakkuk was amazed that God would use such a dreadful nation to judge His people,but He did. The whole nation deserved to be wiped out for their sinfulness,but God spared a remnant,and for that Jeremiah was grateful,he writes of the Lords Great love,his wonderful compassion,and great faithfulness.What we do not realise is, that God would be justified in destroying every human being on earth,right now.But out of His love,compassion,and faithfulness,He sent Jesus into this world,to redeem a people unto Himself,that if they believe in Him they will not perish,reject Him and they will perish.

                                                 'To God be the Glory! Great things He hath done!

                                                  So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,

                                                   Who yielded His Life an atonement for sin

                                                   And opened the life gate that we may go in.'

                                                                  Words Fanny J. Crosby